In the world of email marketing and customer relationship management (CRM), two giants stand out: Klaviyo and HubSpot. Both platforms serve distinct audiences and have carved out impressive niches, making it difficult for businesses to choose the right one. In this post, we’ll compare Klaviyo and HubSpot, breaking down their features, pricing, and how they align with different business needs. By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of which tool is the best fit for your marketing strategy.
Klaviyo and HubSpot are two of the most influential platforms in the email marketing and CRM space. While HubSpot is a comprehensive platform with tools across marketing, sales, and service, Klaviyo focuses primarily on eCommerce, offering email and SMS marketing automation tailored to online stores. So, how do these platforms stack up against each other, and which one is right for your business? Let’s dive in.
At first glance, the primary difference between Klaviyo and HubSpot is their target audience. Klaviyo is specifically designed for eCommerce businesses, offering powerful integrations with platforms like Shopify and Magento. It excels in delivering personalized email and SMS campaigns based on customer behaviors and purchase history.
HubSpot, on the other hand, is a full-stack CRM platform that caters to a broader range of industries. HubSpot is perfect for businesses looking for an all-in-one solution that spans marketing, sales, and customer service. HubSpot’s Marketing Hub is a key product in its suite, but its other hubs (Sales, Service, CMS) add additional value, particularly for B2B companies.
Klaviyo leads in email segmentation, especially for eCommerce businesses. The platform allows you to segment customers based on real-time behavior, such as browsing patterns and purchase history. This level of segmentation ensures that your campaigns are highly personalized, improving engagement and conversions.
HubSpot also provides robust segmentation, though it’s more CRM-centric. HubSpot allows you to track customer interactions across various channels (email, social media, phone), enabling you to build more holistic customer profiles. While Klaviyo’s segmentation is best for eCommerce-focused campaigns, HubSpot excels at providing deeper insights into overall customer journeys, particularly for B2B and service-based companies.
When it comes to automation, both platforms shine but in slightly different ways.
Klaviyo is built around eCommerce automation, offering flows like abandoned cart emails, product recommendations, and post-purchase follow-ups. These automations are designed to drive sales and improve customer retention. Klaviyo’s automation features are tailored to the eCommerce lifecycle, making it the go-to choice for online businesses.
HubSpot offers broader marketing automation capabilities, allowing users to automate workflows across the entire customer journey. HubSpot’s automation is not limited to email marketing but extends to lead nurturing, sales pipeline management, and even customer service. HubSpot’s workflows can automate tasks across multiple channels, making it a more holistic solution for businesses with complex sales processes.
Klaviyo provides an extensive collection of beautiful, pre-designed email templates. These templates are built with eCommerce in mind and allow for deep customization without requiring design expertise. If you’re an online store, you’ll find it easy to create stunning, personalized emails that reflect your brand’s identity.
HubSpot also offers a variety of email templates, but the focus is broader. HubSpot’s drag-and-drop editor is intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy to design emails even for beginners. However, HubSpot’s templates tend to be more generic compared to Klaviyo’s eCommerce-focused designs.
Klaviyo uses a contact-based pricing model, where the cost increases as your subscriber list grows. Klaviyo offers a free plan for up to 250 contacts, but beyond that, pricing starts at $20 per month for 500 contacts. This makes Klaviyo an affordable option for small and growing eCommerce businesses, but costs can rise significantly as your list expands.
| Features | Free Plan | Email Plan | Email and SMS Plan | Klaviyo Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email Sends | Up to 500/month | Up to 250,000/month | Up to 250,000/month | From 250,001/month |
| SMS/MMS Credits | 150 | 150 | 1250 | Custom |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| Automation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| CRM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| Forms | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| Templates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| Integrations | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| A/B testing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| Product Recommendations | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| Price per month | ||||
| 250 Active Profiles/mo | $0 | $20 | $35 | – |
| 1000 Active Profiles/mo | – | $30 | $65 | – |
| 3000 Active Profiles/mo | – | $70 | $85 | – |
| 5000 Active Profiles/mo | – | $100 | $115 | – |
| 10,000 Active Profiles/mo | – | $150 | $165 | – |
| 20,000 Active Profiles/mo | – | $375 | $390 | – |
HubSpot, on the other hand, offers a free CRM with basic marketing features, and its paid plans start at $50 per month. While HubSpot’s free plan is generous, including up to 1 million contacts, advanced features like marketing automation and A/B testing require a paid plan. HubSpot’s pricing is higher but reflects its broader suite of tools, making it a better investment for companies looking for more than just email marketing.
| Starter | Professional | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Starting Price
|
$15 per month
|
$800 per month
|
$3,600 per month
|
|
Storage for Up to 15 Million Overall Contacts
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|
Shared Inbox
|
Limited to one inbox
|
Up to 100 inboxes
|
Up to 200 inboxes
|
|
List Segmentation
|
25 active lists
|
1,000 active lists
|
1,500 active lists
|
|
Live Chat
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|
Reporting Dashboard
|
10 dashboards, 10 reports per dashboard
|
25 dashboards, 30 reports per dashboard
|
50 dashboards, 30 reports per dashboard
|
|
Email Reply Tracking
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
|
Ad Retargeting
|
Two audiences
|
Five audiences
|
15 audiences
|
|
Website Traffic Analysis
|
Standard web analytics dashboard
|
Customizable website traffic analytics
|
Customizable website traffic analytics
|
|
One-to-One Technical Support
|
Email and in-app chat support
|
Email, in-app chat and phone support
|
Email, in-app chat and phone support
|
Klaviyo provides robust reporting focused on eCommerce metrics. You can track key performance indicators like revenue per email, customer lifetime value (CLTV), and even predict future purchasing behavior. Klaviyo’s analytics are ideal for businesses that rely on data-driven insights to optimize their marketing efforts.
HubSpot, however, offers a more comprehensive reporting suite. In addition to email marketing metrics, HubSpot’s reports cover the entire customer journey, including lead nurturing, sales pipeline performance, and social media engagement. HubSpot’s centralized dashboard gives businesses a complete view of their marketing, sales, and service operations, making it more suitable for companies with a broad marketing funnel.
Klaviyo integrates seamlessly with eCommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce, making it an essential tool for online retailers. Its tight integrations allow for real-time data syncing, which is crucial for running automated campaigns based on customer behavior.
HubSpot boasts over 1,600 integrations with popular business tools, including Salesforce, Google Analytics, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. HubSpot’s wide range of integrations makes it a versatile option for businesses looking to manage all their marketing and sales operations in one place.
Klaviyo offers email and live chat support, with personalized onboarding for premium users. However, its customer support is limited to business hours and is not available 24/7.
HubSpot, in contrast, provides 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and live chat for paid users. HubSpot’s support is more extensive, offering onboarding services, an in-depth knowledge base, and an active community where users can seek advice.
In the battle of Klaviyo vs. HubSpot, the choice comes down to your business type and goals.
Both platforms are titans in their own right, but their paths are distinct. Klaviyo focuses on owning its eCommerce niche, while HubSpot has expanded into a full customer platform for businesses of all kinds.
Giles Thomas
CEOOptimize your Shopify conversion rates. 5 lesson course, learn 51 ecommerce best practices to get more visitors to buy.
