Salesforce vs HubSpot for a 20-person B2B company
Seat prices, onboarding fees and billing terms read on both vendors' pricing pages in September 2026.
Choose HubSpot when your 20-person team wants marketing and sales together and a setup your own ops lead can run. Choose Salesforce when you need deep customisation and can staff an admin and sign an annual contract.
The short answer
- HubSpot Sales Hub costs $0 for up to 2 users, then $7 (Starter), $90 (Professional) and $150 (Enterprise) a seat a month on annual billing, per hubspot.com/pricing/sales, checked September 2026.
- HubSpot adds one-time onboarding fees of $1,500 on Professional and $3,500 on Enterprise.
- Salesforce Sales Cloud costs $0 (Free Suite), $25 (Starter Suite), $100 (Pro Suite), $195, $395 and $550 a user a month, per salesforce.com/sales/pricing, checked September 2026.
- Salesforce bills every edition above Starter Suite annually.
HubSpot vs Salesforce at a glance
Per user, per month.
| Dimension | HubSpot Sales Hub | Salesforce Sales Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free, up to 2 users | Free Suite, $0 |
| Entry paid seat | $7 (Starter, annual); $20 billed monthly | $25 (Starter Suite, monthly or annual) |
| Mid-market seat | $90 (Professional, annual); $100 billed monthly | $100 (Pro Suite, annual) |
| Upper seats | $150 (Enterprise, annual) | $195, $395 and $550 (annual) |
| Billing term | Annual or monthly on Starter and Professional | Annual above Starter Suite |
Figures checked on hubspot.com/pricing/sales and salesforce.com/sales/pricing, September 2026.
What each one does well, and where it costs you
HubSpot
- A free plan and a $7 Starter seat let a small team start before a budget is signed
- Monthly billing on Starter and Professional keeps a growing team flexible
- Professional adds a $1,500 one-time onboarding fee, and Enterprise adds $3,500
- Marketing Hub and Service Hub are priced apart from Sales Hub
Salesforce
- Six editions from $0 to $550 a user, so you can pick depth by team
- Starter Suite at $25 can be billed monthly while you test the fit
- Pro Suite and every edition above it are billed annually, checked September 2026
- Upper editions cost $195 to $550 a user a month
How to choose at 20 people
At 20 seats, a few dollars per user turns into real money every month. Price the tier your team will run in year one, then add HubSpot's onboarding fee if you land on Professional. You'll often find HubSpot Professional and Salesforce Pro Suite within $10 a seat of each other.
Next, ask who will run it. HubSpot is usually run by a sales or marketing ops lead. Salesforce rewards a dedicated admin who can build custom objects and approval flows. If you won't hire that person, you're paying for depth you won't use.
For per-seat detail on each vendor, read what HubSpot Sales Hub costs, or compare HubSpot with a lighter option in HubSpot vs Pipedrive.
Questions 20-person teams ask
- Is Salesforce or HubSpot better for a 20-person B2B company?
- HubSpot suits a 20-person team that wants marketing and sales in one tool and a fast start. Salesforce suits a team that expects custom objects, complex approval rules or a dedicated admin within a year. At 20 seats, the tier you need matters more than the brand: compare HubSpot Professional at $90 with Salesforce Pro Suite at $100, checked September 2026.
- How much do HubSpot and Salesforce cost per user?
- HubSpot Sales Hub is $0 for up to 2 users, then $7, $90 and $150 a seat a month on annual billing. Salesforce Sales Cloud is $0 on Free Suite, then $25 on Starter Suite and $100 to $550 on the higher editions. Prices were read on each vendor's pricing page in September 2026.
- Does HubSpot charge an onboarding fee?
- Yes, on the upper tiers. HubSpot charges a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee on Sales Hub Professional and $3,500 on Enterprise, per hubspot.com/pricing/sales in September 2026. Starter includes onboarding at no extra charge.
- Can I pay Salesforce monthly?
- Only on Starter Suite. Salesforce lists Starter Suite at $25 a user billed monthly or annually, while Pro Suite and every edition above it are billed annually, per salesforce.com/sales/pricing in September 2026. Plan for a year's commitment above Starter.
- Is there a CRM that doesn't charge per user at 20 seats?
- Yes. SalesCrew Core costs $299 a month with unlimited seats, so 20 users cost the same as 2. Each client instance runs in its own database, and every action is also an MCP tool. Disclosure: SalesCrew is our product.