HubSpot is a popular customer relationship management (CRM) platform that offers small businesses a user-friendly interface, free plan availability, and marketing features like email campaign tools, webform creator, and social media integrations. However, HubSpot’s paid plans are expensive, and the free plan does not include things like project management or advanced analytics, which can be a deal-breaker for some.
To find the best alternatives, we evaluated many HubSpot competitors offering those features, as well as other benefits like robust artificial intelligence (AI) and sales automation functionality at a lower price point, and narrowed it down to the top six options:
- Freshworks CRM: Best overall, and best HubSpot alternative for customization capabilities
- Really Simple Systems: Excellent choice for businesses looking for an as easy-to-use, if not easier, alternative to HubSpot
- Pipedrive: Great option for sales teams looking for a cheaper alternative to HubSpot’s Sales Hub add-on for sales management functionality
- Zoho CRM: Good choice for companies wanting HubSpot alternatives with more advanced automation and analytics features
- Bitrix24: Solid option for organizations looking for HubSpot alternatives with project management capabilities
- Zendesk Sell: Ideal for mobile sales teams looking for a HubSpot alternative with strong telephonic features
How We Evaluated the Best HubSpot Alternatives
To determine the top HubSpot competitors, we evaluated CRM software specifically comparable to HubSpot, like an easy-to-use interface, a free-forever plan, and tools for generating and deploying mass marketing email campaigns, while also looking at software feature gaps of HubSpot that are offered by HubSpot alternatives.
Based on our evaluation, Freshworks CRM is the best alternative to HubSpot. We chose this CRM because of its similarity to HubSpot, its free plan for an unlimited number of users that allows them to keep track and communicate with sales leads, and the Freshworks CRM’s standout system and sales pipeline customization capabilities that aren’t offered by HubSpot.
The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process for choosing the best alternatives to HubSpot’s CRM:
40% of Overall Score
With cost typically being among the most important criteria for any small business, as well as being a favorable attribute of HubSpot (which offers a free plan), price was the most heavily weighted when reviewing the best HubSpot competitors. For comparison specific to HubSpot, we considered the availability of a free plan, scalable subscription plans, and monthly billing availability.
20% of Overall Score
We looked at overall features we feel are necessary in a CRM, including reporting and analytics capabilities, tools for managing sales pipelines, and the ability to communicate with leads. We also evaluated each CRM’s mobile application and third-party integrations.
15% of Overall Score
HubSpot alternatives were also evaluated on product usability. This was analyzed in terms of the expertise needed to set up and integrate the CRM with other applications, the skill required to operate the platform tools, and the intuitiveness of navigating the interface.
15% of Overall Score
Extensive support and service can prevent issues a user might encounter while using any one of these HubSpot alternatives. Help and support were evaluated in terms of customer service hours and the availability of support via phone, live chat, and email.
10% of Overall Score
In addition to firsthand experience with the best HubSpot competitors, we evaluated what other users are saying about each CRM. These criteria consider how customers feel, based on their reviews, to gain insight on platform popularity, ease of use, and overall value for the price.
Freshworks CRM: Best Overall & Best Alternative to HubSpot for Customization
Freshworks CRM
What We Like
- Highly customizable pipelines and data fields
- Many communication channel options for contacting leads
- Free option available
What's Missing
- Social media integrations
- Automated workflows require an add-on
- Free plan is limited to organizing lead contact information and communications via call or email
How It Compares to HubSpot
- Less-costly paid plans than HubSpot for sales and marketing features
- Much more customization capabilities for fields, sales activities and pipelines, modules, and user roles than HubSpot
- HubSpot offers built-in e-signature capabilities while Freshworks CRM requires integrations
- Freshworks CRM does not allow integrations with social media platforms while HubSpot does
Like HubSpot, Freshworks CRM offers a free-forever plan for an unlimited number of users, but which is mostly limited to storing contact information and performing basic communication functions with those contacts. Freshworks CRM is significantly more affordable than HubSpot when it comes to paid plans, and can give businesses far better customization capabilities for designing data fields, sales pipelines, and user roles.
Freshworks CRM Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Unlimited users (limited features)
- Marketing Cloud: Ranges from $25 to $119 per user, per month
- Sales Cloud: Ranges from $35 to $119 per user, per month
- Customer-for-Life Cloud: Ranges from $35 to $149 per user, per month
- Free Trial: 21 days
*Pricing is based on a monthly billing option. Annual subscriptions are available as well for those who prefer long-term contracts.
Freshworks CRM Customization Capabilities
Freshworks CRM creating a custom field (Source: Freshworks)
Freshworks CRM is the best HubSpot alternative for businesses wanting tons of customization abilities in their CRM design and layout. By subscribing to Freshworks CRM’s lowest-priced paid plan, users can easily create and track custom sales activities, design custom fields for collecting information, create modules for business processes, and customize various user roles and permissions within the CRM system.
Really Simple Systems: Best HubSpot Alternative for Ease of Use
Really Simple Systems
What We Like
- Customizable reports and sales forecasting available on free plan
- Platform is easy to navigate; tabs are divided into sales, marketing, or service functions
- Free plan available
What's Missing
- Most marketing features require an add-on
- Integration with social media platforms
- No customer support outside of business hours
How It Compares to HubSpot
- Email campaign scheduling requires additional paid add-on while HubSpot includes this in their free plan
- Offers more customization than HubSpot for data fields, tables, and dashboards
- Paid plans are less expensive than HubSpot’s
- HubSpot has social media integrations while Really Simple Systems does not
For businesses that want a HubSpot alternative with similar usability attributes and a free-forever option, Really Simple Systems is the best choice. Users of HubSpot will find that the interface of Really Simple Systems has comparable features, using minimal buttons, tabs, and solid user experience design principles that make the platform easy to navigate.
Really Simple Systems Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Up to two users
- Starter: $14 per user, per month
- Professional: $30 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $46 per user, per month
- Free trial: 14 days
- Simple Marketing Add-on: $22 per month (free on Enterprise plan)
- Advanced Marketing Add-on: $46 per month
- Service Desk Add-on: $46 per month (free on Enterprise plan)
*Pricing is based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available at a higher cost.
Really Simple Systems Usability
Really Simple Systems dashboard with vertical menu (Source: Xero)
HubSpot dashboard with horizontal menu (Source: HubSpot)
One of the main reasons both HubSpot and Really Simple Systems are easy to navigate is that each CRM uses a single menu system. HubSpot’s menu is displayed horizontally across the top, while Really Simple Systems displays a vertical menu on the left side. Either layout makes it easy for the user to find the proper button or tab to move among various web pages.
Pipedrive: Best Low-cost Alternative to HubSpot for Sales Tools
Pipedrive
What We Like
- AI sales assistant tool for automating sales tasks and offering sales advice
- Unlimited number of sales pipelines
- Very inexpensive
What's Missing
- No free plan option
- Project management tools
- Integration with social media platforms
How It Compares to HubSpot
- HubSpot offers a free plan, while Pipedrive does not
- Pipedrive allows for unlimited contacts, fields, and pipelines while HubSpot has limits on various plans
- Paid plans are much cheaper than HubSpot
- AI features are available on lowest-priced plans, while HubSpot AI features are only available on enterprise-level plans
When comparing paid subscription plans, Pipedrive is the most cost-effective one on our list of the best HubSpot alternatives. In addition, even in its lowest-priced plan, Pipedrive users have access to the AI sales assistant feature, sales meeting scheduler, contact management capabilities, and sales deal reporting features—all for just $12.50 per user, per month.
Pipedrive Pricing at a Glance*
- Essential: $12.50 per user, per month
- Advanced: $24.90 per user, per month
- Professional: $49.90 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $99 per user, per month (10 user minimum)
- Free trial: 14 days full access
*Pricing is based on an annual billing option. Monthly plans are available as well.
Pipedrive’s Cost-effective Sales Tools
Pipedrive AI sales assistant example (Source: Pipedrive)
Though Pipedrive is fairly robust when it comes to the sales tools included in their Essentials package, the most valuable benefit of this plan may be the fact that the AI sales assistant feature is also included. Using past performance and pipelines tracking, the sales assistant offers coaching tips in order to improve sales performance.
Zoho CRM: Best HubSpot Alternative for Advanced CRM Features
Zoho CRM
What We Like
- Advanced features for sales analytics, marketing, and lead management through AI and automation capabilities
- Cost-effective HubSpot alternative with a free plan option and low per-user cost
- Very customizable layouts and information components
What's Missing
- Lacks prompt customer service response times and support availability outside of business hours
- Free plan is only for up to three users and has very limited features
- Lack of fast load times and glitch-free experience compared to other HubSpot competitors
How It Compares to HubSpot
- HubSpot offers much better marketing tools on their free plan than Zoho CRM
- Far more customizable options than HubSpot
- Much more automation, business intelligence, and artificial intelligence features than HubSpot
- Free plan is only up to three users while HubSpot allows unlimited users on their free plan
- Zoho CRM lacks an easy-to-navigate interface compared to HubSpot
Zoho CRM is the best HubSpot alternative for users who care more about having advanced tools to automate tasks and sales processes than they do about HubSpot’s tools for mass marketing. Many of these automation features, specifically features for workflow management, are available on Zoho CRM’s Standard plan.
Zoho CRM Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Up to three users (minimal features)
- Standard: $14 per user, per month
- Professional: $23 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $40 per user, per month
- Ultimate: $52 per user, per month
- Zoho CRM Plus: $57 per user, per month
*Pricing is based on an annual subscription. Monthly billing is available as well.
Zoho CRM Advanced Features
Zoho CRM Zia AI question configuration (Source: Zoho)
While Zoho CRM takes some time to learn how to use, sales teams can take advantage of built-in and integrated features for auto-orchestrating customer journeys, automatically generating and nurturing leads based on marketing segmentation, and using the AI assistant Zia to pull data, ask questions, and make advanced predictions.
Bitrix24: Best HubSpot Alternative for Project Management Features
Bitrix24
What We Like
- Free version available for an unlimited number of users
- Unlimited number of leads and deals in the free plan
- Great project management features
What's Missing
- User interface is not intuitive
- Customer support is limited to business hours
- Most automation tools are only available on higher-level plans
How It Compares to HubSpot
- Bitrix24 has project management tools that aren’t provided by HubSpot
- HubSpot is far easier to use than Bitrix24
- More customization options available than HubSpot
- Allows for an unlimited number of deal pipelines on their free plan while HubSpot only allows for one pipeline on their free plan
While HubSpot is easier to use and offers an array of marketing features for email campaigns and content management, Bitrix24 is the best HubSpot alternative for businesses that want certain components that are missing from HubSpot. Some of these components include mass system customization, human resources management tools, and most notably, project management capabilities.
Bitrix24 Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Unlimited number of users
- Start+: $24 per month (up to two users)
- CRM+: $69 per month (up to six users)
- Project+: $69 per month (up to 24 users)
- Standard: $99 per month (up to 50 users)
- Professional: $199 per month (unlimited users)
*Pricing above is based on monthly plans. However, you may also pay in full quarterly, annually, or biannually.
Bitrix24 Project Management Tools
Bitrix24 project management Gantt chart (Source: Bitrix24)
For many users, Bitrix24 is their first choice among HubSpot competitors because of the project management tools available in the free plan―tools which HubSpot doesn’t offer at all. Businesses with access to the project management tools included in Bitrix24 can create and view projects through Kanban or Gantt chart view, utilize task time tracking, and assign project owners who can collaborate with one another.
Zendesk Sell: Best HubSpot Alternative for Telephonic Features
Zendesk Sell
What We Like
- Easy-to-use sales dashboard with drag-and-drop customization
- Great synchronization from web to mobile application
- Solid built-in tools for phone calls and call tracking analytics
What's Missing
- Project management tools
- Availability of a free plan
- Limited number of custom pipelines
How It Compares to HubSpot
- Does not offer a free-forever plan, while HubSpot does
- More robust mobile application than HubSpot
- Bulk emailing only available on Professional plan, while HubSpot includes it in free plan
- More advanced reporting capabilities for lead and deal analytics than HubSpot
HubSpot has solid email campaign tools and basic telephone features for making and tracking calls, both of which are included in its free plan. Zendesk Sell doesn’t offer a free plan but it does provide sales teams with better advanced reporting compared to HubSpot, and has telephonic features within the platform that are proportional to HubSpot due to the overall capabilities and ease of use of the telephone tools.
Zendesk Sell Pricing at a Glance*
- Sell Team: $19 per user, per month
- Sell Professional: $49 per user, per month
- Sell Enterprise: $99 per user, per month
- Free trial: 14 days
*Pricing is based on annual billing, monthly billing is available for higher prices.
Zendesk Sell Telephonic Features
Zendesk Sell calling feature (Source: Cloudtalk.io)
Zendesk Sell telephone features in the platform include easy-to-use tools for click-to-call, call logging, call script storage, texting communication channels, and metrics for analyzing calls to monitor the quantity, durations, and outcomes of outgoing phone calls.
Not sure if any of these CRMs are right for your business? Check out our review for the best CRMs for small businesses.
