Odoo vs HubSpot: The best CRM for your business

Odoo and HubSpot are two popular solutions for customer management, but they cater to different needs and audiences.   

HubSpot is primarily a CRM platform specializing in marketing, sales, and customer service, but it lacks inventory and production management. Odoo, on the other hand, is an ERP platform with integrated CRM, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for manufacturers, including inventory and accounting.

Choosing the right platform to manage customer relationships and marketing for your manufacturing business is crucial. This article compares the features, pricing, and use cases of Odoo vs HubSpot to help you make an informed decision.   

Overview of Odoo vs HubSpot    

Odoo and HubSpot share many similarities but differ in their core focus.  

Odoo is a comprehensive business management platform with integrated CRM (customer relationship management), ERP (enterprise resource planning), and other business modules, such as inventory, accounting, and HR. 

HubSpot is primarily a CRM and marketing automation platform designed to improve customer engagement, sales, and service.  

While both offer CRM functionalities that can be useful for manufacturing businesses, Odoo focuses on providing a full suite of ERP tools, whereas HubSpot specializes in marketing and sales enablement.

Understanding HubSpot’s core features       

HubSpot is a CRM platform that integrates marketing, sales, customer service, and content management tools.  

It’s designed for businesses looking to enhance customer interactions and streamline sales processes. HubSpot is ideal for:  

• Small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) — Ideal for companies focusing on inbound marketing and lead generation
• Marketing agencies — A go-to tool for agencies managing campaigns for multiple clients   
• Customer-focused teams — Great for businesses emphasizing customer service and satisfaction  

Key features of HubSpot    

• CRM — Free CRM with deal tracking, contact management, and sales pipeline visualization  
• Marketing automation — Tools for email campaigns, lead nurturing, and content management 
• Sales tools — Includes quotes, forecasting, and call tracking.  
• Customer service — Ticketing systems, customer feedback, and knowledge bases  
• Integrations — Over 1,000 third-party integrations, including Slack, Zoom, and Shopify
• Analytics — Comprehensive reporting on marketing campaigns and sales performance
• Mobile app — Access HubSpot’s CRM on the go with its user-friendly mobile application 

HubSpot also leverages AI to boost productivity in your manufacturing business and customer engagement:

• Predictive lead scoring — AI evaluates historical data to prioritize leads most likely to convert  
• Content optimization — Automatically generate email, blog, and social media content recommendations  
• Workflow suggestions — AI identifies inefficiencies and offers optimization tips for better automation  
• Sales insights — AI-driven forecasts provide better visibility into future sales trends, enabling proactive decision-making  
• Chatbots — AI-powered bots streamline customer support by answering FAQs, capturing leads, and routing queries efficiently  

While HubSpot is a powerful CRM, its strengths lie in customer relationship management rather than operations or production management. It needs to be integrated with ERP systems like Katana to manage inventory and production. 

Understanding Odoo’s core features

Odoo is an ERP software with CRM capabilities and more as part of its applications. It’s modular, allowing manufacturing businesses to choose and implement only the features they need most. Odoo can, however, be complex, and requires more training to utilize its many modules compared to HubSpot. Odoo is a great choice for:  

• Enterprises and SMBs with diverse needs — Companies need an all-in-one solution for operations, sales, and finance
• Product-based businesses — Ideal for inventory management, manufacturing, and ecommerce  
• Customizable workflows — Businesses requiring tailored solutions through modular applications   

Key features of Odoo     

• CRM — Contact management, lead tracking, and opportunity management  
• ERP tools — Modules for accounting, inventory, project management, and manufacturing   
• Ecommerce — Integrated tools for building and managing online stores.  
• Customization — Open-source platform allows businesses to develop custom modules 
• Integration — Seamlessly integrates with third-party apps and existing systems.  
• Scalability — Add or remove modules as business needs evolve  
• Workflow automation — Automate processes such as invoicing, inventory updates, and purchase orders  

Odoo incorporates AI to optimize workflows and enhance operational efficiency:  

• Smart scheduling — AI-driven tools optimize production schedules and workforce management  
• Predictive maintenance — Analyze equipment usage patterns to forecast maintenance needs and minimize downtime  
• Customer insights — AI analyzes purchasing behaviors to offer personalized recommendations and promotions  
• Financial forecasting — Leverage historical data to predict cash flow and manage budgets more effectively   
• Inventory optimization — AI balances stock levels by predicting demand based on trends and seasonality  

One advantage of Odoo CRM vs HubSpot is its flexibility. It allows you to customize your plan to the specific needs of your manufacturing business. In addition, Odoo is an open-source platform that allows for custom development. HubSpot, however, comes with essential customer support tools and can be easier to navigate and use, as it has a clear focus on CRM.  

Odoo vs HubSpot: Pricing comparison       

HubSpot pricing:         

• Free CRM: Offers basic CRM functionality for small teams
• Starter: €15/month per seat, including more advanced marketing and sales tools  
• Professional Customer Platform: €1,143/month (includes 5 seats), offering comprehensive marketing automation and analytics  
• Enterprise: €4,200/month (includes 7 seats), designed for large businesses with advanced needs  

Odoo pricing:    

• Free plan: Odoo offers one free app for unlimited users  
• Standard plans: Starting at €11.90/user/month
• Custom plans: €17.90/user/month 

Integrations and enhancements       

HubSpot has an extensive marketplace of over 1,000 third-party integrations, including Slack, Shopify, and QuickBooks Online.  

Odoo integrations work through its open-source platform, Odoo offers both native and custom integrations, such as payment gateways, shipping solutions, and manufacturing tools.  

The best of both worlds: HubSpot and Katana

For small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs), combining HubSpot with Katana’s cloud inventory can be the most effective solution. Creating a tech stack with HubSpot and Katana offers a specialized approach that integrates strong customer relationship management and focused manufacturing operations. Katana is a cloud inventory platform that provides high-quality inventory management tools and production planning, which are essential for small to mid-sized manufacturing businesses.  

Odoo, while comprehensive, has a very broad focus and may not provide the same level of specialization in CRM and manufacturing that HubSpot and Katana can. Here’s why integrating HubSpot and Katana is your best option as an SMB. 

• Katana syncs inventory levels with HubSpot. This ensures sales teams have accurate stock information when providing delivery timelines to customers. 
• Automated purchase orders can be triggered in Katana when inventory falls below predefined thresholds, and HubSpot workflows can notify relevant teams. 
• By connecting these platforms, you can also combine data for unified analytics, creating a comprehensive overview of your manufacturing operations. 
• Automated customer communications can be set up through HubSpot, keeping customers updated with their orders using data from Katana. 
• Together, HubSpot and Katana provide a comprehensive solution tailored to your manufacturing operations. 

Connecting Katana and HubSpot is easy, thanks to Katana’s native integration with HubSpot. Here’s how to enable the integration in four quick steps: 

• Log in to Katana: Access your Katana account. 
• Access Integrations: Go to the Settings menu and find HubSpot under Integrations. 
• Authorize Connection: Click on the HubSpot integration and allow Katana to access your HubSpot account (you might need admin permissions in HubSpot first). 
• Configure data sync: Choose how you want data to be synced between Katana and HubSpot (e.g., customer details and sales orders). 

To see exactly how Katana and HubSpot can set you on the track of success, book a demo now!

James Humphreys

Head of Content Marketing

James Humphreys has produced content on manufacturing and inventory management practices for 6+ years. He began his journey into writing via the creative industry, writing and producing plays, some of which toured the UK and Europe.