George CollierMost businesses that ask us about leaving HubSpot aren't unhappy with the software. They're unhappy with the bill, or with how much of the business still happens outside it. Those are different problems with different answers, so I've split the list by what you're trying to fix.
If HubSpot is just too expensive, Pipedrive is the closest swap for a sales team and Zoho CRM is the cheapest full CRM. Attio suits small, technical teams that want a flexible data model.
If the problem is that the CRM doesn't fit how you work, another CRM won't fix it. Past about 15 staff, a custom CRM built around your quotes, jobs and pipelines is usually the better move.
Why businesses leave HubSpot
At the time of writing, Sales Hub Professional is about $90 a seat a month on an annual plan, plus a one-off $1,500 onboarding fee. Ten seats comes to roughly $12,300 in the first year. That's fine if everyone uses it all day. It gets harder to justify when half the seats are for people who only need to look things up, or when the operations team works from spreadsheets because they don't have a login.
The other reason is fit. HubSpot is built around a standard sales pipeline. If you quote by measurement, run several pipelines that work differently, or the work carries on after the deal closes, the gaps get filled with spreadsheets and integrations. I wrote more about that in custom CRM vs HubSpot vs Salesforce.
1. A custom CRM from Not Quite Unicorns
We build and run a CRM around how your team sells, with your pipelines, your quote rules and your units, connected to Xero, your inbox and the tools you keep. It logs emails and calls automatically, and everyone in the business gets access because there are no seat fees. We import your data from HubSpot and you can run both side by side until the team is ready to switch.
- Best for
- 15+ staff where sales feeds jobs, orders or stock
- Pricing
- $6,000£4,500€5,300 a month flat, for the CRM and the other systems we build
- Live in
- 30 days
- Not ideal for
- Small teams with a standard sales process
2. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is the closest thing to HubSpot's sales side for less money. It's built around a visual deal pipeline, salespeople like using it, and you can be set up in an afternoon. It's weaker on marketing, so if you use HubSpot's email and forms heavily, you'll need another tool for those.
- Best for
- Sales teams that live in a deal pipeline
- Pricing
- Lite from $14 a seat a month, Growth $39 and Premium $59, billed annually
- Live in
- A day
- Not ideal for
- Marketing automation, or work that carries on after the sale
3. Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM does most of what HubSpot does at a fraction of the price, and it's free for up to three users. The trade-off is that it takes more setting up and the interface feels older. It also fits best if you use other Zoho products, like Books or Desk.
- Best for
- Cost-conscious teams that want a full CRM
- Pricing
- Free for 3 users, then Standard $14, Professional $23 and Enterprise $40 a user a month, billed annually
- Live in
- Days to weeks
- Not ideal for
- Teams without someone to configure it
4. Attio
Attio is a newer CRM that lets you shape the data model yourself, with your own objects and fields, and it fills records in from your email and calendar. It's popular with startups and investment teams. It needs someone who enjoys setting things up, and it has fewer integrations than HubSpot.
- Best for
- Small, technical teams that want a flexible CRM
- Pricing
- Free plan, then Plus £27 and Pro £59 a seat a month, billed annually
- Live in
- Days
- Not ideal for
- Larger teams that need mature reporting and integrations
5. Salesforce
Salesforce is the one to move to if you're outgrowing HubSpot upwards: a large sales team, complex territories and permissions, and a full-time admin. Starter Suite is $25 a user a month and Pro Suite $100. Many businesses that pick it also pay a consultant to set it up.
- Best for
- Large sales teams with an admin
- Pricing
- From $25 a user a month, with larger editions from $195
- Live in
- Weeks to months
- Not ideal for
- Teams under about 50, or anyone without an admin
| Compared on | Custom CRM | Pipedrive | Zoho CRM | Attio | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Flat monthly | Per seat | Per user, free for 3 | Per seat | Per user, plus support |
| Fits your process | Built around it | Standard pipeline | Configurable | Flexible data model | With an admin |
| After the sale | Built in | Separate tools | Other Zoho apps | Separate tools | Separate products |
| Changes | We release weekly | You configure it | You configure it | You configure it | Admin or consultant |
| Best for | 15+ staff, sales feeds operations | Sales teams | Tight budgets | Small technical teams | Large sales teams |
How to choose
Work out which problem you have. If the CRM fits but costs too much, move to Pipedrive or Zoho and you'll save money this month. If your team spends hours a week copying between the CRM, spreadsheets and the tools that come after the sale, a cheaper CRM will have the same gaps, and that's when a custom CRM pays for itself.
Gold Bubble Partner