Closely vs HubSpot
Closely
- Platform: LinkedIn and email
- Best For: Outbound sales and prospecting
- Strength: Safe automation with AI personalization
- Users: Not specified
Starting at $29/month
HubSpot
- Platform: Multi-hub CRM (marketing, sales, service, content)
- Best For: Scaling revenue operations
- Strength: Unified data and AI agents
- Users: 278,000 customers
Starting at $20/month
Table of Contents
At a Glance
Outreach & Automation
| Feature | Closely | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn automation | ✓ Safe sequences with human-like behavior and limits | ✗ No native LinkedIn automation; relies on integrations |
| Email outreach | ✓ Multichannel campaigns with AI personalization | ✓ Email marketing and sales sequences in Marketing/Sales Hubs |
| Multichannel campaigns | ✓ LinkedIn + email sequences | ✓ Cross-hub workflows for marketing, sales, service |
| Prospecting tools | ✓ Data enrichment from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator | ✓ Breeze AI prospecting agent |
AI Capabilities
| Feature | Closely | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| AI personalization | ✓ For DMs, InMails, emails; lead research and scoring | ✓ Breeze AI for content, prospecting, support |
| AI agents | ✓ Sales AI Agents for qualification and web research | ✓ Breeze Agents for automated workflows across hubs |
| Content generation | ✗ No native content creation | ✓ AI-powered content in Content Hub |
| Lead scoring | ✓ AI-based in outreach sequences | ✓ Advanced in Sales Hub with predictive analytics |
CRM & Integrations
| Feature | Closely | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Native CRM | ✗ Integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive | ✓ Smart CRM as core foundation |
| Data enrichment | ✓ Verified emails/phones from LinkedIn | ✓ Data Hub for unification and enrichment |
| Unified inbox | ✓ LinkedIn DMs, InMails, emails | ✓ Shared inbox for sales, service, social |
| Marketplace integrations | ✗ Deep CRM-specific integrations | ✓ Extensive marketplace with 1,000+ apps |
Analytics & Reporting
| Feature | Closely | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Outreach analytics | ✓ Campaign, sequence, team-level metrics | ✓ Revenue attribution, forecasting in Sales Hub |
| CRM reporting | ✗ Via integrations | ✓ Advanced dashboards across all hubs |
| Team analytics | ✓ Advanced for teams and agencies | ✓ Collaboration and performance tracking |
Collaboration & Agency Features
| Feature | Closely | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| White-label platform | ✓ Custom domain, branding for agencies | ✗ No white-label; enterprise governance instead |
| Team management | ✓ For outbound teams | ✓ Permissions, roles across hubs |
| Client portals | ✓ In white-label unlimited | ✓ In Service Hub for customer access |
Content & Marketing
| Feature | Closely | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Content creation | ✗ No focus | ✓ Content Hub with AI generation |
| Social media management | ✗ LinkedIn outreach only | ✓ Social tools in Marketing Hub |
| Lead generation forms | ✗ Via outreach | ✓ Forms, landing pages in Marketing Hub |
Pricing Comparison
Closely starts at $29/month (annual) for LinkedIn/email automation, scaling to $999/month for white-label agencies. HubSpot offers free CRM tools and starts at $20/month per hub, but costs rise significantly with scale and advanced features. Closely provides focused value for outbound sales, while HubSpot's modular pricing suits growing teams but can become expensive.
Closely
Starter Annual
$29/month
Solo users or small teams starting outbound
- 1 LinkedIn account
- Unlimited email accounts
- White-label included
- Outreach automation and multichannel campaigns
Growth Annual
$87/month
Small teams scaling outreach
- 3 LinkedIn accounts
- Unlimited email accounts
- White-label included
- Bonus 3,000 credits/month (emails, phones, AI)
Essential Annual
$145/month
Medium teams with more accounts
- 5 LinkedIn accounts
- Unlimited email accounts
- White-label included
- Bonus 5,000 credits/month
Custom
Custom
Large teams needing tailored features
- Custom LinkedIn accounts
- Unlimited campaigns
- Conditional builder, smart inbox
- CRM integrations, webhooks
- Advanced white-label
White-label Unlimited
$999/month
Agencies with multiple clients
- Unlimited seats
- Full customization
- Client portals, branded reporting
- No usage caps
HubSpot
Free Tools & CRM
Free
Startups testing basics
- Core CRM with contacts, deals
- Basic email, forms, chat
- Limited reporting
Starter (Small Business Bundle)
$20/month
Small businesses unifying basics
- Starter Hubs for marketing, sales, service
- Email automation, pipelines
- Shared CRM
Sales Hub Professional
$100/month
Sales teams needing automation
- Advanced sequences, forecasting
- Team management
- Deeper integrations
Marketing Hub Professional
$890/month
Marketing teams scaling campaigns
- Workflows, attribution
- SEO tools, A/B testing
Service Hub Professional
$100/month
Support teams
- Help desk, feedback
- Knowledge base
Enterprise Hubs
$130-$3,600/month
Large organizations
- Custom objects, governance
- Advanced analytics
Data/Commerce Hub
Custom
Advanced data/commerce needs
- Data sync, payments
Feature Deep Dive
Outreach & Automation Capabilities
Closely
Strengths
- LinkedIn sequences with safe limits and human-like actions
- Multichannel campaigns blending LinkedIn and email
- AI personalization for messages and emails
- Data exports from Sales Navigator, events, posts
Workflow
Build prospect list → Enrich data → Create AI-personalized sequence → Launch multichannel campaign → Monitor unified inbox
HubSpot
Strengths
- Sales sequences and email automation in Sales Hub
- Marketing workflows for lead nurturing
- Breeze AI for prospecting and sequences
- Cross-hub automation for sales-service handoffs
Workflow
Import/enrich leads in CRM → Set up sequences or workflows → Personalize with AI → Track in pipelines → Automate follow-ups
Closely is superior for LinkedIn-specific safe automation and multichannel sales outreach, ideal for B2B prospecting. HubSpot offers broader automation across marketing and sales but lacks native LinkedIn depth, relying on integrations for similar functionality.
CRM & Data Management
Closely
Strengths
- Deep integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, GoHighLevel
- Data enrichment with verified contacts from LinkedIn
- Seamless sync for leads from outreach to CRM
- Webhooks for custom flows
Limitations
- No native CRM; depends on external tools
- Enrichment limited to LinkedIn sources
HubSpot
Strengths
- Smart CRM as unified core with contacts, deals, tickets
- Data Hub for cleaning, deduplication, syncing
- 1,000+ marketplace integrations
- Custom objects in Enterprise
Limitations
- Implementation can be resource-intensive for migrations
HubSpot's native Smart CRM provides end-to-end data unification, making it better for comprehensive customer management. Closely shines in targeted integrations for sales outreach, syncing enriched LinkedIn leads directly into existing CRMs without building a full system.
AI-Powered Features
Closely
Strengths
- AI for message personalization, lead qualification, scoring
- Sales AI Agents for research, web scraping
- Credit-based usage for efficiency
Workflow
Input prospect → AI researches/enriches → Generates personalized outreach → Scores leads → Automates sequence
HubSpot
Strengths
- Breeze AI for content gen, prospecting, support
- Breeze Agents for workflow automation
- Predictive lead scoring, chatbots
Limitations
- Some AI in beta or hub-specific
Both leverage AI effectively, but Closely's is tailored to sales outreach personalization and research, while HubSpot's spans broader applications like content and support. Closely wins for outbound AI, HubSpot for ecosystem-wide intelligence.
Analytics & Reporting
Closely
Strengths
- Outreach metrics: response rates, conversions across campaigns
- Team and sequence analytics
- CRM attribution via integrations
Limitations
- Focused on outbound; no full revenue dashboards
HubSpot
Strengths
- Multi-touch attribution, forecasting
- Dashboards for all hubs
- AI insights on performance
Limitations
- Advanced reporting in higher tiers
HubSpot offers deeper, unified analytics across the customer lifecycle, ideal for revenue ops. Closely provides targeted outreach insights, sufficient for sales teams but not as holistic.
Use Case Comparison
Outbound Sales Team
Closely 🏆
Excellent
Specialized LinkedIn/email automation with AI personalization and safe limits scales prospecting efficiently.
Best Plan: Growth Annual ($87/month)
Score: 10/10
HubSpot
Good
Sales Hub sequences work, but lacks native LinkedIn depth; better for inbound.
Best Plan: Sales Hub Professional ($100/month)
Score: 7/10
Marketing Agency
Closely
Fair
White-label for LinkedIn services, but no full marketing tools.
Best Plan: White-label Unlimited ($999/month)
Score: 5/10
HubSpot 🏆
Excellent
Modular hubs for client campaigns, integrations, and reporting.
Best Plan: Marketing Hub Professional ($890/month)
Score: 9/10
Small Business Needing CRM
Closely
Poor
No native CRM; requires external integration.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 3/10
HubSpot 🏆
Excellent
Free CRM with starter bundles for easy unification.
Best Plan: Starter Bundle ($20/month)
Score: 10/10
B2B Founder Scaling Without SDR Team
Closely 🏆
Excellent
AI agents and multichannel for solo prospecting.
Best Plan: Starter Annual ($29/month)
Score: 9/10
HubSpot
Good
All-in-one but steeper learning curve for solos.
Best Plan: Free + Sales Starter ($20/month)
Score: 7/10
Enterprise Revenue Operations
Closely
Fair
Good integrations but not full platform.
Best Plan: Custom
Score: 6/10
HubSpot 🏆
Excellent
Enterprise hubs with governance and scalability.
Best Plan: Enterprise Hubs ($130+/month)
Score: 10/10
Sales Leaders Needing Analytics
Closely
Good
Outreach-focused metrics with CRM sync.
Best Plan: Essential Annual ($145/month)
Score: 8/10
HubSpot 🏆
Excellent
Full revenue attribution and forecasting.
Best Plan: Sales Hub Professional ($100/month)
Score: 9/10
Agency Offering LinkedIn Services
Closely 🏆
Excellent
White-label, unlimited seats for client management.
Best Plan: White-label Unlimited ($999/month)
Score: 10/10
HubSpot
Good
Partner program, but no white-label.
Best Plan: Professional Hubs
Score: 6/10
Startup Marketing Team
Closely
Fair
Limited to outreach; no content/lead gen forms.
Best Plan: Growth Annual ($87/month)
Score: 5/10
HubSpot 🏆
Excellent
Inbound tools, free CRM for lean startups.
Best Plan: Marketing Hub Starter ($20/month)
Score: 10/10
Customer Service Team
Closely
Poor
No service features.
Best Plan: Not suitable
Score: 1/10
HubSpot 🏆
Excellent
Service Hub for ticketing, feedback, portals.
Best Plan: Service Hub Professional ($100/month)
Score: 10/10
Solo Prospector
Closely 🏆
Excellent
Affordable entry for LinkedIn/email automation.
Best Plan: Starter Annual ($29/month)
Score: 9/10
HubSpot
Good
Free tier viable, but less outreach focus.
Best Plan: Free + Sales Starter ($20/month)
Score: 7/10
Mid-Market Company Scaling Ops
Closely
Good
Integrates well but not comprehensive.
Best Plan: Essential Annual ($145/month)
Score: 7/10
HubSpot 🏆
Excellent
Modular growth from starter to pro.
Best Plan: Professional Hubs ($100+/month)
Score: 9/10
B2B Lead Gen Agency
Closely 🏆
Excellent
Tailored for LinkedIn outbound services.
Best Plan: Custom
Score: 10/10
HubSpot
Good
Strong for inbound, integrations for outbound.
Best Plan: Sales/Marketing Professional
Score: 8/10
Pros and Cons
Closely
Pros
- Comprehensive LinkedIn/email automation with safe, human-like behavior
- AI personalization and agents for efficient prospecting
- Deep CRM integrations keep data in sync
- Unified inbox simplifies reply management
- White-label options for agencies at all tiers
- Flexible pricing with annual discounts
- Focused on outbound sales without bloat
Cons
- Interface complex for basic users
- Best for structured outbound, not casual use
- Higher cost for solos vs lightweight tools
- Onboarding needed for advanced features
- No native content creation or full CRM
- Limited to LinkedIn/email channels
HubSpot
Pros
- Unified Smart CRM connects all customer data
- Modular hubs for targeted growth
- Intuitive interface with strong onboarding
- Breeze AI enhances productivity across functions
- Extensive integrations and marketplace
- Free tier and educational resources
- Scalable for enterprises with governance
Cons
- Pricing scales high with contacts/users
- Overwhelming for small, focused teams
- Advanced features in expensive tiers
- Implementation requires resources
- Limited native LinkedIn automation
- Some AI features in beta or hub-locked
Final Verdict
Closely and HubSpot cater to different stages of sales and customer management. Closely is a specialized tool for AI-driven LinkedIn and email outreach, perfect for outbound prospecting. HubSpot is a comprehensive platform unifying CRM, marketing, sales, and service with scalable AI, ideal for holistic growth.
Choose Closely for targeted LinkedIn/email sales automation and integrations. Opt for HubSpot if you need a full customer platform with inbound and service capabilities. For outbound-heavy teams using HubSpot, integrate Closely to enhance prospecting.
Overall Scores
Closely
Agency Features: 9/10
Value: 7/10
HubSpot
Agency Features: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Other Comparisons
Explore more tool comparisons to help you make the best decision:
