CRM Comparison
Two of the biggest names in the game, built for genuinely different teams. Here's the honest version: what each one's brilliant at, where each one bites and how to choose without a six-month regret. We're partners with both and have set up plenty of each, so we know what we're talking about.
Go with HubSpot if you're a small-to-mid business that wants marketing, sales and support in one place, running properly in weeks, without a developer on speed dial.
Go with Salesforce if you're bigger or more complex, you've got someone (or us) to look after it and you need it to bend around a process nobody else has.
Our honest take: most growing businesses stay happy on HubSpot longer than they expect. Salesforce earns its keep once the complexity is real, not before. Buying the bigger engine early usually just means paying to maintain features you never switch on.
Small to mid-sized teams that want it all in one place
Larger or complex businesses that need deep customisation
Up and running in weeks; most teams manage it themselves
More setup; usually wants an admin or a partner
Built in from the start
Strong, but more of it is add-ons
Flexible, no-code; can feel firm if your process is unusual
Bends to almost anything — power that needs a steady hand
Clear to start; climbs as you add tiers/seats
Quote-based; cost-effective at real scale, steep below it
Your marketing or sales lead
An admin, in-house or outsourced
This is where they split hardest. HubSpot is built so your team can set most of it up and actually use it, weeks, not quarters, and usually no developer. Everything sits on one customer record, so marketing and sales aren't looking at two different versions of the truth.
Salesforce gives you more raw power and asks for more in return: more setup, more training, and someone who owns it. In the right hands that flexibility is the whole point. In the wrong hands it's a tool nobody enjoys opening.
HubSpot starts clear and climbs as you move up tiers and add seats. Salesforce is usually quoted rather than listed and gets genuinely cost-effective once you're big enough to use what you're paying for. (Verify current pricing on each platform.)
We're partners with both HubSpot and Salesforce, so we honestly don't mind which you choose, we just want the one you pick to work. We'll help you decide, set it up around how your team actually works, and stay close enough to know it's still earning its keep down the track.
Starter Suite — $25 per user/mo. Core CRM, basic pipeline and email.
Starter — $20 per seat/mo. Marketing, sales and service starter tools in one.
Sales Professional — $100 per user/mo. Full pipeline management, forecasting and quotes.
Professional — from $100 per seat/mo. Automation, reporting and custom pipelines that scale.
Enterprise / Unlimited — $165–$330+ per user/mo. Advanced automation, AI and deep customisation.
Enterprise — from $150 per seat/mo (annual). Advanced controls, custom objects and governance.
Do you need marketing, sales and support in one place, or mainly a sales system?
One place → HubSpot leans ahead.
Is your sales process fairly standard, or genuinely unusual?
Unusual and complex → Salesforce's flexibility starts paying off.
Who's going to own it day-to-day — a marketer, or an admin?
No admin → HubSpot.
We're partners with both HubSpot and Salesforce, so we don't mind which you choose — we just want the one you pick to work. We'll help you decide, set it up around how your team actually works, and stay close enough to know it's still earning its keep.
Usually to start, especially for smaller teams. At large scale the gap narrows. Compare the total cost, setup add-ons and admin time, not just the headline price.
Yes, and plenty do in both directions. It's a proper project, not a button — the data and process need rebuilding carefully. It's the kind of thing we do.
For most small teams, HubSpot — faster to set up and easier to run without dedicated help.
Not always, but you'll want someone who owns it. That can be an in-house admin or a partner like us.