HubSpot Sales Hub Professional costs 100/seat/month.InsightlyProfessionalcosts49/user/month billed annually. For a 10-person sales team, that gap is 510/month,or6,120/year, before you add a single hub, seat upgrade, or support package. The HubSpot vs Insightly decision is not about which CRM has more features. It is about whether your team needs a unified go-to-market platform or a focused CRM software with built-in project delivery.
Choose HubSpot if you want a free CRM entry point, broader marketing-sales-service expansion, or the largest integration marketplace in the best sales CRM software category. Choose Insightly if you want lower automation-tier pricing, native CRM-to-project handoff after closed deals, or simpler per-user annual billing. This comparison covers pricing at scale, workflow automation gates, project delivery, integrations, AI, support costs, and buyer fit for US sales teams.
Quick Verdict: HubSpot vs Insightly
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing at scale | Insightly | 49/user/monthvs100/seat/month at the automation tier |
| Free CRM entry | HubSpot | Free CRM with no expiration; Insightly offers a 14-day trial |
| Go-to-market platform depth | HubSpot | Sales, Marketing, Service, Content, Data, Commerce, and Breeze AI in one platform |
| CRM-to-project delivery | Insightly | Built-in opportunity-to-project conversion with tasks, milestones, and custom fields |
| Integration ecosystem | HubSpot | Larger marketplace plus broader Zapier coverage |
| CRM customization and reporting | Insightly | Stronger scores for custom fields, pipeline visualization, and custom reports on TrustRadius |
| Support and implementation | HubSpot | Phone support included on Professional; Insightly charges for Premier Support |
What this means: HubSpot wins on platform breadth, free entry, integrations, and included support. Insightly wins on per-user pricing, project delivery, and CRM customization depth. Neither platform is the automatic winner for every buyer.
HubSpot vs Insightly at a Glance
| Dimension | HubSpot | Insightly |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Growth teams wanting free CRM start and multi-hub expansion | SMB and agency teams wanting affordable CRM with project delivery |
| Starting price | $0/month (Free CRM, 2 users, 1,000 contacts) | $29/user/month billed annually (Plus plan) |
| Practical tier | Sales Hub Professional at $100/seat/month | Professional at $49/user/month billed annually |
| Free plan or trial | Free CRM (no expiration) | 14-day free trial |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Main strength | Unified customer platform with broad integrations | CRM-to-project workflow with lower per-user cost |
| Main limitation | Cost rises quickly with hubs, seats, and tier upgrades | Workflow automation and AI require Professional plan |
| Parent company | HubSpot, Inc. | Unbounce |
What this means: HubSpot is a wider platform that starts free but scales expensive. Insightly is a narrower CRM that costs less per user but gates automation and AI behind Professional.
How We Compared HubSpot and Insightly
Alex Morrison evaluated both platforms using official pricing pages, product documentation, feature specifications, security documentation, and third-party review data from G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, and Software Advice. All pricing was verified on June 11, 2026 from official sources. Neither platform was tested hands-on for this comparison.
Comparison criteria: pricing at 5, 10, 25, and 50 users on comparable automation-tier plans; feature gates by plan; CRM-to-project delivery capability; AI features and plan requirements; integration ecosystem breadth; support tiers and add-on costs; security and compliance documentation; setup and migration difficulty.
Review limitation: This comparison is based on official documentation and verified third-party review data, not on hands-on testing. Pricing reflects USD amounts visible on official pricing pages as of June 2026. HubSpot Starter pricing was displayed with a promotional rate, and Insightly pricing requires annual billing. Actual checkout totals may differ based on taxes, add-ons, and promotional timing.
Workflow 1: Building and Automating a Sales Pipeline
HubSpot wins for teams that want pipeline automation inside a broader go-to-market stack. Insightly wins for teams that want pipeline automation at a lower per-user price.
Both CRMs handle contact management, deal tracking, and pipeline visualization. The real split happens at automation. HubSpot locks workflow automation, AI-powered forecasting, and automated follow-ups behind the Professional plan at 100/seat/month.InsightlylocksworkflowautomationandAICopilotbehinditsProfessionalplanat49/user/month billed annually.
On the Plus plan at $29/user/month, Insightly includes lead and contact management, project management, advanced reports, and pre-built dashboards, but not workflow automation. On HubSpot Free and Starter, you get basic CRM tools and entry sales features, but no deep automation either.
AI Features: Breeze AI vs Insightly AI Copilot
HubSpot Breeze AI spans the full platform, including forecasting, lead scoring (Enterprise at $150/seat/month), and conversation intelligence (Enterprise). Insightly AI Copilot covers email replies and email summaries, starting at Professional.
I keep coming back to the plan-gate gap: HubSpot distributes AI across multiple tiers and hubs, while Insightly concentrates AI in one plan. For a 10-person team that only needs CRM automation and basic AI, Insightly Professional costs 490/month.HubSpotSalesHubProfessionalcosts1,000/month. That is the math that shapes this comparison.
Feature Gates: What Each Plan Unlocks
| Feature | HubSpot plan gate | Insightly plan gate | Buyer impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic CRM and contacts | Free | Plus ($29/user/month) | HubSpot’s free tier lowers entry risk |
| Workflow automation | Professional ($100/seat/month) | Professional ($49/user/month) | Insightly is cheaper at automation tier |
| AI-powered forecasting | Professional ($100/seat/month) | Not listed as separate feature | HubSpot has deeper forecasting on Professional |
| AI Copilot or AI email | Enterprise ($150/seat/month) for lead scoring; Professional for forecasting | Professional ($49/user/month) | Insightly opens AI Copilot earlier |
| Custom objects | Enterprise ($150/seat/month) | Available (plan varies) | HubSpot gates custom objects at the highest tier |
| Products, pricebooks, quotes | Starter and above (limited) | Enterprise ($99/user/month) | Insightly gates quoting at Enterprise |
| Conversation intelligence | Enterprise ($150/seat/month) | Not available | HubSpot-only feature, but Enterprise-gated |
| Sandboxes | Not standard on Sales Hub | Enterprise ($99/user/month) | Insightly offers sandboxes on Enterprise |
| Audit logging | Available on higher tiers | Enterprise ($99/user/month) | Both gate governance features |
What this means: If your team needs workflow automation and basic AI, Insightly Professional gives you both at 49/user/month.HubSpotrequires100/seat/month for automation and $150/seat/month for AI lead scoring and conversation intelligence. The feature-gate math favors Insightly for cost-focused automation buyers and HubSpot for teams that need forecasting, conversation intelligence, and a broader platform.
Workflow 2: Closing Deals and Delivering Projects
Insightly wins this workflow. HubSpot does not have a native CRM-to-project delivery feature that matches Insightly’s positioning.
Insightly explicitly supports converting opportunities to projects. When a deal closes, the CRM carries details, tasks, pipelines, milestones, custom fields, and page layouts into delivery workflows. For agencies, consultants, manufacturers, and service businesses, this means the sales team and the delivery team share one platform.
HubSpot handles deal management, quotes, and payments inside Sales Hub. But after a deal closes, most HubSpot teams need a separate project management tool or a custom workflow to hand off to delivery. That is not a flaw in HubSpot’s design; it is a different architecture. HubSpot is a customer platform built for go-to-market teams. Insightly is a CRM with project management built into the same database.
Reporting and Analytics
Both platforms offer dashboards and reports. Insightly includes advanced reports and pre-built business dashboards on Plus. HubSpot reporting deepens on Professional and Enterprise with forecasting and conversation intelligence. According to TrustRadius comparison data, Insightly receives stronger scores for CRM customization, custom fields, custom objects, pipeline visualization, and custom reports. HubSpot scores higher for ecosystem breadth and marketing automation.
For a 15-person agency that closes deals and delivers projects in one system, Insightly’s architecture is the better fit. For a 15-person sales team that closes deals and hands off to a marketing or service department on the same platform, HubSpot’s hub model is the better fit.
Workflow 3: Scaling Cost and Ecosystem from 5 to 50 Users
Insightly costs less at every team size on comparable automation-tier plans. HubSpot’s cost gap widens as team size grows.
Cost at Scale: Professional Tier Comparison
| Team size | HubSpot Sales Hub Professional | Insightly Professional (annual billing) | Monthly savings with Insightly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $500/month | $245/month | $255/month |
| 10 users | $1,000/month | $490/month | $510/month |
| 25 users | $2,500/month | $1,225/month | $1,275/month |
| 50 users | $5,000/month | $2,450/month | $2,550/month |
What this means: At 50 users, a team choosing Insightly Professional over HubSpot Sales Hub Professional saves 2,550/month,or30,600/year. That gap does not include HubSpot’s additional hub costs for Marketing Hub, Service Hub, or Content Hub, which can push the total platform cost much higher.
Pricing verified June 11, 2026. HubSpot pricing from Official pricing page. Insightly pricing from Official pricing page. HubSpot Starter was displayed at a promotional 10/seat/monthwitharegulardisplayedpriceof20/seat/month. Insightly pricing requires annual billing.
Hidden Costs Beyond the Sticker Price
| Cost area | HubSpot | Insightly | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier upgrades for automation | Professional at $100/seat/month | Professional at $49/user/month | Medium for both |
| Advanced AI and governance | Enterprise at $150/seat/month | Enterprise at $99/user/month | High for HubSpot |
| Additional hubs (marketing, service, content) | Separate hub pricing adds to total | Not applicable (single CRM product) | High for HubSpot |
| Paid support | Included on Professional and Enterprise | Premier Support at 20% of investment, $3,000/year minimum | Medium for Insightly |
| Guided onboarding | Varies by hub and plan | $1,500 one-time fee | Medium for Insightly |
| Paid seat types | Core vs Sales Seat pricing differences | Per-user pricing, all seats equal | Medium for HubSpot |
| Annual billing lock-in | Monthly billing available on some plans | Annual billing required | Low for Insightly |
What this means: HubSpot’s hidden cost risk comes from hub stacking, seat-type pricing, and tier upgrades. Insightly’s hidden cost risk comes from support add-ons and annual billing requirements. A detailed HubSpot pricing breakdown shows how total platform cost depends on hub mix and seat count.
Integration Ecosystem
HubSpot’s integration marketplace is broader. The HubSpot Marketplace includes official and partner integrations with Gmail, Outlook, WordPress, Zapier, Microsoft, Slack, Shopify, and many more. Zapier extends HubSpot to thousands of additional apps.
Insightly AppConnect supports integrations with Microsoft, DocuSign, Shopify, WordPress, PandaDoc, NetSuite, QuickBooks, Apollo, Slack, Jira, Unbounce, and over 2,000 apps or workflows. The breadth is solid, but third-party comparison data from G2 rates HubSpot higher for integrations.
If your team depends on a large ecosystem of marketing, advertising, and data tools, HubSpot is the safer pick. If your team needs CRM connected to accounting, project management, and document tools, Insightly AppConnect covers the core needs.
Support Tiers and Costs
HubSpot includes community support on Free, adds email and chat on Starter, and includes phone support on Professional and Enterprise. No additional support fee is required for phone access on Professional.
Insightly includes Basic support with every license. Premier Support and Success costs 20% of the Insightly investment with a 3,000annualminimum.GuidedOnboardingcosts1,500 one-time. For a 10-user Insightly Professional team paying 5,880/yearinCRMlicensing,PremierSupportaddsatleast3,000/year, a 51% increase in annual cost.
That support pricing detail is something most competing articles skip entirely. If your team has limited internal CRM admin capacity and expects phone-level support, factor Insightly’s support costs into the total comparison.
Security and Compliance
HubSpot Trust Center lists downloadable SOC 3 and SOC 2 Type 2 reports, penetration test summaries, and security documentation. Insightly security documentation references SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA-related controls. Both platforms meet standard B2B SaaS compliance requirements.
Setup and Migration Difficulty
| Dimension | HubSpot | Insightly |
|---|---|---|
| Initial setup | Medium. Free CRM is fast. Complexity grows with multiple hubs. | Medium. Basic CRM setup is fast. Workflow and project setup need planning. |
| Data import | CRM record imports across deals, contacts, and meetings | CRM records, imports, and API access |
| Workflow rebuild | Rebuild automation workflows; re-map hub-level data | Rebuild workflow automation, project templates, and AppConnect integrations |
| Admin and team training | Grows with hub count and seat-type complexity | Grows with project conversion, custom layouts, and governance |
| Migration difficulty (HubSpot to Insightly) | Medium. May lose hub-level marketing, service, and automation context. | N/A |
| Migration difficulty (Insightly to HubSpot) | N/A | Medium. Must map projects, custom fields, and delivery workflows to HubSpot objects. |
What this means: Neither migration is simple. Moving from HubSpot to Insightly may simplify CRM operations but loses multi-hub context. Moving from Insightly to HubSpot may broaden the platform but requires a separate project management tool. API rate limits differ: HubSpot allows 100-190 requests per 10 seconds depending on plan, while Insightly allows 10 requests per second.
Where HubSpot Wins
- Free CRM start. HubSpot’s free CRM with no expiration gives startups and small teams a zero-risk entry point that Insightly does not match.
- Multi-hub customer platform. Sales, Marketing, Service, Content, Data, Commerce, and Breeze AI in one platform. No other tool in this comparison offers that breadth.
- Integration ecosystem. Larger marketplace and broader Zapier coverage than Insightly AppConnect.
- Included phone support. Phone support on Professional and Enterprise without an additional support fee.
- AI breadth. Breeze AI spans forecasting, lead scoring, and conversation intelligence across multiple hubs, though gated at higher tiers.
Where Insightly Wins
- Lower automation-tier pricing. Professional at 49/user/monthvs100/seat/month saves teams real budget at every team size from 5 to 50 users.
- Built-in project delivery. Opportunity-to-project conversion is not an add-on. It is part of the CRM architecture.
- Simpler per-user pricing. One seat type, one price, annual billing. No hub-stacking or seat-type complexity.
- CRM customization depth. Stronger TrustRadius scores for custom fields, pipeline visualization, and custom reports.
- Earlier AI Copilot access. AI Copilot for email replies and summaries starts at Professional, not Enterprise.
Who Should Choose HubSpot
Choose HubSpot if your team fits one of these profiles:
- 5-person startup choosing a first CRM. The free CRM reduces early risk before the team knows which features it needs. Start free, upgrade later.
- Marketing-led company unifying sales, service, and content. HubSpot’s multi-hub architecture is built for this. Insightly is not.
- Team with strict support expectations. Phone support is included on Professional. No minimum annual support fee.
- Team planning to grow into a full customer platform. If the 18-month plan includes marketing automation, service ticketing, and content management, HubSpot has the modules. Consider reading the full HubSpot CRM review before committing to a plan.
Who Should Choose Insightly
Choose Insightly if your team fits one of these profiles:
- 10-person sales team watching budget. At the Professional tier, Insightly costs less than half of HubSpot for comparable CRM automation.
- Agency or consulting team that delivers projects after closing deals. The CRM-to-project workflow is built in, not bolted on. Read the Insightly CRM review for deeper feature analysis.
- Service business or manufacturer needing post-sale delivery tracking. Insightly carries deal data into project milestones and tasks.
- Team that values simpler CRM pricing. One user type, one price, no hub-stacking math.
Who Should Avoid Both
Neither HubSpot nor Insightly is the right fit in these situations:
- Team that only needs a simple sales pipeline. Both platforms add complexity beyond basic pipeline management. Consider Pipedrive CRM for focused pipeline simplicity.
- Enterprise team that needs Salesforce-grade customization and governance. If the requirement is deep custom architecture, AppExchange ecosystem, and enterprise-grade admin controls, Salesforce CRM is the standard. Neither HubSpot nor Insightly competes at that level.
- Budget team that wants many business modules at low cost. If the buyer wants CRM, invoicing, HR, and project management in one suite under $30/user/month, Zoho CRM offers broader modules at a lower entry point.
Alternatives to HubSpot and Insightly
| Alternative | Best for | Choose if | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipedrive | Sales pipeline simplicity | Your team wants focused deal tracking without platform complexity | $14/user/month (as of June 2026) |
| Zoho CRM | Budget teams wanting broad business app suite | You want CRM plus many modules at lower total cost | $14/user/month (as of June 2026) |
| Salesforce Sales Cloud | Large enterprises needing governance and custom architecture | You need enterprise-grade customization beyond HubSpot or Insightly | $25/user/month (as of June 2026) |
What this means: Pipedrive is the simpler, cheaper alternative for pipeline-first teams. Zoho CRM is the broader, cheaper alternative for multi-module buyers. Salesforce is the enterprise-grade alternative when both HubSpot and Insightly fall short on governance and customization depth. Teams evaluating HubSpot alternatives for small business or Insightly alternatives should compare total cost at 10 users, not just starting prices.
Final Verdict: HubSpot vs Insightly in 2026
The HubSpot vs Insightly decision comes down to two questions: does your team need a broader platform or a cheaper CRM with project delivery?
Choose HubSpot if the team needs a free CRM start, a multi-hub customer platform, phone support included on Professional, and the largest integration ecosystem. HubSpot is the stronger pick for marketing-led companies, startups testing their first CRM, and teams planning to unify sales, service, and content.
Choose Insightly if the team needs lower per-user automation cost, built-in CRM-to-project delivery, and simpler annual pricing. Insightly is the stronger pick for agencies, consultants, service businesses, and budget-conscious sales teams at 10 to 50 users.
Avoid both if you need pure pipeline simplicity (Pipedrive), Salesforce-grade enterprise depth (Salesforce Sales Cloud), or a broad business suite under $30/user/month (Zoho CRM).
The gap between entry price and actual bill is where most buyers get surprised. Calculate cost at your real team size, check which plan unlocks the features you need, and add support costs before signing anything.
FAQ
Is HubSpot better than Insightly?
HubSpot is better for teams that want a free CRM start, broader marketing-sales-service platform, larger integration marketplace, and included phone support on Professional. Insightly is better for teams that want lower per-user automation pricing and built-in project delivery after closed deals. The better choice depends on your team size, budget, and whether you need post-sale project management.
Is Insightly cheaper than HubSpot?
Yes, at comparable automation tiers. Insightly Professional costs 49/user/monthbilledannually.HubSpotSalesHubProfessionalcosts100/seat/month. For 10 users, that is 490/monthvs1,000/month. But Insightly requires annual billing, and Premier Support adds at least $3,000/year if your team needs faster response times.
Does HubSpot have project management?
HubSpot handles deal management, tasks, and workflows, but does not include Insightly-style CRM-to-project delivery as a core feature. Most HubSpot teams use a separate project management tool after deals close. Insightly converts opportunities directly into projects with tasks, milestones, and custom fields carried over.
Does Insightly include workflow automation on the cheapest plan?
No. Insightly Plus at 29/user/monthincludesleadmanagement,projectmanagement,andreports,butworkflowautomationandAICopilotrequiretheProfessionalplanat49/user/month. This is the most common plan-gate surprise for Insightly buyers.
Is HubSpot free CRM good enough for a startup?
Yes, if the startup has fewer than 2 users and under 1,000 contacts. HubSpot’s free CRM includes basic deal tracking, contact management, and email tools with no expiration. The limitation is that scaling beyond those limits pushes the team to Starter or Professional, where costs rise quickly.
Should I choose HubSpot or Insightly for a 10-person sales team?
If budget is the main constraint, choose Insightly Professional at 490/monthoverHubSpotSalesHubProfessionalat1,000/month. If the team needs broader platform depth, marketing automation, and included phone support, choose HubSpot and budget for the higher per-seat cost.
Which CRM is easier to migrate away from?
Both offer medium migration difficulty. HubSpot supports CRM record imports across objects. Insightly provides records, imports, and API access. Moving from HubSpot to Insightly loses multi-hub context. Moving from Insightly to HubSpot requires mapping projects and delivery workflows to HubSpot objects or separate tools.
Which CRM is better for agencies?
Insightly is the stronger pick for agencies that deliver projects after closing deals, because the CRM-to-project workflow is built into the platform. HubSpot is the stronger pick for marketing agencies that need lead generation, content management, and multi-channel campaign tools across its hub ecosystem.
Can Insightly handle sales and delivery in one place?
Yes. Insightly’s core positioning includes converting closed opportunities into projects with tasks, milestones, pipelines, and custom fields. This is the primary reason agencies, consultants, and service businesses choose Insightly over broader platforms that require separate project tools.
When does HubSpot become expensive?
HubSpot cost escalates at three points: upgrading from Starter to Professional (100/seat/month),addingMarketingHuborServiceHub(separatehubpricing),andscalingseatsbeyond10usersonProfessional.A10−seatSalesHubProfessionalsetupcosts1,000/month before any additional hubs, add-ons, or implementation fees.
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