Losing track of customer relationships is like leaving money on the table. This is where a customer relationship management (CRM) system comes into play.
Whether you’re a startup looking to scale or an established business aiming to optimize customer engagement, the right CRM matches your operations for sustained growth.
This blog compares and evaluates industry leaders HubSpot and Salesforce to help you discover the solution that aligns best with your business needs.
By the end of this blog, you’ll be able to answer the question, “Is HubSpot better than Salesforce?” for yourself.
Let’s dive in!
What is HubSpot?
Initially launched in 2005 as a marketing resource, HubSpot now operates as cloud-based CRM software. It has evolved into a powerful system supporting sales, marketing, and customer service operations with an integrated content management system.
Its CRM stores all contacts and leads, which users can access through a shared portal. This makes it ideal for teams coordinating sales and marketing efforts.
Users love HubSpot for its “hubs” that you can choose from to build your own custom plan. Small businesses typically bundle hubs together for an all-in-one solution, but you can pick which ones to subscribe to so that you only pay for what you need.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce competes as a leading CRM that optimizes customer relationship management in several ways. As one of the pioneers in offering cloud vs. on-premise solutions, it is among the most popular business software solutions.
The platform offers standout solutions to manage customer interactions across sales, marketing, and customer service operations. It offers:
- AI capabilities for predictive sales analysis.
- Mobile and web-based functionality for sales teams on the go.
- Integration options for Gmail, Outlook, and other apps.
Salesforce’s cloud-based nature ensures accessibility and real-time data management. It also features an extensive AppExchange marketplace for additional integrations and capabilities.
Not to mention, through advanced tools and analytics, Salesforce streamlines sales processes more effectively than most.
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Is HubSpot better than Salesforce?
So as the title of this blog asks: is HubSpot better than Salesforce? The answer is… it depends.
Answering, “Is HubSpot better than Salesforce?” depends on your specific needs. On the one hand, HubSpot:
- Has a more user-friendly interface.
- Offers inbound marketing tools.
- Is great for small-to-midsize businesses or those new to CRM software products.
- Offers a cost-effective solution with a free CRM option as well.
In contrast, Salesforce offers scalability for large enterprises that require advanced customization capabilities and scalability. It goes above and beyond in terms of sales features and detailed data analytics, which makes it suitable for complex CRM needs.
As an industry titan, Salesforce also boasts comprehensive support resources and plenty of bells and whistles.
Ultimately, your decision depends on factors like:
- Business size.
- Budget.
- CRM complexity.
- Whether your focus is on sales or marketing.
HubSpot vs. Salesforce: Detailed comparison
HubSpot and Salesforce stand out as two leading platforms, each with its unique strengths and target audiences. But is HubSpot better than Salesforce for your business, or vice versa?
Salesforce is popular for its adaptability to complex sales processes and advanced reporting and analytics features. It caters to the complex needs of large enterprises with its scalability and customizability.
It’s also able to handle intricate sales automation, as it offers various tools and features to meet large-scale demands. Overall, Salesforce is more adaptable to specific industries and supports a wider range of integrations.
HubSpot, on the other hand, has an interface that prioritizes ease of use and offers more affordable pricing options when compared to Salesforce. It also provides advanced marketing automation features that make it ideal for growing companies.
HubSpot’s approach is more focused on integrating marketing and sales tools in a user-friendly manner. It offers free solutions that are great for smaller businesses.
Both apps are renowned across a lot of industries for their impressive features and functionalities. Whether it’s to organize projects or manage customer relationships, both HubSpot and Salesforce are effective solutions.
But to really answer the question, “Is HubSpot better than Salesforce?” let’s look into their benefits.
Benefits of Salesforce vs. HubSpot
The benefits you get from Salesforce include:
- App creation that requires less customization out of the box.
- Powerful analytics capability.
- Integrated customer support and resources.
- Optimized workflows.
- Fast lead scoring.
- Efficient email tracking and management.
HubSpot also provides several advantages:
- A user-friendly interface and scalability.
- Powerful marketing campaign creation and tracking.
- Supports a wide range of integrations.
- Effective contact and data management tools.
- SEO advisor feature.
- Integration with various tools, including social media integration.
CRM pricing
Salesforce pricing
Salesforce determines its price for customers based on market demand, which reflects its position as a high-value provider.
That said, it has a more transparent pricing structure and is available in the following pricing models:
- Essentials: $25 per user per month.
- Professional: $80 per user per month.
- Lightning Enterprise: $165 per user per month.
HubSpot pricing
HubSpot differentiates with unique add-ons. It determines your cost depending on how you’ve separated and purchased its individual bundles or “hubs.” This depends on how many business tools you need.
A word of advice: it’s best to review how much the CRM costs with add-ons included, as the final cost quickly adds up. This sometimes outweighs the value of the features you’re getting.
HubSpot’s Starter plan begins at $20 per month, but its Professional plan jumps to $1600 per month. For more information, you can check out HubSpot’s website to get an exact estimate for your business.
CRM services
Salesforce provides a diverse range of services focusing on customer relationship management (CRM) and beyond. Here’s an overview of its key services:
- Sales Cloud.
- Service Cloud.
- Marketing Cloud.
- Analytics Cloud.
- AppExchange.
HubSpot offers a suite of services designed to enhance business operations in marketing, sales, customer service, and website management.
These include its:
- CRM platform.
- Marketing hub.
- CMS hub.
- Services hub.
- Operations hub.
- Integrations.
CRM tech support
Salesforce provides extensive technical support to ensure the effective use of its services. Key features include:
- 24/7 support availability.
- Tiered support levels for different needs.
- An online knowledge base with user guides and FAQs.
Additionally, Salesforce offers community forums for user collaboration and case submission for issue tracking.
For developers, specialized support is available for custom app development. Salesforce also offers a Premier Success Plan with enhanced services like 24/7 phone support and faster response times.
In comparison, HubSpot provides reliable technical support to ensure smooth operation. Key features include:
- A comprehensive online knowledge base.
- User forums for peer-to-peer assistance.
- Direct support options via emails, phone, or chat.
HubSpot also offers detailed documentation and FAQs for self-guided problem-solving.
CRM training
Salesforce offers plenty of training resources through Trailhead. It’s a free online learning platform that features gamified educational modules and paths to get comfortable with the interface and functionality.
Salesforce also delivers training through webinars and interactive workshops for practical learning. If required, it even tailors training solutions for you to address your specific needs.
HubSpot’s training and onboarding process centers around the HubSpot Academy. It’s an online platform that offers courses, certifications, and training videos on topics that range from CRM basics to advanced marketing strategies.
You also get detailed user guides and documentation that simplifies self-guided learning. Note that HubSpot has a shorter learning curve than Salesforce in general.
Also, HubSpot frequently hosts webinars and live training sessions, which cover a wide range of functionalities and best practices. It even organizes in-person training events and conferences, with opportunities for learning from experts and industry leaders. Overall, HubSpot boasts a larger community for support.
User experience
HubSpot prioritizes an accessible user interface and experience, which makes it more adaptable for a small company.
Salesforce, with its advanced CRM capabilities, suits those looking for comprehensive features. However, it requires more customization out of the box.
Content management capabilities
Salesforce includes powerful content management through its Salesforce CMS. For example, it lets you create and manage content in a unified space. It also enhances collaboration across teams with its communication tools.
It’s particularly strong for creating personalized customer experiences, and it also integrates seamlessly with other tools.
HubSpot’s CMS Hub, on the other hand, is designed for marketers and non-technical users. It offers features like:
- Intuitive drag-and-drop editors.
- SEO recommendations.
- Adaptive testing.
- All-in-one integration.
In a nutshell, HubSpot creates optimized web experiences and delivers more comprehensive marketing tools than its alternatives.
Contact management solutions
Is HubSpot better than Salesforce when it comes to contact management?
Both solutions have great contact management capabilities. Salesforce gives you a detailed view of your customer interactions. It scales and adapts to your needs, which makes it ideal for sales pipeline management for larger businesses with complex sales processes. It also offers extensive customization for tracking customer data and interactions.
What differentiates HubSpot is that it offers a more user-friendly interface for contact management. As a result, it’s more accessible to smaller businesses or those with simpler sales cycles.
It also excels in organizing and tracking contacts as part of its inbound marketing approach, with easy integration with its marketing, sales, and service hubs.
Customization
Salesforce offers a high level of customizability, so you can tailor your CRM to meet specific needs. This includes:
- Custom fields and layouts.
- Automated workflows.
- Integration with third-party applications.
HubSpot offers customization options, but it specializes in delivering simplicity. It provides custom fields and pipeline stages that especially help small to medium businesses (SMBs). In a way, a HubSpot user customizes the platform before they even use it by selecting specific hubs.
Integration capabilities
Salesforce’s API and developer support and AppExchange marketplace enable integration with a variety of third-party applications. From marketing automation tools like Marketo to financial software like QuickBooks or Xero, you can connect to your existing tools with ease.
HubSpot offers a strong suite of native integrations, along with a growing ecosystem and app marketplace. Its integrations are particularly strong when it comes to marketing tools that enhance its capabilities in inbound marketing and content management. You can expect seamless integration with platforms like Mailchimp, Google Workspace, and Zapier.
Analytics and reporting
Salesforce provides comprehensive analytics and reporting features, including customizable dashboards and reports. Its advanced analytics capabilities, powered by AI (Einstein Analytics), offer deep insights into business operations and customer interactions.
HubSpot also offers powerful analytics and reporting tools and features more intuitive dashboards with the ability to track:
- Marketing.
- Sales.
- Service metrics — and more.
It stands out in providing insights into customer journeys and marketing effectiveness.
Sales and pipeline management
Salesforce’s Sales Cloud does a great job of managing sales processes and pipelines. If you have complex sales processes, it’s ideal for you. It offers detailed:
- Pipeline management tools.
- Forecasting.
- Lead scoring.
Not to mention, it excels in automation capabilities to save you time.
Is HubSpot better than Salesforce for sales pipeline management? The truth is, it depends on your business. HubSpot’s sales and pipeline management tools are less robust, but easier for smaller sales teams to adopt. It provides features like:
- Email marketing.
- Deal stages.
- Pipeline visualization.
This makes HubSpot ideal if you need a straightforward sales management solution.
Limitations
Salesforce
- Higher price point compared to other CRM software.
- There is a learning curve and complex interface that may not be suitable for all users.
- Users have reported performance issues, particularly with loading times and system responsiveness.
HubSpot
- Reviews cite limited templates for certain marketing campaigns.
- Advanced reporting features are available only in higher-tier plans.
- Limited specialization for different industries.
The best option for QuickBooks and Xero users — Method
Method stands out as the most ideal solution for QuickBooks and Xero users. With its two-way sync, you enjoy real-time updates between your accounting data and CRM operations for unified and efficient workflow automation.
Method addresses and surpasses the limitations of other software options. It outperforms competitors, because it:
- Offers a cost-effective solution, which caters better to small businesses.
- Features customizable workflows to tailor the entire solution for your needs.
- Provides superior customer support, which suits those with limited tech expertise.
- Has an intuitive design that requires less training time compared to more complex interfaces.
- Automates repetitive tasks to reduce your stress.
- Offers more extensive training resources for smooth implementation.
Method also offers a more extensive free trial and updates its features more frequently than alternatives. With this software, you gain back control of your business.
Is HubSpot better than Salesforce FAQs
Who is bigger: HubSpot or Salesforce?
Salesforce is more established in the CRM industry and has a broader global presence in terms of market share and revenue. It also supports a broader range of industries and business sizes. With its large user base, it also has more positive user reviews and ranks highly among its competitors.
Its scale also means that it provides a more flexible API and ensures data security more robustly. Despite these advantages, you should still ask, “Is HubSpot better than Salesforce for my business specifically?”
Who is HubSpot best for?
HubSpot fulfills the needs of small-to-medium-sized businesses and those new to CRM systems. It focuses more on inbound marketing strategies, which addresses the needs of e-commerce businesses better than alternatives. The software is perfect for those seeking an intuitive, user-friendly CRM solution.
Is Salesforce a good CRM?
Yes, Salesforce is a highly effective CRM, known for its:
- Customization options.
- Scalability for growth.
- Comprehensive suite of features.
However, it scales more efficiently for large enterprises with complex CRM needs — meaning it might not be the best bet for smaller organizations.
Are Salesforce and HubSpot good CRMs for real estate?
Both Salesforce and HubSpot are effective CRMs for the real estate industry. But is HubSpot better than Salesforce when it comes to this domain?
Salesforce serves industries with large-scale business needs, as it is more customizable for unique workflows.
HubSpot contrasts this, in that it’s an easier-to-use platform. It’s ideal for smaller real estate businesses that focus on digital marketing and lead generation and management.
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Image credit: deagreez via Adobe Stock