WordPress CRM plugins with email marketing
Many WordPress CRMs started as email marketing tools, and it shows. They are strong at newsletters, tags and automated sequences, and lighter on sales.
The picks below are ranked by how much email marketing you get, and at what price.
Our picks
- Best for email marketing automation
FluentCRM
Campaigns and basic automation free, with sequences, advanced segments and 45+ integrations in Pro. Unlimited contacts on every plan.
Active installs: 80,000+ · 4.77 / 5 (250 ratings) · From $90 / year
FluentCRM review → - Best for sales funnels and automation
Groundhogg
Broadcasts and a visual automation flow editor free, with unlimited contacts and sends.
Active installs: 2,000+ · 4.87 / 5 (149 ratings) · From $240 / year
Groundhogg review → - Best free hosted CRM
HubSpot
Marketing email and forms on the free hosted plan, with automation from the paid Starter plan upwards.
Active installs: 200,000+ · 4.34 / 5 (207 ratings) · From $84 / year
HubSpot review → - Best for quotes and invoicing
Jetpack CRM
Campaigns and automations as paid extensions, or included in the Entrepreneur plan.
Active installs: 30,000+ · 4.32 / 5 (152 ratings) · From $132 / year
Jetpack CRM review → - Best free sales and service CRM
Plugixa CRM
Campaigns, target lists and mass email with open and click tracking are free. There is no automation, so it suits occasional mailings rather than sequences.
Active installs: Fewer than 10 · From €39 / year
Plugixa CRM review →
How we chose
We looked at whether campaigns and automation are free, how many contacts each plan allows, and whether sending needs an outside service.
All the self-hosted plugins send through your own mail setup, so delivery depends on your SMTP provider.
The picks side by side
Scroll sideways to see more plugins, or untick some above.
| Feature | FluentCRM | Groundhogg | HubSpot | Jetpack CRM | Plugixa CRM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts and companies | |||||
| ContactsStores people with their details, notes and a history of what happened with them. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFree | YesFree | YesFreeA contact can have several email addresses and phone numbers, one of each marked primary. |
| CompaniesStores companies (accounts) as their own records, with contacts linked to them. | YesFree | YesPaid: PlusCompany records come from the Companies extension, included from Plus or sold alone from $59 a year. | YesFree | YesFreeCompanies come with B2B mode, which you turn on in the free plugin. | YesFreeAccounts with a parent and child hierarchy, and a link to contacts that records each person's role. |
| Custom fieldsYou can add your own fields to contacts or other records. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFreeThe free plan allows 10 custom properties. Paid plans raise the limit. | YesFree | YesPaid: ProTen field types on contacts, accounts, leads and deals. |
| Duplicate mergeFinds the same person or company entered twice and merges the two records. | Not checked | PartialFreeTwo contacts can be merged by hand from the record. No tool that finds duplicates was found. | PartialFreeContacts are deduplicated by email and companies by domain, and records can be merged on all plans. The duplicates manager needs a Professional plan. | PartialFreeYou can merge two contacts you pick from the list. Automatic duplicate detection was not found. | YesFree |
| Sales pipeline | |||||
| DealsTracks sales opportunities with a value, a stage and an expected close date. | No | YesPaid: PlusThe Sales Pipeline extension is included from Plus or sold alone from $79 a year. Deals have a close date, a close probability and products. | YesFree | NoContacts move through statuses such as Lead and Customer, but there is no deal record with a value and stage. | YesFree |
| Kanban boardShows deals as cards in stage columns that you drag from one stage to the next. | No | YesPaid: Plus | YesFree | No | YesFree |
| Several pipelinesYou can run more than one pipeline, each with its own stages. | No | YesPaid: Plus | YesPaid: Starter Customer PlatformThe free plan has one default pipeline. Starter allows 15 custom pipelines, shared across objects. | No | YesFree |
| Sales forecastReports expected revenue, weighted by stage probability or by close date. | No | Not checked | YesPaid: Sales Hub Professional | No | YesFreeA weighted pipeline forecast, win rate and expected close by month. |
| Lead conversionA lead is a separate record that converts into a contact, a company or a deal once qualified. | NoA contact is labelled Lead or Customer. There is no separate lead record to convert. | NoThere is no separate lead record. Leads are contacts, and deals are created from them. | PartialPaid: Sales Hub ProfessionalLeads are linked to existing contacts or companies and move through lead stages towards a deal, rather than converting into a new contact. Needs Sales Hub Professional. | NoLeads are contacts with a Lead status, not a separate record type. | YesFreeA lead converts into an account, a contact and an opportunity in one step. |
| Activities and email | |||||
| TasksTasks with a due date and an assignee, linked to a record. | PartialFreeTasks come from the separate FluentBoards plugin and show on the contact profile. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFree | YesFree |
| CalendarA calendar view of tasks, meetings or appointments inside the CRM. | Not checked | Not checked | Not checked | YesFree | YesFreeMonth, week and day views over tasks, calls and meetings, with working hours, holidays and free/busy. |
| Calls and meetingsLogs calls and meetings as their own activities on a record. | YesFreeCalls and meetings are note types in the Notes and Activities tab. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFreeCalls and meetings are log types on a contact's activity log. | YesFree |
| Email from a recordSends a one-to-one email from a contact's record and keeps it on the record. | YesFreeDirect email works only for contacts with a Subscribed status. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFree | YesFreeSent from any record, with templates and merge fields. |
| Incoming emailReads a mailbox and files incoming mail against the matching records. | Not checked | PartialPaid: ProReplies to Groundhogg emails reach the contact record through Groundhogg's hosted relay. It needs an active licence and does not read a mailbox of your own. | YesFreeEmail is connected through HubSpot's shared inbox. Email sync is listed as a Starter feature, so free-plan limits were not checked in detail. | No | YesFreeReads your own mailbox over IMAP. Incoming mail can create cases automatically. |
| Marketing | |||||
| Email campaignsSends newsletters or bulk email to a list or segment of contacts. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFreeFree marketing email carries HubSpot branding and has sending limits. | YesPaid add-on | YesFreeCampaigns, target lists and mass email sent in batches, with open and click tracking on your own domain. |
| Marketing automationRuns sequences or workflows triggered by events, such as a tag added or a form submitted. | YesFreeThe free version has a small set of triggers and actions. Most integration triggers need Pro. | YesFree | YesPaid: Starter Customer PlatformStarter has simple email, contact and deal automation. Full workflows need a Professional plan. | YesPaid add-onA free internal automator exists, but configurable workflows need the Automations extension ($79 a year). | NoTarget lists are static, and there is no workflow or sequence builder. |
| Lead capture formsHas its own forms that create contacts or leads, without a separate form plugin. | PartialFreeForms created in FluentCRM are Fluent Forms forms, so the free Fluent Forms plugin must be installed. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFree | YesFreeWeb-to-lead forms as a block or a shortcode; submissions arrive as leads. |
| Customer support | |||||
| Tickets or casesA support queue of customer requests with a status and an owner. | NoTickets come from the separate Fluent Support plugin and show on the contact profile. | NoThere is no ticket queue. A paid Help Scout integration connects an outside helpdesk. | YesFree | PartialPaid add-onThe Awesome Support extension shows tickets from the separate Awesome Support plugin inside the CRM. | YesFreeCases with statuses, priorities and types, assigned round-robin or to whoever is least busy. |
| Knowledge baseHelp articles you write in the CRM and can show to customers. | Not checked | No | YesPaid: Service Hub Professional | No | YesFreeArticles in a category tree. Articles you mark as public appear in a help centre on your site. |
| Client portalCustomers log in on your site to see their own records, such as tickets, invoices or documents. | Not checked | Not checked | YesPaid: Service Hub ProfessionalThe portal shows customers their own support tickets only. | YesFreeThe portal is free. Client Portal Pro adds file downloads, tasks and tickets. | YesFreeCustomers see their own cases, shared documents, meetings, calls and help articles. Each panel is a separate switch. |
| Team and permissions | |||||
| CRM rolesPermissions set per CRM role, beyond the standard WordPress roles. | PartialPaid: Solo/BloggerPro managers get permissions set per user, not per named role. | YesFreeAdds Marketer, Sales Manager and Sales Representative roles. | PartialFreePermissions are set per user on all plans. Reusable permission sets need an Enterprise plan. | YesFree | YesFreeRoles per record type and per action, each with an all, team, own or none scope. |
| Record-level accessLimits which records or fields a user can see, for example only their own or their team's. | NoManager permissions apply globally, so a manager sees all contacts their permissions cover. | YesFreeSales Representatives see only the contacts they own. Field-level limits were not found. | YesFreeUsers can be limited to records they own on all plans. Team-only access needs a Professional plan. | PartialFreeContacts can be assigned to a CRM user, and editing can be limited to the owner. Field-level control was not found. | YesFreeRecords are limited to a user's own, their team's or all, and single fields can be hidden or made read-only. |
| Change historyKeeps a log of who changed what on a record. | Not checked | Not checked | YesFreeProperty history shows each change, its date and its source, such as a user, an import or a workflow. | PartialFreeThe activity log records status changes and edits made through the portal or profile, but not a full field history. | YesFree |
| Reports and data | |||||
| ReportsBuilt-in reports or dashboards on contacts, deals or activity. | YesFreeCampaign and automation reports are free. Contact, WooCommerce and LMS reports need Pro. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFreeThe free dashboard shows contact and activity charts. Revenue reports need the Sales Dashboard extension. | YesFreeA report builder with charts over deals, leads, meetings, calls and tasks, and multi-tab dashboards. |
| CSV import and exportImports contacts from a CSV file and exports them to one. | YesPaid: Solo/BloggerCSV import is free. Contact export needs Pro. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFreeA basic CSV importer and an export page are free. CSV Importer PRO adds more options. | YesFreeCSV import with column mapping and an undo for the whole run; CSV and Excel export. |
| WebhooksSends a message to a URL you choose when records change. | YesPaid: Solo/BloggerOutgoing webhooks run as an automation step in Pro. Incoming webhooks are free. | YesPaid: BasicSending a webhook is a premium flow step, listed on every paid plan. Free users cannot use it. | YesPaid: Data Hub ProfessionalThe Send a webhook workflow action needs Data Hub Professional. Developer apps can also subscribe to record changes through the webhooks API. | NoThe free plugin only accepts incoming webhook requests. No outgoing webhooks on record changes were found. | YesFree |
| REST APIA documented API for reading and writing CRM records from other software. | YesFreeDeveloper docs say core endpoints work on the free plugin, but the Free vs Pro table lists the REST API under Pro. | YesFree | YesFree | YesFree | YesFreeAbout 230 documented REST routes, with the same permission rules as the admin screens. |
| Commerce | |||||
| WooCommerceLinks WooCommerce customers and their orders to CRM contacts. | YesFreePurchase history on the contact profile is free. Segmentation, triggers and reports for WooCommerce need Pro. | YesPaid: ProThe WooCommerce extension is included in Pro or sold alone from $99 a year. | PartialFreeNot part of the HubSpot plugin. WooCommerce sync is offered by third-party apps, such as the one from MakeWebBetter. | YesFree | YesPaid: ProLinks WooCommerce customers and their order history to contacts. |
| Quotes and invoicesCreates quotes or invoices from the CRM. | Not checked | No | YesFreeInvoices are listed for all plans. Quotes need a Commerce Hub Professional plan. | YesFree | NoThere are PDF templates for any record, but no quote or invoice records. |
| Integrations | |||||
| Form plugin integrationsSends entries from form plugins such as Contact Form 7, WPForms or Gravity Forms into the CRM. | YesFreeFluent Forms is free. Elementor, Divi Bloom, Thrive and Beaver Builder forms need Pro. Other form plugins can post to an incoming webhook. | YesPaid: PlusContact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Fluent Forms and others are listed from Plus. | YesFreeListed integrations include Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, WPForms, Formidable and Forminator. Contact Form 7 is not listed. | YesPaid add-onJetpack Forms is supported for free. Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms each need a paid extension. | YesPaid: ProContact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms and Elementor forms. |
| Calendar syncSyncs CRM meetings or tasks with Google Calendar or Outlook. | Not checked | YesPaid: PlusGoogle Calendar sync comes with the Booking Calendar extension, included from Plus or sold alone from $79 a year. | YesFree | No | YesPaid: ProGoogle Calendar and Microsoft 365 calendars. |
| Platform | |||||
| Where your data livesWhether records are stored in your WordPress database or on the vendor's servers. | Your WordPress database | Your WordPress database (custom tables) | HubSpot's servers (hosted CRM) | Your WordPress database | Your WordPress database, in the plugin's own tables |
| CRM on a site pageStaff can use the CRM on a page of the site, outside wp-admin. | Not checked | Not checked | NoThe CRM runs in HubSpot's own web app. The plugin adds tools to wp-admin and forms or chat to site pages, not a staff CRM on the site. | NoThe front end offers a client portal for customers only. Staff use the CRM in wp-admin. | YesFreeA shortcode puts the whole CRM on a page of your site for staff, inside your theme. |
- Yes: The plugin does this.
- Partial: It does part of this; the note says what is missing.
- No: The plugin does not do this.
- Not checked: We could not confirm it from the vendor's own pages, so we do not claim either way.