In a world of increasing complexity, it is essential to have an effective way to manage your sales and marketing. Among the numerous customer relationship management (CRM) solutions in the market, both HighLevel and HubSpot can help ease your worries.
The two platforms' impressive features can help you grow your business and improve efficiency.
But how do you know which one is the right solution for you? In this blog post, we'll break down the key features of HighLevel and HubSpot, compare them side by side, and help you understand what sets them apart.
Be sure to keep reading to the end of this post, where we'll share insights to help you determine the best fit for your business.
What is HighLevel?
HighLevel is a versatile marketing automation platform, created with a focus on serving marketing agencies. Launched in 2018, HighLevel aims to provide a one-stop solution for managing customer interactions across various channels.
Whether you're looking to streamline your social media management, email marketing, lead nurturing activities, or webinars, HighLevel offers an integrated approach. Its flexibility and feature set make it suitable for businesses looking to grow and optimize their marketing efforts, regardless of size or industry.
In short, HighLevel is all about simplifying and enhancing your marketing workflow, so you can focus on what you do best: growing your business.
What is HubSpot?
HubSpot is a web-based automation platform focused on marketing, sales, and customer service management. Founded in 2006 by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot has transformed from a small start-up into a global leader in the industry.
Originally created to aid small businesses in managing their digital presence, HubSpot now offers a comprehensive suite of products for every stage of the sales cycle. It's not just for small businesses anymore; HubSpot has grown to serve all kinds of companies, empowering them with tools to streamline marketing and enhance customer relationships.
HubSpot makes managing your company's sales and marketing processes more efficient and user-friendly, whether you're just starting out or looking to scale.
How is HighLevel Different from HubSpot?
HighLevel is very similar to HubSpot in that both are cloud-based marketing tools that allow you to create and manage email campaigns, landing pages, and social media posts. However, a closer look reveals some important differences that can significantly impact your choice depending on your business needs. Let's analyze these differences, exploring the distinct advantages and disadvantages of each platform, so you can make an informed decision.
Advantages
Advantages of HighLevel
HighLevel is a platform that offers unique benefits, particularly for agencies. Its features are tailored to assist with marketing, sales, customer service, and more. Some of the benefits of using this platform include:
Made for agencies
Unlike other marketing automation platforms, HighLevel has been designed from the ground up with agencies in mind.
It's easy to use, powerful enough to handle the most complex of tasks, and flexible enough to work with any client—from small businesses looking for an affordable way to build out their online presence to large organizations looking to scale their marketing efforts by bringing together multiple channels under one roof.
Send and receive messages to clients
HighLevel comes equipped with a two-way SMS feature that lets you send messages directly through social media profiles like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and more. This robust communication platform sets HighLevel apart, offering more avenues to engage with clients and potential customers.
Customization and Tailored Solutions
HighLevel lets you create customized solutions that suit your unique needs—no matter what kind of client you're working with.
You can choose from pre-built plans specifically tailored for your type of business or industry (e.g., hospitality) and HighLevel will automatically tailor its available features and plans to your specific requirements.
Predictable and manageable pricing
HighLevel offers pricing options that can be more attractive to certain users, especially smaller agencies or freelancers.
With two main pricing plans, an Agency Starter Account ($97/month) and an Agency Unlimited Account ($297/month), you can choose the plan that best suits your needs and budget.
Advantages of HubSpot
HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM-powered marketing platform known for its versatility and ease of use. Some of its advantages include:
Offers a free trial and free version
HubSpot's free trial and free version allow businesses to explore the platform without an up-front financial commitment. Ideal for startups or those looking to evaluate the product, this approach can help businesses find the right fit without immediate investment.
Specialized technology that fits your business
HubSpot is built around CRM technology, which means every feature is designed to help you manage your contacts and clients in a way that makes sense for your business. As a result, it is easy to use and understand. You don't need an IT expert on hand when working with HubSpot because all of its features are accessible via the web interface or mobile app. This enables businesses of all sizes to make the most of its capabilities.
Good customer support and training
Providing 24/7 support via phone, email, live chat, and video conferencing, HubSpot stands out for its customer service. Their commitment to troubleshooting and guidance, rather than relying on canned responses, helps users find timely and relevant solutions when they need them.
Comes with plenty of third-party integrations
HubSpot provides users with plenty of third-party integrations, which you can use to link your business's data with other systems and services. For example, you can connect your website's analytics or Facebook Ads account to HubSpot. This makes it easier for you to keep track of your marketing efforts and adjust accordingly.
Hubspot ecosystem
With its roots in CRM, HubSpot offers more than just a toolset. Its integration of sales, marketing, and service applications offers a seamless experience that aligns with a company's overall strategy and vision. This makes it suitable for businesses of all sizes looking to grow and retain customers through effective engagement and analysis.
Disadvantages
Disadvantages of HighLevel
HighLevel is a fantastic tool for marketers, but it's not for everyone. Before you start using it, it's important to note several disadvantages, such as:
Steep learning curve
HighLevel offers a vast range of features and capabilities, which might be overwhelming for new users. The complexity of building out sales funnels and automating various marketing tasks could result in a steep learning curve, particularly for those new to digital marketing.
Not all features are available on the free plan
HighLevel's pricing tiers include different feature sets. Some advanced features are only available on higher-priced plans, such as the Agency Unlimited Account. This limitation may require additional investment from businesses looking to leverage the full potential of the platform.
Limited payment integrations
HighLevel lacks direct integration with popular payment platforms like PayPal, relying on other tools like Zapier for payment processing. This extra step could complicate the payment process for some users and may not be an ideal solution for all businesses.
Disadvantages of HubSpot
HubSpot is a comprehensive tool that offers powerful features for marketing, sales, and customer service. However, like any platform, it has its drawbacks. Here's an analysis of some of the key disadvantages of HubSpot:
It can get expensive over time
HubSpot's pricing model can become quite costly, particularly for businesses with a growing number of contacts. As you add more contacts to your account or require more advanced features, the costs can quickly escalate. This may not be suitable for some small or budget-conscious businesses.
Contracts are not as flexible
HubSpot's contracts are often fixed-term and may not offer as much flexibility in terms of scaling down. For HubSpot's CRM suite, only the Starter plan allows a monthly commitment, while Professional and Enterprise require an annual contract (however, there are typically incentives such as reduced rates/discounts for longer-term commitment and bundling the CRM with additional HubSpot products). This can be a drawback for businesses that need to adapt quickly to changing circumstances or have unpredictable contact needs.
It's difficult to make changes to templates
While HubSpot offers various templates for web pages, emails, and other content, customizing those templates can be challenging without knowledge of HTML or CSS. This limitation may be a roadblock to those who want to create a unique look and feel but lack the technical skills to modify templates effectively.
Features
HighLevel Features
HighLevel CRM includes various features that can help you with your sales and marketing needs. These include:
Targeted campaigns
HighLevel allows you to create targeted campaigns based on specific customer criteria, such as location or gender, enabling more effective and personalized marketing efforts.
User-friendly interface
HighLevel's user-friendly interface simplifies content creation and sharing, making it accessible even for those new to digital marketing.
Automated Lead Management
The platform includes automated lead management tools that save time by automatically pulling leads into your CRM, streamlining the process and improving efficiency.
HubSpot Features
HubSpot's feature-rich CRM tool empowers businesses with diverse tools to streamline their marketing, sales, and customer relationship efforts. Some of the features include:
Real-time reporting
You can get real-time reports on your website data, which helps you keep track of your website's progress. You can also see if there is any change in the traffic or conversion rate, enabling you to improve your website's performance.
Email marketing integration
HubSpot has email marketing integration with Gmail and Outlook. This helps you send automated emails directly from HubSpot without needing third-party software. The system automatically syncs data between your Gmail account and HubSpot so you can reach more people with targeted campaigns without worrying about manually entering their email addresses into different platforms.
Social media management
The social media management feature allows you to manage all your social media accounts simultaneously with one click from within HubSpot. You can also schedule posts and control posting frequency across different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.
Third-Party Integrations
HubSpot supports numerous third-party integrations, allowing seamless connection with other systems and services, which enhances data tracking and makes efforts across all teams more cohesive.
How to Choose the Best Platform for Your Business
When it comes to choosing the best CRM platform for your business, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
First, ask yourself: What are you selling?
Are you offering products, services, or both? Understanding what you sell helps you pinpoint the features you need in a platform, whether it's managing sales funnels, customer orders, or tracking performance.
Next, ask yourself: How big is your business?
The size of your business can influence your choice. Some platforms may be more tailored to smaller operations, while others are suitable for larger companies. Consider what best aligns with your team's size and complexity.
Then, ask yourself: What's Your Budget?
Consider your financial capacity, including initial costs and potential expenses for additional features or support. This will guide you to platforms that fit within your budget without sacrificing necessary functions.
Remember, these are starting points, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Your specific needs and goals will ultimately determine the best platform for your business. It may be beneficial to leverage free trials and community support to find the perfect fit.
HighLevel vs HubSpot: Which is Better?
HighLevel is tailored for businesses and agencies requiring specific solutions for marketing automation and client management, suitable for varying scales. HubSpot, on the other hand, offers a versatile suite of tools, allowing flexibility and insights across different business sizes and needs.
Both platforms cater to unique requirements, and the choice between them depends on your individual business needs, goals, and budget. If you need marketing automation tools that offer flexibility and customization to meet the needs of your business, whether small or large, HubSpot may be an option to consider.
If you'd like additional insight while making this decision, reach out to our team for a free web design consultation today and find out how you can grow your leads and sales using an enterprise CRM system.
