Written by Dan Sagar, FoundationsAI. Updated October 2026.
The best marketing software for a UK small business depends on what's actually holding you back. If you just want to send a monthly newsletter, Brevo or Mailchimp will do it cheaply. If you want a free CRM to start with and plan to grow a sales team, HubSpot is a strong choice. If you're a service business losing work because enquiries aren't followed up, you're better off with an all-in-one system like GoHighLevel, which puts enquiries, follow-up texts and emails, missed calls, booking and reviews in one place.
Best for, in one line
- Cheapest email and texts: Brevo
- Easiest newsletters: Mailchimp
- A free CRM and a growing sales team: HubSpot
- UK service businesses that need enquiries, follow-up, missed calls, booking and reviews in one place: GoHighLevel through FoundationsAI
Here's an honest look at each, with current prices.
The main options side by side
Prices are from each provider's UK website, checked on 25 October 2026. They change often, so check before you buy.
| Brevo | Mailchimp | HubSpot | GoHighLevel (through FoundationsAI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Cheap email and SMS campaigns | Newsletters and simple automated emails | A free CRM to start with, and growing sales teams | Service businesses that need enquiries, follow-up, booking and reviews in one place |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes (free CRM) | No, but a 14-day free trial |
| Paid plans from | £6 a month | £15.05 a month for Standard, up to 500 contacts | £7 a seat a month for Starter (a limited-time offer) | £49 + VAT a month |
| Automated sequences | From £13 a month (Standard) | On Standard and above | Simple on Starter, advanced on Professional (£81 a seat a month) | Unlimited on Pro (£149 + VAT a month) |
| Sales pipeline | Paid add-on | No | Yes, its main strength | Yes |
| Missed call text back | No | No | No | Yes |
| Setup help | Do it yourself | Do it yourself | Do it yourself, or paid onboarding | Setup session included, or we build it all on Managed |
Brevo
Brevo is one of the cheapest ways to send marketing emails and texts. The free plan covers the basics, Starter is £6 a month and automated sequences come with Standard at £13 a month. Text messages are bought as credits on top.
Good for: small businesses that mainly send newsletters and offers and want to keep costs low.
Not so good for: handling new enquiries, phone calls and follow-up across several channels.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the name most people know. It's easy to use and has good templates. The Standard plan, which includes automations, starts at £15.05 a month for up to 500 contacts, and the price rises as your list grows.
Good for: regular newsletters and simple automated emails.
Not so good for: tracking enquiries, quotes and jobs. There's no sales pipeline and no phone side.
HubSpot
HubSpot's free CRM is genuinely useful, and it's built to grow with a sales team. Starter is currently £7 a seat a month on a limited-time offer, and the more advanced automation comes with Professional at £81 a seat a month.
Good for: businesses with a sales team that want detailed reporting, and plan to grow into the higher plans.
Not so good for: small service businesses on a budget. The costs climb with every extra person and feature, and texts and missed calls aren't really what it's built for.
GoHighLevel (through FoundationsAI)
GoHighLevel is an all-in-one system: CRM and pipeline, one inbox for texts, calls, email, WhatsApp and Facebook, automated follow-up, missed call text back, online booking, review requests, websites and invoices. Through FoundationsAI it's £49 + VAT a month on Starter and £149 + VAT on Pro, which includes unlimited automations. You also pay for texts and calls as you use them, at about 6p a text. See the full cost breakdown.
Good for: service businesses (trades, clinics, coaches, consultants) whose real problem is following up enquiries, and anyone paying for several tools that don't talk to each other.
Not so good for: someone who only wants to send a newsletter. It's more than you need.
Other names you'll see
Zoho: cheap per user (CRM from £12 a user a month paid yearly, plus VAT), but two-way texting through Zoho Voice only works in the US and Canada. GoHighLevel vs Zoho.
Keap: strong automation, but priced in US dollars (from $249 a month paid yearly) and its texting and phone line are for US and Canada users only. GoHighLevel vs Keap.
Pipedrive: a sales pipeline for B2B teams, from £14 a seat a month paid yearly, plus VAT. No built-in calls or texts. GoHighLevel vs Pipedrive.
Salesforce: built for larger sales teams. Starter is £20 a user a month, and most small businesses need a consultant to set it up. GoHighLevel vs Salesforce.
HubSpot in more depth: GoHighLevel vs HubSpot.
How to choose
Ask yourself four questions:
- What's actually holding you back? If enquiries come in but too many go cold, you need follow-up, not a newsletter tool.
- Who's going to set it up? If the answer is "nobody has time", choose something that comes with setup help.
- How do customers contact you? If it's phone, WhatsApp, email and your website, you want those in one place.
- What are you paying for now? Add up your email tool, booking tool, text provider, website builder and anything else. One system often costs less than the pile.
"I put off getting a CRM for a long time because I thought it would be expensive and complicated. I was wrong on both counts. When I added up the cost of all my current separate pieces of software, I was paying more."
Naomi, relationship coach
The most common mistake
Buying an email tool when the problem is follow-up. Newsletters are useful, but most service businesses lose far more work from missed calls and enquiries that never got a second message. Fix that first. Our guide to automating lead follow-up shows how.
Go deeper
- What is marketing automation, and is it right for a small business?
- What is an email nurture sequence, and why do you need one?
- Building marketing systems for small businesses that actually work
- How to use SMS marketing without annoying your customers
Common questions
What is the best marketing automation software for a small UK business?
For newsletters on a budget, Brevo. For a service business that loses work when enquiries aren't followed up, an all-in-one system like GoHighLevel, which replies to enquiries, texts back missed calls and follows up for you.
Can a small business get big-company automation without the big-company price?
Yes. GoHighLevel gives you unlimited automations for a fixed monthly price per business, rather than per seat. Through FoundationsAI that's Pro at £149 + VAT a month, with setup help.
What's the cheapest marketing software for a UK small business?
Brevo, Mailchimp and HubSpot all have free plans. Brevo's paid plans start at £6 a month. Free plans are fine for getting started, but they're limited on automation.
Do I need a CRM as well as email marketing software?
If you handle enquiries, quotes and jobs, yes. Email tools send messages but don't track where each customer is up to. An all-in-one system does both.
Is HubSpot or GoHighLevel better for a small business?
HubSpot suits businesses with a sales team that want detailed reporting and can afford the higher plans. GoHighLevel suits service businesses that need enquiries, texts, missed calls, booking and reviews in one place for a fixed monthly price.
Is GoHighLevel available in the UK?
Yes. You can buy it direct from HighLevel in the US in dollars, or through a UK provider like FoundationsAI in pounds, with UK VAT invoices and setup help.
What should a small business automate first?
Replies to new enquiries and missed calls. That's where most work is lost, and it's quick to set up.
Not sure which fits?
Book a 45-minute demo. We'll look at how enquiries reach you today and tell you honestly whether GoHighLevel is right for you, or whether something simpler would do.