Table of Contents
Introduction
What Is HubSpot?
What Is Kartra?
Funnel Builder Comparison
Email Marketing & Automation
CRM System Comparison
Membership Sites & Courses
Website Builder Comparison
Pricing Comparison
Ease of Use
Pros & Cons Summary
Which One Should You Choose?
Final Verdict
FAQs
Running a business today means managing marketing, sales, automation, emails, websites, and customer relationships—all at the same time. To make this easier, two powerful platforms stand out: HubSpot and Kartra. Both promise to help you grow your business, but they work in very different ways.
HubSpot is known for CRM and enterprise-level marketing, while Kartra is built for funnels, digital products, and all-in-one online business tools. If you’re confused about which one is right for you, this complete comparison breaks everything down in simple language.
1. What Is HubSpot?
HubSpot is a powerful CRM and marketing automation platform used by small businesses to big enterprises. It’s known for professional tools like email automation, sales pipelines, customer service dashboards, social scheduling, and content management.
Best for:
- SaaS companies
- Service businesses
- Agencies
- B2B companies
- Businesses with sales teams
HubSpot is huge and advanced—but also expensive.
2. What Is Kartra?
Kartra is an all-in-one online business platform created for digital entrepreneurs. It includes funnels, landing pages, memberships, calendars, sales pages, emails, automation, and even video hosting.
Best for:
- Coaches
- Course creators
- Digital marketers
- Freelancers
- Small businesses selling online
Kartra is simpler and more affordable than HubSpot, especially for solo creators.
3. Funnel Builder Comparison
HubSpot
HubSpot does not have a traditional “funnel builder” like ClickFunnels or Kartra. It has workflows, landing pages, and pipelines, but you must connect them manually.
Pros:
- Professional landing pages
- Advanced workflows
- Good for nurturing B2B leads
Cons:
- No drag-and-drop funnel flow
- More technical
- Not ideal for course creators
Kartra
Kartra is built around funnels. You get prebuilt funnel campaigns, drag-and-drop pages, upsells, downsells, tags, triggers, and simple automation.
Pros:
- Easy to build funnels
- All assets under one dashboard
- Great for selling digital products
Cons:
- Not designed for complex B2B sales pipelines
4. Email Marketing & Automation
HubSpot
HubSpot’s email automation is world-class. You can segment contacts, send targeted emails, create multi-step workflows, and personalize every detail.
Pros:
- Advanced automation
- Professional email templates
- Smart segmentation
Cons:
- Expensive—automation is not in free tier
- Harder to learn
Kartra
Kartra includes email marketing in all plans, with unlimited automation sequences, tagging, and behavioral triggers.
Pros:
- Automations included
- Easy setup
- Great for funnels and digital products
Cons:
- Fewer enterprise features
- Limited deep segmentation
5. CRM System Comparison
HubSpot
HubSpot CRM is one of the best in the world. It tracks contacts, deals, calls, tasks, emails, pipelines, and more.
Pros:
- Free CRM
- Perfect for B2B
- Great tracking and reporting
Cons:
- Advanced CRM features become expensive
Kartra
Kartra includes a basic CRM built into the platform. Good for tracking leads, purchases, and tags—but not for sales teams.
Pros:
- Simple CRM
- Good for digital products
Cons:
- Not suitable for B2B sales pipelines
6. Membership Sites & Courses
HubSpot
HubSpot does not include a full course platform. You need third-party tools like Teachable or Thinkific.
Kartra
Kartra includes a complete membership and course system with content locking, progress tracking, and video hosting.
7. Website Builder
HubSpot
HubSpot CMS is powerful and fast. You can build blogs, landing pages, and full websites with SEO tools built-in.
Pros:
- SEO-friendly
- Powerful CMS
- Great for businesses
Cons:
- Expensive CMS Pro plan
Kartra
Kartra offers a page builder, not a full CMS. Good for landing pages and sales pages, not big websites.
8. Pricing Comparison
This is where the biggest difference appears.
HubSpot Pricing
- Starter: $45–$50/month
- Professional: $800–$900/month
- Enterprise: $3,000+/month
The more you grow, the more expensive it becomes.
Kartra Pricing
- Starter: $99/month
- Silver: $199/month
- Gold: $299/month
One price includes funnels, pages, emails, videos, memberships, and calendars.
9. Ease of Use
HubSpot
- Powerful but technical
- Requires training
- More buttons, dashboards, and setup steps
Kartra
- Built for beginners
- Drag-and-drop
- Friendly interface
10. Pros & Cons Summary
HubSpot Pros
- World-class CRM
- Professional automation
- Powerful CMS
- Best for B2B
HubSpot Cons
- Very expensive
- No built-in course platform
- Steeper learning curve
Kartra Pros
- All-in-one system
- Easy to use
- Perfect for digital businesses
- Affordable plans
Kartra Cons
- Weak CRM
- Not ideal for B2B
- CMS not as strong
11. Which One Should You Choose?
Choose HubSpot if…
- You run a service-based business
- You need a strong CRM
- You have a sales team
- You want enterprise-level automation
Choose Kartra if…
- You sell digital products
- You want funnels + emails + courses in one place
- You are a coach, creator, or marketer
- You want affordability and simplicity
Final Verdict
HubSpot and Kartra are completely different tools for different types of businesses. HubSpot is a CRM and marketing powerhouse designed for sales-driven organizations. Kartra is an all-in-one digital business platform built for creators, coaches, and marketers.
If you want advanced automation, CRM, and enterprise-level tracking—choose HubSpot.
If you want funnels, pages, courses, and automation in one affordable place—choose Kartra.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is HubSpot better than Kartra?
HubSpot is better for businesses that need CRM, advanced automation, and sales pipelines. Kartra is better for creators, coaches, and small businesses that want funnels, courses, and email marketing in one simple platform.
2. What type of business should use HubSpot?
HubSpot is ideal for service businesses, B2B companies, marketing agencies, SaaS companies, and teams that need CRM tracking, workflows, lead scoring, and a full sales system.
3. What type of business should use Kartra?
Kartra works best for coaches, digital product sellers, online course creators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses that want an affordable all-in-one marketing tool.
4. Does HubSpot have a funnel builder?
Not exactly. HubSpot has workflows and landing pages, but it does not have a visual drag-and-drop funnel builder like Kartra. Kartra is better for funnel creation.
5. Is Kartra cheaper than HubSpot?
Yes. Kartra offers all-in-one plans starting around $99/month.
HubSpot becomes very expensive when you add marketing, CRM, CMS, and automation features—rising to hundreds or even thousands per month.