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In the modern digital age, choosing the right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can be the difference between sinking or swimming. Two big players that frequently crop up are HubSpot and Salesforce, usually accompanied by the question of what exactly the difference is between them.
The short answer? To be honest, there isn’t one, and that’s why we’ve whipped up this guide to break it down. They both have different strengths and weaknesses, and their viability as a CRM depends on what you’re after.
A brief overview: the difference between HubSpot and Salesforce’s approach to CRM
HubSpot and Salesforce are both sales and marketing platforms that offer users robust CRM tools. The differences lie mainly in how and why they came to be, and the services they prioritise.
HubSpot: built for inbound marketing, now a CRM leader
Initially built to take advantage of the mid-noughties boom in inbound marketing, the CRM of it all came a bit later — but it’s now a cornerstone of their platform. As the driving force behind development, HubSpot has a stellar range of inbound marketing tools, tools that integrate extremely well with their intuitive, cost-effective CRM software.
Salesforce: a pioneer with superb CRM and a whole lot more
After pioneering cloud-based CRM as a service at the start of the 21st century, Salesforce expanded its platform to cover sales, marketing, commerce, with the aim of creating an all-in-one solution for managing customer relationships from start to end. Robust analytics, great customisation, and super scalable.
The main strengths of HubSpot: intuitive, cost-effective, with excellent inbound marketing
HubSpot’s valued as a CRM platform for how it simplifies and enhances the way businesses manage customer relationships. It’s user-friendly, cost-effective (especially if you use the free version of its CRM) and has advanced inbound marketing capabilities.
- User-friendly interface: CRM platforms can be — and often are — a bit messy. There’s a lot of data, a lot of inputs and outputs, and it can all be a bit much to make sense of. HubSpot’s great in this regard. It’s clear, intuitive, and perfect for teams that need a straightforward, out-the-box solution.
- Advanced inbound marketing tools: considering its origin, it’s perhaps no surprise that HubSpot offers robust inbound marketing tools. Whether it’s email marketing, SEO, social management, or lead nurturing, HubSpot can help you to build meaningful customer relationships with ease.
- All-in-one services: HubSpot corrals marketing, sales, customer service and content management under one roof, allowing you to manage separate, discrete areas from the same platform.
HubSpot’s biggest weakness: limited customisation
HubSpot is a godsend for anyone that wants an intuitive, easy-to-use CRM platform — but that simplicity does exact a toll. There’s a definite lack of customisation and, if you have very specific ideas for workflows etc., you may find the software lacking here and there.
The main strengths of Salesforce: highly customisable and extremely scalable
Salesforce is a bit of a powerhouse when it comes to CRMs. That’s down to a number of things: the arguably peerless level of customisation it offers, the level of scalability for ambitious businesses, and its superb analytics software.
- Exceptionally customisable: Salesforce is renowned for its superb flexibility. The platform’s robust customisation options enable you to tailor workflows, data fields, and even interfaces to suit the unique way you do business.
- Scalable by design: Salesforce’s infrastructure is built to handle growth. Small team or big business, it can scale in tandem with your organisation, offering powerful tools to add users, expand functionalities, and increase data storage without missing a beat.
- Robust analytics: long-known for its intelligent analytics, Salesforce offers powerful data analysis tools. Coupled with Salesforce’s advanced reporting tools, you can leverage actionable insights to help you make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Salesforce’s biggest weakness: complexity
Salesforce comes with a steep learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with CRM software. The powerful customisation features that distinguish Salesforce also make it less approachable and intuitive; you might find it’s well worth putting hours into to get the most from it, but it’s a time / resource sink that should be considered.
HubSpot vs Salesforce — which one is right for me?
HubSpot and Salesforce are two of the most popular CRM platforms, and while they have many similarities, the suitability of each depends on what you need.
HubSpot: a fantastic option for smaller to mid-sized businesses
HubSpot’s free CRM platform may have some limitations, but all-in-all it’s a fantastic piece of software for smaller businesses, and a great way to test the waters if you’re just starting out.
For those who want an all-in-one platform that covers a bit of everything, including inbound marketing, HubSpot is a versatile choice that provides great functionality without overwhelming complexity.
Salesforce: great for larger businesses, or brands that expect to grow imminently
With scalability baked into its infrastructure, Salesforce is an excellent choice of platform for fast-growing businesses. However, this flexibility does come with a price (literally), as costs increase with additional users and advanced functionalities.
But Salesforce’s blend of robust customisation options, powerful analytics and comprehensive reporting tools make it a viable pick if you’re looking for a platform that can scale with you and meet your complex needs as your business grows.
HubSpot vs Salesforce:
When it comes to a battle of two CRM titans, it doesn’t get much bigger than HubSpot vs Salesforce. In terms of differences, as we’ve covered, HubSpot can shine for smaller to mid-sized brands because of how easy it is to use and get going with. You get intuitive software with exceptional marketing functionality, and that’s enough for most.
Salesforce, meanwhile, is a great pick for larger organisations or businesses with dreams of rapid growth. That impressive level of customisation, robust analytics and responsive scalability is a dream for those that know what they want, and where they’ll be in the next few years.
Ultimately, it depends on what you (and your business) need. That’s a decision you’ll have to make yourself. Sorry! But if you decide that HubSpot is the right fit, we can certainly help.