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If you are looking for CRM software to help you grow your startup, you might have heard of HubSpot. HubSpot is one of the most popular and well-loved CRM platforms in the market, especially among startups and small businesses.
But what makes HubSpot so special?
And is it worth investing in?
In this blog post, I will give you an honest and unbiased review of HubSpot’s features, pricing, pros and cons, and how it compares to other CRM options.
What is HubSpot?
HubSpot is a cloud-based CRM software that offers tools for sales, marketing, customer service, content management, and operations. HubSpot’s main goal is to help businesses attract, engage, and delight their customers throughout their entire journey. HubSpot also provides a free-forever plan that includes most of the essential CRM features that startups need.
What are the features of HubSpot?
HubSpot has a lot of features to offer, depending on which hub or plan you choose. Here are some of the key features that you can expect from HubSpot:
– Contact management: You can store and manage all your contacts in one place, with detailed profiles, activity history, notes, tasks, emails, calls, deals, tickets, and more.
– Deal pipeline: You can create and track your sales deals with customizable stages, probabilities, amounts, and forecast close dates.
– Quotes: HubSpot allows you to generate professional-looking quotes with your logo and terms and send them to your prospects via email or link.
– Meeting Scheduling: Additionally, you can sync your calendar with HubSpot and let your prospects book meetings with you online without any back-and-forth emails.
– Live chat: You can chat with your website visitors in real-time and convert them into leads or customers.
– Reporting dashboard: You can monitor your business performance with various reports and metrics on sales activities, conversions, revenue, customer satisfaction, and more.
How much does HubSpot cost?
One of the best things about HubSpot is that it offers a free plan that includes most of the features mentioned above. The free plan also lets you add unlimited users and contacts to your account. However, the free plan has some limitations, such as:
– The free plan has no customer support via phone or chat
– No automation or workflows
– It has no custom reports or dashboards
– No multiple currencies or teams
– Limited integrations with third-party apps
If you want to access more advanced features or remove these limitations, you can upgrade to one of HubSpot’s paid plans. HubSpot has five hubs – Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, CMS, and Operations – each with three tiers – Starter, Professional, and Enterprise.
The pricing for each hub depends on how many contacts you have in your database. For example, the Sales hub costs $45 per month for up to 1000 contacts on the Starter plan $450 per month for up to 2000 contacts on the Professional plan and $1200 per month for up to 10000 contacts on the Enterprise plan.
You can also bundle different hubs together with the CRM Suite package which starts from $45 per month for up to 1000 contacts on the Starter Growth Suite.
As you can see HubSpot’s pricing can vary widely depending on your needs and preferences. While the free plan is great for startups on a tight budget the paid plans can get quite expensive as you grow your business and require more features.
What are the pros and cons of HubSpot?
Like any software, HubSpot has its strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of the pros and cons that I found from my experience using HubSpot:
Pros:
– Feature-rich free plan that covers most of the basic CRM needs for startups
– Easy-to-use interface that simplifies complex tasks
– Scalable platform that grows with your business
– Over 300 integrations with popular apps like Gmail, Slack, Shopify, and more
Cons:
– Premium plans can be pricey compared to other CRM options especially if you need multiple hubs or tiers.
– No phone or chat support with the free plan
– So many upgrade options in different categories that it can get confusing
How does HubSpot compare to other CRM software?
HubSpot is not the only CRM software out there. There are many other alternatives that you might want to consider before making a decision. Some of these include Zoho CRM:
Zoho CRM helps you streamline your sales process, automate your tasks, and engage with your customers. Zoho CRM is part of the Zoho suite of products that includes other tools for email, collaboration, accounting, and more. Some of the benefits of Zoho CRM are:
– It offers a low-cost option for small businesses and startups
– Hubspot has a customizable interface that lets you tailor it to your needs
– The CRM software has AI-powered features that help you optimize your sales cycle
– It has a mobile app that lets you access your data on the go
Both HubSpot and Zoho CRM are great options for managing your customer relationships. However, they have some differences in terms of features, pricing, integrations, and support. Depending on your business goals and preferences, you may find one more suitable than the other.
You can check out more CRM comparisons in my blog post: Best CRMs for startups, free and paid.
HubSpot review FAQs
- What are the pros and cons of HubSpot CRM?
- Some of the pros are: core CRM software is free, real-time lead behaviors notification, and personalized email sequences for leads and existing customers.
- Some of the cons are: per-user plans can get expensive for small businesses, only one email per contact, and no telephone support with the free plan.
- How easy is it to get started with HubSpot CRM?
- HubSpot CRM has a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy to set up and use. During setup, HubSpot asks a series of questions to determine how you plan to use the platform and offers guided tours of each individual area like Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service. Extras like email templates, snippets, and documents can be added later on.
- How do I unpublish a feedback survey in HubSpot CRM?
- In your HubSpot account, navigate to Service > Feedback Surveys. Hover over the survey , then click the Actions dropdown menu and select Unpublish. If you unpublish an email survey, contacts who have been sent the survey will be able to fill it out for 14 days afterward.
