HubSpot vs Salesforce: which is right for you?
Features, pricing and fit, compared from a cold calling point of view. Not affiliated with either tool.
HubSpot and Salesforce are both CRMs that sales teams use to keep contacts and deals in one place, and both publish per-seat prices. The difference that matters for a calling team is that HubSpot's Sales Hub page describes calling, recording and call logging, while the Salesforce Sales Cloud pages we read do not describe a dialer. This page sets out what each vendor says on its own site.
- From
- $20 per seat per month
- $25 per user per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Yes
The short answer
Here is who each of HubSpot and Salesforce suits best, from what each vendor says on its own site.
- You want calling inside the CRM, since HubSpot's Sales Hub page lists outbound and inbound calls in the browser, call recording and automatic call logging.
- You want to start free or cheap, since HubSpot advertises a free CRM, a 14-day trial of its sales tools and a Starter seat at $20 per month billed monthly.
- You want email sequences, meeting links and deal tracking from the same vendor as the CRM.
- You want a CRM priced in five published steps, from Starter Suite at $25 to Max at $550 per user per month.
- You expect to grow into forecasting, quoting and AI agents, which its pages place on the Pro Suite and higher plans.
- You already plan to add a separate dialer, since the Sales Cloud pages we read do not describe calling or call logging.
Side by side
| FEATURE | HubSpot | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Startups, SMBs, Enterprise | Startups, SMBs, Enterprise |
| Starting price | $20 per seat per month | $25 per user per month |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Tiered plans | Tiered plans |
| Works with | Gmail, Zoom, Zapier | Slack, MuleSoft, Tableau, Claude |
Key features
- Calling from the CRM
- Recorded and logged calls
- Email sequences and tracking
- Deals and pipeline
- Meeting scheduling
- Lead and deal management
- Forecasting and quoting
- Agentforce AI
- Slack
- Sales Engagement
Pricing
Sales Hub is priced per seat per month: Starter $20, Professional $100 and Enterprise $150, billed monthly. Additional core seats are listed at $45 per seat per month on the two higher tiers.
See HubSpot pricingSales Cloud plans: Starter Suite $25, Pro Suite $100, Core $195, Advanced $395 and Max $550, all per user per month. Only Starter Suite can be billed monthly.
See Salesforce pricingWhere each fits in your calling
HubSpot and Salesforce sit at the same step of a calling day, so most teams choose one rather than both.
- STEP 1Find the numberBuild the list and fill in mobiles
- STEP 2See who will pick upCheck the list before you dial
Will This Person Answer - STEP 3DialCall the high chance contacts
- STEP 4Log the callRecord the outcome and follow upHubSpotSalesforce
Frequently asked questions
At the entry level HubSpot Sales Hub Starter is listed at $20 per seat per month and Salesforce Starter Suite at $25 per user per month. The top plans are $150 for HubSpot Enterprise and $550 for Salesforce Max. Credits, extra seats and capacity packs change the total, so compare quotes for your team size.
HubSpot Sales Hub lists all three tiers as billed monthly. Salesforce lists only Starter Suite as billed monthly or annually, and Pro Suite, Core, Advanced and Max as billed annually. If you want to avoid a yearly commitment, HubSpot gives you more monthly options on the pages we read.
HubSpot's Sales Hub page describes outbound calls from the account, inbound calls in the browser, recording and automatic logging. The Salesforce Sales Cloud pages we read do not describe a dialer, calling or call logging, though they list Sales Engagement as an extension. Ask Salesforce how calling would work.
Not on the pages we read. HubSpot describes calling, recording and logging but not power or parallel dialing, and Salesforce does not describe a dialer at all. If your reps dial many numbers an hour, look at a dedicated dialer that connects to your CRM.
HubSpot offers a 14-day free trial of its sales tools, and its CRM has a free version. Salesforce shows a free trial on Starter Suite, Pro Suite, Core and Advanced, while Max is listed as contact us. Check each vendor's page for the current terms before you sign up.
HubSpot points small businesses and startups to Starter editions and larger companies to its Enterprise platform. Salesforce says its CRM serves businesses of all sizes, with Starter Suite aimed at small teams. Both cover a wide range, so team size alone will not decide it.
HubSpot says it has more than 2,000 integrations and names Gmail, Zoom and Zapier. Salesforce names Slack, MuleSoft, Tableau and Claude, and describes AgentExchange for partner apps. Neither record lists specific dialer connections, so confirm that with each vendor if you plan to add one.
HubSpot's Sales Hub page lists up to 5 HubSpot-provided phone numbers and up to 12,000 calling minutes per account per month, and says calling is not supported in every country. Salesforce lists no calling limits on the pages we read because it does not describe calling there.
No. Neither has a native integration, so you check the contacts first by exporting a CSV, then bring the results back. Will This Person Answer checks US phone numbers only, and the first 250 contacts are free with no card required.
In HubSpot, import the result as a contact property and build a view from it. In Salesforce, add it to your own custom field when you re-import. Call High chance contacts first, send Low chance contacts to email, and keep Bad data contacts out of calling lists.
Other comparisons
Know who’ll answer
before you call.
Ask your AI tool who on your list will pick up. Every contact comes back High chance, Low chance or Bad data, with the best way to reach them.
No card required. US phone numbers only.