Business software is essential for every company in the current landscape. It streamlines all kinds of business initiatives and helps you manage crucial data about your customers and prospects.
There are so many options available. In fact, the global market for customer relationship management (CRM) software alone is expected to reach $40.26 billion in 2023.
The tools every business needs fall under the three main areas of a company: marketing, sales, and customer service. The heart of your business software that brings all these departments together is your CRM platform.
Your CRM informs every aspect of your business and impacts every person in your company, so when it comes to finding the right software, you need a strong CRM from the get-go. In other words, you should do your homework before investing in the right business software.
Among the top rated options are Zoho and HubSpot.
Based out of India, Zoho provides one of the world’s leading suites of business software tools. To say that they offer a lot of apps is an understatement.
Their selection of apps is wide ranging. Here's a look at what their most notable apps within each of the following categories.
The apps they offer for marketing and sales teams help businesses attract targeted traffic, convert them into leads, and close the most qualified prospects as new customers.
The most notable of their 15+ associated apps include the following:
Essentially, you can cover all your marketing and sales needs by paying for each of these apps.
To bring your team together and make the most of your workforce, take a look at some of their apps, which include:
From document management and slideshow creation to workflow and project management and beyond, you can find any and all solutions within the Zoho platform.
Accounting and managing your business finances can be complex, but thanks to the following apps, you can oversee everything from inventory management and invoices to expense reports and more:
Bringing all these apps together keeps all your business financials visible for the right people. This makes important tasks like cashflow management simple for your leadership teams.
Zoho's tools cover all the bases, including human resources, business intelligence and analytics, and IT and help desk. The good news is that you don't have to piece every app together.
via GIPHYYou can bundle it all under their Zoho One option. They also offer the following bundles:
One of the most popular software options on the market, Zoho CRM offers a ton of features so you can ensure you're taking a customer-centric approach to growing your business.
The most notable features of their CRM include:
You can use your CRM to segment your database into lists to deliver hyper-targeted content, as well as manage your lead nurturing campaigns by keeping up to date with all your customer interactions.
Save your sales team time by giving partners access to edit contacts in your CRM, integrate your G Suite and Office 365, and generate and deliver quotes and invoices. All within the CRM.
Keep your team productive by gamifying their individual performance. Additionally, get accurate forecasts of potential revenue coming down the pipe, and assign the right sales team members to their most relevant customers based on categories (like location and other criteria).
That's just a few of the many features that Zoho CRM provides. What’s more, all of these apps they provide integrate seamlessly with other leading software options.
You can see why Zoho is often a top choice for business software.
Price: Starts at $18 per user per month for their standard tier if you pay monthly, and it goes up to $45 per user per month for enterprise. The free edition includes three free users and limited features.
Based in Boston, MA, HubSpot is the leading name for all things inbound. They're one of the world's biggest SaaS companies that provides software tools for marketing, sales, and customer service.
They help you organize your business processes in three different hubs. Here's what each of those hubs are and what each tier provides.
Your goal with all things marketing is pretty straightforward: Drive traffic and convert leads. The Marketing Hub tools at your disposal within HubSpot support these goals in many different ways.
The best part is that you can start with a lot of free tools to get you started, then upgrade to the next tier as you grow. Here's a look at what each tier provides:
Start with the basics. Features in the free hub include:
That's a lot of awesome tools at your disposable for no upfront costs.
The aforementioned free tools are upgraded with more functionality and less limitations when you pay for starter. In addition, you also get these new tools:
These are great additions as you scale your business. These tools are specifically built to help you drive more conversions.
Price: Starts at $50 per month, or $40 per month if you pay annually.
As you upgrade to this level, you gain more functionality and less limitations with your starter tools, as well as gain access to the following new tools:
The jump from starter to professional is a big one, in terms of both price and added functionality. However, when you make this transition, you're building a well-oiled marketing machine where you can do everything you need to do using one platform.
Price: Starts at $800 per month.
The last tier, as you can imagine, provides more functionality and less limitations as well. Additionally, you gain access to these tools:
The list goes on, giving you access to tools that help you execute your most comprehensive marketing campaigns you can imagine.
Price: Starts at $3,200 per month.
Sales software helps your team automate their processes so they can fill their pipelines and speed up the sales cycle to close deals faster.
via GIPHYThe Sales Hub is structured just like the Marketing Hub, providing various tools at each tier:
You can hit the ground running with some basic sales tools. The most notable ones include:
Those tools can speed up your sales cycle in no time. For free.
The upgrade to starter opens up the doors for the following notable tools:
Overall, this tier is a great fit for smaller businesses that have a few reps on hand.
Price: Starts at $50 per month, or $40 per month if you pay annually.
Businesses on the cusp of growth can take their revenue to the next level by leveraging all the awesome HubSpot Sales Hub tools mentioned already, as well as these tools that you get with the professional tier:
By using these tools strategically, you can really speed up your sales cycle and drive results fast.
Price: Starts at $500 per month.
This tier is perfect if you're looking to coach your team at scale and manage your growing team. Here are some notable tools you get with this tier:
At this level, your sales team is truly unstoppable.
Price: Starts at $1,200 per month.
Your customer service team needs to be focused on delighting and retaining your customers and even finding upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
via GIPHYThe HubSpot Service Hub includes the same four tiers.
For no charge, you can start delivering excellent customer service using several free tools you get through the other free hubs (e.g., live chat, conversational bots, meeting scheduling, messenger integration) as well as these Service Hub tools:
With these free tools, you can really elevate your service team and make the most of their efforts.
When you upgrade to this tier, you gain these awesome tools:
Between these new features and less limitation on your free tools, the starter tier sets you up to continually delight and support your awesome customers.
Price: Starts at $50 per month, or $40 per month if you pay annually.
When you're ready to scale your service team, the professional tier is your next best step. You can unlock these tools:
This is where you can support your customers with valuable self-help options, like a knowledge base, and you can also stay on top of measuring the customer experience using the survey tools.
Price: Starts at $400 per month, or $320 per month if you pay annually.
As your business grows, you're going to need to ensure consistency across the customer experience, while managing larger teams. This is where these great tools can help:
As an enterprise HubSpotter, you have everything you need to deliver an exceptional customer experience at every touchpoint, which helps with retention, referrals, and upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
Price: Starts at $1,200 per month.
The HubSpot CRM stands out in the world of CRM platforms mostly because of its reasonable price. Free.
via GIPHYAnd unlike many free tools, HubSpot CRM is not restrictive. The most notable features include:
Not bad for a free, easy to use tool. You can make the most of this with any business software too. It integrates with several leading tools in email, calendars, prospecting software, team communications, social media, ecommerce, video, and much more.
Price: Free with no expiration or restricted access, according to the HubSpot Guarantee.
The best part about HubSpot is the fact that it all works together seamlessly. Just like how Zoho offers bundled options with savings, HubSpot offers Growth Suite at each tier.
The HubSpot Growth Suite includes:
Each tier aligns with the aforementioned ones associated with each hub. The higher the tier, the more tools you get.
So how does HubSpot and Zoho stack up against each other?
There are many pros and cons associated with each of these platforms. One of the best ways to measure these against each other is to look at the heart of each of these platforms – their CRMs.
But the ultimate question is, how are real users feeling about their experiences using HubSpot and Zoho?
We looked at several leading review sites to find what the consensus is.
Capterra shows a close call, ultimately tipping in favor of HubSpot.
HubSpot won in the following categories:
Another reputable resource, The Blueprint, shows a close call, ultimately giving HubSpot the medal.
While Zoho earned a higher score in pricing, HubSpot outscored them in ease of use and tied them on support and features.
G2's comparison shows a bigger gap in reviews between the two CRMs. HubSpot CRM has over 5,000 reviews, averaging 4.3 out of 5 stars, as compared to Zoho CRM that has a 3.9/5 stars as an average from over 1,600 reviews.
HubSpot CRM outscored Zoho CRM in the following categories:
The good news is, if you have a Zoho CRM and want to use it with your HubSpot software, you can integrate it.
How to Manage Your Zoho-HubSpot IntegrationYou can select a few different options to seamlessly integrate your Zoho CRM with HubSpot. The two best options are through the following tools:
Let's run through how to integrate your Zoho CRM with HubSpot using these two options.
1. Sign up for a free account with Zapier.
2. Go to the HubSpot + Zoho CRM integrations page.
3. Review the triggers and actions to find which integrations you want to add.
4. Click the Connect HubSpot + Zoho CRM button, and start creating any desired workflows you need.
It's really that easy. This is why Zapier is the leading name in integration.
1. Create an account with Formstack Sync.
2. Navigate to Connectors and add HubSpot and Zoho.
3. Go to Mappings and customize how you want contact data to move from Zoho into HubSpot. You can also add and edit mapping fields.
4. Go to Workflows, where you can dictate how and when data syncs. These are built using if/then logic and add as many logic steps as needed.
5. Then, go to your dashboard and turn on the sync.
Within just a few minutes, you have your two business software platforms working together seamlessly.
When it comes to deciding which platform is your best bet, you need to consider everything from your budget to your business goals and the amount of people you have to dedicate to using one of these software options.
No matter your choice, there are plenty of ways to hit the ground running. Plus, as you see with the integration options, you can get the best of both worlds.
Do your research. Get your team bought into the software. Start driving results.