HubSpot CRM Review: Is It Worth the Investment for SMBs?
Introduction : The HubSpot Phenomenon
HubSpot has grown from a marketing automation startup to a complete business platform used by over 177,000 customers worldwide. Their free CRM has become a starting point for countless small businesses – but is free really free, and is HubSpot ultimately worth the investment?
After using HubSpot across multiple businesses – from bootstrapped startups to funded companies – I’ll give you an honest assessment of what you get, what you don’t, and who should (and shouldn’t) choose HubSpot.
What is HubSpot CRM?
HubSpot CRM is a Customer Relationship Management platform that serves as the foundation for HubSpot’s broader ecosystem:
- CRM: Contact and deal management
- Marketing Hub: Email, ads, landing pages, automation
- Sales Hub: Pipeline, quotes, sequences
- Service Hub: Tickets, knowledge base, surveys
- CMS Hub: Website builder
- Operations Hub: Data sync, automation
You can use the CRM standalone or add Hubs as needed.
HubSpot Free CRM: What You Actually Get
Let’s start with the famous free tier.
Included in Free CRM
| Feature | Limit |
|---|---|
| Contacts | Up to 1,000,000 |
| Companies | Unlimited |
| Deals | Unlimited |
| Tasks | Unlimited |
| Users | Unlimited |
| Email tracking | 200 notifications/mo |
| Email templates | 5 |
| Documents | 5 max |
| Meeting scheduler | 1 link |
| Live chat | Unlimited |
| Forms | Unlimited (HubSpot branding) |
| Reporting dashboards | 3 |
What’s Missing from Free
- ❌ Marketing automation
- ❌ Email sequences for sales
- ❌ Custom reporting
- ❌ Lead scoring
- ❌ Multiple pipelines
- ❌ Remove HubSpot branding
- ❌ Phone support
- ❌ Advanced integrations
Verdict on Free
Free is genuinely useful for very small businesses just getting started. You can manage contacts, track deals, and communicate with customers. But you’ll hit walls quickly as you grow.
HubSpot Paid Plans: The Real Picture
Marketing Hub Pricing
| Tier | Price | Contacts | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $20/mo | 1,000 | Remove branding, forms, email |
| Professional | $890/mo | 2,000 | Automation, landing pages, SEO |
| Enterprise | $3,600/mo | 10,000 | Advanced reporting, teams |
Sales Hub Pricing
| Tier | Price | Users | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $20/mo | 2 | Email sequences, multiple pipelines |
| Professional | $500/mo | 5 | Automation, forecasting, products |
| Enterprise | $1,200/mo | 10 | Advanced permissions, playbooks |
Service Hub Pricing
| Tier | Price | Users | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $20/mo | 2 | Ticketing, canned responses |
| Professional | $500/mo | 5 | Knowledge base, automation |
| Enterprise | $1,200/mo | 10 | Custom objects, SSO |
Bundle Pricing: CRM Suite
| Tier | Price | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $50/mo | All Starters |
| Professional | $1,781/mo | All Professionals |
| Enterprise | $5,000/mo | All Enterprises |
Key Features Deep Dive
Contact Management
HubSpot excels at contact management:
Free Features:
- Automatic activity logging (emails, calls)
- Timeline view of all interactions
- Custom properties (limited)
- List segmentation (static lists only)
- Duplicate management
Paid Upgrades:
- Active (dynamic) lists
- Lead scoring
- Predictive lead scoring (Enterprise)
- Custom behavioral events
Sales Pipeline
Visual deal management is where HubSpot shines:
Free Features:
- One deal pipeline
- Kanban board view
- Deal properties
- Task creation
Paid Upgrades:
- Multiple pipelines
- Automatic deal creation
- Forecasting
- Products and quotes
Marketing Tools
Marketing features are heavily gated behind paid plans:
Free:
- Email marketing (2,000 sends/mo)
- Basic forms with branding
- 1-to-1 email sending
Starter ($20/mo):
- Remove HubSpot branding
- Landing pages (limited)
- Ad management
Professional ($890/mo):
- Marketing automation
- Blog and SEO tools
- A/B testing
- Custom reporting
- Smart content
Automation
Automation is the biggest differentiator between tiers:
Free/Starter: No workflow automation
Professional:
- Visual workflow builder
- Email automation
- Lead nurturing
- Internal notifications
- Property-based actions
Example Workflow:
- Contact fills out form
- Wait 1 day
- Send welcome email
- If opened, add to nurture sequence
- If not opened, send reminder
- Notify sales rep when qualified
Reporting
Free: 3 basic dashboards, limited reports
Professional: Custom reports, attribution, funnel analysis
Enterprise: Multi-touch attribution, revenue analytics
What HubSpot Does Best
✅ All-in-One Platform
HubSpot’s biggest advantage is having everything connected:
- Marketing → Sales → Service seamlessly linked
- Single source of truth for customer data
- No integration headaches
✅ User Experience
The interface is clean, modern, and intuitive. Onboarding new team members takes hours, not weeks.
✅ Free Tools Genuinely Work
Unlike some “free” CRMs, HubSpot’s free tier is actually functional for basic needs.
✅ Educational Resources
HubSpot Academy offers free certifications and training. Their blog is a marketing education in itself.
✅ App Ecosystem
500+ integrations including:
- Salesforce
- Gmail/Outlook
- Slack
- Zoom
- Zapier
- All major tools
✅ Scalability
You can start free and grow into Enterprise. The platform scales with you.
Where HubSpot Falls Short
❌ Professional Plans Are Expensive
The jump from Starter ($20/mo) to Professional ($500-890/mo) is massive. This gap leaves many SMBs stuck.
❌ Contact-Based Pricing Adds Up
Marketing Hub charges by contacts. As your database grows:
- 1,000 contacts: $890/mo
- 5,000 contacts: $890/mo
- 10,000 contacts: $890/mo
- 25,000 contacts: $~1,200/mo
- 50,000 contacts: $~1,600/mo
❌ Feature Gatekeeping
Essential features are locked behind expensive tiers:
- Basic automation → Professional ($890/mo)
- Multiple pipelines → Starter Sales Hub
- Remove branding → Starter
❌ Onboarding Fees
Professional and Enterprise plans require mandatory onboarding:
- Marketing Professional: $3,000 one-time
- Sales Professional: $500 one-time
- Enterprise: $6,000+ one-time
❌ Annual Contracts
Professional and up require annual commitment. No monthly flexibility.
❌ Advanced Customization Limited
Power users find limits:
- Custom objects only on Enterprise
- API limits on lower tiers
- Reporting customization constrained
HubSpot vs Competitors
HubSpot vs Salesforce
| Aspect | HubSpot | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Easier | Complex |
| Implementation | DIY possible | Usually needs consultant |
| Free option | ✅ Robust | ❌ No free version |
| Pricing | $$$ | $$$-$$$$ |
| Customization | Medium | Extensive |
| Best for | SMB to Mid-market | Mid-market to Enterprise |
Verdict: HubSpot for simplicity and all-in-one; Salesforce for complex enterprises.
HubSpot vs Pipedrive
| Aspect | HubSpot | Pipedrive |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | All-in-one | Sales-focused |
| Free plan | ✅ | ❌ |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $14/user/mo |
| Marketing tools | Built-in | Integrations needed |
| Ease of use | Easy | Very easy |
Verdict: HubSpot for marketing+sales; Pipedrive for pure sales teams.
HubSpot vs Zoho CRM
| Aspect | HubSpot | Zoho CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem | Broad | Very broad |
| Pricing | Higher | Lower |
| Free users | Unlimited | 3 |
| Polish | Very polished | Functional |
| Integration with own products | Seamless | Seamless |
Verdict: HubSpot for polish and UX; Zoho for budget and breadth.
Who Should Use HubSpot?
Ideal HubSpot Users
✅ Growing SMBs with marketing + sales needs
✅ Content-focused companies needing blog, SEO, landing pages
✅ Teams wanting one platform vs. multiple tools
✅ Non-technical users needing ease of use
✅ Companies with budget for Professional plans
HubSpot May Not Fit
❌ Bootstrapped startups – Professional tier too expensive
❌ Pure sales teams – Pipedrive cheaper and simpler
❌ Enterprises with complex needs – Salesforce more customizable
❌ Budget-conscious SMBs – Many cheaper alternatives
Making HubSpot Affordable
Strategy 1: Start Free, Stay Free Longer
Maximize free tier before upgrading:
- Use all 5 email templates
- Leverage free forms and chat
- Manual workarounds for automation
Strategy 2: Starter Bundles
CRM Suite Starter ($50/mo) gives you:
- All Starter tiers
- Removes most branding
- Email sequences
- Simple automation
Strategy 3: Growth Suite for Startups
HubSpot for Startups offers:
- 30-90% off Professional+ plans
- Eligible if VC-backed or accelerator alumni
- First year heavily discounted
Strategy 4: Pick One Hub
You don’t need everything:
- Sales-focused? → Sales Hub Pro only
- Marketing-focused? → Marketing Hub Pro only
- Support-focused? → Service Hub Pro only
Real-World HubSpot Costs
Scenario 1: Solo Consultant
Needs: Contact management, proposals, light email marketing
Solution: Free CRM + Starter Sales ($20/mo)
Annual Cost: $240
Scenario 2: 5-Person Agency
Needs: Full marketing, sales pipeline, automation
Solution: Marketing Pro + Sales Starter
Annual Cost: $10,920 + $3,000 onboarding = $13,920 first year
Scenario 3: 15-Person SaaS Company
Needs: Full stack, service desk, workflows
Solution: CRM Suite Professional
Annual Cost: $21,372 + onboarding fees
Conclusion: Is HubSpot Worth It?
The honest answer: It depends on your stage and budget.
HubSpot is Worth It When:
- You need all-in-one marketing + sales + service
- You value ease of use and training resources
- You have budget for Professional tiers
- You’re scaling and need a platform that grows with you
HubSpot is NOT Worth It When:
- You only need basic CRM (use Pipedrive or Zoho)
- You can’t afford Professional plans
- You need advanced customization (consider Salesforce)
- You’re a pure sales team without marketing needs
My Recommendation
Start with Free and use it until you genuinely hit walls. Don’t upgrade for features you might need – upgrade when you actually need them.
If you’re a funded startup, absolutely apply for HubSpot for Startups discounts.
The platform is excellent – the question is whether it fits your budget and needs today.
Using HubSpot? Share your experience and tips in the comments!
