While every business can benefit from a customer relationship management (CRM) solution, their unique needs may make one platform more suitable than another. From email and marketing features to artificial intelligence (AI) assistance, the right tools at the right price can be a game-changer.
We’ve researched details from our HubSpot CRM Suite review and our Zoho CRM review to compare these platforms side by side. Our goal is to help you choose the best CRM software for your organization to take your business to the next level, increase productivity and grow your bottom line.
Criteria | HubSpot | Zoho |
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Price and Plans |
Note the following:
| Stand-alone plans (per user, per month):
Bundled plans:
Note the following:
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Contact Management |
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AI |
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Ease of Use |
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Customer Support |
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HubSpot’s CRM Suite is our choice for businesses that need a unified platform with potent tools that help all departments work together to promote customer engagement. The comprehensive features from HubSpot’s marketing, sales, operation and content management system hubs will benefit big companies with complex structures that can afford the high price tag. However, we think the free plan with essential CRM tools is ideal for small businesses with limited budgets.
We love that HubSpot incorporates state-of-the-art AI and extensive external integrations to help teams communicate better with contacts and increase sales. But we think the contact limits and price gap between basic and premium plans means that midsize businesses might not get the features they need at an affordable price.
HubSpot lets you see past conversations, track email opens, assign tasks and follow up with contacts from a central location. Source: HubSpot
HubSpot is a CRM leader because of the following features:
Zoho is a solid CRM solution for small and midsize businesses seeking cost-effective tools for engaging remote employees. The platform is easy to use on desktops or mobile devices. We love that Zoho’s flexible plans, communication integrations and gamification will help boost employees’ performance and improve sales.
We found Zoho to be especially well-suited to midsize businesses that need cost-effective advanced tools for streamlining sales and marketing tasks. Zoho’s premium plans offer features that help your team work more efficiently ― like Zia, the AI assistant ― at an excellent value for the money.
Zoho’s SaleSignals tool alerts you whenever a lead interacts with your company. You can follow up across multiple channels with the click of a button. Source: Zoho
We recommend Zoho because of the following top-notch features:
Zoho’s mobile CRM app has business card-scanning functionality to help your team accurately capture leads while on the go.
Unlike most competitors, HubSpot charges a flat rate with various user and contact limits. This pricing model makes HubSpot a cost-effective solution for many large businesses. However, companies that need additional contacts or sales seats will see prices balloon quickly. We were disappointed with the required annual commitment, lack of free trials and onboarding fees.
We appreciate that HubSpot offers a free plan with essential CRM tools, including one deal pipeline, so all your employees can connect to the platform’s essential features. But we don’t like that premium features come with a drastic price increase. Very small businesses with limited CRM needs and large companies with deep pockets will find value in HubSpot, but the sizable gap between plans means it won’t be a good fit for many businesses.
HubSpot’s pricing structure is as follows:
Plan | Price | Includes |
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Free Tools | $0 | Limited sales, marketing, service, CSM and operations tools, including the following:
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Starter |
Additional costs:
| Includes everything in Free Tools, plus:
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Professional |
Additional costs:
| Includes everything in the Starter plan, plus:
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Enterprise | $5,000 per month (annual billing, 10 paid users) Additional costs:
| Includes everything in the Professional plan, plus:
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We love that Zoho offers flexibility and affordability with two ways to subscribe. You can choose one of Zoho’s five CRM plans or opt for a bundle that includes the standard CRM platform plus your choice of Zoho’s eight additional products, including social media marketing and project management offerings.
We’re also impressed that Zoho has a free plan with basic tools and lead management functionality. However, we were disappointed that the platform’s most powerful features, such as advanced CRM analytics, require a premium plan. You can try paid plans for 14 days and bundles for 30 days. Price differences between tiers are reasonable and no contracts or commitments are required, so you can scale easily as your business evolves.
Plan | Price | Includes |
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Free | $0 (three users) |
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Standard |
| Includes all the Free plan’s features, plus:
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Professional |
| Includes all the Standard plan’s features, plus:
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Enterprise |
| Includes all Professional features, plus:
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Ultimate |
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CRM Flex Bundle |
| Choose from Zoho’s eight sales, marketing and service apps to create a custom solution. |
CRM Plus Bundle |
| You’ll receive full access to Zoho’s apps in the following categories:
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Zoho offers the best value for most small and midsize businesses. Its flexible plan options give you the features you need at an affordable price. HubSpot is a powerful platform with robust features, but we think its high price makes it a better choice for larger businesses. However, businesses on a tight budget will find both vendors’ free plans with essential CRM features quite helpful.
Getting the most out of your CRM goes beyond choosing a plan with the best features. You must understand which CRM metrics to track to optimize your sales and marketing efforts.
HubSpot stands out for its robust contact management features, many of which come with its free plan:
While we appreciate that most contact management features come standard, many are limited in the lower-tier plans. We were disappointed that contacts are limited across all plans, as paying for more could cause costs to add up quickly.
Zoho has helpful contact management features across its plan levels:
HubSpot edges out Zoho in this category because it’s built around contacts and most features to improve customer communication are free. While we appreciate Zoho’s competent tools and affordable plans, most businesses on a budget will find the same functionality with HubSpot for free. However, businesses with extensive contact lists that don’t want to break the bank paying to increase limits might find better value in Zoho.
HubSpot’s AI-powered tools greatly enhance the platform’s capabilities:
HubSpot’s Conversation Intelligence tool gathers data from customer calls and lets managers give employees feedback directly in the transcript. Source: HubSpot
Zoho’s AI offerings revolve around its AI-powered assistant, Zia, which can help your team work smarter and sell better. Zia can do the following:
We were disappointed that Zia’s features aren’t available outside of the Enterprise or Ultimate plans. However, considering their relatively low cost, you can get potent AI assistance for a bargain.
Both HubSpot and Zoho offer powerful AI tools with many of the same features. HubSpot wins in overall functionality thanks to its AI’s generative capabilities that create customized content in the tone of your choice. Still, when it comes to affordability, Zoho beats HubSpot; its premium AI features are available for a much lower price than HubSpot’s premium plans.
Help your in-office and remote teams work together more effectively by integrating the right collaboration tools.
Zoho’s Motivator tool engages employees by turning any task into a friendly competition with visual dashboards and performance reports. Source: Zoho
When it comes to usability, you can’t go wrong with either platform. Zoho is our choice for businesses looking to foster collaboration and increase productivity with remote workers. While HubSpot’s premium plans have a learning curve, the intuitive interface and extensive CRM integrations make it worthwhile.
HubSpot offers different levels of customer service based on your plan:
Subscribers can also pay to receive onboarding assistance and additional training.
HubSpot eases your CRM implementation with a five-day implementation calendar that helps businesses manage the entire process.
Zoho offers three levels of customer service. We like that each plan offers excellent online resources, such as articles, tutorials, webinars, courses and a community forum. Plus, all Zoho users get live email, chat or phone support. There’s also a portal for support-request callbacks.
Here’s how the plans differ:
Zoho wins for customer service, as even its free plan includes live phone support and onboarding assistance. To get the same level of service with HubSpot, you must sign up for its most expensive plans.
HubSpot and Zoho offer essential CRM software features in their free plans. HubSpot stands out for its customer communication tools and extensive premium features. Zoho shines because of its flexible plans and team collaboration tools.
Choose HubSpot if:
Choose Zoho if:
Yes. HubSpot offers a free CRM plan that includes basic features from all of its hubs.
HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM designed to serve all your departments equally.
Zoho serves more than 100 million users in organizations, including Ikea, Toyota, McAfee, Stanford University, Marriott and Shiji.
HubSpot CRM has comprehensive, advanced tools for large businesses with multiple departments. Zoho CRM offers flexible, affordable plans for midsize businesses.