HubSpot
The CRM that ate the world — starts free, gets expensive, but remains the best all-in-one platform for companies that aren't ready for Salesforce
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The Verdict
“HubSpot is the default CRM and marketing platform for growing businesses. Its free tier is unmatched, the UX is best-in-class, and the ecosystem is massive. The main trade-off is cost at scale and depth of customization vs. Salesforce.”
Best For
SMBs and growth-stage companies (10-500 employees) who want CRM, marketing, sales, and service in one platform without Salesforce complexity
Not Great For
Enterprises with complex sales processes, heavy customization needs, and budgets for Salesforce — HubSpot's enterprise features still lag behind
Overview
HubSpot is an all-in-one customer platform offering CRM, marketing automation, sales engagement, customer service, content management, and operations tools. It's the most widely adopted CRM for SMBs and mid-market companies, with a generous free tier and modular hub-based pricing.
SMBsMid-market companiesMarketing teamsSales teamsStartups
1-5000+
Capabilities
Key Features
- Free CRM with contact management
- Marketing Hub (email, automation, SEO, ads)
- Sales Hub (sequences, deals, forecasting)
- Service Hub (tickets, knowledge base, feedback)
- Content Hub (CMS, blog, landing pages)
- Operations Hub (data sync, automation)
- AI-powered customer agent (Breeze)
- 1,500+ app marketplace integrations
- Custom reporting and dashboards
Benefits
- Generous free tier gets teams started quickly
- All-in-one platform eliminates tool fragmentation
- Massive integration ecosystem (1,500+ apps)
- Industry-leading education (HubSpot Academy)
- Scales from startup to enterprise
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Best free CRM on the market
- +Incredible ease of use and onboarding
- +Massive integration ecosystem
- +All-in-one platform for marketing + sales + service
- +HubSpot Academy is industry-leading education
Cons
- -Gets expensive fast at Professional/Enterprise tiers
- -Marketing contacts pricing model can surprise
- -Less customizable than Salesforce for complex enterprises
- -Outbound sequencing not as strong as dedicated tools
Outbound Use Cases
Financials & Scale
| Plan | Price | Limits | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Tools | $0 | Limited features across all hubs | Free CRM, Email marketing (2,000/mo), Forms, Live chat, Basic reporting |
| Starter | $20/mo/seat | 1,000 marketing contacts | All Free features, Remove HubSpot branding, Email automation, Meeting scheduling |
| Professional | $890/mo (Marketing Hub, 3 seats) | 2,000 marketing contacts | All Starter features, Marketing automation, SEO tools, Custom reporting, A/B testing |
| Enterprise | $3,600/mo (Marketing Hub, 5 seats) | 10,000 marketing contacts | All Professional features, Custom objects, Advanced permissions, Predictive lead scoring, Revenue attribution |
HubSpot is free to start — genuinely. Professional CRM is $100/user/mo. Marketing Hub Pro is $800/mo. Enterprise is $3,600/mo. Salesforce starts at $25/user/mo but realistically costs $150+/user/mo. Pipedrive is $14-99/user/mo. HubSpot's free tier is the best in CRM — the trap is the upgrade pricing once you're hooked.
The Reddit Pulse
Community Pros
- +Excellent free tier to get started
- +Far more user-friendly than Salesforce
- +Great all-in-one platform (CRM + marketing + sales + service)
- +Strong community and educational resources (HubSpot Academy)
- +Good integrations ecosystem
- +Considered a 'need to have' CRM by many sales professionals
Community Cons
- -Gets expensive as you scale up and need enterprise features
- -Contact-based pricing can add up quickly
- -Some advanced features locked behind higher tiers
- -Less customizable than Salesforce for complex enterprise needs
- -Reporting can be limited compared to Salesforce
Reddit Questions
- ? Is HubSpot better than Salesforce for startups?
- ? When should you switch from HubSpot to Salesforce?
- ? Is HubSpot's free CRM really free? What are the catch?
- ? How much does HubSpot actually cost when you scale up?
Thinking of Switching?
Competitive Landscape
Technical Stack
Integrations
Head-to-Head Comparisons
Company Intel
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