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Ever felt swamped by all the different tools that say they can make your business better? If you own a business or work in marketing and sales, you’ve probably heard about HubSpot. They even offer some free stuff! But you might be wondering, “Is HubSpot really free?” or “Are there any sneaky costs hiding behind that ‘free’ sign?”
You’re not alone in your curiosity.
We speak to many people, just like you, who are keen to understand the true value proposition of HubSpot’s free versus paid versions.
In this article, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of HubSpot’s free offerings, its capabilities, and any potential limitations.
Drawing from our 10+ years experience in helping customers use HubSpot, you’ll be able to make a truly informed decision by the end of this article.
So, let’s dive in and uncover the truth behind HubSpot’s free CRM.
Overview of HubSpot’s Offerings
In today’s digital age, having a robust CRM system is no longer a luxury but a necessity for businesses aiming to thrive.
HubSpot, a frontrunner in the CRM landscape, has carved a niche for itself by offering a suite of tools tailored to enhance sales, marketing, and customer service processes.
While many are drawn to its premium packages, teeming with advanced features, it’s HubSpot’s promise of a ‘free’ CRM that often piques curiosity.
At its core, HubSpot’s free CRM is designed to provide businesses, especially those on a tight budget or just starting, with essential tools to manage customer relationships effectively. It serves as a gateway, introducing users to HubSpot’s ecosystem without any immediate financial commitment.
From tracking customer interactions to managing leads and integrating with other tools, this free offering aims to provide a foundational CRM experience, setting the stage for more advanced marketing, sales and service functionalities available in its paid versions.
On top of the free CRM, HubSpot comes with free Marketing, Sales and Service tools. If you want more advanced tools within these three areas, you can upgrade that specific area (called a “Hub”, i.e. “Marketing Hub”, “Sales Hub”, “Services Hub”).
What’s Included in the Free Plan?
With the totally free version of the HubSpot CRM, you can store up to a million contacts in your HubSpot database, and you have an unlimited number of users on your team that can access that data. You also gain access to some of the tools to manage your database.
Free HubSpot CRM Features includes:
- Content management
- The ability to store companies that are associated with your contacts
- The ability to store and track sales deals
- The ability to track contact website activity
- Gmail or Outlook integration
- Limited sales productivity tools (like email scheduling, tickets, and meeting scheduling)
- Access to email tracking, templates, and canned snippets
- Access to calling
- Access to third party integrations through the App Marketplace
- Forms to capture leads throughout your site
- Live chat and basic chatbots that can be embedded on your website
You also get a range of free tools included in the Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Operations Hub and Services Hub. You can see a full list of the free features provided to you here. Note you will need a HubSpot account to access this URL.
Free Features Included in Marketing Hub
Free Features Included in Sales Hub
Free Features Included in Service and Operations Hub
| Operations Hub Free Features | Services Hub Free Features |
| Deals | Max of 1 meeting scheduling link |
| Data Sync | Live chat (includes HubSpot branding) |
| Companies | 5 Canned snippets |
| User Management | 200 email notifications p/month (email tracking) |
| Contact Management | Ticketing |
| Company Insights | 1 to 1 email |
| Historical sync | Up to 100 products |
| App marketplace integrations | User Management |
| Ticketing | Email scheduling |
| Tasks and activities | Calling SDK |
| Email health reporting (limited features) | Shared Inbox |
| Default field mappings | Mobile Inbox |
| Up to 100 products in the product library | Channel switching |
| Custom user permissions | 5 Email templates |
| 10 active lists, 1000 static lists | 5 Documents per account |
| 10 custom properties | 1 ticket pipeline per account |
| Marketing events object | Email reply tracking |
| Email reply tracking | 3 reporting dashboards, 10 reports per dashboard |
| – | Limited features with conversational bots |
All of these features are a great way to get started using inbound marketing and inbound sales, especially as a small or new business, but there’s a limit to what you can do with just these tools, as you can probably tell after looking through all the free features available (and the features noy available).
If your business is large or scaling quickly, the free HubSpot CRM may only be a short-term option.
HubSpot’s Paid Plans: A Comparative Analysis
If you want a deep dive into HubSpot Paid Plans, check out these two articles:
While HubSpot’s free CRM offers features that cater to the basic needs of many businesses, there comes a point when growth and complexity necessitate a more advanced solution.
Here’s a very basic comparative analysis to help you understand the benefits of upgrading and the considerations involved:
Benefits of Upgrading to Paid Versions
- Advanced Automation: Paid versions of HubSpot offer sophisticated automation tools, allowing businesses to streamline and unify their marketing, sales, and service processes, ensuring timely responses and personalised customer journeys
- Enhanced Reporting: Dive deeper into your data with advanced analytics and reporting features within HubSpot. Understand customer behaviour, track sales performance, and gain insights that can drive strategic decisions
- Team Collaboration Tools: As teams grow, collaboration becomes crucial. HubSpot’s paid plans offer tools that facilitate team communication, task management, and project tracking, ensuring everyone is aligned and informed
- Security and Compliance: With advanced security features, businesses can ensure that their data is protected. Additionally, compliance tools ensure that operations adhere to industry standards and regulations
- Full control: If you want to take full control of your marketing and sales, then upgrading to the paid plans of HubSpot is a no brainer. It gives you full visibility over your marketing and sales activities, ultimately facilitating in helping you close more deals
Considerations before upgrading to a paid plan
- Cost Implications: Upgrading to a paid version is an investment. Businesses need to weigh the benefits against the costs to determine if the upgrade aligns with their budget and expected ROI
- Training and Onboarding: With added features comes the need for training. Ensuring that the team is well-acquainted with the new tools is essential to maximise the benefits of the upgrade
- Integration with Existing Tech Stack: While HubSpot is known for its seamless integrations, businesses should verify that the paid versions are compatible with their existing tech stack to ensure smooth operations
While HubSpot’s free CRM is a powerful tool in its own right, the paid versions of the Marketing and Sales Hub offer enhanced functionalities that can significantly boost a business’s capabilities.
However, the decision to upgrade should be made after careful consideration of the benefits, costs, and the specific needs of the business.
Also keep in mind that as a CRM, HubSpot’s free version has everything you need. Upgrading only comes into consideration if you’re looking for more than a CRM, but instead a marketing and sales powerhouse.
Should You Opt for the Paid HubSpot Plans?
While the HubSpot CRM is completely free and there are no upgrades for this, HubSpot does offer upgrade options for its Marketing, Sales and Service Hubs if you’re looking for more advanced functionalities in these three departments.
Choosing the right package here is akin to selecting the perfect outfit; it should fit just right, catering to your specific needs without being overly complex or too simplistic.
Here’s a guide to help you decide which HubSpot package aligns best with your business needs:
Factors to Think About When Considering Upgrading Your HubSpot Package
- Size of Your Team: If you have a large team with multiple departments, you might benefit from advanced collaboration tools available in the higher-tier packages
- Volume of Customer Interactions: Businesses with a high volume of customer interactions might require advanced automation and reporting tools to manage and analyse these interactions effectively
- Complexity of Sales Processes: If your sales process involves multiple stages, touchpoints, and custom workflows, a more advanced package might be beneficial
- Budget Considerations: While it’s tempting to opt for the most feature-rich package, it’s essential to consider your budget. Determine the ROI you expect from HubSpot and choose a package that offers the best value for your investment
- Future Growth and Scalability: Consider your business’s growth trajectory. If you anticipate rapid growth in the near future, it might be wise to invest in a package that can scale with you, rather than switching packages frequently
- Training and Onboarding: Some advanced packages come with a steeper learning curve (such as the Pro and Enterprise Plans). Ensure that your team has the resources and time to get acquainted with the new tools and features. In particular, the Pro and Enterprise Plans for any of the Hubs come with a compulsory onboarding, so make sure your team (or yourself) have the time to invest in this
While HubSpot offers a diverse range of packages, the key is to choose one that aligns closely with your business’s unique requirements, budget, and growth plans.
Keep in mind that if you’re not looking for advanced marketing, sales or service functionalities, the free CRM is more than enough.
Does the Free Version of HubSpot Impact Sales Teams?
Sales teams are the lifeblood of any business, driving revenue and forging relationships with customers. A robust CRM system, like HubSpot, can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of these teams, even without any paid functionalities included.
Here’s a look at how HubSpot’s free CRM impacts sales teams:
Tools and Features for Sales Enhancement
- Lead Scoring: HubSpot allows sales teams to assign scores to leads based on their interactions, ensuring that the most promising leads are prioritised
- Email Tracking: Sales reps can track when their emails are opened, helping them gauge interest and time their follow-ups effectively
- Automated Sequences: Automate follow-up emails and tasks, ensuring that no lead falls through the cracks
Tracking and Monitoring Sales Performance
- Sales Dashboards: Get a real-time view of the sales funnel, track deals, and monitor team performance with intuitive dashboards
- Detailed Reports: Dive deep into sales metrics, understand which strategies are working, and identify areas for improvement
- Forecasting: Predict future sales and revenue based on current data, helping in planning and decision-making
- Enhanced Collaboration: With HubSpot, sales teams can collaborate seamlessly, share notes, view interactions, and ensure that everyone is on the same page, leading to a cohesive sales strategy
- Integration with Other Tools: HubSpot’s ability to integrate with other tools means that sales teams can have all the information they need at their fingertips, from email communication to calendar appointments
- Personalised Outreach: With detailed contact profiles and segmentation capabilities, sales reps can tailor their outreach, ensuring that communication is relevant and resonates with the lead
HubSpot empowers sales teams, providing them with the tools and insights they need to excel, even on the free CRM.
Getting Started with HubSpot: A Step-by-Step Guide
Embarking on your HubSpot journey doesn’t have to be daunting. With the right steps, you can set up and start leveraging the platform’s powerful features in no time.
Here’s a step-by-step HubSpot setup guide to help you get started:
1. Sign Up, Account Setup, Data Import
- Visit HubSpot’s official website and click on the ‘Get Started’ button
- Provide the necessary details, including your business email and company information
- Import your data into HubSpot if you have pre-existing data
2. Create a Customer Journey Map
You can learn how to create a customer journey map in our comprehensive guide.
With a customer journey map in place, you’ll be able to identify which parts of the sales process could benefit from automation, and which stages of the customer journey require more personal interaction. This will give you a clear roadmap for how to leverage HubSpot’s various features and tools to create a more efficient and effective sales process.
For example, you might use workflows to automate lead nurturing and follow-up, or set up automated alerts to notify sales reps when a lead takes a specific action on your website. By mapping out the customer journey and identifying key touchpoints where automation can help, you’ll be better equipped to design a sales process that maximises the potential of HubSpot.
3. Train your team
Here’s a list of all the learning resources you should introduce to your team. Note that some resources are better suited to certain team members, as we’ve noted next to each resource.
Best Training Courses for HubSpot:
- Sales Hub Software Certification (best for management)
- Intro to Sales Hub Pro Tools for Reps (best for sales reps)
- Managing Sales Teams in HubSpot (best for management)
- Segmenting and qualifying your leads in HubSpot (best for sales reps and marketing team members)
- Understanding activities in HubSpot (best for sales reps)
To ensure that your training is effective, make sure to provide hands-on exercises and opportunities for your sales team to practice using HubSpot in real-world scenarios.
You might also consider assigning a “HubSpot Champion” within your sales team to act as an internal expert and help others with any questions or issues they may have.
4. Get the admin tasks out of the way
- Set-up meetings tool
- Understand HubSpot sales email open and click tracking
- Connect inbox for email tracking
- Add an email signature in the CRM
- Create and send sales templates
- Use snippets
- IF reps will be making calls from the CRM, they should connect their phones
- Make calls from HubSpot CRM. The 5 paid pro. seats get up to 3,000 minutes of calling per account per month.
- Consider an SMS integration for external SMS i.e. appointment reminders etc. We recommend MessageMedia, local ANZ support and great UX integration 5. Seek Support When Needed
HubSpot has an active community and support team ready to assist. If you encounter challenges or have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to a HubSpot Partner.
In essence, setting up HubSpot is a straightforward process. With a bit of time and exploration, you’ll be well on your way to harnessing the platform’s full potential, driving efficiency, and achieving your business goals.
Frequently Asked Questions About HubSpot CRM
Navigating a new platform can come with its fair share of questions. To assist you further, here are some frequently asked questions about HubSpot’s free offering:
What does the free HubSpot offer?
HubSpot’s free version provides a range of features, including contact management, email marketing, ad management, and basic reporting. It’s designed to give businesses a taste of HubSpot’s capabilities without any financial commitment. You can see the full list of features available in the free plan here.
How much does HubSpot cost?
While HubSpot does offer a free version, there are also paid plans available that provide additional features and capabilities. The cost varies depending on the package chosen and the Hub Chosen (for example Marketing Hub has different pricing to Sales Hub). Here’s a full deep dive into HubSpot Marketing Hub Pricing and HubSpot Sales Hub Pricing.
Will HubSpot always remain free?
HubSpot’s free CRM is intended to remain free. However, users might encounter prompts or suggestions to upgrade to paid versions to access more advanced features.
Duration of HubSpot’s free offerings?
HubSpot’s free CRM does not have a time limit. You can use it indefinitely without any charges. However, certain advanced features might be available for a trial period, after which an upgrade would be required.
Are there any limitations to the free version?
Yes, while the free version offers a range of features, there are limitations in terms of the number of email sends per month, the amount of data storage, and access to premium features like advanced automation and reporting.
How does HubSpot’s free version compare to its competitors?
HubSpot’s free CRM is robust and offers a comprehensive suite of tools that many competitors reserve for their paid versions.
Is training provided for the free version?
Yes, HubSpot offers a range of resources, including tutorials, webinars, and articles, to help users get the most out of their CRM, whether it’s the free or paid version.
Can I upgrade from the free version to a paid plan?
Absolutely! If you find that your business requires more advanced features, you can seamlessly upgrade to one of HubSpot’s paid plans.
HubSpot’s free CRM is a powerful tool designed to cater to businesses looking for a comprehensive solution without the initial financial outlay. As with any platform, it’s essential to explore, understand its capabilities, and determine if it aligns with your business goals and needs.
So, What’s Next?
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, businesses are constantly on the lookout for tools that can streamline operations, enhance customer relationships, and drive growth. HubSpot, with its diverse range of offerings, has emerged as a frontrunner in this domain.
While its free CRM offers a plethora of features to kickstart your inbound marketing journey, the platform’s true potential unfolds with its paid versions, tailored to cater to varying business needs.
The question, “Is HubSpot free?” is multifaceted.
Yes, there’s a free version, rich in features and capabilities. But as with all tools, it’s not just about the cost—it’s about the value. By understanding what HubSpot offers and aligning it with your business objectives, you can harness its power, whether you’re using the free version or investing in a premium package.
In your quest for the perfect CRM, remember that the best tools are those that fit seamlessly into your operations, scale with your growth, and ultimately, contribute to your success.
Not sure if HubSpot is right for you? Check out this full guide.
