CRM software · pricing
HubSpot Starter vs Pipedrive: what a 5-person sales team pays in year one (and year two)
Prices checked Nov 4, 2026 on the vendors’ own pricing pages and help documentation (US, logged out, before tax). Prices change: confirm at checkout.
Not hands-on testing. We have not used HubSpot or Pipedrive ourselves. This comparison is based on public pricing pages only. How we compare
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The short verdict
- If you’re a new HubSpot customer and can pay a year upfront, choose HubSpot Starter. Five seats cost $420 in year one on HubSpot’s limited-time new-customer price ($7 per seat per month, annual commitment). HubSpot says Starter is normally priced at $20 per seat per month. If that rate applies in year two, your two-year total is about $1,620. Pipedrive Lite costs $1,680 over the same two years.
- If you need automated email sequences and want list pricing with no new-customer promo to expire, choose Pipedrive Growth. It costs $2,340 a year for 5 seats billed annually. Pipedrive says sequences start on Growth. The Starter feature list on HubSpot’s pricing page doesn’t mention sequences, so confirm with HubSpot before you assume Starter covers them.
- If you only need a shared deal pipeline and a fixed budget line, Pipedrive Lite ($840 a year, billed annually) is the safe pick. Its limits are 2,500 open leads and deals per user, and no sequences.
- Don’t plan on HubSpot’s free CRM for five people. HubSpot says it is free for up to 2 users.
- If you expect to need HubSpot Professional within a year, budget $6,900 for year one, which includes a required $1,500 onboarding fee.
Year-one cost for 5 seats
The formula is price per seat per month × 5 seats × 12 months. All prices are in USD, before tax, from a US page load. The conditions for each price are in the Pricing conditions table below.
| Plan | Billing and conditions | Arithmetic | Year one |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Free | Up to 2 users | — | Doesn’t fit 5 people |
| HubSpot Starter | New customers only, limited-time promo; annual commitment, paid upfront | $7 × 5 × 12 | $420 |
| HubSpot Starter | New customers only, limited-time promo; month to month | $10 × 5 × 12 | $600 |
| HubSpot Starter | “Normal” price; billing term not stated; renewal price unconfirmed | $20 × 5 × 12 | $1,200 |
| Pipedrive Lite | Billed annually; list price | $14 × 5 × 12 | $840 |
| Pipedrive Lite | Billed monthly; list price | $24 × 5 × 12 | $1,440 |
| Pipedrive Growth | Billed annually; list price | $39 × 5 × 12 | $2,340 |
| Pipedrive Growth | Billed monthly; list price | $49 × 5 × 12 | $2,940 |
| Pipedrive Premium | Billed annually; list price | $59 × 5 × 12 | $3,540 |
| Pipedrive Premium | Billed monthly; list price | $79 × 5 × 12 | $4,740 |
| HubSpot Sales Hub Professional | Billed annually, plus required onboarding | $90 × 5 × 12 ($5,400) + $1,500 | $6,900 |
| HubSpot Sales Hub Professional | Paid monthly with an annual commitment, plus onboarding | $100 × 5 × 12 + $1,500 | $7,500 |
Pipedrive Ultimate costs US$79 per seat per month billed annually, or US$99 billed monthly. That’s $4,740 or $5,940 a year for 5 seats.
Two-year view (what most buyers miss)
| Plan, 5 seats | Year 1 | Year 2 | Two-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Starter, annual | $420 (promo) | $1,200 if the $20 rate applies | ≈ $1,620 |
| HubSpot Starter, month to month | $600 (promo) | $1,200 if the $20 rate applies | ≈ $1,800 |
| Pipedrive Lite, annual | $840 | $840 | $1,680 |
| Pipedrive Growth, annual | $2,340 | $2,340 | $4,680 |
The two-year HubSpot figures are estimates. HubSpot’s pages say the discount is available for a limited time and for new customers only. They don’t say how long the discount lasts or what you pay at renewal.
The tiers aren’t equivalent
Don’t compare these plans on price alone. The cheapest plan from each vendor covers different jobs.
- HubSpot Starter is HubSpot’s multi-product entry plan, covering essential marketing, sales, service, content and data tools. Its pricing page lists 500 HubSpot Credits plus Agent Hub, Agent Builder, a prospecting agent, Notetaker, Calling, task queues and intent signals. HubSpot also says Starter removes HubSpot branding and needs no paid onboarding.
- Pipedrive Lite is a sales pipeline only. Pipedrive’s help center says it allows 2,500 open leads and deals per user. Sequences aren’t included.
- Pipedrive Growth adds email sequences, if/else automation steps (3 per automation) and 50 reports. It allows 5,000 open leads and deals per user.
- Pipedrive Premium includes LeadBooster (chatbot, live chat, Prospector and web forms) and Projects at no extra cost. It also allows 150 active automations, 25 sequences, 3 email syncs per user and a shared team inbox.
If one feature decides your purchase, such as sequences, call recording or web forms, check that it’s on the exact plan in each vendor’s plan-comparison table.
Who should not choose each
Skip HubSpot Starter if your budget has to be fixed for two or more years. The renewal price isn’t published, and the per-seat rate could almost triple, from $7 to $20. Skip it too if you already know you’ll need Professional. That tier costs $90 per seat per month billed annually, or $100 paid monthly with an annual commitment, plus $1,500 onboarding.
Skip Pipedrive if year-one cash is your only constraint. HubSpot Starter’s promo price is lower than every Pipedrive plan for 5 seats.
Gotchas buyers miss
- HubSpot’s promo is “Starts at.” HubSpot shows a “starts at” price and says discounts are for new customers only. Your quote can differ, for example if you add seats, add-ons or capacity.
- “Pay monthly” can still mean a one-year commitment. On HubSpot Professional, the monthly option is labeled “Commit annually.” On Starter it’s “Commit monthly.”
- Onboarding fees on higher HubSpot tiers. Professional requires a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. Enterprise onboarding costs $3,500.
- Pipedrive bills seats, not people. You’re charged per seat, whether it’s assigned to a user or not.
- Pipedrive add-ons. The pricing page lists add-ons “starting from” $13.33 (Campaigns), $16 (Projects), $32.50 (LeadBooster and Smart Docs) and $41 (Web Visitors), billed on your plan’s cycle. The page doesn’t say whether these prices are per seat or per account, so treat them as unverified for your setup.
- Pipedrive top-ups. Limits such as reports, and leads plus deals, can be raised with top-ups, and some require Growth or Premium. Check the price before relying on them.
- Your location sets Pipedrive’s currency. Pipedrive’s prices are VAT-exclusive and billed in your location’s currency.
- HubSpot Credits. AI agents and some features use HubSpot Credits, and Starter includes 500. We couldn’t confirm what extra credits cost.
FAQ
Can a 5-person team use HubSpot for free?
No. HubSpot says the free CRM is free for up to 2 users.
Does Pipedrive charge for implementation?
Pipedrive’s pricing FAQ says implementation is free on plans over $400 a year. Five Lite seats billed annually cost $840. The FAQ doesn’t say whether the $400 applies per seat or per account, so confirm before you sign.
What will HubSpot Starter cost in year two?
It’s unverified. HubSpot says Starter is normally $20 per seat per month. For 5 seats that’s $1,200 a year, but HubSpot doesn’t say when the discount ends.
Pricing conditions
All read Nov 4, 2026 from a logged-out, US-location page load. Where a price appears only after page scripts run, we kept a dated screenshot. Confirm at checkout.
| Price | Conditions |
|---|---|
| HubSpot Free $0 | Up to 2 users; no credit card |
| HubSpot Starter $7/seat/mo | New customers only; limited time; upfront payment and annual commitment; “starts at”; USD before tax; length and renewal price not stated |
| HubSpot Starter $10/seat/mo | New customers only; limited time; month to month, no annual commitment; “starts at” |
| HubSpot Starter $20/seat/mo | “Normally priced”; billing term not stated; shown struck through next to $7 and $10; not confirmed as the renewal price |
| HubSpot Professional $90 / $100 per seat per month | $90 billed annually; $100 paid monthly with an annual commitment; plus a required one-time $1,500 onboarding fee |
| Revenue Hub banner offer (Professional $57/seat, Enterprise $98) | Billed annually; new Sales Hub and Revenue Hub customers only; a separate product. Not included in our totals |
| Pipedrive US$14 / 39 / 59 / 79 per seat per month | Lite / Growth / Premium / Ultimate; billed annually (Lite: one payment of US$168 per seat per year); list price, no promo; VAT-exclusive |
| Pipedrive US$24 / 49 / 79 / 99 per seat per month | Billed monthly; list price; VAT-exclusive |
| Pipedrive add-ons from $13.33–$41 | “Starting from”; billed on the plan’s cycle; per-seat or per-account basis not stated |
| Pipedrive free implementation | Plans over $400 a year |
Sources (all checked Nov 4, 2026)
- HubSpot Sales pricing page: hubspot.com/pricing/sales
- HubSpot Starter product page and FAQ: hubspot.com/products/crm/starter
- Pipedrive pricing page: pipedrive.com/en/pricing
- Pipedrive Knowledge Base, how pricing works: support.pipedrive.com
- Pipedrive Knowledge Base, what’s new in Pipedrive plans (updated Sep 3, 2026): support.pipedrive.com
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