If you’re in the market for customer relationship management (CRM) software, two prominent options stand out: HubSpot and Salesforce. As small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) strive to streamline operations, improve customer engagement and grow, selecting the right CRM is crucial. This guide provides a comprehensive comparison of HubSpot vs. Salesforce to help you decide which platform best meets your needs in 2024.

HubSpot

HubSpot offers a comprehensive free tier of CRM tools, making it accessible for startups and small businesses with budget limitations. Hubspot’s paid plan for the Customer Platform suite starts at $15 per month and provides a variety of sales, marketing, support and analytics tools. There is a significant price jump from the Starter plan to the Professional and Enterprise plans, so it’s worth carefully assessing what features and how many seats are needed for your specific business size and maturity.

How it works: HubSpot’s Customer Platform integrates its five hubs to provide a unified solution for managing customer relationships across various business functions. By integrating these functionalities, HubSpot’s platform provides a comprehensive view of customer interactions.

Salesforce

Salesforce’s pricing structure is based on a per-user and per-edition model, which can add up for larger teams. However, the depth and breadth of features offered, including AI capabilities and extensive integrations, can justify the higher costs for larger businesses needing robust, scalable solutions​​​​.

Verdict: HubSpot for affordability if you just need the basics

HubSpot stands out for its free offering and competitive Starter price point, making it particularly beneficial for startups and small to medium-sized businesses with smaller teams or under 1,000 email marketing contacts. Salesforce, while highly customizable and feature-rich, has higher per-user costs at the entry-level, which can be prohibitive for smaller businesses not ready for a substantial investment.

It’s worth noting that once you get to the Professional/Pro Suite plan levels, Salesforce can be quite a bit cheaper, depending on the number of employees (up to about 20 employees). For small businesses prioritizing low- to no-budget CRM options, HubSpot is an accessible choice, but for growing businesses, Salesforce might offer a better balance of features and costs in the long run.

Key CRM features

Understanding key CRM features is crucial for small to medium-sized businesses seeking to enhance their marketing efforts and streamline sales processes. Both HubSpot and Salesforce platforms offer comprehensive tools tailored to these needs but with different strengths and limitations.

HubSpot

Marketing Hub: HubSpot provides tools for lead generation, email marketing, social media management and more. Specific features include email automation (from one to unlimited automations, depending on the plan), contact management (1,000 contacts in the Starter Plan and 2,000 in the Professional Plan), ad management, reporting dashboards and support for landing pages and forms.

Sales Hub: HubSpot offers tools for lead management, pipeline tracking, sales engagement and task automation. Key functionalities include contact and account management, opportunity tracking, and sales forecasting, which streamline workflows and support data-driven decisions.

Service Hub: HubSpot’s CRM includes tools for ticket management, customer database handling, and workflow automation. It offers a universal inbox, customer feedback software and live chat, and supports knowledge base creation, automated responses, and self-service portals, enhancing customer support and satisfaction.

Salesforce

Marketing: Salesforce’s CRM provides tools for email marketing and campaign management. It supports smart segmentation and mobile marketing, with detailed analytics and automation to optimize marketing efforts.

Sales: Salesforce offers features for lead management, opportunity tracking and sales forecasting. It includes customizable sales processes, task management and AI-driven insights to enhance sales processes, along with contact and account management, and contract management for managing complex sales cycles.

Service: Salesforce’s service tools include case management, knowledge base creation and customer support automation. The platform enables efficient tracking of customer inquiries and provides self-service portals for independent issue resolution.

Verdict: Salesforce offers more advanced features and customization

Salesforce provides a comprehensive suite of advanced CRM features, ideal for businesses requiring detailed and sophisticated functionalities. Salesforce’s extensive customization and feature set make it a strong choice for organizations seeking robust CRM capabilities.

Reporting and analytics

Effective CRM solutions offer robust reporting and analytics to provide actionable insights. Both HubSpot and Salesforce excel in this area but cater to different needs and business scales.

HubSpot

HubSpot’s reporting tools are designed to be straightforward and easy to use, making them ideal for SMBs. It offers prebuilt dashboards and customizable reports that allow users to track essential metrics without needing deep technical expertise. This simplicity does not sacrifice functionality, as HubSpot’s tools provide the depth needed to gain valuable business insights​​.

Salesforce

Salesforce excels in providing comprehensive and customizable reporting tools. Users can create detailed reports and dashboards tailored to specific business needs, allowing for deep analysis and insights. The platform’s advanced analytics capabilities, including AI-powered tools, offer flexibility and depth, making it the preferred choice for businesses requiring extensive and detailed reporting​​.

Verdict: Salesforce wins on customizable reporting

Salesforce stands out with its extensive customization and advanced analytics capabilities, ideal for businesses needing tailored and detailed reporting solutions. While HubSpot offers simpler, more user-friendly tools that are excellent for small businesses, it lacks the depth and flexibility of Salesforce’s advanced analytics, making Salesforce the better choice for comprehensive reporting needs.

Integrations

Integrations are crucial for businesses looking to expand their CRM capabilities and streamline workflows across sales, marketing and reporting functions.

HubSpot

HubSpot offers over 1,600 integrations with popular tools such as Slack, Google Workspace and Shopify, making it easy to connect your CRM with existing software ecosystems. The integrations span various categories, including marketing, sales, customer service and commerce, enabling businesses to enhance their workflows across different functions. About 600 of these integrations are free, with others available with monthly, yearly or one-time fees, providing flexible options to suit different business needs and budgets.

Salesforce

With over 4,000 integrations available through its AppExchange, Salesforce provides extensive options for customization and extending CRM functionalities. The integrations span various categories including sales, marketing, IT and administration, customer service, finance, analytics, collaboration, and enterprise resource planning (ERP), making it particularly suitable for larger businesses with diverse and complex software needs.

The platform supports deep customization, allowing for tailored solutions that can handle specific business requirements, which is essential for businesses aiming for scalability and extensive automation. Nearly 1,300 of these integrations are free, while others fall under freemium, paid or paid add-on models.

Verdict: Salesforce excels in integration capabilities

Salesforce stands out with its extensive range of integrations and depth of customization options. While HubSpot provides a user-friendly and accessible integration process that can work well for SMBs, Salesforce’s vast integration network makes it the preferred choice for businesses requiring a CRM solution that is comprehensive and scalable.

Ease of use and customer support

Ease of use and customer support are critical factors for any CRM, especially for small to medium-sized businesses that may lack dedicated technical teams. HubSpot and Salesforce both offer substantial support options but differ in their approach to usability and customer assistance.

HubSpot

HubSpot user reviews note its user-friendly interface, designed to be easy to navigate and intuitive for SMBs. The drag-and-drop email and landing page builder functionality and integration with other tools help minimize the learning curve, allowing users to quickly adapt and utilize the platform effectively. HubSpot offers 24/7 customer support. Free plan users get access to self-help resources, including tutorials, community forums and the HubSpot Academy for continuous learning and certifications​​. The Starter plan adds email and live chat, with phone support reserved for the Professional and Enterprise plans.

Salesforce

Salesforce provides a powerful and highly customizable platform, but it has a steeper learning curve due to its extensive features and flexibility. It’s often preferred by larger orgs that require tailored solutions and can manage a more complex setup and navigation process. Salesforce offers customer support with 24/7 access for premium plans, which includes dedicated success managers for enterprise users. Additionally, it provides a wealth of self-service resources like detailed documentation and the Salesforce Trailhead learning modules for in-depth training​​.

Verdict: HubSpot is the more user-friendly choice for beginners

In our comparison of HubSpot vs. Salesforce, HubSpot stands out for its simplicity and accessible support, making it an ideal option for small businesses seeking a quick and straightforward CRM setup.

AI and automation

Automation and AI are becoming critical components in CRM solutions (and most other software tools these days), driving efficiency and deeper customer insights.

HubSpot

HubSpot offers robust automation tools in marketing, sales and service offerings, allowing businesses to automate email campaigns, social media posts and customer segmentation. Specific AI features, such as the AI Email Writer for generating sales and marketing emails, provide valuable insights and enhance productivity. Though not as advanced as Salesforce’s AI offerings, HubSpot’s tools help streamline workflows and improve customer engagement by leveraging AI to automate repetitive tasks and create impactful content.

Salesforce

Salesforce leads with its Einstein AI, which provides advanced predictive analytics, natural language processing and image recognition. This enables businesses to leverage data-driven insights for better decision-making and personalized customer experiences​​​​.

Verdict: Salesforce has more sophisticated AI offerings

Salesforce excels with its advanced AI capabilities, including predictive analytics and natural language processing, which provide deeper insights and more personalized customer experiences. While HubSpot’s automation tools are user-friendly and effective, Salesforce’s AI features are more comprehensive and suited for businesses needing advanced analytics and customization.

So, which CRM wins: HubSpot or Salesforce for your SMB?

Choosing between HubSpot vs. Salesforce depends largely on your business’s size, needs and budget. Both platforms offer powerful CRM solutions, but they cater to different audiences.

By carefully evaluating your business needs against the features and costs of HubSpot and Salesforce, you can make an informed decision on which CRM will best support your growth and operational efficiency in 2024.

When should you choose HubSpot?

Choose HubSpot if you’re a small to medium-sized business looking for an all-in-one, user-friendly CRM solution with strong marketing automation features and a comprehensive free tier​​​​.

When should you choose Salesforce?

Opt for Salesforce if your business requires advanced customization, extensive integrations and powerful AI-driven analytics to manage complex CRM needs​​​​.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)