Salesforce is the enterprise-focused CRM with deeper customization and 47% larger market share, while HubSpot is the more affordable, user-friendly platform designed for mid-market companies and small businesses seeking faster implementation.
HubSpot vs Salesforce — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
User-friendly, all-in-one CRM with integrated marketing automation designed for growing businesses.
Enterprise-grade cloud CRM platform serving 20% of Fortune 500 with extensive customization and integration ecosystem.
Starting Price. Implementation Time. Customization Depth. Learning Curve. Market Share. Built-in Marketing Automation. Integration Ecosystem
Choose Salesforce if you're an enterprise with complex sales processes, need deep customization, have dedicated IT resources, and can invest in a 3-6 month implementation. Choose HubSpot if you want rapid deployment (2-4 weeks), integrated marketing automation at no extra cost, prefer user-friendly interfaces, and need affordable CRM for teams under 500 users.
HubSpot CRM: 3 users, limited dashboard | Salesforce: Varies by edition
HubSpot CRM: Yes, all plans | Salesforce: N/A
HubSpot CRM: Sales Hub+, Marketing Hub+ tiers | Salesforce: N/A
HubSpot CRM: 6/10 (workflows, fields) | Salesforce: Very High - unlimited custom objects and code
HubSpot CRM: 2-3 weeks | Salesforce: N/A
HubSpot CRM: $800 (with marketing automation) | Salesforce: $1,250+ (sales only, marketing separate)
HubSpot CRM: 3 weeks | Salesforce: 4-6 months
HubSpot CRM: 1,000+ | Salesforce: 2,000+
HubSpot CRM: Yes (included in all paid plans) | Salesforce: No (separate $1,250+/month product)
HubSpot CRM: Moderate (workflows, custom fields, basic logic) | Salesforce: Advanced (Apex code, Flow, extensive APIs)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Enterprise+ (Agentforce)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Limited (separate product needed)
Monthly Cost (50-person team, full suite)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: $24,000-36,000+
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Advanced (Agentforce + Data Cloud)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Unlimited
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Limited (basic offline)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Advanced (Einstein predictive + generative)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 8-16 weeks
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Third-party connectors
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Based on licenses + storage SKUs
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Good - full-featured but complex
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Advanced - Einstein AI with predictive forecasting
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: $25/month (Starter Suite)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: $100/month (Pro Suite)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 7000+ apps
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Einstein AI in Pro+ tiers
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: iOS, Android, Windows with offline mode
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 12-24 weeks
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 12 months (typical)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Yes (Einstein)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: $2,167-$4,167
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 6-12 weeks
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Unlimited (enterprise)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Full (Apex, JavaScript, REST API)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 30-60 days
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: ~9 million
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Advanced (generative AI, revenue intelligence, opportunity insights)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Annual commitment typically required
Average Enterprise Implementation Cost (500+ users)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 35+ industry-specific clouds
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Third-party plugins required
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Einstein AI (Professional+ tier)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 40-50 hours per admin
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 8-12 weeks
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 180+ currencies
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Full feature parity with desktop
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 4.4/5 (15,200+ reviews)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Apex Code + declarative tools (unlimited)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 3rd-party AppExchange (6,000+ available)
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: Einstein AI with advanced lead scoring, revenue forecasting, and opportunity insights
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 40-60 hours average
HubSpot CRM: N/A | Salesforce: 23,000+ enterprises globally
How to choose between HubSpot CRM and Salesforce
HubSpot vs Salesforce — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for HubSpot vs Salesforce. Contains 93 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
HubSpot vs Salesforce — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for HubSpot vs Salesforce.
Which CRM is better for small businesses under 50 people?
HubSpot is significantly better for small teams. Its free tier offers unlimited contacts, basic CRM, and core sales tools at $0. Even the Professional plan ($800/month) includes marketing automation that would cost an additional $1,250+/month on Salesforce. HubSpot's 2-4 week implementation means you gain productivity immediately, while small teams rarely have dedicated IT staff for Salesforce's 3-6 month deployment.
Can I customize Salesforce and HubSpot equally?
No. Salesforce offers vastly superior customization through Apex programming, Lightning Web Components, and Flow automation—allowing configuration of virtually any business process. HubSpot covers 80% of typical SMB needs through workflows, custom fields, and API integrations, but enterprises with complex logic require Salesforce's developer ecosystem. Salesforce customization typically requires certified administrators ($1,200-$3,000/day) while HubSpot customization is often self-service.
What's the true total cost of ownership comparison?
For a 100-person company over 3 years: HubSpot costs ~$28,800 (Professional plan at $800/month × 36) with 2-4 week implementation. Salesforce costs $59,400 in software ($165/month starter) plus ~$75,000-$150,000 in professional services consulting, totaling $134,400-$209,400. This 4.7x cost difference is why HubSpot dominates mid-market while Salesforce justifies ROI through enterprise complexity.
Salesforce Einstein offers more advanced AI: lead scoring, sales forecasting, opportunity insights, and 40+ pre-built use cases across sales, service, and marketing. HubSpot's AI (HubSpot AI) is newer (launched 2023) and covers content generation, email subject line suggestions, and chatbot responses—practical for SMBs but less sophisticated than Einstein. For AI-driven sales forecasting and complex predictive analytics, Salesforce is superior.
How long until I see ROI from each platform?
HubSpot typically delivers ROI in 3-6 months due to quick implementation and low cost—users see sales process improvements immediately. Salesforce ROI takes 8-14 months because the 3-6 month implementation period plus ongoing customization delays productivity gains, though the long-term ROI is higher for enterprises. For small teams, HubSpot ROI is faster; for large enterprises, Salesforce's ROI compounds significantly over 3+ years.
How to Choose Between HubSpot CRM and Salesforce
Starting Price: HubSpot CRM has $50/month, while Salesforce has $165/month.
Implementation Time: HubSpot CRM has 2-4 weeks, while Salesforce has 3-6 months.
Customization Depth: HubSpot CRM has Moderate, while Salesforce has Highly Advanced.
Learning Curve: HubSpot CRM has Gentle (80% adoption in 30 days), while Salesforce has Steep (45% adoption in 30 days).
Market Share: HubSpot CRM has 9.2%, while Salesforce has 17.5%.
Built-in Marketing Automation: HubSpot CRM has Yes (included), while Salesforce has No (separate purchase).
Integration Ecosystem: HubSpot CRM has 1,000+ native integrations, while Salesforce has 2,000+ AppExchange apps.