“Nutshell is super user-friendly and intuitive
“I would highly recommend Nutshell
“Easy to use and... wait for it ... 100% buy in!
“Nutshell is both simple and powerful
At first glance, CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce seem to be great options at an affordable price tag.
Then you add in the marketing costs, the implementation costs, the cost for contacts, the cost of an admin, the cost for support and overage costs and… well.. you’ve been duped.
Falling for the face value of these CRMs can cost you a lot of $$$ and headaches in the long run.
Face Value Price Tag for 12 Months
$18,000
($150/user/month)
No monthly contract option. $3,500 mandatory onboarding fee.
$9,480
($79/user/month)
Monthly contracts available ($89/user/month). No mandatory onboarding.
$19,800
($165/user/month)
No monthly contracts available. Must hire 3rd party for onboarding assistance.
Annual license cost for a 10-person team
Email Sequences & Campaigns
Data storage
$18,000
($150/user/month)
$55,000/year
($3,600/mo for 5 Marketing Seats for up to 50,000 contacts – Includes 10,000 contacts – $400/month more for up to 50,000 contacts) + $7,000 one-time mandatory Marketing Hub onboarding
$1,100/month
for going over 1 million total records
$9,480
($79/user/month)
$4,680/year
(3 Free Marketing Seats for up to 50,000 contacts – Starts at $5/mo – Tied to your total # of contacts – Custom Pricing after 1 million contacts)
$0
unlimited storage at no extra cost
$19,800
($165/user/month)
$19,800/year
(for up to 50,000 contacts – Starts at $1,250/mo for 10,000 contacts – $100 for every additional 10,000 contacts) – Want SMS? That’s $4,200/mo
$1,500/year
for every 500MB after the first 10GB ($125/month)
Annual license cost for a 10-person team
Pricing gathered from Hubpost.com and Salesforce.com
Email sequences & campaigns
Implementation costs
Source: BacancyTechnology.com
Full-time admin salary
Source: Talent.com
Live phone and chat support
Source: Salesforce.com
Fully functional mobile app
Source: G2.com
Data storage
One-click dialing and call recording
Year 1 Total
Let’s assume the average of the optional fees and one level of overage for 6 months of the year.
Year 2 and Beyond Totals
This assumes you don’t grow as a company and add more records…
$18,000
($150/user/month)
$55,000/year
($3,600/mo for 5 Marketing Seats for up to 50,000 contacts – Includes 10,000 contacts – $400/month more for up to 50,000 contacts) + $7,000 one-time mandatory Marketing Hub onboarding
$3,500
(one-time mandatory Sales Hub onboarding fee)
$6,000-$38,400/year
(available, but not required)
$0
$0
$1,100/month
for going over 1 million total records
$50/month for 1,000 minutes
(12,000 minute limit)
$105,600
$95,100
$9,480
($79/user/month)
$4,680/year
(3 additional marketing-only seats with Marketing Foundation for up to 50,000 contacts – Starts at $5/mo – Tied to your total # of contacts – Custom Pricing after 1 million contacts)
$0-$1,500
(scaled options – available but not required)
$0-$18,000/year
(available to customers, but in no way required)
$0
$0
$0
unlimited storage at no extra cost
$0
On Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans
$23,910
$23,160
$19,800
($165/user/month)
$19,800/year
(for up to 50,000 contacts – Starts at $1,250/mo for 10,000 contacts – $100 for every additional 10,000 contacts) – Want SMS? That’s $4,200/mo
$75,000 – $200,000
(depends on number of users, levels of customizations and more)
$96,687/year
(if you’re lucky)
$5,940/year
(30% of software license)
$3,000
($25/user/month of software license)
$1,500/year
for every 500MB after the first 10GB ($125/month)
$3,600+/year
($30/month/user and an additional $15/month for every 1,000 minutes logged)
$284,452
$146,952
The above calculation assumes the average $ of any range and hitting one overage per category 50% of the time.
To run HubSpot for 5 years, you would be spending $486,000.
To run Salesforce for 5 years, you would be spending $872,260.
To run Nutshell for 5 years, you would be spending $116,550.
Why spend from $300k to $750k+ more when you get an Enterprise level CRM that is customized to you, grows with your business, offers affordable add-ons and has the goal of growing your business? And with automatic data imports, you can transfer your HubSpot or Salesforce data into Nutshell in just a few clicks.
With Nutshell, you get more than a CRM and Marketing software – you get a Growth Partner.
Nutshell is purpose-built for small to mid-sized businesses (5-50 users) needing straightforward sales and marketing tools. HubSpot targets growing mid-market companies that want integrated marketing automation. Salesforce excels with large enterprises requiring extensive customization and complex workflows. If you’re a small business, Nutshell delivers enterprise features without enterprise complexity or cost.
Nutshell offers award-winning, free live support (phone, email, and chat) for all customers, regardless of plan. HubSpot provides email and chat support, with phone support only on higher-tier plans. Salesforce charges extra for premium support and often requires hiring consultants. Nutshell’s US-based support team helps you succeed without additional fees or frustrating ticket systems.
Nutshell is designed for non-technical users—most teams are productive within days without formal training. HubSpot is moderately user-friendly but has a learning curve as you add features. Salesforce typically requires dedicated administrators, extensive training, and often consultants to manage. If you want to manage customers instead of managing software, Nutshell is your best choice.
Nutshell delivers the best value by including unlimited data storage, email sequences, reporting, and live support at no extra cost. HubSpot and Salesforce charge separately for marketing features, storage overages, premium support, and essential add-ons. Over five years, Nutshell costs $116,550 versus $486,000 for HubSpot and $872,260 for Salesforce—without sacrificing critical functionality.
All three platforms let you export your data, but ease varies. Nutshell offers straightforward CSV exports of all your contacts, companies, deals, and activities with no restrictions. HubSpot provides export tools but may limit historical data on lower tiers. Salesforce exports can be complex and may require technical expertise or paid tools. Nutshell believes your data is yours—always accessible, never held hostage.
