Salesforce vs. HubSpot vs. Custom: Choosing the Best CRM for Your Local Team

Bottom Line: HubSpot is best for most Brisbane SMBs, Salesforce for complex enterprises, and custom CRMs for businesses with unique workflows that off-the-shelf can't handle.

The Honest Comparison

HubSpot **Best for:** Brisbane businesses with 2-50 employees

Pros: - Free tier is genuinely useful - Intuitive interface — your team will actually use it - Excellent marketing automation built in - Great website integration options

Cons: - Gets expensive fast as you scale - Some features locked behind premium tiers - Less customisable than Salesforce

Cost: Free to $3,600/month depending on tier

Salesforce **Best for:** Brisbane businesses with 50+ employees or complex sales processes

Pros: - Infinitely customisable - Massive app ecosystem - Enterprise-grade reporting - Industry-specific solutions

Cons: - Steep learning curve - Requires a dedicated admin - Expensive, especially with add-ons - Overkill for most Brisbane SMBs

Cost: $25 to $300+ per user per month

Custom CRM **Best for:** Brisbane businesses with unique workflows that don't fit standard CRMs

Pros: - Built exactly for your process - No per-user licensing fees - Can integrate with any system - You own the code

Cons: - Higher upfront development cost - Requires ongoing maintenance - No community support or marketplace

Cost: $15K-$80K to build, $200-500/month to maintain

Our Recommendation for Brisbane Businesses

For 80% of Brisbane businesses, HubSpot's free or Starter tier is the right choice. It provides everything you need without the complexity, and integrates beautifully with modern websites.

Pro Tip from Our Team

Don't choose a CRM based on features you might need someday. Choose based on what you need now. We've seen Brisbane businesses buy Salesforce when HubSpot Free would have been perfect — and then never use 90% of the features.

Need help choosing and integrating a CRM? Talk to our Brisbane team.