The verdict
For a lean B2B founder, start free on HubSpot if budget is the binding constraint, but reach for Folk if relationships are how you actually sell. HubSpot wins on price (a real free tier, Starter from 15 USD) and breadth (CRM plus marketing, sales, service and ops on one contact database, with built-in calling). Folk wins on focus: a contact-first CRM that you set up in an afternoon and keep open every day, with native LinkedIn and email capture that suits founder-led outreach. Folk costs more (from 24 USD per user per month, trial only, no free plan) and stays narrow on purpose. Choose HubSpot to consolidate your whole go-to-market into one platform over time; choose Folk to run a fast, relationship-led pipeline without platform overhead. There is no wrong answer here, only which constraint binds you hardest.
Side by side
| 11 points compared | ||
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | €22/mo | $7/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in calling | No | Yes |
| Contact enrichment | Yes | Yes |
| Custom objects | Yes | Yes |
| Email sequences | Yes | Yes |
| Gmail or Outlook sidebar | Yes | Yes |
| WhatsApp messaging | Yes | Yes |
| Workflow automation | Yes | Yes |
| Links |
Plans and pricing
Folk
- Standard€27/mo/seat
- Premium€54/mo/seat
- Enterprise€83/mo/seat
HubSpot
- FreeFree
- Starter$20/mo/seat
- Professional$100/mo/seat
- Enterprise$150/yr/seat
Who each is for
Choose Folk if…
Pick HubSpot if you want one system to grow into, starting free. The free CRM is genuinely free, Starter is 15 USD per seat per month annual, and the same contact database scales up through marketing, sales, service, content and ops hubs as you hire. Built-in calling lives inside the tool, enrichment and automation are there from the start, and deeper automation unlocks as you move up tiers. The trade is breadth over focus: more surface area to learn, and the real power sits behind the pricier Professional and Enterprise plans. If you want a CRM that becomes your whole go-to-market stack rather than a focused relationship tool, HubSpot is the safer long bet.
Choose HubSpot if…
Pick Folk if you are a lean founder, a small sales team or an agency whose growth runs on relationships, not pipeline ceremony. Folk is contact-first and fast to set up, syncs from Gmail, Outlook, LinkedIn and WhatsApp, and gives you email sequences, custom objects, enrichment and workflow automation without the configuration tax of a full platform. You will pay from 24 USD per user per month with no free tier, but what you get is a CRM you actually keep open every day. If LinkedIn-led outreach and warm relationship tracking are how you win business, Folk fits the way you already work.
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