Discover folk - the CRM for people-powered businesses
Choosing the right CRM is crucial for the success of any small to medium-sized business (SMB). Two popular options are Airtable and HubSpot CRM, each offering unique features and benefits. One is more of a traditional CRM while the other is a spreadsheet database.
Airtable is known for its flexibility and customizable database capabilities, making it ideal for businesses that need tailored solutions. On the other hand, HubSpot CRM provides a comprehensive suite of tools designed for seamless sales and marketing integration. Figuring out which CRM is best for your SMB depends on your specific needs and priorities. In this blog post, we will compare Airtable and HubSpot CRM to help you decide which platform aligns best with your business goals and operations. We’ll also introduce folk, just so you can make an informed decision.
About Airtable
Airtable is spreadsheet-database hybrid tool, which allows users to organize and track different types of data. One of the key benefits of Airtable is its flexibility and versatility, which makes it ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with various needs such as content management, CRM, project management, and more. It comes with a great library of templates that you can use and adapt to your unique needs.
About HubSpot
HubSpot is a cloud-based software company that offers a suite of tools designed to help businesses grow their revenue. One of the key benefits of HubSpot is its famously free CRM that can be enhanced further with the addition of various Hubs for Marketing, Sales, Service, and CMS.
About Folk
folk is a CRM platform that offers a simple and intuitive interface designed for small businesses. It offers features like pipeline management, task management, team collaboration, and integrations.
TL;DR: Hubspot vs Airtable vs folk
Airtable is flexible but doesn't offer core CRM functionalities such as email & calendar integration, mail merge & campaigns, analytics on emails, deduplication and enrichment of contacts, and more. For any team really serious about its CRM usage, the recommendation is to go rather for a real CRM system.
Hubspot works great for teams that need advanced usage in term of marketing automation and newsletter management. Otherwise, the tool can feel a bit clunky for modern users.
folk is simple, easy-to-use and works perfectly for SMBs looking for a powerful yet manageable CRM system.
Ease of Use
When it comes to ease of use, Airtable is known for its intuitive and user-friendly interface. It offers a drag-and-drop system that allows users to easily create and customize databases, as well as a variety of templates to choose from.
HubSpot, on the other hand, has been built on the promise of being an easy-to-use CRM compared to Salesforce. However, it is a tool that was built 15 years ago, and while it may have fulfilled that promise at the time, it can now feel a bit outdated.
Folk offers a modern and easy-to-use CRM interface that is specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses.
Integrations
Both Airtable and HubSpot have strong integrations with other apps. Airtable integrates with over 1,500 apps, including popular tools like Zapier, Slack, and Google Drive. That being said, Airtable being a spreadsheet tool, it doesn't offer native objects such as people, companies and interactions that make it easy to map the data into the system.
HubSpot, on the other hand, integrates natively with over 800 apps, and even has its own Operations Hub, which allows users to connect apps bi-directionally, so any data generated both on HubSpot and out is updated everywhere.
Folk integrates with the most popular apps including Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Zapier, and more. One of the key benefits it offers is a really powerful chrome extension to bring contacts from any website and update it in one click.
This chrome extension works on LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Twitter, Gmail, Instagram, Tiktok, among others.
Mail Merge
When it comes to mail merge, Airtable isn't really built to a CRM. It offers integrations with other tools such as Mailchimp but mail merge and email sending from Airtable remains limited today.
Hubspot offers email scheduling, email tracking and notifications, email reply tracking, and email templates. It's probably more suited initially to be a newsletter tool but it also offer "basic" emailing functionalities.
For mail merge, when customizing your email on folk, it's very easy to insert variable fields as shown in the image below
Furthermore, it's much easier to send personalized mail merge messages when you have full context on a contact: folk stores your history of interactions in the form of emails exchanged, calendar events, and any other interactions that you can manually add.
It's also easy to track the results of the campaigns by viewing opened, clicked and bounced rates.
Pipeline Management
Airtable offers a simple pipeline board. HubSpot, on the other hand, offers a more advanced pipeline management system that allows users to track deals, automate tasks, and get insights into sales performance. But it can feel very manual and a bit clunky to users accustomed to modern interfaces
Folk offers a simple and intuitive pipeline management system that allows users to track people and companies, and collaborate with team members.
Pros & Cons
Airtable
Price: Starts from $20/seat/month billed annually
Key features
- Spreadsheet-database hybrid
- Not a traditional CRM
- Customizable views
- Integrations
- Collaboration
Pros
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Flexible and versatile
- Strong integration with over 1,500 apps
Cons
- Limited pipeline management capabilities
- Less advanced email marketing features
- Not suited for contacts and companies, not built to be a CRM
HubSpot
Price: Starts from $15/seat/month for lightweight features only
Key features
- Contact management
- Email marketing and automation
- Sales pipeline management
- Integration marketplace
Pros
- Free CRM with a ton of value
- More advanced pipeline management system
- More advanced email marketing features
- Integrates natively with over 800 apps
Cons
- Can be expensive and plans grow very fast
- Outdated UX
folk
Price: Starts from $20/seat/month billed annually
Pros
- Simple and intuitive interface
- Affordable pricing
- Strong integration with popular apps
- Task management and team collaboration features
- Strong mail merge functionalities
Cons
- Can be addictive!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Airtable and HubSpot CRM?
Airtable is a flexible, spreadsheet-database hybrid that allows for customizable project management and data organization, suitable for a variety of tasks that do not necessarily align with CRM functions.
HubSpot CRM, on the other hand, is a traditional customer relationship management tool designed specifically for sales, marketing, and customer service automation, providing extensive features for managing customer interactions and tracking sales pipelines.
What features should SMBs look for in their CRM?
SMBs should look for the following features in their CRM:
- Contact and Lead Management: Efficiently track and manage customer interactions.
- Email Integration: Seamless integration with email platforms for communication tracking.
- Sales Pipeline Management: Visualize and manage the sales process from lead to close.
- Automation: Automate repetitive tasks like follow-ups and data entry.
- Reporting and Analytics: Generate insights to track performance and make informed decisions.
- Scalability: Adaptable to business growth and changing needs.
- User-Friendly Interface: Easy to use and navigate for all team members.
folk happens to be able to accommodate all the above, and more.
Why is folk the best choice for SMBs?
folk is the best choice for SMBs because it offers a user-friendly interface, robust contact and lead management, and seamless integration with email and other productivity tools. Its automation capabilities help streamline workflows, and its customizable features allow SMBs to tailor the CRM to their specific needs. folk's scalability ensures it can grow alongside the business, making it an ideal solution for small to medium-sized enterprises looking to enhance their customer relationship management.
Conclusion
Overall, Airtable, HubSpot, and Folk offer unique benefits for SMBs, depending on their needs. Airtable is ideal for those looking for a flexible and versatile tool with strong integrations, while HubSpot is ideal for those looking for a more advanced marketing features. Folk is a great option for those looking for a simple and affordable CRM with basic pipeline management and collaboration features. Ultimately, it comes down to what your business needs to succeed.
Discover folk - the CRM for people-powered businesses
