HubSpot CRM, called Smart CRM on the vendor’s own site, is a customer relationship management system that keeps contact, company, deal and ticket records in one shared place. Marketing, sales and service teams work from the same records, so a conversation, a deal stage and a support request can be seen together instead of being held in separate tools or spreadsheets.
The free tools are the starting point: contacts, companies, deals, email tracking, meetings and live chat without paying, on the vendor’s CRM page. Paid tiers add automation, reporting, forecasting and controls, and connect to the vendor’s other hubs.
Who it fits — and who it does not fit
HubSpot CRM fits small businesses and growing teams that want a shared record of customers and a clear view of their sales pipeline. It fits sales teams that need deal tracking, email tracking and meeting scheduling in one place, and marketing and service teams that already use, or plan to use, other HubSpot hubs. Teams that want to start free and add paid features as they grow are a natural fit.
It does not fit buyers who want one fixed, all-in price for everything, because the price depends on the tier, the number of seats and whether other hubs are added, and the Starter figure shown was a discounted figure for new customers only. It also does not fit buyers who expect the more advanced automation, forecasting and reporting features on the free plan, since the vendor places those features in the Professional and Enterprise tiers. Buyers who need detailed support, device and language information should confirm those points with the vendor, because they were not stated in detail on the pages read.
Key features
- Contact, company, deal and ticket records with a timeline of calls, emails, notes and meetings.
- Deal pipelines and deal management, including pipeline views, deal tracking and, in higher tiers, forecasting.
- Email tools, including email tracking and notifications, templates, and sequences and automation in higher tiers.
- Meeting scheduling, live chat and forms for capturing enquiries and booking time with prospects.
- Dashboards and reports, with custom reports, sales analytics and forecasting in the Professional and Enterprise tiers.
- Artificial intelligence tools under the vendor’s Breeze name, including an assistant, prospecting and other AI features as described on the vendor’s pages.
- Workflow automation, lead rotation, playbooks and approval features in the higher tiers, for routing and approving work.
- An app marketplace with more than 1,700 integrations, as stated on the vendor’s Smart CRM pricing page.
Pricing
The figures below are the Smart CRM figures shown on the vendor’s pages, per seat, per month. They are presented as starting prices, before seats are added and before other hubs are added.
| Plan | Price shown | Billing basis |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Not stated |
| Starter | $15 per seat, per month* | Not stated |
| Professional | $50 per seat, per month | Annual billing shown |
| Enterprise | $75 per seat, per month | Not stated |
* The Starter figure of $15 was discounted on the CRM page checked. The vendor’s note states that the discount is for new customers only, with no set end date, and the standard Starter price was not stated on that page, so $15 must be treated as the standard price. For Professional, the $50 was the standard figure. See the current figures on the HubSpot CRM page.
Prices can change — confirm the current price on the vendor’s website before deciding.
Plans and key features
| Plan | Key features and limits |
|---|---|
| Free | $0; contacts, companies, deals, email tracking, meetings and live chat; no credit card required to start |
| Starter | $15 per seat, per month, discounted for new customers only, with no set end date; separate feature details not stated on the pages checked |
| Professional | $50 per seat, per month, standard figure; dashboards and reports, custom reports, sales analytics and forecasting; Start free trial option |
| Enterprise | $75 per seat, per month; dashboards and reports, custom reports, sales analytics and forecasting; Start free trial option |
Free demo and trial
The free plan can be started without a credit card, according to the vendor’s pricing pages, and the Free and Starter tiers are presented with a Get started free option. That is a free plan, not a time-limited trial. The Professional and Enterprise tiers are presented with a Start free trial option on the Smart CRM pricing page.
No trial length was stated on the pages read, so none is given here. The vendor also offers a demonstration. A buyer who needs to know a trial length or what a trial includes should confirm that with HubSpot before starting one.
Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Deployment | not stated on the pages read. |
| Devices | not stated on the pages read. |
| Integrations | More than 1,700 apps in the HubSpot App Marketplace, as stated on the vendor’s Smart CRM pricing page. Individual integration names were not listed in text on the pages read. |
| Support | not stated in detail on the pages read. Support options and hours were not stated on the CRM or Smart CRM pricing pages checked. |
| Languages | not stated on the pages read. |
Pros and Cons
HubSpot CRM’s main strength, on the vendor’s own description, is a free starting point with a shared record that marketing, sales and service can all use. The free plan covers the core records, and the paid tiers add automation, reporting and forecasting as a team grows, without moving to a different system.
Pros
- A free plan with contact, company, deal and ticket records and no credit card required to start.
- Shared records for marketing, sales and service, with pipelines, dashboards and artificial intelligence tools in higher tiers.
- More than 1,700 marketplace integrations and a tiered structure that can be added to over time.
Cons
- The limits are about pricing clarity and tier gating.
- The Starter discount applies to new customers only and its standard price was not stated on the CRM page read, Professional and Enterprise trial lengths were not stated, and the more advanced automation, forecasting and reporting features sit in the higher tiers.
- Deployment, devices, detailed support and languages were also not stated on the pages read.
Alternatives
If HubSpot CRM does not fit, compare other tools in the same category on the CRM software hub. Also in this category: Salesforce Sales Cloud, Zoho CRM, monday CRM, and Copper.
Comparison
| Product | Starting price | Free plan or trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salesforce Sales Cloud | $25 per user/month billed monthly (Starter Suite) | Free Suite; 30-day free trial | Sales teams that need a structured pipeline, shared records and forecasting |
| HubSpot CRM | $15 per seat/month (Starter; discounted for new customers only, with no set end date) | Free plan; Start free trial option, length not stated | Small businesses and growing teams that want a shared record and a clear pipeline view |
| Zoho CRM | $14 per user/month billed annually (Standard) | Free plan for up to 3 users; free trial, length not stated | Small and mid-sized businesses that need a shared sales record |
| monday CRM | $12 per user/month billed annually (Basic) | No free plan; 14-day free trial | Sales teams that want a visual, customizable pipeline in monday.com |
| Copper | $23 per seat/month billed annually (Basic) | No free plan; 14-day free trial | Small and mid-sized sales teams that live in Gmail and Google Workspace |
Frequently asked questions
Is HubSpot CRM free?
Yes, there is a free plan priced at $0, and the vendor states that no credit card is required to start it, according to the vendor’s pricing pages.
How much do the paid tiers cost?
Starter was shown at a discounted $15 per seat per month for new customers only, Professional at a standard $50 per seat per month, and Enterprise at $75 per seat per month. The standard Starter price was not stated on the CRM page read. The Free tier is $0.
Is there a free trial?
Professional and Enterprise are presented with a Start free trial option, and no trial length was stated on the pages read, so none is given here.
What does HubSpot CRM include?
It includes records for contacts, companies, deals and tickets, deal pipelines, email tools, meeting scheduling, live chat, dashboards and reports, artificial intelligence tools and workflow automation, with the more advanced features in the higher tiers.