Who this stack is for
For local businesses, e-shops and solo marketers putting together a first marketing setup. Our example for a 5-person company gives Canva Pro to one designer and HubSpot Starter to the owner and marketer. It does not put the whole staff on every paid plan. Begin with the campaign, its owner and the destination of an enquiry, then decide which part needs a subscription. This is a priced proposal, not a campaign performance test.
Each component has a full review covering plans, security notes and vendor sources. We use list prices rather than short promotions, apply the documented seat rules and show the example allocation. Check the dates before using the total as a purchase budget.
Cost for 5 people
| Tool | Role in stack | Plan | Seats / qty | $/mo (annual) | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Canva Pro | Design & social creatives | Pro (1 person) | 1 account | $12.00 | 2026-10-26 |
 beehiiv | Owned email audience | Free (up to 2,500 subscribers) | 1 account | $0.00 | 2026-10-26 |
 HubSpot Starter Customer Platform | CRM & light automation | Starter (list price) | 1 account | $40.00 | 2026-11-11 |
 Make | Connect forms to CRM/email | Core (10,000 credits) | 1 account | $9.00 | 2026-11-02 |
| Total | $61.00 | ||||
USD before tax. “Annual” is the per-month price when billed yearly. Where a vendor has no monthly price, the annual figure is used. Recalculate any team size in the stack cost calculator.
Why these tools together
Canva Pro — Design & social creatives
Canva Pro is US$144/year for one person, approximately $12/mo. It supplies the Brand Kit, Magic Studio quota and background remover for routine graphics. The example buys for the design owner rather than give every colleague a separate Pro account.
beehiiv — Owned email audience
beehiiv Free covers up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite starts at $49/mo annual in the 1,000-subscriber band and scales with list size. Check the paid allowance at your actual audience size when Free no longer covers the work.
HubSpot Starter Customer Platform — CRM & light automation
HubSpot Starter lists at $20/seat/mo. We allocate 2 seats ($40/mo) in this 5-person example for the owner and marketer; that is an editorial choice, not evidence that every company needs the same allocation. HubSpot Free tools also cap access at 2 users. Add seats when other staff need the paid CRM workflow.
Make — Connect forms to CRM/email
Make Core is $9/mo annual. It connects site or beehiiv leads to HubSpot where the native sync is not enough. Check that direct route first. Adding another automation account should solve a missing step, not make a working lead handoff harder to maintain.
Smart swaps
Use a swap when its requirement matches the work better. These are alternatives, not extra subscriptions to buy together. Each links to a maintained review.
| If you need… | Swap to |
|---|---|
| Website chatbot / AI agent | Tidio Lyro AI Agent from $32.50/mo annual (50 conversations) |
| Autopilot content calendar | Holo Starter list $20.33/mo on 6-month billing (promo ignored) |
| Podcast / video interviews | Riverside Pro $24/mo annual |
Next steps
- Start with a proposed free-tier pilot where the required features exist. Check what free actually means.
- If a paid pilot is needed, evaluate month-to-month for 2 weeks before deciding whether the annual commitment fits.
- Audit seats every 90 days with the stack checklist.
- Watch renewals on the price-change log.
Other stacks: Meeting notes stack · Email & inbox stack · All stacks
FAQ
What does this stack cost for a 5-person company?
With the editorial seat allocation on annual billing: Canva Pro $12 for 1 designer, beehiiv Free $0, HubSpot Starter 2×$20 list = $40 and Make Core $9. The total is $61/month before tax, or $732/year. If all 5 people need HubSpot, the other 3×$20 seats add $60 and take the monthly total to $121/mo.
Why only 2 HubSpot seats?
We chose the owner and one marketer as the CRM users for this example; it is not a survey of 5-person companies. HubSpot Free tools also stop at 2 users. Other staff can be recorded as contacts, but a contact record is not a paid login. Buy more seats when the actual workflow needs them.
When do we pay for beehiiv?
Free covers up to 2,500 subscribers. The Lite entry rate is $49/mo billed annually at the 1,000-subscriber band and increases with list size, checked 2026-10-26. Price the relevant audience band rather than assume that entry figure is the upgrade bill for a larger list.