The Complete Guide for Migrating from Zoho to HubSpot

You’ve tried to make Zoho work. Really, you have.

But…

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

 - Albert Einstein (probably)

Between the clunky interface, unreliable automation, and a sales team that barely touches the CRM, it’s clear the system’s not keeping up. If you’re spending more time firefighting than forward-planning, it’s time for a reset.

And not just a data dump into another system.

Migrating from Zoho to HubSpot is your opportunity to overhaul the way your teams work - connecting marketing, sales, and service in one intuitive platform that people actually want to use. It’s faster. Smarter. Scalable. And built for businesses that are done with duct-taping spreadsheets to patch CRM holes.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the entire migration process, from audit to execution to onboarding, so you can switch with confidence and set your teams up for success.

Let’s get into it.

What You Need to Know Before Migrating to HubSpot CRM

Before diving into a Zoho to HubSpot CRM migration, stepping back and considering the bigger picture is essential. You’re not just moving systems; you’re reshaping how your business captures, uses, and acts on data. The groundwork needs to be right for the migration to pay off.

This isn’t about switching platforms on a whim. It’s about aligning technology with commercial goals, ensuring user buy-in, and designing a CRM that helps people do their jobs, not just tick boxes.

Here’s what you need to get sorted upfront:

1. Audit Your Current CRM Setup

Start by mapping out your existing setup in Zoho:

• Data health: How clean is your data? Are there duplicates, inconsistencies, or abandoned records muddying the picture?
• Workflows and automations: Which processes are currently automated? Are they working as intended, or being bypassed?
• Integrations: What tools are currently connected? Email platforms? Customer service tools? Reporting dashboards?
• User adoption: Who’s using Zoho day-to-day? Where are the gaps?

This initial review helps identify what’s worth migrating, what needs refining, and what should be left behind. You’ll also uncover key pain points, clunky processes, data silos, and user resistance that can be directly addressed in the new HubSpot setup.

If you’re unsure where to begin, our detailed HubSpot CRM audit guide is a great place to start. Although written for HubSpot users, you can still complete the audit with the equivalent data points within Zoho CRM.

2. Define Clear Business Objectives

Too many CRM projects fail because no one’s sure what success looks like. Before the migration, nail down your goals and KPIs. Are you trying to:

• Improve data visibility between departments?
• Build a unified sales and marketing pipeline?
• Speed up the sales cycle?
• Reduce manual admin through smart automation?
• Prove ROI to leadership with better reporting?

Your objectives will shape the HubSpot architecture, automation rules, reporting dashboards, and even how you train your teams post-migration. It also makes it easier to sell the project internally when everyone understands the “why”.

3. Build the Business Case

Migrating systems can trigger internal resistance, especially if leadership has seen CRM projects fail before. Make your case with:

• Estimated ROI: e.g., improved productivity, fewer missed leads
• Cost-benefit and feature comparison to show where HubSpot simplifies, replaces, or outperforms Zoho to reduce tech stack costs.
• Case studies from similar businesses (especially in B2B, manufacturing, or industrial sectors)
• User adoption plans to overcome common CRM usage barriers

Understand the Technical & Strategic Scope

While HubSpot makes a lot of things easier, a successful CRM migration still demands strategic thinking. You’re not just transferring data—you’re reengineering how teams interact with that data.

Some things to consider:

• Will you need to rebuild workflows from scratch or map them 1:1?
• Are there custom Zoho fields or modules that need a redesign in HubSpot?
• What integrations will need to be rebuilt or replaced?
• How will reporting structures change with the new CRM?

If your current Zoho setup feels like a series of workarounds, now’s your chance to fix that. The flexibility and scalability of HubSpot means you can build it right from day one, if you know what you’re aiming for.

This stage is where many businesses benefit from an expert-led audit. A structured discovery phase uncovers risks, gaps, and opportunities, making your Zoho to HubSpot CRM migration faster, smoother, and more effective.

Step-by-Step Zoho to HubSpot Migration Process

A successful Zoho to HubSpot CRM migration is never just a lift-and-shift. It's a full strategic overhaul, one that reshapes the way your teams capture, manage, and action data.

Here at Axon Garside, we’ve developed a tried-and-tested migration process to ensure your move from Zoho is smooth, structured, and most importantly, worth it. This approach mirrors our best practices laid out in our CRM Migration Playbook, adapted specifically for Zoho.

If you're planning a fresh start rather than a data migration, we recommend reading The 5 Stages of a Successful HubSpot CRM Implementation, which outlines how to build your CRM from the ground up.

Here's how it breaks down.

1. Discovery & Audit

This is where it all begins. The first step is understanding exactly what you're working with.
Too many CRM migrations go wrong because businesses skip the audit phase. But you can’t fix what you haven’t diagnosed.

In this phase, we:

• Review your current Zoho CRM structure: What fields, custom modules, workflows, and integrations are in play?
• Identify pain points: Where are users getting stuck? What’s being bypassed entirely?
• Capture input across departments: Sales, marketing, service, they all need different things from your CRM.
• Align CRM requirements with business goals: Are you trying to shorten the sales cycle? Improve data accuracy? Automate more admin?
• Appoint a project lead: Make sure someone owns the migration to keep momentum and decisions on track.
• Define project ownership: Appoint a clear owner or migration lead to keep things moving and decisions aligned.

Pro Tip: Use this time to question what’s needed. Not everything in Zoho should be carried across.

2. HubSpot CRM Architecture Planning

Once the gaps and goals are clear, it’s time to design a HubSpot setup that supports your teams.

This isn't about replicating Zoho. It’s about building a system that simplifies your processes, not adds friction.

In this phase, we:

• Define required CRM objects: Standard objects (Contacts, Companies, Deals, Tickets), plus any needed custom objects.
• Plan data relationships: Think parent/child structures and how contacts relate to companies and deals.
• Design pipeline stages: Map your sales and service pipelines, with buy-in from the people who’ll be using them.
• Map out automation workflows: Lead assignment, lifecycle updates, internal notifications - get these scoped now.
• Outline required properties: What dropdowns, toggles, and custom fields do you need to make data usable?
• Align architecture with reporting: If you can’t report on it, why collect it?

This step is where structure meets strategy. Your HubSpot design should reflect how your business works, not how a CRM platform expects it to.

3. Data Mapping & Cleansing

Your CRM is only as good as the data inside it.

This phase is about making sure the information you’re migrating is clean, complete, and compatible with HubSpot.

Key tasks include:

• Exporting your Zoho data: Pull everything - contacts, companies, deals, notes, activities, attachments.
• Cleansing the data: Remove duplicates, correct formatting issues, and eliminate stale or irrelevant records.
• Mapping Zoho fields to HubSpot properties: Create a master field mapping document to ensure nothing gets lost in translation.
• Flagging unsupported fields: Not all Zoho modules will translate directly into HubSpot. Some may require workarounds or redesign.
• Defining transformation logic: For example, combining fields, adjusting date formats, or translating multi-select options into dropdowns.

Bad data = bad decisions. Investing time here saves headaches post-migration.

4. Migration Execution

This is the part where the data moves, but it’s not a “one and done” job.

Migrating in phases, testing, and building in fail-safes is what makes a smooth transition possible.

In this phase, we:

• Choose the best method for migration: Whether that’s HubSpot’s native tools, third-party platforms like Trujay, or custom APIs.
• Run a sandbox migration first: Move a representative data sample into a test environment and validate everything.
• Migrate in phases: Start with core objects (contacts, companies), then move to deals, activities, and attachments.
• Maintain backups: Always have a full export of your original Zoho data on hand, in case anything goes awry.
• Log and resolve errors: Monitor import logs for any issues and resolve them before moving to the next phase.

Consider appointing a migration lead internally or partnering with a solutions provider (like us) to manage risk and complexity.

5. Testing & Validation

Just because the data’s in HubSpot doesn’t mean it’s ready to go.

Testing ensures everything functions properly and that your teams can trust the new system from day one.

Key checks to run:

• Spot-check migrated records: Are all your contacts and deals where they should be? Are activity timelines complete?
• Test associations: Are companies correctly linked to contacts? Do deals appear under the right companies?
• Run automations: Test workflows like lead assignment and lifecycle stage changes to ensure they trigger correctly.
• Review dashboards and reports: Make sure the data rolls up into the views that leadership and teams rely on.
• Gather team feedback: Give power users sample records to test real-world use cases.
• Assign testing owners: Nominate team leads to test key areas, log findings in a shared doc, and run walkthroughs if needed.

This phase often surfaces issues early enough to fix them before go-live, saving time and confidence later.

6. User Enablement & Onboarding

If Zoho adoption was low, this is where you flip the script.

Training, support, and clarity are what turn a new CRM into a business asset instead of another tech headache.

To ensure adoption from day one:

• Deliver tailored team training: Don’t treat everyone the same. Marketing, sales, and service teams all need role-specific onboarding.
• Set up role-based permissions: Keep interfaces clean and relevant by controlling what each user sees and does.
• Provide documentation: Custom playbooks and quick-reference guides for your team make a big difference.
• Train internal CRM admins: Equip someone in-house to handle user requests, tweak dashboards, and escalate issues.
• Run a support window: Open Q&A sessions or a Slack channel can smooth the transition during the first few weeks.

The goal here is to ensure your team uses HubSpot - and likes it. This is how you solve the adoption issues that made Zoho unworkable.

How Much Does a Zoho to HubSpot Migration Cost?

Cost is always a critical factor, especially when you're juggling budgets, team priorities, and trying to prove ROI to leadership.

The good news? Migrating from Zoho to HubSpot doesn’t have to break the bank. But the total cost will depend on your CRM setup, how much data you need to migrate, and how much support you need during and after the transition.

Here’s how the typical costs break down:

1. HubSpot Licensing Costs

HubSpot CRM has a free tier, but most growing businesses will need paid tools from the Sales, Marketing, or Service Hub, especially if you’re replacing the automation you had in Zoho.

Typical costs:

• CRM (Free): £0/user/month
• Sales Hub Starter: From £18/month
• Marketing Hub Pro: From £655/month
• Enterprise tiers: From £2,624/month

What you’ll pay depends on the number of users, contacts, and the level of automation or reporting you need.

For a detailed look at pricing across all tiers, explore our HubSpot CRM pricing guide.

2. Implementation Costs

You can DIY a basic migration using HubSpot tools, but for a clean, strategic switch (and full user adoption), many businesses choose to work with a HubSpot Solutions Partner like Axon Garside.

Typical costs for implementation:

• Basic CRM setup & migration: £3,000–£5,000
• Full CRM transformation with automation, dashboards, and user onboarding: £6,000–£10,000+

3. Training & Onboarding Costs

Getting your team onboard is crucial. If poor CRM adoption was part of the problem with Zoho, now’s the time to solve it properly.

Training might include:

• Role-based onboarding sessions for marketing, sales, and service
• CRM admin training for internal champions
• Bespoke documentation or playbooks
• A live support window during go-live

Partner-led HubSpot training and onboarding ensures your teams are set up for success, with guided, in-app support and tailored training that helps them get the most from HubSpot from day one.

Make Your CRM Work Harder With HubSpot

A successful Zoho to HubSpot migration doesn’t just transfer your data - it transforms how your teams work.

With better alignment between departments, clearer reporting, and powerful automation, you’ll free up time, eliminate inefficiencies, and drive digital maturity.

Here’s what businesses gain when they switch:

• A fully unified CRM across sales, marketing, and service
• Higher user adoption with cleaner UI and integrated tools
• Robust automation that reduces admin and manual effort
• Custom reporting for every team
• A system built for scale,  not workarounds

If you’re tired of poor CRM adoption, fractured workflows, and leadership scepticism around ROI, it’s time to make the change.

Axon Garside can guide your CRM migration from Zoho to HubSpot - seamlessly and strategically. Get our CRM Pricing Guide and explore your next step