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Migrating From HubSpot: The Complete Guide

You can take your data and your contacts with you. Here's how to leave HubSpot without losing anything that matters.

HubSpot makes it easy to get in and harder to get out. Not because they hold your data hostage (they don't — data export is available), but because your workflows, automations, reports, and integrations are all HubSpot-specific.

A successful migration preserves everything important — your data, your processes, your email deliverability — while eliminating the things that made you want to leave: the pricing, the tier restrictions, and the platform limitations.

Step 1: Audit Your HubSpot Usage

Before migration, we document exactly what you're using in HubSpot. Most companies are surprised to discover they use far less than they think — and pay for far more than they need.

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Feature Usage Audit

Which HubSpot features does your team actually use daily? Weekly? Never? This drives the custom build scope.

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Email Inventory

Active email campaigns, sequences, templates, and automation workflows. These all need to migrate.

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Report Catalog

Which dashboards and reports does leadership actually look at? Often a fraction of what exists.

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Integration Map

Every tool connected to HubSpot and what data flows between them.

Step 2: Export Your Data

HubSpot allows export of all contacts, companies, deals, tickets, and activities. We export everything, including custom properties, association labels, and activity timelines.

Email templates and design assets export separately. Workflow logic gets documented (it can't be exported as-is, but we capture every trigger, condition, and action for recreation).

Step 3: Build the Replacement

Based on the usage audit, we build only what you actually need:

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CRM Core

Contacts, companies, deals — with your custom properties and pipeline stages.

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Email System

Templates, sequences, and campaigns migrated to SendGrid or Postmark. Same content, no per-contact pricing.

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Automation

HubSpot workflows recreated as backend automation. More powerful and no workflow limits.

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Reporting

The dashboards leadership actually uses, rebuilt with real-time data and no tier restrictions.

Step 4: Migrate Email Infrastructure

Email migration is the most sensitive part. Your sending reputation lives with your domain, not with HubSpot. We set up a new email service (SendGrid, Postmark, or Amazon SES) with proper DNS authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and warm the sending infrastructure gradually.

During transition, we run both systems in parallel — HubSpot handles active campaigns while we warm up the new infrastructure. This ensures zero impact on deliverability.

Step 5: Train and Switch Over

Training focuses on "what changed" rather than learning a new system from scratch. Since the custom CRM is built around your existing workflows, most team members find it intuitive.

We switch over team by team: sales first (CRM), then marketing (email and automation), then service (if applicable). Each switch happens on its own timeline to minimize disruption.

Timing With Your HubSpot Contract

Plan your migration to align with your HubSpot contract renewal date. Annual contracts auto-renew, so provide written cancellation notice 30-90 days before renewal (check your specific contract).

Start the migration process 4-6 months before your renewal date. This gives you time to build, test, and validate without rushing — and without paying for another year of HubSpot.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a HubSpot migration take?
CRM migration: 8-12 weeks. Full CRM + marketing automation + reporting: 12-20 weeks. We recommend starting 4-6 months before your HubSpot contract renewal date.
Will our email deliverability drop?
Not if migrated properly. We warm the new email infrastructure gradually and maintain proper DNS authentication. Your sending reputation is tied to your domain, not HubSpot. Some clients actually see improved deliverability with dedicated sending infrastructure.
What about HubSpot forms on our website?
HubSpot forms get replaced with custom forms that feed directly into your new CRM. If your site is on HubSpot CMS, we recommend migrating the website separately (to WordPress, Webflow, or custom) as part of a phased approach.
Can we migrate gradually?
Yes. A phased approach is recommended: migrate CRM first, then email/automation, then reporting. Each phase can be validated independently before moving to the next.
What if we only want to replace part of HubSpot?
Common approach: keep HubSpot Free CRM, replace Marketing Hub and Sales Hub with custom tools. This eliminates the expensive hubs while keeping the free functionality. We can also selectively replace just the most expensive components.

Ready to Leave HubSpot?

Book a free migration assessment. We'll audit your HubSpot usage and give you a migration plan timed to your contract renewal.

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