HubSpot Pricing: Getting the best package on a budget

Naturally, because we’re a https://www.axongarside.com/blog/best-hubspot-partners-uk, it’s almost our instinct to recommend HubSpot. However, we realise that given the current circumstances, even though some of you may be interested in using HubSpot in the future, now isn’t necessarily the best time to make a purchase. And that’s perfectly fine.

However, HubSpot doesn’t have to be an immediate big cost upfront. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. HubSpot pricing varies on which package you choose and how many users you have (plus any extras), and your return on investment will depend on how much value you get out of the system - so how do you know you’re getting the best deal for your budget?

We’ve come up with a few essential tips and guidelines to getting the “best price” for HubSpot, including how to ensure you choose the right package for you, and what freebies you can take advantage of.

Let’s get started.

First of all, know which HubSpot tools you need

HubSpot is an all-encompassing marketing, sales and customer service software with lots of different tools and packages available, which can make it difficult to decide which combination is the best for your business. While it can be tempting to go all out, it’s much better to begin by taking a deep breath, and thinking about what you actually need. 

You’ll need to figure out if you want the marketing, sales or customer service tools, the CMS, or a combination of them all. Realistically, you aren’t going to need all of them right away - so start by assessing these factors:

• Which teams will use and benefit from the tools the most
• The level of inbound marketing and sales you want to be doing
• How many contacts you currently have, or will have in the future to be managed in HubSpot
• The time, energy and resources available to you - inbound marketing takes time and effort to get results, and HubSpot isn’t necessarily a “fix-all” solution

When you consider these factors, it may become clear that only one Hub is necessary for your organisation at present, and you shouldn’t feel the need to purchase additional tools if you don’t think they will be utilised to their fullest potential. When you have tools that are left unused, this can be frustrating, and may cloud your judgement of the solution as a whole - so be sure you know what you need, before making your decision.

Get the free trial!

A great thing about HubSpot is that it actually lets you try before you buy - so why not take advantage? The free trial gives you complete access to the full version, and you can choose whether you want to trial the Starter, Professional or Enterprise packages. The only limitations HubSpot has with this is the number of emails you can send during the time of the free trial, however you get enough to really get a feel for the software, and if you think it could work for your business.

Not quite ready for the free trial? Check out our free demo instead, and get a sneak peek into how HubSpot looks, feels and operates - before you make any commitments. 

Use the free HubSpot tools

Now, we’re realistic. We know that under the current circumstances, it’s unlikely that you’re going to drop a sum of money on a brand new system. But luckily, you don’t have to.

Arguably the best thing about HubSpot is that it offers a variety of tools that are free, forever. That’s right. HubSpot’s free tools can be used at no expense, and integrated in your current processes and systems at no additional cost. With these free tools, you get a chance to really see how HubSpot works, and start generating leads right away. Then, once things get back to normal, you can think about purchasing additional tools if HubSpot has proved to be a great asset to your business. Even if you decide not to purchase, the free tools are still - you guessed it - free. There is no catch. 

Let’s dive into some of the tools you can get for free with HubSpot.

HubSpot’s Free CRM

HubSpot’s CRM is one of the best free tools on the market today, allowing users (as many as you need) to manage up to 1,000,000 contacts or companies, deals, and tasks. Additionally, when you use HubSpot’s free CRM, you get access to HubSpot’s free marketing, sales and services tools at no additional cost. 

HubSpot’s free CRM remains free of charge forever, and your access and contacts stored won’t randomly expire. It seems too good to be true, but it isn’t. HubSpot believes in its product, and the company wants you to see how useful and valuable it can be before you make a full purchase. 

HubSpot’s free Sales tools

Want your sales team to start selling better, but don’t quite have the budget for complex sales tools?

HubSpot’s free Sales tools are an excellent way to give your salespeople the push they need, without having to compromise your budget. With these tools, you can create email templates, automate personalised emails, view email opens, and ensure that emails are followed up each and every time. It’s surprising how great these free tools are, and they can really give your sales team that much-needed boost in times of uncertainty.

HubSpot’s free Marketing tools

Are you struggling to capture leads, or manage them once they come to you?

With HubSpot’s free Marketing tools, you can use an array of features such as email marketing, pop-ups and form creation, and lists to generate and convert those all important leads. You can use these tools to come up with blog ideas, attract blog subscribers and even create forms with no prior coding knowledge needed. 

HubSpot’s free Service tools

Alongside the free CRM, HubSpot offers a number of tools that can help you manage your data and customers. At a time where retaining your customers is crucial, HubSpot’s free Services tools are an excellent way to ensure you’re keeping both prospects and customers engaged and happy. Features include live chat, documents, meeting scheduling among many others - each tool designed to help you keep your customers, and attract new ones.

… And much more!

If you thought that was it for the freebies, think again. HubSpot has a Resources page full of free tools that you can use to elevate your sales, marketing and service offerings, as well as an abundance of free guides and tutorials.

By utilising the free tools HubSpot has to offer, not only can you get hands-on experience with the system to see if it’s right for you, but you aren’t tied into any contracts or limitations. Additionally, using the free tools will make it a lot easier to adopt the paid-for packages, if that’s what you decide to do in the future.

Get a more cost-effective bundle 

If you’re already using the free tools, and want to go that one step further, then there are ways to lower costs when it comes to HubSpot pricing. Although the company doesn’t offer deals or discounts, there are ways to ensure your purchase is cost effective.

HubSpot created the Growth Suite for this very purpose, which is a marketing, sales and services bundle that automatically has 25% off what the full price would be if you paid for each Hub separately. 

For example, if you’re a small business just getting started, the Starter Growth Suite package starts at just £42/mo and includes:

• HubSpot CRM
• Marketing Hub Starter
• Sales Hub Starter 
• Service Hub Starter

This kind of package is an excellent way to start your journey with HubSpot, as not only does it mean you can start engaging with and attracting customers, but you can easily scale your package as your business expands up to Professional Growth Suite (£1,046.25/mo) or Enterprise Growth Suite (£3,453/mo).

However, one thing to remember is that if you have more contacts than the limit of each package, you’ll add on small additional costs:

• HubSpot Starter: £50/month per 1,000 contacts when you exceed the 1,000 contact limit. 
• HubSpot Professional: £42/month per 1,000 contacts when you exceed the 1,000 contact limit.
• HubSpot Enterprise: £8/month per 1,000 contacts when you exceed the 10,000 contact limit. 

For a full pricing and features breakdown of each package, check out our blog, Everything you need to know about HubSpot pricing (2020).

Create your own package

If the Growth Suite isn’t for you, or you have more specific requirements then there is always the option to create your own HubSpot bundle, with the tools and features you need. Using this interactive tool you can see different HubSpot pricing based on the tools you choose, and the number of contacts you have.

For example, if you want to begin with basic Marketing tools, but you’re keen on getting the more advanced Sales tools - you can! 

While this may not necessarily be an issue, you can avoid these extra charges by cleaning your database before moving to HubSpot, which can remove those contacts that are no longer active, to help free up space for new contacts and leads.

Overall, creating your own bundle is an excellent way to ensure you’re only paying for what you actually need. 

Consider add-ons

On top of its many offerings, HubSpot also has additional tools that can be a great way to enhance your existing package. HubSpot’s CMS Hub is the most popular because it allows for building websites and creating content. There’s also the Dashboard & Reporting Software that allows companies to create custom reports (up to 200) and dashboards (up to 2,000) for complete visibility across their business. These are just two examples of the add-ons that HubSpot offers; there’s also Ads - and many more.

While these add-ons are great, they may not be the best choice for smaller businesses - so try not to get overwhelmed and stick to our first point - knowing what you actually need from the system. Ultimately, only by doing this can you get the “best price” for your business.

Sign up with a partner agency

Our final tip on getting the best HubSpot package on a budget is by signing up to HubSpot, and onboarding through a partner agency. When you sign up for HubSpot through a partner agency (hey - like us!) the onboarding fee that you’d expect from HubSpot is waived, because the partner can do it for you. Not only is this a huge saving, but with a HubSpot Solutions Partner, you’ll also have much more support and advice for implementing the system into your organisation. What’s more if you sign up with an HubSpot Solutions Partner, they can even offer additional training on how to use the system to its fullest potential, as well as inbound marketing advice and services. 

The truth is, while you can get the “best price” for HubSpot, ultimately the price will only truly be worth it if you get value out of the system, and the only way to do this is by figuring out what you need.. Utilise the free tools, get the free trials and if you decide HubSpot is the perfect solution for you, sign up to the package that best suits your business with a HubSpot Solutions Partner. 

Want more details about the specifics of HubSpot's pricing? Get our free pricing guide updated for 2021 below: