Hubspot Pricing 2024: New Seat Types, Prices, & More

On March 5th, 2024, Hubspot is rolling 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. 

3P Creative Group 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 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 wich seat, answer the most frequently asked questions, and provide you with a three step plan of how to assess the impact this change will have on your business.

HubSpot's New Seat Options

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 Seat: 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 your 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:

• CRM administrator editing and maintaining Hubspot data and properties
• Revenue operations managing lifecycle stages deal statuses
• Marketing manager creating marketing workflows or sending promotional emails
• Website developer creating new modules or updating the website
• Content marketer creating and publishing blog posts

View-Only Seats: 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:

• CFO looking at sales reports on a weekly basis
• CEO keeping track of marketing activities by looking at dashboards and campaigns
• Business coach gaining insights into your progress by viewing reports

Sales & Service Seats: are a special seat type just for service and sales reps that 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:

• Sales reps enrolling prospects into sequences and scheduling meetings with buyers
• Sales ops person creating and tweaking sales playbooks
• Sales manager setting up lead rotations and manage forecasting
• Customer service supervisor managing ticket and conversation routing
• Customer service rep communicating directly with customers via chat, email, or phone 

Partner Seat: 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 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 loo at the pricing tiers themselves. You can also preview the new pricing page here.

Smaller Businesses: Free Tools & Hubspot Starter

Hubspot will maintain a layer of free tools (e.g., the Hubspot CRM) as well as Starter options for all hubs (Marketing Hub, CMS Hub, Operations Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, and Service Hub).

However, the big change here is that companies looking to purchase the Starter Edition of the CRM Suite as well as each individual hub won't be paying a base price anymore (which currently is $30/month or $240 a year) but rather purchase as many care seats as they need. 

• Free tools: includes 5 free core seats, unlimited view-only seats
• Starter Hubs: $15 for the first core seat (plus $15 for every additional core seat)

Medium-Size Businesses: Hubspot Professional

For medium-sized companies looking to purchase the Hubspot Professional editions of any individual Hub or the CRM Suite, not much is changing in terms of the actual pricing. It is worth noting that the CRM Suite will reduce in price from $1,600/month if you pay for a year upfront to $1,200 and that you no longer need a minimum of 5 Sales and/or Service Hub users (total of $450/month) but can purchase them at $100 as needed.

The biggest change is, however, that the suite bundle as well as the Marketing and CMS Hub have an included seat allowance. For example, if you purchase Hubspot Professional before March 5th, 2024 you can add as many users as you would like. With the new model, you get 3 core seats. 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 $50 per seat per month.

• CRM Suite: $1200 base price includes 3 core seats, 1 sales seat, and 1 service seat
• Marketing Hub: $890 base price includes 3 core seats
• CMS Hub: $400 base price includes 3 core seats
• Operations Hub: $800 base price includes 1 core seat
• Sales Seat: $100/seat
• Service Seat: $100/seat
• Additional core seats: $50/seat

Large Businesses: Hubspot Enterprise

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 CRM Suite Enterprise will reduce from $5,000 to $4,000 a month and now include 5 core seats and one sales ans service seat each. The Marketing Hub and the CMS Hub will include 5 core seats but remain the same in terms of pricing. 

• CRM Suite: $4,000 base price includes 5 core seats, 1 sales seat, and 1 service seat
• Marketing Hub: $3,600 base price includes 5 core seats
• CMS Hub: $1,200 base price includes 5 core seats
• Operations Hub: $2,000 base price includes 1 core seat
• Sales Seat: $150/seat
• Service Seat: $130/seat
• Additional core seats: $75/seat

How To Assess Which Pricing Tier Is Right For You

Now the question remains 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.

1. Test-Drive Hubspot In A Free Trial

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 which employee who will be interacting or working within Hubspot. You can apply for a free trial directly at Hubspot or you can request on from a Certified Hubspot Partner. Depending on the partner, they might help you set it up for you. 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 are making sure you are utilizing the trial and avoid making costly mistakes.

2. Assess Your Job Roles & Match Them With The Seat Types

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.

3. Calculate The Price & Determine Your ROI

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. 

FAQ's Related To Hubspot's New Pricing Model

When will this new pricing model go into effect?

The new pricing model will globally roll out on March 5th, 2024. And purchase until then will use the current pricing model.

Why is Hubspot changing its 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 supports 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.

I am already a Hubspot customer. How will this impact me and any upcoming renewal?

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%. 

I am interested in purchasing Hubspot. Should I wait until March 5th or purchase now using the legacy pricing?

The answer to that question really depends on which Hubs you will be purchasing and how many people will be using your Hubspot portal in which capacity. 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.

Conclusion

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.