Is HubSpot CRM Natively Integrated in Marketing Hub?

• Yes. Marketing Hub runs on HubSpot's Smart CRM. There's nothing to connect.

• Only marketing contacts count toward Marketing Hub billing and marketing tools.

• A native integration is a prebuilt app. A custom one is built for your data.

• Marketing Hub on top of another CRM means two databases and a sync to manage.

• If the sync costs more than a move, consider migrating.

Yes. HubSpot describes its free Smart CRM as the underlying database that powers each HubSpot product, Marketing Hub included. (Source: "HubSpot services descriptions")

That design has a plain consequence. When a visitor fills in a Marketing Hub form, HubSpot writes the contact to the CRM. A rep opens the same record in Sales Hub, and a support agent sees it in Service Hub. No connector moves data between them, so nothing can fall out of step.

One naming note. Older articles call the hubs Operations Hub, Commerce Hub, and CMS Hub. HubSpot's current product menu lists Data Hub, Revenue Hub, and Content Hub. They run on the same CRM under the new names.

Marketing tools, and one billing rule. The CRM holds every contact you have. Marketing Hub bills you only for the ones you market to, which HubSpot calls marketing contacts. Only marketing contacts count toward your contact tier and affect your subscription cost.

That status also decides which tools work for a contact:

So "natively integrated" does not mean every record gets marketing treatment. The database is shared. The marketing tools run only on the contacts you mark for them. (Source: "Understand marketing contacts")

They're prebuilt connections between HubSpot and another tool. The word "native" gets used loosely, so look at who built the app and how it moves data.

HubSpot native integrations come in a few kinds. Some are built by HubSpot itself, such as its QuickBooks Online app, and the marketplace listing says so. Some are built by the other vendor and carry a HubSpot Certified App badge. Others are plain third-party apps with no badge. (Source: "QuickBooks Online on the HubSpot Marketplace")

Many of HubSpot's own apps run on data sync, which moves records between HubSpot and the other tool in one or both directions. HubSpot said in 2022 that it had built more than 100 data sync apps. (Source: "HubSpot's App Ecosystem Surpasses 1,000 Integrations")

Here's the point to remember. A native integration connects HubSpot to something else. Marketing Hub and the CRM aren't two things, so they don't need one.

Use a native app when one covers your tool and your fields. Build custom when it doesn't. That's the whole rule, and the table shows where the line usually falls.

Native apps have limits you can find before you commit. HubSpot's QuickBooks Online app, for example, warns that QuickBooks allows at most three custom fields on invoices, and that changing default field mappings needs Data Hub Starter or higher.

Custom doesn't always mean a full build. Data Hub Professional and Enterprise accounts can add a custom code action to a workflow, which runs JavaScript or Python inside HubSpot. (Source: "Custom code actions") When the need goes past a workflow, a custom HubSpot integration connects HubSpot to your systems through its APIs.

The database stops being shared. You can run Marketing Hub on top of another CRM, such as Salesforce, but then you have two databases and a sync between them. That sync is HubSpot's native Salesforce integration.

Here's what HubSpot says about it. It's available with Professional or Enterprise subscriptions of Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, Content Hub, and Data Hub, and with Smart CRM Professional or Enterprise. You need a Salesforce edition with API access, or Salesforce Professional. HubSpot doesn't support Salesforce Group Edition. And records don't sync on their own after install. You import them, or let them sync gradually as triggers fire. (Source: "Connect HubSpot and Salesforce")

The comparison is simple. With the native CRM, one record exists and marketing and sales both edit it. With a HubSpot CRM integration with other CRMs, two records exist for each person. The integration decides which one wins, when, and for which fields.

Sync rules do, because now you own them. These are the failures to test for first, using HubSpot's Salesforce integration as the example:

The connected user's permissions are the quiet one. HubSpot can only do in Salesforce what that user can do. If the permissions are narrow, the sync is narrow, and records can go missing without an obvious reason. The 30-day email rule and the sync direction setting come from HubSpot's activity sync article. (Source: "Sync activities and tasks between HubSpot and Salesforce")

Pick by where your sales team works and what your data needs. Here's how I'd sort the common cases:

If the sync costs more in time and errors than a move would, treat a HubSpot migration as the real alternative to the integration. Decide what must come across before you start: records, fields, and the activity history your team relies on.

Is the HubSpot CRM Free With Marketing Hub?

The CRM is free, and Marketing Hub is what you pay for. HubSpot describes its Smart CRM functionality as free, with paid hub editions on top. HubSpot also sells Smart CRM as its own Professional and Enterprise subscriptions. Either way, you never buy the CRM database separately to use Marketing Hub.

Do All My Contacts Count Toward Marketing Hub Billing?

No. Only marketing contacts count toward your contact tier. A change to non-marketing takes effect on the next monthly update date, and HubSpot doesn't lower a tier mid-term. Downgrades happen at renewal. Watch your count so an automatic tier upgrade doesn't surprise you. (Source: "Understand marketing contacts billing")

Do Native Integrations Sync in Real Time?

It depends on the app. HubSpot's QuickBooks Online listing says invoices created in HubSpot reach QuickBooks within minutes. The Salesforce integration syncs records when triggers fire, such as a form submission or a marketing email event. Ask each vendor how long a change takes, then time one yourself.

Can One HubSpot Account Connect to Two Salesforce Instances?

No. HubSpot allows one Salesforce instance per HubSpot account. To link several HubSpot accounts to one Salesforce instance, install the integration in each HubSpot account.

Does the HubSpot Salesforce Integration Cost Extra?

HubSpot's article lists it with Professional and Enterprise subscriptions. You also need a Salesforce edition with API access, or Salesforce Professional, and that cost sits on the Salesforce side. Confirm with HubSpot whether any add-on applies to your plan before you budget the project.

Can I Use Marketing Hub Without Sales Hub?

Yes. Marketing Hub has its own Starter, Professional, and Enterprise editions, and it runs on the CRM whether or not you buy Sales Hub.

HubSpot CRM is built into Marketing Hub, so you can manage contacts, track interactions, and connect marketing activities without setting up a separate CRM. The real work is making sure your data, properties, lists, and workflows are organized around how your team operates.

Start with your contact structure, define how leads move through your funnel, and connect the tools you already use. If your setup involves multiple teams, complex processes, or custom integrations, getting the configuration right early can save you a lot of cleanup later.