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Side-by-side comparison · Marketing & Ads

Klaviyo vs HubSpot vs Arcads

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Klaviyo

4.3

From From $20/mo

HubSpot

4.1

From From $800/mo

Arcads

3.7

Free to start

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Klaviyo

4.3
Best overall

Pick it if: Online stores that want their email and SMS to run on real customer behaviour.

HubSpot

4.1

Pick it if: Service businesses, agencies and B2B teams that need contacts, deals and marketing in one system.

Arcads

3.7

Pick it if: Performance marketers who want cheap, fast video ads to test before investing in real creators.

Overview

AttributeKlaviyoHubSpotArcads
In one lineEmail and SMS for online stores, with AI that writes, segments and predicts.A free CRM with AI agents that handle leads, support and content for you.Makes talking-head video ads with AI actors, no filming or creators needed.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumPaid
Starting priceFrom $20/moFrom $800/moSee website
Free plan Yes Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeKlaviyoHubSpotArcads
Overall rating4.3Winner4.13.7
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.0
4.0
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
5.0
5.0
3.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
4.0
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
3.5
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeKlaviyoHubSpotArcads
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes No
Mobile app Yes Yes No
Desktop app No No No
Browser extension No Yes No
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes–
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images–– Yes
Makes images– Yes No
Makes video No No Yes
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes No
Learns your brand or style Yes Yes No
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score10/ 1712/ 177/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeKlaviyoHubSpotArcads
Plans

Free

Free

New stores building their first flows.

Free

Free

Anyone who needs a CRM and basic marketing tools without a budget.

StarterOur pick

See website

Testing a handful of scripts a month.

EmailOur pick

From $20/mo

Most stores once they pass 250 contacts.

Marketing Hub StarterOur pick

$20/seat/mo, currently $7/seat/mo for new customers

Small teams ready to remove the branding and send more.

Creator

See website

Brands producing video ads every week.

Email and SMS

From $35/mo

Stores that want text messages in the same flows.

Marketing Hub Professional

From $800/mo billed yearly, or $890/mo

Marketing teams that need real automation.

Pro

Custom

Teams and agencies at volume.

Enterprise

Custom

Large brands with many stores or markets.

Marketing Hub Enterprise

From $3,600/mo

Large teams with several brands or business units.

Which plan to pickStart on Free and build your welcome and abandoned cart flows before you pay anything. Move to Email when you cross 250 contacts, and only add SMS once email is working, because text messages cost extra per send.Run the free CRM for as long as you can; it covers most small businesses. Starter is the sensible first paid step when you want the branding gone and more sends. Only move to Professional when you have a specific automation in mind that will pay for the jump.Arcads does not publish prices, so sign up for the trial and check the plan screen before you commit. Starter is enough to test whether the style works for your product; move up only once you have a winning script you want to localise or vary at scale.

Key features

AttributeKlaviyoHubSpotArcads
Standout features
  • Flows
  • Segments from plain English
  • Predictive analytics
  • Email and SMS in one
  • AI writing and campaign builder
  • Customer Agent
  • Free CRM
  • Breeze agents
  • Marketing email and forms
  • Workflows
  • Reporting
  • Data quality tools
  • AI actor library
  • Script to video
  • Product in hand
  • Languages
  • Bulk variations

Pros and cons

AttributeKlaviyoHubSpotArcads
Pros
  • Deepest store integration of any email tool, so targeting runs on real purchase data
  • Flows and segments are quick to set up from templates and plain English
  • Email and SMS live in one place with one set of customer data
  • Predictive analytics tell you who to spend effort on
  • Huge ecosystem of Shopify apps and agencies that already know it
  • One of the most generous free CRMs around
  • Marketing, sales and support share the same customer record
  • Breeze agents take over lead research, support answers and first drafts
  • Starter tiers are affordable per seat
  • Enormous library of integrations and agencies that know it
  • Fast, convincing UGC-style video without a creator
  • Large actor library so test batches look varied
  • Localisation in more than 30 languages is cheap
  • Good for testing angles before spending on real production
Cons
  • Gets expensive fast as your list grows, and every profile counts toward the bill
  • SMS is a separate cost on top of the plan
  • Email support stops after 60 days on the free plan
  • Overkill for service businesses and plain newsletters
  • Professional and Enterprise are a steep jump, with onboarding fees on top
  • Marketing contacts are a separate limit, and costs rise with your list
  • Many AI features draw on a credit allowance that runs out
  • Weaker than Klaviyo for ecommerce behaviour-based email
  • No published prices; you have to sign up to see plans
  • Credit-based billing means long videos eat your allowance
  • Product close-ups and demos still look artificial
  • Platform rules on AI disclosure are tightening
  • No reporting on how the ads perform

Who each one is for

AttributeKlaviyoHubSpotArcads
Best for
  • Abandoned cart recovery
  • Segments from plain English
  • Post-purchase flows
  • SMS campaigns
  • Predicting customer value
  • Tracking leads and deals
  • B2B email marketing
  • Chatbots that answer customers
  • Keeping contact data clean
  • Testing ad scripts fast
  • Localised video ads
  • Scaling a winning creator ad
  • Video when you have no footage
You'll find it used by
  • Shopify stores
  • Ecommerce marketers
  • Agencies
  • DTC brands
  • B2B teams
  • Agencies
  • Consultants
  • Service businesses
  • Performance marketers
  • App marketers
  • DTC brands
  • Agencies

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.

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