Both products call themselves automation, but one counts seats and the other counts tasks.
TL;DR
HubSpot automates what happens inside its own records: free tools at $0 for two users, Starter at $20 per seat per month ($7 per seat for new customers billed annually), Professional at $90 per seat billed annually on Sales Hub or $800 per month for Marketing Hub, Enterprise at $150 per seat. Zapier automates across other companies' apps: Free forever with 100 tasks a month, Professional from $19.99 per month billed annually, Team from $69, Enterprise quoted, all metered by task volume. Buy HubSpot when the workflow should live where the contacts are; buy Zapier when the workflow spans tools HubSpot does not own.
HubSpot's automation is a feature of its customer platform rather than a separate meter. The free tools cost $0 per month for up to two users; Starter lists at $20 per seat per month, currently $7 per seat for new customers billed annually and $10 billed monthly; Sales Hub and Service Hub Professional run $90 per seat per month billed annually ($100 billed monthly) with required one-time onboarding of $1,500, and Marketing Hub Professional is $800 per month with three core seats and $3,000 onboarding. Workflows act on the objects the CRM already holds: forms, contacts, deals, tickets, email and ads, with AI actions metered through HubSpot Credits.
Zapier is a task-priced automation layer that connects software it does not sell. The Free plan runs 100 tasks per month with unlimited Zap workflows, Tables and Forms and two-step Zaps. Professional starts at $19.99 per month billed annually (33% below monthly billing) and unlocks multi-step Zaps, unlimited premium apps, webhooks, AI fields and support by email and live chat. Team starts at $69 per month billed annually and adds 25 users, shared workspaces and app connections, SAML SSO and priority support; Enterprise is quoted and adds unlimited users, advanced admin controls, observability and a technical account manager. Task tiers run from 100 per month to 2 million and beyond, and each higher tier lowers the cost per task.
| Feature | HubSpot | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Starter $20 per seat per month; $7 per seat annual rate for new customers | Professional from $19.99 per month billed annually |
| Free tier | Free tools at $0 per month for up to two users | Free forever with 100 tasks per month and two-step Zaps |
| Mid tier | Professional $90 per seat per month billed annually (Sales Hub) | Team from $69 per month billed annually, 25 users |
| Higher rung | Marketing Hub Professional $800 per month with three core seats | Task tiers raise the included volume; cost per task falls as tiers rise |
| Top tier | Enterprise $150 per seat per month; Marketing Hub Enterprise $3,600 | Enterprise, quoted by Zapier with unlimited users |
| Billing basis | Per seat, plus contact tiers and HubSpot Credits for AI actions | Per task per month, from 100 tasks to 2 million and beyond |
| Automation scope | Workflows on contacts, deals, tickets, email, forms and ads | Multi-step Zaps, Tables, Forms, Interfaces, MCP and agents across external apps |
| Admin and security | Governance and content limits arrive with the Enterprise tier | SAML SSO and shared workspaces from Team; advanced admin controls on Enterprise |
| Onboarding | One-time onboarding listed at $1,500 (Sales/Service Professional) and $3,000 (Marketing) | No mandatory onboarding fee shown |
| Platform | Browser-based, with iOS and Android apps | Browser-based, with iOS and Android apps |
Pick HubSpot if
Lead capture, deal updates, ticket routing and campaign triggers all run on records the platform already owns, so there is no task bill and no sync to maintain. Zapier earns its fee only once the automation has to reach products HubSpot does not control.
Pick Zapier if
Multi-step Zaps, webhooks, Tables and Forms connect applications that have no native relationship, the free tier already runs 100 tasks a month, and the price of scale is visible in the task table before committing. HubSpot is the better home for automation that never leaves the CRM.
We collected no independent reviews, ratings or user quotations for HubSpot or Zapier in this run; compliance claims such as SOC 2 and GDPR status are Zapier's own statements from its pricing page. All prices were read from hubspot.com and zapier.com pricing pages.
Both have a usable free tier: HubSpot's free tools cost $0 for up to two users, and Zapier's free plan runs 100 tasks per month. On paid entry, HubSpot Starter lists at $20 per seat ($7 for new customers annually) and Zapier Professional starts at $19.99 per month billed annually, so the sticker prices are close but the units differ.
Each completed action in a workflow spends a task. Plans come with a monthly task allowance that starts at 100 on the free tier and steps up through published tiers to 2 million and beyond, and Zapier states that higher tiers lower the cost per task. HubSpot has no equivalent meter on its workflow engine.
No. Zapier automates between products; it does not store contacts, run campaigns or manage pipelines. A CRM subscription is still required, and Zapier's workflows typically sit on top of one.
AI features run on HubSpot Credits, which the vendor sells in packs or through pay-as-you-go, with spend controls per feature. Seat price and contact tiers remain the fixed parts of the bill.
Zapier lists SAML SSO from its Team plan at $69 per month billed annually, together with shared workspaces and app connections. HubSpot's single sign-on availability is tied to its higher tiers rather than the published Starter plan.
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