https://www.marketingupgrade.pro Interim CMO practice of Joris van Huet. Marketing systems, MarTech and AI native go to market. en-NL Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:11:28 GMT https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-animoto https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-animoto Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Make one product ad in Animoto from your photos or product page, then copy it into landscape, square and vertical versions and give the shared one a call-to-action play page. Tool how-to https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-colossyan https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-colossyan Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Turn a policy PDF into an avatar training video in Colossyan: Cora drafts the storyboard, the policy owner reviews it, you add a quiz, generate once and export SCORM. Tool how-to https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-pictory https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-pictory Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Cut a webinar into short captioned clips in Pictory by editing the transcript, strip filler words and silences, brand each clip, then brief the AI agent for a teaser. Tool how-to https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-submagic https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-submagic Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Turn a podcast episode into captioned shorts with Submagic's Magic Clips, correct every caption, export with a saved preset, then start the next one from Claude with a transcript check. Tool how-to https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-synthesia https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-synthesia Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Turn a slide deck into a training video with Synthesia: speaker notes as the script, import, avatar, pronunciation fixes, Assistant with a scene-by-scene read, free previews, a guest reviewer. Tool how-to https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/activecampaign-vs-brevo https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/activecampaign-vs-brevo Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT ActiveCampaign prices contacts and goes deeper on lead automation; Brevo prices emails sent and puts transactional mail on every plan. Costs at four sizes and an AI draft step. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/activecampaign-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/activecampaign-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT ActiveCampaign suits leads handed to sales, with deeper automations and a CRM add-on; Mailchimp suits store emails and monthly billing. Prices, caps, seats and one agent step. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/aweber-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/aweber-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT AWeber's free plan holds twice Mailchimp's list, and from 1,000 subscribers its paid plans match or undercut Mailchimp. Limits, seats, prices and AWeber's AI drafts compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/beehiiv-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/beehiiv-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT beehiiv fits when the newsletter is the product: unlimited sends, paid subscriptions and a larger free plan. Mailchimp fits when email sells a store's products. Prices to 100,000. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/benchmark-email-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/benchmark-email-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Benchmark Email undercuts Mailchimp Essentials from 1,000 to 50,000 contacts, but its current plans list no automation, and extra users cost $15 a month each. Where each one fits. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/brevo-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/brevo-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Brevo bills the emails you send, Mailchimp the contacts you keep. Four send patterns priced on both, plus transactional email, seats and an agent step through Brevo's MCP. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/brevo-vs-mailerlite https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/brevo-vs-mailerlite Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Brevo meters emails sent, MailerLite meters subscribers, so how often you send decides the cheaper bill. Plus transactional email, seats, automation limits and MCP. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/brevo-vs-resend https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/brevo-vs-resend Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Brevo is a marketing platform that also sends app email; Resend is an email API with broadcasts on top. Two bills against one, free tiers, log retention and a scoped agent. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/emailoctopus-vs-brevo https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/emailoctopus-vs-brevo Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT EmailOctopus's free plan sends 10,000 emails a month to 2,500 subscribers; Brevo's sends 300 a day but stores far more contacts. Prices, channels, reports and an AI draft step. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/emailoctopus-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/emailoctopus-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT EmailOctopus costs less than half of Mailchimp Essentials from 2,500 subscribers up and bills only subscribed contacts. What the lower price leaves out, and a Make step to feed the list. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/flodesk-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/flodesk-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Flodesk bills only active subscribers and sends without limits, but its free plan cannot send and Pro has 2 seats. Prices, seats and the AI connector against Mailchimp. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/getresponse-vs-brevo https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/getresponse-vs-brevo Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT GetResponse hosts webinars and funnels and sends without a monthly cap; Brevo puts transactional email and SMS on every plan. Which plan has what, and a year at four sizes. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/getresponse-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/getresponse-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT GetResponse bundles webinars, funnels and unlimited sends; Mailchimp is cheaper for small lists that need several automations. Plans, prices and the free account compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/kit-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/kit-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Kit is built for creators selling to an audience, with purchase data, sequences and an MCP; Mailchimp for shops. Kit's prices could not be read, so you fill in that column. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/mailchimp-vs-constant-contact https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/mailchimp-vs-constant-contact Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Constant Contact sells event tickets in the account that sends the invitations; Mailchimp publishes its prices and connects stores. Plans, billing and the Campaign Builder. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/mailchimp-vs-klaviyo https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/mailchimp-vs-klaviyo Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Mailchimp and Klaviyo cost the same up to 5,000 contacts, then Mailchimp is cheaper unless many have unsubscribed, since Klaviyo bills only reachable profiles. AI and MCP compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/mailerlite-vs-mailchimp https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/mailerlite-vs-mailchimp Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT MailerLite gives more automations per dollar at every list size, with unlimited sends on Power; Mailchimp keeps more store platforms, SMS and Premium scale. Prices and limits. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/omnisend-vs-brevo https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/omnisend-vs-brevo Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Omnisend fires flows from store events, with SMS in Pro; Brevo sends campaigns and app emails from one volume. Store jobs, billing options at 5,000 subscribers and read-only AI. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/sender-vs-brevo https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/sender-vs-brevo Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Sender's free plan counts the month and Brevo's counts the day. Branding, seats, SMS and plans at 5,000 subscribers compared, with an AI analytics step on a narrow server. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-clay https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-clay Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Score a target account list in Clay: a Claygent research column tested in sandbox, a formula score, buyers found through the Work Email waterfall, and qualified leads sent to lemlist. Tool how-to https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/activecampaign-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/activecampaign-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT ActiveCampaign prices by contacts and sells automation depth; HubSpot prices by seats around a shared CRM. Plans, introductory offers, AI agents and MCP access compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/attio-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/attio-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Attio lets a B2B team design its own CRM objects and agent workflows; HubSpot arrives with hubs, stages and a marketing-contact meter. Seat, credit and onboarding costs compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/aweber-vs-mailerlite https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/aweber-vs-mailerlite Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT AWeber's free plan holds 500 subscribers; MailerLite is cheaper once you pay. Subscriber bands, list and automation limits, setup help and an MCP step compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/capsule-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/capsule-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Capsule's per-user plans and email add-on against HubSpot's Starter bundle, its new-customer offer and the renewal price, for a small service business choosing its first paid CRM. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/close-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/close-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Close builds the CRM around the phone, HubSpot around the customer record. Dialers, sequences, minutes, onboarding fees and the Chloe AI caller's country limits, priced for a team. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/constant-contact-vs-mailerlite https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/constant-contact-vs-mailerlite Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Constant Contact runs events and meters sends with an overage fee; MailerLite publishes its bands. Contact tiers, send rules, AI campaign drafts and prices compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/copper-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/copper-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Copper runs inside Gmail and Google Calendar; HubSpot brings Gmail to its platform. Contact limits that pick Copper's tier, email tracking under GDPR, AI access and seat prices. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/emailoctopus-vs-mailerlite https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/emailoctopus-vs-mailerlite Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT EmailOctopus is free for 2,500 subscribers and cheaper at every size; MailerLite adds websites, products and paid newsletters. Counting rules, Connect and an MCP draft step. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/engagebay-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/engagebay-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT EngageBay puts marketing automation on a per-user plan; HubSpot starts full workflows on Professional with an onboarding fee. Contact caps, term discounts and an MCP agent step. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/flodesk-vs-kit https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/flodesk-vs-kit Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Flodesk sells designed emails with built-in checkout; Kit is built around sequences, apps and an MCP server. Free plan limits, Flodesk prices and an agent step compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/folk-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/folk-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT folk tends a few hundred named relationships from LinkedIn and email; HubSpot turns inbound visitors into a pipeline. Enrichment and AI credits, sequences, the free CRM and prices. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/freshworks-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/freshworks-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Freshsales and Freshdesk linked by an app, or HubSpot's hubs on one record: first-year costs for sellers and agents, onboarding fees, and Freddy's contact scoring with a human check. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/getresponse-vs-mailerlite https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/getresponse-vs-mailerlite Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Both start at $19 for 1,000 contacts and buy different things: one automation with webinars higher up, or 50 automations. Plans, prices and an MCP step compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/highlevel-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/highlevel-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT HighLevel prices an agency by sub-accounts with usage on top; HubSpot prices one company by seats and contacts. Per-client costs, white label, wallets and Conversation AI's review mode. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/hubspot-vs-salesforce https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/hubspot-vs-salesforce Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT HubSpot and Salesforce cost about the same at the middle seat price; the difference is who configures them. Both ladders, contracts, onboarding fees and where AI is included or extra. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/keap-vs-hubspot https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/keap-vs-hubspot Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Keap sells one $299 platform with a required setup package; HubSpot starts free and adds hubs. First-year bills, texting and payment limits outside the United States, and an AI campaign check. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/kit-vs-beehiiv https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/kit-vs-beehiiv Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT beehiiv is free to 2,500 subscribers and takes 0% of paid subscriptions; Kit runs a creator business on sequences and apps. Plans, MCP access and beehiiv prices compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/kit-vs-substack https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/kit-vs-substack Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Substack keeps 10% of paid revenue; Kit charges a plan fee. The break-even sum, discovery, ownership, automation and an agent step that only Kit documents. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/mailerlite-vs-kit https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/mailerlite-vs-kit Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT MailerLite opens MCP access on its free plan; Kit keeps its MCP server for paid plans. Agent limits, publishing, creator discovery and MailerLite prices compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/moosend-vs-mailerlite https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/moosend-vs-mailerlite Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Moosend sells email credits that never expire and cheaper unlimited sending; MailerLite adds a website and selling tools. Contact counting, triggers and prices compared. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/sender-vs-mailerlite https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/sender-vs-mailerlite Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Sender's free plan holds 2,500 subscribers and adds SMS; MailerLite brings websites and paid newsletters. Send multiples, five price points and a draft-only MCP step. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/sendpulse-vs-brevo https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/sendpulse-vs-brevo Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT SendPulse charges by subscribers with unlimited sends; Brevo charges by emails and caps contacts by tier. Four sending patterns priced, chatbots, free plans and an MCP step. Tool comparisons https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-dropcontact https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-dropcontact Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Run Dropcontact's free 14-day CRM test in HubSpot or Pipedrive: brief users, read the report, spot-check changed emails with Claude, then decide on the annual licence. Tool how-to https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-findymail https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-findymail Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Clean an old export with Findymail before it costs a domain: split deliverable from risky, re-find current addresses by name and domain, check the gaps with Claude, push to a sender. Tool how-to https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-prospeo https://www.marketingupgrade.pro/blog/how-to-use-prospeo Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Trade show follow-up with Prospeo: CSV Enrichment on name and company, verified emails for everyone, mobiles for the top accounts, and Claude over MCP for the visitors it misses. Tool how-to