Small Team CRM Comparison: Evaluating HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive

Hi guys,

I’m trying to pick a CRM for my small team and I’m stuck between HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive. They all seem good but I’m not sure which one fits us best.

Here’s what I’ve gathered so far:

  • HubSpot is great for marketing but gets pricey when you need more features
  • Salesforce is super powerful but might be overkill for a small team
  • Pipedrive is easy to use but might not have enough features for growth

If you’re on a small team (like 5-20 people), what CRM do you use? How hard was it to set up? Any big problems you didn’t expect? Are there any cool features that really helped out?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

we’ve been using hubspot for our 10-person team. it’s pretty good for marketing stuff, but yeah, gets expensive fast. setup was okay, took a couple weeks to get everyone on board. unexpected issue: integrating with our old tools was a pain. but the email sequences feature is awesome, really boosted our outreach game!

I’ve been using Salesforce with my team of 18 for the past two years, and it’s been quite a journey. Initially, we were intimidated by its complexity, but we found it surprisingly adaptable to our needs.

The setup was admittedly challenging. We invested in a consultant to help us customize it, which was costly but worth it in the long run. The learning curve for the team was steep, but once everyone got on board, our productivity skyrocketed.

One unexpected benefit was the extensive reporting capabilities. We’ve gained insights into our sales process that we never had before. The integration with other tools we use daily has also been a game-changer.

While Salesforce might seem like overkill, we’ve found that it grows with us. We’re only using a fraction of its capabilities now, but it’s comforting to know we won’t outgrow it anytime soon. Just be prepared for ongoing maintenance and occasional hiccups with updates.

I’ve been using HubSpot with my team of 15 for about a year now. Initially, we were drawn to its robust free tier, which allowed us to test the waters without committing financially. The learning curve was steeper than expected, but the payoff has been significant.

One unexpected challenge was data migration from our old system, which took more time than anticipated. However, HubSpot’s customer support was excellent throughout the process.

A standout feature for us has been the email tracking and templates. It’s dramatically improved our follow-up process and saved countless hours. While the pricing can indeed increase rapidly as you scale, we’ve found the ROI justifies the cost for our growing business.

Our team of 8 has been using Pipedrive for the past year, and it’s been a solid choice. The initial setup was straightforward, taking only a few days to get everyone onboarded. We appreciated its intuitive interface and visual pipeline, which made tracking deals a breeze.

One unexpected challenge was the limited customization options for reporting. We had to develop some workarounds to get the specific insights we needed. However, the time-saving automation features more than made up for this.

A standout feature for us has been the smart contact data feature. It automatically enriches our contact information, saving us countless hours of manual data entry. While Pipedrive might lack some advanced features of larger CRMs, its simplicity and focus on core sales processes have actually improved our team’s efficiency.

hey FlyingStar, we use pipedrive for our 12-person team. setup was a breeze, took like a day. its simple interface is perfect for us. only downside is limited customization options. but the mobile app is awesome for quick updates on-the-go. definately worth checking out for small teams!