HubSpot CRM vs. Salesforce Starter

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
HubSpot CRM
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
HubSpot’s CRM enables growth-minded businesses to optimize their relationships with leads and customers. Through harnessing the power of carefully crafted sales, marketing, customer service, content management, and operations tools, the software aims to make it easy to unify team strategy and drive conversion. Additionally, the software allows users to connect with over 875 integration apps, APIs, and solutions partners to create a customizable user experience that suits the way teams work.…
$0
Per Month [Unlimited Users]
Salesforce Starter
Score 8.2 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Salesforce Starter (formerly Salesforce Essentials) is a small business CRM that replaces the former SalesforceIQ product. It is priced at $35 per user, on a monthly basis, or at $25 per month for if billed annually ($300) and can be tried free for 14 days on a trial.
$35
per month per user
Pricing
HubSpot CRMSalesforce Starter
Editions & Modules
Free Forever
$0
Per Month [Unlimited Users]
CRM Bundle
$50
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
HubSpot CRMSalesforce Starter
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
HubSpot CRMSalesforce Starter
Considered Both Products
HubSpot CRM
Chose HubSpot CRM
The biggest and most notable reason for using HubSpot was price. We don't have a big budget so this was a viable option for us to use for our new and growing sales department. I had used HubSpot previously for a brief time and thought it was a good CRM but liked Salesforce
Chose HubSpot CRM
I was not a part of the initial selection process of HubSpot, but I will say that I'm glad we use HubSpot instead of Salesforce. The primary driving force for this is that HubSpot's base level layout if far more intuitive that that of Salesforce, and overall it seems like a …
Chose HubSpot CRM
HubSpot is easy to customize and implement without an architect
Chose HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM offers a user-friendly interface and robust marketing tools, making it ideal for small to medium-sized businesses. Salesforce Essentials, while powerful, can be more complex and better suited for larger organizations. We chose HubSpot CRM for its simplicity, …
Chose HubSpot CRM
(NOT SURE IF I TAGGED THE RIGHT VERSION OF Salesforce) My previous organization built so many customizations in Salesforce that it made it nearly impossible to use them efficiently, and it wasn't very good. Finance ran the show on the CRM adoption and didn't consult sales …
Chose HubSpot CRM
HubSpot blows the other products I have used in the past out of the water.
Chose HubSpot CRM
Like I mentioned previously, I love the built-in sequencing software that is in HubSpot. You don't need to spend extra money to pay for services like Outreach and Salesloft, and it's much cheaper than Salesforce!
Chose HubSpot CRM
HubSpot is more applicable for the business we are in compared to Salesforce & ClubReady because of the simplicity of it. The option to log phone calls, emails, LinkedIn messages, WhatsApp messages, etc. is incredibly valuable and saves time. The quote & deals functionality is …
Chose HubSpot CRM
HubSpot provides a robust amount of tools and integrations at an affordable cost. Most other systems have more overall limitations at a higher price point. HubSpot allows smaller businesses to grow as needed, and offers even more detailed tools when the time is right.
Chose HubSpot CRM
Salesforce is like this juggernaut that takes a lot of customization to get it working correctly. I have worked with Salesforce when the admin did a great job modifying the platform in such a way that it worked well, and I have worked with a company who did a terrible job of …
Chose HubSpot CRM
Salesforce was used for 2 years, and it's just too much. Wasnt a big fan of it and from feedback from management, it's overpriced for the use of the salesperson. I'm sure it has better uses for management but for the day-to-day task and sales flow, Hubspot is hard to beat and …
Chose HubSpot CRM
I’d say it only ranks behind Salesforce and Odoo in customization, and wins amongst all four when it comes to ease of use and scalability in startups and scaleups
Chose HubSpot CRM
Compared to Outreach + SFDC combo in many other answers in the review. Overall find it gives the same experience for a rep in a little bit cleaner package.
Chose HubSpot CRM
After evaluating other products, we settled on Hubspot for ease of setup, and the person performing the setup already had experience with Hubspot. Also, we found for the price we were paying; there were more features available than some of the other CRMs researched. Hubspot, we …
Chose HubSpot CRM
HubSpot offers more personalization possibilities, filters and features in general. Dashboards helps having real-time statistics and evaluate actions to take. After events such as trade shows the follow-up through automated sequences with lists of contacts per sales are smooth.
Salesforce Starter
Chose Salesforce Starter
Salesforce Starter is exactly what it says. It's specific to getting a small business up and running effectively, without unnecessary development or internal overhead required. It doesn't allow for a ton of customization, but it provides more than most other providers across …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
HubSpot CRMSalesforce Starter
Sales Force Automation
Comparison of Sales Force Automation features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
8.0
1506 Ratings
4% above category average
Salesforce Starter
9.1
3 Ratings
17% above category average
Customer data management / contact management8.71457 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Workflow management8.31420 Ratings00 Ratings
Territory management6.6184 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Opportunity management8.21359 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail)8.51463 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Contract management8.0185 Ratings00 Ratings
Quote & order management7.4982 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Interaction tracking8.41411 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Channel / partner relationship management7.7186 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Customer Service & Support
Comparison of Customer Service & Support features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
7.5
995 Ratings
0% above category average
Salesforce Starter
-
Ratings
Case management7.4927 Ratings00 Ratings
Call center management7.6798 Ratings00 Ratings
Help desk management7.4849 Ratings00 Ratings
Marketing Automation
Comparison of Marketing Automation features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
8.5
1328 Ratings
12% above category average
Salesforce Starter
7.0
3 Ratings
7% below category average
Lead management8.51252 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Email marketing8.61261 Ratings00 Ratings
CRM Project Management
Comparison of CRM Project Management features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
7.6
1376 Ratings
0% above category average
Salesforce Starter
9.0
2 Ratings
17% above category average
Task management8.01318 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Billing and invoicing management7.1679 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Reporting7.71218 Ratings10.02 Ratings
CRM Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of CRM Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
7.9
1346 Ratings
4% above category average
Salesforce Starter
10.0
2 Ratings
27% above category average
Forecasting7.61055 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Pipeline visualization8.21275 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Customizable reports7.81242 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
7.4
1284 Ratings
2% below category average
Salesforce Starter
10.0
3 Ratings
28% above category average
Custom fields8.01260 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Custom objects7.81090 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Scripting environment6.3132 Ratings10.02 Ratings
API for custom integration7.6883 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
8.4
1240 Ratings
1% above category average
Salesforce Starter
10.0
3 Ratings
18% above category average
Single sign-on capability8.41104 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.51183 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Social CRM
Comparison of Social CRM features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
7.4
849 Ratings
2% above category average
Salesforce Starter
5.0
2 Ratings
37% below category average
Social data7.5832 Ratings00 Ratings
Social engagement7.4821 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Integrations with 3rd-party Software
Comparison of Integrations with 3rd-party Software features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
7.7
955 Ratings
8% above category average
Salesforce Starter
5.0
2 Ratings
35% below category average
Marketing automation7.8948 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Compensation management7.5613 Ratings4.02 Ratings
Platform
Comparison of Platform features of Product A and Product B
HubSpot CRM
7.9
1131 Ratings
5% above category average
Salesforce Starter
10.0
3 Ratings
29% above category average
Mobile access7.91131 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Best Alternatives
HubSpot CRMSalesforce Starter
Small Businesses
Salesmate
Salesmate
Score 9.8 out of 10
Salesmate
Salesmate
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
HubSpot CRMSalesforce Starter
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(1549 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.8
(27 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.3
(1444 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.2
(23 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
HubSpot CRMSalesforce Starter
Likelihood to Recommend
HubSpot
Hubspot CRM has helped me numerous times in following up with customers if they are not immediately ready to secure services. The reminder allows me to revisit our past conversations and follow up to see if the timing is more accurate for them to sign an agreement. The ability to log all attachments under a customer or a deal is convenient and minimizes my search time in my database of customer or company files.
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Salesforce
If you own a business that has complex selling processes or requires integrations with 3rd party tools/systems, you should look at Professional, Enterprise, or Unlimited editions. Salesforce operates very well across pretty much every industry, but not all sales, marketing, and operational processes are created equal. If your marketing process requires a long list of sendable contacts then I would recommend adding on Pardot or Hubspot. Always start small and scale up, to avoid boxing yourself in down the road.
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Pros
HubSpot
  • It tracks emails including opens, clicks, and keeps a great log.
  • I love how they give you options to build your own reports as well as some templated reports as well.
  • It creates an easy way to work with your colleagues even if its remote positions.
Read full review
Salesforce
  • Tracking phone calls is extremely easy when using the app on the iphone. After a phone call is complete it prompts the user to enter in call details.
  • SalesforceIQ also automatically logs emails for us. This has saved us time from entering in information manually.
  • SalesforceIQ was easy to set up and allowed us customization for fields that were relevant to our business.
Read full review
Cons
HubSpot
  • Pricing - HubSpot offers a number of great features in the free version however the paid options can be pricey.
  • The free version could do with more options in some of the additional areas such as the marketing platform. Although there are some options included, they are very limited.
Read full review
Salesforce
  • Price point for smaller startups. Not budget friendly.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
HubSpot
To be honest there are some barriers due to which we are unable to use Hubspot at it's full potentials. The region that we work in has some restrictions that don't allow us to make calls or text which leaves us to just Email to the client.
Read full review
Salesforce
No answers on this topic
Usability
HubSpot
I think the usability is great. I am able to train a new agent with zero experience in our process with HubSpot in a day or less. They can be proficient in using HubSpot quickly, the way I've designed it to work, in less than a week. I am able to load new leads, set calling campaigns, and start prospecting quickly. I've even had to call customer service for help, and they were super helpful.
Read full review
Salesforce
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
HubSpot
Because when I needed help HubSpot responded immediately and provided me with the information I needed which enabled me to realize that HubSpot was even more customizable and easier to use than I thought! And I already thought HubSpot was very user friendly and easy to use, and then Support showed me how to manipulate the settings, columns and the appearance of the tool.
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Salesforce
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
HubSpot
If you've had any prior experience with cloud based marketing automation or group communication tools, you can do the implementation without paid outside support. Though getting to a SLA (service level agreement) would be best achieved with the help of a third party who can facilitate
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Salesforce
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
HubSpot
Salesforce requires a lot of in-depth knowledge both to implement and to manage. I found it to be quite clunky and there was an additional overhead for any marketing functionality, that wasn't up to par. Whilst Zoho had some good features, in practice the CRM was difficult to manage, customer support was non-existent, and like Salesforce, required 3rd party support agents in order make simple changes. comparison, HubSpot allows the user to make many changes themselves such as adding and mapping properties, and also has excellent customer service. Combined with a well-rounded offer in terms of marketing, analytics and a good CRM, HubSpot stands out as the clear winner.
Read full review
Salesforce
Salesforce Starter is exactly what it says. It's specific to getting a small business up and running effectively, without unnecessary development or internal overhead required. It doesn't allow for a ton of customization, but it provides more than most other providers across sales, service, and integration/automating business processes. Some tools are more specific to organizations that want to focus on a specific area to grow or manage their business. That's where the other package types and integrations with specific tools come in
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Return on Investment
HubSpot
  • Automation helps to save time so that we can reach out to more prospecting or save time that can be spent on more strategic sales tasks like deal management
  • Visibility/collaboration helps connect marketing and sales efforts vs them being siloed
  • Connection with salesforce helps us to get more out of our CRM spend as we have valuable data insights coming from Hubspot
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Salesforce
  • We have noticed since we have started using SalesforceIQ to communicate items on customer account notes we have freed up hours of phone time between employees allowing us to better answer customer phone calls. This is especially true in our parts department where we have inside and outside sales.
  • We tied in use of Salesforce to our bonus structure to encourage employees to use the software. It is the direction our business is going and we needed everyone to participate to make it work. The newer the employee the better they are about logging information and visits.
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ScreenShots

HubSpot CRM Screenshots

Screenshot of Store, track, manage, and report on the deals (sometimes referred to as “opportunities”) your sales team is working.Screenshot of Our contact record enables your team to record and retrieve information on anyone your business interacts with, helping everyone to stay on the same page.Screenshot of The product library gives you visibility into the goods and services you sell, then associates them with individual deals. With products, you can easily track what you're selling to your customers and from what channels.

Salesforce Starter Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of