The HubSpot alternative that does email without the CRM tax
HubSpot is a powerful CRM suite, but if you just need email, you're paying for landing pages, social tools, and features you'll never touch. Sendkit gives you transactional emails, campaigns, and automations — without the bloat or the contact-based pricing.
Why teams switch from HubSpot
You pay for the whole suite
HubSpot bundles email marketing into its Marketing Hub, which includes landing pages, social media, ads, and more. If you just need email, you're paying for features you won't use. Sendkit is email-focused — you only pay for what you need.
Contact-based pricing adds up fast
HubSpot charges by contact count. At 10K contacts, Marketing Hub Professional costs $890/mo. Sendkit charges per email sent with unlimited contacts on every plan.
No transactional email API
HubSpot's transactional email is a paid add-on only available on Professional and Enterprise plans. Sendkit includes transactional email on every plan with full API and SMTP support.
No MCP server
HubSpot has no MCP server for AI agents. Sendkit has a full MCP server with 40+ tools — your AI agent can manage templates, send campaigns, segment contacts, and track metrics.
Sendkit vs HubSpot
| Feature | Sendkit | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing | Included | Marketing Hub required |
| Transactional email | Included (all plans) | Paid add-on (Pro+) |
| Pricing model | Per email sent | Per contact |
| Free tier | 3,000 emails/mo (permanent) | Free CRM only (no email marketing) |
| Official SDKs | 10 languages | Limited SDK support |
| MCP Server | 40+ tools | Not available |
| Unlimited Contacts | All plans | Priced per contact |
| Setup complexity | Minutes | Hours to days |
Pricing comparison
HubSpot charges by contact count, and costs escalate quickly as your list grows. Sendkit charges per email sent with unlimited contacts on every plan.
| Volume | Sendkit | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 contacts | $30/mo (Marketing, unlimited contacts) | $20/mo (Starter) — email only with HubSpot branding |
| 5,000 contacts | $30/mo (Marketing, unlimited contacts) | $100/mo (Starter) or $890/mo (Professional) |
| 10,000 contacts | $30/mo (Marketing, unlimited contacts) | $200/mo (Starter) or $890+/mo (Professional) |
Sendkit is a good fit if you
- Need email marketing and transactional email, not a full CRM
- Want per-email pricing instead of per-contact
- Need a developer-friendly API with SDKs for 10+ languages
- Use AI agents and need MCP integration
- Want to get started in minutes, not days
HubSpot might be better if you
- Need a full CRM with sales pipeline, ticketing, and support tools
- Want landing pages, forms, and social media management built in
- Need advanced lead scoring and attribution reporting
- Already use HubSpot CRM and want everything in one ecosystem
Start sending in minutes.
3,000 emails/month on the free tier. No credit card, no commitment.