Original research · Which CRMs does AI recommend to small businesses?
How often AI recommends HubSpot CRM
We asked Claude 25 buyer questions about small business CRM, on 3 separate days. Here is where HubSpot CRM came up, and who was named instead.
Data collected 31 October – 2 November 2026 · 75 answers · Claude with web search · run 3 of 3
HubSpot CRM at a glance
- Named in
- 94.7%71 of 75 answers
- Rank
- #1of 36 CRMs named
- Average position
- 1.7where it appears in the list
- Site read
- 16%answers that read hubspot.com
Against the most named
Share of all 75 answers that named each CRM.
HubSpot CRM94.7%
Pipedrive82.7%
Zoho CRM82.7%
Salesforce Starter36%
Question by question
Each question was asked once per run. “Most named” is the CRM the answers to that question named most often, other than HubSpot CRM.
| Question | Type | HubSpot CRM | Most named |
|---|---|---|---|
| What's the best CRM for a small business? | shortlist | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Pipedrive |
| Which CRM should a 10-person startup use? | shortlist | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Pipedrive |
| What are the top CRM tools for small businesses in 2026? | shortlist | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | NetHunt CRM |
| Best CRM for a small sales team of 5 people | shortlist | Named 3 of 3 · best #2 | Pipedrive |
| What CRM do most small B2B companies use? | shortlist | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Salesforce Starter |
| Best free CRM for a small business | constraint | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Zoho CRM |
| Cheapest CRM that's still good for a small business | constraint | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Zoho CRM |
| Best CRM for a small business that's easy to set up without IT help | constraint | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Pipedrive |
| Best CRM for a small agency managing client projects and deals | constraint | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | monday sales CRM |
| Best CRM for small businesses that integrates with Gmail and Google Workspace | constraint | Named 3 of 3 · best #2 | Copper |
| Best CRM for a small business using Microsoft 365 and Outlook | constraint | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales |
| Best CRM for a small real estate team | constraint | Named 2 of 3 · best #1 | Pipedrive |
| Best CRM with built-in email marketing for a small business | constraint | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | ActiveCampaign |
| Best CRM for a small business in the UK with GDPR in mind | constraint | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Capsule CRM |
| Best CRM for a small business that sells mostly over the phone | constraint | Named 3 of 3 · best #3 | Close |
| What are the best alternatives to Salesforce for a small business? | alternatives | Named 3 of 3 · best #2 | Salesforce Starter |
| HubSpot is getting too expensive. What CRM should a small business switch to? | alternatives | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Pipedrive |
| Alternatives to Pipedrive for a small team | alternatives | Named 3 of 3 · best #2 | Pipedrive |
| HubSpot vs Pipedrive for a small business | comparison | Named 3 of 3 · best #2 | Pipedrive |
| Zoho CRM vs HubSpot for a startup | comparison | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Zoho CRM |
| Pipedrive vs monday sales CRM for a small sales team | comparison | Not named | Pipedrive |
| Is HubSpot's free CRM good enough for a small business? | validation | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Pipedrive |
| Is Zoho CRM good for small businesses? | validation | Named 3 of 3 · best #3 | Zoho CRM |
| Is Pipedrive worth it for a small business? | validation | Named 3 of 3 · best #2 | Zoho CRM |
| I run a 20-person B2B services company and need a CRM. What would you recommend and why? | shortlist | Named 3 of 3 · best #1 | Pipedrive |
By kind of question
| Question type | Answers naming HubSpot CRM |
|---|---|
| Shortlist | 100% |
| Constraint | 97% |
| Alternatives | 100% |
| Comparison | 67% |
| Validation | 100% |
Want to move this number?
We run this check for HubSpot CRM across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, show why the leaders get chosen, and fix what keeps you out of the answers. The full method is in the report.