Allison Murray/ZDNET
Salesforce and HubSpot are two of the most popular customer relationship management systems (CRM) giants, each promising the world when it comes to managing your customer relationships. Yet, they take wildly different approaches. Depending on your goals, choosing wrong could set you back months of setup and training costs.
Also: The best CRM software
Salesforce is the enterprise leader that's been dominating CRM for decades. I've seen it handle insanely complex sales operations with little to no fuss. It's also notorious for its steep learning curve and contractual lock-in clauses. It's like a Swiss Army knife -- powerful concept but complicated to make it work in practice.
On the other hand, HubSpot takes the opposite approach. I love that it feels like someone actually designed it for human beings to use. Their free tier is the real deal, plus the interface won't make your sales team revolt. But as you grow, those costs can spiral quickly and customization hits walls you didn't think of at the start.
This comparison will cut through all the marketing fluff and show you exactly which platform fits your team size, budget, and growth plans. I've tested both multiple times over the years and I'll share what really matters when you're making the call.
Specifications
Feature Salesforce HubSpot Starting price $25 per user per month (Starter) Free (1M contacts) or $9 per user per month Advanced plans $75-$550 per user per month $1,300 -$4,700 per month Contact management Unlimited on all plans Free: 1M contacts; Paid: Unlimited Sales automation Complex workflows and Einstein AI Simple drag-and-drop workflows Marketing automation Requires Marketing Cloud add-on Included in core platform Customization Extensive via AppExchange & APIs Limited to available modules Reporting and analytics Custom and predictive reporting Standard dashboards Email integration Gmail, Outlook, advanced tracking Gmail, Outlook, simple tracking Mobile app Robust offline capabilities User-friendly but basic Learning curve Steep, requires training Minimal training needed Customer support Poor reputation Generally positive reviews Integrations 3,000+ via AppExchange 1,000+ native integrations Content management Requires third-party tools Built-in CMS & landing pages Pipeline management Highly customizable Visual, easy-to-use dashboard Lead scoring Advanced with Einstein AI Basic (paid plans) Best for Large enterprises, complex sales SMBs, inbound marketing focus
You should choose Salesforce if…
Salesforce
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