The 5 best HubSpot alternatives
Short answer
The best HubSpot alternatives are Pipedrive, ActiveCampaign, Close. Pipedrive is our top pick — it scores 8.2/10 and is best for Sales-led agencies and consultants. The right choice depends on your budget, team size, and which features matter most.
Why look for a HubSpot alternative?
HubSpot scores 8.8/10 in our review and works well for many teams — but it is not the right fit for everyone. The most common reasons readers look elsewhere:
- ✗Paid hubs become expensive fast
- ✗Marketing Hub pricing jumps sharply at 1k contacts
- ✗Can be overkill for solopreneurs
HubSpot alternatives, ranked
Pipedrive
Top pickThe CRM built for salespeople
Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM with a clean pipeline view. Much easier to use than HubSpot or Salesforce, and priced fairly. Popular with small agencies and consultancies managing a sales pipeline.
Strengths
- ✓Most intuitive pipeline CRM available
- ✓Fast to set up
- ✓Good value vs HubSpot
Best for
- →Sales-led agencies and consultants
- →Teams wanting a simple, clean CRM
ActiveCampaign
Marketing automation and CRM for growing businesses
ActiveCampaign is the most powerful email marketing automation platform in its price range. Deep segmentation, conditional logic, site tracking, and a full CRM. The go-to for agencies running marketing campaigns for clients and for businesses with complex customer journeys.
Strengths
- ✓Best-in-class email automation at mid-market price
- ✓Powerful conditional logic and segmentation
- ✓Built-in CRM with pipeline
Best for
- →Agencies running email marketing for clients
- →Businesses with complex customer journeys
Close
CRM built for inside sales — calling, email, and SMS in one place
Close is a sales CRM purpose-built for inside sales teams that live on the phone and in their inbox. It includes built-in calling (VoIP), SMS, email sequences, and power dialer — replacing the need to switch between a CRM and a separate calling tool. The pipeline view is clean and fast, and the activity feed makes it easy to stay on top of follow-ups. Close is particularly popular with SaaS startups and B2B agencies with active sales motions.
Strengths
- ✓Built-in VoIP calling and SMS — no extra tools needed
- ✓Power dialer for high-volume outreach
- ✓Email sequences with open and click tracking
Best for
- →B2B agencies and consultants with an active outbound sales motion
- →SaaS and service businesses where reps make many calls per day
Zoho CRM
Full-featured CRM at a price that doesn't punish growth
Zoho CRM is part of the broader Zoho ecosystem — a suite of 55+ business applications covering accounting, HR, project management, and more. The CRM itself covers leads, contacts, deals, workflows, email integration, telephony, and AI-powered sales predictions. The free plan supports up to 3 users with core CRM features, making it one of the few enterprise-grade CRMs with a meaningful free tier. Deep value for businesses already in or willing to adopt the Zoho ecosystem.
Strengths
- ✓Free plan supports 3 users — rare among full-featured CRMs
- ✓Zia AI for sales predictions and anomaly detection
- ✓Deep integration with the broader Zoho suite (Books, Desk, Projects)
Best for
- →Cost-conscious small businesses wanting enterprise CRM features without enterprise pricing
- →Teams already using Zoho Books, Zoho Desk, or other Zoho tools
Streak
CRM that lives inside Gmail — no new tool to learn
Streak is a CRM built entirely within Gmail, turning your inbox into a pipeline. Email threads become deal records; pipelines live in Gmail's sidebar. Streak is ideal for teams who already live in Gmail and resist adopting an external CRM — the onboarding is zero friction because there's nothing new to log into. The free plan covers personal CRM use. Paid plans add team pipelines, shared contacts, reporting, and data enrichment. Popular with recruiters, sales teams, and business development professionals.
Strengths
- ✓Zero context switching — CRM lives in your existing Gmail inbox
- ✓No data entry overhead — emails automatically populate deal records
- ✓Free plan covers individual sales tracking
Best for
- →Solo consultants and freelancers who want CRM without leaving Gmail
- →Small Google Workspace teams resistant to adopting an external CRM tool
HubSpot vs. the alternatives
HubSpot alternatives — FAQ
What is the best HubSpot alternative?
Pipedrive is our top-rated HubSpot alternative, scoring 8.2/10. It is best for Sales-led agencies and consultants.
Is there a free HubSpot alternative?
Yes — Zoho CRM, Streak offer a free plan you can use to evaluate the tool before paying.