Choosing the right marketing platform is no longer just an IT decision, but a strategic decision. If you want to grow in the coming years, use AI sensibly and remain efficient at the same time, you need a solution that fits the size, pace and reality of Swiss SMEs.
In this article, we categorize both solutions objectively, compare them according to the criteria that are really crucial for SMEs and give a clear recommendation at the end.
The comparison: four criteria that really count for SMEs
From our projects with Swiss SMEs, we know that the choice of platform in marketing is not primarily about feature lists. Four dimensions are decisive.
A marketing platform does not develop its benefits through its range of functions, but through adoption. What is not used does not generate ROI.
Independent sources show a clear picture here:
*AEO = Answer Engine Optimization, i.e. visibility in AI-based search systems such as ChatGPT or Perplexity.
It is important to note that every line with "only with ..." actually means an additional product, an additional license, an additional implementation and an additional supplier in the stack.
This is exactly what describes the "demo vs. reality" phenomenon within the industry: a comprehensive solution is shown in the sales demo, but in the contract and in everyday life there are missing components that have to be purchased later.
For SMEs, this means that what was purchased as one solution becomes a construct of several licenses with their own data models, interfaces and update cycles during operation.
Targeting is only as good as the data behind it. And data can only be used if all relevant touchpoints - CRM, website, email, service, sales - converge in one data model.
In HubSpot, this data model is standardized right from the start:
The situation is different in Salesforce. Marketing Cloud Next is based on Data 360 , an independent data platform that merges and harmonizes data from various Salesforce clouds and third-party systems. Salesforce itself describes Data 360 as a kind of "keychain" between the systems - an image that makes it clear that the data is not originally located in one system.
This is the most important difference - and also the point that will determine competitiveness in the next two to three years.
AI is only effective if it:
In HubSpot, AI - under the brand name Breeze - is not an additional product, but part of the platform. The AI assistant is available in the CRM, in the email editor, in campaign planning, in reporting and in customer service. AI agents work with the same data as marketing, sales and service employees.
If you would like to take a closer look at data protection, security and the underlying LLMs, you can find more details in our article on AI agents in HubSpot.
In Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next, AI is provided via Agentforce. In concrete terms, this means
Newsletters are one of the most important digital marketing channels for most SMEs. This is precisely where it becomes particularly clear how differently the two platforms are structured.
Knowing open and click rates is the minimum standard today. The follow-up questions are crucial for marketing managers:
In HubSpot Marketing Hub, all this data is stored in one data record per contact:
In Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next:
Personalization has long meant more than just the first name in the salutation. Modern newsletter marketing is about:
In HubSpot all of this is part of the platform:
In Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next:
We analyzed evaluation platforms such as G2, Capterra, Gartner Peer Insights and industry analyses:
Market statistics also show that HubSpot has more customers globally than Salesforce CRM (288,000+ vs. 150,000+) and leads in the corresponding G2 categories for marketing and sales products.
SMEs often look at the annual license price. But the honest question is: What does the platform really cost over three years?
The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) includes:
Salesforce licenses often appear cheaper in the first year - the reality is often different in years two and three. The industry consensus: With classic Salesforce stacks, the pure license often only accounts for 30-40% of the total costs. The rest is made up of add-ons, implementation, consulting and maintenance costs.
HubSpot is generally more transparent and easier to plan thanks to its uniform license model (functions instead of add-ons) and the reduced need for external specialists. Migration examples such as Lendlease show that the total cost of ownership could be reduced by up to 78% when switching from Salesforce to HubSpot - with a comparable range of functions.
For most medium-sized companies in Switzerland - typically with a lean marketing team, tight IT resources and a legitimate need for fast results - HubSpot Marketing Hub is the much better choice. For these reasons:
Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next can be a sensible choice for very large corporations that are already deeply rooted in the Salesforce ecosystem, employ their own Salesforce development teams and want to orchestrate their marketing strategy around Data 360 and Agentforce over several years. For traditional Swiss SMEs, this setup is oversized in the vast majority of cases and difficult to justify economically.
The most important question when choosing a marketing platform is not "Which system offers the most functions?", but "Which system will enable our team to actually create value in the next three years - consistently, based on data and supported by AI?"
For Swiss SMEs, there is a lot to be said for an integrated, intuitive and AI-native platform.HubSpot Marketing Hub fulfills exactly this requirement - with a short time-to-value, transparent costs and an AI that works without media disruptions.