HubSpot vs Zapier

1. You're working with contact data.

When you're considering which type of integration you need for your business, one of the most important questions to ask is what kind of data you need to sync.

If you need to sync contact data, HubSpot's Operations Hub is an excellent fit. Its data sync feature is made exactly for this: creating a tailor-fit bridge between your apps to continuously sync the right contact and company data based on personalized conditions.

As it supports two-way syncing, whenever anything changes in one app, it's instantly reflected in your synced apps. Unlike Zapier, HubSpot syncs historical data, so you can instantly sync entire databases.

So, because Operations Hub focuses on keeping databases in sync, it's optimized for keeping your data accurate and consistent across your apps at any time. It does this by:

• Offering customization options for your syncs based on lists, groups, tags, and other contact properties;
• Using automated and custom field mapping to perfectly align data between your apps;
• Syncing your apps in real time, so all of your data is always up-to-date when something changes.

2. You want to work with the same, correct, and updated data in different apps and devices.

While Zapier offers one-way, trigger-action automations, Operations Hub creates a two-way mirror between your databases. You can make it so the contact data in your email marketing list and CRM exactly match, for example, or set up a sync so that only customers (and not leads and prospects) are synced with your support software.

When any of the contacts that match your rules change, so does the data in the synced app. This gives your teams an accurate view in every app.

3. You're already a HubSpot customer (or are looking for a CRM system).

Operations Hub enables powerful and customizable data syncs, as well as flexible automated workflows to fit your business needs, by integrating HubSpot with the rest of your tools.

This means that if you already use the HubSpot, Operations Hub is a natural choice to make HubSpot CRM the central source of truth for your business and connect it to all of your other tools in real time.

If you don't have a CRM system yet – or are looking to replace your current one – consider implementing HubSpot CRM and Operations Hub to build a fully integrated tech stack from the ground up. You also have the option of adding on HubSpot's Marketing, Sales, Service, and CMS Hubs, all of which connect natively to the CRM. 

Because HubSpot is a CRM with a built-in iPaaS, HubSpot stores your data as well as keeping it in sync, whereas Zapier – a standalone iPaaS – connects tools but doesn't store data.

1. You don't need to sync contact databases.

Zapier is a great solution for one-way, trigger-action automations from App A to App B. But Operations Hub excels when it comes to handling large amounts of data between apps – especially contact and company data – as it was built to keep large databases in sync in real time.

Your zaps might include contact data – such as alerting your team of new HubSpot leads on Slack – but these are small, one-off pieces of data. To create a true two-way sync between your databases, Operations Hub will be a better fit.

2. You want to automate HubSpot actions based on third-party triggers.

HubSpot offers a range of options to create integrations and automated workflows with HubSpot at the center: in addition to Operations Hub, each Hub features its own set of automations to serve a huge variety of use cases. For example, users can create a trigger-action data push that creates a new row on Google Sheets when a certain event happens inside HubSpot. 

However, it's not yet possible to do it the other way around and trigger an action in HubSpot when an event happens in another app – for example, when a Google Form is filled out, a new contact record is created in HubSpot. For this type of trigger-action workflow from third-party apps into HubSpot (or any other app), Zapier is the better choice.

3. You want integrations without data syncing through HubSpot.

Zapier thrives when you want to create super flexible and imaginative automations. With 3,000 connectors and counting, the sky really is the limit. For example, you could automatically send email attachments to Dropbox and let your colleague know about it on Slack.

In addition, Zapier is the best choice if you want to connect third-party apps to each other. While Operations Hub connects tools to and from HubSpot CRM, Zapier allows you to create connections between any and all of their supported tools.

Looking for some real-world examples of how you could use Zapier and Operations Hub? Here are a few use cases specific to each platform to help you understand the difference between the two solutions:

If you're having a tough job choosing between Zapier and HubSpot, not to worry. Many businesses choose to use Zapier and HubSpot together for great results.

Think of Operations Hub as a way to strengthen the foundations of your data: its purpose is to ensure all of your databases match one another and that everyone in your organization is working with consistent, accurate, and up-to-date data, no matter which tool they use. HubSpot CRM is at the heart of your tech stack, with your other apps connecting to it two ways and in real time.

You can then layer trigger-action automations on top of it with Zapier; especially if you want to create workflows that don't need to involve HubSpot. In addition, because Operations Hub helps to clean and enrich your data, it can also help you get better results from your zaps.