HubSpot Service Hub vs Sendbird

HubSpot Service Hub and Sendbird address different aspects of customer communication. HubSpot Service Hub (G2 4.4/5) provides comprehensive CRM-integrated customer service with pricing from free to $130/agent/month, while Sendbird (G2 4.3/5) specializes in in-app messaging and chat APIs with plans ranging from free to $999/month.

The core difference lies in focus: HubSpot targets complete customer relationship management, while Sendbird enables developers to build custom chat experiences within applications.

HubSpot Service Hub offers ticketing systems, live chat widgets, knowledge base creation, customer feedback surveys, and conversation routing, all integrated with comprehensive CRM data. It excels at managing customer relationships across sales, marketing, and service touchpoints with automated workflows and detailed analytics.

Sendbird provides chat APIs and SDKs for building custom messaging experiences, including group chat, file sharing, push notifications, and moderation tools. Its platform supports real-time messaging, voice and video calls, and AI-powered chatbots, designed primarily for developers building chat functionality into mobile apps or web applications.

HubSpot wins for businesses needing ready-to-use customer service solutions, while Sendbird leads for developers requiring flexible, customizable messaging infrastructure.

HubSpot Service Hub uses straightforward tiered pricing: free for basic features, $45/month for Starter (2 users), $450/month for Professional (5 users), and $1,200/month for Enterprise (10 users). Additional agents cost $45-$130 each depending on the plan tier.

Sendbird offers a free tier for up to 100 monthly active users, then scales to $399/month for Starter (up to 1,000 MAU), $599/month for Pro (up to 5,000 MAU), and $999/month for Enterprise (up to 10,000 MAU). Higher usage requires custom enterprise pricing, with costs based on monthly active users rather than agent seats.

For traditional customer service teams, HubSpot's per-agent model is more predictable, while Sendbird's MAU-based pricing suits applications with varying user engagement levels.

Choose HubSpot Service Hub if you need full-service customer support tools integrated with CRM and marketing automation. Choose Sendbird if you're building custom in-app messaging features or need specialized chat infrastructure for your application.

Choose HubSpot Service Hub if: You need comprehensive customer service tools, want CRM integration, and prefer traditional support team structures with per-agent pricing.

Choose Sendbird if: You're building custom chat features for your application, need developer-friendly APIs, or want to embed messaging capabilities into your product.

For teams seeking effective customer communication without the complexity of custom development or high per-agent costs, Converge offers a balanced solution at $49/month flat rate.