Bigin vs HubSpot: 2026 Comparison for Small Businesses
Business Development Manager, CirroCraft · Ottawa, Canada
Why does one sales team grow confidently with their CRM while another struggles to unlock basic features?
It is rarely about the initial appeal. HubSpot's free CRM attracts thousands of small businesses because it genuinely delivers value at the start. Bigin by Zoho CRM is Zoho's solution specifically built for small businesses.
Both CRMs can manage your pipeline, automate workflows and track deals. The differences emerge as you scale.
HubSpot's free tier transitions to premium plans as you grow while Bigin provides core functionality at $7 per user from day 1. Let's see what this actually means for you.
What Do You Actually Get?
Both platforms can handle the fundamentals like contact management, deal tracking, workflows and email tracking really well.
The real question is, what can your team actually execute without hitting a paywall?
While HubSpot's free tier covers the basics, workflow automation, multiple pipelines and email sequences require expensive paid plans. Reporting capabilities are also limited unless you reach the Professional tier.
Bigin prioritizes value and provides automation, multiple pipelines, telephony and WhatsApp integrations from the start. The functionality of your sales team is at the forefront and not promised as an upgrade.
| Feature | HubSpot Free | HubSpot Starter | Bigin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workflow automation | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple pipelines | 1 pipeline | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email integration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Email sequences | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reporting | Basic | ✓ | ✓ |
Bigin Pricing vs HubSpot Pricing
HubSpot's pricing structure starts at zero and scales based on features and contacts. The free plan definitely works well for basic CRM needs.
However, when you need reporting that analyzes data and informs decisions or automations that reduce manual effort, you need to start looking at their higher tiers. Their Starter tier at $15 per user monthly still restricts advanced automation and reporting capabilities. The Professional tier at $50 per user unlocks the capabilities a growing sales team actually needs like custom reporting and better pipeline management.
Contact limits add another layer to this pricing challenge. As your database grows, you end up paying for contact tiers on top of feature tiers.
Key takeaway: Bigin costs $7 per user monthly and will set your team up for success with all the essential tools. When your sales rep needs to automate a follow-up sequence, there's no paywall. They can just go ahead and build it.
How Your Team Actually Uses It
HubSpot was designed for enterprise complexity and scaled down. They can handle sophisticated marketing operations and complex sales hierarchies effectively.
For small teams, this means navigating features designed for organizations with dedicated administrators. Your sales rep needs to spend time learning the platform before they can use it. Lower tier limitations compound this when basic features sit behind a paywall. Your team might need to find elaborate workarounds that take more time out of their day.
Bigin was specifically designed for small teams. Your team has instant access to the pipeline, their tasks and their next action. The CRM prioritizes daily execution like logging a call, moving a deal and sending a follow-up. There is no enterprise complexity to navigate, no workarounds required or paywalls to deal with.
Does Your CRM Adapt or Do You?
HubSpot's customization expands with the different tiers. Lower plans provide basic customization but guide you towards predetermined workflows. Want advanced customization like conditional automation or custom objects for your exact sales structure? You need the Professional tier.
The App marketplace has solid integrations, particularly for marketing integrations, but tier restrictions apply here too. Building a functional CRM on HubSpot would mean connecting multiple third-party apps that operate independently.
Bigin provides all the customization you would need without tier gates. You can configure stages, add the data fields or build automation rules based on your requirements.
Also, integrations work differently. Bigin serves as your entry point into Zoho's ecosystem. Your CRM natively connects with Books for accounting, Desk for customer support and more. They share data automatically because they are built to work together.
Getting Support and Making Your Decision
HubSpot's support follows the same philosophy of its pricing tiers. Free and Starter plans rely on self-service and other resources. Direct support and onboarding assistance requires more investment.
Bigin includes email and phone support at every level. As a Zoho implementation partner, CirroCraft can help you configure Bigin around your exact sales process. You get hands-on assistance from Zoho experts and not just documents and links.
In the end, HubSpot works well for companies needing enterprise capabilities with budgets that can accommodate their tier progression.
Bigin delivers functionality that's typically locked behind a paywall at predictable costs. Small businesses focused on value and execution get immediate access to capabilities they need. Every dollar of your CRM investment goes towards growing revenue and features your team will use.