HubSpot Review: As Good as They Say? All the Pros, Cons & Pricing Info you Need to Know

Summary

This review delves into HubSpot, an all-in-one platform for inbound marketing, sales, and service, focusing on its user-friendliness and value for small-to-medium businesses. Highlighting its intuitive interface, contact management, and free email marketing features, it also discusses limitations such as branding on the free plan and the high cost of advanced automation features. The summary emphasizes HubSpot's strong reporting capabilities and the affordability of its Starter plan, while suggesting alternatives for those seeking more budget-friendly options.

Takeaways

• 🤖 HubSpot is an all-in-one platform for inbound marketing, sales, and service, particularly valuable for small-to-medium-sized businesses.
• 🛠️ Known for its intuitive interface, HubSpot can initially be confusing due to the multitude of tools, but offers resources like a knowledge base and community forum for support.
• 💰 Paid plans unlock additional benefits such as email and in-app chat support, which are crucial for some businesses.
• 📊 HubSpot's contact management software is a standout feature, helping businesses to organize, segment, and gain insights into customer behaviors and preferences.
• 🌐 Its CRM software can automatically capture website visitors as leads with customizable pop-up forms, enhancing potential customer follow-up.
• 📈 CRM capabilities also include deal management, tasks, and notes, aiding in the oversight of the sales pipeline and conversion of leads.
• 💌 Email marketing is free but lacks premium templates; the drag-and-drop editor provides basic functionality, though A/B testing requires a paid plan.
• 🌐 HubSpot's free website builder offers advanced marketing features with hundreds of free themes, though it may lack flexibility compared to competitors.
• 🔄 Marketing automation is robust, allowing for automated email campaigns and repetitive task automation, but requires at least the Starter plan.
• 📊 Reporting features are comprehensive, offering pre-built reports and easy-to-read dashboards, beneficial for sales and marketing teams.
• 🆓 The free version of HubSpot is generous with sending allowances and feature range, making it an excellent starting point for new users.
• 💰 The Starter plan has become more affordable, but the leap to the Professional plan is significant, especially for those seeking advanced features.

Q & A

What is HubSpot and what does it offer?

HubSpot is an all-in-one inbound marketing, sales, and service platform designed to help businesses manage their contacts, customer relationships, and marketing efforts more effectively.

How is HubSpot's ease of use?

HubSpot is known for its intuitive interface and user-friendly design, although the variety of tools available can sometimes be confusing for new users.

What resources does HubSpot provide to help users get started?

HubSpot offers a knowledge base, training courses, and a community forum for users to connect and learn best practices. However, email and in-app chat support are only available on paid plans.

How does HubSpot's contact management software benefit businesses?

HubSpot's contact management software helps businesses organize and segment contacts, track interactions, and gain insights into customer behavior and preferences.

What is unique about HubSpot's lead capture feature?

HubSpot can automatically capture and track website visitors, turning them into leads with customizable pop-up forms that appear based on specific visitor actions.

How does HubSpot's CRM software support the sales process?

The CRM software allows users to create and manage deals, tasks, and notes, helping to maintain an organized sales pipeline and convert leads into customers.

What are the limitations of HubSpot's free email marketing features?

The free plan includes basic templates and 2,000 monthly email sends, but lacks access to premium templates, A/B testing, and omnichannel marketing automation.

How does HubSpot's website builder compare to other website builders?

HubSpot's free website builder offers advanced marketing features and hundreds of free themes, but its drag-and-drop editor may not be as flexible or intuitive as competitors like Wix or Squarespace.

What are the benefits of HubSpot's marketing automation?

Marketing automation in HubSpot allows for the setup of automated email campaigns, targeted content, and messages based on lead behavior and stage in the buying process, as well as the automation of repetitive marketing tasks.

What are the limitations of HubSpot's free plan in terms of website branding?

The free version of HubSpot will display HubSpot branding on websites and landing pages, which may not be ideal for businesses seeking a more professional or customized look.

How does HubSpot's reporting feature compare to other tools?

HubSpot's reporting feature is highly regarded for its ease of use, with a wide range of pre-built reports and the ability to organize them into separate dashboards, even on the free plan.

What are some considerations when choosing a HubSpot plan?

While the Starter plan has become more accessible, the jump to the Professional plan is significant. Businesses should consider their budget and the specific features they need, such as A/B testing and omnichannel marketing automation.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 HubSpot Overview and User Experience

The script introduces HubSpot as an all-in-one platform for inbound marketing, sales, and service, particularly beneficial for small-to-medium-sized businesses. It highlights HubSpot's intuitive interface and user-friendly design, though acknowledges the potential confusion due to numerous tools. The platform offers a variety of resources, such as a knowledge base, training courses, and a community forum, but notes that paid plans are required for email and in-app chat support. The contact management software is emphasized for its ability to organize, segment, and track customer interactions, with a special mention of its lead capture feature through customizable pop-up forms. Additionally, the script mentions the CRM's capabilities in deal management and the ease of use compared to other CRM providers.

05:04

📈 HubSpot's Features and Pricing Plans

This paragraph delves into HubSpot's free email marketing features, including the drag-and-drop email editor and limitations such as the lack of access to premium templates and A/B testing on the free plan. It discusses the free plan's allowances and the need for a paid plan for advanced features. The script also covers the free website builder, its limitations in design flexibility, and the inclusion of basic SEO features. The marketing automation capabilities are outlined, including automated email campaigns and repetitive task automation, with a note on the necessity of a Starter plan or higher for these features. Reporting features are praised for their ease of use and comprehensiveness, even on the free plan. The paragraph concludes with a recap of HubSpot's pros and cons, including its intuitive interface, generous free plan, powerful contact management, and excellent reporting, contrasted with the high cost of the Professional plan, concerns over email deliverability, and the presence of HubSpot branding on the free plan.

Keywords

💡Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a strategy that focuses on attracting customers through content and interactions that are relevant and helpful. It is the opposite of traditional 'outbound' marketing. In the script, HubSpot is described as an all-in-one platform for inbound marketing, indicating that it helps businesses draw in customers by providing valuable content and services.

💡Ease of Use

Ease of use refers to how intuitive and user-friendly a product or service is. The script mentions that HubSpot is known for its intuitive interface and user-friendly design, which is crucial for businesses of all sizes, especially for those without extensive technical expertise, to effectively utilize the platform.

💡Contact Management Software

Contact management software is a tool that helps businesses organize, track, and manage their interactions with customers and potential clients. In the video, HubSpot's contact management is highlighted as a key feature, allowing users to segment contacts, track interactions, and gain insights into customer behavior.

💡CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

CRM is a technology for managing a company's interactions with current and potential customers. The script discusses HubSpot's CRM software, emphasizing its ability to help businesses manage customer relationships more effectively, which is central to the platform's value proposition.

💡Lead Capture Forms

Lead capture forms are tools used to collect information from website visitors, typically in exchange for something of value like a download or a newsletter subscription. The script mentions that HubSpot offers customizable pop-up forms to capture website visitors and turn them into leads, illustrating a practical application of inbound marketing.

💡Email Marketing

Email marketing involves sending messages to a group of subscribers via email with the goal of promoting products or services. The script notes that HubSpot includes email marketing features for free, although access to premium templates is limited to paid plans, showcasing the platform's capabilities for nurturing leads.

💡Deliverability

Email deliverability refers to the percentage of emails that reach the recipient's inbox rather than being marked as spam. The script points out that HubSpot hasn't performed well in deliverability tests, which is an important consideration for businesses relying on email marketing.

💡Website Builder

A website builder is a tool that allows users to create and manage a website without needing to write code. The script describes HubSpot's free website builder as a powerful tool for small businesses, offering advanced marketing features and hundreds of free themes and templates.

💡Marketing Automation

Marketing automation is the use of software to automate repetitive marketing tasks, such as emails, social media, and other website actions. The script explains that HubSpot's marketing automation allows for the setup of automated email campaigns and the automation of tasks like lead scoring, which is integral to efficient marketing operations.

💡Reporting

Reporting in the context of marketing software refers to the generation of data insights and analytics to measure the effectiveness of marketing strategies. The script praises HubSpot's reporting features, noting the ease of reading data and the comprehensiveness of the reports provided, which is vital for making informed business decisions.

💡Omnichannel Marketing

Omnichannel marketing is an approach that provides a seamless customer experience across all channels, both online and offline. The script mentions that to access omnichannel marketing automation features, one would need to be on the Professional plan, indicating a higher level of marketing strategy integration.

Highlights

HubSpot is an all-in-one inbound marketing, sales, and service platform ideal for small-to-medium-sized businesses.

HubSpot's intuitive interface and user-friendly design make it easy to use, although the number of tools can be confusing at first.

Resources like a knowledge base, training courses, and a community forum are available to help users get started with HubSpot.

Paid plans on HubSpot include benefits like email and in-app chat support.

HubSpot's contact management software helps businesses manage contacts and customer relationships more effectively.

The platform can automatically capture and track website visitors, turning them into leads with customizable pop-up forms.

HubSpot allows creating and managing deals, tasks, and notes to optimize the sales pipeline.

Compared to other CRM providers, HubSpot is considered the easiest to use.

HubSpot's free plan includes email marketing features, though access to premium templates is limited.

The free plan provides 2,000 monthly email sends and 1 automated action, but lacks A/B testing and omnichannel marketing automation.

HubSpot's email deliverability performance is a concern, as noted in tests.

The free website builder offers advanced marketing features and hundreds of free themes and templates.

The drag-and-drop editor and basic SEO optimizations are included, but functionality is limited compared to paid versions.

HubSpot branding is displayed on all creations in the free version, which may not be suitable for a professional look.

Marketing automation in HubSpot allows for automated email campaigns and nurturing leads through the sales funnel.

Advanced marketing automation features require a Starter plan or higher, with the Professional plan being costly.

Activecampaign is recommended for those seeking complex sales funnels at a lower cost.

HubSpot excels in reporting with a wide range of pre-built reports and easy-to-read data.

The free version of HubSpot is generous with sending allowances and included features, making it a good starting point.

The Starter plan has become more affordable, but the jump to the Professional plan is significant.

The Starter CRM Suite is a cost-effective option for businesses needing a mix of marketing, sales, and service features.

Pricing information for HubSpot's plans may change, so it's important to check for the most up-to-date details.

HubSpot's pros include an intuitive interface, a generous free plan, powerful contact management, and excellent reporting features.

Cons of HubSpot include the high cost of the Professional plan, concerns over email deliverability, and the presence of HubSpot branding in the free plan.

Transcripts

Hi, Lissette here for Tooltester.  Welcome to our review of HubSpot,  

an all-in-one inbound marketing,  sales, and service platform.  

In this review, we'll be taking a closer  look at what HubSpot has to offer,  

including its range of features, ease  of use, and overall value - especially  

for small-to-medium-sized businesses. So let's  dive in and see what HubSpot can do for you!  

When it comes to ease of use, HubSpot  is known for its intuitive interface  

and user-friendly design. That said, due  to the sheer number of tools available,  

it can be a little confusing at times. HubSpot offers a variety of resources to  

help users get started, including  a knowledge base, training courses,  

and a community forum where you can connect  with other users and learn best practices. Note,  

however, that you’ll need to be on a paid plan to  benefit from email and in-app chat support.  

Overall, HubSpot's user-friendly software makes  it a great choice for businesses of all sizes,  

whether you're a one-person  operation or a large enterprise.  

HubSpot's contact management software is  one of the key features of the platform,  

and it is designed to help businesses manage  their contacts and customer relationships more  

effectively. With HubSpot's CRM software, you can  easily organize and segment your contacts, track  

their interactions with your business, and gain  insights into their behavior and preferences.  

One of the standout features of HubSpot's  contact management software is its  

ability to automatically capture and track  website visitors and turn them into leads.  

Hubspot offers customizable pop-up forms  that appear on your website when visitors  

perform certain actions, such as clicking  on a specific page or spending a certain  

amount of time on your site. This means  that you can quickly and easily follow up  

with potential customers who have expressed  an interest in your products or services.  

HubSpot's CRM software also allows you to create  and manage deals, tasks, and notes, which can help  

you stay on top of your sales pipeline and  convert more leads into paying customers.  

When compared to other CRM providers,  Hubspot is the easiest to use.  

HubSpot includes email marketing features  for free, though, unfortunately, you won’t  

have access to the premium templates. Luckily,  the drag-and-drop email editor gives you some  

basic templates to start with, allowing  you to create professional-looking emails  

without any coding knowledge. The free plan generously includes  

2,000 monthly email sends and 1 automated  action, but if you want to perform A/B testing,  

and access omnichannel marketing automation,  you’ll need to flash the cash, and believe me,  

the Professional plan is not cheap. Note that Hubspot hasn’t done so well  

in our deliverability tests, so it’s  definitely something to keep an eye on.  

HubSpot's free website builder is a powerful  tool for small businesses, as it allows you  

to create and manage a professional-looking  website with advanced marketing features.  

There are hundreds of free themes and templates  to choose from, although its drag-and-drop editor  

is not as flexible or intuitive as other  website builders like Wix or Squarespace.  

Basic SEO recommendations and  optimizations are also offered.  

Though we think it’s a great option for those on  a tight budget, bear in mind that the free version  

offers limited functionality compared to the paid  versions. For example, you may not have access  

to certain design templates, personalization  features, advanced analytics, or A/B testing.  

Also note that your website and landing pages  will display the HubSpot branding, which  

may not be ideal if you want to create a more  professional or customized look for your pages.  

HubSpot's marketing automation allows you to  set up automated email campaigns that nurture  

leads through the sales funnel. You can create  targeted content and messages that are sent at  

specific times based on a lead's behavior,  interests, and stage in the buying process.  

You can also automate repetitive marketing  tasks, such as lead scoring, segmentation,  

and contact management. To benefit from these features,  

you’ll need to be on the Starter plan and  higher, and as I said before, those who  

want to create more complex sales funnels via  omnichannel marketing automation will need to  

be on the very expensive Professional plan. We’d recommend taking a look at Activecampaign  

if this is something you’d like to do and don’t  have the kind of budget Hubspot requires.  

Reporting is another area Hubspot does very  well in. You can choose from a wide range of  

pre-built reports and organise them into separate  dashboards. Even the free plan comes with multiple  

dashboards and up to 30 reports in total. Compared to other email and contact management  

tools, we find the data really easy to read in  Hubspot. The fact that all the heavy lifting is  

done for you makes this software a powerful  tool for both sales and marketing teams.  

The free version is a great way to  get started with the platform and  

experiment with Hubspot’s features.  Though there are some limitations,  

it is pretty generous when it comes to sending  allowances and the range of features included.  

The Starter plan has recently gone down in  price, making it much more accessible for small  

businesses on a budget. However, the jump between  this plan and the Professional plan is steep, so  

if you’d like to benefit from features such as A/B  testing, deal and company scoring and omnichannel  

marketing automation check out our Hubspot  alternatives guide, linked in the description.  

The Starter CRM Suite could be a great option  for those who need a mix of marketing, sales  

and service features at an affordable price. Quick note: These prices could change, so please  

make sure to check out our website for the most  up-to-date pricing information and analysis.  

I know that was a lot of information, so let’s  quickly recap HubSpot’s pros and cons :  

On the plus side: - HubSpot has an intuitive  

interface and user-friendly design that  makes it easy to use for beginners.  

- It offers a generous free plan, which  includes a CRM, website builder, basic  

email marketing features and lead capture forms - It includes powerful contact management software  

that allows you to organize and segment  your contacts, track their interactions  

with your business, and gain insights  into their behavior and preferences.  

- And the reporting features are excellent So what are the Cons?:  

- Some of HubSpot's more advanced marketing  automation features are only available on the  

Professional plan, which is extremely expensive. - HubSpot's email deliverability hasn't performed  

well in our tests, which may be a concern. - On the free plan Hubspot’s branding will  

be present across all creations,  be it emails, forms or websites  

Thanks for watching! Be sure to check out  our full Hubspot review on our website,  

which we’ve linked to in  the description below.  

Hit Like or Subscribe if you’d like  to see more, and see you next time!