Softwr

Customer Support · head to head

HubSpot Service Hub vs Scratchpad

HubSpot Service Hub logo

HubSpot Service Hub

Customer Support

Customer service software for scaling companies

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Scratchpad logo

Scratchpad

CRM

Faster workspace over Salesforce for sales reps to update pipeline, take notes and manage deals

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: HubSpot Service Hub the free tier is capped at 2 users; Scratchpad scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • They diverge on capability: HubSpot Service Hub covers Ticketing, Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where HubSpot Service Hub and Scratchpad differ
AttributeHubSpot Service HubScratchpad
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Chrome extension
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM
Founded2006Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Scratchpad

  • Spreadsheet pipeline views
  • Call recorder and notetaker
  • AI field updates
  • Deal and account agent
  • Hygiene monitor
  • Notes linked to records
  • Custom prompts
  • Kanban and forecast views

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 Scratchpad
  • Knowledge base and customer self-servicenot Scratchpad
  • Live chat and chatbots on a websitenot Scratchpad
  • Customer feedback surveys and CSATnot Scratchpad
  • Support reporting tied into the HubSpot CRMnot Scratchpad

Scratchpad

  • A 60-rep Salesforce team whose forecast is unreliable because opportunity fields are updated once a week in a panic before the pipeline callnot HubSpot Service Hub
  • A rep who wants to update twenty opportunities in a grid rather than opening twenty Salesforce recordsnot HubSpot Service Hub
  • A sales manager wanting stale and incomplete pipeline records flagged automatically instead of chased by emailnot HubSpot Service Hub
  • A revenue operations lead trialling AI notetaking that writes back to CRM fields before committing budget, using the free tiernot 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

Scratchpad

  • Scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • AI credits are metered per user per month at 400 on Solo and 800 on Team, which means heavy notetaking use pushes teams towards Enterprise for capacity rather than for features.
  • There is no proper native mobile application, so representatives who wanted to update records from a car park between meetings are back in a mobile browser.
  • Sync with Salesforce and call processing can lag, and a pipeline view showing yesterday state during a forecast call undermines the exact meeting the tool was bought to improve.
  • It creates a second notes surface alongside native Salesforce notes, so organisations end up with deal history split across two places unless they explicitly ban one of them.

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

Scratchpad

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Workspace limited to 3 views
    • 10 hours a month of call recording and notetaking
    • AI field updates
  • Solo$19/month
    • Unlimited views with sheets and notes
    • Call recorder and notetaker
    • AI field updates
  • Team$49/month
    • Everything in Solo
    • 800 AI credits per user per month
    • Gong integration
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited AI credits
    • White-glove agent services included
    • Enterprise security and administration

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 Scratchpad if

  • You need spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome extension.
  • You also want call recorder and notetaker.
Scratchpad review

Questions people ask

Is HubSpot Service Hub or Scratchpad better?
Neither clearly leads. HubSpot Service Hub starts at Free and Scratchpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HubSpot Service Hub or Scratchpad?
HubSpot Service Hub starts at Free and Scratchpad at Free.
Does HubSpot Service Hub or Scratchpad run on more platforms?
HubSpot Service Hub runs on Web, Ios, Android. Scratchpad runs on Web, Chrome extension.
Can I use HubSpot Service Hub for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Scratchpad is typically brought in for.
What can HubSpot Service Hub do that Scratchpad cannot?
HubSpot Service Hub covers Ticketing, Knowledge base, Customer feedback, Live chat. Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views, Call recorder and notetaker, AI field updates, Deal and account agent.

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
Scratchpad: Does Scratchpad work with HubSpot?

No. It is Salesforce-only.

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
Scratchpad: Is the free plan usable in production?

Yes for an individual: full workspace with three views, 10 hours of recording and 100 AI credits a month. Teams outgrow it on views and credits.

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
Scratchpad: Does it replace Salesforce licences?

No. Every user still needs their own Salesforce licence; Scratchpad is an interface on top.

Scratchpad: What are AI credits spent on?

Notetaking, summarisation, field update suggestions and agent queries. Enterprise removes the cap.

Share

Related pages

More on HubSpot Service Hub

More on Scratchpad

Keep looking

Other head to heads