Tool matchup
HubSpot CRM vs n8n for consultants. Compare two Ops & Finance tools on pricing, setup speed, strengths, and Curalo score.
Free CRM with deal pipeline, contact management, email tracking, and meeting scheduling — plus the Breeze AI assistant on every plan, including free. Scales from solo consultant to full agency without switching platforms.
Prices checked October 23, 2026hubspot.com pricing page
Open-source workflow automation platform — Reddit's favorite alternative to Zapier. n8n bills per workflow run, not per step, so a 20-step workflow counts once (Zapier counts every action as a task, Make every operation). Self-host the free Community Edition for full data control, or use n8n Cloud. Visual workflow builder, and every plan includes every integration. Ideal for consultants who want powerful automation without SaaS cost creep.
Prices checked October 26, 2026n8n.io pricing page
HubSpot CRM leads by 7 points (strong advantage).
Decision shortcuts
Client-ready brief
Send a concise summary of winner, trade-offs, and rollout recommendation.
Best fit
Best for: Every consultant who tracks more than 5 active prospects or clients.
Why pick it: The free tier is genuinely useful — 2 seats, up to 1,000 contacts, deal pipeline, email tracking, and the Breeze AI assistant at no cost. Most solo consultants don't outgrow it for a while, and it connects to nearly every tool in this catalog.
Watch for: If you manage fewer than 5 clients total and use referrals exclusively, a spreadsheet works fine. HubSpot shines when your pipeline has volume.
Best for: Tech-savvy consultants who want powerful automation without per-task pricing or vendor lock-in.
Why pick it: You pay per workflow run, not per step, so long multi-step workflows cost the same as short ones, and the self-hosted Community Edition is free. Self-hosting gives full data control. Visual workflow builder is intuitive despite the power underneath.
Watch for: Steeper learning curve than Zapier. If you want plug-and-play automation with zero setup, Zapier is more beginner-friendly.
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HubSpot CRM | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Quick facts | ||
| Pricing sanity | Free, paid from $20/mo | Free, paid from €20/mo |
| Setup speed | 30 min setup | 2 hour setup |
| Integrations | 5+ | 6+ |
| Score breakdown | ||
| Outcome fit | 24/25 | 21/25 |
| Setup speed | 14/20 | 13/20 |
| Pricing sanity | 13/15 | 14/15 |
| Integrations | 14/15 | 13/15 |
| UX polish | 12/15 | 11/15 |
| Trust & support | 10/10 | 8/10 |
| Summary | ||
| Best for | Every consultant who tracks more than 5 active prospects or clients. | Tech-savvy consultants who want powerful automation without per-task pricing or vendor lock-in. |
| Key strength | Strong on trust | Strong on pricing |
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Limits (vendor's wording) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free for up to 2 users; no credit card required |
| Starter | $20 per seat / month, billed annually$20 per seat / month, billed monthly | Shown from $7/seat/mo billed annually ($10 monthly) as a limited-time offer for new customers; list price $20/seat/mo. Includes 500 HubSpot Credits |
| Professional | $90 per seat / month, billed annually$100 per seat / month, billed monthly | Sales Hub Professional, from $90/seat/mo billed annually ($100 billed monthly). Adds Sequences, Forecasting and Conversation intelligence; 3,000 HubSpot Credits. Required one-time onboarding fee of $1,500 |
| Enterprise | $150 per seat / month, billed annually | Sales Hub Enterprise, from $150/seat/mo. Adds deal splits, pipeline approvals and a standard sandbox; 5,000 HubSpot Credits. Required one-time onboarding fee of $3,500 |
Prices checked October 23, 2026hubspot.com pricing page
| Plan | Price | Limits (vendor's wording) |
|---|---|---|
| Community Edition | Free | Self-hosted on your own server, free and open source; you pay only for hosting |
| Starter | €20 per account / month, billed annually€24 per account / month, billed monthly | n8n Cloud: 2,500 workflow executions a month, 5 concurrent executions, 1 shared project, unlimited users |
| Pro | €50 per account / month, billed annually€60 per account / month, billed monthly | n8n Cloud: from 10,000 workflow executions a month, 3 shared projects, admin roles, workflow history |
| Business | €667 per account / month, billed annually€800 per account / month, billed monthly | Self-hosted only: 40,000 workflow executions a month, SSO and LDAP, Git version control, 6 shared projects |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Contact sales: cloud or self-hosted, 200+ concurrent executions, dedicated support with SLA |
Prices checked October 26, 2026n8n.io pricing page
Cost calculator
$20 per month · $240 per year
Cheapest plan that fits: Starter, $20 per seat or user
€20 per month · €240 per year
Cheapest plan that fits: Starter, €20 per seat or user
Uses list prices from each vendor's pricing page, before tax and discounts. Free plans and custom-quote plans are left out.
Method
Used by consultants
From a consultant who wrote about this tool. This does not affect the score.
Common questions
HubSpot CRM scores 87/100 and n8n scores 80/100 on Curalo's consultant rubric. The biggest gap is Trust & support: HubSpot CRM 10/10 vs 8/10.
HubSpot CRM's cheapest paid plan is Starter at $20 per seat / month, billed annually. n8n's cheapest paid plan is Starter at €20 per account / month, billed annually.
HubSpot CRM has a free plan: Free for up to 2 users; no credit card required. n8n has a free plan (Community Edition): Self-hosted on your own server, free and open source; you pay only for hosting.
HubSpot CRM: $20 a month on Starter. n8n: €20 a month on Starter. Annual list prices where available, before tax.
If you manage fewer than 5 clients total and use referrals exclusively, a spreadsheet works fine. HubSpot shines when your pipeline has volume.
Steeper learning curve than Zapier. If you want plug-and-play automation with zero setup, Zapier is more beginner-friendly.
Guides
Your tool needs change at every growth stage. A practical guide to the technology, processes, and decisions that take you from solo consultant to small firm — without losing what made you great.
Stop Copy-Pasting Between Five Tabs: How to Connect Your Consulting StackThe practical guide to wiring your consulting tools together. Which integrations actually matter, what to automate first, and the mistakes that silently break your workflow.
The AI Stack for Solo ConsultantsA comprehensive guide to building the right AI-powered tool stack across five consulting workflow stages, with budget tiers from $0 to $500/month and a two-week setup sprint.
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