Head to head
HubSpot CRM vs Salesforce Starter Suite
By the KeenVerdict research desk · Updated November 4, 2026
Our verdict
HubSpot CRM wins this matchup for most small teams. It scores 8.8 overall to Salesforce Starter Suite's 8.2 because it is easier to set up, cheaper to start and comes with a free plan that never expires. Salesforce has the higher feature ceiling: Starter Suite already bundles sales, service, marketing and commerce, and the road above it leads to the most capable CRM editions on the market. That ceiling is the reason to choose it, and also the reason it costs more in setup time and, later, in license fees. If you cannot name the Salesforce feature you will need in two years, start on HubSpot. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run either product in a live sales team.
HubSpot CRM
8.8Pick it if
Pick HubSpot CRM if you want a working CRM today at the lowest cost and expect to add marketing tools later.
- Features
- 8.8
- Ease of use
- 9.0
- Value
- 8.7
Price: Free plan for up to 2 users; Starter from $15 per seat per month, Professional from $50 per seat per month
Quoted from the pricing page on November 4, 2026.
Full review →
Salesforce Starter Suite
8.2Pick it if
Pick Salesforce Starter Suite if you already know your company will need Salesforce's enterprise editions and want to begin on that platform.
- Features
- 9.2
- Ease of use
- 7.5
- Value
- 7.6
Price: Free Suite available; Starter Suite $25 per user per month billed monthly or annually; Pro Suite $100
Quoted from the pricing page on November 4, 2026.
Full review →Side by side
| HubSpot CRM | Salesforce Starter Suite | |
|---|---|---|
| KeenVerdict score | 8.8 out of 10 | 8.2 out of 10 |
| Entry paid plan | Starter from $15 per seat per month, billed annually | Starter Suite at $25 per user per month, billed monthly or annually |
| Next tier up | Professional from $50 per seat per month | Pro Suite at $100 per user per month, billed annually |
| Free plan | Yes, up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, no expiry | Free Suite listed at $0 |
| Free trial | Not needed for the free plan | 30-day Starter Suite trial for up to 10 users |
| Scope of entry plan | CRM with required fields, permission sets, multiple currencies | Sales, service, marketing and commerce tools in one suite |
| AI | Breeze Assistant, including on the free plan | Assistive AI with Employee Agent on Starter Suite; Agentforce in Sales Cloud editions |
| Integrations | More than 2,000 apps in the HubSpot Marketplace | AppExchange, with a free Slack workspace connected to the CRM |
| Mobile apps | iOS and Android | Salesforce Mobile App |
| Setup effort | Runs in the browser, no IT help needed | More configuration and admin training |
| Upgrade ceiling | Enterprise from $75 per seat per month | Sales Cloud Core $195, Advanced $395, Max $550 per user per month |
Pricing: HubSpot is cheaper at every step a small team takes
HubSpot's free plan covers two users and 1,000 contacts with no time limit, and Starter costs $15 per seat per month on annual billing. Salesforce Starter Suite costs $25 per user per month, and Salesforce charges the same whether you pay monthly or annually, which helps teams that dislike annual commitments. The gap widens one tier up: HubSpot Professional starts at $50 per seat, while Salesforce Pro Suite is $100 per user per month with an annual contract. A five-person team on the second tier would pay about $3,000 a year for HubSpot and $6,000 for Salesforce before add-ons. HubSpot's own warning sign is the jump from Starter to Professional, which more than triples the per-seat price, so budget for it if you need custom reporting.
Features: Salesforce bundles more, HubSpot gives more for free
Salesforce Starter Suite is broader than its price suggests. One license covers sales, service, marketing and commerce, with lead routing, email nurture campaigns, lead scoring, case management and a connected Slack workspace. HubSpot's free and Starter plans focus on the CRM itself: contacts, deals, pipelines, email tracking, meeting scheduling, quotes and reporting dashboards, with marketing and service sold as separate hubs on the same database. For a sales team that just needs pipeline discipline, HubSpot covers the job. For a small company that wants one vendor to handle support tickets and campaigns from day one, Starter Suite packs more into a single seat.
Ease of use and setup
HubSpot is the easier product, and we score it 9.0 for ease of use against 7.5 for Salesforce. HubSpot's documentation says the free CRM runs in Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge with no installation, and most teams can import contacts and start logging deals the same day. Salesforce has simplified Starter Suite, but it still carries the platform's structure of objects, flows, profiles and page layouts, and admins get more out of it with training. That flexibility pays off later, when you need custom objects and approval processes. In the first month, it is overhead.
AI and integrations
Both vendors put AI in their entry plans. HubSpot's Breeze Assistant researches companies, prepares call notes and summarizes CRM records, and it is available on the free plan. Salesforce lists assistive AI with an Employee Agent in Starter Suite, while Agentforce skills and agents come with the Sales Cloud editions. On integrations, HubSpot advertises more than 2,000 apps in its marketplace, and Salesforce has AppExchange plus a free Slack workspace tied to the CRM. Neither will leave a typical small business short of connectors, so this category is a draw.
Who should pick which
Choose HubSpot CRM if you are a small business buying your first CRM, if you want to stay on a free plan for a while, or if marketing automation is the next thing you plan to buy. Choose Salesforce Starter Suite if you are a startup that expects to hire a sales operations team, if investors or future enterprise customers expect Salesforce, or if you want sales, service and marketing on one license from the start. Teams that pick Salesforce for prestige rather than a specific need usually end up paying more for features they do not use.
Questions readers ask
- Is HubSpot CRM cheaper than Salesforce?
- Yes, at every published tier a small team is likely to use. HubSpot Starter is $15 per seat per month billed annually against $25 for Salesforce Starter Suite, and HubSpot Professional starts at $50 per seat against $100 for Salesforce Pro Suite.
- Does Salesforce have a free plan like HubSpot?
- Salesforce lists a Free Suite at $0 and offers a 30-day free trial of Starter Suite for up to 10 users. HubSpot's free CRM is the more established option, with up to two users and 1,000 contacts and no expiry date.
- Which is easier to use, HubSpot or Salesforce?
- HubSpot. It runs in a browser with no installation and most teams are productive on day one. Salesforce Starter Suite is simpler than the full platform but still benefits from an admin who knows Salesforce configuration.
- Can I move from HubSpot to Salesforce later?
- Yes, both products import and export contacts, companies and deals, so a later move is a data migration project rather than a dead end. Plan it carefully, because custom properties, workflows and reports do not transfer automatically between the two platforms.
We compared documented features and published prices. Questions or corrections: editorial@keenverdict.com