When and How to Scale With HubSpot Hubs
TL;DR
- HubSpot includes six core paid Hubs—Marketing, Sales, Service, Content, Operations, Commerce—tied together by the AI-powered Smart CRM.
- Add Hubs only when your business needs them—don’t overload your users or budget.
- Choose the Starter Customer Platform bundle if you plan to use multiple Hubs; it’s more cost-effective.
- Roll out each Hub in phases: assess needs, train users, launch pilots, then expand.
1) Understand the Hub Options
HubSpot’s platform architecture extends beyond its free CRM. Paid “Hubs” include:
- Marketing Hub
- Sales Hub
- Service Hub
- Content Hub (formerly CMS)
- Operations Hub
- Commerce Hub
All rely on the Smart CRM and Breeze AI to unify your data across functions.
2) Scale Strategically—Don’t Expand Prematurely
Growth begins with business needs, not product features. Evaluate team bandwidth, available resources, and real ROI potential before adding a new Hub.
3) When Each Hub Makes Sense
- Marketing Hub — Useful when free tools limit automation, content, or lead gen needs.
- Sales Hub — Add it once your team needs quoting, sequences, or advanced deal tracking.
- Service Hub — Needed when support, help desk, or knowledge infrastructure becomes mission-critical.
- Content Hub — Ideal when you need blog, landing page, and AI-enabled personalization.
- Operations Hub — Essential when you must sync apps, clean data, or automate backend workflows.
- Commerce Hub — Required once you send invoices, collect payments, or manage subscriptions.
4) Bundles, Pricing & Seat Planning
HubSpot’s Starter Customer Platform bundle gives lightweight access to all paid Hubs for about $9–$20/seat/month (depending on commitment)
Seat structure:
- Core Seat grants access to most Hubs.
- Sales/Service seats unlock advanced features in those Hubs.
5) Phased Rollout Strategy
- Identify opportunity (e.g., inefficient support, lead process gaps)
- Activate Pilots—small team, targeted workflow
- Train users on the navigation, dashboards, and goals
- Monitor performance—report on key metrics
- Expand access and refine based on early wins
6) Daily & Quarterly Habits
- Daily: Reinforce usage with shared dashboards or Slack summaries
- Quarterly: Reevaluate needs, retire unused Hubs, and reallocate budget to high-impact usage
Pro Tips
- Start with Starter seats or sandbox environment to test before full rollout
- Use HubSpot Academy to onboard new users efficiently
- Bundle seats under the Customer Platform when using two or more Hubs for savings and unified UX
FAQ
Q: What are the six paid Hubs in HubSpot?
They are Marketing, Sales, Service, Content, Operations, and Commerce—on top of the Smart CRM and AI layer.
Q: When should I bundle multiple Hubs?
Use the Starter Customer Platform bundle when planning to adopt multiple Hubs—it consolidates seats and reduces cost.
Q: What's the difference between Core seats and specialized seats?
Core seats cover multiple Hubs. Sales and Service seats unlock advanced features in those Hubs.
Q: What triggers adding Operations Hub?
When you need app syncing, data cleansing, or programmable automations across your operations.
Q: Why add Commerce Hub?
Once your business starts sending invoices, payment links, or managing subscriptions—Commerce Hub supports these workflows.