HubSpot already has email built in. So why would you use a separate email tool? Because HubSpot's email capabilities are tied to its CRM pricing, and that pricing gets expensive fast. At 10,000 contacts, you're looking at hundreds of dollars per month just for the Marketing Hub. Many teams use HubSpot as their CRM and source of truth for contacts, but handle email marketing through a more affordable or specialized platform.

The integration question is: how well does your email tool sync with HubSpot? Contact data needs to flow both ways. Email engagement (opens, clicks) should update HubSpot contact records. And ideally, HubSpot deal stages or lifecycle changes should trigger emails.

Here's what works.

Why Use a Separate Email Tool With HubSpot?

Three common reasons:

Cost: HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional starts at $800/month. A dedicated email tool might cost $29-100/month for the same contact count.
Specialization: HubSpot email is good for basic campaigns but lacks advanced automation, event-driven triggers, or developer-friendly APIs that specialized tools offer.
Use case mismatch: HubSpot is designed for inbound marketing and sales. If you're a SaaS company needing lifecycle email (onboarding, dunning, churn prevention), a SaaS-focused tool is a better fit.

The 7 Best Options

1. Sequenzy

Best for: SaaS teams using HubSpot for sales CRM but needing lifecycle email

If you're a SaaS company using HubSpot for sales pipeline management, Sequenzy handles the email side that HubSpot's basic marketing tools can't. Track product events to Sequenzy's API to trigger onboarding, conversion, and retention sequences while keeping HubSpot as your sales CRM.

The integration pattern works through your application: when deals close or contacts update in HubSpot, your app (or a Zapier workflow) sends the event to Sequenzy. Sequenzy handles the lifecycle email while HubSpot handles the sales process.

Pricing: From $29/month Integration: API events via application code or Zapier Pros: SaaS lifecycle focus, event-driven automations, Stripe integration, affordable Cons: No native HubSpot integration, requires Zapier or custom code for sync

2. ActiveCampaign

Best for: Teams wanting HubSpot CRM with powerful email automation

ActiveCampaign has one of the best HubSpot integrations in the email space. The native integration syncs contacts bidirectionally, maps custom fields, and can trigger ActiveCampaign automations based on HubSpot deal stage changes. HubSpot lifecycle stage updates can kick off email sequences in ActiveCampaign.

The combination gives you HubSpot for CRM and pipeline management plus ActiveCampaign for sophisticated email automation. Many teams find this cheaper and more capable than upgrading to HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional.

Pricing: From $29/month Integration: Native bidirectional sync Pros: Deep HubSpot integration, powerful automations, CRM features, contact sync Cons: Can feel complex, UI is dense, some features locked to higher tiers

3. Mailchimp

Best for: Small teams wanting simple email marketing with HubSpot contact sync

Mailchimp's HubSpot integration (via the Mailchimp app in HubSpot Marketplace) syncs contacts between the two platforms. HubSpot contacts sync to Mailchimp audiences, and Mailchimp engagement data (opens, clicks) can flow back to HubSpot.

The integration is straightforward but not deep. You won't get real-time event triggers or complex workflow connections. It's best for teams that want HubSpot as the contact database and Mailchimp as a simple campaign sender.

Pricing: Free up to 500 contacts, from $13/month Integration: HubSpot Marketplace app Pros: Simple setup, good free tier, widely used, basic contact sync Cons: Shallow integration, limited automation, pricing increases sharply at scale

4. Klaviyo

Best for: E-commerce teams using HubSpot CRM with email marketing

Klaviyo integrates with HubSpot through native and Zapier-based connections. Contact data syncs between platforms, and Klaviyo's e-commerce-focused automation engine handles email campaigns. For businesses selling products (not SaaS), the HubSpot CRM + Klaviyo email combination is powerful.

HubSpot manages the customer relationship, Klaviyo manages the email marketing with features like abandoned cart, product recommendations, and revenue attribution. The integration quality depends on your specific setup, but for e-commerce, the pairing works well.

Pricing: Free up to 250 contacts, from $20/month Integration: Native integration + Zapier Pros: E-commerce focus, revenue attribution, advanced segmentation, flow builder Cons: E-commerce-centric (poor SaaS fit), pricing scales with contacts

5. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Best for: Budget-conscious teams wanting HubSpot CRM with affordable email

Brevo's HubSpot plugin syncs contacts and lets you manage email campaigns from a more affordable platform. At the same contact count where HubSpot Marketing Hub costs hundreds, Brevo costs a fraction. The integration covers contact sync, list management, and basic engagement tracking.

The trade-off is depth. Brevo's automations aren't as sophisticated as ActiveCampaign's, and the HubSpot integration doesn't support complex triggers. But for teams that just need to send campaigns to HubSpot contacts without paying HubSpot marketing prices, it works.

Pricing: Free for 300 emails/day, from $9/month Integration: HubSpot plugin Pros: Very affordable, transactional + marketing, SMS included, generous free tier Cons: Basic HubSpot integration, less polished, limited automation depth

6. Resend

Best for: Developers using HubSpot CRM who need reliable transactional email

Resend handles transactional email (password resets, receipts, notifications) with a developer-first approach. If you use HubSpot as your CRM but need a separate transactional email service, Resend provides clean APIs and React Email templates.

The integration is at the application level. Your app reads contact data from HubSpot and sends transactional emails via Resend. There's no native HubSpot integration, but for developers, the API-based approach is often preferred anyway.

Pricing: Free for 100 emails/day, from $20/month Integration: Application-level (API calls) Pros: Best developer experience, React Email, TypeScript-first, fast delivery Cons: Transactional only, no marketing features, no native HubSpot integration

7. Customer.io

Best for: Technical teams wanting HubSpot data driving complex email automations

Customer.io can receive data from HubSpot via Zapier or custom integrations. When HubSpot deal stages change, lifecycle stages update, or contacts are created, those events can trigger Customer.io automations. The combination gives you HubSpot's sales CRM with Customer.io's event-driven automation engine.

This pairing is powerful but requires setup. You need to define what HubSpot changes should trigger which Customer.io workflows. For technical teams willing to invest in the configuration, it's one of the most flexible combinations available.

Pricing: From $100/month Integration: Zapier or custom API integration Pros: Most flexible automations, event-driven, handles complex workflows Cons: Expensive, no native HubSpot integration, complex setup

Integration Depth Comparison

Feature	ActiveCampaign	Mailchimp	Sequenzy	Klaviyo	Brevo
Contact sync	Bidirectional	Bidirectional	One-way	Bidirectional	One-way
Custom fields	Yes	Limited	Via API	Yes	Limited
Deal stage triggers	Yes	No	Via Zapier	No	No
Engagement sync to HubSpot	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Limited
Native integration	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

How to Choose

You want the deepest HubSpot integration with email: ActiveCampaign. Native bidirectional sync with deal stage triggers and powerful automations.

You want simple campaigns for HubSpot contacts: Mailchimp. Easy setup, familiar interface, basic sync.

You're SaaS and need lifecycle email: Sequenzy. Event-driven automation for onboarding, conversion, and retention while HubSpot handles sales.

You're e-commerce with HubSpot CRM: Klaviyo. E-commerce email features with HubSpot contact management.

You need affordable email for HubSpot contacts: Brevo. The cheapest option with decent HubSpot integration.

You need transactional email: Resend. Developer-friendly APIs for system emails.

You need complex automation flexibility: Customer.io. The most powerful automation engine, connected to HubSpot via Zapier.

FAQ

Should I just use HubSpot's built-in email? If you're already paying for Marketing Hub Professional or higher, use it. HubSpot's email is capable. The problem is cost. If you're on the free or Starter tier, HubSpot email has significant limitations and upgrading is expensive. A dedicated email tool is often cheaper.

Will using a separate email tool break HubSpot reporting? Partially. HubSpot won't have email engagement data unless your email tool syncs it back. Some integrations (ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp) do sync engagement data to HubSpot. Others don't. If unified reporting in HubSpot is critical, choose a tool with engagement syncing.

Can I use HubSpot workflows to trigger emails in another platform? Yes, via Zapier or custom webhooks. HubSpot workflows can fire webhooks when contacts meet certain criteria, and you can point those webhooks at your email tool's API. This is how most teams connect HubSpot lifecycle changes to email automations.

What about HubSpot's free email features? HubSpot's free tier includes basic email marketing (2,000 emails/month). It's fine for getting started but has limitations: HubSpot branding, basic templates, limited automation. Most teams outgrow it quickly.