Constant Contact vs. HubSpot: Which is the better platform?

Struggling with marketing context for engaging better and closing deals? Learn how this software can help in this Constant Contact vs. HubSpot comparison.

Looking for a better way to track your marketing performance for your email campaigns? Start using email marketing software. Constant Contact and HubSpot excel at it. 

Constant Contact focuses on email marketing, while HubSpot delivers an all-rounded solution. However, how does each perform as a marketing automation software?

Let’s find out in this Constant Contact vs. HubSpot marketing comparison.

Constant Contact vs. HubSpot Marketing: At a Glance

Criteria	Constant Contact	HubSpot	Winner
SMB Guide’s Rating	8.8/10	8.8/10	Tie
Marketing Automation Capabilities	Basic social media posting	Comprehensive automation tools	HubSpot
Email Builder	Customization options	Intuitive and versatile	HubSpot
Personalization & Customization	Dynamic content features	Highly customizable	HubSpot
Campaign Performance Tracking	Email marketing metrics	In-depth tracking tools	HubSpot
Email Deliverability	✅	✅	Constant Contact
List Management	Segmentation based on set criteria	Easy-to-use tools	HubSpot
A/B Testing	✅	✅	HubSpot
Advanced Reporting & Insights	Lacks predictive analysis	Advanced analytics	HubSpot
Compliance & Security	✅	✅	Tie
User Experience and User Interface	UI is clean but, in some cases, clunky	Seamless user experience	Constant Contact
Integrations and Compatibility	300+ integrations	1500+ integratons	HubSpot
Customer Support	Phone, live chat, and X	Phone, live chat, email, and a forum	Tie
Pricing	$12/mo – $80/mo	Free – $3,600/mo	Constant Contact
Scalability	✅	✅	HubSpot

Constant Contact: Key Features, Pros, Cons, & Pricing

Constant Contact is an email marketing software built to support e-commerce businesses. The platform is easy to use and includes a good blend of marketing features.

Stand-out ones are email deliverability, 200+ pre-designed email templates, and AI tools for automation.

Pros & Cons

Pricing

The platform’s pricing structure is straightforward. It offers three plans that rise with tiers but without a freemium. New subscriptions get a month-long money-back guarantee and a 2-week free trial.

The billing is monthly, and here are the plans:

• Lite: $12 monthly (500 subs)
• Standard: $35 monthly (500 subs)
• Premium: $80 monthly (500 subs)

HubSpot: Key Features, Pros, Cons, & Pricing

HubSpot marketing hub is an integrated marketing solution that combines several features. These include email marketing, CRM, and campaign automation.

The combination of these features makes it one of the best end-to-end promotional platforms.

Pros & Cons

Pricing

HubSpot pricing is complex but offers four scalable plans, including a freemium. The free plan provides a good entry point for SMBs, giving them an edge.

However, paid plans require committing to a contract for an entire year. Here are the plans:

• Free: $0
• Starter: $15 monthly (1K contacts)
• Professional: $800 monthly (2K contacts)
• Enterprise: $3600 monthly (10K contacts)

Marketing Automation Capabilities

HubSpot excels here, providing a powerful workflow builder with drag-and-drop. It allows for complex branching logic and conditional actions based on several data points.

Constant Contact offers standard email automation for abandoned carts and welcome sequences.

On trigger options, Constant Contact focuses on basics like clicks and email openings. It has limitations for time-based events and behavior.

HubSpot offers more trigger options than Constant Contact. It also integrates with external apps for advanced possibilities.

On cross-channel automation, HubSpot edges Constant Contact. It is available on social media, email, live chat, and other channels.

Constant Contact integrates with a few social media platforms like Facebook. However, it limits cross-channel automation within workflows.

Regarding dynamic content personalization, HubSpot edges Constant Contact. It supports personalization throughout the workflow based on various data points. Constant Contact allows personalization based on basic contact info.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

Email Builder

Constant Contact excels on pre-designed email templates. It provides an extensive library of 200 templates that are searchable and categorized.

On the other hand, HubSpot library is smaller, but the templates are responsive.

On the email editor, both software provide a builder with a drag-and-drop function. However, HubSpot edges Constant Contact in the customization options.

It allows the integration of elements from the CRM data.

Both platforms also provide mobile responsive templates for a seamless user experience.

Regarding direct HTML editing, Constant Contact edges HubSpot. It allows users to customize templates beyond the editor’s capabilities.

However, unlike HubSpot, it lacks built-in spam testing tools.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

Personalization & Customization

HubSpot shines here, offering powerful dynamic content personalization. It allows inserting personalized email content based on various data points like behavior.

Constant Contact focuses on basic personalization based on segmentation.

On merge tags, both platforms offer a good selection for personalizing emails. However, HubSpot goes on to offer more features beyond basic contact info.

Regarding segmentation, HubSpot edges Constant Contact. It allows the creation of segments based on a broader range of criteria, like demographics.

HubSpot excels at personalization tokens, offering a wider range than Constant Contact. Users can personalize emails based on site visits, downloads, and more.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

Campaign Performance Tracking

HubSpot excels here. It provides extensive email marketing metrics beyond open and click-through rates. It allows users to analyze ROI, click maps, bounce rates, and more.

Unlike Constant Contact, HubSpot provides in-depth visual reporting dashboards for granular insights.

HubSpot also edges Constant Contact in campaign goal setting and tracking. It allows users to set and track specific goals like site traffic, lead generation, or sales.

Regarding A/B testing tools, both platforms provide the function for testing email content. However, the Constant Contact tool has limitations compared to HubSpot.

Both platforms also integrate with analytics apps like Google Analytics.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

Email Deliverability

Constant Contact edges HubSpot on deliverability rates, with fewer emails ending in spam folders. Both platforms also provide a spam checker tool that analyzes email content.

On sender reputation management, both platforms offer capable tools. They help track spam complaints, bounce rates, and unsubscribes.

However, HubSpot goes on to monitor industry blacklists and provide resources to improve reputation. Regarding emergency access, HubSpot allows owners to modify or revoke the privilege.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

List Management

Constant Contact provides basic contact segmentation based on attributes like demographics. HubSpot offers contact segmentation based on a broader range of criteria, including behavior.

On list cleaning, HubSpot edges Constant Contact. It offers tools for identifying and removing duplicates and inactive subscribers.

It even segments contacts based on engagement to maintain active email lists.

Regarding subscriber preference management, both platforms allow contacts to unsubscribe from emails. HubSpot goes on to offer double opt-in confirmation for data security.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

A/B Testing

The Constant Contact A/B testing tool only allows testing email subject lines. The HubSpot A/B testing tool offers more flexibility, allowing testing email content, CTAs, and more.

Setting the A/B tests on both platforms is straightforward. Users have to define the parameters. However, HubSpot offers more test options than Constant Contact.

On reporting HubSpot edges Constant Contact. It analyzes more metrics for each test variation.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

Advanced Reporting & Insights

HubSpot shines here, offering comprehensive reporting on segmented campaigns. It allows users to track engagement conversion rates and behavior across segments.

Through it, users can gain insights into which segments resonate with audiences.

On conversion tracking, Constant Contact relies on 3-party integrations. It limits attribution, making it hard to pinpoint the exact impact of the email campaigns.

HubSpot also edges Constant Contact in providing advanced conversion tracking and attribution. Users can track conversions across multiple channels, such as social media, email, and more.

On predictive analytics, Constant Contact lacks the capability. However, HubSpot provides this feature. It allows users to analyze historical data to identify trends and predict future campaign performances.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

Compliance and Security

Constant Contact and HubSpot offer powerful CCPA and GDPR compliance toolkits. They include consent management, data processing agreements, and data access requests.

Both also use industry-standard data storage encryption protocols SSL/TLS. Not only that, but both adhere to permission-based marketing principles.

Account owners can only send emails to subscribers who have opted to receive them.

✅ Winner: Tie

User Interface and User Experience

Constant Contact shines here, offering a clean interface that’s easy to navigate. The menu, tabs, and features are well-organized. The HubSpot interface is more complex and full of features, making it look cluttered.

Both platforms also provide an email builder with a drag-and-drop function for creating, sending, and managing emails.

Constant Contact offers more templates but with limited customization options.

On email preview and testing, HubSpot edges Constant Contact. It offers advanced features like in-depth a/b testing and mobile responsiveness checks. 

HubSpot also provides customizable dashboards with drag-and-drop functionality. Unlike Constant Contact, it allows users to personalize the dashboards to their liking.

✅ Winner: Constant Contact

Integrations and Compatibility

Constant Contact integrates with popular CRMs like Zoho and Salesforce. However, the level of integration with other platforms varies according to the plan subscribed to.

On the other hand, HubSpot provides a native CRM for managing contacts and marketing campaigns. It also integrates with other CRMs like Zoho.

On API, HubSpot edges Constant Contact. It offers a capable API that’s well-documented for custom integrations.

Both platforms offer e-commerce integrations with popular platforms. The integration enables seamless data sync between the store and the campaigns.

Both platforms also offer social media integration features. However, HubSpot provides more options, such as post-scheduling, tracking performance, and inbox management.

Lastly, both platforms offer a responsive mobile app for managing contacts and creating campaigns on the go.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

Customer Support

Constant Contact support is available through live chat, phone, and X (Twitter). The response times on live chat are the quickest, with replies within 8-10 minutes. The feedback from the agents is helpful, even regarding technical issues.

HubSpot support is available via phone, live chat, email, and a community forum. The quickest response is via live chat, with replies in under five minutes. The representatives’ feedback is in-depth and helpful, even regarding technical issues.

On self-help resources, Constant Contact offers a knowledge base, forum, and help center. HubSpot provides a blog, knowledge base, academy, and forum. The content on both platforms is comprehensive and helpful.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

Pricing

Constant Contact offers three plans that rise with tiers but without a freemium. However, paid plans provide an affordable entry point for SMBs with small contact lists.

HubSpot offers four scalable plans, including a free package. The paid plans offer more features than Constant Contact. However, the pricing is expensive for small businesses.

✅ Winner: Constant Contact

Scalability

Constant Contact limits scalability because the plans offer fixed contact caps at 500. Exceeding allocated contacts and accessing advanced features requires upgrading.

HubSpot offers greater scalability with its tiered pricing. Users can upgrade or purchase add-on features as needed. The best part is that it provides a custom enterprise package for large enterprises.

✅ Winner: HubSpot

Standout Features of Constant Contact

Constant Contact allows users to create effective email campaigns to meet business goals. Here are two features we found that make it stand out.

Social media marketing

Constant Contact allows businesses to use their social media to run marketing campaigns. The platform simplifies connecting accounts, scheduling, and posting content.

Event marketing

Whether it’s a webinar or cooking class, Constant Contact allows users to create, promote, and manage their events. It allows users to become hosts with the most clicks.

Standout Features of HubSpot Marketing

Besides offering an all-inclusive marketing platform, HubSpot has a few features that make it stand out.

Dedicated IP address

HubSpot lets users control individual sender reputations by delivering emails via a dedicated IP address. It helps maintain a higher send score and avoids sending emails to the spam folder.

Free email hosting

HubSpot lets users create on-brand professional emails using a drag-and-drop editor. The platform also allows users to segment and track emails using data from HubSpot Smart CRM.

Constant Contact vs. HubSpot: SMB Guide’s Verdict

Our Constant Contact vs. HubSpot marketing comparison shows that each software has strengths. Constant Contact focuses on email marketing, while HubSpot offers an all-in-one solution. 

However, after a thorough comparison, HubSpot marketing wins. Here is why;

It delivers an all-rounded marketing platform with multiple functions. They include email marketing, CRM, and marketing campaign automation.

It makes it fit growing and large enterprises looking for a one-stop marketing platform.

Choose Constant Contact If

You are an SMB looking for a simple email marketing platform with automation tools.

Choose HubSpot Marketing If

You are a growing business looking for an all-rounded marketing solution at a premium.