HubSpot is one of the most versatile customer relationship management (CRM) platforms available and a top choice for its contact management, pipelines, and sales automation features. It makes creating and managing contacts a breeze, with custom profiles and tracking for each lead. It also makes it easy to track deals from start to finish and automate common tasks like sending emails and assigning tasks. All these features make it a strong contender for the best CRM for small businesses.
However, there are still some reasons you might be looking for HubSpot alternatives. For instance, its plans can quickly become expensive, especially for teams that need advanced features. On the other hand, teams with relatively simple needs might find HubSpot overwhelming and too complex for their daily needs. Whatever the reason, we’ve hand-picked the best alternatives to HubSpot to help you find the best options for your team.
What you should know about HubSpot
HubSpot is a customer relationship management (CRM) with over 228,000 customers in over 135 countries. Customers like the product as it’s packed with features and is generally easy to use. It’s also highly scalable and can meet the needs of everyone from individuals to large enterprises. HubSpot brings features, such as CRM, lead generation, and marketing all under one roof. Our HubSpot review provides a deeper dive into the product.
HubSpot CRM
Base price: | Starting at $20.00 per month (annual billing) |
Free trial length: | 14 days |
Free plan available: | Yes |
Pros
- No minimum user required
- Customizable and scalable
- Enables integration with 1,500+ third-party apps
- 24/7 customer support
Cons
- Requires an annual contract
- Forecasting and analytics features are missing from lower tiers
- Onboarding services cost as high as $3,500
- Cost adds up quickly
Which HubSpot alternative is right for you?
HubSpot is an excellent, user-friendly CRM with a wide range of features. However, some of its plans can be expensive, and you may need to upgrade to a higher tier to gain access to certain features. In addition, sales teams may look for a more sales-focused CRM.
Platform | Best for | Top features | See details |
---|---|---|---|
HubSpot | Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that need an affordable and scalable CRM | Contact management, sales pipeline, and workflow automation | View offer at Expert Market |
Salesforce | Large enterprises with complex sales processes | Artificial intelligence (AI) insights, opportunity management, and sales pipeline | View offer at Salesforce |
Pipedrive | SMBs focused on tracking deals through the pipeline | Visual sales pipeline, sales automation, and customizable reports | View offer at Pipedrive |
Zoho CRM | SMBs seeking an all-in-one CRM solution | Customization, sales automation, and omnichannel communication | View offer at Zoho CRM |
Mailchimp | SMBs that need marketing campaign management | Email marketing, marketing automation, and audience segmentation | Learn more |
Marketo | Business-to-business businesses (B2Bs) and large enterprises with complex sales processes | Marketing automation, lead management and scoring, and account-based marketing | Learn more |
HubSpot | View offer at Expert Market |
---|---|
Best for | Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that need an affordable and scalable CRM |
Top features | Contact management, sales pipeline, and workflow automation |
Salesforce | View offer at Salesforce |
Best for | Large enterprises with complex sales processes |
Top features | Artificial intelligence (AI) insights, opportunity management, and sales pipeline |
Pipedrive | View offer at Pipedrive |
Best for | SMBs focused on tracking deals through the pipeline |
Top features | Visual sales pipeline, sales automation, and customizable reports |
Zoho CRM | View offer at Zoho CRM |
Best for | SMBs seeking an all-in-one CRM solution |
Top features | Customization, sales automation, and omnichannel communication |
Mailchimp | Learn more |
Best for | SMBs that need marketing campaign management |
Top features | Email marketing, marketing automation, and audience segmentation |
Marketo | Learn more |
Best for | Business-to-business businesses (B2Bs) and large enterprises with complex sales processes |
Top features | Marketing automation, lead management and scoring, and account-based marketing |
5 top HubSpot alternatives
While HubSpot is one of the best CRMs available, it may be too costly for smaller teams on a shoestring budget. Others may simply be overwhelmed by the large number of features it offers. The providers we’ve selected are viable alternatives for teams that need other options.
HubSpot vs. Salesforce: Feature comparison
When comparing base plans from HubSpot and Salesforce, both are easy enough to use. However, HubSpot is easier to use thanks to its guided setup and clean layout with drag-and-drop features. Salesforce is a better choice for teams looking for sales reports & forecasts, as its base plan includes both. With HubSpot, you must upgrade to the Sales Hub Professional plan to get access to forecasting.
Both are good choices for marketing, with a wide range of marketing tools available. However, HubSpot gives you access to marketing tools in its free plan, you’ll need a paid plan to get this with Salesforce. Either platform could be a better value depending on your needs. HubSpot offers a free plan, while Salesforce only offers paid plans. However, pricing varies depending on the features you need and your team size.
As one might expect, Salesforce has the edge for sales-focused teams. But for teams needing an easy-to-use platform or a free plan, HubSpot is the way to go.
HubSpot vs. Salesforce: Pricing & plan comparison
HubSpot is noticeably cheaper than Salesforce for its sales plans and even has a free plan available. This also doesn’t include Salesforce’s Einstein 1 plan, which costs $500 per user, per month, and lets you access AI features. That said, HubSpot’s customer platform can be much more expensive than the plans shown here.
HubSpot | Salesforce | |
---|---|---|
Tier 1 | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) | Starter Suite Month-to-month rate: $25 per month (per user) Annual rate: $25 per month (per user) |
Tier 2 | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) | Pro Suite Month-to-month rate: $100 per month (per user) Annual rate: $100 per month (per user) |
Tier 3 | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) | Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $165 per month (per user) Annual rate: $165 per month (per user) |
Tier 4 | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A | Unlimited Month-to-month rate: $330 per month (per user) Annual rate: $330 per month (per user) |
Tier 1 | |
---|---|
HubSpot | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) |
Salesforce | Starter Suite Month-to-month rate: $25 per month (per user) Annual rate: $25 per month (per user) |
Tier 2 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) |
Salesforce | Pro Suite Month-to-month rate: $100 per month (per user) Annual rate: $100 per month (per user) |
Tier 3 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) |
Salesforce | Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $165 per month (per user) Annual rate: $165 per month (per user) |
Tier 4 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A |
Salesforce | Unlimited Month-to-month rate: $330 per month (per user) Annual rate: $330 per month (per user) |
HubSpot vs. Pipedrive
HubSpot and Pipedrive each have an array of features to help teams manage their sales. Pipedrive’s specialty is the sales pipeline, with a focus on helping you visualize the sales pipeline as deals move through it. Pipedrive is more focused on lead and deal tracking, providing a visual, drag-and-drop pipeline that is straightforward and intuitive. HubSpot has a broader scope, incorporating sales, marketing, and service tools in one platform. That said, they both fare well on usability, with each platform being relatively easy to use.
With HubSpot, you get a wide range of automation capabilities, including marketing, sales, and service. For instance, HubSpot lets you automate deal and ticket status, set up email sequences, and automate follow-up with marketing contacts. Pipedrive is more sales-focused, letting you automate sales activities, send emails automatically, and create automated sales workflows.
Pricing is comparable for HubSpot and Pipedrive, with each offering multiple plans for under $100. The biggest difference is that HubSpot has a basic free plan, and Pipedrive only has paid plans. Both support a large number of integrations, but HubSpot has more integrations available.
HubSpot vs. Pipedrive: Pricing & plan comparison
HubSpot and Pipedrive both have affordable plans but Pipedrive doesn’t offer a free plan. However, Pipedrive’s base rate is slightly lower than HubSpot’s cheapest paid plan. In addition, Pipedrive’s enterprise plan is around 50% cheaper than HubSpot’s enterprise plan, assuming annual billing.
HubSpot | Pipedrive | |
---|---|---|
Tier 1 | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) | Essential Month-to-month rate: $24.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $14 per month (per user) |
Tier 2 | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) | Advanced Month-to-month rate: $44.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $34 per month (per user) |
Tier 3 | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) | Professional Month-to-month rate: $64.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $49 per month (per user) |
Tier 4 | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A | Power Month-to-month rate: $79.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $64 per month (per user) |
Tier 5 | N/A | Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $129.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $99 per month (per user) |
Tier 1 | |
---|---|
HubSpot | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) |
Pipedrive | Essential Month-to-month rate: $24.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $14 per month (per user) |
Tier 2 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) |
Pipedrive | Advanced Month-to-month rate: $44.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $34 per month (per user) |
Tier 3 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) |
Pipedrive | Professional Month-to-month rate: $64.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $49 per month (per user) |
Tier 4 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A |
Pipedrive | Power Month-to-month rate: $79.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $64 per month (per user) |
Tier 5 | |
HubSpot | N/A |
Pipedrive | Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $129.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $99 per month (per user) |
HubSpot vs. Zoho CRM
HubSpot and Zoho CRM are each priced competitively, with both offering basic free plans. Zoho CRM and HubSpot’s paid plans start at $14 and $15, conversely (annual billing). With monthly billing, their lowest paid plans both start at $20 monthly.
HubSpot stands out for its marketing automation features, which allow you to automate a wide
variety of sales and marketing easily. Zoho has some automation features, such as lead scoring, task management, and workflow automation. However, HubSpot’s automation capabilities are much broader, integrating automation features across the entire CRM.
HubSpot also has many email marketing features, even on its free plan. For instance, you get five email templates, team email, email scheduling, email reply tracking, and 1:1 email (with HubSpot branding) on the free plan. Zoho’s free plan doubles the number of email templates, giving you 10 for free. It also gives you three organizational emails and 10 domains for email authentication.
Sales forecasting is available in HubSpot, but you’ll need at least the Sales Hub Professional plan for that feature. Zoho offers this on all its paid plans, making the feature more accessible.
HubSpot vs. Zoho CRM: Pricing & plan comparison
HubSpot and Zoho CRM each have free plans available with basic features. Their first paid plans have very similar pricing but quickly diverge from there. HubSpot has fewer plans but still manages to have higher rates than Zoho.
HubSpot | Zoho CRM | |
---|---|---|
Tier 1 | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) | Free Month-to-month rate: $0 per month Annual rate: $0 per month |
Tier 2 | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) | Standard Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $14 per month (per user) |
Tier 3 | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) | Professional Month-to-month rate: $35.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $23 per month (per user) |
Tier 4 | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A | Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $50.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $40 per month (per user) |
Tier 5 | N/A | Ultimate Month-to-month rate: $65.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $52 per month (per user) |
Tier 1 | |
---|---|
HubSpot | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) |
Zoho CRM | Free Month-to-month rate: $0 per month Annual rate: $0 per month |
Tier 2 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) |
Zoho CRM | Standard Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $14 per month (per user) |
Tier 3 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) |
Zoho CRM | Professional Month-to-month rate: $35.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $23 per month (per user) |
Tier 4 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A |
Zoho CRM | Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $50.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $40 per month (per user) |
Tier 5 | |
HubSpot | N/A |
Zoho CRM | Ultimate Month-to-month rate: $65.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $52 per month (per user) |
HubSpot vs. Mailchimp
HubSpot is a more well-rounded piece of software than Mailchimp, as HubSpot is a centralized location for CRM, marketing, and sales. Mailchimp doesn’t have the same breadth of features, given its focus on email marketing campaigns. Both are easy to use, with drag-and-drop functionality in email composers and other parts of the software.
Automations are also decidedly more far-ranging with HubSpot, as you can automate everything from email marketing to social media posts to lead nurturing. As mentioned, HubSpot’s automation capabilities span nearly the entire platform, making saving time on repetitive tasks easy.
Mailchimp has automation features but is more focused on creating and managing email campaigns. It has features like autoresponders and email sequences with triggers. Given that Mailchimp doesn’t offer as many kinds of automation, it’s best for SMBs that want to automate email marketing but don’t need a large amount of automation.
HubSpot integrates with a large number of applications through its app marketplace, including sales, marketing, customer service, and other types of apps. Mailchimp has several popular integrations, but it is mostly marketing-focused. HubSpot and Mailchimp each have free plans, but Mailchimp’s paid plans start at $13, which is cheaper than HubSpot.
HubSpot vs. Mailchimp: Pricing & plan comparison
HubSpot and Mailchimp have affordable plans, each having free plans and affordable base paid plans. However, as primarily an email marketing platform, Mailchimp charges more if you need more contacts, rather than more seats. On the high end, Mailchimp is pricier than HubSpot.
HubSpot | Mailchimp | |
---|---|---|
Tier 1 | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) | Free Month-to-month rate: $0 per month Annual rate: $0 per month |
Tier 2 | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) | Essentials Month-to-month rate: $13 per month (500 contacts) Annual rate: N/A |
Tier 3 | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) | Standard Month-to-month rate: $20 per month (500 contacts) Annual rate: N/A |
Tier 4 | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A | Premium Month-to-month rate: $350 per month (10,000 contacts) Annual rate: N/A |
Tier 1 | |
---|---|
HubSpot | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) |
Mailchimp | Free Month-to-month rate: $0 per month Annual rate: $0 per month |
Tier 2 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) |
Mailchimp | Essentials Month-to-month rate: $13 per month (500 contacts) Annual rate: N/A |
Tier 3 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) |
Mailchimp | Standard Month-to-month rate: $20 per month (500 contacts) Annual rate: N/A |
Tier 4 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A |
Mailchimp | Premium Month-to-month rate: $350 per month (10,000 contacts) Annual rate: N/A |
HubSpot vs. Marketo
HubSpot is a complete CRM, sales, and marketing solution, while Marketo Engage mainly focuses on marketing automation. For instance, Marketo uses AI to build predictive audiences and segments, nurtures leads and prospects, and personalizes experiences with active listening. It also uses account-based marketing to build best-fit account lists with AI.
HubSpot also has its share of marketing automation features. For instance, you can use workflows and bot builders to create automated campaigns, automate routine tasks, and extend campaigns across various channels. It also lets you set up drip campaigns with no coding, then set up triggers, conditions, and actions to send the right email at the right time. These are a few examples of HubSpot’s automation capabilities, which span nearly the entire platform.
CRM is an area where there is a clear contrast between the two. As mentioned, HubSpot is an all-in-one solution that integrates its CRM platform with sales, marketing, and service. Conversely, Marketo uses integration to bring marketing data into other CRMs. Note that while Marketo offers several plan tiers, they all use custom price quotes; pricing information isn’t published on the company’s website.
HubSpot vs. Marketo: Pricing & plan comparison
HubSpot and Marketo each have four plans available, but Marketo doesn’t publish prices on its website. It does offer some specifics. For example, its Growth plan is for up to 10 users while the other three are for up to 25. However, you’ll need to contact the company for any specific information about pricing.
HubSpot | Marketo | |
---|---|---|
Tier 1 | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) | Growth Contact company for a quote |
Tier 2 | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) | Select Contact company for a quote |
Tier 3 | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) | Prime Contact company for a quote |
Tier 4 | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A | Ultimate Contact company for a quote |
Tier 1 | |
---|---|
HubSpot | Free Tools Month-to-month rate: $0 per month (per user) Annual rate: $0 per month (per user) |
Marketo | Growth Contact company for a quote |
Tier 2 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Starter Month-to-month rate: $20.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $15 per month (per user) |
Marketo | Select Contact company for a quote |
Tier 3 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Professional Month-to-month rate: $100.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: $90 per month (per user) |
Marketo | Prime Contact company for a quote |
Tier 4 | |
HubSpot | Sales Hub Enterprise Month-to-month rate: $150.00 per month (per user) Annual rate: N/A |
Marketo | Ultimate Contact company for a quote |
Frequently asked questions
Which CRM is better than HubSpot?
Any of the HubSpot alternatives on this list could be a better option than HubSpot, depending on your team’s needs and budget. HubSpot is user-friendly and combines CRM, sales, marketing, automation, and other features. This can work well for large, complex organizations, but smaller teams might prefer something more focused. For instance, Pipedrive focuses on the sales pipeline, and Marketo Engage brings marketing automation features to companies with an existing CRM.
Is HubSpot very expensive?
HubSpot can be very cheap or very expensive. For instance, its sales software has a basic plan that is free forever for up to five users. It also has paid plans for sales that cost as much as $150 monthly per seat for enterprises. If you need the customer platform, it can cost as much as $4,300 per month for enterprises, which includes seven seats.
What big companies use HubSpot?
HubSpot has over 228,000 customers, including companies of all sizes. The company’s customers include DoorDash, Reddit, Eventbrite, and Tumblr. HubSpot’s customers span more than 135 countries.