HubSpot has taken a bold step with its 2024 pricing update, transforming how businesses access and leverage their CRM tools. This new structure focuses on providing flexibility and scalability, making it easier for businesses of all sizes to manage costs while benefiting from advanced features. For new customers, this change offers an opportunity to start small and scale with ease. For existing customers, the transition in 2025 provides time to adjust without disruption.
How HubSpot’s Seats-Based Model Works
At the core of HubSpot's new model is the concept of seats—user licences that offer varying degrees of access, depending on the role they need to play. The main shift lies in the introduction of a Core Seat, which gives access to key functionalities across HubSpot's Hubs and its Smart CRM. This seat is suited for employees who need day-to-day access to tools like content creation, marketing campaigns, or customer data management.
For teams that interact directly with customers—such as sales or service representatives—HubSpot offers Sales and Service Seats. These licences unlock the full potential of Sales and Service Hubs, giving customer-facing teams the tools to manage leads, close deals, or resolve customer issues with more efficiency.
Not everyone in the organisation will need that level of access, though. Unlimited View-Only Seats ensure that stakeholders like executives or team members who only need visibility into reports and dashboards can still stay connected without the cost of full user access. This structure helps companies better manage their budget, paying only for the features their team members actually need.
For businesses in the Starter Plan, the pricing model offers an easier path to scale by introducing a simpler structure where costs grow proportionally with the business.
Flexible Options for New Customers
For those who are just starting with HubSpot, this pricing update represents a more accessible way to take advantage of the platform. Removing minimum seat requirements for Sales and Service Hubs allows smaller teams to begin with what they need and gradually increase their investment as they grow.
The benefit of this approach is clear: it provides access to advanced features without requiring a substantial upfront commitment. Companies can, for example, begin using enterprise-level tools like predictive lead scoring or recurring revenue tracking at a much lower price point. These features, previously reserved for larger teams, are now within reach for smaller or growing businesses that need to keep a close eye on their resources while benefiting from powerful CRM capabilities.
Addressing the Needs of Existing Customers
The new pricing model isn’t just aimed at new users. This update will be rolled out in 2025 for existing HubSpot customers, offering plenty of time to adjust and evaluate how these changes fit into their current operations.
While there may be concerns about how this shift will affect existing budgets, the underlying advantage is clear: flexibility. Existing customers will now have the option to align their HubSpot usage with their team’s needs, scaling licences up or down as required, without the previous constraints of minimum seat counts. This ensures that businesses of any size can fully tailor their HubSpot subscription to fit their evolving requirements.
Tailored Scenarios for Different Teams
To better understand the impact of HubSpot’s pricing model, consider a mid-sized business preparing to ramp up its sales efforts. They may already have Marketing Hub Pro in place, with a team of marketers and a few sales reps using Sales Hub Pro. Under the new pricing structure, they could upgrade to Sales Hub Enterprise for their sales team, providing advanced tools like predictive lead scoring and deal tracking while leaving the marketing team’s plan unchanged.
In another case, a company might be overgrowing but starting from a small base. With the new model, they can assign Core Seats to their marketing team, Sales Seats to their sales reps, and View-Only Seats to executives, ensuring everyone has the access they need while managing costs efficiently.
Why the New Model Matters
HubSpot’s shift to a more flexible, scalable pricing model opens the door for businesses to make smarter, more efficient use of their CRM tools. It removes barriers to entry, offers more control over how licences are allocated and provides access to advanced features at a much more reasonable cost than before. This shift enhances the overall HubSpot experience and makes it a stronger competitor against larger, more complex CRM platforms.
As a HubSpot Solutions Partner, we can guide businesses through this transition, ensuring they can take full advantage of the new pricing structure and its benefits. For those unsure of how the changes may affect their operations, we recommend booking a free discovery call to discuss how HubSpot’s new approach can be tailored to your needs.
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