HubSpot vs. Salesforce comparison

Salesforce CRM - All you need to know

Salesforce is a widely used CRM software that prides itself on its customizability and scalability. It offers a unified system of sales, marketing, customer service, and management tools with options for maximum customizability. This makes the software adjustable to varying business needs, regardless of company size.

However, high pricing, time consuming, and a long learning curve are not Salesforce’s only cons. Here are some of the shortcomings of Salesforce that you should consider.

Shortcomings of Salesforce CRM

Here are some of Salesforce CRM’s most annoying setbacks that have made their presence increasingly felt by customers. Let’s dig deeper into them.

Hassle to set up

Salesforce advertises that the installation process of their product is a breeze. A computer system and an internet connection are all you require to get the software up and running. Being a cloud-based CRM, the ease of setting it up should be a feature by design. 

However, the installation, configuration, and onboarding processes can be complex and time-consuming. 

You may need experts from Salesforce to assist you through the process. This drastically increases your implementation costs.

Precipitous learning curve

Salesforce CRM is known for being difficult to use for newbies and veterans. It attempts to provide countless features and updates. But in doing so, it alienates a part of its clientele. 

Representatives have to be constantly trained and retrained. The knowledge base keeps expanding with every update. You need to know HTML or CSS to customize some elements in the product.

If you want to make full use of the potential that Salesforce CRM offers, you need to invest a good amount of resources into keeping your team up-to-date. 

However, the logistical nightmare this creates has led many users to complain about the increasing complexity of the CRM. 

High price points

Salesforce is costly. There is no free version. The already expensive starter version costs  $25 per user/ month, billed annually. The unlimited version goes all the way up to $330. 

The range might look highly adjustable. However, the business mode could be more sustainable for smaller businesses. This hurts the overall scalability of the solution. 

Moreover, there can be a lot of unexpected costs when you decide to go with Salesforce CRM. Additional installation, customization, integration, and maintenance charges can pile up to create a massive hole in your wallet. 

This makes Salesforce a distant reality, especially for small businesses.

If you want to try the best CRM software. Go for Freshsales today. 

Biggest pain point: Integrations

Salesforce can integrate most applications you use in a business setting. However, setting up these integrations, Salesforce CRM’s primary selling point, can be a pain. 

Salesforce has its one app marketplace called AppExchange. Most of the apps here can be easily integrated. But only some of these are free, potentially resulting in more unexpected costs. 

Apps that aren’t available on AppExchange can be challenging to integrate, can need a lot of time and effort to set up, and can require professional support. 

Unsatisfactory customer support

Salesforce CRM’s self-service portals are its primary solution for resolving client issues. 

Some users have reported that getting in touch with the company’s representatives is impossible. Only high-end versions come with a 24/7 support option.

Features of Salesforce CRM

Connectivity is the motto of Salesforce Sales Cloud CRM. The data generated by the tools are compiled and shared with all team members for easier access. 

Salesforce has all you need for your CRM, including features like contact and lead management and generation, sales automation, email integration, email marketing, and Gen AI-powered sales prediction.

Here are some of its CRM features:

Efficient data management

Salesforce CRM helps you manage your data efficiently. It can keep your communication channels in one place and sort through messages depending on their priority. You can also engage in multi-channel lead tracking with the CRM. 

However, Freshsales can instantly provide more intuitive views and a cleaner UI with all the data you need. All this is in a fraction of the Salesforce price tag.

Collaboration capabilities

Salesforce provides great collaborative tools in the CRM game. It allows multiple teams from various departments to collaborate and work in tandem. A shared virtual workspace ensures the delivery of relevant data from the sales pipeline to required team members.

GenAI support in various areas

Salesforce CRM integrates Gen AI Einstein into their sales forecast systems. It can suggest the best course of action for optimal business growth. The AI can also provide consolidated data compiling important business metrics, such as lead scoring or conversion rates.

However, leveraging the capabilities of Einstein AI requires extra cost and an Enterprise or above plan. 

Freshsales offers dynamic and super-useful Freddy AI capabilities for a much lower price so your business can make the most intelligent decisions.

How is the Salesforce CRM rated?

Sales Cloud CRM has positive reviews. G2.com rated it at 4.3/5 and 4/5 on Capterra. However, both sites are full of disgruntled customer complaints regarding high prices, hidden costs, and scalability issues. 

Freshsales, on the other hand, has a higher rating of 4.5/5 on g2 and Capterra. Users appreciate its price points, free version, powerful features, GenAI support, and accessibility.

HubSpot CRM - All you need to know

HubSpot makes its free CRM its primary selling point. Thus, it emphasizes its ease of use. It helps you track and analyze your sales activities in real-time while allowing you to store unlimited data and up to 1,000,000 contacts without any imposed expiration date. 

While the company mainly advertises its free CRM tools, it has priced versions as well. These priced versions carry a bulk of functionalities. However, the free version is constrained and mostly provides free marketing tools rather than a fully operational CRM system.

Shortcomings of HubSpot CRM (Sales Hub)

Despite a free version, HubSpot CRM is not free from its share of drawbacks. Let us take a look at what’s holding it back. 

Lack of proper mobile user support

The mobile app accompanying HubSpot CRM is notably less feature-rich than its web-based version. Several users complain about an underwhelming experience on the mobile app because key features such as generating quotes and sending texts directly through HubSpot are missing in the app. 

Users also reported slow and error-laden syncing between the web version and the app, in addition to complicated processes for simple tasks like completing forms and finding contacts. 

Expensive

HubSpot’s pricing strategy is unfavorable for startups and smaller firms. Some packages that HubSpot offers are priced much higher than those of its competitors. HubSpot also offers limited functionality with its free version.

It is also worth mentioning that agreeing to a contract eliminates the possibility of cancellations and refunds. If users opt-in for a 6 or 12-month contract, they will be billed continuously until the fulfillment of the entire contract cost. Such an approach is highly impractical for businesses in their testing phase.

Some competitors even offer unlimited users across all plans, while HubSpot only allows one user on their free plan.

Forgo these complications and go for the CRM software with amazing features in its free version. Try Freshsales CRM for free. 

Lack of adequate customer support

Providing after-sales support is one area where HubSpot significantly lags compared to most of its competitors. For starters, if your team needs technical assistance with HubSpot, you’ll have to pay additional charges for availing support. 

Leading competitors such as Freshsales provide technical support over Gmail, phone, and chat for subscribers from day one, completely free of cost.

Split testing only in higher-tier versions

Split Testing, or A/B testing, is critical for businesses to determine the best strategy for improving performance, fine-tuning marketing efforts, and boosting sales. In split testing, different versions of marketing material are compared to pick out the one that translates to better results.

With HubSpot, you can access split testing only through one of the higher-tier packages, starting from the Professional package, which costs upwards of $800 monthly. 

Not easy to operate

HubSpot’s enterprise plan has a ton of features, but they are not laid out in an intuitive or easy-to-understand manner. Users have also reported that simple tasks, such as importing contact details from Excel to the CRM, can be tough for sales reps. Setting up sequences does not directly integrate into the workflow; every sequence has to be configured individually.

On top of the UI, which may seem clunky and frustrating, some users complained that HubSpot is slow. Sometimes, it stops responding altogether, and even simple tasks such as email sorting and management sometimes consume time.

Features of HubSpot CRM

Here’s what sets HubSpot apart from other CRMs:

Feature-packed

HubSpot Sales Hub, built on the HubSpot CRM platform, acts as an all-in-one tool that streamlines the entire sales process workflow. Standard features, from quote generation and price books to sales analytics and cadences, are all combined in one dashboard. HubSpot also allows building custom dashboards so businesses can customize the hub according to their preferences.

However, Freshsales offers all of these features, with additional features such as auto-lead assignment (for better lead response times) and advanced AI capabilities with Freddy AI.

AI-powered enhancements

HubSpot has introduced several AI-backed tools that aim to improve user productivity. It can help automate repetitive tasks, reveal insights, and draft emails. 

Freshsales also has been implementing AI, and that too on a larger scale, for quite some time. Freddy AI and Freshsales offer extensive AI-powered features, such as predictive contact scoring, profile management, customer segmentation, and deal analysis, at no add-on cost.

Quick realization of ROI

HubSpot service hub has a free plan that offers essentials such as contact management, deal pipeline, and live chat, among other features. However, features keep piling up as you upgrade to a higher tier. It is well-regarded in the industry and is generally considered a capable CRM software. HubSpot Sales Hub makes it easy for users to achieve their ROI quicker.

But let’s not forget that Freshsales, unlike HubSpot, does not make users bear hidden implementation, scalability, and support charges, which makes it much more cost-effective. Reputed software review site G2 stated that while HubSpot customers realized ROI in years, Freshsales customers did so within seven months.

How is HubSpot CRM rated?

HubSpot Sales Hub has overall positive ratings, with a 4.4 on g2.com (just below Freshsales) and a 4.5 on Capterra.

Try Freshsales for free.

Salesforce vs. HubSpot CRM: Features comparison

Now that we know the pros and cons of both CRM software, let us pit them against each other to obtain our final verdict. We shall compare them based on the following:

Ease of use

Salesforce faces constant complaints regarding its steep learning curve. With regular version updates and the plethora of resources available, it isn’t easy to keep up with it. The onboarding process of Salesforce is too complicated. HubSpot offers a relatively simpler way of using a CRM. 

That’s why, when it comes to user experience and overall accessibility, HubSpot CRM, with a simple design, beats Salesforce. 

However, an even simpler design may not always translate into the most powerful feature set. Try Freshsales and experience every feature you crave in your CRM.

Customizability and integration

Salesforce is built for integration and personalization. It prides itself on molding the software according to the client's business needs.

Thus, the customizability features on Salesforce beat HubSpot’s limited customizability by miles. 

Customization of the UI in Salesforce often leads to slower processing. Moreover, the customizations and integrations are expensive on AppExchange or can be difficult to implement. 

Scalability

Salesforce may not always be great for smaller companies due to its price model. It is primarily viable for mid to large-sized enterprises. It can even negatively impact smaller businesses due to the costs associated with its operations. 

HubSpot can accommodate small to medium-sized businesses but may not be fully suitable for large-scale companies and enterprises. 

If you ask us for our opinion on Salesforce vs. Hubspot for small businesses, we will declare Hubspot the winner.

Get a CRM that scales with you, and try Freshsales for free.

Automation capabilities

Both CRM options have adequate automation capabilities with their priced versions. HubSpot’s free version has but one email automation action. Since Salesforce has a much more robust feature set overall, despite its high price, it takes the cake in this regard. 

Salesforce vs. Hubspot pricing

Hubspot takes the cake on this one since it is hard to compete with a free option regarding price. Moreover, Salesforce has a problematic pricing system and many associated hidden costs. 

Remember, however, that HubSpot, on the other hand, offers limited services with its free features.

If you want a truly free, fully operational CRM, try Freshsales.

Our verdict

Both Salesforce and HubSpot offer unique SaaS-based solutions tailored to the needs of varying businesses. 

For beginners, HubSpot is the way to go. Start with the starter plan and go for the paid tiers if you find it suitable. However, if you spearhead a large enterprise, Salesforce may be the right choice. It is far more scalable than HubSpot but has a much larger price tag.

If you are looking for a CRM solution that meets all your business needs and comes with a transparent, affordable pricing model, consider Freshsales. It hits all the right notes regarding features, scalability, and UI, creating a perfect symphony with a free, fully functional CRM you can try right now.

From powerful generative AI capabilities to efficient multiple pipeline management and an active customer support team, there is nothing more you could ever want. 

Experience the best of all worlds with Freshsales. Get started for free now.