Sign up for a Hubspot CRM account

Plan Options

1. HubSpot Free

What You Get:

• Core CRM features (unlimited users, contact management), basic deal pipeline, limited marketing email sends, and simple email logging.
• Ideal for trying HubSpot, or if you only need the essentials of a CRM without advanced automation.

Key Limitations:

• Only one sales pipeline, restricted property usage (10 total custom properties across all objects), no multi-step workflow builder for automation.
• Marketing emails are capped at a small monthly send limit.

2. Starter

What You Get:

• All of Free’s features plus deeper functionality: more custom properties (up to 1,000 per object), slightly increased email send limits, and basic automation (like single-step follow-up emails or short sales sequences).
• More comprehensive customer support.

Key Limitations:

• No advanced workflow builder with branching logic.
• Limited pipeline count (often 2 pipelines total) if you want separate pipelines for different services.

3. Professional

What You Get:

• Full workflows, multiple pipelines, advanced reporting, lead scoring, higher email send limits, sequence enrollments, and extensive customization.
• Great for consultants needing robust automation, multi-stage pipelines, or deeper analysis.

Key Limitations:

• You still can’t fully remove or add new built-in system lifecycle stages, but you can rename them or create custom fields.
• More expensive monthly cost.

4. Enterprise

This is also an option for larger-scale teams, but many independent consultants don’t require that level.

Step-by-Step: Signing Up

1. Visit HubSpot’s Website
   • Look for a “Get started” or “Create a free account” button.
2. Choose a Plan
   • If you want to explore HubSpot’s CRM without cost, select Free.
   • If you decide you need slightly more features (like better email marketing or multiple pipelines), pick Starter.
   • If you know you want advanced automation and reporting from day one, choose Professional.
   • You can always upgrade or downgrade later, but keep in mind that some plan transitions can alter your usage or property limits.
3. Enter Basic Details
   • Provide an email address, typically your business email.
   • Set a password.
   • HubSpot may ask about your role or company size, which they use to tailor tips or defaults.
4. Verify Email
   • HubSpot sends a confirmation link. Click it to activate your account.
5. Initial Setup
   • HubSpot might prompt a quick onboarding flow, like naming your account (which you can rename later in settings).
   • If you picked Free, your portal’s main features are ready immediately. Starter or Pro often show extra capabilities—like custom field counts or a workflow builder.

3. First Steps After Creating Your Account

Though we’ll detail import and customization in subsequent chapters, a few immediate steps may help you:

• Confirm Your Pipeline
  • For the time being, you’ll see a default pipeline with standard deal stages.
  • If you have Starter or Pro, you can rename stages or add a second pipeline (depending on your plan limit) later.
• Explore the CRM Navigation
  • Contacts: Where your people records are stored.
  • Companies: Business entities you might associate deals with.
  • Deals: Potential revenue opportunities, with columns for each stage in the pipeline.
• Check Starter/Pro Features (If Applicable)
  • Starter: Basic automation, slightly higher email send limit.
  • Pro: Workflows, advanced reporting, sequences, multiple pipelines.
  • Don’t worry about implementing these advanced features yet—we’ll get to them in future lessons.

4. Which Plan Is Right for You Right Now?

• Start with Free if:
  • You’re uncertain about HubSpot, just want to explore the CRM basics, or have minimal automation or pipeline needs.
• Starter if:
  • You want more than Free’s property and pipeline limitations, need basic automation, or plan moderate marketing emails.
• Professional if:
  • You require advanced workflow automations (branching logic, multi-step campaigns), multiple pipelines for different lines of business, or robust reporting from the get-go.