Mautic vs HubSpot: Open Source or SaaS – Which Marketing Automation Fits You?
The detailed comparison: Mautic vs HubSpot by features, costs, data protection, and flexibility. With decision guide for your business.
Jonas Höttler
Mautic vs HubSpot: Open Source or SaaS?
When it comes to marketing automation, one question stands out: Cloud-based SaaS solution like HubSpot – or open source alternative like Mautic?
Both approaches have their merit. In this detailed comparison, we analyze Mautic and HubSpot across all relevant criteria so you can make the right decision for your business.
Table of Contents
- Overview of Both Systems
- Feature Comparison
- Cost Comparison
- Data Protection & GDPR
- Flexibility & Customizability
- Implementation & Maintenance
- Who Is HubSpot Right For?
- Who Is Mautic Right For?
- Conclusion: Which Solution is Better?
Overview of Both Systems
HubSpot
HubSpot was founded in 2006 and is the market leader in marketing automation and CRM. The platform offers a comprehensive ecosystem of Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, and CMS Hub.
Key Facts:
- Founded: 2006, Boston
- Model: Cloud SaaS
- Customers: 200,000+ worldwide
- Publicly traded: NYSE (HUBS)
- Pricing model: Per contact + feature tier
Mautic
Mautic is the leading open source marketing automation platform. Founded in 2014, Mautic offers a full-featured alternative without license costs.
Key Facts:
- Founded: 2014
- Model: Open Source (GPL v3)
- Installations: 250,000+ worldwide
- Development: Community + Acquia
- Pricing model: Free (self-hosted) or managed
For a general overview, read our Marketing Automation Guide.
Feature Comparison
Email Marketing
| Feature | HubSpot | Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| Drag-and-Drop Editor | ✅ Very good | ✅ Good |
| HTML Editor | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Templates | ✅ 100+ pre-built | ✅ 20+ pre-built |
| Personalization | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced |
| A/B Testing | ✅ Complete | ✅ Complete |
| Send Time Optimization | ✅ AI-powered | ⚠️ Manual |
| Transactional Emails | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Email Verdict: HubSpot has slight advantages in convenience and AI features. Mautic offers the same core functionality.
Campaigns & Automation
| Feature | HubSpot | Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Workflow Builder | ✅ Very good | ✅ Good |
| Branching Logic | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced |
| Trigger Types | ✅ 30+ | ✅ 20+ |
| Actions | ✅ 50+ | ✅ 30+ |
| Goal Tracking | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Manual |
| Workflow Templates | ✅ 100+ | ⚠️ Few |
Automation Verdict: HubSpot offers more out-of-the-box. Mautic is equally powerful but requires more manual configuration.
Lead Management
| Feature | HubSpot | Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| Lead Scoring | ✅ Advanced + AI | ✅ Advanced |
| Segmentation | ✅ Dynamic | ✅ Dynamic |
| Progressive Profiling | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Lead Nurturing | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced |
| Lead Lifecycle Stages | ✅ Predefined | ⚠️ Manual configuration |
Lead Management Verdict: Comparable. HubSpot offers more structure, Mautic more flexibility.
CRM Functionality
| Feature | HubSpot | Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated CRM | ✅ Complete | ⚠️ Basic |
| Deals/Pipeline | ✅ Complete | ❌ No (CRM integration needed) |
| Activity Tracking | ✅ Complete | ✅ Marketing-focused |
| Sales Automation | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Forecasting | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
CRM Verdict: Clear HubSpot advantage. Mautic is marketing-focused and requires separate CRM integration.
Website & Content
| Feature | HubSpot | Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| Landing Pages | ✅ Very good | ✅ Good |
| Forms | ✅ Very good | ✅ Good |
| Website Tracking | ✅ Complete | ✅ Complete |
| CMS | ✅ Full CMS Hub | ❌ No |
| Blogging | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| SEO Tools | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Website Verdict: HubSpot is an all-in-one platform. Mautic focuses on marketing automation.
Reporting & Analytics
| Feature | HubSpot | Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboards | ✅ Customizable | ✅ Basic |
| Custom Reports | ✅ Drag-and-drop | ⚠️ Requires technical know-how |
| Attribution Reporting | ✅ Multi-touch | ⚠️ Basic |
| Revenue Attribution | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (manual) |
| API for BI Tools | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Reporting Verdict: HubSpot significantly stronger. Mautic often requires external BI tools.
Integrations
| Feature | HubSpot | Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| Native Integrations | ✅ 1,500+ | ⚠️ 50+ |
| Marketplace | ✅ Extensive | ⚠️ Limited |
| Zapier | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| API | ✅ Complete | ✅ Complete |
| Webhooks | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Integrations Verdict: HubSpot has massively more native integrations. Mautic often requires API work.
Cost Comparison
HubSpot Pricing Structure
HubSpot uses a tiered pricing model by features and contact count:
| Tier | Features | Price (1,000 contacts) | Price (50,000 contacts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Very limited | £0 | £0 (2,000 contacts max) |
| Starter | Basic | £40/month | £40 + contact surcharge |
| Professional | Complete | £700/month | £2,800/month |
| Enterprise | Advanced | £2,900/month | On request |
Additional Costs:
- Onboarding (Professional): £2,400 one-time
- Onboarding (Enterprise): £4,800 one-time
- Additional contacts: tiered
Mautic Cost Structure
Mautic itself is free. Costs arise from infrastructure:
Option 1: Self-Hosted (DIY)
| Item | One-time | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Software | £0 | £0 |
| Server (Cloud) | - | £40-180 |
| Email Service (SES, etc.) | - | £20-90 |
| Total | £0 | £60-270 |
Option 2: Self-Hosted with Partner
| Item | One-time | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Setup & Installation | £2,600-7,000 | - |
| Hosting | - | £90-260 |
| Maintenance & Support | - | £180-450 |
| Total | £2,600-7,000 | £270-710 |
Option 3: Managed Hosting
| Provider | Monthly (50k contacts) |
|---|---|
| Mautic Cloud | £350-520 |
| Acquia Campaign Studio | £870-1,750 |
| Partner (e.g., Balane Tech) | £260-520 |
5-Year TCO at 50,000 Contacts
| Solution | Year 1 | Years 2-5 | 5-Year TCO |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Professional | £35,800* | £33,600 x 4 | £170,200 |
| ActiveCampaign | £3,120 | £3,120 x 4 | £15,600 |
| Mautic Self-Hosted (Partner) | £12,700** | £5,200 x 4 | £33,500 |
| Mautic Self-Hosted (DIY) | £3,100 | £3,100 x 4 | £15,500 |
*Incl. onboarding **Incl. setup and first year operation
Cost Savings Mautic vs HubSpot:
- With partner: £136,700 over 5 years
- DIY: £154,700 over 5 years
Data Protection & GDPR
HubSpot Data Protection
Facts:
- Server location: USA (AWS)
- Company: US-American
- Data protection framework: EU-US Data Privacy Framework
- GDPR compliance: Yes, with limitations
Challenges:
- Third-country transfer: Data is transferred to the USA
- SCCs required: Standard Contractual Clauses must be agreed
- Transfer Impact Assessment: Recommended
- Risk: US government access (FISA, CLOUD Act)
What HubSpot Offers:
- Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
- GDPR features (Consent, Deletion, Export)
- SOC 2 Certification
Mautic Data Protection (Self-Hosted)
Facts:
- Server location: Freely selectable (DE, EU)
- Data processor: Only hosting provider
- GDPR compliance: Fully controllable
Advantages:
- No third-country transfer: Servers in DE/EU
- Full control: All data on your own servers
- Minimal DPAs: Only with hosting provider
- Audit-ready: Full access to all data
GDPR Comparison:
| Criterion | HubSpot | Mautic Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Server location | USA | DE/EU (selectable) |
| Third-country transfer | Yes | No |
| DPA required | Yes (with HubSpot) | Yes (hoster only) |
| SCCs required | Yes | No |
| Full data control | No | Yes |
| Deletion | Via HubSpot | Direct |
| Government access (US) | Possible | Excluded |
Data Protection Verdict: Mautic Self-Hosted offers significantly higher GDPR security.
Flexibility & Customizability
HubSpot Customizability
Possibilities:
- Custom Properties (contact fields)
- Custom Objects (Enterprise)
- Customize workflows
- Template customizing
- Custom Reports (limited)
Limitations:
- No source code changes
- Feature limits per tier
- API limits
- Branding (HubSpot logo in Free/Starter)
Mautic Customizability
Possibilities:
- Full source code access
- Develop own plugins
- Unlimited custom fields
- Complete theme customization
- No API limits
- White-label possible
Practical Examples:
| Requirement | HubSpot | Mautic |
|---|---|---|
| Custom scoring model | ⚠️ Limited customizable | ✅ Fully customizable |
| Industry-specific fields | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Custom integrations | ⚠️ Via API (limits) | ✅ Via API (no limits) |
| Multi-tenant for agencies | ❌ Separate accounts needed | ✅ In one installation |
| Custom calculation logic | ❌ No | ✅ Via code |
Flexibility Verdict: Mautic is fundamentally more flexible. HubSpot covers standard cases well.
Implementation & Maintenance
HubSpot Implementation
Effort:
- Create account: 10 minutes
- Basic configuration: 1-2 days
- Complete setup: 2-4 weeks
- Training: 1-2 weeks
What HubSpot Handles:
- Hosting
- Updates
- Security
- Backups
- Performance
Your Responsibility:
- Configuration
- Content creation
- Campaign setup
- Team training
Mautic Implementation
Effort (Self-Hosted with Partner):
- Server setup: 1-2 days
- Mautic installation: 1 day
- Configuration: 3-5 days
- Integrations: 1-2 weeks
- Training: 1-2 weeks
- Total: 3-6 weeks
Your Responsibility (or Partner):
- Server maintenance
- Security updates
- Backups
- Performance optimization
- Mautic updates
Maintenance Effort Comparison
| Task | HubSpot | Mautic Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Updates | Automatic | Manual (monthly) |
| Backups | Automatic | Set up yourself |
| Security | Automatic | Self-managed |
| Uptime Monitoring | Included | Set up yourself |
| Support | 24/7 (Pro/Enterprise) | Community/Partner |
Implementation Verdict: HubSpot is faster to deploy and lower maintenance. Mautic requires more effort but offers more control.
Who Is HubSpot Right For?
HubSpot is ideal for:
1. Companies Without IT Resources You don't have a technical team and don't want to worry about servers.
2. Quick Start is Important You need to be live within weeks, not months.
3. All-in-One Desired You want marketing, sales, and service on one platform.
4. Budget Available Monthly costs are not a problem.
5. US Data Transfer Acceptable Data protection is important but not a critical requirement.
HubSpot Decision Criteria
| Criterion | If yes → HubSpot |
|---|---|
| Immediate start needed? | ✅ |
| No IT resources? | ✅ |
| CRM + Marketing integrated important? | ✅ |
| Budget >£1,000/month? | ✅ |
| Fast support important? | ✅ |
| Many native integrations needed? | ✅ |
Who Is Mautic Right For?
Mautic is ideal for:
1. Data Protection-Sensitive Industries Healthcare, financial services, legal consulting, public sector.
2. Cost-Conscious Companies You have a limited budget or want to save long-term.
3. Large Contact Lists With >50,000 contacts, the effort pays off quickly.
4. Individual Requirements You need customizations that standard software doesn't offer.
5. Agencies You want to offer marketing automation as a service.
6. Technically Savvy Teams You have IT resources or a competent partner.
Mautic Decision Criteria
| Criterion | If yes → Mautic |
|---|---|
| GDPR critical (healthcare, finance)? | ✅ |
| >50,000 contacts? | ✅ |
| 5-year budget in focus? | ✅ |
| Individual customizations needed? | ✅ |
| Multi-tenant (agency)? | ✅ |
| IT team or partner available? | ✅ |
Detailed Mautic guide: Mautic Marketing Automation
Conclusion: Which Solution is Better?
The honest answer: It depends.
The Decision Matrix
| Your Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| No IT, quick start, budget available | → HubSpot |
| Data protection critical, EU-only | → Mautic |
| >50,000 contacts, costs important | → Mautic |
| All-in-one (Marketing + Sales + CRM) | → HubSpot |
| Individual customizations needed | → Mautic |
| Agency with multiple clients | → Mautic |
| Small list (<5,000), simple needs | → HubSpot Starter or cheaper SaaS |
Our Recommendation
For most SMBs with data protection focus: Mautic with a professional partner is the best choice. You get:
- Full GDPR compliance
- 5-year cost savings of £100,000+
- Professional support
- No feature limits
For companies with enterprise budget and all-in-one focus: HubSpot is a solid choice if the costs and US data transfer are acceptable.
The Best Next Step
- Clarify requirements: What do you really need?
- Calculate TCO: Compare 5-year costs
- Check data protection: Are US servers acceptable?
- Demo/Test: Try both systems
- Decide: Based on facts, not marketing
Unsure which solution is right for you? Balane Tech advises you neutrally and supports implementation – whether HubSpot or Mautic. Talk to us for a no-obligation assessment.
FAQ
Can I switch from HubSpot to Mautic?
Yes. Contacts can be exported and imported via CSV. Email templates and workflows must be recreated – but that's often an opportunity for optimization.
Is Mautic really as good as HubSpot?
Functionally: Yes, for marketing automation. HubSpot has advantages in integrated CRM and out-of-the-box features. Mautic has advantages in costs, data protection, and flexibility.
What does the switch from HubSpot to Mautic cost?
Typically: £4,000-13,000 for migration, setup, and training. The investment often pays off within 6-12 months through eliminated license costs.
Can I combine Mautic and HubSpot?
Theoretically yes (HubSpot CRM + Mautic Marketing). Practically rarely sensible due to complexity and costs.
What if I can't handle Mautic?
No problem with a competent partner. Balane Tech offers training, support, and if needed, complete operation of your Mautic installation.
