Best HubSpot Alternatives for SMBs in 2024

Best HubSpot Alternatives for SMBs in 2024

Updated June 22, 20262,818 words6 tools compared

HubSpot is the market leader for a reason, but it's not the right fit for every small business. The platform's feature-rich approach means you're paying for capabilities you might not need, while its pricing can quickly escalate as your team grows. For SMBs operating on tight budgets or with specific workflow requirements, alternatives like Pipedrive, Freshsales, and Attio offer more targeted solutions with lower price points and faster onboarding.

In this guide, we've evaluated the best HubSpot alternatives specifically for small and medium-sized businesses. We've focused on products that deliver comparable functionality without the enterprise overhead, competitive pricing that scales with your growth, and implementation timelines measured in days rather than months. Whether you're a bootstrapped startup, a Series A company, or an established SMB looking to optimize costs, you'll find practical recommendations based on real pricing, feature sets, and user feedback.

Quick Comparison

ProductBest ForStarting PriceRatingKey Feature
PipedriveSales-focused SMBs$14.90/user/mo4.5/5Visual sales pipeline management
FreshsalesHigh-velocity sales teams$15/user/mo4.4/5AI-powered lead scoring
AttioCustomizable workflows$29/user/mo4.3/5Flexible, no-code customization
CloseInside sales teams$49/user/mo4.6/5Built-in calling and SMS
FolkRelationship-focused teams$20/user/mo4.2/5Multi-channel data aggregation
Zoho CRMBudget-conscious teams$18/user/mo4.3/5Extensive automation capabilities
Monday CRMProcess-heavy orgs$199/mo flat4.1/5Highly customizable boards

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Detailed Reviews

In-depth analysis of each platform to help you make the right choice.

#1

Pipedrive

Top Pick

Best For: Sales-driven SMBs with 5-50 person teams looking for straightforward deal management without complex enterprise features

Pipedrive consistently ranks as the most user-friendly sales CRM for SMBs. The platform prioritizes visual pipeline management, allowing sales teams to see exactly where deals stand at a glance. At $14.90 per user per month, it's also one of the most affordable options that doesn't sacrifice essential functionality. The onboarding process typically takes hours, not weeks, making it ideal for resource-constrained teams.

Pricing: $14.90/user/month for core plan; additional tiers at $39.90 and $64.90/user/month; includes 14-day free trial

Key Features

  • Visual pipeline management with drag-and-drop deal stages
  • Integrated calling, email, and SMS capabilities
  • Workflow automation and custom activity reminders
  • Real-time reporting and deal forecasting
  • Mobile app for on-the-go deal management

Pros

  • +Intuitive interface requires minimal training—most teams are productive within 24 hours
  • +Exceptional value at entry-level pricing without compromising core sales features
  • +Strong third-party integrations including Zapier, making it easy to connect with your existing stack
  • +Dedicated support team responsive to SMB needs, not enterprise support hierarchies

Cons

  • -Marketing automation features are limited compared to HubSpot, requiring separate tools for email campaigns
  • -Advanced customization requires developer knowledge or professional services
  • -Reporting dashboards can feel basic for teams needing complex sales analytics

Verdict

Pipedrive is the clear winner for SMBs prioritizing sales efficiency over marketing integration. The combination of affordability, usability, and genuine sales-centric features makes it the top choice for teams with 10-100 salespeople. If your primary need is pipeline visibility and deal acceleration, Pipedrive will deliver ROI faster than competitors.

#2

Freshsales

Best For: Growth-stage SMBs (20-150 employees) running high-velocity sales models with inbound-heavy lead flows

Freshsales brings enterprise-grade AI features to the SMB price point. The platform's lead scoring, predictive analytics, and conversation intelligence help even small teams sell smarter. Starting at just $15 per user per month, Freshsales includes built-in phone and email without additional costs—a significant advantage over products that charge separately. Freshworks' established support infrastructure means SMBs get enterprise-class backing without enterprise pricing.

Pricing: $15/user/month (Standard plan); $39/user/month (Professional); $65/user/month (Enterprise); free tier includes up to 3 users

Key Features

  • AI-powered lead scoring automatically ranks prospect quality
  • Built-in calling and SMS with native integrations
  • Conversation intelligence records and analyzes sales calls
  • Territory management and assignment rules for team organization
  • Real-time sales dashboards with predictive deal forecasting

Pros

  • +AI lead scoring actually works out of the box, saving teams hours daily on qualification
  • +Free plan accommodates small founding teams without forcing immediate paid investment
  • +Conversation intelligence provides genuine insights into what sales approaches close deals
  • +Excellent integration with popular tools like Slack, Salesforce, and HubSpot (for lead sync)

Cons

  • -User interface is more cluttered than Pipedrive, with steeper learning curve for new users
  • -AI features require time and data to train effectively—first 30 days may feel basic
  • -Limited content management features compared to HubSpot's integrated knowledge base

Verdict

Freshsales deserves consideration if your SMB has a lean sales operations person who can configure territories and lead scoring rules. The AI functionality genuinely moves qualified deals through your pipeline faster. However, implementation requires more hands-on setup than Pipedrive. Best for teams where sales velocity and lead qualification are the primary pain points.

#3

Attio

Best For: SMBs with non-standard sales or partnership workflows that don't fit traditional CRM structures

Attio represents a newer generation of CRM designed around flexibility and workflow customization without code. Rather than forcing your processes into the platform's structure, Attio lets you build the exact CRM your business needs. The freemium model ($29/user/month for paid plans) attracts teams frustrated with HubSpot's rigid architecture. European origins mean GDPR compliance comes standard—valuable for SMBs serving international clients.

Pricing: Free tier included; $29/user/month (Standard); $99/user/month (Pro); workspace-based billing allows selective licensing

Key Features

  • No-code customization allows building custom fields, views, and relationships without developers
  • Flexible data structure supports complex relationships between contacts, companies, deals, and custom objects
  • Two-way integrations with Gmail, Outlook, Slack, and Zapier
  • Timeline view provides chronological context for all customer interactions
  • API-first architecture for teams needing deeper customization

Pros

  • +Customization flexibility rivals enterprise platforms while maintaining SMB simplicity—no developer required
  • +Free tier genuinely useful for teams up to 5-10 people, making early-stage adoption risk-free
  • +Interface design feels modern compared to older CRM platforms, reducing training time
  • +European data residency options appeal to SMBs handling EU customer data

Cons

  • -Customization freedom can become paralysis—teams without clear processes may spend weeks building 'perfect' setup
  • -Smaller vendor means fewer integrations compared to Pipedrive or Freshsales ecosystem
  • -Reporting and analytics features lag behind more mature competitors

Verdict

Choose Attio if your SMB's sales process differs from traditional pipelines—partnership-focused businesses, professional services firms, or companies managing multiple deal types benefit most. The customization capabilities give you freedom HubSpot charges thousands for. However, ensure you have someone internally who can define your workflow before implementation begins.

#4

Close

Best For: Inside sales teams, SDR/BDR departments, and appointment-setting focused businesses operating with 5-50 seat teams

Close is purpose-built for inside sales teams that live on the phone. The platform includes native calling, email, and SMS without requiring third-party integrations or additional subscriptions. At $49 per user monthly, Close costs more than Pipedrive or Freshsales, but teams with 8+ seat often find the productivity gains justify the premium. The product emphasizes speed—automating follow-ups, logging interactions instantly, and keeping your team in the app rather than context-switching between tools.

Pricing: $49/user/month (starter); custom enterprise pricing available; includes unlimited calling minutes

Key Features

  • Native calling with built-in call recording and transcription
  • SMS and email integrated directly into contact records
  • AI-powered follow-up automation based on conversation context
  • Click-to-dial and call routing for team efficiency
  • Detailed activity logging and conversation transcripts

Pros

  • +Calling quality and features rival standalone softphones—your team won't need a separate phone system
  • +AI follow-up suggestions genuinely capture important details from conversations, reducing manual logging
  • +All-in-one approach eliminates tool switching, keeping reps focused on selling rather than CRM data entry
  • +Call recordings and transcripts create searchable knowledge base of what resonates with customers

Cons

  • -Highest starting price ($49/user/month) makes budget comparison challenging versus cheaper alternatives
  • -Outside sales teams won't benefit from phone-centric design—makes product feel incomplete for non-phone workflows
  • -Limited reporting depth compared to Freshsales or Pipedrive, focusing instead on call metrics

Verdict

If your SMB's revenue depends on phone conversations, Close's all-in-one approach and included calling eliminate the need for separate tools, potentially reducing total software costs. The $49/user price point becomes reasonable when you account for not needing a separate VoIP system. Ideal for SDR teams, customer success managers, or appointment-setting businesses. Skip if phone calls aren't central to your sales process.

#5

Folk

Best For: Early-stage SMBs, venture sales teams, and businesses practicing relationship-driven selling versus transactional sales

Folk takes a relationship-first approach, automatically aggregating data from LinkedIn, email, and Slack to build customer profiles with minimal manual entry. At $20 per user monthly, it sits between budget options like Pipedrive and premium choices like Close. The platform appeals to SMBs tired of spreadsheets and manual prospecting—Folk does the busy work of research and data collection while your team focuses on actual relationship building.

Pricing: $20/user/month (Core); $60/user/month (Pro); free tier for 1-2 person teams

Key Features

  • Automatic data enrichment from LinkedIn, Gmail, and public sources
  • Workspace collaboration with shared context on relationships
  • Meeting notes and email thread integration into contact timeline
  • AI-powered interaction summaries and relationship health scoring
  • Slack integration surfaces relevant customer context

Pros

  • +Data enrichment automation cuts research time dramatically—reps spend less time on prospecting admin
  • +Slack integration keeps customer context visible without opening CRM, supporting async team workflows
  • +Modern product design appeals to younger sales teams and startups with minimal legacy systems
  • +Relationship-focused approach resonates with teams selling into multiple stakeholders

Cons

  • -Limited deal tracking and pipeline management compared to dedicated sales CRM platforms
  • -Customization options are minimal—workflow must fit Folk's opinionated design
  • -Smaller company with less established support infrastructure than Freshworks or Pipedrive

Verdict

Folk works best for SMBs where relationship depth and stakeholder intelligence matter more than deal velocity tracking. Venture sales teams, consultancies, and companies selling million-dollar enterprise deals benefit from the automated relationship intelligence. Less suitable for high-volume transactional sales where pipeline management and forecasting take priority. Consider Folk as a complementary tool to deeper pipeline management.

#6

Zoho CRM

Best For: SMBs needing integrated CRM, marketing automation, and support ticketing from a single vendor to minimize tool sprawl and integration complexity

Zoho CRM represents the most feature-complete alternative under $20 per user monthly. The platform delivers marketing automation, customer service tools, inventory management, and advanced customization—features that typically appear in much more expensive competitors. Zoho's strength lies in delivering enterprise-grade functionality at SMB pricing, though this comes with a steeper learning curve and more complex interface design.

Pricing: $18/user/month (Standard); $35/user/month (Professional); $52/user/month (Enterprise); free tier for up to 3 users

Key Features

  • Integrated marketing automation with email campaigns and lead nurturing workflows
  • Customer support ticket management and knowledge base functionality
  • Advanced automation with custom functions and workflow builder
  • Inventory and product management for e-commerce or product-based SMBs
  • Extensive customization with no-code builders and Deluge scripting language

Pros

  • +Integrated suite approach eliminates need for separate marketing automation and support tools, lowering total stack cost
  • +Highly extensible with Deluge scripting language for teams with technical resources
  • +Strong customization capabilities rival far more expensive enterprise platforms
  • +Excellent value—you get marketing, sales, and support tools for less than many sales-only CRMs

Cons

  • -Interface complexity makes onboarding slower than Pipedrive or Folk—expect 2-4 weeks for full adoption
  • -Customization flexibility means configuration decisions fall on your team, requiring more internal expertise
  • -Integration with non-Zoho tools can feel clunky compared to purpose-built specialists
  • -Support quality varies—enterprise-class features sometimes lack enterprise-class documentation

Verdict

Zoho CRM is the pragmatic choice for resource-constrained SMBs needing multiple tools. If you'd otherwise buy Pipedrive for sales, Mailchimp for marketing, and Zendesk for support, Zoho's integrated approach saves money and reduces integration overhead. The tradeoff: expect longer implementation and more complexity than single-purpose platforms. Best for SMBs with 15-100 employees where a dedicated operations person can configure workflows and customize fields.

Frequently Asked Questions about best hubspot alternatives for smbs

The savings depend on team size and features used. A 10-person team using HubSpot's Professional plan ($120/month per user) costs $1,200 monthly—$14,400 annually. Switching to Pipedrive at $14.90/user/month reduces this to $149/month or $1,788 annually, representing $12,612 in annual savings. Even adding complementary tools like Mailchimp for marketing (starting $0) keeps total costs 60-70% lower. For SMBs using only HubSpot's core CRM features without leveraging sales, marketing, and service hubs, these alternatives deliver identical functionality at 25-40% of the price. The actual savings calculation should include implementation costs, training time, and data migration effort—typically 40-60 hours for SMB-scale deployments.

Disruption depends on migration approach and platform choice. Switching from HubSpot to Pipedrive typically requires 3-7 days of planning plus 2-4 weeks of team adjustment. Most modern CRM platforms support bulk contact import and API-based data migration, minimizing manual work. To minimize disruption: (1) Migrate during a slower sales period if possible, (2) Run both systems in parallel for 2-4 weeks while team learns new interface, (3) Use managed migration services offered by platforms like Pipedrive and Zoho (often included or $1,500-3,000), (4) Focus onboarding on 3-5 power users who then train their colleagues. Folk and Attio typically show faster adoption (5-10 days to productivity) due to simpler interfaces, while Zoho requires more configuration but offers migration support. Companies cite average 10-15% productivity dip during transition, recovering fully within 4-6 weeks.

Integration capability varies significantly. Pipedrive leads with 500+ pre-built integrations including Zapier, making it compatible with virtually any tool. Freshsales offers 100+ integrations with strengths in customer success tools like Gainsight. Zoho, Folk, and Attio all connect to essential tools—Gmail, Slack, Salesforce—but require Zapier for less common connections. Before switching, audit your current stack: email platform (Gmail vs. Outlook), communication tools (Slack, Microsoft Teams), productivity apps (Asana, Monday.com), and specialized tools. Create integration scorecard: does the CRM have native integration (easiest), does Zapier bridge the gap (moderate complexity), or does it require custom API development (hardest). Pipedrive wins on breadth, while Close and Folk excel for specific use cases (phone-first and relationship-focused respectively).

Implementation timelines break into four phases: planning (1-2 weeks), data migration (1-2 weeks), customization (2-4 weeks), and team training (1-4 weeks), totaling 5-12 weeks for typical SMBs. However, 'go-live' to basic productivity is faster—most teams run productive basic workflows within 2-4 days. The extended timeline accounts for customization (custom fields, automation rules, dashboards) and comprehensive team training beyond essential features. Pipedrive and Folk, designed for simplicity, compress timelines to 4-8 weeks. Zoho and Attio, offering deeper customization, expand to 8-12 weeks. Cost of implementation ranges from $2,000-8,000 in managed services plus 60-120 hours of internal staff time. To accelerate: (1) Start with 'Minimum Viable Setup'—basic fields, essential automations only, (2) Run pilot with 3-5 power users first, (3) Use vendor implementation guides and templates rather than building from scratch.

Conclusion

HubSpot remains an excellent platform for organizations needing integrated sales, marketing, and customer service tools. However, SMBs operating with limited budgets or specialized workflows often find more value in focused alternatives. Pipedrive dominates for sales-first teams seeking simplicity and affordability at $14.90 per user monthly. Freshsales appeals to growth-stage SMBs wanting AI-powered lead intelligence without enterprise complexity. Attio serves companies with non-standard workflows requiring customization without developers. Close becomes the clear choice if your revenue depends on telephone sales and inside sales team efficiency.

Your decision should rest on three factors: (1) Your primary workflow—choose based on sales velocity (Pipedrive), relationship intelligence (Folk), customization needs (Attio), or phone-centric processes (Close). (2) Your team size and technical capacity—Pipedrive and Folk minimize internal implementation burden, while Zoho and Attio reward investment from ops-focused teams. (3) Your total software budget—Pipedrive and Freshsales keep all-in costs under $200/month for 10-person teams, while Close positions at premium pricing justified for high-touch sales. Most alternatives require 4-8 weeks from decision to full team productivity, with savings of $12,000-30,000 annually for typical SMB-scale deployments.

We recommend running comparative trials—most offer 14-30 day free versions—before committing. Focus on how intuitive onboarding feels for your actual sales team rather than feature checklists. If you need implementation guidance, RevAlign.io specializes in SMB CRM selection and migration, helping companies avoid costly platform selection mistakes and execute smooth transitions to new systems.

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