Analyzed in depth
HubSpot CRM
The world's most widely used free CRM, with a powerful paid suite.
HubSpot CRM is free forever at the base level: unlimited contacts (up to 1 million), visual pipeline, email tracking. Sales, Marketing and Service Hub tiers add automation and analytics, with a steep price jump between Starter and Professional.
Who it's for
Freelancers and small businesses that want a capable free CRM. B2B SMBs with a structured inbound marketing approach and a coordinated sales-marketing team.
Why
The free tier is genuinely usable (unlimited contacts, native email integrations, pipeline). Beyond that, the ecosystem is complete, but costs escalate fast: Sales Hub Pro at €90/seat/month and Marketing Hub Pro at €792/month.
Key features
- Free CRM for life, unlimited contacts up to 1 million
- Visual pipeline, email tracking and e-signatures included in Free
- Modular Sales / Marketing / Service Hubs (paid)
- Over 1,500 native integrations plus REST API
Guarantee
100 % independent
No commercial ties with the vendor. Score never paid for.
Vendor health
0 release in 12 months
Dominant player in the global CRM market. Trustpilot relayed at 3.5/5 over 600 reviews (webandseo.fr) vs 4.4/5 over 6,000 reviews (independant.io), divergence between sources to be reconciled.
Detailed scorecard
methodologyEvery score is backed by cited and dated sources. Unmeasured dimensions are excluded from the calculation, never invented.
Testimonials, fully transcribed
A selection of real user quotes. Click to read the original source.
« HubSpot's cost in 2026 ranges from €0 (free CRM) to over €4,950/month for the full Enterprise suite »
Dimension : True hidden cost ↗
« Pro Customer Platform at €1,143/month, i.e. €13,716/year for 5 users, up to €4,200/month for Enterprise »
Dimension : True hidden cost ↗
« Trustpilot: 3.5/5 (~600 reviews) for HubSpot »
Dimension : Native support quality ↗
Right for your profile?
Freelance
Best if: The Free CRM is generous (unlimited contacts, deals pipeline, email tracking) and more than enough for a solo. Ideal if you already practice inbound with content.
Avoid if: You want to upgrade to Starter at €20/seat: that's overkill, and simpler alternatives fit better (Pipedrive, Folk).
Auto-entrepreneur
Best if: Free can serve as a structured professional address book. No cost as long as you stay on the free tier.
Avoid if: You want to go paid: the price jump is disproportionate relative to a micro-business turnover. A lightweight French CRM is a better fit.
Artisan
Best if: HubSpot is designed for B2B inbound and digital marketing, not quote-invoice-site management for a trades business.
Avoid if: No trade-specific modules (job scheduling, site tracking). Consider Tolteck, Obat or Mediabat instead.
TPE
Best if: Excellent in Free for structuring B2B sales prospecting with no cost.
Avoid if: You want to go Professional: the €792-€1,143/month tier is prohibitive under 10 people. Look at Pipedrive, Axonaut or Sellsy as more progressive French-friendly alternatives.
PME
Best if: B2B SMBs with 20 to 200 employees running a structured inbound marketing operation and a coordinated sales-marketing team.
Avoid if: Industrial or traditional SMBs without a digital culture: the ROI doesn't follow. Lock-in is documented, so negotiate the contract (downgrade rights, +30%/year cap).
Real observed pricing
| Plan | Observed price/month | Observed on |
|---|---|---|
| CRM Free | €0.00 | 18 June 2026 |
| Sales Hub Starter | €20.00 | 18 June 2026 |
| Sales Hub Professional | €90.00 | 18 June 2026 |
| Sales Hub Enterprise | €150.00 | 18 June 2026 |
- Free forever, no time limit. Unlimited users, up to 1 million contacts. Source: hubspot.fr/pricing/crm.
- €20/month excl. VAT per Sales seat. Marketing Hub Starter: €15/seat. Service Hub Starter: €20/seat.
- €90/month excl. VAT per Sales seat. Marketing Hub Pro: €792/month (steep jump). Mandatory onboarding fees €1,470 to €6,830 per Stratenet 2026.
- €150/month excl. VAT per seat. Marketing Hub Enterprise: €3,300/month. Full CRM Suite Enterprise over €4,950/month per Stratenet.
Weaknesses, avoid if
- Steep price jump past the Free tier: Starter at €20/seat to Professional at €90/seat (Sales Hub) or €792/month (Marketing Hub), described as a 'pricing cliff' by Reddit r/hubspot (late 2025) and Stratenet 2026.
- Mandatory onboarding fees from €1,470 to €6,830 depending on the plan (Stratenet 2026). Multi-axis pricing is complex: per seat, per hub, per contacts, non-rollover Breeze AI credits.
- Aggressive renewals and documented lock-in: a Reddit r/hubspot thread (late 2025) describes the process as 'the most adversarial vendor experience I've had'. Capterra: one-star review for €21,000/year billed for unused features with no downgrade option (15/01/2026).