HubSpot vs. Salesforce: Which CRM really suits your company?
Two names dominate the market for CRM systems: HubSpot vs. Salesforce. Both promise to optimize sales processes, improve customer relationships and make marketing activities more efficient. But which system really offers you the greatest added value?
We take a critical look at both tools and explain what the choice of the right CRM alternative has to do with the golden rule of “as much as necessary, as little as possible”.
1. user-friendliness: easy entry vs. steep learning curve
HubSpot: Intuitive interface & quick start
A big plus point for HubSpot: its user-friendly interface. The dashboard is clearly structured so that even beginners can work productively quickly. The navigation is logical, the functions are intuitive to use – and all without the need for extensive training.
Even the free version already offers numerous CRM functions. Companies can get started immediately, manage contacts, track deals and use marketing automations. The integration is seamless and the range of functions is overwhelming despite the ease of use. Depending on the tariff option, HubSpot is therefore also ideal for larger companies.
As much as necessary, but not unnecessarily much: Thanks to its simple scalability, HubSpot grows with your requirements.
Salesforce: Powerful, but extremely complex
Salesforce is a comprehensive tool with many customization options. However, this versatility comes at a price: the platform is complex and experience has shown that even the familiarization phase can be extremely lengthy. Most companies need dedicated Salesforce administration or external consultants to make the best use of the software – which quickly drives up the cost of implementation.
Customers report intensive setup and configuration also takes time. A few weeks should be planned for onboarding. After that, Salesforce offers useful functions and can be adapted to the needs of the respective teams.
At this point, a detailed cost-benefit analysis is the only way to find out to what extent the investment will pay off in the end.
2. functional scope of HubSpot vs. Salesforce: what is possible, what is necessary?
HubSpot: efficient CRM from a single source
HubSpot seamlessly integrates marketing, sales and customer service into a single platform. This ensures smooth collaboration between your teams and prevents data silos or knowledge islands. The automatic synchronization of customer data is particularly impressive, meaning that manual reconciliation is no longer necessary.
Users particularly emphasize the following positive functions:
✅ Integrated email marketing
✅ Automated lead-nurturing workflows
✅ Content management and social media publishing
✅ Native integration with numerous tools such as Slack, Jira and Microsoft Teams
✅ Quick to use thanks to intuitive operation and logical structure
Salesforce: Strong in depth, but complicated
Salesforce also offers comprehensive functions – from lead tracking to pipeline analysis. However, it often takes additional modules or third-party apps to achieve a similar user experience to HubSpot. Of course, this comes at a price and leads to rising costs and increased configuration effort.
Developers often have the feeling that they are dealing with a “CRM system – installation required”. Of course, this offers some possibilities for customization, but these should always be set soberly in relation to the effort involved.
3. integration & expandability
HubSpot: Seamless connections with other tools
A CRM is only as good as its ability to integrate with other business applications. HubSpot convinces with a variety of directly available plug-and-play integrations that can be used without in-depth IT knowledge.
Salesforce with additional AppExchange platform
Salesforce offers an additional selection of integrations with its AppExchange platform. However, these are often subject to a fee or require further configuration by external experts.
4. pricing HubSpot vs. salesforce
HubSpot: Flexible packages & free entry
The community praises HubSpot’s transparent pricing model as a CRM alternative. There is a free version that allows companies to get started right away. Extended functions can be added step by step, depending on requirements. This allows companies to retain full cost control.
The prices are clearly structured, with no hidden fees. HubSpot always offers exactly “as much as you need”, as the CRM system grows with your company thanks to its excellent scalability.
Salesforce: Separate modules and bookable features
Salesforce operates with a license-based model in which various modules have to be paid for separately. Depending on the desired scope, this results in higher costs right from the start – even if not all functions are used.
Additional features, training or consulting services lead to extra costs that are not apparent at first glance. It is worth calculating precisely and planning ahead to avoid any nasty surprises.
5. support & community: Who helps faster?
HubSpot: Personal support and a huge community
HubSpot is one of the CRM alternatives with first-class customer service. Users have direct access to support staff and an extensive knowledge database. Furthermore, a large community is always on hand to help with specific questions.
In addition, the HubSpot Academy offers onboarding programs, training and optimization to get the most out of your CRM system.
Salesforce: Solid support
Salesforce also offers solid support and paid onboarding programs. However, in order to use the CRM alternative correctly from the outset and benefit from it in the long term, companies can hardly avoid configuration by Salesforce employees.
HubSpot or Salesforce as a CRM system?
Both HubSpot and Salesforce are undoubtedly powerful CRM platforms. The choice depends heavily on your individual needs. What is a “nice-to-have” and what is a “must-have” feature for you? is the central question for your company.
HubSpot impresses with its intuitive operation, fast implementation and transparent pricing models. The all-in-one platform seamlessly connects marketing, sales and customer service and enables scalable use without hidden costs.
Salesforce offers a high degree of adaptability, but is naturally more complex and expensive as a result and requires configuration by external companies. This can be an advantage for large corporations with specific requirements – for SMEs, the cost is often too high.
Implement the perfect CRM strategy with Polygran
A powerful CRM system is only as good as its implementation. We are convinced that the switch to HubSpot is more than just a technical decision: it is about nothing less than making your sales, marketing and customer service more efficient and successful.
Through a detailed analysis of the current situation, many years of experience in dealing with CRM systems and an eye for detail, we determine the perfect CRM tool for your company and thus ensure your long-term business success.
Our team will support you in optimally adapting HubSpot to your business processes, seamlessly integrating existing systems and exploiting the platform’s full potential. Let’s work together to ensure that you don’t just use a CRM system, but find a solution that will continue to drive your growth in the future.
Let us advise you! As an experienced partner, we help you to use HubSpot optimally for your company. Contact us for an individual consultation and get started with the best CRM solution for your business!
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