HubSpot vs Folk

HubSpot is the enterprise CRM with a full marketing suite. Folk is a lightweight, relationship-focused CRM that keeps things simple. Compare pricing and features.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

HubSpot

All-in-one CRM with marketing, sales, and service hubs

$20/seat/moper seat/month, billed annually (Sales Hub Starter)

Strengths

+Complete platform covering marketing, sales, and support
+Free CRM tier is genuinely useful for getting started
+Marketing automation and email tools are best in class

Weaknesses

-Pricing jumps dramatically as you move up tiers
-Complexity can overwhelm small teams who just need a CRM
-Many features are locked behind Professional and Enterprise plans

Best for

Growing companies that want one platform for marketing, sales, and customer service with deep automation capabilities.

Folk

Lightweight CRM focused on relationships, not pipelines

$20/user/moper user/month, billed annually (Standard plan)

Strengths

+Clean, intuitive interface that feels like a modern spreadsheet
+Contact enrichment pulls in data automatically
+Chrome extension captures contacts from anywhere on the web

Weaknesses

-No marketing automation or landing page builder
-Reporting is basic compared to full-suite CRMs
-Smaller integration ecosystem than HubSpot

Best for

Small teams and founders who want a simple, fast CRM for managing relationships without the bloat of enterprise platforms.

Feature Comparison

Feature	HubSpot	Folk
Pricing	$20/seat/mo (Starter, billed annually)	$20/user/mo (Standard, billed annually)
Free tier	Yes (basic CRM)	Yes (limited to 2 users, 100 contacts)
Marketing automation	Excellent	No
Email sequences	Yes (paid)	Yes (built in)
Contact enrichment	Add-on	Built in
Custom fields	Yes	Yes
Integrations	1,500+ apps	Growing, key tools covered
Reporting	Advanced	Basic
Pipeline management	Advanced, multi-pipeline	Simple pipelines
Setup time	Days to weeks	Hours

The Verdict

HubSpot is the right choice if you need marketing automation, detailed analytics, and a platform that scales to enterprise. Folk is for teams who looked at HubSpot and thought 'this is way too much.' If you mainly need to track relationships and send emails, Folk does that at roughly the same per-seat cost as HubSpot's cheapest tier, but with none of the bloat and no forced upsells.

How to switch from HubSpot to Folk

Full HubSpot export guide →

1In HubSpot, go to Contacts, Companies, and Deals separately and use the 'Export' button to download each as a CSV — or use Account Setup > Data Management > Export to pull a full portal backup as a zip of CSV files.
2Clean up the CSVs before import: remove HubSpot-specific fields (lifecycle stage, HubSpot score) that won't map to Folk, and rename columns to match Folk's import template if needed.
3In Folk, create a new workspace and use the CSV import tool to bring in contacts and companies first, then deals/pipelines as a separate import so records link correctly.
4Rebuild any HubSpot workflows as Zapier or Make automations pointed at Folk — common ones include new-contact Slack alerts, lead assignment, and calendar/email sync.
5Reconnect each team member's Gmail or Outlook account in Folk so email sequences and mail merge start working from day one.
6Run both tools in parallel for one billing cycle, confirm no leads or deals are missing in Folk, then cancel HubSpot to stop the recurring charge.

HubSpot vs Folk: common questions

How do I export my data from HubSpot before switching?+

Go to your HubSpot account settings and use the built-in export tool under Contacts, Companies, or Deals — each object exports to a CSV or XLSX file. For a full backup, HubSpot also offers a one-click 'Export all data' option under Account Setup that packages your entire portal (contacts, deals, notes, emails) into a zip of CSV files. Do this before downgrading or canceling, since some exports become unavailable once you drop below certain plan tiers.

What features do I lose by moving from HubSpot to Folk?+

You lose marketing automation, landing pages, workflows, and the deep multi-object reporting HubSpot offers — Folk has no email marketing builder or lead scoring. You also lose HubSpot's larger integration marketplace, though Folk covers the basics through Zapier, Gmail, and Outlook. If your team relies on HubSpot for anything beyond CRM and outreach, expect to keep a separate tool for that piece.

Is Folk's free plan enough for a small team?+

Folk's free plan caps out at 2 users and 100 contacts, which works for a solo founder testing the waters but not for an active sales team. Most small teams end up on the Standard plan ($20/user/month annually) almost immediately once they exceed the contact limit. Budget for the paid tier rather than expecting to run indefinitely on free.

Will my existing integrations still work after switching to Folk?+

Not directly — Folk doesn't have native HubSpot-style workflow automations, so anything built on HubSpot workflows (like auto-assigning leads or triggering emails on form fills) needs to be rebuilt using Zapier or Make with Folk as the endpoint. Simple integrations like Gmail/Outlook sync, calendar sync, and Slack notifications are supported natively in Folk and should work out of the box.

Is Folk actually cheaper than HubSpot over time?+

Per seat, Folk's Standard plan and HubSpot's Sales Hub Starter are both around $20/user/month, so the entry-level cost is similar. The real savings show up as you scale: HubSpot pushes you into Professional ($90+/seat/month) for automation and reporting features that Folk includes at its top $40/seat Premium tier, so a growing team saves significantly more over 12-24 months on Folk.