HubSpotvsIntercom

HubSpot vs Intercom

CRM-first marketing vs messaging-first engagement

TL;DR

HubSpot ($800+/mo) is a CRM-first platform with marketing, sales, and service hubs. Intercom ($200-500+/mo) is messaging-first with live chat, bots, and product tours. Choose HubSpot for full CRM ecosystem, Intercom for in-app customer engagement.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Primary focus

HubSpot is CRM-first, adding marketing, sales, and service. Intercom is messaging-first, focusing on customer conversations.

In-app engagement
Intercom wins

Intercom excels at in-app messaging, product tours, and chatbots. HubSpot's in-app capabilities are more limited.

Email marketing
HubSpot wins

HubSpot has more comprehensive email marketing with automation and campaigns. Intercom charges per email for campaigns.

CRM depth
HubSpot wins

HubSpot's CRM is much more comprehensive with sales pipelines, deal tracking, and reporting.

Pricing Comparison

At scale

HubSpot
$800+/month

Marketing Hub Professional + onboarding

Visit HubSpot
Intercom
$200-500+/month

Depends on seats, resolution fees, and add-ons

Visit Intercom
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$19/month

All features, Stripe integration, 1k subscribers, 20k emails/month

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
HubSpot
Intercom
Sequenzy
Core Strength
CRM
Advanced
Basic
Basic
Live chat
Advanced
Chatbots
Advanced AI
Product tours
Email Marketing
Email automation
Advanced
Basic
Email campaigns
Per-email cost
Transactional email
Add-on
Per-email cost
Included
Platform
Sales hub
Service hub
In-app messaging
Basic
Advanced
Pricing
Monthly cost
$800+
$200-500+
$19
Pricing model
Contact-based
Per-seat + usage
Email-based

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose HubSpot if you...
  • Companies needing full CRM
  • Teams wanting integrated marketing and sales
  • Organizations with complex sales processes
  • Those needing advanced email marketing
  • Businesses with enterprise budget
Choose Intercom if you...
  • SaaS companies focusing on in-app engagement
  • Teams prioritizing live chat and bots
  • Products needing onboarding tours
  • Companies wanting AI-powered support
  • Those focused on customer messaging
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing Stripe integration
  • Teams wanting affordable email marketing
  • Developers preferring API-first tools
  • Startups needing transactional + marketing email
  • Those who don't need CRM or chat

Why Sequenzy Is Better for SaaS Email

Fraction of the cost

With a free tier and paid plans from $19/month, Sequenzy costs less than 10% of what you'd pay for HubSpot or Intercom.

Native Stripe integration

Neither HubSpot nor Intercom integrates with Stripe for billing-based email automation.

Transactional email included

HubSpot charges extra. Intercom charges per email. Sequenzy includes transactional email.

Focused on email

You don't need CRM, chat, or product tours. Sequenzy gives you exactly what you need for SaaS email.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

HubSpot and Intercom serve different primary purposes. HubSpot is a CRM-first platform. Intercom is messaging-first. See our HubSpot comparison and Intercom comparison for details.

Pricing Comparison

  • HubSpot: $800+/month for Marketing Hub Professional

  • Intercom: $200-500+/month depending on usage

  • Sequenzy: Free tier available, then $19/month for 1,000 subscribers (20k emails)

Compare on our pricing page.

Where HubSpot Wins

Full CRM ecosystem with marketing, sales, and service integration. Better email marketing.

Where Intercom Wins

In-app messaging, live chat, AI bots, and product tours for customer engagement.

Why Sequenzy Beats Both for SaaS Email

If you just need email marketing with Stripe integration, Sequenzy costs $19/month vs hundreds for these platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions

HubSpot has more comprehensive email marketing features.

Intercom is built specifically for in-app customer engagement.

Native Stripe integration, unified email, and $19/month pricing.

Export your contacts from HubSpot. Import into Intercom as users. Set up Intercom's chat and messaging features. Note that HubSpot's CRM, marketing automation, and email sequences won't transfer directly. You'll gain Intercom's chat, AI support, and product tours but lose CRM and marketing automation depth.

Export your users from Intercom. Import into HubSpot as contacts. Set up HubSpot's email marketing and automation. Note that live chat, AI support, and product tours won't transfer - you'd need HubSpot's Service Hub for chat. You'll gain comprehensive CRM and marketing but lose Intercom's conversational focus.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com