HubSpot vs Salesforce: CRM Comparison [10 Questions to Ask]

Picking between HubSpot and Salesforce is like choosing between a manual and automatic car - both will get you places, but the experience? Totally different.

If you're a CRM admin, this decision literally shapes your daily existence. It determines whether you spend your days being able to add real value to your business, or fighting fires when solutions haven’t quite worked as you’d planned.

For marketers, it's equally real: either launch campaigns when opportunities are hot or watch your competitors capitalise while you're stuck waiting for IT support to connect systems that should talk to each other automatically.

Rather than just telling you about these differences, you can see exactly what CRM administrators experience when using these platforms daily in our video series.

Why This Comparison Matters

The statistics don't lie: up to 70% of CRM implementations underdeliver. But they don't fail because of missing features—they fail because:

1. Users avoid complex systems like they avoid mandatory training sessions
2. Data becomes a mess when entry is too complicated
3. Teams create shadow systems when the official one is too cumbersome

As a CRM admin, you know this first hand because you're the go-to for when things break, or when people need someone to blame. By picking the correct CRM from the beginning, or migrating to something better, you not only make your own day-to-day easier but the lives of your team too.  

Make up your mind by watching a preview of our video library:

CRM Scoping Questions

While HubSpot and Salesforce are both powerhouse platforms, they're not one-size-fits-all solutions. BabelQuest has guided hundreds of businesses through this critical decision, and we've developed a set of questions that help businesses choose the right CRM for them.  

1. Can this CRM accommodate our projected business growth over the next 3-5 years?
2. How flexible is the platform in handling increasingly complex data management needs?
3. Will the CRM's infrastructure support our anticipated automation complexities?
4. Do we have the internal technical expertise to maximise the platform's potential?
5. What are the true long-term costs of customisation beyond initial implementation?
6. Do we need to consider integrations with our existing tech stack?
7. Can the platform adapt to our unique business processes
8. How quickly can our team become proficient with the new system?
9. How will we measure and ensure team adoption and engagement?
10. Can we achieve a single, comprehensive source of truth for our customer data?

Remember, this isn't about finding the "best" platform on paper — it's about discovering the right solution. At BabelQuest, we don’t just recommend; we collaborate. We've seen businesses transform by making informed, strategic CRM choices that align technology with their core business objectives. Get in touch to see how we can help. 

CRM Feature Comparison

Let's break down the core features through the lens of HubSpot’s Starter Customer Platform package vs Salesforce Pro Suite.

Whilst you read through, it’s worth remembering that the features are just table stakes. The real differentiator is how seamlessly a platform can be woven into your team's existing processes, and how easy tasks are to achieve day-to-day.

See these features in action in our video library.

The standout story here isn't just about feature parity. It's about customers' jaw-dropping results: according to HubSpot, Ceros experienced 106% more deals closed, 97% higher email engagement, and a 78% faster ticket resolution. 

This is the difference between a tool that sits there and a platform that actively accelerates your business momentum.

See These CRMs in Action

To help you make the decision between HubSpot and Salesforce, we've created a video series demonstrating exactly how HubSpot and Salesforce handle common tasks. These side-by-side comparisons offer an unfiltered look at each platform's approach to:

• How to import contacts
• How to fix messy data
• How to track adoption in my team
• How to stop my team viewing the wrong data
• How to route enquiries to the right agent
• How to enrich my data
• How to report on Closed-Lost deals
• How to manage my inventory

Make your decision based on seeing real tasks performed in real time—because your workload and sanity depend on getting this right. Visit our HubSpot vs Salesforce CRM Comparison resource center to see these platforms in action from an admin's perspective.