Overview
Mailtrack and HubSpot Sales Hub are two of the most widely used email tracking solutions — but they serve very different users. Mailtrack is a lightweight Gmail add-on built for simplicity, while HubSpot Sales Hub is a full-featured sales platform with tracking as one piece of a much larger puzzle. Here's a clear-eyed comparison to help you decide.
At a Glance
| Feature | Mailtrack | HubSpot Sales Hub |
|---|---|---|
| Email Client Support | Gmail only | Gmail & Outlook |
| Real-Time Notifications | ✓ | ✓ |
| CRM Integration | Limited (via Zapier) | ✓ Native (HubSpot CRM) |
| Link Click Tracking | Paid plans only | ✓ |
| Email Sequences | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team Reporting | Limited | ✓ Advanced |
| Free Plan Available | ✓ (with Mailtrack signature) | ✓ (limited features) |
| Starting Paid Price | ~$4.99/mo | ~$20/user/mo |
Mailtrack: Simple, Effective, and Affordable
Mailtrack excels at doing one thing well: telling you when your Gmail messages are read. Its double-checkmark system (inspired by WhatsApp) is intuitive and requires almost no setup. It's an excellent choice for:
- Freelancers and solopreneurs who send client emails via Gmail
- Job seekers tracking whether application emails have been read
- Anyone who needs basic open tracking without a CRM
Limitations: Mailtrack's free plan appends a "Sent with Mailtrack" signature to every email — not ideal for professional outreach. Link tracking, daily email reports, and no-signature sending require a paid subscription. It also has no native CRM and is Gmail-only.
HubSpot Sales Hub: Tracking as Part of a Bigger Picture
HubSpot Sales Hub wraps email tracking inside a full sales engagement platform. Every open and click is automatically logged to your CRM contact record, giving you a complete picture of your prospect's engagement history. It's the right choice for:
- Sales teams that need pipeline visibility alongside email data
- Organizations already using HubSpot CRM
- Teams that run multi-step email sequences
- Managers who need team-level reporting
Limitations: HubSpot Sales Hub is considerably more expensive than Mailtrack, especially for larger teams. The free plan has daily limits on tracked emails and sequences. New users also face a learning curve navigating the broader HubSpot ecosystem.
Which Should You Choose?
The answer comes down to scope:
- If you just need to know when your emails are opened and you use Gmail, Mailtrack is the simplest, most affordable solution.
- If you need email tracking to feed into a broader sales workflow — CRM records, sequences, team dashboards — HubSpot Sales Hub is the more powerful investment.
Final Verdict
Neither tool is objectively "better" — they're built for different contexts. Mailtrack wins on simplicity and price. HubSpot wins on depth and ecosystem integration. Define your needs first, and the right choice becomes obvious.