HubSpot vs. HighLevel: Which Platform Is Right for Your Business?

Choosing the right CRM and marketing platform is critical for small and medium-sized businesses looking to scale. HubSpot and HighLevel are two popular choices. HubSpot has long been a leading name in inbound marketing, offering a suite of specialized “Hubs.” HighLevel, on the other hand, positions itself as an all-in-one marketing and sales solution at a more accessible price point.

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Samantha Will

Business Owner

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Robert Junior

Business Owner

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Anastasya J.

Business Owner

Founded: 2006
Core Value Proposition: Modular “Hubs” for marketing, sales, service, and more, each with multiple tiers (Starter, Professional, Enterprise).
Pricing Model: Tiered subscriptions for each Hub (plus additional add-ons), which can lead to higher costs as you add more features.

Founded: 2018
Core Value Proposition: Unified platform offering CRM, marketing automation, sales pipeline, website and funnel building, appointment scheduling, and more—under a single subscription.
Pricing Model: Various plans at the agency level, but for the business user, a single subaccount (location) is typically $97/month and includes a suite of marketing and CRM features, with a "pay-as-you-go" model for texts, emails, ect, and few add-ons.

Key Takeaway: HubSpot’s tiered structure allows you to pick individual Hubs, but costs can add up quickly. HighLevel bundles everything into one subscription, saving money for businesses that need multiple marketing and sales tools.

HubSpot’s “Hubs” vs. HighLevel: Feature-by-Feature

Below we have listed every feature that HubSpot lists on their website. Click on any of these features to view a detailed breakdown of the HubSpot feature and how it compares to HighLevel.

Marketing Hub

HubSpot

Email Marketing & Automation: Build, personalize, and automate email campaigns.
Landing Pages & Forms: Design landing pages, pop-ups, and embedded forms.
Ads Management: Connect ad networks (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook) and track ROI.
Lead Scoring: Automatically score leads based on interactions and lifecycle stages.
Social Media Management: Schedule and publish on social media channels.
Basic Reporting & Analytics: Monitor campaign performance, website analytics.
Add-Ons / Advanced Tools (available in Professional/Enterprise): A/B testing, custom reporting dashboards, multi-touch revenue attribution, advanced segmentation.

Pricing

Starter: Starts at $45/mo (limited contacts; pricing increases with contacts).
Professional: Starts at $800/mo (includes more advanced automation, A/B testing).
Enterprise: Starts at $3,600/mo (includes advanced reporting, revenue attribution, custom objects).

HighLevel

Email Marketing: Unlimited campaigns with visual builder, automation triggers, personalization.
Funnel & Landing Page Builder: Drag-and-drop funnel/landing page designer; unlimited pages included.
Form & Survey Builder: Built-in form and survey creation for lead capture.
Appointment Scheduling: Integrated calendar for booking appointments.
Call Tracking & Text Marketing: Track inbound/outbound calls, enable 2-way SMS, and send bulk texts.
Social Media Posting: Connect to social platforms for scheduling and basic analytics.

Pricing

All these features come standard with the $97/month plan for a single location.
- Unlimited Contacts, Automation, A/B testing, reporting and dashboards, and custom objects included.
Ad Manager: Additional $29/month. Includes Meta and Google Ads Manager.

Key Marketing Comparison: HubSpot’s Marketing Hub is powerful but can become expensive if you need advanced automation (Professional or Enterprise). HighLevel provides nearly all standard marketing features under one plan without extra fees.

Sales Hub

HubSpot

CRM & Pipeline Management: Track deals, stages, and contact interactions.
Email Sequences & Templates: Automate follow-up and outreach.
Meetings & Calendar Integration: Allow prospects to schedule with your sales team.
Quotes & E-Signatures (Professional & Enterprise): Create branded quotes and close deals faster.
Sales Analytics & Reporting: Pipeline reports, deal forecasting, etc.
Playbooks & Call Transcriptions (Enterprise): Advanced coaching and conversation intelligence.

Pricing

Starter: Starts at $45/mo (limited contacts; pricing increases with contacts).
Professional: Starts at $450/mo.
Enterprise: Starts at $1,200/mo.

HighLevel

Built-in CRM: Manage leads, deals, and pipelines with custom stages and reporting.
Automated Follow-Up: Create email/text campaigns triggered by pipeline changes or customer behavior.
Calendar & Appointment Booking: Share booking links and manage all appointments in one place.
Invoicing & Payment Options: Integrate Stripe, PayPal, etc., for quick payment links
Call Recording & Tracking: Route calls through the platform, optionally record for team review.

Pricing

All these features come standard with the $97/month plan for a single location.
- Unlimited Contacts, Automation, A/B testing, reporting and dashboards, and custom objects included.

Key Sales Comparison: Both platforms have robust sales pipelines and automation tools. HubSpot’s advanced features (like quote generation with e-signatures) require higher tiers, whereas HighLevel bundles core CRM, pipeline management, booking, and follow-ups into the $97/month plan.

Service Hub

HubSpot

Ticketing System: Manage and prioritize customer support tickets.
Live Chat & Bots: Engage visitors in real-time; automate responses.
Knowledge Base: Create a self-serve library for customers.
Customer Feedback & Surveys: Gather NPS, CSAT, CES data.
Reporting & Analytics: Track ticket response times, customer satisfaction metrics.

Pricing

Starter: Starts at $45/mo (limited contacts; pricing increases with contacts).
Professional: Starts at $450/mo.
Enterprise: Starts at $1,200/mo.

HighLevel

Conversations Inbox (Unified Messaging): See SMS, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, and emails in one place for quick responses.
Simple Ticketing / Task Management: While not a full-blown ticketing system like HubSpot, many agencies configure HighLevel with pipelines that function similarly.
Live Chat Widget: Add a chat widget to your website or funnels, with integrated lead capture.
Survey & Feedback Forms: Collect customer feedback, implement NPS or satisfaction surveys through forms.
Knowledge Base (Workaround): HighLevel doesn’t have a dedicated knowledge base feature out of the box. However, you can create membership areas or website pages that function similarly for FAQs and documentation.

Pricing

All these features come standard with the $97/month plan for a single location.
- Unlimited Contacts, Automation, A/B testing, reporting and dashboards, and custom objects included.

Key Service Comparison: HubSpot Service Hub excels at structured ticketing systems and knowledge bases. HighLevel offers unified messaging, surveys, and flexible pipelines that can be configured for service workflows. If you need advanced ticketing and knowledge base management, HubSpot may be more robust—but it can be pricier.

CMS Hub

HubSpot

Website & Blog Hosting: Host your entire website on HubSpot’s CMS with built-in SEO tools.
Themes & Drag-and-Drop Builder: Create pages without coding (Professional/Enterprise for advanced customizations).
Adaptive Testing (Enterprise): AI-driven testing of variations to optimize conversions.
Membership & Content Partitioning: Gate content by user type or membership level.
Built-In Security & Monitoring: SSL certificate, firewall, 24/7 security oversight.

Pricing

Starter: Starts at $25/mo (limited contacts; pricing increases with contacts).
Professional: Starts at $400/mo.
Enterprise: Starts at $1,200/mo.

HighLevel

Website Builder: Build entire websites using drag-and-drop functionality, including funnels, landing pages, and blog-style pages.
Membership Areas: Create courses or membership content with secure logins.
SEO Settings: Manage titles, meta descriptions, and basic SEO parameters.
Custom Domains & SSL: Connect your domain with free SSL included.
Unified Ecosystem: Your entire funnel, website, and automations live in one place.

Pricing

All these features come standard with the $97/month plan for a single location.
- Unlimited Contacts, Automation, A/B testing, reporting and dashboards, and custom objects included.

Key CMS Comparison: HubSpot’s CMS is powerful and integrates seamlessly with their other Hubs, but advanced features are gated behind higher tiers. HighLevel’s website builder and membership functionality are included at no extra cost. If you’re looking for a single system to manage your site, funnels, and marketing without significant extra charges, HighLevel is a strong contender.

Operations Hub

HubSpot

Data Sync: Integrate with popular apps (Salesforce, NetSuite, etc.) and keep customer data in sync.
Workflow Automation: Automate data management tasks, e.g., deduplication or field formatting.
Programmable Automation (Professional/Enterprise): Use custom code actions within workflows for complex processes.
Data Quality Automation: Automatically standardize data (e.g., country codes, phone numbers).
Advanced Reporting & Integrations: Deeper data orchestration at higher tiers.

Pricing

Starter: Starts at $45/mo (limited contacts; pricing increases with contacts).
Professional: Starts at $720/mo.
Enterprise: Starts at $2,000/mo.

HighLevel

Automations (Workflows): Create triggers and actions to manage contacts, clean up data, and automate tasks.
Native Integrations: Pre-built integrations (e.g., Stripe, Mailgun, Twilio) plus Zapier for additional connections.
Custom Fields: Capture unique data points, create custom funnels based on these fields.
API & Webhooks: Connect with external apps or systems for advanced workflows (some agencies leverage this heavily for custom integration).

Pricing

All these features come standard with the $97/month plan for a single location.
- Unlimited Contacts, Automation, A/B testing, reporting and dashboards, and custom objects included.

Key Operations Comparison: HubSpot’s Operations Hub is beneficial for larger organizations with complex data synchronization needs. HighLevel’s automation and workflow engine handles typical small-to-medium business requirements. If you need extremely advanced data orchestration across enterprise systems, HubSpot may be stronger—but again, it comes at a higher price.

Commerce Hub

HubSpot

Allows you to create payment links for quotes, forms, emails, and website pages.
Supports credit and debit cards (via Stripe infrastructure on the backend).
Basic reporting on payment statuses within HubSpot.
Integration with HubSpot CRM for tracking revenue data, contact information, and deals.
Shopify Integration: Syncs contacts, products, and orders with HubSpot to enable follow-up emails, segmented audiences, and eCommerce analytics.
WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc.: Available through HubSpot’s app marketplace or third-party connectors.
Limitations: More advanced eCommerce features—like integrated cart recovery automation or dynamic product recommendations—often require higher-tier Marketing Hub or custom-coded workflows (Professional/Enterprise).

Pricing

HubSpot Payments has no monthly fee but charges a 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee (similar to Stripe).
For robust eCommerce marketing (abandoned cart emails, advanced segmentation, etc.), you typically need Marketing Hub Pro or higher, which starts at $800/month (billed annually).
If you need custom workflows or deeper commerce reporting, you’re looking at Professional or Enterprise tiers.

HighLevel

Integrate Stripe or PayPal within HighLevel funnels or websites for seamless checkouts.
Create one-click upsells, downsells, and order bumps to maximize cart value.
Built-in analytics for tracking sales and funnel conversion rates.
Sell courses, memberships/subscriptions, or digital products through HighLevel’s Membership Area functionality.
Drip content, manage user access, and process recurring payments (via Stripe/PayPal) all within the same platform.
Build fully functional online stores within HighLevel, featuring product catalogs, variants, and inventory management.
Create custom product listings, track stock levels, and display real-time availability.
Integrated checkout experiences that tie directly into HighLevel’s CRM and marketing automations.

Pricing

All these features come standard with the $97/month plan for a single location.
- Abandoned cart workflows, post-purchase follow-ups, cross-sell campaigns—all done through HighLevel’s automation engine.
Transaction fees vary depending on your payment processor (Stripe, PayPal, etc.); HighLevel itself does not charge extra for payment processing beyond your standard Stripe/PayPal fees.
No additional monthly cost for adding eCommerce features (i.e., no need to upgrade to an “eCommerce tier”).
Shippo Integration: Generate shipping labels, track orders, and manage fulfillment within HighLevel.

Key Operations Comparison: HubSpot Payments is simple and integrated if you’re in the U.S., but advanced eCommerce marketing automation often requires a higher HubSpot tier. HighLevel offers built-in checkout funnels, payment integration, eCommerce and membership areas at no additional monthly cost.

Common Add-Ons and Extra Costs

HubSpot

Advanced Reporting: Available as part of Professional or Enterprise; can also be purchased as an add-on in some cases.
API Limit Increases: If you exceed certain daily API call limits, you may need to upgrade.
Additional Contacts: HubSpot increases monthly fees as your contact list grows.
Extra Seats: While Starter Hubs offer limited seats, Professional/Enterprise can unlock more.
Additional Brand Domains: If you need to host multiple brand domains (completely different domain names for different business units) within HubSpot, you often have to pay extra fees or be on an Enterprise plan.
Two-Way SMS is not native in HubSpot and requires integrating a third party SMS solution.
Funnels with one-click upsells, downsells, order bumps, etc. are not native in HubSpot and require a third party tool.

HighLevel

Additional Phone Usage or Email Sends: Generally, usage-based fees for text messages, phone minutes, or email sending do apply (through Twilio, Mailgun, etc.), but the core platform features remain included in the standard plan.
Workflow Pro Plan: Some workflow actions have a premium per use cost. HighLevel offers bulk purchasing of premium executions.
HighLevel offers discounted app development due to streamlined operations and expertise. Users can buy and customize apps for the membership area.
AI Employee: The AI features within HighLevel have a per use additional fee, but users can purchase unlimited AI for their location.
Yext Listing: HighLevel gives you a discount compared to the stock rate which is usually billed at $999 with yearly commitment.
WhatsApp: Integrate WhatsApp to send messages to your customers.
Wordpress: Host your WordPress website directly within your HighLevel account.
Ad Manager: Manage Meta and Google Ads directly within HighLevel.

Comparison Summary

Which Platform Should You Choose?

HubSpot

Best for: Larger teams that need enterprise-level features like advanced ticketing, deep data orchestration, or robust knowledge base functionality.
Considerations: Costs rise quickly if you need multiple Hubs at higher tiers or if your contact database grows large.

HighLevel

Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses wanting a single system for CRM, marketing automation, funnel building, and appointment scheduling—without paying separately for each tool.
Advantages: Flat $97/month for a business location (all core features included). Simplifies your tech stack.
Considerations: Dedicated knowledge base functionality is not out-of-the-box (though can be mimicked with membership areas). Advanced enterprise reporting may be less robust than HubSpot’s highest tiers.

When choosing a CRM and marketing platform, it’s essential to weigh both feature breadth and overall cost. While HubSpot has powerful, modular Hubs, it can become prohibitively expensive if your business requires multiple services or large contact lists. HighLevel delivers a comprehensive toolset—covering marketing, sales, websites, and automation—under a single subscription priced at $97/month for your location.

If you’re a small or medium-sized business that needs an affordable, all-in-one solution without sacrificing key marketing and sales capabilities, HighLevel stands out as a compelling alternative to HubSpot.