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HubSpot’s free tools are a great way to start. Then your team grows, you need one feature that lives on a paid plan, and the quote comes back with a number that makes you close the tab. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone, and it’s why so many owners start searching for HubSpot alternatives for small business teams.
HubSpot isn’t a bad product. It’s polished, well documented, and easy to learn. The problem is the shape of the pricing. The jump from Starter to Professional is large, and small teams often land right in the gap between the two.
So I compared five alternatives — EngageBay, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, Freshsales, and Brevo — by going through their pricing pages, plan limits, and migration guides, with HubSpot as the reference point. The question: if you’re a 2–20 person business leaving HubSpot (or deciding not to upgrade), which tool lets you keep what you actually use without paying for what you don’t?
Why small businesses move off HubSpot
Most teams don’t leave HubSpot because they dislike it. They leave because of what happens to the bill once they need more than the basics. A few patterns come up again and again:
- The Starter-to-Professional cliff. Starter is priced per seat and fairly gentle. Professional is a different world. Based on HubSpot’s own pricing guide, Marketing Hub Professional starts at $800 a month billed annually with 3 seats, plus a required one-time onboarding fee of $3,000, at the time of writing. For a ten-person business, that’s a big leap just to unlock more automation.
- Contacts cost money too. HubSpot counts “marketing contacts” separately, and each tier includes a set number. Grow your email list, and the price can grow with it.
- The free plan only fits two people. HubSpot’s free tools cover up to 2 users. Add a third person, and you’re on a paid plan.
- You pay for a bundle you only half use. Plenty of small businesses use HubSpot for a pipeline and a newsletter, and not much else. Paying platform prices for that feels wasteful.
None of this means you have to switch. But if one of these is hitting your budget, it’s worth knowing what the alternatives look like.
Before you switch: what you keep and what you lose
Leaving any CRM has a cost, so it helps to be honest about the trade-off up front.
What usually comes with you: contacts, companies, deals, and your pipeline stages. Every tool in this list can import those, either with a built-in HubSpot migration tool or through a CSV import. Your email list and the basics of your sales process can move in an afternoon or two.
What often doesn’t come along cleanly: workflows, email templates, forms, landing pages, and reports. These are built inside HubSpot and usually have to be rebuilt by hand. Engagement history (old notes, tasks, call logs) can also be patchy, depending on the tool.
What you’ll miss: HubSpot’s ecosystem. Its app marketplace, HubSpot Academy courses, and huge library of how-to content are hard to match. If your team leans on those, factor that in.
A middle option: you don’t have to go all or nothing. Some teams keep HubSpot’s free CRM and add a cheaper email tool next to it. Brevo, for example, offers a HubSpot integration that syncs contacts into Brevo. That can be a good way to test the waters before a full move.
How I compared these alternatives
I focused on five things that matter when you’re moving off HubSpot specifically.
1. What you’ll pay as you grow
Not just the entry price, but what happens when you add people, contacts, or automation. The goal is to avoid trading one price cliff for another.
2. How much of HubSpot it replaces
HubSpot bundles marketing, sales, and customer service. Some alternatives do all three. Others focus on sales or on email marketing. The right fit depends on which parts of HubSpot you really use.
3. How easy the move is
A built-in HubSpot migration tool or hands-on migration help can save days of cleanup. I checked each tool’s help docs for how data comes across.
4. Ease of use
HubSpot set a high bar here. A cheaper tool that your team won’t open isn’t a saving.
5. Free plans and trials
A free plan or trial lets you import a slice of your HubSpot data and test it before you cancel anything.
HubSpot alternatives compared
Here’s a quick overview. Prices are per user per month, billed annually, based on published rates at the time of writing, unless noted. Monthly billing usually costs more. Always check the official pricing pages before you buy.
| Tool | Starting paid price | Free option | Replaces from HubSpot | Moving from HubSpot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot (reference) | $20/seat list price (Starter) | Free tools, up to 2 users | — | — |
| EngageBay | $13.79/user (Basic) | Free plan, up to 15 users | Marketing, sales, and service | Free migration help for paid users |
| Zoho CRM | $14/user (Standard) | Free for up to 3 users | Sales (marketing via other Zoho apps) | Built-in HubSpot migration tool |
| Pipedrive | $14/seat (Lite) | 14-day trial | Sales | CSV export and import, with a guide |
| Freshsales | $9/user (Growth) | Free for up to 3 users | Sales | Built-in HubSpot migration wizard |
| Brevo | From $9/month (Starter, priced by email volume) | Free plan, 300 emails/day | Email marketing, plus a basic sales CRM | HubSpot sync integration |
Now let’s look at each one more closely.
HubSpot (the reference point)
It helps to know exactly what you’re comparing against. HubSpot’s free tools cover up to 2 users. The Starter Customer Platform lists at $20 per seat per month and bundles the starter versions of its marketing, sales, and service tools. It removes HubSpot branding and raises usage limits. HubSpot’s pricing pages were also showing a lower introductory rate for new customers when I checked, so the price you’re quoted may differ.
Professional is where costs change shape. HubSpot’s suite pricing page lists the Professional Customer Platform at $1,300 a month billed annually, with 6 seats included. Marketing Hub Professional alone starts at $800 a month billed annually with 3 seats and 2,000 marketing contacts, plus that $3,000 onboarding fee.
If Starter does everything you need, staying put may be the simplest move. The alternatives below make the most sense when you need Professional-level features or more users than your budget allows.
EngageBay
EngageBay is the closest match to HubSpot’s “everything in one place” approach, at a much lower price. You get a CRM, email marketing, landing pages, live chat, and a help desk in the same tool, so it can stand in for HubSpot’s marketing, sales, and service hubs together.
Based on EngageBay’s pricing details, the Free plan covers up to 15 users with 250 contacts and 1,000 branded emails. Basic is $13.79 per user per month billed yearly ($14.99 monthly, or $12.74 on a two-year plan), with 500 contacts and 3,000 branded emails. Growth is $59.79 per user billed yearly ($64.99 monthly). It adds marketing automation, A/B testing, and service automation, with up to 5,000 contacts. Pro is $110.39 per user billed yearly and adds custom reporting, single sign-on, and phone support.
Moving from HubSpot: EngageBay’s own HubSpot comparison page says paid users get free onboarding and migration help from its team. That’s a real plus if nobody on your team wants to wrestle with CSV files.
What stands out: For a small team that uses HubSpot for a bit of everything — a pipeline, newsletters, a chat widget, and support tickets — EngageBay covers the same ground for a fraction of HubSpot Professional’s price. Its free plan also fits a whole 15-person team, compared with 2 users on HubSpot’s free tools. That makes it easy to test with everyone before you commit.
The catch: The contact limits on the lower plans are tight. 500 contacts on Basic can fill up fast if you’re bringing over a big HubSpot list. And full marketing automation starts on Growth, which is a big step up per user. Before you migrate, count your active contacts and check which of your HubSpot workflows you really need on day one.
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a flexible, long-running CRM from a company that makes dozens of business apps, from email marketing to accounting to help desk.
Based on third-party pricing summaries, the Free edition supports up to 3 users. Standard is $14 per user per month billed annually and adds things like mass email, multiple pipelines, and sales forecasting. Professional is $23 per user billed annually and adds more automation. Paid plans come with a free trial.
Moving from HubSpot: Zoho’s help center describes a built-in HubSpot migration tool. You connect it with a HubSpot private app token, and it can bring over contacts, companies, deals, tasks, calls, meetings, and notes. Custom modules aren’t supported, and you can only undo or rerun the migration a limited number of times, so a test run with a small batch is a good idea.
What stands out: Strong value per dollar and deep customization. If you’re already using other Zoho apps, everything connects nicely.
The catch: Zoho CRM is mainly a sales tool. HubSpot-style email campaigns and live chat mostly live in separate Zoho products, so replacing your full HubSpot setup can mean signing up for more than one app. It also takes longer to set up than HubSpot.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a sales-first CRM built around a visual pipeline. If your team mainly used HubSpot to track deals, it’s one of the easiest switches to make.
According to Pipedrive’s pricing page, Lite is $14 per seat per month billed annually and covers pipeline management and hundreds of integrations. Growth is $39 per seat billed annually and adds full email sync with tracking, automations, and a meeting scheduler. Higher plans add lead routing, scoring, and e-signatures. There’s no free plan, but there’s a 14-day free trial.
Moving from HubSpot: Pipedrive’s knowledge base has a step-by-step HubSpot migration guide. It’s a CSV export-and-import process: you export companies, contacts, and deals from HubSpot, set up matching fields and pipeline stages in Pipedrive, then import. It takes more hands-on work than a one-click tool, though Pipedrive says its support team can help.
What stands out: Pipedrive is very good at one thing: showing where every deal stands and what to do next. Sales-focused teams often find it simpler day to day than HubSpot.
The catch: It doesn’t replace HubSpot’s marketing or service tools. Email campaigns come through a paid add-on, and there’s no built-in help desk. Email sync, which most teams want, starts on Growth.
If you already use Pipedrive and the add-ons are adding up, see our full guide to Pipedrive alternatives for small business.
Freshsales
Freshsales is the sales CRM from Freshworks, the company behind Freshdesk. It comes with built-in phone and email, plus Freddy, Freshworks’ AI assistant.
Based on third-party pricing summaries, the Free plan supports up to 3 users. Growth is $9 per user per month billed annually. Pro is $39 per user billed annually and adds AI contact scoring and deal insights. Enterprise is $59 per user billed annually. Paid plans come with a 21-day free trial.
Moving from HubSpot: Freshworks’ support docs describe a HubSpot migration wizard inside the admin settings, available on all Freshsales plans. It brings over contacts, accounts, deals, and custom fields. The docs also note that changes on HubSpot’s side affect importing engagement data such as notes, tasks, and call logs, so plan to keep a HubSpot export of that history.
What stands out: The lowest per-user entry price here, plus built-in calling. If your team lives on the phone, that’s handy.
The catch: The AI features are mostly on Pro and above, which costs more than four times as much as Growth. And like Pipedrive, it’s a sales tool first. Freshworks sells marketing and help desk tools as separate products.
Brevo
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) earns its spot for a different reason. Many small businesses mainly use HubSpot for email marketing: newsletters, simple automations, and a contact list. Brevo is built for exactly that, and it’s priced differently.
Based on several third-party pricing guides, Brevo’s Free plan allows 300 emails per day and stores a large contact list. Paid marketing plans start at about $9 a month (Starter) and $18 a month (Standard), and the price rises with how many emails you send rather than how many contacts you store. Higher plans add more users, landing pages, and advanced features. Brevo also includes a basic sales CRM for tracking deals, with paid sales seats available, though the exact seat prices vary between sources.
Moving from HubSpot: Brevo’s help center describes a HubSpot integration that syncs contacts, companies, and deals into Brevo and sends email activity back to HubSpot. That makes it easy to run both side by side while you decide.
What stands out: If your list is big but your team is small, paying by email volume can be far cheaper than paying for HubSpot marketing contacts.
The catch: Brevo’s sales CRM is basic next to HubSpot, Pipedrive, or EngageBay, and there’s no full help desk. Users per plan are also limited, so check how many seats you’ll need.
What a 5-person team would pay
Let’s make it concrete. Here’s a rough monthly cost for a 5-person team, billed annually, based on published rates at the time of writing:
| Tool and plan | Marketing + sales + service? | Rough monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| EngageBay Free | Yes (250 contacts) | $0 |
| Freshsales Growth | Sales only | About $45 |
| EngageBay Basic | Yes | About $69 |
| Zoho CRM Standard | Sales only | About $70 |
| Pipedrive Lite | Sales only | About $70 |
| HubSpot Starter | Yes (starter level) | About $100 at list price |
| Pipedrive Growth | Sales only | About $195 |
| EngageBay Growth | Yes, with automation | About $299 |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional | Marketing only | From $800, plus a $3,000 one-time onboarding fee |
Brevo isn’t in the table because its price depends on email volume and seats rather than a flat per-user rate. A small team sending a weekly newsletter may fit on a low tier, while a team sending large campaigns will pay more.
A few things jump out:
- HubSpot Starter is still fair value. If it covers your needs, switching just to save $30 a month may not be worth the migration work.
- The real savings show up against Professional. Even EngageBay Growth with full automation for five people comes in well below HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional, and without an onboarding fee.
- Sales-only tools are cheapest, but you’ll need extra tools. Freshsales, Zoho, and Pipedrive are affordable for a pipeline. Add an email tool and a help desk, and the gap narrows.
How to move off HubSpot without losing data
A clean migration is mostly about preparation. Here’s a simple order that works for most small teams:
- Check your HubSpot renewal date. Know when your current plan renews and what your contract says about cancelling, so you aren’t paying for two tools longer than you need to.
- Export everything first. Download contacts, companies, deals, and any notes you care about. Keep a copy even if your new tool has a migration wizard.
- Clean before you import. Delete duplicates, bounced emails, and contacts nobody has touched in years. A smaller list may also keep you on a cheaper plan.
- Rebuild your pipeline stages first. Match your HubSpot deal stages in the new tool before you import deals, so everything lands in the right place.
- Run a small test import. Bring over 10–20 records, check that fields and owners look right, then import the rest.
- Recreate only the workflows you use. Most teams find that a handful of automations do the real work. Start with those.
- Run both tools side by side for a short while. Then switch your forms, chat widget, and email sending to the new tool and cancel HubSpot.
If you’d rather not do this yourself, a tool that offers migration help, like EngageBay for paid users, can save a lot of time.
Which HubSpot alternative is right for you?
1. Small teams using HubSpot for marketing, sales, and support
This is where EngageBay fits best, and it’s my top pick for this group. It covers your CRM, email campaigns, landing pages, live chat, and help desk in one place, much like HubSpot does, at a far lower price as your team grows. You can test it on the free plan with up to 15 users, then move to Basic or Growth when you need more contacts or automation. If you’re weighing it against other budget CRMs too, my guide to the best affordable CRM for small business compares the pricing side in more detail.
2. Sales teams that mainly used HubSpot to track deals
If the pipeline was the heart of your HubSpot use, Pipedrive is the easiest to pick up, and Freshsales is the cheapest way in. If you like to customize everything, Zoho CRM offers a lot for the money and a built-in HubSpot migration tool.
3. Businesses that mostly used HubSpot for email marketing
If your HubSpot account is basically a newsletter tool with a contact list, Brevo is worth a close look. Paying by email volume instead of by marketing contact can make a big difference once your list grows.
The bottom line
HubSpot is a strong platform, and if Starter covers what you need, there’s no rush to leave. But if you’re staring at the jump to Professional, or paying for a bundle you only half use, there are good HubSpot alternatives for small business teams at a much friendlier price.
If you need a sales pipeline only, Pipedrive, Freshsales, or Zoho CRM will serve you well. If email is your main job, Brevo is the natural fit. And if you want to keep marketing, sales, and support together the way HubSpot does, EngageBay was the most affordable all-in-one option I found.
Want to see if it can replace your HubSpot setup? Start on EngageBay’s free plan, import a slice of your HubSpot contacts, rebuild one pipeline and one email, and invite the team. If it feels right, a paid plan comes with migration help for the rest.
FAQ
What is the best HubSpot alternative for small business?
It depends on how you use HubSpot. If you use it for marketing, sales, and support together, EngageBay is one of the closest all-in-one matches at a lower price. If you mainly track deals, Pipedrive or Freshsales may be simpler. If you mainly send newsletters, Brevo is worth a look.
Is there a cheaper alternative to HubSpot?
Yes. Several tools here start well below HubSpot Starter’s $20 list price per seat, at the time of writing. The bigger savings show up against HubSpot Professional, which starts at $800 a month for Marketing Hub plus a one-time onboarding fee.
Can I move my data from HubSpot to another CRM?
Yes. Zoho CRM and Freshsales have built-in HubSpot migration tools, Pipedrive has a step-by-step CSV import guide, Brevo offers a HubSpot sync, and EngageBay says it provides free migration help for paid users. Workflows, forms, and templates usually need to be rebuilt by hand.
Is EngageBay a good HubSpot alternative?
For small teams that want marketing, sales, and service in one tool, it’s one of the more affordable options. Its free plan covers up to 15 users. Keep an eye on contact limits on the lower plans, and note that full marketing automation starts on Growth.
Should I keep HubSpot’s free CRM and add another tool instead?
That can work well. If HubSpot’s free tools fit your team of up to 2 users, adding a dedicated email tool like Brevo next to it is a low-risk way to cut costs without a full migration.
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