Let's be honest, you can't scroll through your marketing feed without tripping over a post about AI. Every major platform seems to have its own built-in assistant now, promising to whip up brilliant copy in seconds. We're all looking for an edge to create content faster without letting the quality slide.
But if you’ve actually tried some of these tools, you might have felt a little... underwhelmed. It’s a common feeling.
That’s exactly why we’re doing this hands-on, no-fluff look at HubSpot's AI marketing email tool. It's part of their Breeze AI suite, and we’re going to dig into its features, real-world performance, limitations, and what it really costs to help you decide if it’s the right move for your team.
A closer look at the HubSpot AI marketing email tool
The AI features you find in HubSpot's email editor are all part of a larger suite they call "Breeze AI." When you're building an email, you'll see it pop up as the "Copilot" or "AI Assistant."
Its main job is pretty simple: to help you draft subject lines, preview text, and email copy without having to stare at a blank screen. It's built to help you get over writer's block and speed up the whole process of getting a campaign out the door.
The whole idea is to give you an assistant that lives right inside HubSpot, so you don't have to keep switching between different apps. HubSpot says it will help you "boost email opens" and "skillfully rewrite, edit, or adjust the tone of existing copy." It’s meant to feel like a natural part of your workflow.
Key features
So, what can you actually do with it? Let's break down the main functions.
Content creation
The biggest draw is content creation. The process is straightforward: you give the AI a prompt, tell it what tone of voice you want (like friendly or professional), and suggest a length.
The tool then generates a draft for your email body, subject line, and preview text, all within the editor. You can also highlight something you’ve already written and ask the AI to rephrase, shorten, or expand on it. It's a decent feature for making quick edits or trying to find another way to say something.
Performance analysis
Beyond just writing, HubSpot has a premium feature called "messaging insights," which is still in beta. This tool is supposed to analyze your email’s performance, deliverability, and engagement.
It offers suggestions to make your copy and calls-to-action more effective and can help you flag potential problems based on how your past emails have done. It sounds great, but it’s good to know these deeper analytical tools are usually reserved for HubSpot’s pricier plans.
Limitations
Okay, so how does the tool actually perform day-to-day? While it has its moments, digging into user reviews and forums brings up some common complaints and pretty big limitations.
The generic content problem
A lot of people find that while the AI is quick, the output can be a bit bland. One reviewer from Antidote 71 called the drafts "decent" but "generic," and said they needed "heavy editing for voice."
It’s probably best to think of it as a junior copywriter who's really fast but needs a lot of direction. It can give you a starting point, but it doesn't have the unique personality that makes your brand sound like your brand. If you’re expecting a polished, on-brand final draft from a single click, you're likely going to be let down.
The data silo problem
And here's one of the biggest snags: HubSpot's AI is stuck inside its own bubble. It mainly works with the data that lives inside HubSpot.
If your team's most important info is tucked away in Confluence, Google Docs, or old Slack threads, HubSpot's AI has no idea it exists. This leads to surface-level content that misses the key details that would make it genuinely helpful. It can't pull a specific product detail from a Google Doc or find a solution from a past conversation in Slack.
That's a problem a dedicated tool like eesel AI is built to solve. It connects directly to all your sources of information, including helpdesks, wikis, and chat tools, to get the full picture. This allows it to give answers that are rich with context and grounded in your company's complete knowledge base.
The 'black box' issue
Another worry that comes up is that HubSpot's AI feels a bit like a "black box." There isn't a good way to test how well it performs with your own data before you start using it. Sure, you can generate drafts, but you can't see how its suggestions might have changed the outcome of past campaigns.
This makes it hard to trust it for anything more than a rough first draft. How can you be sure its ideas will actually improve your results, or if they just sound good on paper?
A platform designed specifically for this challenge works differently. For instance, eesel AI has a simulation mode that lets you run the AI over thousands of your past customer conversations. You can see its actual performance, calculate potential resolution rates, and tweak its behavior before it ever interacts with a customer. It’s about building confidence with real data, not just crossing your fingers.
Pricing breakdown
You really have to pay attention to the pricing here, because what looks "free" at first can get expensive, fast.
The free and starter tier trap
HubSpot's free tools are a good entry point, and they do come with some basic AI content generation. It's a nice hook.
But you'll run into some serious limitations pretty quickly. A review from MailerLite pointed out that the free plan doesn't let you fully authenticate your email domain. This is a big deal for deliverability and can make your campaigns look less professional since they're sent from a HubSpot domain.
The Starter plan is more reasonable (around $20/month) and lets you remove the HubSpot branding, but you're still missing out on advanced AI features like A/B testing, smart content, or any real automation.
The high cost of advanced features
This is where the price tag really jumps. To get the AI and automation features that make a real difference, you have to upgrade to the Professional plan, which kicks off at $800 per month. If you need even more functionality, the Enterprise plan starts at a whopping $3,600 per month.
And that's not all. There are other costs to watch out for. HubSpot also charges a mandatory, one-time onboarding fee of $3,000 for the Professional plan and $7,000 for the Enterprise plan. On top of that, some of the newer AI agents use a "HubSpot Credits" system, which just adds another layer of complexity and potential costs to your bill.
| Plan | Starting Price (Annual) | Onboarding Fee | Key AI Email Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | None | Basic AI copy generation (with HubSpot branding) |
| Starter | $20/month | None | Removes branding, basic automation |
| Professional | $800/month | $3,000 | A/B testing, dynamic content, full automation |
| Enterprise | $3,600/month | $7,000 | Predictive lead scoring, advanced analytics |
This tutorial shows how you can set up and send your first marketing email using HubSpot with some help from AI.
A better way to use AI for your communications
Instead of locking yourself into an expensive, all-in-one platform with a limited AI, you could get a lot more power and flexibility with a specialized tool that works with what you already have.
Unify your knowledge instead of working in silos
Rather than being stuck with one platform's data, eesel AI connects to over 100 sources your team already relies on, like Zendesk, Confluence, Google Docs, Notion, and Slack. It learns from your entire company knowledge to give responses that are actually helpful and accurate, whether it's for drafting an email, answering a support ticket, or powering an internal search bot.
Get up and running in minutes, not months
While HubSpot’s advanced plans require pricey, mandatory onboarding, eesel AI is designed to be self-serve. You can connect your helpdesk with a single click and have it working in minutes. You can run simulations on past tickets right away to see exactly how the AI performs and what kind of impact it will have, all before you commit to a long and expensive setup.
Get total control and transparent pricing
With eesel AI, you get a fully customizable workflow engine. You're in charge of what kinds of questions the AI handles, you define its tone of voice, and you can even connect it to other tools with custom actions. The pricing is straightforward and predictable, based on your needs, without any surprise fees that punish you for doing well. It's a completely different world from HubSpot's confusing tiers and hidden costs.
Is the HubSpot AI marketing email tool worth it?
So, what's the final call? The HubSpot AI marketing email tool is a decent add-on for teams who are already all-in on the HubSpot ecosystem and just need a quick way to get a simple first draft on the page. It's convenient if you're in a pinch.
But for any team looking for a powerful, context-aware, and affordable AI solution for their communications, it just doesn't quite cut it. The generic copy, dependence on siloed data, lack of testing, and incredibly high cost for advanced features make it a tough sell for any serious AI adoption.
Instead of paying a huge premium for a bundled AI feature with big limitations, think about a specialized platform like eesel AI. It works with the tools you already use, brings all your scattered knowledge together, and gives you a clear, predictable return on your investment.
Frequently asked questions
The review highlights that while HubSpot's AI is fast, its output can be quite generic and often requires "heavy editing for voice" to match your brand's personality. It's best used as a starting point rather than a final draft.
This review shows that advanced AI and automation features require upgrading to the Professional plan, starting at $800/month, plus a mandatory $3,000 onboarding fee. The Enterprise plan is even higher, beginning at $3,600/month with a $7,000 onboarding fee.
The review notes a significant limitation: HubSpot's AI is largely confined to data within its own ecosystem, creating a "data silo problem." It cannot access or learn from information stored in external tools like Confluence, Google Docs, or Slack.
Unfortunately, the review points out a "black box" issue, indicating there isn't a straightforward way to test HubSpot's AI performance with your specific data before full commitment. You can generate drafts, but you can't simulate its impact on past campaign outcomes.
The review suggests that HubSpot's AI is most suitable for teams already deeply embedded in the HubSpot ecosystem who need a quick initial draft for simple email content. It serves as a convenient add-on rather than a standalone, powerful AI solution.
Specialized tools, like eesel AI, offer advantages such as unifying knowledge from over 100 external sources, quicker setup without mandatory onboarding fees, and transparent, predictable pricing. They also provide features like simulation modes for performance testing and greater control over AI workflows.
