Salesforce vs HubSpot: Which CRM Is Best for Growing Businesses?

Choosing the right CRM is a critical decision for any growing business. For small and mid-sized companies, the wrong platform can lead to wasted time, higher costs, and low user adoption. Two of the most well-known CRM solutions in 2025 are Salesforce and HubSpot — but they serve very different needs.

In this article, we compare both platforms to help you decide which is better for your business size, team capabilities, and growth goals.

Table of Content:

1. Overview: Salesforce and HubSpot
2. Ease of Use
3. Setup and Implementation
4. Customization and Flexibility
5. Cost and Scalability
6. Sales and Marketing Integration
7. Support and Ecosystem
8. Final Recommendation
9. Conclusion

Overview: Salesforce and HubSpot

Salesforce is the market leader in enterprise CRM systems. It offers robust customization, deep functionality, and a wide range of industry-specific solutions. However, this power comes with complexity and higher implementation costs.

HubSpot, on the other hand, is known for its ease of use, freemium model, and all-in-one approach for marketing, sales, and customer service. It is especially popular among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for a faster time to value.

1. Ease of Use

• HubSpot: Clean, intuitive, and user-friendly. Ideal for companies without a dedicated IT or CRM admin.

• Salesforce: Requires training and onboarding. The interface is powerful but can be overwhelming for small teams.
  

Verdict: HubSpot wins for small to mid-sized companies without in-house CRM expertise.

2. Setup and Implementation

• HubSpot: Quick to implement. You can go live in days with the free version or Starter plan.

• Salesforce: Requires longer setup time, technical consultants, and often a certified implementation partner.
  

Verdict: HubSpot is more practical for businesses needing a fast and affordable deployment.

3. Customization and Flexibility

• Salesforce: Highly customizable with custom objects, workflows, and integrations for complex needs.

• HubSpot: Offers customization but with more limitations. Works best for standardized processes.
  

Verdict: Salesforce is more powerful for companies with complex sales processes and industry-specific needs.

4. Cost and Scalability

Verdict: HubSpot offers more budget-friendly entry for small businesses; Salesforce is a long-term investment for larger teams.

5. Sales and Marketing Integration

• HubSpot: Native all-in-one platform. CRM, marketing automation, email campaigns, and landing pages in one place.

• Salesforce: Best used with Marketing Cloud or Pardot, which adds cost and complexity.
  

Verdict: HubSpot is better for businesses that want sales and marketing aligned from day one without using separate systems.

6. Support and Ecosystem

• Salesforce: Extensive partner ecosystem, strong developer community, but most support is tiered and may require additional cost.

• HubSpot: Live chat and email support available on paid plans. Large knowledge base and active global community.
  

Verdict: Both offer strong support, but HubSpot is more accessible for smaller teams.

Final Recommendation

Conclusion

For most small and mid-sized companies in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, HubSpot is the better choice. It is easier to use, faster to implement, and offers excellent value — especially for companies just starting to digitize their sales and marketing.

Salesforce is powerful and flexible, but it may be too complex and expensive for businesses without dedicated CRM administrators or advanced sales structures.

If you're still unsure which CRM to choose — or if you're considering integrating HubSpot with tools like Xero or NetSuite — we can help you decide and implement the right solution for your business.

Need help choosing between HubSpot and Salesforce? Contact our team for a free consultation.