HubSpot and Salesforce are the top CRM platforms on the market. Both platforms give you the tools needed to scale your business and manage your sales and marketing strategies. It may be hard to tell the difference between these two platforms at a glance. However, there are many things a team needs to consider before making the decision. Let’s do a deep dive into each platform, and gain better insight into these CRM services.
Functionality
Both CRMs offer basic tools that you would expect from any CRM to set you up for business success. These include email marketing, marketing automation, sales forecasting, contact and lead management, and content scheduling, among other things. If you’re looking for a standard CRM, both of these platforms are great choices.
However, there are some differences. For example, HubSpot offers free features to multiple members of your team, so you don’t have to fuss with account management. Salesforce, on the other hand, charges you for individual users and doesn’t offer certain features for free. This may not be sigificant with a smaller team, but the larger your team grows, the more accounts you have to pay for.
Where the tools are coming from also matters, believe it or not. This is because there’s a strong difference between software built on one platform, and software that is built through acquisitions. Salesforce uses several different platforms and combines them into one functional product, which can be a little confusing at first. HubSpot is an all-in-one platform, which can make it easier to visualize data and streamline your team’s processes.
Features
This is where we get into the nitty gritty of the CRM comparison. HubSpot vs Salesforce. Finding a software that suits your needs is important. You don’t want to purchase software that has features you’ll never use, or software that doesn’t have the features you need.
Let’s break down some of the features between the two that set them apart from one another:
HubSpot Features
- Free plan with extensive features
- Knowledge resources and certifications
- Simple, customizable dashboard
Salesforce Features
- Extensive customization and coding at a price
- Team communication and collaboration functions
- Very in-depth forecasting and reporting
What we can gather from these differences are two things.
1. HubSpot is a good choice for teams with a limited budget. Their free plan offers basic CRM functionality but also analytical tools such as PPC ad management and page optimization suggestions.
2. Salesforce offers a much more in-depth interface, but plans are more expensive. This may not be ideal for smaller teams, but for the business success of larger enterprises, it may be worth it for the added functionality.
Ease of Use
HubSpot is the clear winner here, but that doesn’t mean Salesforce is a bad option. HubSpot may have a more uniform dashboard with simple integration processes, but Salesforce offers customization down to the code, which HubSpot does not offer.
When you can customize your code, you open up a realm of possibilities that fit your business like a glove. Additionally, you may find multiple dashboards to be more useful than a single platform dashboard. The added data visualizations are more in-depth than HubSpot’s.
However, this presents a learning curve. Salesforce tools, while are incredibly useful, are not as intuitive or simplistic as HubSpot’s. Learning how to master Salesforce is a great skill that offers you a plethora of tools, but you have to set aside time and manpower to learn it. This can be unsustainable for businesses looking for a quick and seamless integration.
The Flex
Let’s check out the numbers, shall we? Here are some important facts to consider when looking at your options:
HubSpot
- HubSpot has over 1,000 integrations with apps (and counting!)
- HubSpot is a major provider for high-traffic websites
- HubSpot has almost 114,000 paying customers (that doesn’t include free plan users)
- HubSpot customers saw a 40% uptick in site visits in 2020
Salesforce
- Salesforce had $26.49 billion in revenue in 2022, a record high
- Salesforce and its partners will bring $1.6 trillion in business revenue by 2026
- Salesforce outclassed Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and Adobe in 2022 CRM marketing shares
- 90% of Fortune 500 companies use Salesforce
As you can see, both companies are growing at a rapid rate and offer great aid to businesses utilizing them. You can’t go wrong between the two! It just comes down to what you want out of your CRM.
What’s Your Budget?
You’ll find pretty similar functionality between HubSpot and Salesforce. However, the price separates the two.
Salesforce is more expensive than HubSpot. You can see this in their plan scaling, which starts at $25/month per user and goes up to as much as $15,000/month for their full functionality. This can be pretty costly, especially for smaller teams. Before deciding on whether Salesforce or HubSpot is a more cost-effective solution for your marketing efforts, you should assess how many Salesforce features you require.
With its free plan, HubSpot is incredibly budget-friendly and offers a variety of features that may be all the business needs from a CRM. While the most expensive HubSpot plan costs $3,600/month, it won’t have some of the advanced reporting capabilities of Salesforce; however, for many teams that suits their purpose.
In Conclusion
HubSpot and Salesforce are both great CRM platforms. Having a CRM is crucial to having an efficient, successful business. It amps up every facet of your business, from lead generation to content marketing. HubSpot and Salesforce are both great options, but that doesn’t mean they’re both suitable for your business.
Are you looking for a simple interface, basic and intermediate tools, and a friendly price tag? You might be more inclined toward HubSpot. For these reasons, HubSpot is great for smaller teams.
Or maybe you want something more extensive, with team collaboration features and in-depth dashboards? If your business wants a lot of functionality and control over your data, Salesforce might be worth investing in.
To learn more about our CRM comparisons, check out our free guide where we offer some more helpful tips to inform your decision.
