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HubSpot vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

HubSpot is a CRM platform with a free core and paid Sales, Marketing and Service hubs that share one contact database, and Salesforce Sales Cloud is the enterprise CRM many large sales organizations standardize on. They are compared because both cover pipelines, email sync, lead scoring, workflow automation and reporting, and both scale from small teams to large ones. HubSpot suits small businesses that want a polished, easy-to-adopt CRM, while Salesforce suits mid-sized and enterprise teams with complex processes and a dedicated administrator.

Which should you choose?

Choose HubSpot if

  • Small businesses that want a free CRM they can grow into
  • Teams that plan to run marketing, sales and support from one platform
  • Companies that value a polished interface over deep customization

Choose Salesforce Sales Cloud if

  • Mid-sized and enterprise sales organizations with complex processes
  • Companies with a dedicated CRM administrator
  • Businesses that need compliance, territories and advanced forecasting

Cheapest to start

Not confirmed

Free plan

HubSpot

Highest editor rating

HubSpot · 4.5

Comparison of HubSpot and Salesforce Sales Cloud
CompareHubSpot
Free planYes
Free trialYes
Starting priceFrom $20/mo
Editor rating4.5
Ease of useEasy (4/5)
CategorySales & CRM
Pricing modelFree CRM tools for up to 2 users with usage limits. Sales Hub Starter is $20 per seat per month ($7 billed annually), Professional $100 per seat per month ($90 annually) with a mandatory $1,500 one-time onboarding fee, and Enterprise from $150 per seat per month with a mandatory $3,500 onboarding fee.
Plans
  • Free tools Free
  • Sales Hub Starter $20/user/mo
  • Sales Hub Professional $100/user/mo
  • Sales Hub Enterprise $150/user/mo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Browser extension, API
IntegrationsGmail, Google Workspace, Make, Microsoft 365, Outlook, Shopify, Slack, Stripe, Zapier, Zoom
Best for
  • Small businesses that want a free CRM they can grow into
  • Teams that plan to run marketing, sales and support from one platform
  • Companies that value a polished interface over deep customization
Pros
  • Genuinely useful free CRM with unlimited contacts and shared inbox
  • One contact record shared by sales, marketing and support tools
  • Large integration marketplace and strong Gmail and Outlook sync
  • Clean, consistent interface with good onboarding content
  • Scales into marketing automation without migrating data
Cons
  • Professional and Enterprise tiers are expensive and carry onboarding fees
  • Many free-tier features carry HubSpot branding or usage caps
  • Advanced reporting and custom objects are locked to higher tiers
  • Annual contracts required on Professional and above
AI agentsNo
AI assistantNo
API accessYes
Custom fieldsYes
Email sync (Gmail / Outlook)Yes
Forms & surveysYes
Lead scoringYes
Live chatYes
Meeting schedulingYes
Mobile appYes
Quotes & invoicesYes
Reporting & dashboardsYes
Roles & permissionsNo
SSO / SAMLNo
Visual pipelineYes
Workflow automationYes

Common questions

Does HubSpot or Salesforce Sales Cloud have a free plan?
HubSpot has a free plan. Salesforce Sales Cloud does not, though it offers a free trial.
How long is the HubSpot and Salesforce Sales Cloud free trial?
HubSpot offers a 14-day free trial, and Salesforce Sales Cloud offers a 30-day free trial.
Which is easier to use, HubSpot or Salesforce Sales Cloud?
In VERILO's editorial assessment HubSpot is the easier of the two, scoring 4 out of 5 against 2 for Salesforce Sales Cloud. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.

Our verdict

Choose HubSpot if you want to start free and grow into paid tiers; its free CRM has unlimited contacts and a shared inbox, Sales Hub Starter is about $20 per seat per month ($15 billed annually), and it scores 4 out of 5 for ease of use. Choose Salesforce Sales Cloud if you need deep customization of objects, processes and permissions, territory management and advanced forecasting, and you have the budget and admin capacity; the Starter Suite is about $25 per user per month billed annually with no free plan, and higher tiers rise to about $165 and $330 per user. Salesforce rates 2 out of 5 for ease of use and typically needs an administrator or partner to configure, while HubSpot's Professional and Enterprise tiers carry onboarding fees and annual contracts. Both integrate with Gmail, Outlook, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Zapier and Make; HubSpot adds Shopify, Stripe and Zoom, and Salesforce adds Mailchimp and QuickBooks.

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