Salesforce or HubSpot: Which Is Best?

Salesforce and HubSpot are the most popular CRMs, but which should you choose?

When it comes to CRMs, HubSpot is a popular alternative among enterprise-level firms, while Salesforce is well-known globally. Which one is better? The answer really depends on your needs.

Both CRM solutions are robust and offer a wealth of capabilities for your company. So, instead of focusing on which CRM is best overall, you need to consider the ideal one for your business. Here’s what you need to know.

Is there a clear winner?

The short answer is that HubSpot is probably a better option than Salesforce if your company is smaller and has aggressive growth goals. While Salesforce sacrifices usability for a vast array of features, HubSpot has an approachable user interface (UI) that is suitable for even novice users.

The free HubSpot plan and affordable premium levels for small business owners make it especially appealing. In fact, HubSpot’s free plan fairly competes with other commercial software solutions, so if you’re on a tight budget, it’s something to think about.?

Salesforce, on the other hand, is perfect for larger companies that are prepared to invest in a feature-rich, industry-leading CRM package. The expansive, functionality-rich Salesforce CRM contrasts significantly with HubSpot’s freemium model. While this doesn’t necessarily make it “better,” it does indicate why certain firms choose one over the other.

Can you get outstanding outcomes with a freemium CRM system like HubSpot? Absolutely. Especially when you’re just getting started. Eventually, however, you will probably need to spend money on the premium plugins and features to get the functionality you’ll need. And when you reach that point, it’s worth exploring the benefits of a fully licensed platform like Salesforce.

Pricing?

HubSpot and Salesforce both have a relatively high cost-to-value ratio. So, you should enroll in the tier-based plan that best suits your company’s needs. In this case, HubSpot naturally has an edge over Salesforce: It offers a free tier. This isn’t a temporary trial – you can continue using the free plan indefinitely. However, the paid subscription plans offer more capabilities, which aren't necessarily more affordable than Salesforce’s alternatives.

HubSpot

HubSpot provides three main types of CRM services, or Hubs: sales, marketing, and customer support.

Prices for the Sales Hub and Service Hub are comparable, but the Marketing Hub is significantly more costly, which is typical for CRMs with a marketing-focused approach.

HubSpot includes premium options that begin at $45 per month and go up to $3,200. Be aware, however, that the basic package is pretty light on functionality, so most companies of any size will inevitably need to switch to a more expensive premium plan eventually.

Salesforce

Like HubSpot, Salesforce offers multiple services, which are called Clouds. Not surprisingly, there’s a Cloud for sales, marketing, and service. While each has a separate set of pricing plans, Salesforce also offers mix-and-match options that might save you money if you require dual capabilities.

The Sales Cloud and Service Cloud prices are comparable to HubSpot’s and may be combined to produce a more affordable solution. Once more, the Marketing Cloud is significantly more expensive since it offers a wide range of extra, more beneficial capabilities.

Pro tip: Salesforce’s pricing also contains licensing and other “hidden” fees, so it pays to read the fine print.

Features

Of course, price is irrelevant if a CRM doesn’t provide the functionality you need. And Salesforce and HubSpot each have their strengths and weaknesses in this area. Here are the basics:

Customer service?

This is Salesforce’s strong suit. The Salesforce Service Cloud has a distinct advantage over HubSpot’s Service Hub because of its well-integrated customer-support functionalities. Compared to HubSpot, it offers additional channels for ticketing, offline capabilities, and communication.

Salesforce’s sole weakness in this area is its lack of any significant customer-feedback capability, such as surveys, in the CRM. But most companies find that its other advantages compensate for this minor flaw.

Marketing

This one is really a draw, as each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses in this area. Some users prefer HubSpot’s customer journey tracking, ease of automation, and customer support, while others rave about Salesforce’s email marketing tools and customization options. Again, it all comes down to the specific functionality your company needs.

Sales

You’d assume that Salesforce would dominate the sales features category, but HubSpot holds its own here. It surpasses Salesforce in areas like lead generation and lead conversion, while Salesforce offers superior customer service.

Implementation and training?

HubSpot is simple to use, so getting it set up is relatively easy. Most of your metrics, analytics, and integrations will already be configured for you when you install the software, so you don't need to spend days figuring them out. You can even sign up for onboarding sessions if you need assistance.

More particularly, the demo you follow during the first step of the HubSpot onboarding process is straightforward and gives you practical instructions for utilizing the platform.

With Salesforce, you’ll probably need help getting started. The Salesforce team provides training sessions, normally priced at around $4,500. Once more, not the cheapest choice.

Making the choice

The bottom line: Salesforce and HubSpot both provide quality tools for managing your sales, marketing, and customer service resources. And they both do many of the same things, your personal preferences (and your budget!) will play a significant role in deciding which CRM is the best fit for your company.?

Our advice? Check out the free trials for HubSpot and Salesforce to determine which works best for you. And if you need more help, contact the experts at MetaGrowth to learn more about these tools and how they can supercharge your business growth.