Zendesk vs. HubSpot: Which CRM Wins for B2B Businesses?

If you’re running a business today, there’s no shortage of SaaS tools vying for your attention. Some are laser-focused—trying to dominate one very specific lane. Others want to be your everything: covering sales, marketing, service, and beyond. 

Both approaches can be great… but when you’re choosing a tool that directly affects how you sell, serve, and scale, the stakes are high. The wrong pick can create roadblocks for your team, slow down revenue, or leave you scrambling to integrate way too many third-party apps.

That’s why today we’re tackling one of the biggest head-to-head comparisons on the market: Zendesk vs. HubSpot. Spoiler alert: the answer might depend less on what you need today and more on what you’ll need a couple of years down the road.

A Key Consideration: Zendesk Sell Sunsetting in 2027

Before we even get into features, pricing, or integrations, there’s one giant neon sign flashing over Zendesk that we need to talk about: Zendesk Sell is going away.

Zendesk announced that on August 31, 2027, Zendesk Sell—the sales CRM portion of their platform—will be retired. That means if you’re using Sell to manage deals and track pipelines, you’ve got a deadline looming. 

You’ll need to export all your data, find a new CRM, and decide whether you want to bolt it onto Zendesk’s service platform or just start fresh with an all-in-one solution.

Why is Zendesk doing this? They’re doubling down on customer service. Translation: Zendesk is saying, “We’re not going to be your sales CRM anymore—go find that somewhere else.”

Your options:

• Option A: Integrate a third-party sales CRM with Zendesk.
• Option B: Move to a platform that bundles sales, service, and more into one seamless hub (looking at you, HubSpot).

If sales is core to your business (and let’s be real, it is), this sunsetting news is a big factor in your decision.

What is Zendesk Used For and How Does It Work?

At its core, Zendesk is a customer service platform. Think ticket routing, automated responses, and helping your support team not drown in emails. It shines when it comes to managing incoming requests and giving customers a consistent, reliable support experience.

Here’s what Zendesk can do:

• Route questions to the right person automatically.
• Use AI agents for predefined replies that save your team time.
• Offer customer support across email, voice, chat, and social.
• Give you service data and insights that help improve your support function.

Where it doesn’t shine? Anything outside of customer service. Need robust marketing tools? A native sales CRM that isn’t expiring soon? A central place to manage customer data across functions? That’s where you’ll hit limitations.

Zendesk Pricing for Customer Service 

This pricing is per agent per month, billed annually. Aside from customer service, they also offer employee service plans.

• Support Team: $19—basics like ticket routing, and reporting.
• Suite Team (AI included): $55—introduces AI agents and automated resolutions.
• Suite Professional (AI included): $115—Zendesk’s most popular plan, with extra help centers and customizable reporting.
• Suite Enterprise (AI included): $169—adds approval workflows, more help centers, and sandbox environments.

What is HubSpot Used For and How Does It Work?

Now let’s talk about HubSpot. Unlike Zendesk, HubSpot isn’t just about one function. It’s an all-in-one CRM that combines marketing, sales, service, content, commerce, and data into one platform. 

That means your entire front office—from marketing campaigns to closed-won deals to customer support tickets—lives in the same ecosystem.

Here’s what HubSpot can bundle together:

• Marketing Hub
• Sales Hub
• Service Hub
• Content Hub
• Commerce Hub
• Data Hub
• Smart CRM
• Breeze (AI tools)

And while it’s all-in-one, HubSpot also plays nice with other tools you already use. So if you love Slack, Zoom, or Stripe? No problem—integrations abound.

Sales Hub Pricing

After Zendesk Sell sunsets, Sales Hub is your obvious lifeline. Here’s the pricing breakdown.

• Starter: $50/month for 2 paid users. Essential sales tools, automation, and conversation routing.
• Professional: $500/month for 5 paid users. Adds ABM, call transcription, forecasting, and playbooks.
• Enterprise: $1,500/month for 10 paid users. Includes conversation intelligence, custom objects, and advanced permissions.
  

Want to pair Sales Hub with Service Hub (to replace Zendesk)? Totally doable. HubSpot makes it easy to combine products, so your CRM, sales, and service teams work together seamlessly.

Comparison Chart: Zendesk vs. HubSpot

Here’s how the two stack up in the categories that matter most for B2B businesses:

What to Do if You Have Zendesk Sell

If you’re currently using Zendesk Sell, I feel for you. Nobody likes to get the “your tool is expiring” email. Here’s the reality: your sales CRM will be in limbo by 2027, and the transition isn’t going to be as simple as flipping a switch.

Here’s Zendesk’s official game plan:

1. Explore other CRMs. Zendesk is nudging customers toward Pipedrive (a sales-only CRM) but you can explore any options you’d like.
2. Export your data. Head to Settings > Data > Export. You’ll get a CSV file via email. (Pro tip: exports expire after 30 days.)
3. Contact Zendesk. Reach out to your Success Manager or Support team with questions.

Once Zendesk starts deleting Sell data (either at subscription end or on Aug 31, 2027), it’s gone forever. No do-overs.

When to Consider Switching to HubSpot

If you’re already facing a forced transition, why not choose a solution that solves more than just your support tickets? HubSpot offers a complete CRM that unites sales, service, and marketing in one platform. Here’s why the timing matters:

• Start early, save stress. Migrating years’ worth of data is no small feat. Doing it now gives you breathing room.
• Future-proof your stack. HubSpot isn’t sunsetting their CRM anytime soon. In fact, they’re expanding it.
• Simplify your tech. One platform, fewer integrations, fewer headaches.

And here’s where we come in: Evenbound is a HubSpot Diamond Partner—a distinction only a small percentage of agencies earn. With 300+ HubSpot certifications and multiple HubSpot Certified Trainers on staff, we’ve seen (and solved) just about every CRM migration challenge.

Our onboarding process goes beyond “flip the switch and good luck.” We:

1. Start by mapping your business goals.
2. Build a customized migration and onboarding plan.
3. Train your team on the tools they’ll actually use to close deals faster.
4. Stick around to support and optimize long after onboarding ends.

We’ve done this for countless B2B businesses, and trust me: switching sooner is always smoother.

Check Out Real Success Stories →

Zendesk vs. HubSpot: The Decision is Yours

At the end of the day, choosing between Zendesk vs. HubSpot comes down to what you want your platform to do. If you only need customer service and are fine bolting on a new CRM, Zendesk could work. But if you’d rather simplify your tech stack, future-proof your CRM, and keep your teams aligned? HubSpot’s the clear winner.

And if you’re looking at the Zendesk Sell sunset wondering how to keep your pipeline from falling off a cliff, we’ve got you. Evenbound’s team of HubSpot experts can make your migration painless, your data squeaky clean, and your new CRM ready to roll.

Ready to talk next steps? Let’s chat about how HubSpot can keep your sales team running smoothly today, tomorrow, and long after Zendesk Sell rides off into the sunset.