HubSpot Marketing Hub is the strongest choice for teams that want email, CRM, and campaign automation in one place, while Zapier and Make are the strongest choices for connecting separate apps. Zapier starts at $19.99 per month, Asana starts at $10.99 per user per month billed annually, and ClickUp starts at $9 per user per month billed yearly, based on the vendor pricing pages checked on 2026-11-12. Five of the eight tools in this guide have a free plan, and ActiveCampaign offers a 14-day free trial instead of a free plan.
We compared 8 options for best marketing workflow automation software. Each profile below lists the price, free plan, pros and cons as published by the company.
On this page
Best marketing workflow automation software: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HubSpot Marketing Hub | Inbound campaigns and CRM automation | quote only | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | ActiveCampaign | Email automation and segmentation | quote only | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 3 | Mailchimp | Email campaigns for small lists | quote only | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | Zapier | Connecting apps with no-code workflows | $19.99 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | Make | Visual multi-step app automation | quote only | Yes | Visit |
| 6 | monday.com | Campaign planning and team workflows | quote only | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | Asana | Project and campaign task automation | $10.99 per user per month | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | ClickUp | All-in-one work and campaign management | $9 per user per month | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best best marketing workflow automation software tools, in detail
HubSpot Marketing Hub
Best for: Inbound campaigns and CRM automation
HubSpot Marketing Hub suits marketing teams that want one place for contacts, email, landing pages, forms, social posts, and reports. The CRM sits at the center, so a form fill, an email click, or a page visit can start a workflow without a separate sync step. Teams can build nurture sequences, score leads, split audiences, and send follow-up messages based on contact properties and behavior.
- The free tools cover basic email and CRM use, with 2,000 email sends per calendar month shown on the pricing page.
- The main trade-off is cost and complexity at scale.
- The Starter tier includes 1,000 marketing contacts, Professional includes 2,000, and Enterprise includes 10,000, and the email send limit is tied to t
- That structure is clear, but a growing list can push a team into a higher tier sooner than expected.
Pros
- Email, CRM, forms, and reporting sit in one system
- workflow limits grow with the plan tier
Cons
- Full automation features sit in higher tiers
- contact-based pricing can rise as your list grows
ActiveCampaign
Best for: Email automation and segmentation
ActiveCampaign is built around email automation and contact management, and it works well for teams that send regular campaigns and run nurture sequences tied to behavior. The automation builder supports multi-step flows, conditional branches, tags, and goals, so a welcome series can change course when a contact opens a message, clicks a link, or visits a page. Segmentation can combine contact fields, tags, and email engagement, which helps small teams send more relevant messages.
- The limits to watch are the automation caps on the lowest tier and the contact-based price.
- The pricing page lists plans by contact count, so the monthly figure changes as the audience grows.
- Teams should test the trial with a real sequence, check how many contacts they hold, and confirm which features sit in each tier before they commit to
Pros
- Detailed automation builder with conditional paths
- segmentation and lead scoring support targeted campaigns
Cons
- No free plan, only a 14-day trial
- price rises with the number of contacts on the list
Mailchimp
Best for: Email campaigns for small lists
Mailchimp is a familiar choice for small businesses, creators, and ecommerce sellers that need email campaigns, signup forms, and basic automation without a long setup. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts, with 500 email sends per month, and the Standard and Premium tiers add more flows, more seats, and more segmentation. The pricing page shows up to 200 marketing automation flows on Standard and Premium, compared with up to 4 flow steps on Essentials.
- The limits are clear on the plan comparison: the free plan has 1 seat and 1 audience, Essentials has 3 seats and 3 audiences, and Standard has 5 seats
- Teams that need many users, many audiences, or advanced testing will need a higher tier.
- For a small list with simple flows, the free plan and the Essentials tier are often enough to start.
Pros
- Free plan covers up to 250 contacts
- templates and pre-built flows help new users start fast
Cons
- Marketing automation flows are limited on lower tiers
- price is shown by contact count and changes as the list grows
Zapier
Best for: Connecting apps with no-code workflows
Zapier connects apps that do not talk to each other, and that makes it useful for marketing teams that use a mix of tools for forms, email, CRM, spreadsheets, and chat. A Zap starts with a trigger, such as a new form entry or a new lead, and then runs one or more actions, such as adding a contact, sending a message, or updating a sheet. The Professional plan starts at $19.99 per month and adds multi-step Zaps, unlimited premium apps, and webhooks.
- The task model is the part to plan around.
- Every successful action uses tasks, and the pricing page explains that AI steps, code, and connectors can use tasks at different rates.
- The free plan includes 100 tasks per month and two-step Zaps.
- That is enough to test a few flows, but a team that automates lead routing, campaign alerts, and reporting will need a higher task tier.
Pros
- Connects to more than 9,000 apps
- multi-step Zaps, webhooks, and AI fields are included on the Professional plan
Cons
- Costs are based on tasks, so busy workflows can use the monthly allowance fast
- the free plan is limited to two-step Zaps and 100 tasks per month
Make
Best for: Visual multi-step app automation
Make is a visual automation tool for teams that want to see how data moves from one app to another. A scenario starts with a trigger, such as a new row in a sheet or a new form entry, and then runs modules that read, search, create, update, or delete records. The visual layout makes it easier to follow branches, filters, and error handling than a plain list of steps, and the platform supports more than 1,000 third-party apps.
- The pricing model is based on credits, and the pricing page explains that each action a scenario performs uses credits, with most actions using 1 cred
- The free plan includes 1,000 credits per month, which is enough for a small team to test a few scenarios.
- Teams should count the expected runs per month and start with one or two high-value flows before they automate everything.
Pros
- Visual scenario builder shows each step and data flow
- free plan includes 1,000 credits per month
Cons
- Pricing is shown by credits, so costs depend on how each scenario runs
- advanced features need a higher tier
monday.com
Best for: Campaign planning and team workflows
monday.com is a work management platform that marketing teams use to plan campaigns, track content, manage approvals, and automate status changes. Boards hold tasks, owners, due dates, and files, and automations can move a task, notify a teammate, or change a status when a date arrives or a field changes. The free plan covers basic work management for freelancers and individual users.
- The limits to check are seat counts and plan features.
- The pricing page states that plans start from 3 users, and the yearly plan carries an 18 percent discount compared with monthly billing.
- Teams should map their campaign process first, decide which steps should be automated, and check whether the automation recipes they need sit in the t
Pros
- Boards, timelines, and automations keep campaign work visible
- free plan covers basic work management for individuals
Cons
- Pricing is per user with a 3-user minimum on work management plans
- advanced automation and reporting need a higher tier
Asana
Best for: Project and campaign task automation
Asana is a work management tool that helps marketing teams plan campaigns, assign tasks, track deadlines, and automate routine steps. The Starter plan costs $10.99 per user per month billed annually, or $13.49 billed monthly, and it includes unlimited automations, timeline and Gantt views, reporting dashboards, forms, and custom fields. The Personal plan is free forever for up to 2 users, with unlimited tasks and projects and list, board, and calendar views.
- Asana fits teams that run repeatable campaigns, such as product launches and content calendars, because templates, custom fields, and rules can carry
- The Advanced plan costs $24.99 per user per month billed annually and adds portfolios, goals, resource management, approvals, and time tracking.
- Teams that only need task lists and basic automation can stay on Starter, while teams that manage many campaigns at once will benefit from the portfol
Pros
- Unlimited automations on the Starter plan
- timeline, Gantt, forms, and dashboards support campaign planning
Cons
- Personal plan is limited to 2 users
- advanced goals, resource management, and approvals need the Advanced plan
ClickUp
Best for: All-in-one work and campaign management
ClickUp combines tasks, docs, chat, goals, and time tracking in one workspace, and marketing teams use it to plan campaigns, write briefs, track assets, and automate handoffs. The Free Forever plan costs $0, with no credit card required, and it includes unlimited tasks and subtasks, unlimited free members, collaborative docs, Kanban boards, calendar view, and time tracking. The Core plan costs $9 per user per month billed yearly, with a regular price of $12 shown on the page, and it adds custom fields, unlimited storage and spaces, unlimited forms, unlimited Gantt charts, and 1,000 automations per month.
- The Business plan costs $17 per user per month billed yearly, with a regular price of $25, and it raises the automation allowance to 10,000 per month
- The main caution is scope: ClickUp can replace several tools, but the setup takes longer than a single-purpose tool, and teams should agree on folder
Pros
- Free Forever plan includes unlimited tasks and members
- Core plan adds unlimited storage, forms, and Gantt charts
Cons
- Feature list is broad, so setup takes time
- automation allowance is capped at 1,000 per month on Core and 10,000 on Business
How we chose
We checked each vendor pricing page on 2026-11-12 and used the starting price shown on that page, or quote only where the page did not show a clear starting figure in the text we could read. We also checked the plan comparison on each page for free plans, trial terms, automation limits, seat counts, and contact or task limits. We picked tools that cover the main kinds of marketing workflow automation: email and CRM automation, app-to-app connectors, and campaign work management. We did not claim hands-on testing, and we did not use ratings, awards, customer counts, or third-party review scores to rank the tools.
Which tool fits your team size
| Team size and budget | Best starting pick | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Solo marketer, $0 to $20 per month | Mailchimp free plan or Zapier free plan | Low cost, fast setup, and enough automation for one list or a few app connections |
| Small team of 2 to 5, $20 to $100 per month | ActiveCampaign trial, Asana Starter, or ClickUp Core | Email automation plus task automation, with clear per-user or per-contact pricing |
| Growing team of 6 to 20, $100 to $500 per month | HubSpot Marketing Hub, Zapier Team, or monday.com Pro trial | Shared CRM, shared Zaps, and campaign boards that cover more people and more workflows |
| Large team of 20 or more, $500 or more per month | HubSpot Marketing Hub Enterprise, Zapier Enterprise, or ClickUp Business | More seats, more automation volume, and stronger admin, reporting, and governance controls |
Frequently asked questions
What is marketing workflow automation software?
Marketing workflow automation software runs repeatable marketing steps without manual work for each one. It can send a welcome email after a signup, assign a task when a brief is approved, move a lead to sales after a form fill, or post a campaign update to chat. The tools in this guide cover email automation, app connections, and campaign task management, and most teams use one tool from each group.
Which tool is best for email automation?
ActiveCampaign is the strongest pick in this guide for email automation depth, because its builder supports conditional paths, tags, goals, and lead scoring. HubSpot Marketing Hub is the strongest pick when email must sit beside a CRM, landing pages, and reporting in one account. Mailchimp is the simplest pick for a small list, with a free plan for up to 250 contacts and pre-built flows.
Do I need Zapier or Make if I already use HubSpot?
You may still need a connector if your team uses apps that HubSpot does not connect to directly, or if you need a custom multi-step flow across several tools. Zapier connects to more than 9,000 apps, and Make offers a visual builder for complex scenarios. If all your tools already connect through HubSpot, and your workflows stay inside email and CRM, a separate connector may add cost without adding value.
How much should a small team budget for marketing automation?
A small team of 2 to 5 people can start at $0 with a free plan, and many teams spend $20 to $100 per month in the first year. Asana Starter costs $10.99 per user per month billed annually, ClickUp Core costs $9 per user per month billed yearly, and Zapier Professional starts at $19.99 per month. The total depends on seats, contacts, and task volume, so add those three figures before you compare headline prices.
Can I switch tools later without losing my work?
You can switch, but the move takes planning. Export contacts, tags, and lists from the old email tool, export tasks and templates from the old work manager, and map each workflow step to the new tool before you cancel. Test the new workflows with a small segment first, and check that unsubscribes and consent records carry over correctly.
Is a free plan enough for a real campaign?
A free plan can run a real campaign for a solo marketer or a very small team. Mailchimp free covers up to 250 contacts, Zapier free covers 100 tasks per month, Make free covers 1,000 credits per month, and Asana and ClickUp free plans cover basic tasks and projects. If the list or the task volume grows past those limits, move to a low-cost tier.
Sources
- https://www.hubspot.com/
- https://www.hubspot.com/pricing/marketing
- https://www.activecampaign.com/
- https://www.activecampaign.com/pricing
- https://mailchimp.com/
- https://mailchimp.com/pricing/
- https://zapier.com/
- https://zapier.com/pricing
- https://www.make.com/
- https://www.make.com/en/pricing
- https://www.monday.com/
- https://monday.com/pricing
- https://asana.com/
- https://asana.com/pricing
- https://clickup.com/
- https://clickup.com/pricing
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.