Salesforce & HubSpot: Too complex for Small Businesses?

If you run a small or midsize business, there’s a question worth asking:

How much of what you’re paying for do you actually use?

And perhaps an even more interesting question:

How much are you paying for the software, and how much for the business infrastructure and brand behind it?

These questions matter because the most expensive CRM isn’t necessarily the one that delivers the most value to your business.

More features don’t mean more value

Salesforce and HubSpot have developed extensive platforms capable of supporting organizations with highly complex requirements. For large organizations, these features can be essential.

But consider a company with 10 salespeople.

Its daily requirements might be relatively straightforward: manage contacts, follow up on leads, organize opportunities, automate repetitive tasks, generate quotes, and monitor sales performance.

Does this company need the same technological sophistication as a multinational corporation?

Probably not.

You’re buying into a business ecosystem

There’s another side to enterprise CRM pricing that receives less attention: the cost of running the company behind the product.

Large software vendors invest heavily in sales organizations, marketing campaigns, advertising, events, partnerships, brand development, and customer acquisition.

These activities are legitimate business expenses. They help companies grow, reach customers, and maintain their market positions. But they’re still expenses, and like every business, software vendors must generate enough revenue to support their operating model.

Consider the public financial figures.

Salesforce reported approximately $14.35 billion in sales and marketing expenses for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2026. That represented roughly 35% of its total revenue. HubSpot reported approximately $1.38 billion in sales and marketing expenses in 2025, representing about 44% of revenue.

These figures include sales personnel, commissions, marketing activities, and related costs. They do not mean that 35% or 44% of an individual subscription pays specifically for advertising.

But they illustrate the scale of the commercial organizations supporting these platforms.

And that raises a legitimate question for smaller businesses:

Do you need an entire enterprise ecosystem, or simply the right tools to run your sales operations?

Sources: Salesforce FY2026 Annual Report; HubSpot 2025 Annual Report; 

The features you pay for but never use

Imagine purchasing a CRM plan because it offers dozens of advanced capabilities. After six months, your team primarily uses contact management, pipelines, tasks, email integration, and a few automations.

The remaining features are rarely touched.

This doesn’t automatically mean you made the wrong choice. Some capabilities may become useful later, and others may provide value behind the scenes.

But it does mean you should examine what you’re actually getting from your subscription.

For many SMEs, a smaller set of well-integrated tools may deliver more practical value than a comprehensive platform requiring additional configuration and administration.

What does a CRM really cost?

Let’s compare a common scenario: a growing business with 10 CRM users.

Based on annual subscription pricing:

* Pricing as of November 1, 2026. All prices are in USD and based on annual billing. 

HubSpot Professional also has a $1,500 mandatory onboarding fee, bringing its first-year total to $12,300.

These are not feature-identical products, and each offers different strengths.

But the difference is substantial.

For 10 users, choosing Onpipeline Standard instead of Salesforce Pro Suite represents $8,160 less in annual subscription expenses.

The question is whether the additional Salesforce capabilities would create at least that much value for your business.

If they do, the investment may be justified.

If they don’t, why pay the difference?

And this comparison doesn’t include potential implementation, consultancy, integration, or administration costs.

Complexity has a cost too

The price of a CRM isn’t limited to its subscription.

As platforms become more sophisticated, setting them up and managing them can require additional time, technical knowledge, and sometimes external consultants. Salesforce and HubSpot offer extensive customization, automation, and integration capabilities. These can be valuable for organizations with complex processes, but they can also introduce additional work for smaller teams.

Consider a business with 10 salespeople. Does it really need a dedicated CRM administrator, extensive configuration, or multiple connected products to manage its daily sales activities?

Onpipeline takes a different approach. Designed with small and midsize businesses in mind, it is easy to set up, customize, and use without requiring extensive technical expertise.

What about the hidden costs?

Subscription fees are only part of the picture.

Some advanced capabilities may also require higher-tier subscriptions, paid add-ons, or additional products. These costs aren’t necessarily hidden by vendors, but they’re easy to overlook when comparing advertised subscription prices.

The real cost of a CRM is what you pay to make it work for your business.

You don’t have to pay more to get what you need

A CRM doesn’t need an enterprise price tag to deliver powerful, practical functionality.

For example, Onpipeline Standard combines contact and opportunity management with multiple sales pipelines, workflow automation, quotations, electronic signatures, subscription management, and invoicing.

Onpipeline Advanced adds capabilities such as inventory management, a customer document portal, additional automation, and expanded invoicing.

These are practical capabilities that support everyday business operations, not just additional features on a product comparison chart.

For many small and midsize businesses, Onpipeline offers the right combination of features at a significantly lower price, without unnecessary complexity.

When choosing a big CRM makes sense

There are situations where Salesforce or HubSpot may be the right investment.

If your organization requires extensive customization, complex enterprise integrations, sophisticated security governance, or coordinated operations across many departments, a broad platform can provide significant value.

Both vendors offer entry-level plans that can be suitable for smaller businesses, too.

So the decision shouldn’t be based on company size alone.

It should be based on actual requirements.

Start buying business value

Before choosing a CRM, consider five simple questions:

1. Which features will our team actually use?
2. How much of the subscription price is justified by those features?
3. Are we choosing this platform for its capabilities or its reputation?
4. What additional costs will implementation, administration, and integrations introduce?
5. Could a more focused CRM deliver the same practical outcomes at a lower cost?

The answers may surprise you.

• A large feature catalog isn’t a guarantee of better sales results.
• A famous software brand isn’t a guarantee of higher productivity.
• And paying more doesn’t automatically mean getting more value.

Conclusion: Pay for what you need, not for what you recognize.

Salesforce and HubSpot are powerful platforms. Their extensive capabilities and ecosystems can justify their prices for organizations that truly benefit from them.

Instead of paying for a vast ecosystem, evaluate the tools your employees actually use.

Instead of choosing a CRM because everyone recognizes its name, choose one because it supports your daily business processes.

And instead of measuring software quality by its price, measure it by the value it delivers.

Looking for a Salesforce or HubSpot Alternative?

If your team uses only a fraction of the features included in your CRM subscription, or spends too much time configuring and managing the software, it may be worth exploring other options.

The right Salesforce or HubSpot alternative should offer the features your business actually needs, integrate with your existing tools, and be easy to set up, learn, and use every day.

Onpipeline is designed with these priorities in mind, combining practical sales functionality, simplicity, and affordable pricing for small and midsize businesses.