Why B2B teams look for HubSpot alternatives
HubSpot is one of the most widely used CRM and marketing platforms in the world, for good reasons. But it does not suit every company — particularly smaller B2B teams who find themselves paying for features they never open.
The most common reasons we hear:
- Cost: HubSpot Professional costs around €400/month flat rate — significant for a small team with limited marketing automation needs
- Complexity: too many features, too long an onboarding, too many clicks to accomplish basic tasks
- Overkill for sales-only teams: if you do not use marketing automation, you are paying for something you do not use
- The gap between Free and Professional is large — many companies outgrow Free without being ready for the Professional price
Five HubSpot alternatives — honestly assessed
Here are five alternatives we consider genuinely viable, with clear assessments of who they suit.
- Pipedrive — simpler and cheaper for pure sales teams. No marketing automation, but pipeline management is clean and the UI is faster to learn. Starts at around €15/user/month. Suits you if you have a dedicated sales team with no need for email sequences to cold audiences.
- Salesforce — more powerful than HubSpot, and significantly more expensive. Total cost for a 10-person team on Sales Cloud Professional is approximately €24,000/year before admin, customisation, and training costs. Only suitable for companies with complex sales processes that genuinely require it.
- Monday CRM — visual and project-focused. Good if your team already uses Monday.com for project management and wants to consolidate. Weaker on pure sales follow-up than Pipedrive. Starts at around €10/user/month.
- Close CRM — built for outbound sales teams. Strong on sequences, calling, and email. No meaningful marketing automation. Priced at around €29–99/user/month. Suits SDR-heavy teams that live in the phone and outbound email.
- Notion — free and flexible for very small teams. Not a real CRM, but can be built into a simple lead tracking system with Notion databases. Suits companies with under 50 contacts and someone willing to set it up themselves.
When you should keep HubSpot
HubSpot is actually the best option for a large number of B2B companies, and we say that honestly. You should stay on HubSpot if:
- You actively use marketing automation (email sequences, landing pages, workflows)
- You want CRM, marketing, and support in one system without integration work
- You are on the free tier and it genuinely covers your needs
- Your team already knows the system — switching has a real cost in training and lost productivity
You should consider switching if: you have under 3 users with no marketing automation needs, you are using less than 20% of the features you are paying for, or your budget is under €50/month and you do not need automation.
Pricing comparison: HubSpot vs. alternatives
For a team of 5 users, annual cost in 2026:
- CRM, contact forms, pipeline view
- Limited automation (1 workflow)
- HubSpot branding on emails and forms
Passer for: Very small teams that need structure without cost
- Sales pipeline management
- Email and calendar sync
- No marketing automation
Passer for: Pure sales teams with no marketing needs
- Outbound sequences and calling
- Email automation
- No inbound marketing tools
Passer for: Outbound-first sales teams
- CRM + basic marketing automation
- No HubSpot branding
- Email sequences and forms
Passer for: Teams that need more than free but are not ready for Professional
- Full marketing automation
- Advanced reporting and lead scoring
- Workflows and custom properties
Passer for: Teams actively using marketing automation
All prices approximate as of 2026. Check current vendor pricing before making a decision — SaaS prices change frequently.
Vanlige spørsmål
Is HubSpot Free actually usable for a small B2B company?
Yes, for many companies. HubSpot Free gives you a functional CRM, contact forms, basic email tracking, and a pipeline view with no time limit. The main constraints are the HubSpot branding on communications, limited automation (one workflow), and caps on contacts. Many 2–10 person B2B companies run on Free for 1–2 years before hitting a real limitation.
What is the cheapest CRM that still works?
HubSpot Free and Notion are both free and functional for different use cases. Pipedrive Essential at around €15/user/month is the cheapest paid option with genuine CRM functionality. The right answer depends on what you actually need — cheap CRM that goes unused is not cheaper than the right CRM used correctly.
Can I migrate from HubSpot to Pipedrive without losing data?
Yes, with some effort. Contact records, deals, and activities can be exported from HubSpot and imported into Pipedrive. The main data loss risk is custom properties that do not map directly, and historical email threads which typically do not transfer. A migration project for a small team (under 1,000 contacts) typically takes 1–2 days.
Does Monday CRM replace a proper CRM?
For some teams, yes. Monday CRM is a reasonable choice for teams where project management and client management overlap significantly — consulting firms, agencies, service businesses. It is weaker than Pipedrive or HubSpot for pure sales pipeline management and has no marketing automation.
We are a 2-person B2B company. What do you recommend?
HubSpot Free or Notion. At 2 people, the overhead of a paid CRM is rarely worth it. Use HubSpot Free for structured lead tracking, or Notion if you want full flexibility and are willing to build your own view. Revisit when you are getting more than 20 inquiries per month or are about to hire.
