Why Companies Move from Salesforce to HubSpot

This guide summarizes why companies migrate from Salesforce to HubSpot and why migration inquiries are increasing in practice. In previous lectures and videos, we covered differences between Salesforce and HubSpot and cost simulations. Here we step back and address:

• What types of companies are a good fit for HubSpot migration?
• When is it better not to migrate yet?
• Why are migration inquiries increasing now?

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1. Three main reasons for moving from Salesforce to HubSpot

In real projects, reasons for Salesforce -> HubSpot migration usually fall into three categories:

1. High costs that strain the budget
2. Underused functionality and poor ROI
3. Desire to unify marketing and sales operations

Let us walk through them.

1-1. Reason 1: License and support costs are too high

This one is simple.

• Salesforce license fees
• Support fees (maintenance, agency fees, outsourced operations, etc.)

These costs can be high relative to revenue or actual usage. Common feedback includes:

• "Salesforce running costs are heavy compared to our revenue scale"
• "We are paying enterprise-level fees without using enterprise-level features"
• "Agency and support fees significantly pressure our annual budget"

As discussed in previous sessions, cost reduction is often the biggest migration driver.

1-2. Reason 2: Powerful features are not fully used

Salesforce is extremely capable. With the right design, you can do almost anything. But in practice:

• The system, permissions, and object structures are complex
• Only a few people can manage or develop it
• Knowledge becomes a black box when key people leave

Especially for:

• SMBs
• Startups

You often hear:

"We are only using standard CRM and SFA features" "We do not have the resources for advanced workflows or custom builds"

So you end up with:

• Enterprise-level functionality
• But mid-level or lower actual usage

This gap makes the ROI feel poor.

1-3. Reason 3: Unifying marketing and sales

HubSpot started as an inbound marketing platform. That makes it strong at connecting:

• Lead acquisition (ads, seminars, web content, forms)
• Email marketing and nurturing
• Sales pipelines and deal management

In recent years, HubSpot has also strengthened its sales functions. For companies that want to unify:

• Marketing lead data
• Sales activities and deal progress

HubSpot is a strong fit.

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2. When staying on Salesforce may be better

Not every company should move to HubSpot. In some cases we recommend staying with Salesforce. Here are the common patterns.

2-1. Heavy external integrations and custom development

Sanka handles many integration projects, and from that perspective:

"Salesforce cannot do this, but HubSpot can"

is rarely true. Salesforce tends to be stronger with:

• AppExchange app ecosystem
• External integration track record
• Flexibility for custom development

If you need deep integration with multiple systems or highly custom screens and logic, Salesforce is often the more rational choice.

2-2. You want extreme customization first

HubSpot can be extended, but it is not a build-anything platform. It is closer to:

"A platform that packages best practices for marketing, sales, and CS"

If you need to replicate an existing complex workflow exactly or require fine-grained UI behavior and logic, Salesforce offers more flexibility.

2-3. You are migrating only due to vendor dissatisfaction

This is more common than expected.

• "Our Salesforce agency is not responsive"
• "We do not get proactive proposals"

That can lead to:

"Then maybe we should just move to HubSpot"

But in this situation, the real issue may be the vendor, not the tool. Often, switching partners within Salesforce is the better first step.

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3. Why migration inquiries are increasing now

Here is why we see more Salesforce -> HubSpot migration inquiries. First, an important disclaimer:

There is almost no public data on how many companies migrate between platforms.

There are cases of HubSpot -> Salesforce and Salesforce -> HubSpot. The absolute numbers and overall trend are not visible from outside. What we are saying is:

This is not a claim that the entire industry is moving to HubSpot. It reflects an increase in requests that Sanka is receiving.

With that context, the main drivers are:

3-1. Rising need for cost optimization

In tighter economic conditions, companies focus on:

• IT budget review
• Subscription cleanup
• Tool consolidation

If replacing Salesforce with HubSpot can reduce total costs, migration becomes a natural option.

3-2. HubSpot view-only accounts enable broader rollout

HubSpot supports view-only accounts. That means:

• Non-sales and non-marketing teams can access data
• Without extra license costs

In Salesforce, even view-only users often require paid licenses, so many companies limit access to sales and marketing. HubSpot makes company-wide visibility more affordable, which drives interest.

3-3. Expectations for usability have increased

In B2B SaaS, the mindset has shifted from:

• "Business tools can be clunky"

to:

• "Business tools should be intuitive"

HubSpot is often evaluated highly for:

• Clear UI
• Easier onboarding
• Usability for non-engineers

This is another reason interest is rising.

3-4. HubSpot feature coverage has expanded

In the past, some features were considered stronger in Salesforce. But HubSpot has rapidly expanded its capabilities in:

• Sales features
• Workflow automation
• Custom objects
• Reporting

This has closed many gaps, and companies that previously dismissed HubSpot are now re-evaluating it.

3-5. End-to-end marketing, sales, and CS management

When teams run separate tools:

• The full customer picture is unclear
• It is hard to track which activities drive revenue
• Cross-team collaboration suffers

The trend is to unify marketing, sales, and customer service on one platform. Examples include:

• "Leads from Google Ads convert better through this process"
• "Webinar attendees get stuck at this stage"

HubSpot is designed for this end-to-end view, which aligns with the trend.

3-6. Data migration has become more feasible

Technical hurdles have dropped over time:

• Better tools and connectors
• Dedicated migration services and templates
• More vendor know-how

As a result, both Salesforce -> HubSpot and HubSpot -> Salesforce migrations are more realistic than before.

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4. Do not follow trends, decide based on fit

You might feel that migration to HubSpot is a trend, but the most important question is:

Is it truly the right fit for your company?

We have aimed to explain:

• Differences in philosophy and features
• Cost simulation
• Cases where migration does or does not fit

If your needs strongly match:

• Costs are too high
• Features are underused
• You want unified marketing and sales

Then HubSpot migration is worth serious consideration. If your reality is closer to:

• You want deep custom development
• You depend on the AppExchange ecosystem
• The real issue is the vendor, not the tool

Then improving Salesforce may be the healthier path.

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5. Next step: preparing for migration

If you are thinking:

"We should seriously consider Salesforce -> HubSpot migration"

The next step is preparation, such as:

• Auditing and listing Salesforce data
• Defining the objects and fields to migrate
• Securing internal resources (owners and time)
• Deciding project structure and roles (internal vs partner)

We will cover these practical preparation steps in the next article. If you are even slightly interested, check the next guide as well.