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One of the most common questions we receive is “What should I use?” It’s an exciting time in business technology and software, with new companies popping up everyday that promise to revolutionize your workflow. Nowhere was this more apparent than when HubSpot launched their ground-breaking AI platform a few years ago. While they’re still not perfect, it’s hard to ignore how powerful these platforms can be if you put them to work for you. In order for businesses of all sizes to thrive today, having both salesforce and hubspot are necessary evils
Salesforce is the leading CRM software and HubSpot is a marketing automation platform. These two tools are very similar, but there are some differences between them. Zoho is an online office suite that can be used for both sales and marketing. Read more in detail here: salesforce vs hubspot vs zoho.
HubSpot pricing is better for organizations on a low budget that require tools for easily gathering and engaging leads, according to a HubSpot versus Salesforce analysis. Salesforce, on the other hand, has a higher learning curve but provides more comprehensive and sophisticated solutions, such as substantial process automations and artificial intelligence (AI), making it the superior choice for companies with more robust demands and a more flexible budget.
Based on particular use scenarios, here’s when you should utilize HubSpot or Salesforce:
- HubSpot is a great option for small companies looking for free lead management solutions.
- Salesforce is a better fit for sales teams seeking extensive automation features.
Please keep in mind that both of these customer relationship managers (CRMs) are multi-purpose systems that can be utilized by businesses of various sizes and sorts. If you’re searching for a CRM that’s specialized to certain industries, we recommend reading our post on how to discover the perfect industry-specific CRM for your company.
A Quick Comparison between HubSpot vs Salesforce
How Did We Compare HubSpot and Salesforce?
Both HubSpot and Salesforce are prominent customer relationship management (CRM) software systems that assist firms with sales operations including contact management, lead management, and pipeline monitoring. However, the applicability of each platform is highly dependent on the size, budget, and objectives of your company.
We looked at the main variables small companies consider when picking a CRM to directly compare HubSpot vs Salesforce. Pricing, general CRM features, simplicity of use, customer support, and our expert ratings are all included.
For further details on our review criteria, please see the headings below:
40% of the overall score
For a small firm, cost and price alternatives are often the most essential concern. As a result, when comparing HubSpot and Salesforce, it was the most highly weighted. Free accounts, price scalability, and monthly paying alternatives are among the requirements.
20% of the overall score
We looked at the general characteristics of CRM software, such as sales funnel customization, automation capabilities, mobile app availability, and tools or connectors that would set one CRM apart from the other.
15% of the overall score
Any application’s features are only as useful as they are useable. As a result, the second most important criterion is ease of use. The competence necessary to set it up and link it with other apps, the skill required to use its capabilities, and general intuitiveness when traversing the UI were all considered.
15% of the overall score
HubSpot and Salesforce were compared in terms of customer service hours and the availability of customer assistance by phone, live chat, and email. We also looked at whether video lessons and a community forum were available.
10% of the overall score
We looked at trustworthy review sources in addition to our own direct experience with the providers to see how consumers felt about each CRM’s main features, overall value for money spent, popularity, and simplicity of use.
*Percentages based on total score
HubSpot is the best for pricing.
HubSpot is the obvious victor in terms of cost since it provides organizations with a free plan that includes an infinite number of users and a robust set of capabilities. Online webforms for lead generation, email marketing, ad management, contact management, phoning, and quotation generating are among these functions. Regardless of the plan you pick, HubSpot provides both monthly and yearly paying choices.
Salesforce does not have a free plan and might be costly if your company has a large number of users. For their small company Essentials plan, it likewise only enables monthly paying. When comparing monthly direct per-user pricing, paying for numerous users on a HubSpot plan is somewhat less costly than paying for many users on a Salesforce plan.
HubSpot was chosen as the winner because it offers a free plan, a larger monthly billing capacity, and somewhat less costly subscription options.
HubSpot is the best for usability.
HubSpot is well-known for being user-friendly, particularly when it comes to navigating the UI and utilizing the features. Many of the platform’s features support drag-and-drop, and users don’t find the interface to be overwhelming since the platform’s primary menu selections are limited to just a handful horizontally across the top.
Example of a HubSpot reporting page with a horizontal bar menu (Image courtesy of HubSpot)
The majority of Salesforce’s unfavorable ratings focus on usability, particularly when it comes to accessing features and navigating a daunting interface. Despite the fact that Salesforce employs a single-menu choice at the top, there are considerably more button selections to pick from, and the dashboard might seem cluttered, particularly to beginning users.
Page of the Salesforce dashboard (Source: Salesforce)
HubSpot was chosen as the winner because of its simple tools and user-friendly design.
Interested in learning more about alternative CRMs that are simple to use? Take a look at our list of the best easy CRM systems.
HubSpot has the best customer service.
When it comes to customer service features, HubSpot and Salesforce are almost comparable. Both CRMs include live chat, email, and phone assistance, as well as video lessons and a community forum where users may post questions and complaints. The sole difference is that HubSpot provides customer assistance for its channels 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but Salesforce only provides help during business hours.
HubSpot is the winner because they provide customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Salesforce is the best mobile app.
Both HubSpot and Salesforce provide mobile apps for the iOS and Android platforms. The mobile platforms, whether on a phone or a tablet, are simple to use. HubSpot customers may access fewer functions in the mobile app than in the online platform, which are restricted to basic contact management, deal and opportunity tracking, task creation, and lead communication.
Salesforce has a robust mobile app that extends virtually all of the functionality offered in the online platform. Basic contact management and sales capabilities are among them, as is the utilization of Einstein’s artificial intelligence (AI) capability, which includes voice assistant functionality and sophisticated analytics.
Contact page for the Salesforce mobile app (Image courtesy of Salesforce)
Salesforce is the winner since its functionality have been extended from the web to the mobile app.
HubSpot is the best for lead management.
HubSpot offers a number of simple lead management solutions, some of which are accessible for free. Leads may be created manually or automatically using online web forms and social media platforms. HubSpot customers may also auto-assign leads to individual sales agents and rate prospects based on the likelihood of a sale.
Salesforce’s lead management capabilities are almost as comprehensive as HubSpot’s, but they are more complicated to use. Salesforce’s social media features are restricted to connecting with leads through the platform; it does not collect leads into the CRM database automatically. Salesforce also lacks video messaging as a communication tool, which HubSpot provides through the Vidyard connector.
Video messaging is a HubSpot feature (Source: HubSpot)
HubSpot was named the winner for its simple tools for creating and connecting with leads.
Salesforce is the best platform for process automation.
HubSpot is a great rival when it comes to automation, but it falls short when compared to Salesforce. It offers a simple point-and-click workflow development approach, however the possibilities of what can be automated are restricted to activities like lead assignment, data field changes, and automatic email follow-up with contacts.
Within Salesforce and its linked apps, organizations can automate practically any workflow activity. It also includes the Lightning Flow tool, which allows users to construct automated workflow processes. The Sales Cloud Einstein tool, which adds AI features for obtaining advanced insights, sales advice, forecasting, and reporting analytics, may also be bought individually.
Einstein Predictions on a Salesforce custom-branded dashboard (Image courtesy of Plative)
Salesforce was chosen as the winner because of its extensive process automation capabilities and powerful AI capabilities.
Best Alternatives to HubSpot & Salesforce
Despite the fact that HubSpot and Salesforce are both outstanding CRMs for small companies, they may not be the best fit for your company’s unique requirements. Other platforms should be considered if your company requires features such as social media management tools, project management skills, or solutions for direct sales operations.
Here are some of the greatest HubSpot and Salesforce alternatives:
- Zoho CRM: For marketing teams that need a wide range of social media management tools.
- Bitrix24 is a free project management tool for enterprises.
- Pipedrive: For sales teams looking for all-encompassing direct sales solutions.
Is your company having trouble using a new CRM? Check out our post on how to enhance CRM adoption in six simple steps.
Conclusion
HubSpot and Salesforce are both powerful, general-purpose CRMs that can be used by a variety of companies. The major distinction is based on the choices of the user. HubSpot is more user-friendly, less expensive, and has superior lead management skills, but Salesforce offers a more comprehensive set of sophisticated features at a higher price.
HubSpot is a marketing platform that allows users to create, manage, and analyze their marketing campaigns. Pardot is an automation tool that uses HubSpot’s API. The two tools are very similar in features and capabilities. However, the two tools have different pricing structures. Reference: hubspot vs pardot.
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