Demystifying HubSpot's New Pricing Model

On March 5th, HubSpot rolled out a new seats-based pricing model for all Hubs and subscription tiers. 

HubSpot Introduces New Pricing Model

Starting March 5, 2024, HubSpot launched a new seats-based pricing model applicable across all Hubs and subscription tiers—Starter, Professional, and Enterprise. This strategic shift introduces two key features: Core Seats and View-Only Seats, eliminating seat minimums for Sales and Service Hubs.

Source: HubSpot

Here’s what this means for your business:

Core Seats: Granting edit access to purchased Hubs and HubSpot’s Smart CRM, Core Seats are designed to empower your teams with cross-platform AI products and features, streamlining workflows and providing a unified customer journey understanding.

View-Only Seats: Available for free and unlimited to paid portals, these seats cater to team members requiring visibility without the necessity of edit access.

Source: HubSpot

Why This Matters

HubSpot’s revamped pricing model is sculpted with flexibility and scalability in mind, addressing direct feedback and evolving market needs:

Start and Scale with Ease: With the introduction of the Core Seat at the Starter tier and the removal of seat minimums, HubSpot has made it simpler for businesses to initiate and scale their growth journeys.

Enhanced Team Connectivity: The new model ensures that your teams stay interconnected through the Smart CRM, providing a centralized view of the customer lifecycle.

AI-Powered Efficiency: Embedding AI capabilities across its platforms, HubSpot enables your teams to achieve higher effectiveness through data-unified workflows and enriched customer insights.

What This Means for Existing and New Customers

For newcomers, this updated model kicks in globally from March 5, 2024 (March 6 in the Asia Pacific region), introducing a more transparent and growth-oriented pricing structure. For existing customers, worry not; there’s no immediate change. However, understanding these updates is crucial for planning your business’s future with HubSpot.

• HubSpot plans to start migrating customers over to the new pricing model later this year and into 2025.
• Your pricing will not be affected until your next renewal. So if you have a 12 or 24-month contract that ends in early 2025, for example, you would not be moved to the new pricing model until your renewal comes up at that time.
• On your first renewal post-migration, you may see a migration-related price increase of about 5% or less. (This excludes other factors that may impact pricing including contact increases, usage limits and platform upgrades).
• If you're working with Ascend or another HubSpot Solutions Partner, our seats in your portal do not count against your seat type. Partners have a special seat type, called "Partner Seats" that allows us edit access in your portals without impacting your core seat count. 

A Dive into Community Feedback

The new model has stirred varied reactions:

Pros: The elimination of seat minimums and the introduction of View-Only Seats have been warmly welcomed, enhancing flexibility and aligning with real-world usage.
Cons: Transitioning to a Core Seat system may initially unsettle existing customers accustomed to the previous model. Yet, understanding the long-term benefits is key to embracing change.

Ascend's Take

We're generally optimistic about the new pricing structure. We support the lower barrier to entry for Sales and Service Hub Pro+. We also believe that we and our clients will be more intentional about selecting core seat users and the key roles and tasks they will be responsible for in HubSpot. I predict our clients will have better control over their portals, less confusion in key roles and responsibilities for users, and less exposure to security risks.

We understand that change brings questions. We’re here to answer them and guide you through this new HubSpot journey.