Marketing software costs anywhere from nothing to tens of thousands of rands a month. Free plans exist, Klaviyo's Email plan starts at about R 330 a month, and HubSpot's Marketing Hub Professional lists at about R 13,200 a month billed annually, plus a one-time onboarding fee of about R 49,500. The listed price is only part of the bill: seats, contacts, onboarding and the exchange rate decide the rest.
Syniq wrote this guide and sells Syniq Business OS, whose Marketing app tracks campaigns and leads but sends no marketing email, so it is a different kind of tool from the ones priced below. It is marked (ours).
What "marketing software" covers
The phrase covers several tools that are priced differently:
- Email and automation tools that send messages on rules you set. These price by contacts or emails sent.
- Marketing suites that put email, forms, landing pages and a CRM in one account. These price by seats, contacts and plan tier.
- Campaign and lead trackers that show which campaigns bring in leads and revenue, without sending anything.
- Social, SEO and analytics tools, usually bought one by one.
This guide prices the first three, using vendor pages we opened on 9 November 2026. For a tool-by-tool comparison of email and automation products, read Marketing Automation in South Africa: Tools and Rand Costs.
What marketing software costs in rands
Dollar prices are converted at R 16.50 to the US dollar, an assumed rate that matches our earlier marketing automation guide; your bank's rate and fees will differ. Vendor prices change, so treat the table as a map and check the vendor's page before you buy.
| Tool | Free plan | Paid price a month (USD) | About, in rands | What else you pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Marketing Hub Starter | Yes: up to 2 users | From US$7 a seat, or US$20 a seat | R 116 to R 330 a seat | Starter discounts are for new customers and for a limited time; 1,000 marketing contacts |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional | Same free plan | US$800 billed annually, or US$890 billed monthly | R 13,200 or R 14,685 | 3 seats included, extra seats US$45 (about R 743); 2,000 marketing contacts; required onboarding of US$3,000 (about R 49,500) |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub Enterprise | Same free plan | From US$3,600 | About R 59,400 | 5 seats included, extra seats US$75 (about R 1,238); 10,000 marketing contacts; required onboarding of US$7,000 (about R 115,500) |
| Klaviyo Email | Yes: 250 active profiles, 500 emails a month | From US$20 | About R 330 | For 500 active profiles and 5,000 emails a month |
| Syniq Marketing (ours) | No: 14-day trial | R 47 a month billed annually, in rands | R 47 | Does not send email; no VAT added |
Sources: HubSpot's pricing pages (hubspot.com/pricing and hubspot.com/pricing/marketing) and Klaviyo's pricing page, opened on 9 November 2026. HubSpot's page does not label which Starter figure is the annual one. Klaviyo's page shows US dollars.
What a year of marketing software costs
Take HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional billed annually. Twelve months at US$800 is US$9,600, and the US$3,000 onboarding fee is on top, so the first year is US$12,600, about R 207,900. Billed monthly at US$890, the first year is US$13,680, about R 225,720. The onboarding fee is paid once, so the second year costs less. That first-year figure is the one to compare with another tool's price, not the monthly number on the pricing page.
Why the bill is higher than the price
- Onboarding. HubSpot requires it on Professional and Enterprise. Ask any vendor whether onboarding is required.
- Seats. Extra people cost extra on seat-priced plans.
- Contacts and volume. Plans are sized by contacts, active profiles or emails sent, and prices step up as your list grows.
- Message fees. WhatsApp marketing messages carry Meta's own fee on top of the tool's price; see what the WhatsApp Business API costs.
- Currency. Dollar prices rise in rands when the rand weakens. CRM pricing has the same trap.
- Disconnected tools. Every extra tool is another subscription and another place for data to fall out of step; see what disconnected tools really cost.
What Syniq Marketing costs, and what it does not do
Syniq Marketing is the marketing app inside Syniq Business OS. It records campaigns with a channel, an objective, a budget and a start date, holds social posts from draft to scheduled, and shows which campaigns brought in the leads whose deals were won. Leads are worked in Syniq Sales.
It does not send marketing email, SMS or WhatsApp messages, run automated workflows or publish social posts for you. If you need automated sending, use an email tool for that and keep Syniq for tracking which campaigns pay.
Syniq's Starter plan is R 47 a month billed annually for one user and any two apps, such as Marketing and Sales. Professional is R 159 for one user and all six apps, and Business is R 559 for five users and all six apps. Syniq is not VAT-registered, so no VAT is added. Try it free for 14 days, or see every plan.
How to budget
- List the contacts you have today and the list size in a year.
- Count the people who need to log in.
- Ask each vendor for the onboarding fee and what happens at your next contact tier.
- Convert at your bank's rate and add 10% for the exchange rate moving against you.
- Compare first-year totals, not monthly prices.
If you run client campaigns for a living, read the guide to the best CRM for a digital marketing agency before you pay for sending tools inside your CRM.
Frequently asked questions
How much does marketing software cost?
From nothing to tens of thousands of rands a month. HubSpot and Klaviyo have free plans. Klaviyo's Email plan starts at about R 330 a month. HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional lists at US$800 a month billed annually, about R 13,200, plus a US$3,000 onboarding fee. Prices checked on 9 November 2026.
How much does HubSpot Marketing Hub cost in rands?
At R 16.50 to the dollar: Starter is about R 116 to R 330 a seat a month, Professional about R 13,200 a month billed annually with 3 seats, and Enterprise about R 59,400 a month with 5 seats. Professional and Enterprise also need onboarding, about R 49,500 and R 115,500 once.
What costs extra beyond the listed price?
Onboarding fees, extra seats, contacts above your plan's limit, message fees for WhatsApp or SMS, and exchange-rate movement on dollar prices. Vendors may also add tax on top of the listed price.
Is there free marketing software?
Yes. HubSpot has a free plan for up to 2 users, and Klaviyo's free plan covers 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month. Free plans cap contacts, sends or features, so growing teams usually move to a paid plan.
Does Syniq Marketing send marketing emails?
No. Syniq Marketing plans campaigns and social posts, tracks leads and totals the won deals tagged to each campaign. It sends no marketing email, SMS or WhatsApp messages and runs no automated workflows.
Written by Mikhail for Syniq (Pty) Ltd, a Cape Town software company. Vendor prices were checked on their own pages on 9 November 2026 and move with vendor changes and the exchange rate.
