Here’s How to Avoid It and Optimise Your Licence
If you’ve ever opened your HubSpot bill and spotted unexpected charges for marketing contacts, you’re not alone. Many businesses aren’t fully clear on the difference between marketing and non-marketing contacts in HubSpot – and that confusion can be costly.
Let’s break it down, show you how to manage your contacts, and share a few pro tips to keep your HubSpot bill in check.
What Is a Marketing Contact vs a Non-Marketing Contact?
In HubSpot, marketing contacts are the people you actively market to – for example, sending them marketing emails, adding them to ad audiences, or running automation that targets them.
They could be:
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Leads who have opted in via a form (with GDPR consent)
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Existing customers receiving promotional emails
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Prospects you retarget via HubSpot Ads
Non-marketing contacts, on the other hand, are stored in your database but aren’t included in your marketing campaigns. They could be suppliers, one-off event attendees, or prospects who haven’t opted in to marketing. You can store unlimited non-marketing contacts without extra cost – but the moment a contact becomes “marketing”, it counts toward your paid tier.
Best Practices for Managing Marketing Contacts
Think of this as your cheat sheet:
📊 Track in a Dashboard – Super admins should create a clear dashboard showing the number of marketing vs non-marketing contacts.
⚙️ Use Workflows – Automate the process of assigning and unassigning marketing status.
🗑 Clean Regularly – Review and downgrade non-engaged contacts to non-marketing before hitting your tier limit.
📆 Watch Your Tiers – Stay 20% under your maximum to avoid sudden jumps in charges.
HubSpot Marketing Contacts Status Report
Why Super Admins Should Lead the Charge
Without clear rules, teams often accidentally mark too many contacts as marketing. Super admins can:
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Set company-wide rules for when a contact becomes “marketing”
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Monitor usage and prevent overspending
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Ensure GDPR and opt-in compliance
This isn’t just a data task – it’s a cost-control measure.
Licence Optimisation: Avoid Unnecessary Charges
Here’s the tricky bit: if you’re on a 2,000-contact marketing tier and you hit 2,001, HubSpot bumps you to the next tier (often by thousands of contacts) – and bills you for them, even if you don’t use them.
💡 Top Tip: When you hit 80% of your tier limit, clean your list. Remove inactive contacts from marketing status so you stay under your cap.
Real-World Example
One client came to us after being bumped from 5,000 to 10,000 marketing contacts overnight. They’d gone over the limit by just three contacts – costing them hundreds of pounds extra. A simple workflow and monthly check would have prevented it.
Let’s Fix This Together
If you’ve been charged extra for marketing contacts or you’re not sure if you’re managing them properly, let’s talk. We can audit your database, set up the right workflows, and make sure you’re only paying for the contacts you actually market to.
"Paying for contacts you don’t market to is like buying train tickets for people who never travel. We help businesses stop that from happening."
— Bart Kowalczyk, CEO, AutomateNow
This content was led by humans and crafted by AI to bring you fast, practical HubSpot tips.
