CRM and sales · Comparison
Attio vs HubSpot: pricing, data model and which CRM an early-stage team should pick
Attio and HubSpot both start free. They part ways at the plan where sequences live: Attio Pro at $79 a seat, HubSpot Professional at $90 plus a $1,500 onboarding fee. Here is what each plan includes, what five seats cost, and when each one fits.
Disclosure: SaaS Relaunch is an Instantly Solutions Partner, and Instantly is one of the tools we set up for clients, who own and fund their own accounts. The partnership does not decide any verdict here: every claim links to its source.
The short answer
For a founder-led team of up to ten sellers working mostly by email, Attio is the better fit: free for three seats, Plus at $35 a seat billed annually, and Pro at $79 with sequences, call recording and custom objects. Its startup program takes 80 percent off Pro in year one. Five Pro seats cost $4,740 for a year at list price, against $6,900 for HubSpot Professional with its onboarding fee.
Pick HubSpot if you will run marketing, service and sales on one platform, want the largest app marketplace, or expect to grow past the stage where Attio fits; one RevOps agency sees its clients move from Attio to HubSpot at $5 to $15 million in annual revenue. HubSpot's free CRM costs nothing for two users, and its startup program takes up to 90 percent off Professional in year one.
Attio vs HubSpot at a glance
HubSpot is a platform: a free CRM with hubs for sales, marketing, service, content and operations on top, each sold at Starter, Professional and Enterprise. Attio is a CRM built around a flexible data model, with AI research and enrichment built in, sold in four plans. Both sync Gmail and Outlook, both have a free plan, and both run startup programs. The real decision sits at the plan where sequences and automation live.
| Attio | HubSpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 3 seats, 50,000 records | Up to 2 users, 1,000 contacts on new accounts |
| Entry paid plan | Plus: $35 a seat billed annually, $44 monthly; up to 10 seats | Starter: $20 a seat at list; an offer for new customers |
| Plan with sequences | Pro: $79 a seat billed annually, $99 monthly | Sales Hub Professional: $90 a seat billed annually, $100 monthly |
| One-time onboarding fee | None | $1,500 on Professional, $3,500 on Enterprise |
| Custom objects | Pro and up (12 objects) | Enterprise only, $150 a seat |
| Records | 50,000 Free, 250,000 Plus, 1 million Pro | Contacts by plan |
| Call recording and transcripts | Pro and up | Not compared here |
| AI | Research agent, AI attributes, Ask Attio; credits by plan | Breeze assistant; 500 to 5,000 credits a month by plan |
| Startup program | 80% off Pro in year one, 30% in year two | Up to 90% off Professional in year one, then 50% and 30% |
| G2 rating, October 2026 | 4.3 from 597 reviews | 4.4 from 14,347 reviews |
Attio pricing in 2026, and what changed in July
Attio raised its prices in July 2026. Plus is now $35 a seat a month billed annually, or $44 monthly, and is capped at 10 seats; Pro is $79 billed annually, or $99 monthly, with no seat cap; Enterprise is priced by quote and billed annually. G2 and Capterra still list the old $29 and $69, and Attio localizes prices by region, so check the price in your own currency.
Each step adds a clear block. Plus raises the limits (250,000 records, 5 objects), adds basic permissions, call logging, and bulk email to up to 50 recipients at once with 1,000 sends a user a month. Pro adds sequences with no monthly send cap, call recording with AI transcripts, custom objects and relationship attributes, teams, per-person permissions and advanced reports. AI credits grow with each plan, and Free cannot buy more.
What five seats cost for a year
Take five sellers on the plan with sequences, billed annually. Attio Pro comes to $4,740 for the year. HubSpot Sales Hub Professional comes to $5,400 for the seats plus the $1,500 onboarding fee: $6,900. The startup programs change the picture in year one: Attio's 80 percent off brings Pro to $948, and HubSpot's top tier of 90 percent off brings the seats to $540, before onboarding.
Both programs need an application and have conditions. Attio's applies to annual Pro for venture-backed startups or those referred by a partner, in workspaces of up to 10 seats, and you apply within 90 days of starting. HubSpot's runs through approved partners and accelerators, with funding thresholds that guides report differently. Our HubSpot for startups guide (opens in a new tab) covers its tiers year by year.
The data model: objects, lists and relationships
This is where the two feel different day to day. Attio starts with People, Companies and Deals, plus Users and Workspaces for product-led teams, and lets you add custom objects on Pro. Lists hold records with attributes that belong only to that list, such as a stage in one pipeline, and relationship attributes link objects in both directions. HubSpot starts with contacts, companies, deals, tickets and leads, linked by associations; labelling those associations needs Professional, and custom objects need Enterprise.
In practice, a product-led startup that wants to see users and workspaces beside deals gets there on Attio Pro; on HubSpot it waits for Enterprise. Ziel Lab, a RevOps agency, calls HubSpot's custom objects functional but stiff, and still sees its clients move from Attio to HubSpot at $5 to $15 million in annual revenue, when marketing automation and a larger ecosystem start to matter more than flexibility.
Outbound integrations: Clay, Instantly, Smartlead and Apollo
For a founder running outbound, the CRM is where results land, so the connectors matter. HubSpot connects natively to all of the common tools. Attio covers Clay and Instantly with apps, has a read-only Apollo app, and reaches Smartlead only through Zapier or its API.
| Attio | HubSpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Clay | Two-way sync, built by Clay | Marketplace app |
| Instantly | App built by Instantly | Native, mostly one-way |
| Smartlead | No native app; Zapier or API | Native |
| Apollo | Official app, read-only | Two-way sync of contacts, accounts and deals |
| HeyReach | Community-built app | Native |
| Zapier | On every plan | Yes |
| API and webhooks | API, signed webhooks with retries | API and webhooks |
Moving from HubSpot to Attio
Attio has a built-in importer for HubSpot, run through Import2, free on Plus and above, for admins. It brings over companies, people, deals, custom objects, notes, tasks and files, matches people by email and companies by domain, and does not overwrite attributes that already exist. You run a sample first, and a migration can be undone. Workflows, sequences and marketing assets do not transfer; you rebuild them.
Attio
Founder-led teamsBest for: early-stage teams of up to ten sellers who sell mostly by email and want a flexible data model with AI research built in.
Strengths
- Free for 3 seats and 50,000 records
- Pro at $79 a seat billed annually, with sequences and call recording
- Custom objects on Pro, not Enterprise
- Startup program: 80 percent off Pro in year one
Watch-outs
- Prices rose in July 2026; Plus is capped at 10 seats
- Reviewers point to thin reporting and a weak mobile app
- No native Smartlead app; Apollo's app is read-only
Skip it if: you need marketing automation and a service desk on the same platform.
Pricing: Free; Plus $35 a seat a month ($44 monthly); Pro $79 ($99 monthly); Enterprise by quote.
HubSpot
One platformBest for: teams that want sales, marketing and service on one platform, the largest app marketplace, and room to grow.
Strengths
- Free CRM for 2 users, with no expiry
- Native connections to every common outbound tool
- Startup program: up to 90 percent off Professional in year one
- 4.4 on G2 from 14,347 reviews
Watch-outs
- Sequences need Professional, $90 a seat plus $1,500 onboarding
- Custom objects need Enterprise
- Reviewers complain about the jump from Starter to Professional
Skip it if: you are a small email-first team that will not use HubSpot's marketing tools.
Pricing: Free; Starter $20 a seat at list; Sales Hub Professional $90 billed annually ($100 monthly) plus $1,500 onboarding; Enterprise $150 plus $3,500.
Attio or HubSpot: which to choose
Choose Attio if
- You are a founder-led team of up to ten sellers
- You want users and workspaces beside deals without Enterprise pricing
- You use Clay or Instantly and want research and enrichment inside the CRM
Choose HubSpot if
- You will run marketing and service from the same platform
- You rely on Smartlead, Apollo or HeyReach syncing natively
- You expect to grow past ten sellers and want one system for years
Still deciding on a CRM at all? Our best CRM for startups guide (opens in a new tab) adds Pipedrive, Salesforce Starter and Folk, and the GTM tech stack guide (opens in a new tab) shows where the CRM fits among the other tools.
Questions
Is Attio better than HubSpot?
For a founder-led team of up to ten sellers selling by email, often yes: sequences and custom objects on Pro at $79 a seat, with no onboarding fee. HubSpot fits teams that want marketing and service on one platform.
How much does Attio cost?
Attio is free for up to 3 seats. Plus costs $35 a seat a month billed annually ($44 monthly), Pro $79 ($99 monthly), and Enterprise is priced by quote. Prices rose in July 2026.
Does Attio have a startup discount?
Yes. Attio's startup program takes 80 percent off annual Pro in year one and 30 percent in year two, for venture-backed or partner-referred startups with up to 10 seats who apply within 90 days.
Does HubSpot Starter include sequences?
No. HubSpot sequences need Sales Hub Professional or Enterprise. Professional costs $90 a seat a month billed annually, plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee.
Can I migrate from HubSpot to Attio?
Yes. Attio has a built-in HubSpot importer, free on Plus and above, that moves companies, people, deals, custom objects, notes, tasks and files. Workflows and sequences must be rebuilt.
Does Attio integrate with Instantly and Clay?
Yes. Clay built a two-way Attio sync, and Instantly has an app in Attio's directory. Smartlead has no native Attio app and connects through Zapier or the API.
Which CRM has custom objects on a cheaper plan?
Attio. Custom objects come with Pro at $79 a seat billed annually. HubSpot puts them on Enterprise, at $150 a seat plus a $3,500 onboarding fee.
When do startups move from Attio to HubSpot?
One RevOps agency, Ziel Lab, sees its clients move at $5 to $15 million in annual revenue, when marketing automation and a larger ecosystem matter more than a flexible data model.
Sources
- Attio plans and features (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Manage workspace and seat credits (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Email outbox (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Understanding objects (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Understanding Attio's data model (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Recording calls with Attio (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Introducing AI attributes (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Web research agent (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Changelog, September 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Attio for startups (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Attio raises $52M Series B (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Migrate data from another CRM (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Attio pricing (opens in a new tab), SaaS CRM Review, checked October 21, 2026
- Attio pricing (opens in a new tab), Coworker, checked October 21, 2026
- Attio vs HubSpot (opens in a new tab), SaaS CRM Review, checked October 21, 2026
- HubSpot vs Attio: the honest 2026 comparison (opens in a new tab), Ziel Lab, checked October 21, 2026
- Attio review (opens in a new tab), Hack'celeration, checked October 21, 2026
- Attio reviews (opens in a new tab), G2, checked October 21, 2026
- HubSpot Sales Hub reviews (opens in a new tab), G2, checked October 21, 2026
- Sales Hub Starter (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- Sales software pricing (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- Product and services catalog (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- Create and edit sequences (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- Create custom objects (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- Associate records (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- HubSpot credits (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- Customer Agent and Prospecting Agent pricing (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- Attio changelog (opens in a new tab), Clay, checked October 21, 2026
- Instantly for Attio (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Apollo for Attio (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- HeyReach for Attio (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 21, 2026
- Clay for HubSpot (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- HubSpot integration overview (opens in a new tab), Apollo, checked October 21, 2026
- Integrations (opens in a new tab), Smartlead, checked October 21, 2026
- HubSpot integration is live (opens in a new tab), HeyReach, checked October 21, 2026
How these comparisons are made: from each vendor's own documentation and pricing pages, independent reviews and the policies of the platforms involved, each linked and dated. Prices change often; check the vendor's page before you buy.
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