HubSpot
HubSpot is a CRM with a free plan: contacts, companies, a deal pipeline, email tracking and a meeting scheduler at no cost, with Sales Hub adding automated outreach, calling and AI agents on the same records.
It suits founders setting up their first sales process who want to start free and keep marketing and support on the same customer records later.
It is free for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts; Starter is $20 a seat a month, cut to $10 month to month for new customers for a limited time, as checked on 30 October 2026.
Reviewed by the IndieHacked team
- What it does
- Keep contacts, companies and deals in a free CRM, then add Sales Hub for automated outreach, calling, quotes and AI agents that research leads.
- Our take
- Founders setting up their first sales process who want to start free and grow into one system. Track contacts and deals at no cost, add Starter when you need automation and payments, and let Claude read and update the CRM through HubSpot's free connector.
- Pricing
- FreemiumMid priceFree for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with no time limit; HubSpot branding shows on emails, forms, live chat and meeting links. Starter is normally $20 a seat a month; for a limited time new customers pay $10 a seat month to month, or $7 a month paid yearly, with 500 HubSpot Credits a month. Professional is $100 a seat a month on a yearly commitment, or $90 paid yearly, plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee, with 3,000 credits; Enterprise starts at $150 a seat through sales, as checked on 30 October 2026. Credits run the AI agents: more cost $0.01 each, and unused credits do not roll over. HubSpot for Startups takes 90% off Professional or Enterprise in year one for companies with pre-seed to Series A funding or an approved partner, on a yearly commitment. Prices are in USD before tax.
The IndieHacked breakdown
What it does
HubSpot's Smart CRM is the database of contacts, companies and deals that every HubSpot product shares. The free plan holds it with a deal pipeline, email tracking that notifies you when a prospect opens your email, a meeting scheduler, live chat and forms, connected to Gmail or Outlook.
Sales Hub sits on top of the same records for prospecting, sequences of follow-up emails and tasks, calling, forecasting and reporting. Paid plans include HubSpot Credits for AI agents: the Prospecting Agent researches accounts and drafts outreach, the Data Agent keeps records up to date. HubSpot's connector for Claude is free and reads and writes the CRM from a chat.
Who it suits
Founders setting up their first sales process. Two people can track leads and deals for free, with no expiry date, and Starter adds automation, AI agents, payments, e-signatures and support by email and chat when the free limits get tight.
It also fits a founder who will add marketing or support later. Marketing Hub, Service Hub and the website tools run on the same CRM, so an email campaign, a support ticket and a deal land on one customer record.
Not the right fit for
Founders who want a sales pipeline and nothing around it. HubSpot builds marketing, service and website tools onto the CRM; its own comparison calls Pipedrive, reviewed here, "a capable pipeline management tool", built around that one job.
Bootstrapped founders who expect to need Professional, for call recording and custom sales workflows. It is $100 a seat a month plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee, and the 90% startup discount needs venture funding or an approved partner. Pipedrive records and transcribes calls on every plan.
Also on the shortlist
- PipedriveSalesPipeline first, with call recording and transcripts on every plan; a 14-day trial in place of a free plan.14-day free trial, then from €24 a seat a month, as checked on 30 October 2026
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