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Last updated: October 29, 2026
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HubSpot vs Salesforce (2027): Which CRM Should a Small Team Choose?
Choose HubSpot if you want to start free and keep costs low: its CRM is free for 2 users and Sales Hub Starter costs $7 per seat per month on annual billing. Choose Salesforce if you expect complex sales processes and want the platform large companies use: Starter Suite costs $25 per user and full Sales Cloud starts at $195. At the professional level the two are close on seat price ($90 vs $100 per user), but HubSpot adds a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee and Salesforce usually needs more setup.
- HubSpot: free CRM for 2 users; Sales Hub Starter $7/seat (annual), $20 monthly; Professional $90/seat (annual) + $1,500 onboarding.
- Salesforce: Starter Suite $25/user; Pro Suite $100/user; Sales Cloud Core $195, Advanced $395, Max $550 (annual).
- Free plan: HubSpot yes; Salesforce no (free trials).
- 10 users at entry level: HubSpot $70/month vs Salesforce $250/month.
- 3-year cost, team growing 5 → 10 → 20: HubSpot Starter $2,940 vs Salesforce Starter Suite $10,500.
HubSpot vs Salesforce at a glance
| HubSpot | Salesforce | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, up to 2 users | No (free trials) |
| Entry paid plan | Sales Hub Starter: $7/seat (annual) | Starter Suite: $25/user |
| Professional tier | $90/seat (annual) + $1,500 onboarding | Pro Suite: $100/user |
| Enterprise-level sales | Higher Hub tiers | Sales Cloud Core $195 to Max $550 |
| Strength | Easy start, sales + marketing + service on one CRM | Customization and scale |
| Typical setup | Hours to days | Days to weeks at higher editions |
Pricing compared
Entry level
HubSpot's free CRM covers contacts, companies, deals and pipelines for 2 users. Starter at $7 per seat on annual billing is one of the cheapest paid CRMs on the market. Salesforce's cheapest option, Starter Suite, costs $25 per user, more than three times HubSpot Starter.
Professional level
HubSpot Sales Hub Professional costs $90 per seat on annual billing ($100 monthly) plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. Salesforce Pro Suite costs $100 per user on annual billing. On seat price alone they are close; the onboarding fee makes HubSpot's first year more expensive for small teams.
Enterprise level
Salesforce's full Sales Cloud editions cost $195 (Core), $395 (Advanced) and $550 (Max) per user. This is where Salesforce's customization, data capacity and security features justify the price, and where most small teams never need to go.
What a real team pays per month
| Users | HubSpot Starter (annual) | HubSpot Professional (annual) | Salesforce Starter Suite | Salesforce Pro Suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $0 (free CRM) or $14 | $180 | $50 | $200 |
| 5 | $35 | $450 | $125 | $500 |
| 10 | $70 | $900 | $250 | $1,000 |
| 20 | $140 | $1,800 | $500 | $2,000 |
First-year cost for 10 users on the professional tiers: HubSpot $900 × 12 + $1,500 = $12,300; Salesforce Pro Suite $1,000 × 12 = $12,000.
3-year cost for a growing team
A team that starts with 5 users and doubles each year, on annual billing:
| Year (users) | HubSpot Starter | Salesforce Starter Suite | HubSpot Professional | Salesforce Pro Suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 (5) | $420 | $1,500 | $5,400 + $1,500 | $6,000 |
| Year 2 (10) | $840 | $3,000 | $10,800 | $12,000 |
| Year 3 (20) | $1,680 | $6,000 | $21,600 | $24,000 |
| Total | $2,940 | $10,500 | $39,300 | $42,000 |
At entry level, Salesforce costs about 3.6 times more over three years. At the professional level, the totals are within 7% of each other.
Ease of use and setup
HubSpot is designed to be adopted quickly: most small teams import contacts, set up a pipeline and start working in an afternoon. Salesforce Starter Suite is pre-configured for small teams, but the platform's depth means more choices and more setup, and higher editions usually need an administrator or an implementation partner.
Features that decide the choice
| If you need… | Better choice |
|---|---|
| A free CRM to start | HubSpot |
| Marketing and sales on one database without integrations | HubSpot |
| Deep customization of objects, fields and processes | Salesforce |
| Enterprise security, data capacity and large-team controls | Salesforce (Advanced, Max) |
| The lowest cost for a 5- to 20-person team | HubSpot Starter |
| A platform you'll grow into for many years | Salesforce |
Three real-world scenarios
A 3-person startup
HubSpot's free CRM covers two users; the third pays $7 a month on Starter. Total: $84 a year on annual billing. Salesforce Starter Suite would cost $75 a month, or $900 a year, for the same three people.
A 12-person sales team with a marketing manager
HubSpot Sales Hub Starter for 12 users costs $84 a month on annual billing, and Marketing Hub Starter plugs into the same CRM. Salesforce Starter Suite costs $300 a month. Choose Salesforce only if the team's process needs customization that HubSpot Starter can't handle.
A 40-person company with a complex sales process
With territories, approvals, many products and forecasting, Salesforce's Pro Suite or Sales Cloud Core becomes the more natural fit, and the extra setup cost pays off over years. HubSpot Professional can also work; compare a full quote including onboarding.
Hidden costs to watch
- HubSpot onboarding: $1,500 for Sales Hub Professional, $3,000 for Marketing Hub Professional.
- Salesforce administration: at Core and above, plan for an admin or partner.
- Edition jumps: Salesforce Starter → Pro Suite multiplies the seat price by 4; HubSpot Starter → Professional by about 13.
- Annual commitments: the prices above assume annual billing.
Alternatives worth comparing
| CRM | Free plan | Entry price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipedrive | No | about $14/seat (Lite, annual) * | Pipeline-driven sales teams |
| Zoho CRM | Yes, 3 users | about $14/user (Standard) * | Customization on a budget |
| monday CRM | No | €12/seat (Basic, annual, 3-seat minimum) | Sales linked to project delivery |
* From 2026 pricing guides. See best CRM for small business and Pipedrive vs HubSpot.
Start HubSpot's free CRM → Free for 2 users, no credit card · Affiliate link
How to choose in 5 steps
- Map your sales stages and note anything unusual (approvals, territories, many products).
- Count users now and in two years.
- Price both for two years, including HubSpot onboarding and Salesforce admin time.
- Start HubSpot free and a Salesforce trial with the same 50 real contacts and open deals.
- Keep the one your team uses without reminders.
Terms explained
- Hub: a HubSpot product line (Sales, Marketing, Service) sold separately on one CRM.
- Edition: a Salesforce package (Starter Suite, Pro Suite, Core, Advanced, Max).
- Seat or user: a paid licence for one person.
- Onboarding fee: a one-time setup charge on HubSpot Professional plans.
Our verdict
For most small businesses, HubSpot is the better starting point: it is free for 2 users, $7 per seat after that, and adds marketing and service tools on the same database. Salesforce is the better long-term platform for complex sales organizations that need deep customization, and Starter Suite at $25 per user lets smaller teams start on it without migrating later. If your sales process is simple and your team is under 20, HubSpot will cost a fraction of Salesforce for the same daily work.
How we compiled this page
We compared HubSpot's and Salesforce's official pricing pages on October 29, 2026, using annual billing, and calculated costs for real team sizes. HubSpot's annual and monthly Starter prices were mapped from the page layout. See HubSpot pricing and Salesforce pricing.
FAQ
Is HubSpot cheaper than Salesforce?
At entry level, yes: HubSpot is free for 2 users and Starter costs $7 per seat, versus $25 for Salesforce Starter Suite. At the professional level, prices are close ($90 vs $100 per user), but HubSpot adds a $1,500 onboarding fee.
Is Salesforce better than HubSpot?
For complex, customized sales processes and large teams, Salesforce is more powerful. For small teams that want to start fast and cheaply, HubSpot is usually the better fit.
Can I switch from HubSpot to Salesforce later?
Yes. Both import and export contacts, companies and deals. Migrating is easier while your data is still simple.
Does Salesforce have a free plan?
No, but Starter Suite, Pro Suite, Core and Advanced have free trials.
Sources
hubspot.com/pricing/sales and salesforce.com/sales/pricing, checked October 29, 2026. Pipedrive and Zoho prices from 2026 pricing guides.
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- Pipedrive vs HubSpot (2027): Which CRM Is Better?
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