HubSpot Pricing Myths: How much does HubSpot (really) cost?

Several times a week we hear “How much does HubSpot cost?” followed up by “Can I get a better deal if I work with you or should I work with HubSpot directly?” As one of HubSpot’s top partners we enter into our fair share of pricing conversations—let’s just say this post is long overdue.

We discovered HubSpot in 2011, back when they were a pretty small company. Their innovation around building cutting edge tools that our customers needed caught our attention. HubSpot visionaries Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah were on the cusp of disrupting marketing and sales, as we’d known it. Their idea of “inbound” marketing - a simple concept - was a paradigm shift from traditional outbound tactics and introduced as a new methodology. It made sense. As HubSpot embraced its own methodology, they created content and continued to build great software tools designed for marketers. Fast forward—today, they are recognized as one of the best sales and marketing platforms in the world.

In 2018, at the Inbound conference, Brian Halligan, introduced a new concept that shattered the conventional “Funnel” concept. Enter the “Flywheel”. This model centers around customers driving business velocity—everything your business does should revolve around your customers’ experience. To achieve this type of velocity businesses need the right tools to keep all of their data in sync and visible to everyone within your organization. This philosophy has evolved into one of the most robust software platforms that over 70,000+ businesses worldwide rely on to power their sales, marketing, customer service—and website.
HubSpot software may be marketed as simple to use and easy to implement, but their product mix and pricing—is pretty complex.

If you are confused by HubSpot pricing, I am going to go out on a limb and guess it has less to do with how much the software costs, and more to do with what the heck package you need.

The simplest way to grasp HubSpot is that it consists of 4 hubs: Marketing, Sales, Service, and CMS. Each hub has a variety of different plan levels—from free to enterprise. The features packed inside the plans determine the tier, and it doesn’t have anything to do with the size of your business. For instance, we’ve built pretty complex systems on pro and enterprise for small businesses, even startups.

The journey to buy HubSpot software can feel a little bit like a wild ride in an alternate universe where you are inundated with information, asked a few questions and presented with suggestions based on your answers. You start to feel the pressure of making the wrong decision or are forced into taking a leap of faith that this purchase will solve your business problems. Then panic sets in—what if you are making the wrong decision? The whole buying process has created a lot of unnecessary confusion and some bizarre myths.

Myth #1: Buying from HubSpot direct is cheaper than buying from a partner.

False. HubSpot is pretty transparent about their pricing, they publish it on their website. HubSpot sells software, partners sell solutions.

Myth #2: You can get a better deal on the software from shopping around with different partners.

False. This may have been the case in the past but HubSpot has updated their system to ensure the customer is getting the best price possible regardless of the partner.

Myth #3: If you buy HubSpot it will solve your business problems.

False. HubSpot is a platform of tools. The tools need to be configured and adopted by your team to be effective. The most effective systems are set up and configured by one of the 4,400 HubSpot Solution Partners worldwide.

Myth #4: If you work with HubSpot direct, you can’t consult with a partner

False. This is probably the biggest misconception. HubSpot has an internal program that encourages direct sales reps to work together collaboratively to help solve problems for the customer. In fact, HubSpot customers who work with a partner have a higher adoption rate of the tool.

Myth 5: The best time to negotiate your HubSpot pricing is when you sign up.

True. This is not a myth, this is a fact. This is why it is so important that you leverage all of the resources available to you. Take your time to find the right partner to help you through the process. You will save yourself from a lot of stress and frustration. The best partners typically will give you a free consultation, because most HubSpot agencies are “HubSpotty” and helpful.

How much does HubSpot (really) cost?

The bottom line is HubSpot software costs what the best subscription to meet your goals costs. If you aren't sure you should seek the help of a qualified HubSpot Solutions Partner. Once you purchase the subscription you will need to invest time and/or money into building out the software for maximum ROI. If you use HubSpot—it should be worth every dime you spend and then some, and if you don't it's not only costly, it's a missed opportunity.