Warning: HubSpot CRM is built for growing sales teams
HubSpot's free CRM is great for contacts, but you'll need Asana ($11) + Toggl ($9) + HubSpot = $20+/mo minimum for basic functionality. Soulo gives you CRM + tasks + time for $19.
Overview
HubSpot pioneered the concept of inbound marketing and offers one of the most popular CRM platforms. Their free CRM is genuinely useful - unlimited users, 1 million contacts, and basic pipeline management. The catch? HubSpot makes money by upselling their Marketing Hub ($800+/mo), Sales Hub ($90+/seat/mo), and Service Hub. For solopreneurs, the free CRM works but quickly becomes limiting: you'll want email templates ($50/mo), sequences ($90/mo), or reporting ($800/mo). The platform is also designed for sales teams, not individual operators - expect lots of team-focused features you won't use.
Pricing
Best for: Growing sales teams
The Good
- CRM is truly free forever with generous limits
- Excellent visual sales pipeline
- Great email integration with tracking
- Good contact and company management
- Powerful marketing features available (paid)
- Large ecosystem of integrations
- Extensive learning resources (HubSpot Academy)
The Bad
- Paid features are extremely expensive ($800+/mo for marketing)
- No project management or task features
- No time tracking whatsoever
- Interface can be overwhelming for solopreneurs
- Built for sales teams, not individuals
- Free tier limitations push you to paid quickly
- Steep learning curve for full platform
Best For
Growing sales teams
HubSpot's free CRM is great for contacts, but you'll need Asana ($11) + Toggl ($9) + HubSpot = $20+/mo minimum for basic functionality. Soulo gives you CRM + tasks + time for $19.
Key Features
- 01Free CRM with 1M contact limit
- 02Visual deal pipeline
- 03Email tracking and templates
- 04Meeting scheduler
- 05Live chat and chatbots (paid)
- 06Marketing automation (paid)
- 07Extensive app marketplace
Integrations
Use Cases
- Sales Teams
- Marketing Teams
- Service Teams
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