If you’re here, chances are you’re considering HubSpot for your business but aren’t sure whether HubSpot Starter or HubSpot Professional is the right fit. That’s completely normal—HubSpot’s packaging has evolved over the years, and the differences between plans matter more as your business grows.
Last updated: December 20, 2025
Don’t worry—you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll compare HubSpot Starter vs HubSpot Professional using HubSpot’s official Product & Services Catalog as the source of truth for pricing, limits, and features, so you can make a confident, informed decision.
What Companies Are Best Suited for HubSpot?
HubSpot started as a marketing automation platform and has grown into a full customer platform that brings together marketing, sales, service, content, and operations on a single CRM database.
Today, HubSpot is widely used by B2B and B2C businesses across industries like real estate, professional services, construction, SaaS, accounting, and ecommerce. It supports startups, growing mid-market teams, and large organizations that want a unified system to manage customer relationships and revenue operations.
HubSpot’s core CRM is free and provides meaningful value on its own. However, businesses that want automation, advanced segmentation, deeper reporting, and more scalable processes typically move into paid tiers: Starter, Professional, and Enterprise.
Paid HubSpot plans are delivered through individual products—called Hubs—including Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, Content Hub (formerly CMS Hub), and Data Hub (formerly Operations Hub).
HubSpot Starter vs HubSpot Professional: High-Level Differences
At a high level, the difference between Starter and Professional comes down to scale and sophistication.
- HubSpot Starter is designed for small teams that want to get up and running quickly with light automation, basic segmentation, and core CRM functionality.
- HubSpot Professional is built for scaling teams that need advanced automation, deeper segmentation, stronger reporting, and more complex go-to-market processes.
Feature Comparison: HubSpot Starter vs HubSpot Professional
| Category | HubSpot Starter | HubSpot Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing baseline (Marketing Hub) | Starter is seat-based and includes 1,000 marketing contacts at the base level. | Starts at $890/month, includes 3 Core Seats and 2,000 marketing contacts. |
| Required onboarding | None | $3,000 one-time (Marketing Hub Professional) |
| Email marketing send limits | Up to 5× your marketing contact tier per month | Up to 10× your marketing contact tier per month |
| Marketing automation (workflows) | Not included | Included for marketing, sales, and service automation |
| List segmentation | Limited segmentation | Advanced segmentation with significantly higher limits |
| Landing pages & forms | Included | Included with advanced personalization and testing |
| Social media tools | Limited | Full social publishing and monitoring |
| Reporting & dashboards | Basic reporting | Advanced custom reporting and dashboards |
| Support | Email and in-app chat | Email, in-app chat, and phone support |
| Multiple currencies | Up to 5 currencies | Up to 30 currencies |
HubSpot Starter: What You Get
HubSpot Starter is best described as a professional foundation. It removes HubSpot branding from key assets, adds light automation, and gives teams access to support—without overwhelming them with enterprise-level complexity.
- Centralized CRM for contacts, companies, deals, and tickets
- Branded marketing emails and basic campaigns
- Forms and landing pages
- Light sales and service tooling
- No required onboarding fee
HubSpot Professional: What You Get
HubSpot Professional is where the platform becomes a true growth engine. This tier is designed for teams that rely on HubSpot daily and need automation, segmentation, and reporting to support scale.
- Advanced marketing, sales, and service automation
- Complex lifecycle and lead-routing logic
- Deep segmentation and personalization
- Custom reporting and dashboards
- Support for larger, specialized teams
Marketing Hub Professional includes a required one-time onboarding fee. This onboarding is guidance-based and does not replace hands-on implementation.
Onboarding, Implementation, and Why It Matters
HubSpot onboarding focuses on education, not execution. Most scaling businesses still need hands-on help with CRM architecture, automation strategy, reporting, integrations, and data cleanup.
Working with a HubSpot-certified agency like No Bounds Digital helps teams avoid costly rework and realize ROI faster—especially when moving into Professional.
Migration Options
HubSpot offers paid migration services for data, websites, and blog content. Starter and Professional users can migrate contacts, companies, and content with minimal disruption.
For complex migrations or custom implementations, many organizations choose to work with a certified HubSpot partner to ensure accuracy and continuity.
Service and Support Experience
- Starter: Email and in-app chat support
- Professional: Email, in-app chat, and phone support
All HubSpot customers receive access to free training, certifications, and documentation.
Conclusion: Starter or Professional?
Choose HubSpot Starter if you want to get organized quickly, look professional, and begin using HubSpot without complexity or required onboarding fees.
Choose HubSpot Professional when automation, segmentation, and reporting are mission-critical—and when multiple teams rely on HubSpot to drive revenue and customer experience.
If you’re unsure which plan fits best, start by mapping your business processes and choose the lowest tier that fully supports them.
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