HubSpot review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ForgeCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
HubSpot suits small businesses that want one free starting point covering marketing, sales and service instead of separate tools. Its per user entry starts at €1.75, and a catalogue of 1,500 integrations makes it the widest starting point here.
Key facts
- Best for
- A small business that wants one free starting point across sales, service and marketing.
- Free plan
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan limits
- Free tools for marketing, sales and service (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Integrations
- 1,500 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Product
- CRM, Help-desk (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2006 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free plan
- Official website
- hubspot.com
Business tools
- Free plan
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Integrations
- 1,500 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Tool type
- Automation, Social (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2006 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free plan
Email marketing
- Free plan limits
- Free tools for marketing, sales and service (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Integrations
- 1,500 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2006 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free plan
Pros and cons
Pros
- A free plan is offered, and Free tools for marketing, sales and service spans marketing, sales and service rather than one job.
- 1,500 integrations give teams room to connect existing tools.
- It covers crm and help desk in one catalogue, with automation and social sitting alongside them.
- The beginners, small business and enterprise spread means the same platform serves a first CRM and a larger operation.
Cons
- Support runs on help centre and community only, so self service articles and the community carry the load.
- The product set spans crm and help desk, which pulls the catalogue well beyond a single help desk.
- It is built for beginners, small business and enterprise audiences, so a focused single job buyer carries more scope than needed.
Who it suits
- Small businesses that want marketing, sales and service in one place, matching Free tools for marketing, sales and service.
- Teams already running other tools, since 1,500 integrations keep those connections open.
- First time CRM buyers, as beginners, small business and enterprise includes beginners as well as enterprise.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who needs a single-purpose tool, since crm and help desk plus automation and social covers a wide catalogue.
- Teams wanting phone or live chat help, because support runs on help centre and community.
- Shoppers comparing against CreatorHero, Infloww or WayMaker Markets purely on a free plan, since none of them offers one.
Free plan and trial
A free plan is available, and Free tools for marketing, sales and service sets the scope: free tools for marketing, sales and service. That matters in a field where 32.3% covers only part of the market and 67.7% takes the rest. CreatorHero, Infloww and WayMaker Markets all come without a free plan, so HubSpot is the outlier on this page. Paid entry for teams that outgrow it starts at €1.75 per user, with a median of €21.75. Broader market context puts per user medians at €21.92, so the floor is the friendly part and the middle is ordinary.
What it does well
Free tools for marketing, sales and service is the core of the offer: free tools for marketing, sales and service, which reads as one platform rather than separate subscriptions. The ecosystem is the second strength, with 1,500 integrations available, so a team can keep the tools it already runs. The catalogue is wide, not narrow, and that shows in the product and tool types listed as crm and help desk alongside automation and social. Wide scope is the trade-off buyers weigh here: more ground covered in one login, but a lot of surface area to learn before a small team settles in.
Who runs it
The company was founded in 2006, which puts a long operating history behind the product. Support runs on help centre and community, so a help centre and a community forum are the stated routes. The audience it targets spans beginners, small business and enterprise, and small businesses make up the largest share in the CRM field, where 98.1% leads the ranking distribution. Beginners and enterprise appear on the same list, so the same catalogue is meant to stretch from a first CRM to a larger operation.
How HubSpot compares
9.5 vs 8.7- 9.5 vs 9.3
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Frequently asked questions
Does HubSpot have a free plan?+
Yes, there is a free plan. The listing confirms a free plan is available, and Free tools for marketing, sales and service describes what it covers. Entry pricing for paid tiers starts at €1.75 per user, so a small team can test the platform before committing to a subscription.
What does the free plan include?+
The free plan covers Free tools for marketing, sales and service. That single entry point is the separator against CreatorHero, Infloww and WayMaker Markets, where a free plan is not offered. Coverage spans crm and help desk in one place rather than a single job.
How much does HubSpot cost per user?+
Per user pricing starts at €1.75, with a median of €21.75 and a top end at €197.70. The beginners, small business and enterprise audience it is built for includes small businesses, so seat count drives the bill more than feature gating.
How does that price compare with the market?+
Across the wider software market, entry price medians sit at €13.15 with a lower quartile of €6.93 and an upper quartile of €29, and €1,315.44 marks the top of the range. HubSpot's per user floor of €1.75 sits under that median.
Does HubSpot connect to other tools?+
The catalogue holds 1,500 integrations. In a CRM comparison field of 142 brands, that reach helps a team connect the tools it already runs rather than replacing them.
What support can you get?+
Support runs on help centre and community, so a help centre and a community forum are the routes listed. No live chat or phone channel appears in the same support listing, which matters for teams that want an agent on call.
Who is HubSpot built for?+
The audience it serves covers beginners, small business and enterprise, and small businesses are the strongest fit in the CRM field where 98.1% holds the strongest share. It also reaches beginners and enterprise, so the same catalogue can cover a first CRM and a larger one.
How long has HubSpot been around?+
The company was founded in 2006. A long operating history matters when a CRM becomes the system of record for sales and service data.
Is HubSpot only a CRM?+
The two product areas listed are crm and help desk, plus automation and social in the broader tool set. Buyers needing a single market, a single channel or a single job should check the full scope before buying.
Sources
- community.hubspot.com/t5/Releases-and-Updates/New-in-the-... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Integrations
“HubSpot's App Marketplace has 1,500+ ready-to-use integrations”
- help.hubspot.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Free plan, Pricing model, Product, Support channels
“Free HubSpot CRM - Free CRM software”
- hubspot.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Tool type
- hubspot.com/our-story checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
- hubspot.com/products/get-started checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Free plan limits
“Get Started With HubSpot”
Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Price per user from.
Related by the facts
HubSpot
A small business that wants one free starting point across sales, service and marketing.