On March 5th, 2024, HubSpot is rolled out a new pricing model as announced on January 30th, 2024 on the company blog. While the pricing model itself is relatively straightforward, there are a lot of questions around it.
We have been a HubSpot partner for almost 10 years now and we have guided dozens of businesses through the process of purchasing HubSpot and ensuring that they are getting the most out of their investment.
In this article, I will walk you through the new seat-based pricing, give you detailed examples of which job roles will require which seat, answer the most frequently asked questions, and provide you with a three-step plan on how to assess the impact this change will have on your business.
Core seats, view-only seats, service seats, sales seats, partner seats, ... If your head is spinning from the new seat-based pricing, don't worry. It's actually not that complicated.
Core Seats: are for users (like marketers, admins, developers, and operation professionals) who require edit access to any HubSpot Hub you subscribe to. This replaces the unlimited users in the HubSpot portal you currently have. Depending on the HubSpot Hub or Suite you wish to purchase, there might be a core seat minimum (see below). Examples:
View-Only Seats: are for users who need access to HubSpot to view reporting, dashboards, KPIs, campaigns, lists, or data but aren't working in it on a daily basis. View-only seats are free and unlimited with the purchase of any HubSpot Hub or Suite. Examples:
Sales & Service Seats: are a special seat type just for service and sales reps who directly engage with customers and who need access to specific Sales and Service Hub functionality that is directly related to interacting with customers. Please note that an inside sales rep whose task is to source leads and work in the CRM does NOT require a sales seat. Examples:
Partner Seat: is a free seat that gives eligible HubSpot partner employees access to all features in a Client's Account including sales/service seat features. This is a free, efficient, and secure option for you to continue to work with your partners seamlessly without having to worry about having to pay for a seat.
Now that you know which seat types are available and which jobs require which seats, let's have a look at the pricing tiers themselves. You can also preview the new pricing page here.
HubSpot will maintain a layer of free tools (e.g., the HubSpot CRM) as well as Starter options for all hubs (Marketing Hub, Content Hub, Data Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub).
However, the big change here is that companies looking to purchase the Starter Edition of the Customer Platform, as well as each individual hub, won't be paying a base price anymore, but instead will purchase as many core seats as they need.
For medium-sized companies looking to purchase the HubSpot Professional editions of any individual Hub or the Customer Platform, not much is changing in terms of the actual pricing. It is worth noting that the Customer Platform will reduce in price from $1,450/month if you pay for a year upfront to $1,300 with six (6) Core seats included.
The biggest change, however, is that the suite bundle as well as the Marketing and CMS Hub have an included seat allowance. For example, if you purchased HubSpot Professional before March 5th, 2024 you can add as many users as you would like. With the new model, you get three (3) core seats. For everyone else you add to the portal, you would assign a view-only seat (or a free partner seat, if applicable) or you would have to pay for additional core seats for $45 per seat per month.
The same changes that I just described for the Professional Edition also apply for the Enterprise Edition, just with Enterprise pricing and seat allowances. The price of the HubSpot Enterprise Customer Platform will reduce from $5,000 to $4,700 a month and will now include eight (8) core seats. The Marketing Hub and the Content Hub will include five (5) core seats but remain the same in terms of pricing.
Now the question that remains is this: How do you apply this for your own organization and a) determine what cost you are looking at with the new and the old pricing model, and b) calculate the expected return on that investment to ensure you are making the right decision? Here are three steps I recommend to any organization considering HubSpot.
Don't buy HubSpot unseen. This is now even more true with the new pricing model because you need to truly understand the capabilities included in each Hub to assess which type of seat you need for any employee who will be interacting or working within HubSpot. You can apply for a free trial directly at HubSpot or you can request one from a Certified HubSpot Partner. Depending on the partner, they might help you set it up. If you apply for a trial with us, we will not only set it up for your organization but also give you three hours of training over two weeks so you can make sure that you are fully utilizing the trial and avoiding costly mistakes.
Once you have a solid understanding of the capabilities you will get within each Hub and for every seat type, it is time to determine who will be working in HubSpot and evaluate their job roles to match them to the corresponding seat type. Again, a Certified Partner will be able to give you a helping hand and unbiased outside advice.
Thirdly, you will need to calculate your monthly pricing based on the Hubs and seat types you need. Make sure to pay attention to the included seat allowances and determine if a CRM Suite might make more sense than buying individual Hubs. Finally, head over to our HubSpot ROI calculator to determine the expected return on investment based on your industry, company size, current lead volume, and much more.
The new pricing model will globally roll out on March 5th, 2024. Any purchases before then will use the current pricing model.
HubSpot has significantly evolved over the past few years. What started as a single Hub (the free CRM) quickly became a suite of hubs. Now, HubSpot offers a customer platform with its connected, AI-powered SMART CRM. Customers can now enjoy a flexible pricing model that grows with them. This change also removes the Sales and Service seat minimums and introduces view-only seats which support executive insights. Customers can also connect their entire team and provide them with a shared experience through the powerful Core Seat, granting access to HubSpot's Smart CRM.
Don't worry. The seat-based pricing model will impact only net-new customers initially and will have no immediate impact for existing customers. However, it is worth noting that even as you will transition eventually to the new pricing model, you can expect the same cost or a maximum increase of 5%.
The answer to that question really depends on which Hubs you will be purchasing, how many people will be using your HubSpot portal, and how they will use it. Reach out to me directly or a HubSpot representative to do a quick evaluation of job roles and calculate your seat-based vs. legacy pricing.
In conclusion, HubSpot's new pricing model offers a simplified and flexible approach to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. By understanding the different seat types and their corresponding functionalities, you can assess which pricing tier is right for your organization. We recommend starting with a free trial to test-drive HubSpot and determine the capabilities you require.
Additionally, assessing your job roles and matching them with the appropriate seat types will help you make informed decisions. Finally, calculate the pricing based on your specific needs and use our HubSpot ROI calculator to determine the expected return on investment.
If you have any questions or would like to start a trial, please don't hesitate to contact us. We're here to help you navigate the new pricing model and make the most of HubSpot's powerful features.