Head to head
HubSpot vs Salesforce Starter (2027): Which Is Better?
Price, features and who each one suits, side by side.
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Quick answer
- HubSpot ranks higher overall (8.9 vs 7.7).
- Pick HubSpot for starting free, then growing into paid tools.
- Pick Salesforce Starter for small teams planning to move up to a larger platform later.
HubSpot vs Salesforce Starter at a glance
| Item | HubSpot | Salesforce Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8.9 ★★★★★★★★★★ | 7.7 ★★★★★★★★★★ |
| Best for | Starting free, then growing into paid tools | Small teams planning to move up to a larger platform later |
| Starts at | $0 | $25/user/mo |
| Free plan | Yes: up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, no time limit | A Free Suite is listed at $0/user/month; its limits are not stated on the pricing page |
| Cheapest paid plan | Starter: $20/seat/mo list; new customers $7 billed annually or $10 month-to-month | Starter Suite: $25/user/mo, billed monthly or annually |
| Mid-tier plan | Professional: $90/seat/mo billed annually, $100 paid monthly with an annual commitment | Pro Suite: $100/user/mo, billed annually, contract required |
| Top plan | Enterprise: from $150/seat/mo, through sales | Sales Cloud Core $195, Advanced $395, Max $550 per user/mo, billed annually |
| Free trial | No trial; the free plan has no time limit | 30 days |
| Contract terms | Starter can be month-to-month; Professional requires an annual commitment even when paid monthly | Starter: monthly or annual billing; Pro Suite: annual contract required |
| Setup fee | None on Starter; $1,500 required on Professional, $3,500 on Enterprise | None listed; guided onboarding included on Starter |
| Cheapest-plan limits | Starter: up to 15 pipelines, 50 workflows, 500 calling minutes; no sequences | Starter: built-in sales flows and lead routing, 2,000 marketing emails/month; custom objects, sandbox and complex workflow automation need Pro Suite |
| Support | Free: community and knowledge base; Starter: email and chat; Professional: adds phone | — |
| G2 rating | 4.4/5 from 14,393 reviews (Sales Hub) | 4.4/5 from 27,590 reviews (Sales Cloud listing; G2 has no separate Starter listing) |
| Nonprofit discount | 40% off net-new Professional or Enterprise products for eligible new nonprofit customers on an annual contract; Starter is excluded | Power of Us: 10 Nonprofit Cloud licenses at no cost for eligible nonprofits |
| Startup discount | HubSpot for Startups: 90% off year 1 for eligible Seed and Series A companies | — |
| Paid add-ons | — | Extra 1,000 marketing email sends for $10/month |
| Links | HubSpot | Salesforce Starter |
The short version
HubSpot is the better pick for most small teams that want to start cheap: its free plan covers 2 users and 1,000 contacts with no time limit, and Starter lists at $20 a seat. Salesforce Starter makes more sense if you already know you will grow into the Salesforce platform and want monthly billing with no user maximum from day one. The real cost question for both is the second tier, where each one jumps to $90 to $100 a seat.
Price at 5, 20 and 50 users
Year-one cost, billed annually, on the plan a growing team needs:
| Plan | 5 users | 20 users | 50 users |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Starter (list, $20) | $1,200 | $4,800 | $12,000 |
| HubSpot Starter (new customers, $7) | $420 | $1,680 | $4,200 |
| HubSpot Professional (incl. $1,500 onboarding) | $6,900 | $23,100 | $55,500 |
| Salesforce Starter Suite ($25) | $1,500 | $6,000 | $15,000 |
| Salesforce Pro Suite ($100) | $6,000 | $24,000 | $60,000 |
At the entry tier HubSpot is $5 a seat cheaper at list price, and HubSpot's published new-customer price of $7 billed annually widens the gap for new customers; HubSpot calls $20 the normal price (HubSpot pricing). At the second tier the two land close together: HubSpot Professional's required $1,500 onboarding fee is what keeps it near Salesforce Pro Suite at 5 users.
Contracts, setup fees and limits
HubSpot Starter can be paid month to month with no setup fee. Professional costs $90 a seat billed annually or $100 paid monthly, and both require an annual commitment plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee ($3,500 on Enterprise) (HubSpot Sales pricing).
Salesforce Starter Suite is $25 a user, billed monthly or annually, with no setup fee listed and guided onboarding included (Salesforce Starter). Pro Suite is $100 a user, billed annually on a contract (Salesforce small business pricing).
The entry plans stop in different places. HubSpot Starter includes up to 15 pipelines, 50 workflows and 500 calling minutes, but no sequences. Salesforce Starter includes built-in sales flows, lead routing and 2,000 marketing emails a month, with extra 1,000-send blocks at $10. Custom objects, sandbox and complex workflow automation are on Pro Suite.
Salesforce offers a 30-day free trial. HubSpot has no trial, because the free plan has no time limit.
Which one fits your team
- A 2-person team with under 1,000 contacts: HubSpot's free plan costs nothing and has no deadline.
- A team that needs workflows on the entry plan: HubSpot Starter includes 50 workflows. Salesforce Starter includes built-in sales flows and lead routing; teams that need complex automation or custom objects move to Pro Suite at $100.
- A team that plans to run on Salesforce long term: Starter grows into the full Salesforce platform and its app marketplace, and there is no user maximum.
- A team that needs sequences or lead scoring: budget for HubSpot Professional and its $1,500 onboarding fee, or compare it with Salesforce Pro Suite's contract.
Both carry a 4.4/5 rating on G2. HubSpot's comes from 14,393 Sales Hub reviews (G2). Salesforce's comes from 27,590 reviews of all of Sales Cloud, since G2 has no separate Starter listing (G2). Salesforce also expects more learning time than tools built only for small teams.
How we compared
We read each vendor's pricing and terms pages and their G2 listings, checked on Nov 12, 2026. This comparison is research-based: we did not run either CRM ourselves. Every price above comes from the shared cost method used across this site: annual billing, list price per user times users times 12, plus any required setup fee.
Full reviews: HubSpot · Salesforce Starter · all crms ranked
Sources
- www.hubspot.com/pricing/crm (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.hubspot.com/pricing/sales (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.hubspot.com/products/crm (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.g2.com/products/hubspot-sales-hub/reviews (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.hubspot.com/nonprofits (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.hubspot.com/startups (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.salesforce.com/sales/pricing/ (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.salesforce.com/small-business/pricing/ (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.salesforce.com/products/starter/ (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.g2.com/products/agentforce-sales-formerly-salesforce-sales-cloud/reviews (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- www.salesforce.com/nonprofit/pricing/ (checked Nov 12, 2026)