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HubSpot vs Salesforce

HubSpot logo

HubSpot

All industries

Grow better with HubSpot

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Salesforce logo

Salesforce

All industries

World's #1 CRM

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only HubSpot has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: HubSpot free tier limited to 2 users and 1,000 contacts; severely restricts growing teams; Salesforce sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually
  • They diverge on capability: HubSpot covers CRM, Salesforce covers Contact management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HubSpot and Salesforce actually diverge.

Attributes where HubSpot and Salesforce differ
AttributeHubSpotSalesforce
Starting priceFree$25/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, CloudWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20061999

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (All industries).

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

  • CRM
  • Email marketing
  • Marketing automation
  • Sales pipeline
  • Customer service
  • Content management
  • Analytics
  • Social media

Only in Salesforce

  • Contact management
  • Opportunity management
  • Lead management
  • Reports & dashboards
  • Email integration
  • Workflow automation
  • Mobile access
  • AppExchange

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Zoom
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001

What people use each for

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

HubSpot

  • Small businesses and startups using CRM, email marketing, sales pipeline, and customer service in single platformnot Salesforce
  • Organisations requiring integration with 2,000+ third-party applicationsnot Salesforce
  • Teams leveraging AI agents for prospecting, service automation, and data analysisnot Salesforce

Salesforce

  • Sales managementnot HubSpot
  • Customer servicenot HubSpot
  • Marketing automationnot HubSpot
  • Lead generationnot HubSpot
  • Analytics & reportingnot HubSpot

Where each one falls short

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

HubSpot

  • Free tier limited to 2 users and 1,000 contacts; severely restricts growing teams
  • Many advanced features (automation workflows, custom objects, advanced reporting) gated to paid tiers
  • Starter plan at $7/month per seat scales quickly for larger teams (300+ users would cost significantly more)
  • Free tier removes credit card requirement but lacks most enterprise capabilities

Salesforce

  • Sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually

Pricing, plan by plan

HubSpot

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the HubSpot review.

Salesforce

$25/month
  • Essentials$25/month
    • Account & contact management
    • Opportunity tracking
    • Lead management
  • Professional$80/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Complete CRM
    • Lead scoring
  • Enterprise$165/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Workflow automation
    • Advanced analytics
  • Unlimited$330/month
    • Everything in Enterprise
    • Unlimited customizations
    • 24/7 support

Which should you pick?

Choose HubSpot if

  • You need crm.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Cloud.
  • You also want email marketing.
HubSpot review

Choose Salesforce if

  • You need contact management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want opportunity management.
Salesforce review

Questions people ask

Is HubSpot or Salesforce better?
Neither clearly leads. HubSpot starts at Free and Salesforce at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HubSpot or Salesforce?
HubSpot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for HubSpot and $25/month for Salesforce.
Does HubSpot or Salesforce run on more platforms?
HubSpot runs on Web, Mobile, Cloud. Salesforce runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use HubSpot for free?
Yes. HubSpot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Salesforce starts at $25/month.
What is HubSpot best used for?
HubSpot is most often used for small businesses and startups using crm, email marketing, sales pipeline, and customer service in single platform, organisations requiring integration with 2,000+ third-party applications, teams leveraging ai agents for prospecting, service automation, and data analysis. Of those, small businesses and startups using crm, email marketing, sales pipeline, and customer service in single platform and organisations requiring integration with 2,000+ third-party applications are not what Salesforce is typically brought in for.
What can HubSpot do that Salesforce cannot?
HubSpot covers CRM, Email marketing, Marketing automation, Sales pipeline. Salesforce covers Contact management, Opportunity management, Lead management, Reports & dashboards. Both handle Slack, Zoom, SOC2, ISO27001.
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