Looking to understand what HubSpot is and how it can help your business grow? Whether you're exploring CRM options or seeking ways to improve your marketing and sales processes, HubSpot often comes up as a leading solution.
In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about HubSpot, from its core features to how it can transform your business operations. In the end, we’ll also cover Zeeg and how you can use that scheduling tool to improve your business scheduling.
What is HubSpot CRM? An overview
HubSpot is a very complete customer relationship management (CRM) platform that combines marketing, sales, content management, and customer service tools into one single integrated system. In essence, HubSpot’s mission is to help businesses attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers through its various features and capabilities. And despite the many HubSpot alternatives in the market, the is still one the favorite CRMs for businesses worldwide.
That said, the platform has a user-friendly interface and the ability to unite different aspects of business operations. The point is - rather than juggling multiple tools for email marketing, social media, lead tracking, and customer support, HubSpot tries to give you all those functions in one place. And hopefully, that integration will help teams work more efficiently and maintain consistent communication with customers throughout their journey.
The only problem might be their pricing structure and the costs. They do give you a lot, but they also charge a lot. And with so many possibilities within few pricing tiers, it’s not that easy to make a choice, and to make the most of your Hubspot subscription.
Anyway, it’s important to add another point: they’re well focused on inbound marketing – a strategy that draws customers to your business through valuable content and experiences. Instead of just pushing your message out, HubSpot helps you create and manage content that naturally attracts potential customers to your business.
👉 Read more:
- Hubspot competitors
- Hubspot vs Pipedrive
- Hubspot vs Zoho CRM
- Hubspot vs Salesforce
- Hubspot Pricing: Complete Guide
How does HubSpot work?
Now that we know what HubSpot is, let’s see a bit better how it works - we'll try to give you a proper Hubspot overview.
Basically, Hubspot operates as a cloud-based platform, meaning all your data and tools are accessible from anywhere. And it’s built around a central CRM system that serves as the foundation for all other features and functionalities.
When someone interacts with your business – whether by visiting your website, filling out a form, or engaging with your social media channels – HubSpot tracks and records these interactions. This information is then organized in the CRM, creating a holistic view of each contact's journey with your business.
Hubspot basically uses this data to help you make informed decisions about your marketing and sales strategies. For instance, you can see which content gets the most visitors, which emails have the highest engagement, or which leads are most likely to become customers. And with such detailed data, their idea is to help you focus your efforts on what works best for your business and customers.
Another key aspect is HubSpot's workflow automation. You can set up automated sequences for various tasks, from sending follow-up emails to assigning leads to sales representatives. These will help organize your processes and keep consistent communication with your contacts.
But there’s more (much more, in fact). Hubspot also facilitates collaboration between teams by providing shared access to contact information, communication history, and performance metrics. This transparency helps align marketing, sales, and service teams around common goals and strategies.
When it comes to signing a deal with Hubspot, things get a bit trickier. First, you should decide what hub you’re looking for. Because there are a few, and your available features will depend not just on the plan (or pricing tiers), but also on your hub - knowing that you can alwas go for the Free Tools, Hubspot's free plan across all hubs for which you won't have to pay a dime, though it's pretty limited. But let’s look.
Marketing Hub: A command center for attracting and engaging customers
If you choose this hub, you’ll be able to manage your email campaigns, social media, landing pages, and marketing automation from one dashboard. The platform connects directly with HubSpot's CRM, and your marketing efforts stay aligned with your customer data.
You can create and publish content, design landing pages without coding knowledge, set up automated email sequences, and track your results through detailed analytics. And the platform also includes social media management tools, allowing you to schedule posts and monitor engagement across channels.
While Marketing Hub's free version offers basic tools for small businesses, paid tiers provide more advanced features like custom reporting, A/B testing, and advanced automation. The platform scales with your business, starting from essential tools in the free tier to enterprise-level capabilities in higher plans.
For companies looking for a CRM and wanting to make their marketing more efficient, this Marketing Hub can be a great tool.
Sales Hub: Trying to close more deals
Every sales team faces the challenge of managing leads, tracking deals, and keeping customer information organized. Hubspot’s Sales Hub integrates directly with its CRM to give your team a unified view of customer interactions.
So, rather than piecing together information from various sources, sales representatives can access contact details, deal status, email communications, and meeting notes in one place. The platform also includes tools for email tracking, meeting scheduling, and document management to streamline daily sales activities.
One notable aspect of Sales Hub is its adaptable structure. The free version provides essential tools like basic deal tracking and contact management, while paid tiers introduce features such as advanced analytics, AI-powered insights, and sophisticated automation. Teams can start with fundamental tools and add capabilities as their needs grow.
And there’s more, of course - for larger organizations, Sales Hub offers enterprise-level features such as custom objects, advanced permissions, and detailed revenue tracking. These tools help standardize sales processes across teams while maintaining flexibility for different departments or regions. You can also get complex approval workflows and territory management, for proper oversight of high-value opportunities.
👉 Read more: HubSpot Sales Hub pricing and features
Operations Hub: Unifying data and processes
Data management can quickly become complex as your business grows. When customer information flows through multiple systems, maintaining data quality and keeping everything in sync becomes increasingly challenging. Operations Hub, launched in April 2021, tackles these data management hurdles head-on.
This platform centers on three main capabilities that work together to enhance your operational efficiency. First, Data Sync enables native integrations with over 100 commonly used business applications, from ERP systems to eCommerce platforms. This means your customer data stays consistent across your entire tech stack without requiring complex API integrations or developer support.
Second, the hub's data cleansing features automate traditionally manual tasks. Instead of exporting data to spreadsheets for cleaning and formatting, Operations Hub handles these tasks automatically. Whether standardizing time formats, capitalizing names, or removing all-caps entries, the platform manages these adjustments systematically.
The third key feature, programmable automation, introduces custom code actions within workflows and chatbots. Using JavaScript, teams can create sophisticated automation sequences tailored to their specific needs. This opens up possibilities for advanced lead assignment, custom calculations, date-based automations, and more.
Like the other hubs, this one comes in the same different tiers. While the free version offers basic two-way data sync, paid tiers introduce more advanced features. The Professional tier adds programmable automation and data cleansing tools, while Enterprise includes features like advanced data calculations, field-level reporting, and custom objects.
CMS Hub: Optimizing your digital presence
Running a website involves much more than just creating attractive pages. You need to manage content efficiently, ensure security, maintain fast loading times, and track how visitors interact with your site. HubSpot's CMS Hub, launched in April 2020, addresses these challenges by combining website management tools with powerful marketing capabilities.
The platform is pretty intuitive on website building and management. Unlike other CRMs, the CMS Hub offers both drag-and-drop editing for beginners and custom coding options for developers. Teams can choose from pre-built themes and templates or create custom designs using HubL, HubSpot's coding language.
What’s also interesting is that the CMS Hub includes things like tools for A/B testing, content personalization, and detailed analytics that show how visitors interact with your pages. Security and speed optimizations come standard, with HubSpot delivering 99.999% uptime and automatic updates that keep your site protected.
However, the platform does have some considerations to keep in mind. While it offers extensive capabilities, CMS Hub tends to be pricier than open-source alternatives. The platform also uses its own coding language (HubL), which might require additional learning for developers used to other systems.
Service Hub: For better customer support
As businesses grow, keeping track of customer issues, maintaining response times, and ensuring consistent service quality becomes increasingly complex. HubSpot's Service Hub tackles these challenges by providing a unified platform for customer service operations.
Service Hub transforms how teams handle customer support by combining essential service tools in one place. Instead of tracking customer inquiries across different platforms, support teams can manage tickets, chat conversations, and knowledge bases from a central dashboard. The platform integrates seamlessly with HubSpot's CRM, giving service representatives complete context about each customer's history and interactions.
What’s also relevant is that with this hub, teams can build a self-service knowledge base to help customers find answers independently, while chatbots handle routine inquiries automatically. For more complex issues, the ticketing system ensures no customer request falls through the cracks. The platform also includes tools for measuring customer satisfaction through NPS surveys and support metrics.
Commerce Hub: Managing the online business
Running a B2B company often means that while your CRM stores customer data, payments and invoicing live in separate systems. But the Commerce Hub is made for managing payments and commerce directly within their CRM platform. Instead of switching between different systems, you can handle quotes, invoices, payments, and subscriptions all in one place. The platform works with both HubSpot Payments and Stripe for processing transactions, giving you flexibility in how you collect payments.
You can create professional quotes and turn them into invoices, set up recurring payments for subscriptions, and generate payment links to embed anywhere - from emails to web forms. Plus, its integration with QuickBooks means your financial data stays in sync automatically.
While Commerce Hub works well for basic B2B commerce needs, it's worth noting that it's not designed for super complex ecommerce operations. If you need features like advanced shipping calculations or extensive product catalogs, you might want to look at dedicated ecommerce platforms instead. However, for companies seeking to simplify their payment processes and keep everything within their CRM, Commerce Hub offers a practical solution.
What does HubSpot do and what is it used for?
HubSpot offers an extensive suite of features designed to help businesses grow and succeed, and it would be tough to have them all in here. However, we've selected some of the most impactful features.
Contact management
At the heart of HubSpot lies its powerful contact management system. This feature goes beyond simple contact storage – it creates a complete view of every interaction someone has with your business. You can track email communications, website visits, form submissions, and social media engagements all in one place. The system allows you to create custom properties to store specific information about your contacts and segment them based on any criteria you choose.
Email marketing
HubSpot's email marketing tools help you create and send personalized email campaigns that resonate with your audience. You can design professional-looking emails using drag-and-drop editors, segment your contact lists for targeted messaging, and track how your emails perform. The platform also enables you to set up automated email sequences that trigger based on specific contact actions or timeframes.
Landing pages
You can also create high-converting landing pages without any coding knowledge. HubSpot's landing page builder includes templates and customization options that help you design pages that match your brand. You can easily add forms, calls-to-action, and personalized content, then test different versions to see what works best with your audience.
Social media management
Managing all your social media efforts from one central location is also something you can do. You can schedule and publish posts across multiple platforms, monitor engagement, and track performance metrics. HubSpot also helps you identify which content resonates most with your audience and when to post for maximum impact.
Content management
This side of Hubspot tries to help businesses to create and optimize engaging content. It has a sophisticated blog system with integrated SEO guidance, strategic content planning tools, and detailed performance analytics. Content effectiveness can be measured against overall marketing objectives through tracking and reporting.
Lead generation
The lead generation features in HubSpot facilitate the conversion of website visitors into qualified leads. The system includes customizable forms, intelligent pop-ups, and integrated live chat functionality, and its tracking functionality provides insights into lead sources and engagement patterns, enabling more effective lead generation strategies.
Pipeline management
The point here is to give a clear visualization of the sales process. By providing detailed tracking of deals through various stages, revenue forecasting capabilities, and bottleneck identification, this visual pipeline enables quick assessment of deal status and priorities.
Meeting scheduling
The meeting scheduling functionality in HubSpot streamlines the appointment-setting process. The system works through shareable booking links that display real-time availability, integrates with existing calendars, and handles confirmation emails and reminders automatically, significantly reducing scheduling friction.
Analytics and reporting
The analytics and reporting capabilities in HubSpot enable informed business decisions through great data analysis. The system tracks metrics across marketing, sales, and service activities, supports custom report creation, and facilitates insight sharing throughout the organization. Users can access both broad overviews and granular performance data.
Marketing automation
There’s many tools that Hubspot can give in order to automate your marketing efforts. For instance, you can create workflows that automatically nurture leads, send targeted content, and update contact information based on specific triggers.
SEO tools
Optimizing your content for search engines is very important nowadays, and using HubSpot's built-in SEO tools you can do it. Get recommendations for improving your content's search visibility, track keyword performance, and monitor your website's overall SEO health. The platform also helps you identify content gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Live chat
Engage with website visitors in real-time through HubSpot's live chat features. Set up chatbots to handle common questions when your team isn't available, route conversations to the right department, and track chat interactions in your contact records. This immediate engagement can help convert more visitors into leads.
Document management
You can keep all your sales and marketing documents organized and accessible. Track how contacts engage with shared documents, create templates for commonly used materials, and maintain version control. The platform also provides insights into which documents are most effective in your sales process.
Ticket management
You can handle customer support efficiently with HubSpot's ticket management system. Create and track support tickets, route them to appropriate team members, and monitor resolution times. The system helps ensure no customer inquiry falls through the cracks.
Knowledge base
With a great self-service resource center, you’re helping your customers for your customers. Hubspot has that too. You can create and organize help documentation, track which articles are most helpful, and continuously improve your support content based on user behavior. This reduces support ticket volume while improving customer satisfaction.
Data sync
Keep your business data consistent across all your tools and platforms. HubSpot's data sync capabilities ensure information stays up-to-date everywhere it's needed, reducing manual data entry and preventing errors. The platform can connect with numerous other business tools to maintain data consistency.
Custom objects
Custom objects help you create unique data structures that reflect your business model, track specialized information, and build custom relationships between different types of data. This flexibility helps you manage complex business processes within HubSpot.
Benefits of using HubSpot (pros)
1. You can have it all in one place
Gone are the days of juggling multiple disconnected tools. Through a unified approach, HubSpot brings marketing, sales, and service functions together under one roof. Rather than switching between different systems, teams access everything they need in a central location. This consolidation not only reduces costs but also creates a seamless flow of information across departments.
2. It has a user-friendly interface
While many platforms overwhelm users with complexity, HubSpot takes a different path. Clear navigation and visual editors simplify even the most sophisticated tasks. New team members often master the basics within days, while experienced users discover advanced features that enhance their productivity. The platform's straightforward design encourages adoption across all skill levels.
3. It's full of automation possibilities
Manual, repetitive tasks drain team resources and limit growth potential. Through intelligent automation, HubSpot transforms these time-consuming processes into streamlined workflows. Sales representatives spend less time on data entry and more time building relationships. Marketing teams focus on strategy instead of routine email sends. The ripple effect of automation extends throughout the organization.
4. Analytics and reporting are quite good
Success in modern business requires data-driven decisions. HubSpot's analytics suite delivers actionable insights about campaign performance, customer behavior, and team efficiency. Instead of piecing together information from multiple sources, leaders access neat and complete reports that guide strategic planning. The platform's visualization tools make complex data accessible and meaningful.
5. Educational resources are extensive
Learning shouldn't stop after initial onboarding. Through HubSpot Academy, teams access a wealth of certifications, guides, and industry insights. Regular webinars cover emerging trends and best practices. The platform's educational ecosystem supports continuous professional development, turning users into experts.
6. Strong ecosystem and integrations
No platform exists in isolation. HubSpot's marketplace connects with countless business tools, from e-commerce platforms to accounting software. Each integration enriches the platform's capabilities while maintaining data consistency. This interconnected ecosystem creates a technology stack that drives business success.
7. You get regular platform updates
Technology and business needs constantly change. HubSpot meets this challenge through continuous innovation. New features roll out regularly, keeping the platform current with industry demands. These updates often stem from user feedback, ensuring relevant and practical improvements.
8. Advanced personalization capabilities
Modern customers expect personalized experiences. HubSpot's smart content tools adapt messages based on viewer characteristics and behavior. Website content shifts to match visitor interests. Emails reflect individual preferences and past interactions.
9. Robust security measures
Data protection cannot be an afterthought. HubSpot builds security into every aspect of the platform. Encrypted data transmission protects sensitive information. Regular security updates address emerging threats. International compliance standards ensure data handling meets global requirements.
What we don't like so much (cons)
While HubSpot offers powerful capabilities, certain aspects of the platform may present challenges for some businesses. Let's explore these limitations to help you make an informed decision.
1. The pricing structure is complex and expensive
Hubspot's pricing model becomes increasingly complex as businesses grow. True, the starter plan begins affordably, but costs can rise significantly with additional users, marketing contacts, and feature requirements. The professional tier represents a substantial jump in pricing, which may challenge growing businesses.
2. Contracts aren't that flexible
Beyond the starter plan, HubSpot requires annual commitments even with monthly payment options. This lack of flexibility can pose challenges for businesses still evaluating their needs or experiencing rapid changes in their requirements.
3. There's the all-in-one dependency
The platform delivers maximum value when used as a comprehensive solution. Organizations using only select features might find less value for their investment, particularly if they've already invested in other tools like website content management systems.
4. There's a lot of restrictions on lower tiers
Essential marketing features like A/B testing and advanced reporting are reserved for higher-tier plans. Businesses on starter plans must upgrade to access these fundamental tools, which many consider standard in modern marketing platforms.
5. Be ready for additional costs beyond subscription
Technical support and onboarding often incur extra fees. The mandatory onboarding service for professional and enterprise tiers adds significant upfront costs, while ongoing technical consultation requires additional investment.
6. Customization in basic features is very limited
The email functionality offers very restricted customization options in areas like signature management and template design (but not just those). The platform's basic formatting choices and template selection may constrain creative possibilities for some marketing teams.
HubSpot FAQs
Is HubSpot a CRM?
Yes, HubSpot is fundamentally a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform, but it extends far beyond traditional CRM capabilities. At its core, the free HubSpot CRM manages customer relationships and tracks interactions, yet the platform has evolved into a comprehensive business solution. Through its various hubs - Marketing, Sales, Service, Operations, Content, and Commerce - HubSpot combines CRM functionality with tools for marketing automation, sales enablement, customer service, and website management.
What is HubSpot Breeze Intelligence?
Breeze Intelligence represents HubSpot's native data enrichment solution, launched after the Clearbit acquisition in December 2023. The service enriches CRM records with standardized, precise data to enhance go-to-market strategies. A single credit enables the enrichment of one CRM record.
The service comes bundled with the Starter Customer Platform, including starter editions of Marketing, Sales, Service, Content, Operations, and Commerce Hubs. Monthly data refreshes ensure information stays current, eliminating the need for manual research.
What is the difference between HubSpot's free and paid versions?
While HubSpot's free CRM offers substantial functionality, paid versions unlock advanced features and higher usage limits. The free version includes basic contact management, company records, deals, and tasks. Paid tiers add features like advanced automation, custom reporting, predictive lead scoring, and revenue attribution reporting.
Can Hubspot be used to schedule meetings?
Hubspot has the Hubspot meeting scheduler tool, which lets you schedule meetings with prospects and clients. It integrates with your calendar and HubSpot CRM, allowing contacts to book time slots based on your availability. However, dedicated scheduling tools like Zeeg often provide more specialized features and flexibility.
👉 Read more: Calendly vs Hubspot Meetings
Does HubSpot integrate with other business tools?
HubSpot maintains an extensive integration ecosystem connecting with hundreds of business applications. Native integrations exist for popular tools like Salesforce, Gmail, Outlook, and various social media platforms. The platform also supports custom integrations through its API and works with middleware solutions like Zapier.
How long does HubSpot implementation typically take?
Implementation timeframes vary based on business complexity and chosen features. Basic setup might take a few days, while full enterprise implementations could span several months. Factors affecting timeline include data migration needs, custom integration requirements, and team training schedules.
Can HubSpot handle multiple languages and currencies?
HubSpot supports multiple languages and currencies for global businesses. The platform allows content creation in different languages, and the interface itself can be displayed in various languages. Currency handling includes automatic conversion and region-specific formatting.
What kind of support does HubSpot provide?
Support options depend on the subscription level. All users access the knowledge base and community forums. Paid tiers receive email and chat support, while higher-tier subscribers get phone support and dedicated technical specialists. The HubSpot Academy provides extensive training resources regardless of subscription level.
Is HubSpot suitable for small businesses?
HubSpot scales to accommodate businesses of all sizes. Small businesses often start with the free CRM and basic marketing tools, adding more sophisticated features as they grow. The platform's modular structure allows organizations to pay only for the features they need.
How secure is data stored in HubSpot?
HubSpot employs enterprise-grade security measures including encryption at rest and in transit, regular security audits, and compliance with major data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA. The platform maintains multiple data centers with comprehensive backup systems.
Can HubSpot replace my existing CRM?
HubSpot can function as a complete CRM replacement or integrate with existing systems like Salesforce. The decision often depends on specific business needs, existing processes, and technical requirements. Many organizations successfully migrate from other CRMs to HubSpot's all-in-one platform.
Why Zeeg can be a great addition to HubSpot
While HubSpot is great as a CRM, meeting scheduling isn’t their greatest fort. Not that they’re bad at it, not at all. But indeed there are better alternatives to the Hubspot Meeting Scheduler. And tools like Zeeg really know how to do it better.
And why Zeeg, you might wonder?
Zeeg's scheduling system offers sophisticated capabilities like smart availability rules and automatic timezone detection, preventing double bookings across international teams. Unlike HubSpot's calendar limitations, Zeeg connects with multiple calendar services simultaneously, including Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and Apple Calendar. You calso get advanced scheduling features, like:
- Workflow automation: Create custom triggers and actions for events like cancellations or new bookings to automate your scheduling process
- Payment integration: Accept payments at the time of booking through integrations with platforms like PayPal and Stripe
- Meeting analytics: Track scheduling patterns, completion rates, and other metrics to optimize your appointment management
- Smart routing: Direct meeting requests to the right team member based on criteria like expertise, availability, or customer attributes using customizable routing forms
- Round robin scheduling: Manage team availability, set up round-robin scheduling, and coordinate group calendars effectively
- etc.
Also, as a European-developed platform, Zeeg has complete GDPR compliance with end-to-end encryption, adding an extra layer of data protection. The platform also enables businesses to collect payments for meetings at the time of booking, streamlining the process for appointment-based services.
Starting at just $10 per month, Zeeg provides an affordable way to enhance HubSpot's scheduling capabilities. Its advanced team scheduling features, including round-robin distribution, help larger organizations manage complex scheduling needs within their HubSpot workflow.
