HubSpot — alternatives and comparison
Key idea:
HubSpot — freemium CRM + marketing hub. Free CRM tier is generous, but quickly upsells: Starter $20/mo/user, Professional $100+/user. Strengths: unified contact database, content hosting, reporting. Alternatives: Pipedrive (simple pipeline-first), Attio (modern, Notion-like), Close (for outbound sales), Zoho CRM (cheap, Indian shop), Salesforce (enterprise-only, needs devs).
Below: details, example, related, FAQ.
Details
- HubSpot Free: contacts + email + basic pipeline, without removed branding
- Pipedrive $14.90/user/mo — sales pipeline only, simplest UX
- Attio $15-30/user — novel architecture, real-time collaboration
- Close $49/user — built-in call/SMS, for outbound reps
- Salesforce: minimum $25/user, typical $150+ with admin + devs
Example
# Pipedrive API — add a deal
$ curl -X POST https://api.pipedrive.com/v1/deals \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"title":"New deal","person_id":42,"value":5000}' \
?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN
# Attio Python
from attio import AttioClient
client = AttioClient(api_key='att_...')
client.records.create(
list_id='companies',
attributes={'name': 'Acme Corp', 'website': 'https://acme.com'}
)Related
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HubSpot Free actually useful?
Yes for <5 users and <1000 contacts. Upsells start with sequences, custom reports, phone.
Pipedrive vs HubSpot?
Pipedrive — pipeline-first, 2× simpler, fewer marketing features. HubSpot — all-in-one, heavier.
Runet?
AmoCRM (Russian), Bitrix24 Free. HubSpot is localized but support sits in EU timezone.