HubSpot vs Monday.com (2026): CRM vs Work OS

HubSpot and Monday.com solve different problems but compete for the same budget. HubSpot is the CRM-centric platform. Monday.com is the highly flexible work management tool that added CRM features recently.

The choice depends on whether you need true CRM power or flexible workflow management for diverse teams.

Quick Verdict

Bottom line: Pick HubSpot if you need comprehensive CRM with marketing automation. Choose Monday.com if you want flexible work management with light CRM capabilities.

Pricing Compared

Monday.com is cheaper for paid plans. HubSpot's free tier is more functional.

CRM Capabilities

HubSpot wins. Monday.com has CRM features, but HubSpot is built for it:

• Contact and company management
• Deal pipelines with automation
• Email tracking and sequences
• Meeting scheduling
• Sales analytics

Monday.com's CRM is good for basic needs but lacks HubSpot's depth. You can track contacts and deals, but advanced features like lead scoring, sophisticated automation sequences, and sales analytics require workarounds or integrations. For teams transitioning from spreadsheets, Monday.com feels like an upgrade. For teams outgrowing basic CRM, HubSpot provides the next level of sophistication.

HubSpot CRM in Practice

HubSpot's CRM organizes contacts, companies, deals, and tickets in a unified database. Every email, call, and website visit gets logged automatically. Sales reps see complete interaction history without manual data entry. The deal pipeline shows exactly where each opportunity stands, with forecasting based on historical close rates.

The email integration is particularly strong. HubSpot tracks opens, clicks, and replies automatically. Reps know when prospects engage and can time follow-ups accordingly. Email templates and sequences automate repetitive outreach while keeping things personal.

Monday.com CRM Limitations

Monday.com approaches CRM as a specialized board type. You create columns for contact info, deal value, and status. It works for simple pipelines but struggles with complex B2B sales. There's no built-in email tracking, no meeting scheduler, and no native lead scoring.

You can add these capabilities through integrations, but that means managing multiple tools and paying for additional subscriptions. The Zapier connection to Gmail tracks some activity, but it's not as seamless as HubSpot's native integration.

Flexibility

Monday.com wins. The platform is endlessly customizable:

• Custom boards for any workflow
• 30+ column types
• Automations without code
• Multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, calendar)
• Templates for every use case

HubSpot is flexible within its CRM framework. Monday.com lets you build almost anything.

Monday.com's Visual Approach

Monday.com organizes work in boards, columns, and items. A board might represent a project, a sales pipeline, or a content calendar. Columns track whatever matters: status, dates, owners, budgets, or custom data. Items are the individual tasks, deals, or content pieces.

This structure adapts to almost any workflow. Marketing teams track campaigns through production stages. HR teams manage hiring pipelines. Operations teams monitor inventory and suppliers. The same platform serves completely different purposes without customization costs.

The color-coding and visual layout make status obvious at a glance. Red items need attention, green items are on track, yellow items are in progress. Teams scan boards in daily standups rather than reading status reports.

HubSpot's Structured Approach

HubSpot offers flexibility within its CRM and service framework. You can customize deal stages, ticket pipelines, and contact properties. Workflows automate actions based on triggers. Dashboards show metrics that matter to your business.

But you're always working within HubSpot's object model: contacts, companies, deals, tickets. You can't easily repurpose the platform for unrelated workflows. A manufacturing team tracking equipment maintenance would struggle to fit that into HubSpot's sales-centric structure.

Marketing Integration

HubSpot wins decisively. Email marketing, social media, landing pages, and analytics are core HubSpot features.

Monday.com has no native marketing tools. You'd need integrations for everything.

Project Management

Monday.com wins. This is Monday.com's specialty. Visual boards, timelines, dependencies, and resource management.

HubSpot has tasks and projects, but they're secondary to CRM. Monday.com is purpose-built for work management.

Monday.com Project Features

Monday.com handles complex projects with dependencies, timelines, and resource allocation. The Gantt view shows how tasks connect and what happens if one slips. The workload view prevents overbooking team members. Time tracking measures actual hours against estimates.

Project templates accelerate setup. Choose a template for software development, construction, event planning, or marketing campaigns. Customize it to your process rather than building from scratch.

File sharing, comments, and updates happen in context. Discussions attach to specific tasks rather than getting lost in email threads. Everyone sees the latest version without searching.

HubSpot Project Limitations

HubSpot's project management is task-oriented, not project-oriented. You can create tasks, assign them, and set due dates. But there's no Gantt chart, no resource management, and no project-level reporting.

Tasks connect to contacts, companies, or deals, keeping work customer-focused. This works for sales follow-ups and service tickets. It doesn't work for building a website, launching a product, or planning an event.

Teams needing real project management often integrate HubSpot with Monday.com, Asana, or ClickUp. Deals in HubSpot trigger projects in the work management tool. Status updates sync back to HubSpot. This works but adds complexity and cost.

Ease of Customization

Monday.com wins. Drag, drop, customize. No coding needed for most workflows.

HubSpot requires more setup. More powerful for CRM, but harder to customize broadly.

Sales Automation

HubSpot wins. Sophisticated sales automation:

• Email sequences
• Task automation
• Lead scoring
• Deal stage automation
• Sales playbooks

Monday.com has automations, but they're workflow-focused, not sales-specific.

Visual Appeal

Monday.com wins. Colorful, visual, engaging interface. Teams enjoy using it.

HubSpot is professional but more utilitarian. Functional, not delightful.

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Sales Team Needing CRM

10 salespeople, need deal tracking and email automation.

Winner: HubSpot. True CRM features Monday.com can't match.

Scenario 2: Cross-Functional Team

Marketing, sales, and operations need shared workflow visibility.

Winner: Monday.com. Flexible boards handle diverse workflows better than HubSpot's CRM focus.

Scenario 3: Startup on Tight Budget

Need CRM + project management, money is tight.

Winner: HubSpot free tier + Monday.com free tier. Use both for free, integrate via Zapier.

Scenario 4: Agency Managing Clients

Need to track client work, sales pipeline, and team capacity.

Winner: Monday.com. Custom boards handle client work better than HubSpot's CRM structure.

Using Both Together

Some teams use both: HubSpot for CRM and marketing, Monday.com for project management and operations.

Integration keeps data in sync. Contacts from HubSpot flow to Monday.com boards. Deal status updates across both platforms.

This gives you the best of both but costs more and adds complexity.

The Verdict

Pick HubSpot if:

• CRM is your primary need
• Marketing automation matters
• You want all-in-one revenue platform
• Sales process is complex
• You need sophisticated email tracking

Pick Monday.com if:

• Workflow flexibility is critical
• You manage diverse projects
• Team visibility across work matters
• CRM needs are basic
• You value visual, engaging interface

Don't pick either if:

• You need pure project management (consider Asana or ClickUp)
• You want simple, cheap CRM (consider Pipedrive)
• You need enterprise power (consider Salesforce)

• Pipedrive vs Monday - Sales-focused vs work management comparison
• HubSpot vs Pipedrive - Two CRM approaches compared
• CRM vs Helpdesk Guide - Understanding the difference

Related Articles

• How to Choose Helpdesk Software - Selection framework
• Best Helpdesk for Small Business - Top picks

What Real Users Say About HubSpot Service Hub

Overall sentiment: HubSpot Service Hub holds a 4.3/5 rating on G2 with 313 mentions praising ease of use, but faces criticism for pricing starting at $90/agent/month and slow customer support response times.

What users consistently praise:

G2 reviews emphasize the platform's ease of use with "exceptional" ratings for getting started quickly. The all-in-one CRM integration, connecting marketing, sales, and service data, receives consistent praise from teams wanting unified customer views. Lagrowthmachine notes the free CRM tier includes unlimited users, providing real value for startups testing the platform. Automation capabilities and reporting tools satisfy teams needing workflow management without technical complexity.

Recurring complaints:

Trustpilot reviews (January 2026) document significant customer service issues, with one user describing "unprofessional, disrespectful" support interactions when trying to resolve plan issues. Pricing escalates quickly. Tldv.io and Featurebase note the steep costs when scaling, with Marketing + Service Hub Professional reaching $3,500-$4,500/month compared to alternatives at $900-$1,400. The learning curve for beginners remains substantial. Integration troubleshooting with third-party tools creates frustration according to SmartBugMedia reviews.

The non-obvious takeaway:

Reddit r/hubspot discussions reveal a common pattern where companies adopt Service Hub for its CRM integration but later face "suite lock-in" — the convenience of unified data makes migrating individual components (service, marketing, sales) prohibitively expensive and complex, effectively trapping growing companies in pricing tiers that outpace their budget.

Sources: G2, Lagrowthmachine, Trustpilot, Tldv.io, Featurebase, Reddit. Data aggregated February 2026.

What Real Users Say About Monday.com CRM

Overall sentiment: Monday.com CRM receives an 8/10 rating for features and usability with praise for visual customization at $12+/user/month, though users note essential CRM features are locked behind higher pricing tiers.

What users consistently praise:

TechRadar and CRM.org reviews emphasize the visual, customizable interface that makes pipeline management intuitive for sales teams. The Work OS foundation provides flexibility that traditional CRMs lack, with users praising the ability to adapt workflows without developer resources. Automation capabilities and integration ecosystem (40+ native integrations) satisfy teams wanting connected workflows. The Enterprise-level project management features appeal to organizations needing unified work and sales management platforms.

Recurring complaints:

Trustpilot reviews (November 2025) describe the platform as "not useful for project management" with complaints about "lack of features and lack of usability" — suggesting the visual approach doesn't satisfy all use cases. TechRadar notes essential CRM features like sales coaching tools, custom reporting templates, and custom field mapping are "sadly missing" from lower tiers. LarkSuite and Nutshell reviews criticize the pricing model where "many essential CRM features are locked behind higher-tier plans." The steep learning curve that SmartSuite documents (8/10 rating but with caveats) frustrates teams expecting immediate productivity.

The non-obvious takeaway:

Reddit r/mondaydotcom discussions reveal a pattern where teams initially attracted by the visual interface later struggle with "spreadsheet envy" — the flexibility that differentiates Monday.com from rigid CRMs becomes overwhelming for complex sales processes, creating a cycle of enthusiastic adoption followed by frustrated simplification or migration to purpose-built CRMs.

Sources: TechRadar, CRM.org, Trustpilot, LarkSuite, Nutshell, Reddit. Data aggregated February 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Monday.com replace HubSpot CRM?

For basic contact and deal tracking, yes. For sophisticated CRM, no.

Is HubSpot worth the price premium?

If you use marketing and service features, yes. For CRM alone, probably not.

Can I use both together?

Yes. Many companies use HubSpot for CRM/marketing and Monday.com for project management.

Which is easier to learn?

Monday.com for general use. HubSpot if you're focused on sales/marketing.

Which has better customer support?

Both are good. HubSpot has more resources; Monday.com is more responsive.

What about reporting and analytics?

HubSpot offers deeper sales analytics with forecasting, pipeline velocity, and revenue attribution. Monday.com provides visual dashboards and progress tracking but lacks the sales-specific metrics that HubSpot delivers. If data-driven sales management is critical, HubSpot's reporting justifies the higher cost.

Which integrates better with other tools?

Both platforms have extensive integration ecosystems. HubSpot connects deeply with sales and marketing tools, while Monday.com integrates broadly across project management, development, and operations platforms. If your stack is sales-centric, HubSpot fits better. For diverse operational tools, Monday.com's flexibility shines.