Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

HubSpot Service Hub vs Plivo

HubSpot Service Hub logo

HubSpot Service Hub

Customer Support

Customer service software for scaling companies

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Plivo logo

Plivo

Telecommunications

SMS and voice APIs priced to undercut the larger aggregators

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only HubSpot Service Hub has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: HubSpot Service Hub the free tier is capped at 2 users; Plivo the headline per-message saving does not apply to US 10DLC registration fees or carrier surcharges, which are pass-through costs and identical across vendors.
  • They diverge on capability: HubSpot Service Hub covers Ticketing, Plivo covers Published country rate card.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HubSpot Service Hub and Plivo actually diverge.

Attributes where HubSpot Service Hub and Plivo differ
AttributeHubSpot Service HubPlivo
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer message and per minute, priced by destination country
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go
CategoryCustomer SupportTelecommunications
Founded2006Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in HubSpot Service Hub

  • Ticketing
  • Knowledge base
  • Customer feedback
  • Live chat
  • Conversational bots
  • Reporting
  • HubSpot CRM
  • Slack

Only in Plivo

  • Published country rate card
  • Programmable SMS and MMS
  • Programmable voice
  • Contact centre product
  • 10DLC registration

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

HubSpot Service Hub

  • Shared inbox and ticketing for a support teamnot Plivo
  • Knowledge base and customer self-servicenot Plivo
  • Live chat and chatbots on a websitenot Plivo
  • Customer feedback surveys and CSATnot Plivo
  • Support reporting tied into the HubSpot CRMnot Plivo

Plivo

  • Products sending high volumes of transactional SMS where unit price determines channel viabilitynot HubSpot Service Hub
  • Teams migrating from a more expensive aggregator without changing their architecturenot HubSpot Service Hub
  • Notification and alerting systems with predictable, steady message volumenot HubSpot Service Hub
  • Businesses wanting voice and messaging from one supplier with published ratesnot HubSpot Service Hub

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

HubSpot Service Hub

  • The free tier is capped at 2 users
  • Professional carries a one-off onboarding fee of $1,500, and Enterprise $3,500, on top of the seat price
  • Seats are $90 a month billed monthly against $100 billed annually on Professional, so the annual commitment is not the cheaper option per month
  • AI features run on monthly credits, 500 on Starter and 3,000 on Professional, which do not roll over
  • Extra credits cost $0.010 each once the monthly allocation is spent

Plivo

  • The headline per-message saving does not apply to US 10DLC registration fees or carrier surcharges, which are pass-through costs and identical across vendors.
  • The feature surface is narrower than the market leader, so products needing video, email or richer verification will need a second supplier.
  • Support is tiered and the entry tier is not appropriate for traffic that a business depends on commercially.
  • Deliverability on some international routes depends on an underlying carrier mix that can change without the customer being informed.
  • Its price advantage is smaller on US A2P traffic than on international routes, so a US-only sender may save considerably less than a headline comparison suggested.

Pricing, plan by plan

HubSpot Service Hub

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Contact management
    • Ticketing
    • Team email
  • Starter$10/month
    • Simple ticket automation
    • Multiple ticket pipelines
    • Live chat
  • Professional$100/month
    • Help desk workspace
    • Customer success workspace
    • Customer agent
  • Enterprise$150/month
    • Skill-based routing
    • Conditional SLAs
    • Customer journey analytics

Plivo

On request
  • Pay as you go$undefined/month
    • Published per-country rate card for SMS and voice
    • Volume discounts negotiated above published tiers
    • US 10DLC registration fees and carrier surcharges billed separately

Which should you pick?

Choose HubSpot Service Hub if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want knowledge base.
HubSpot Service Hub review

Choose Plivo if

  • You need published country rate card.
  • You work on Web, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go.
  • You also want programmable sms and mms.
Plivo review

Questions people ask

Is HubSpot Service Hub or Plivo better?
Neither clearly leads. HubSpot Service Hub starts at Free and Plivo at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HubSpot Service Hub or Plivo?
HubSpot Service Hub has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for HubSpot Service Hub and On request for Plivo.
Does HubSpot Service Hub or Plivo run on more platforms?
HubSpot Service Hub runs on Web, Ios, Android. Plivo runs on Web, APIs, Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go.
Can I use HubSpot Service Hub for free?
Yes. HubSpot Service Hub has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Plivo starts at On request.
What is HubSpot Service Hub best used for?
HubSpot Service Hub is most often used for shared inbox and ticketing for a support team, knowledge base and customer self-service, live chat and chatbots on a website, customer feedback surveys and csat. Of those, shared inbox and ticketing for a support team and knowledge base and customer self-service are not what Plivo is typically brought in for.
What can HubSpot Service Hub do that Plivo cannot?
HubSpot Service Hub covers Ticketing, Knowledge base, Customer feedback, Live chat. Plivo covers Published country rate card, Programmable SMS and MMS, Programmable voice, Contact centre product.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HubSpot Service Hub: How much does HubSpot Service Hub cost per user?

Free plan at $0/month. Starter at $10/month per seat (new customers; regular $20/month), Professional at $100/month per seat, Enterprise at $150/month per seat.

Source
Plivo: Will switching to Plivo cut our US messaging bill?

Partly. The per-message rate may fall, but 10DLC brand and campaign fees and the per-segment carrier surcharges are pass-through costs that are the same whichever provider you use.

HubSpot Service Hub: What is the free trial length for HubSpot Service Hub?

A 14-day free trial is available for evaluating Service Hub functionality before commitment to a paid plan.

Source
Plivo: Does Plivo publish pricing?

Yes, as a per-destination rate card covering SMS and voice by country, so you can model your own destination mix before contacting sales.

HubSpot Service Hub: Does HubSpot Service Hub have a free permanent plan?

Yes, the free plan includes contact management, ticketing, and team email features at $0/month with no credit card required.

Source
Plivo: How does it compare with Twilio?

Generally cheaper per unit on the same routes and narrower in scope. Twilio wins on ecosystem, channel breadth and documentation.

Share

Related pages

More on HubSpot Service Hub

More on Plivo

Keep looking

Other head to heads