ActiveCampaign vs. HubSpot: which is best for They Ask, You Answer?

You are interested in TAYA Mastery or even already decided that you want to start with it. But there is one more thing on your mind: you are currently using ActiveCampaign and HubSpot is recommended for TAYA Mastery.

Setting up ActiveCampaign took a lot of time and money, your team is comfortable with it, and you are using the tool to your satisfaction.

So it's logical to wonder things like:

At Buzzlytics, we guide companies through the implementation of They Ask, You Answer and we regularly speak to companies that are currently using other tools and want to know if they should switch to HubSpot for best results with They Ask, You Answer.

Bastiaan is They Ask, You Answer coach at Buzzlytics and has extensive knowledge of both ActiveCampaign and HubSpot.

He indicates:

"If you just want to send emails, you're a lot cheaper with ActiveCampaign. If you want all your data in one place, you're better off with HubSpot."

In this article you will read:

ActiveCampaign is a "customer experience platform" that enables companies to establish and maintain contact with (potential) customers thanks to automated sales, marketing and support activities. It is mainly built around email marketing, but also offers a CRM system for small and medium-sized businesses. The CRM feature automates lead prioritization and contact management and integrates with more than 850 other software applications.

You can add notes to contacts, create appointments and send messages with the Automations feature, while the Conversations feature lets you send targeted messages to website visitors. That way, you optimize the overall visitor experience and create a sales pipeline to convert more visitors in the long run.

ActiveCampaign features a wide range of valuable reports and dashboard views that allow you to quickly create a visual representation of the performance of your various marketing and sales activities. Because you have the ability to use one tool for this, you can save money because you don't need multiple programs.

HubSpot is an all-in-one platform for inbound marketing and sales automation that helps businesses reach their ideal prospects, draw them to their website, convert leads and close deals.

Specifically for online marketers, HubSpot offers the following tools:

HubSpot is the ideal platform if you want to implement They Ask, You Answer within your business.

That's because HubSpot lets you track the entire customer journey in one tool: from the prospective customer's first visit to your website through to purchase. You can see what content generates the most ROI and what content your prospects have viewed. You can then capitalize on this in your sales conversations, tailoring the content of each conversation to the prospect.

With marketing and sales platforms that have already made their mark, there is naturally an overlap between key features.

Both tools feature:

ActiveCampaign and HubSpot both have the essential features you need. So you will need to look at the advanced features of each tool to determine which one adds the most value to your business.

When it comes to the differences between the more complex options available in ActiveCampaign vs. HubSpot, both platforms have multiple options.

It is increasingly difficult to work without automated systems in today's digital environment, but there are now so many that finding the right one has become a challenge in itself.

A platform that integrates with the most common applications reduces confusion and prevents you from having to switch to another platform halfway through because a particular application doesn't work well with the other programs you use. HubSpot's platform integrates with more than 300 other applications, making marketers' lives easier and cost-effective.

ActiveCampaign focuses on automating the customer experience and is built to provide a robust email marketing platform. It has a free option and more affordable subscriptions than HubSpot, but you only get a good CRM option with certain subscriptions. On the other hand, ActiveCampaign is generally easier to use and has superior split testing and segmentation capabilities.

Hubspot's main advantage over ActiveCampaign is that it offers an all-in-one marketing software solution.

The original three integrated hubs (Marketing, Sales and Customer Service) have been supplemented with a hub for the content management system (CMS), so there's little the program can't do for you.

HubSpot can help you attract traffic to your website, boost conversions, improve your SEO, create professional landing pages and generate content for blog posts, social media and ads in minutes.

The platform manages the entire contact lifecycle, from capture to purchase, using personalized e-mail communications in drip or nurturing marketing campaigns. It can be pricey, but it also offers several free options that small and medium-sized businesses can often get away with.

At Buzzlytics, we help our clients implement the business philosophy They Ask, You Answer.

To know if our approach is successful, or if we need to make adjustments, the tool or tools we use must be able to do the following:

HubSpot offers these functionalities, but it comes with a higher price tag than you pay for ActiveCampaign now. For TAYA Mastery you need Marketing Hub Professional and for this you pay 792 euros per month with annual payment, for 3 users.

Buzzlytics coach Bastiaan does warn that switching to HubSpot is no mean feat if you are currently using another CRM system (whether ActiveCampaign's or not):

"Switching to a new e-mail marketing platform usually takes relatively little time, but switching to a new CRM tool is often time-intensive and costly. So think about it carefully before you switch everything over."

Nor is it always necessary to use HubSpot's CRM tool. In fact, you can also link HubSpot to another CRM system. Of course, in that case you have to make sure that all data are transferred properly. For sales, we recommend another CRM system that is more tailored to the specific needs of sales. For marketing, HubSpot's CRM system is the best choice.

Bastiaan advises companies to first use HubSpot's free trial and request a demo, so they can then make an informed decision about whether to switch to another CRM.

Also read: Is HubSpot a requirement for TAYA Mastery customers?

HubSpot is still considered the Rolls-Royce among marketing automation tools. Although the free subscription already has extensive features, it takes quite a bit of technical insight to get the most out of HubSpot. There is very little that HubSpot can't do for you, but it does come with a price tag to get all the functionality.

ActiveCampaign is aimed at smaller businesses that need to be able to manage their marketing and sales processes. Although a CRM platform is available, it does come at an additional cost. Overall, ActiveCampaign has its limitations, but if it adequately meets your needs, you may never find yourself missing anything.

HubSpot is the best choice for companies that need a comprehensive CRM program and don't mind paying for it. Although HubSpot's price is not absurdly high, it does cost more than other platforms. But given the value HubSpot offers, that higher price is justified in our opinion. Moreover, HubSpot offers everything you need for They Ask, You Answer in a user-friendly package. However, it is important to bring in outside experts who can guide you through HubSpot and help you realize the tool's full potential.

ActiveCampaign is ideal for marketers with smaller budgets, who rely heavily on email marketing or use social media and ad management less.

What category does your business fall into?