Build vs HubSpot
All-in-one CRM, marketing, and sales platform — Should you build, vibe code, or buy?
What is HubSpot?
HubSpot is a all-in-one crm, marketing, and sales platform. The company is public (nyse: hubs). With 8,000+ employees, HubSpot serves teams looking for crm solutions.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Free tier genuinely useful
- Best-in-class onboarding
- 1,500+ integrations
- Unified platform
- Strong mobile apps
Weaknesses
- Pricing jumps at higher tiers
- Per-seat costs add up
- Some features locked
- Limited customization on lower tiers
Who Should Use HubSpot?
Best For
- Smb
- Startups
- Marketing Teams
- Inbound Focused
Not Ideal For
- Enterprise Complex
- Highly Custom
- Budget Constrained Large Teams
Vibe Coding HubSpot
Using AI tools like Cursor and Claude, you can build a hubspot-like solution in 8-12 weeks for approximately $15k-40k.
What You Can Build
- Contact management
- Deal pipeline
- Email integration
- Basic automation
- Reporting
What's Harder to Replicate
- Marketing automation at scale
- Advanced lead scoring
- Multi-touch attribution
Getting Started
Use this prompt with Cursor or Claude to scaffold your alternative:
Build a all-in-one crm, marketing, and sales platform with these core features: - Contact management - Deal pipeline - Email integration Tech stack: Next.js 14, TypeScript, Prisma, PostgreSQL, Tailwind, shadcn/ui Include authentication, API routes, database schema, and a clean UI.
Open Source Alternatives
Before paying for HubSpot, consider these open source options:
Twenty ↗
Modern open-source CRM
Alternatives to HubSpot
Salesforce
Enterprise-grade, more complex
Pipedrive
Sales-focused, simpler
Zoho CRM
Budget-friendly
Freshsales
Modern UI, AI features
The Bottom Line
HubSpot is the right choice for most teams. The engineering effort to build an alternative would cost more than years of subscription fees. Focus your development resources on what makes your product unique.
Calculate Your Build vs Buy Costs →