HubSpot is a leader in inbound marketing, CRM, and sales automation — but it’s far from the only option on the market. If you’ve been priced out of its higher tiers, overwhelmed by its feature-heavy interface, or just need a tool tailored to your team’s specific needs, exploring HubSpot alternatives is a smart move.
We’ve tested dozens of tools to narrow down the top options for every use case, budget, and team size. Below, you’ll find unbiased breakdowns, pricing details, and key differentiators to help you pick the right fit.
Why Look for HubSpot Alternatives?
HubSpot’s all-in-one suite works well for large enterprises with dedicated marketing teams, but it has notable drawbacks for smaller businesses and niche industries:
- Steep pricing: HubSpot’s Starter CRM Suite starts at $45 per user/month, while its Professional tier jumps to $800/month for marketing tools alone. Costs scale rapidly as you add users or unlock advanced features.
- Feature bloat: Small teams that only need core CRM or email marketing tools often pay for unused features, adding unnecessary complexity to daily workflows.
- Limited niche flexibility: HubSpot’s generic workflows don’t always adapt to industry-specific needs, such as creator businesses, ecommerce stores, or agencies.
- Ecosystem lock-in: HubSpot pushes users to adopt its add-on products (e.g., CMS, operations tools) rather than integrating seamlessly with third-party tools you already use.
Top 10 HubSpot Alternatives for 2024
We’ve ranked these options by use case, affordability, and user reviews from G2 and Capterra. For more context on selecting tools, refer to our internal guide How to Choose a CRM for Small Businesses and Email Marketing Best Practices 2024.
1. ActiveCampaign (Best for Marketing Automation)
ActiveCampaign is the top pick for teams that prioritize email marketing and automated workflows over HubSpot’s broader sales tools. It offers a visual automation builder that’s more intuitive than HubSpot’s, plus native integrations with 870+ tools.
Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses focused on lead nurturing and automated campaigns.
Pricing: Starts at $29/month for the Lite plan (1 user, email marketing, basic automation). Professional plans start at $149/month.
Key differentiator: Cheaper than HubSpot’s Marketing Hub Pro ($800/month) with more advanced automation features for the price.
2. Pipedrive (Best for Sales-Focused Teams)
Pipedrive is a stripped-down, sales-first CRM that cuts out HubSpot’s marketing bloat. Its visual pipeline interface makes it easy for sales reps to track deals without navigating complex menus.
Best for: Sales teams, agencies, and small businesses that don’t need built-in marketing tools.
Pricing: Starts at $14.90 per user/month for the Essential plan. Professional plans cost $59.90 per user/month.
Key differentiator: 70% cheaper than HubSpot’s Sales Hub Professional tier, with a simpler interface for non-technical users.
3. Zoho CRM (Best Affordable All-in-One)
Zoho CRM offers nearly all of HubSpot’s core features at a fraction of the cost, plus a full suite of connected business tools (invoicing, project management, HR) if you need them.
Best for: Budget-conscious SMBs that want an all-in-one suite without HubSpot’s price tag.
Pricing: Free plan for up to 3 users. Paid plans start at $14 per user/month.
Key differentiator: Free tier supports core CRM features, while paid plans are 60% cheaper than comparable HubSpot tiers.
4. Mailchimp (Best for Basic Email + CRM)
Mailchimp started as an email marketing tool but now includes a free basic CRM, making it a low-barrier entry point for teams that don’t need advanced sales features.
Best for: Small businesses that only need email marketing and basic contact management.
Pricing: Free plan for up to 500 contacts. Paid plans start at $13/month.
Key differentiator: Free tier includes features that HubSpot charges $45/month for, with a more user-friendly email builder.
5. Salesforce Essentials (Best for Enterprise-Grade Small Teams)
Salesforce Essentials brings the power of the world’s leading CRM to small businesses, with better customization options than HubSpot for industry-specific workflows.
Best for: Small teams that plan to scale to enterprise size and need a future-proof CRM.
Pricing: Starts at $25 per user/month.
Key differentiator: More flexible customization than HubSpot, with access to Salesforce’s massive app marketplace.
6. Keap (Best for Small Business Automation)
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is built specifically for small businesses, with pre-built automation templates for invoicing, appointment booking, and follow-ups.
Best for: Service-based small businesses and solopreneurs.
Pricing: Starts at $159/month for the Pro plan (1 user, automation, payments, CRM).
Key differentiator: Includes payment processing and appointment booking tools that cost extra with HubSpot.
7. monday.com CRM (Best Visual Project + CRM Hybrid)
monday.com’s CRM is built on its popular project management platform, making it ideal for teams that want to track sales and projects in one place.
Best for: Agencies and project-based businesses that need to link sales pipelines to client work.
Pricing: Starts at $10 per user/month for the Basic plan.
Key differentiator: Combines CRM and project management in one tool, which HubSpot requires separate subscriptions for.
8. Freshsales (Best AI-Powered CRM)
Freshsales uses AI to score leads, predict deal closure, and automate data entry — features that cost extra with HubSpot’s higher tiers.
Best for: Sales teams that want AI insights without paying enterprise prices.
Pricing: Starts at $15 per user/month for the Growth plan.
Key differentiator: Built-in AI lead scoring is free on all paid plans, while HubSpot charges $800/month for this feature.
9. ConvertKit (Best for Creators)
ConvertKit is tailored to content creators, course creators, and influencers, with tools for selling digital products and building email sequences that convert audiences to customers.
Best for: Creators, coaches, and course sellers that don’t need traditional B2B sales tools.
Pricing: Free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers. Paid plans start at $9/month.
Key differentiator: Creator-specific features like paid newsletter subscriptions and digital product sales, which HubSpot lacks entirely.
10. Agile CRM (Best All-in-One for SMBs)
Agile CRM offers sales, marketing, and service tools in one platform, with a free tier that supports up to 10 users — far more generous than HubSpot’s free CRM limits.
Best for: Small teams that need full CRM, marketing, and support tools on a budget.
Pricing: Free for up to 10 users. Paid plans start at $8.99 per user/month.
Key differentiator: Free tier includes marketing automation and helpdesk tools that HubSpot locks behind paid tiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there a completely free HubSpot alternative?
A: Yes — Zoho CRM, Agile CRM, and Mailchimp all offer free tiers with core features. HubSpot’s free CRM is also available, but it limits you to 1,000 contacts and lacks marketing automation.
Q: Which HubSpot alternative is best for small businesses?
A: Zoho CRM and Pipedrive are top picks for most SMBs, balancing affordability, ease of use, and core features. Creators should opt for ConvertKit, while sales teams prefer Pipedrive.
Q: Can I migrate my data from HubSpot to these alternatives?
A: Most tools on this list offer free data migration assistance or step-by-step guides to import contacts, deals, and marketing assets from HubSpot. ActiveCampaign and Zoho CRM have dedicated migration teams for paid users.
Q: Are HubSpot alternatives cheaper than HubSpot?
A: Yes — 9 of the 10 tools on this list have entry-level plans that are 50-80% cheaper than comparable HubSpot tiers. Only Salesforce Essentials is similarly priced to HubSpot’s Starter tier.
Final Verdict
No single HubSpot alternative works for every business, but you can narrow down your options by prioritizing your top 3 needs: budget, core features, and team size.
Start by signing up for free trials of your top 2-3 picks to test their interface and workflows. As noted in G2’s 2024 CRM Satisfaction Report, 81% of businesses that test 2+ alternatives are happier with their final choice than those that switch immediately.
Internal linking ideas: 1) Link to our guide "How to Choose a CRM for Small Businesses" 2) Link to our "2024 Email Marketing Platform Comparison".
Ready to make the switch? Share your top pick from this list in the comments below, or sign up for a free trial of your top choice today!
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