HubSpot vs. Thryv: Which Solution is Best for Small Businesses?

If you’re a typical small business owner, you probably ventured out on your own to live your dream, such as: beautifying lawns, building homes, styling hair, caring for pets, managing taxes or planning events.

Having said that, chances are you hold all the jobs: You’re the CEO, accounting VP, head of sales and marketing and manager of window washing and trash collection.

You need a software platform that makes running your business faster and easier. One that speaks your language and doesn’t require a ton of ongoing training to run smoothly.

You don’t have time to pursue a digital marketing degree to get the job done. You just need your business software to work seamlessly. Plus, having access to free support when you need it is a vital bonus.

That’s why we’re taking a look at two comprehensive platforms, Thryv vs. HubSpot, to determine which is best for your service-focused business.

What Is HubSpot

HubSpot launched as a social media and SEO tool in 2006, geared toward small businesses. It expanded over the next 15 years to add more features, such as a Sales Hub, CRM, marketing and more.

Just six years after its launch, HubSpot announced a shift away from its core audience of small businesses to focus on larger businesses that were “now ready” for its more advanced Marketing Hub products.

HubSpot is lauded for its extensive educational platform, much of which is free, for people who have time to learn the intricacies of digital marketing. These skills and courses, some of which can take days to complete, are not required to use HubSpot, but it’s heavily implied that they are necessary to optimize the platform. This certainly makes sense for those larger companies that likely have marketing professionals on staff.

But what about HubSpot’s original pool of customers? Those small or very small businesses with minimal staff and not enough hours in the day to become a marketing wizard? They can get technical support and onboarding help, but it will cost them.

HubSpot pricing and features

Today, HubSpot offers several “Hubs,” including Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, CMS Hub and its newest: Operations Hub. Each iteration over the past 15 years included several package options within the different Hubs, all at varying price points and upsells. Some bundling of the Hubs is available, too.

Marketing Hub. Like Sales Hub and Service Hub, there are free and various premium versions of Marketing Hub. The free features include items such as basic email marketing with limited sends, landing pages, social ads, free tools, live chat and some analytics. Upgrading to the Starter version eliminates the HubSpot watermark/branding on those features. The pricier Professional and Enterprise versions add features such as video hosting, marketing automation, SEO tools, increased lists and send counts, reporting, content and social media tools and deeper analytics (see HubSpot Pricing below for more details).

Sales Hub. This sales CRM tracks contacts and deals, as well as provides email tracking, templates and more, with meeting scheduling, quoting, Gmail and Outlook integration, etc. The Professional and Enterprise versions elevate communication, lead scoring and automation of certain tasks. Some users remark that sales and marketing flows have differing functionality that makes for a “clunky” user experience.

Service Hub. Another Hub with tiered packages, this customer service management software includes help desk and ticketing automation and reporting. It also includes a HubSpot CRM to store and track customer information and activity. Paid versions include additional tools such as customer feedback studies, multiple currencies, team management, etc.

CMS Hub. The content management software is available on the Professional level. Users build websites and create and manage content, as well as access SEO recommendations, a CRM to track visitors, testing capabilities and lead generation.

Operations Hub. The newest feature, also available at free and premium levels, helps sync current and historical data to keep siloed activities aligned and automated. Paid versions allow for much deeper customization, as well as webhooks, data duplication management, customized reporting, etc.

HUBSPOT PRICING

It’s an interesting strategy to offer lots of free but limited features to get users started with HubSpot. As businesses grow (and/or realize their need for better functionality), they’re opened up to Starter, Premium and Enterprise versions of the Hubs.

Most of the Starter Hubs run about $45-$50 a month, separately, with a slight discount for a year’s subscription paid up-front. To add more users and more contacts in your CRM, the ability to send more emails, add customization, or any number of attributes that create a more professional appearance, Professional and Enterprise versions of each Hub range from $270 to $3,200 per month, per Hub.

So, signing up for the Enterprise-level of just Marketing and Sales Hubs would cost $4,400 per month. The full suite of all Enterprise level Hubs would run a small business more than $7,000 per month to operate. The Professional level would run $2,600, according to HubSpot’s current posted pricing.

HubSpot reviews

“Our company looks at HubSpot as a jack of all trades and a master of none. I have no doubt that they’ll eventually get there, but it’s a clunky ride for a hefty price tag.” – Small business CEO, verified user, G2 review, Jan. 29, 2021

Pros: Users like the wide variety of options, the free version of Marketing Hub is a favorite. Those who understand digital marketing comment that it’s fairly easy to use. Many users note that the educational blogs and marketing-related training modules set HubSpot apart.

Cons: Users consider HubSpot to be very expensive, especially for smaller businesses. They say the basic (free and Starter) versions are too limited. The CMS is not a favorite tool, and the design elements are lacking, users report.

“The tiered plan system is a bit frustrating when you (understandably) find out that you don’t have access to the most powerful features, or when someone on your sales team sees what they could be doing and wonders why they can’t,” said one user in an April 21, 2021, Capterra review.

HubSpot customer service

At the different package tiers, support varies. For the free version, chat support is available. One-on-one support is available via email and in-app chat support. The Professional and Enterprise levels include one-on-one phone support, as well.

Onboarding support for the two higher levels is several hundred to thousands of dollars (depending on the Hub and tier), in addition to the monthly fees.

Many users note that because of HubSpot’s free-to-start strategy, the interaction with the HubSpot team is very heavy on the upsell.

What is Thryv

Five years ago, Thryv’s developers noticed a need in the market for a truly end-to-end solution that helped small businesses manage all of their workload in one centralized place. And they delivered it at a price SMBs could actually afford. The functionality supports them as they grow, such as adding customers, staff, services and even additional locations.

The Thryv platform has evolved, in just five years, to include all of the digital capabilities that SMBs need to serve and delight today’s modern customers. Thryv is one dashboard that includes marketing, sales, payments, CRM, service, data syncing and so much more.

Thryv’s platform is fully integrated with nearly all business activities, from organizing the customer database to sending bulk email and SMS text communication to managing all aspects of a job from initial outreach, ongoing communication, estimates, invoices, payments, receipts, follow-ups, reminders, online scheduling convenience and more. Plus, Thryv offers online listings and help requesting and managing online reviews – and all of this is in one place.

Users can tap into Thryv’s automated marketing with email and text templates and utilize its library of social media posts to choose from, and then post to their various social media pages. Since everything is in one dashboard, all workflows are housed in one secure, easy-to-use place.

Thryv stands out from other software companies by offering its own payment processing service, ThryvPay. It’s designed specifically for service-based businesses that want to provide contactless payment options and schedule recurring payments.

ThryvPay offers competitive flat-rate fees on credit card transactions. It also offers the option for ACH payment processing, which is a much more budget-friendly option. Plus, since ThryvPay is integrated with Plaid, businesses will know in real-time if funds are available – so no more bounced checks.

Thryv’s ever-evolving App Market integrates seamlessly with several popular business-operating programs. Apps include Gmail, Quickbooks Desktop, MYOB, Clover, Jotform, Yext, Constant Contact, Indeed, Mailchimp, Shopify, Typeform, Zoom and ShareAble for Hires.

Thryv pricing and features

As a full, end-to-end platform, Thryv helps businesses:

Get the Job by improving online presence so businesses are found online, requesting and managing reviews, growing social media audiences, setting online appointments, creating and delivering estimates and allowing form fills.

Manage the Job by maintaining a real-time calendar for all staff members, collecting and storing online documents, creating and delivering estimates and invoices, and allowing multiple contactless payment methods, including ThryvPay.

Get Credit with marketing automation such as SMS text and email campaigns and requesting reviews as well as sending promotions and other messaging that is customized to the right audience at the right time.

Robust CRM. The centralized customer relationship management (CRM) system within Thryv is connected to all other aspects of the platform. Contact and lead information is available in client cards, and can be customized with tags and activities to ensure marketing, payments and more are optimized and personalized for each contact. Thryv’s CRM is also verticalized by industry, so the terminology found within the platform makes sense for the way each business conducts their workflows.

Sales & Payments. Thryv provides an easy-to-use and maintain estimates, invoices and payments system. It provides multiple payment options, such as ThryvPay, PayPal, Square, Stripe, Apple Pay and more. Thryv users can create invoice requests and payment reminders that can be easily sent via email or SMS text messaging.

Customer Communication. This centralized inbox means that users can manage every conversation and respond immediately. Staff members can also be assigned to manage specific messaging to specific customers. Thryv also integrates with Gmail, so all of the Thryv client information is available right in the Gmail inbox.

Online Scheduling. There’s nothing today’s customers like more than managing their own time, and DIY online appointment booking is a godsend. No more playing phone tag or stopping work to answer the phone to set appointments. Businesses get time back, and customers set their own appointments right from their phone.

Reputation Management & Online Presence.  Thryv’s powerful online listings capabilities ensure that the business’s information is current and accurate across more than 60 online listings sites. So, no matter where customers are searching, they can find the business. Regular reporting also allows Thryv users to stay on top of incoming reviews so they can respond immediately. Thryv is a Google My Business Featured Partner, so users can get the most out of Google from their Thryv dashboard.

Marketing & Social Media. The power of customized marketing campaigns means messages can be sent in bulk or automated to send after a milestone or special event. Thryv users can automate an email or text to go out to their customers whenever it’s time to schedule their next appointment. Robust social media posting capabilities include a huge library of posts to make regular, ongoing social presence and posting a breeze.

THRYV PRICING

Thryv provides several packages that vary depending on how many users are included, but, unlike HubSpot, each package includes every aspect of business management, including CRM, online listing, social media, communications inbox, marketing, sales, appointment scheduling, automated campaigns, document storage, estimates and invoices, and much more.

Although Thryv does not publicly post its pricing, the top package runs far less than just one of HubSpot’s Professional tier Hubs. Additionally, Thryv offers free ongoing, 24-7 technical support, and a specified support team for ThryvPay at no additional charge.

Thryv reviews

“Thryv is a great CRM for a small business, as everything is in one place. I highly recommend it for a small business needing to centralize operations.” – Neta W.; verified user; G2 review; April 6, 2021

Pros. Simple to set up and get started. It’s a huge timesaver and helps with organization and outreach, such as invoicing, payments and customer communication. Thryv’s customer service goes above and beyond, offering support 24 hours a day. Social media scheduling is a favorite feature.

Cons. For some, there may be a lot to learn, but free support is always available – it’s worth the time and effort to educate yourself on how to fully use the software.

Thryv customer service

The key to Thryv’s customer service is that it is free, unlimited and available 24-7. In Thryv’s online reviews, customers continuously point out this game-changing benefit as the key differentiator for Thryv.

Thryv offers a button on its dashboard that takes users to a feedback form. Here, they can request new features and vote on those that are in current consideration.

Free online resources include educational guides and blogs, customer testimonials, how-to videos, and a robust knowledge center with step-by-step instruction and new feature updates.

Thryv provides video and one-on-one demos to understand each business’s individual needs, from improving customer communication to getting more organized to generating more online reviews. It’s a no-pressure information session, rather than a hard sale.

Thryv vs HubSpot

Both of these powerful platforms help businesses stay organized, streamline workflows and improve communication. However, Thryv has specifically tailored its features and pricing toward small- to medium-sized businesses. Conversely, HubSpot has pivoted away toward more lucrative, larger businesses, and its pricing structure reflects that.

The main difference in functionality is that every package available with Thryv offers access to core features for managing sales, marketing, scheduling, payments and more. Whereas with HubSpot, multiple Hubs must be purchased to gain the full functionality.

While HubSpot offers some free features, they are quite limited with lots of opportunities for users to upgrade to paid features.

Both HubSpot and Thryv offer free tools for businesses to do things such as create customized invoices and website scoring. Both offer extensive educational content and business advice through knowledge centers and blogs.

*Review comments consolidated from verified users via G2 and Capterra software review sites.