Salesforce vs HubSpot: Which Is the Better CRM?

Marketing platform or CRM (Customer Relationship Management)? Is there a difference?

Today, you’ll find most CRMs with all the marketing tools your business needs, some more than others. Salesforce and HubSpot are two of the most popular CRMs.

CRMs have been around longer than digital marketing platforms. The first CRM was attributed to Robert and Kate Kestnbaum in 1982. Today, CRM has come a long way, and you can get a complete history of its evolution here.

This article considers how your business can choose between HubSpot and Salesforce. As with all technology, your decision depends on your business’s needs and priorities.

In addition to what you read here, we recommend you evaluate both platforms thoroughly and consider your business size, budget, integration requirements, and desired features before deciding on a CRM.

Zapier says HubSpot started as a marketing tool and grew into a CRM, whereas Salesforce began as a CRM and added marketing features.

HubSpot

For startups and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises), it’s safe to assume HubSpot will appeal to this market more than Salesforce because of the following attributes.

• Start with a free plan.
• Simplicity and ease of use
• Extensive suite of marketing tools
• Great customer support

Start free with HubSpot

It is common knowledge that HubSpot has positioned its offerings to the larger market of SMEs (small and medium enterprises). Starting with a free version, the plan is essential, but businesses with tiny budgets have much more to lose; therefore, they prefer to start somewhere without spending a dime.

Even though you may start with the basic plan and then graduate to a starter plan for $20/month, the professional is $500/ month, and you can scale up to the Enterprise level, which will set you back $1500/month.

Ease of use

HubSpot’s user interface requires a much shorter learning curve than Salesforce. Known for its user-friendly interface, HubSpot makes it easier for users to adopt their platform quickly as it is designed with simplicity. They have created step-by-step guides for new users and offer customization.

Marketing

Additionally, knowing their target customers include sole operators and companies with a skeleton workforce and little prior marketing experience, HubSpot has integrated marketing and sales tools into one platform. For example, you can manage your email marketing from within the CRM. You can also use it for recording customer experiences and sales.

HubSpot’s CRM focuses on providing marketing features, including marketing automation tools. It offers a comprehensive inbound marketing, lead nurturing, and content management solution.

Integration

Additionally, HubSpot’s CRM integrates well with other HubSpot products and has a growing marketplace for third-party integrations. While it may not match Salesforce’s sheer volume, it covers essential integrations for most SMBs.

Customer Support

Startups and SMEs need first-rate customer support from their technology partners, and HubSpot understands this, so their customer support is up to the task. Additionally, it has an active user community that supports each other. HubSpot is often praised for its educational resources and responsive support team.

Salesforce

Salesforce is more expensive as it generally caters to larger enterprises with deeper pockets. Its charges are per user per month. For example, Essentials’s starter plan is $25/user/month, and their Professionals plan is $80/user/month. The Enterprise plan is $165/user/month, and there are two further plans: Unlimited, which will set you back $330/user/month, and Unlimited+, which is $500/user/month.

We know what you’re thinking – if your business only has a couple of users, then Salesforce looks the better buy; however, while the plan may have the same or similar names – that’s the only similarity, as the features are not the same. You will need to compare the features offered before committing to a plan. HubSpot has more marketing tools, many of which are included in the free plan. Salesforce, on the other hand, has superior sales reporting and forecasting.

Salesforce primarily aims at larger enterprises with complex sales processes and diverse business needs. It is highly customizable and can handle extensive data and workflows. Known for its high level of customization and scalability, Salesforce can be adapted to fit complex business processes and integrate well with other enterprise systems.

There’s no argument that Salesforce offers more integration with third-party apps and services, including its AppExchange marketplace, which provides a vast selection of add-ons and extensions.

However, the interface can be more complex and require training, especially for new users. However, its flexibility allows businesses to tailor the system to their needs.

Final Thoughts

For those considering Salesforce, it does offer more customization than HubSpot. The only problem is that if you are looking for extra flexibility, you will need specialized folks to help make it work.

On the other hand, HubSpot focuses on user experience and ease of use. This means that you can take care of everything on your end without calling in for help.

HubSpot’s CRM has tools to help with sales analytics, pipeline management, contact management, sales automation, etc., and is considered a complete solution.

Something else that HubSpot designed was the Flywheel Methodology. This approach puts the customers right at the center of your business. It helps the company grow through the momentum created by your marketing, sales, and service teams working as one.

Collaboration

To get the best results out of your CRM, you want to ensure that it is at the center of your business and that everyone understands how to use your CRM of choice. Salesforce and HubSpot have the functionality that service, sales, and marketing teams need.

Layer their features and plans with both options to create the perfect mix. For example, if you opt for HubSpot, you will have a consistent user experience where individual tools and data reporting are similar and work together.

Salesforce does offer more products and tools, but it comes with a cost because you have to maintain it, and it is not as easy to use and collaborate with as Hubspot’s software.

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