Salesforce vs. HubSpot CRM | Head-to-Head Review

Jessica B.

Seasoned technical writer giving you top Salesforce Tips.

Updated: Apr 5th, 2024

What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is the world-leading custom relationship management (CRM) platform and a cloud-based company that provides businesses with a suite of applications designed to help your organization manage customer relationships, marketing efforts, sales processes, and more. It is one of the most widely used and largest platforms.

Key Aspects of Salesforce

Salesforce offers robust CRM functionality at its core, allowing your business to track and manage leads, opportunities, customer interactions, and support cases. It operates as a cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) which means you can access your data from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection which means you don’t need an extensive on-premises infrastructure.

The Salesforce tool is also highly customizable which means your organization can adapt the platform to suit your specific needs. This is commonly done by using custom objects, automation, and workflow rules.

If you are looking for a trusted third-party app then look no further than the Salesforce AppExchange which is an extensive marketplace where you can find and install integrations and applications to extend Salesforce’s capabilities.

Salesforce includes tools to help you manage your sales and marketing efforts. This includes generating and nurturing leads, managing opportunities, and emailing marketing material. You also get features for customer support and service such as case management, creating knowledge bases, and live chat capabilities.

Using the Salesforce analytics and reporting tools, you can gain insights into your customer data and use these insights to make data-driven strategic decisions.

Salesforce users can access their data using their mobile devices by using the mobile dedicated apps, which makes it convenient when you are on the go.

Salesforce can be implemented by a wide range of industries which includes finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and more.

Salesforce is known for its ability to scale from small to large enterprises. There is a vast ecosystem of developers, administrators, and consultants that can help you implement Salesforce in your business and optimize how you use this platform. This influential tool has helped businesses reshape how they manage and leverage their customer data.

Salesforce Pricing

We’ve listed a simple breakdown for Salesforce price plans below but ensure you always refer to the Salesforce website for the latest pricing information.

Salesforce Essentials: $25

Salesforce Professional: $80

Salesforce Enterprise: $165

Salesforce Unlimited: $330

There are add-ons that your business may require and need to factor in when it comes to the total amount you need to factor in for your budget.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud: Starts at $1,250 per user per month

Salesforce Service Cloud: Starts at $75 per user per month

Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Starts at $150 per user per month

There is a free trial version of Salesforce so you can check it out before making any commitments.

There are some things to consider that will affect how much you pay for your Salesforce licenses. The more users you require the more you will pay, the number of features you need, whether you will be billing annually or monthly, the add-ons you require, and whether you need to work with a Salesforce partner to manage and assist with implementing Salesforce.

HubSpot versus Salesforce

Salesforce and HubSpot are powerful software platforms that serve different purposes and are used by different kinds of businesses. To understand how these platforms differ it’s important to understand each platform’s primary functions and the corresponding use cases.

Salesforce

We’ve already covered Salesforce depth above, so we will keep this summary short and sweet.

Salesforce is primarily used as a CRM platform to help businesses manage their customer data, sales processes, and customer interactions.

Salesforce offers tools to help improve your sales and marketing efforts.

Salesforce is highly customizable so you can tailor it to suit your business needs.

Salesforce offers a wide range of third-party applications that you can find on the AppExchange.

Salesforce is suited to businesses that have complex sales processes including business-to-business sales, and businesses that require extensive customization.

HubSpot

HubSpot is primarily used as a marketing and sales platform. It includes tools for email marketing, social media, lead generation, and content marketing.

HubSpot is an all-in-one solution that includes CRM, marketing and sales automation, and customer support tools.

HubSpot offers a user-friendly interface and it is commonly used by small and mid-sized businesses that do not require extensive customization.

HubSpot focuses on content marketing which makes it a good choice for businesses that need to create blog posts, landing pages, and social media content.

HubSpot can also be used for lead generation and nurturing, which makes it a good option to consider for businesses that focus on inbound marketing.

Factors to Consider: Salesforce versus HubSpot

Business Size: Salesforce is often favored by large enterprises while smaller to mid-sized businesses go with HubSpot.

Budget: Salesforce can be more expensive, especially if you need additional features or as the business grows.

Integration Needs: Businesses that require integrations with third-party applications should go with Salesforce as it offers a larger ecosystem.

Complexity of Sales and Marketing Processes: Salesforce offers robust customization options that can be used for complex processes. HubSpot is a straightforward tool that is a better fit for suitable workflows.

The platform you choose will depend on your business requirements, the scale of operations, and your budget. If you aren’t sure of which option to choose, we advise you to take advantage of the free trials each platform offers so you can evaluate which one will meet your business needs.

HubSpot and Salesforce Integration

Integrating your HubSpot and Salesforce instances can help streamline your sales processes and marketing efforts as your data can flow seamlessly between these two platforms. We’ve outlined a few general steps to follow:

Step 1: Define what goals you want to achieve by integrating the two systems. These goals could include syncing leads and contracts, improving the efficiency of your marketing and sales process, and tracking sales activity.

Step 2: Choose your method for integrating your two systems. There are a number of different methods you can choose from including using a third-party tool, exploring native connectors, or developing custom integrations.

Third-Party Integration Tools: You can choose from tools like PieSync, Workato, and Zapier that offer pre-built connectors to help facilitate the integration. These tools are user-friendly as they often don’t require coding.

Native Connectors: Each platform offers its own native connectors which are a good choice if your integration needs are simple.

Custom Integrations: If your integration needs are specific and complex and cannot be met by native or third-party tools then you can go with custom integration. This option will require development skills and require more time.

Step 3: The next step is to integrate the platforms using your chosen method.

Third-Party Integration Tools: If you’ve decided to go with Zaprier, you would use Zaps that connect Salesforce and HubSpot. For example, you could create a Zap to create a new lead in Salesforce when you add a contact in HubSpot.

Native Connectors: Opting for native connectors would require you to follow the setup instructions provided by each respective platform.

Custom Integrations: You would engage with developers to use the APIs offered by Salesforce and HubSpot to establish how the data flows between the two systems, this can include creating webhooks, handling authentication, and mapping data fields.

Step 4: No matter the integration method you choose, you will need to map your data fields to ensure your information flows to the correct place.

Step 5: After completing your integration, make sure you complete rigorous testing to ensure the data syncs correctly. Make sure you keep your troubleshooting resources handy so you can make adjustments if any issues arise.

Step 6: Train up your team so they understand how the integration systems work and how to use these platforms together effectively.

Step 7: Regular monitoring and maintenance are key to success when integrating two different platforms to ensure that the integration continues to work smoothly.

These steps are just a general guide and can change depending on your instance of each platform and any customization changes you have applied.

The TakeAway

Salesforce and HubSpot are two powerful platforms that businesses use to assist with the sales process and marketing campaigns. Each tool offers its own strengths and they can even be integrated if required. Always keep your business goals in mind when evaluating which tool you want to choose.

We hope to see you soon! 

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Disclaimer: The comparisons listed in this article are based on information provided by the companies online and online reviews from users. If you found a mistake, please contact us.