HubSpot vs Salesforce: Which is Best in 2025?

Your strategy for business growth likely involves a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform of some form. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your current solution or are diving into CRMs for the first time as part of a digital transformation initiative, two giants stand out on the market: HubSpot and Salesforce.

HubSpot promises to make sales and marketing feel effortless, while Salesforce claims it can handle anything you throw at it. Both have millions of users who swear by them, and both will happily take a significant chunk out of your monthly budget. So, which one actually delivers for Singapore businesses?

This comparison will help Singapore businesses understand which platform aligns best with their needs, budget, and growth ambitions. We'll also explore how using a Wise Business Card can help you manage your CRM subscription payments more efficiently, avoiding unnecessary foreign transaction fees when paying for these international SaaS tools.

Table of contents
HubSpot vs Salesforce: Quick comparison How does HubSpot work? How does Salesforce work? Manage your CRM payments with Wise Business HubSpot vs Salesforce FAQs HubSpot vs Salesforce: Which is best for you?

HubSpot vs Salesforce: Quick comparison

Feature	HubSpot	Salesforce
Starting Price	Free (basic CRM) Paid plans from USD 9/month¹	No free tier USD 25/user/month²
Best For	Small to medium businesses Inbound marketing focus	Large enterprises Complex customisation needs
Ease of Use	User-friendly, minimal setup	Steeper learning curve
Customisation	Good for basic needs	Extensive enterprise-level options
Integration Options	App Marketplace with good selection	7,000+ apps via AppExchange
Marketing Tools	Strong inbound marketing focus	Advanced automation via Marketing Cloud
Support	24/7 for paid plans	Comprehensive enterprise support

*Details accurate as of 4th June 2025

We've reviewed both platforms' pricing and features in depth in our guides.
➡️Read our full guide to Salesforce pricing, or read our full guide to HubSpot pricing here.

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How does HubSpot work?

HubSpot operates as an integrated customer platform that brings together marketing, sales, and service tools under one roof. The platform was founded in 2006 with a focus on “inbound marketing” - attracting customers through valuable content rather than interrupting them with traditional advertising.

The platform consists of several interconnected hubs. The Marketing Hub handles email campaigns, social media management, SEO tools, and analytics. The Sales Hub provides email tracking, meeting scheduling, pipeline management, and sales automation. The Service Hub focuses on customer support with ticketing systems, knowledge bases, and live chat functionality.

Beyond the core trio, HubSpot also offers additional, smaller, more targeted hubs for specific business needs: Content Hub for creating and managing website content, Operations Hub for automating business processes and data synchronisation, and Commerce Hub for B2B commerce solutions. The Smart CRM uses AI to automatically capture and organise customer data, reducing manual data entry and keeping your records clean.

What makes HubSpot particularly appealing is its approach to integration. All these tools work seamlessly together, sharing data and insights across your entire customer journey. You can track a prospect from their first website visit through to becoming a customer and beyond.

HubSpot's AI assistant, Breeze, helps automate routine tasks and provides personalised recommendations. The platform also offers comprehensive reporting tools that give you clear insights into what's working and what isn't in your sales and marketing efforts.

HubSpot pricing and fees

HubSpot offers a unique pricing structure that includes a fully free tier - something Salesforce doesn't provide. Here's how their pricing breaks down:

Free Tier: Basic CRM functionality made permanently available, including contact management, deal tracking, and basic reporting.

Starter Customer Platform: Currently 40% off, with no set end date. From USD 9/month per seat for the basics from each hub.¹

Professional Plans:¹

• Marketing Hub: USD 800/month (includes 3 seats, 5,000 campaigns)
• Sales Hub: USD 90/month per seat
• Service Hub: USD 90/month per seat
• Content Hub: USD 450/month for 3 seats
• Operations Hub: USD 720/month for 1 seat
• Commerce Hub: Available with other hubs

Enterprise Plans:¹

• Marketing Hub: USD 3,600/month (includes 5 seats, 10,000 campaigns)
• Sales Hub: USD 150/month per seat
• Service Hub: USD 150/month per seat
• Content Hub: USD 1,500/month for 5 seats
• Operations Hub: USD 2,000/month for 1 seat
• Commerce Hub: Available with other hubs

14-day free trials are available with the Operations and Content Hubs.

Additional costs include onboarding fees ranging from USD 1,500 to USD 7,000 depending on the plan level.

HubSpot pros and cons

Pros:

• Free tier provides excellent value for startups and small businesses
• User-friendly interface requires minimal technical expertise
• Strong inbound marketing tools and methodology
• Integrated approach connecting marketing, sales, service, content, and operations
• Comprehensive training resources and community support
• Quick implementation with pre-built templates

Cons:

• Can become expensive as you scale and need more features
• Limited customisation compared to enterprise-level solutions
• Marketing contact limits can be restrictive for growing businesses
• Advanced features require higher-tier plans
• Integration options are more limited than enterprise alternatives

HubSpot works best for small to medium-sized businesses that prioritise ease of use, want to implement inbound marketing strategies, and need a solution they can get up and running quickly without extensive technical resources.

How does Salesforce work?

Salesforce takes a different approach, positioning itself as a comprehensive Customer 360 platform that can be extensively customised to match virtually any business process. Founded in 1999, Salesforce pioneered cloud-based CRM, becoming almost synonymous with the concept, and has built its reputation on providing enterprise-grade solutions that can scale with the largest organisations.

Like HubSpot's hub-based approach, Salesforce offers a suite of interconnected clouds. Sales Cloud handles lead management, opportunity tracking, and sales process automation. Service Cloud provides comprehensive customer support tools, including field service management and AI-powered case routing. Marketing Cloud delivers sophisticated automation for email, mobile, social media, and customer journey mapping.

What sets Salesforce apart is its extensive customisation capabilities. You can create custom objects, fields, workflows, and even entire applications using their drag-and-drop development tools. The platform integrates with pretty much any business system through its API framework and the massive AppExchange marketplace, which hosts over 7,000 applications and integrations.

Salesforce also uses Einstein AI to varying degrees across its platforms and pricing tiers, providing predictive analytics, automated insights, and intelligent recommendations to help optimise your sales and marketing efforts.

Salesforce pricing and fees

Salesforce operates on a per-user monthly subscription model with five main editions, across its many products. Here is the pricing across its main products:²

Sales Cloud:

• Starter: USD 25/month per user
• Pro Suite: USD 100/month per user
• Enterprise: USD 165/month per user
• Unlimited: USD 330/month per user

Marketing Cloud:

• Starter: USD 25/month per user
• Marketing Cloud Growth Edition: USD 1,500/month per organisation
• Marketing Cloud Advanced: USD 3,250/month per organisation

Service Cloud:

• Starter: USD 25/month per user
• Pro Suite: USD 100/month per user
• Enterprise: USD 165/month per user
• Unlimited: USD 330/month per user

Unlike HubSpot, Salesforce doesn't offer a free tier. However, they typically provide free trials for businesses to test the platform before committing.

Salesforce pros and cons

Pros:

• Market-leading CRM with millions of worldwide users
• Extensive customisation options for complex business requirements
• Massive ecosystem with 7,000+ AppExchange applications
• Advanced AI capabilities through the Einstein platform
• Enterprise-level security and compliance features
• Comprehensive integration capabilities via APIs

Cons:

• Steep learning curve requiring significant training investment
• Higher costs, especially for smaller businesses
• Complex setup and configuration process
• Can be overwhelming for simple CRM needs
• Requires technical expertise to fully utilise advanced features
• No free tier available

Salesforce excels for large enterprises with complex sales processes, extensive customisation requirements, big CRM budgets, and the technical resources to implement and maintain sophisticated solutions.

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Manage your CRM payments with Wise Business

Whether you opt for HubSpot or Salesforce, you’ll need to factor in their primary billing currency. Many SaaS tools, including CRM platforms, still charge in USD or other major foreign currencies rather than SGD.

Most Singapore businesses use their corporate bank card for all expenses without realising they're paying hidden costs like foreign transaction fees and exchange rate markups every time there’s a currency conversion. These unnecessary charges can significantly impact your monthly expenses and eat into your profits.

For example, if you're paying USD 300 monthly for a Salesforce subscription, foreign transaction fees of 2-3% add an extra USD 6-9 each month - that's over USD 100 annually just in fees, (and we've not yet factored in the cost of poor exchange rates loaded with hidden exchange rate markups).

Using a Wise Business multi-currency card eliminates these hidden costs. You'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with transparent, low conversion fees - no exchange rate markup, no surprises. For businesses managing multiple international subscriptions, these savings add up quickly.

➡️Get Wise Business for Smart Savings

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HubSpot vs Salesforce FAQs

Which CRM is better for small businesses in Singapore?

HubSpot generally works better for small businesses due to its free tier, user-friendly interface, and lower barrier to entry. The platform requires minimal technical expertise and can be implemented quickly. Salesforce, while more powerful, typically requires more resources and technical knowledge to implement effectively.

Can I migrate from HubSpot to Salesforce (or vice versa)?

Yes, both platforms offer migration tools and services, though the process can be complex depending on your data structure and customisations. Many businesses choose to work with certified partners to ensure smooth data migration and minimal disruption to operations.

Which platform offers better customer support?

Both platforms provide comprehensive support, but in different ways. HubSpot offers 24/7 support for paid plans, plus extensive free training resources and an active community. Salesforce provides enterprise-level support with dedicated success managers for higher-tier plans, plus comprehensive training through Trailhead.

Do these platforms integrate with Singapore-specific business tools?

Both HubSpot and Salesforce offer extensive integration capabilities. While some Singapore-specific software may not have direct integrations, both platforms provide APIs and webhook capabilities that allow custom integrations. Salesforce's larger AppExchange marketplace typically offers more integration options.

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HubSpot vs Salesforce: Which is best for you?

The choice between HubSpot and Salesforce largely depends on your business size, technical resources, and specific requirements.

Choose HubSpot if you:

• Are a small to medium-sized business looking for quick implementation
• Focused on inbound marketing strategies
• Working with limited technical resources
• Want to start with a free solution and scale gradually
• Prioritise ease of use over extensive customisation

Choose Salesforce if you:

• Are a larger enterprise or have complex sales processes
• Need extensive customisation and integration capabilities
• Have dedicated technical resources for implementation and maintenance
• Require advanced reporting and analytics features
• Want access to the largest ecosystem of third-party applications

For Singapore businesses undergoing digital transformation with tools like HubSpot or Salesforce, especially those looking to enter new markets overseas, it's worth examining your current business banking setup to see if it is serving your global needs effectively.

💡Need to pay or get paid in foreign currencies? Wise Business could be a better alternative business account as you can hold, send, receive and exchange 40+ currencies all in one place. You’ll always get the mid-market rate with low, transparent fees. Even better, you can connect Wise Business cards to your account to control team spending in real time and reduce admin.

• Hold and manage 40+ currencies for all your international transactions.
• Pay foreign currency bills and ad-hoc business travel expenses using the Wise Business card without hefty foreign transaction fees.
• Get your first Wise Business card for free when you open a Wise Business account.
• Always get the mid-market rate with transparent conversion fees starting from 0.26%.
• Seamless integrations with popular accounting software.

➡️Get started with Wise Business today

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Sources:

1. HubSpot Pricing
2. Salesforce Pricing

Sources checked on 4th June 2025