HubSpot to Zoho CRM Migration: Complete Guide (2026)

HubSpot's free CRM is how most people get started. It works well for small teams, until you need more than the basics. That is when the pricing jumps hit.

HubSpot Sales Hub Professional costs $100 per user per month. Want marketing automation? Marketing Hub Professional starts at $800 per month (for 2,000 contacts). Need both? You are looking at serious money fast, and the price scales with your contact list.

Zoho CRM Professional is $23 per user per month. Enterprise is $40. No contact-based pricing surcharges. No surprise jumps when you cross a tier threshold.

We have migrated teams from HubSpot to Zoho CRM across industries, from 5-person startups that outgrew the free tier to 100-person sales orgs tired of paying $150 per seat at the Enterprise level. This guide covers exactly how the migration works, what you need to watch out for, and how to get it done without losing a thing.

Why People Leave HubSpot

HubSpot makes a great first impression. The free CRM is genuinely useful, the onboarding is smooth, and the UI is clean. Nobody argues with that. But the cracks show once you start scaling.

The pricing cliff

HubSpot's pricing does not scale gradually. It jumps.

These are Sales Hub prices. If you also use Marketing Hub, the costs compound. Marketing Hub Professional starts at $800/month for 2,000 marketing contacts, and the price rises as your list grows. Zoho Campaigns is included in Zoho One ($37/user/month billed annually, for 45+ apps) or available standalone from $4/month.

Feature gating catches you off guard

HubSpot locks critical features behind the Professional tier ($100/user/month):

• Sequences (automated email follow-ups): Professional and above only
• Custom reporting: Professional and above
• Workflow automation: Professional and above (limited to 300 workflows)
• Multiple deal pipelines: Professional and above
• Calculated properties: Professional and above
• Required fields: Professional and above

In Zoho CRM, workflow automation starts at Standard ($14/user/month). Multiple pipelines, custom reports, and calculated fields are available on Professional ($23/user/month). You get more functionality at a lower tier.

Contact-based pricing on Marketing Hub

This is the one that really stings. HubSpot Marketing Hub charges based on the number of marketing contacts in your database. Once you pass 2,000 contacts on Professional, you pay extra, and the cost scales steeply. A 50,000-contact marketing database on HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional can run $1,400+ per month just for marketing automation.

Zoho Campaigns and Zoho Marketing Automation do not use contact-based pricing tiers in the same way. You pay per user, not per contact.

What Zoho CRM's HubSpot Migration Tool Does

Zoho CRM has a HubSpot migration wizard built right in. You will find it under Setup > Data Administration > Import > HubSpot. Here is what it covers (and what it leaves out).

Supported modules

• Contacts → Contacts
• Companies → Accounts
• Deals → Deals
• Tickets → Cases
• Tasks → Tasks
• Notes → Notes
• Calls → Calls
• Attachments → Attachments

How it works

1. Export your HubSpot data as CSV files
2. Upload to Zoho CRM's migration wizard
3. The tool auto-detects modules based on CSV headers
4. Auto Map matches HubSpot columns to Zoho CRM fields
5. Review and adjust the mapping, especially deal stages and custom properties
6. Set default values for any empty required fields
7. Run the migration
8. Validate each module after completion

What it handles well

• Standard contact, company, and deal records
• Basic field values (text, numbers, dates, checkboxes)
• Record ownership (mapped to active Zoho users)
• Contact-to-company associations
• Notes and attachments linked to parent records

What needs manual work

• Workflows. HubSpot workflows do not transfer. Rebuild them as Zoho Workflow Rules or Blueprints
• Sequences. Rebuild as Zoho Cadences
• Lists. Active and static lists must be recreated as Zoho custom views or segments
• Forms. Rebuild using Zoho Forms or Zoho CRM web forms
• Landing pages. Recreate in Zoho Sites or Zoho PageSense
• Email templates. Must be recreated in Zoho CRM's email template builder
• Reports and dashboards. Rebuild from scratch in Zoho's report builder
• Custom coded actions. HubSpot Operations Hub custom code must be rewritten in Deluge

Data Mapping: HubSpot to Zoho CRM

This is the part most people want to see first: what goes where.

Object-to-module mapping

Property-to-field mapping

Watch out for: HubSpot's default properties have internal names that differ from their display names. When you export a CSV, the column headers use internal names (e.g., hs_object_id, createdate, dealstage). Zoho's auto-mapper may not recognise these. You will need to manually map several columns.

What transfers cleanly

• Contact and company records with standard properties
• Deal records (name, amount, close date, pipeline, stage)
• Basic activity records (tasks, notes, calls)
• File attachments linked to records
• Record ownership (if users are mapped correctly)

What you lose (or need to recreate)

Step-by-Step Migration Process

Step 1: Audit your HubSpot account

Before you touch the export button, make a list of everything you are actually using.

• Custom properties. List every custom property across Contacts, Companies, and Deals. Note the property type, because you will need to create matching fields in Zoho.
• Workflows. Document every active workflow: what triggers it, what actions it takes, which objects it affects. Screenshot the workflow editor if it helps.
• Sequences. Note every active sequence, how many steps it has, and which reps use it. You will rebuild these as Zoho Cadences.
• Lists. Document every active list and its filter criteria. Static lists need to be exported separately.
• Forms and landing pages. List every form that feeds leads into HubSpot and every landing page that is live.
• Integrations. What third-party tools connect to HubSpot? Slack, Gmail/Outlook, QuickBooks, Shopify, Zapier automations. All of these need Zoho equivalents.
• Reports. Screenshot or list the reports and dashboards your team checks regularly.

A proper audit takes a day, maybe two. It saves weeks of confusion later.

Step 2: Clean up your data

HubSpot's free tier encourages importing contacts freely, which means most HubSpot databases have bloat.

• Merge duplicates. HubSpot's built-in deduplication tool handles contacts and companies. Run it before export.
• Remove dead contacts. Bounced emails, unsubscribed contacts, and contacts with no activity in 12+ months. Decide whether they are worth migrating.
• Standardize property values. If your "Lead Source" dropdown has "Website", "website", "Web", and "Online", pick one and fix the rest.
• Delete test records. Demo deals, test contacts, sandbox data. Clean it out.
• Check associations. Make sure contacts are linked to the right companies and deals. Broken associations in HubSpot become broken associations in Zoho.

Step 3: Set up your Zoho CRM organization

Get Zoho CRM configured before importing anything.

• Create your org with the correct currency and fiscal year
• Set up roles and profiles (Zoho's hierarchy model differs from HubSpot's teams structure)
• Create custom modules if you are migrating HubSpot custom objects
• Add all custom fields with matching field types
• Pre-create picklist values. Every dropdown value that exists in HubSpot needs to exist in Zoho before import
• Set up your deal pipeline stages to match HubSpot's pipeline exactly (you can rename or restructure later, but match them for the import)

Take the time here. A properly configured Zoho CRM org means clean imports. A rushed setup means hours of manual fixes.

Step 4: Export data from HubSpot

HubSpot makes exporting straightforward.

For Contacts, Companies, and Deals: - Go to the relevant object list in HubSpot - Click "Export" and select CSV format - Choose "All properties" to get everything, or select specific properties - HubSpot emails you the export file (or you can download it directly)

For Activities (Notes, Calls, Tasks, Emails): - Export from the activity timeline or use the HubSpot API - Activity exports can be trickier, and not all activity types export cleanly from the UI - For large datasets or complex activity histories, the HubSpot API (with the CRM API v3 endpoints) gives you more control

For Attachments and Documents: - Download files from HubSpot's document library manually or via API - Attachments linked to records need a mapping CSV for Zoho import

API rate limits to know about: HubSpot's API allows 200 requests per second for Enterprise accounts and 150 requests per second for Professional. Daily limits are generous (500,000+ calls/day on paid plans) but if you are using a migration tool that hits the API heavily, throttling can slow things down.

Step 5: Run a trial migration

Pick a representative sample (100 to 300 records) and run them through Zoho's migration wizard first.

Check these things: - Do contact-to-company associations survive the import? - Are deal stages mapping correctly? (HubSpot uses pipeline stage IDs internally, so make sure the display names match your Zoho picklist values) - Are custom property values landing in the right Zoho fields? - Are date formats correct? (HubSpot exports dates in various formats depending on the property type) - Do attachments link to the correct records?

Fix mapping issues now. Not after you have imported 50,000 records.

Step 6: Execute the full migration

Import in this order to preserve relationships:

1. Users. Map HubSpot users to Zoho CRM users
2. Accounts (Companies). Parent records first
3. Contacts. Linked to Accounts
4. Deals. Linked to Accounts and Contacts
5. Cases (Tickets). Linked to Contacts
6. Products. Independent
7. Tasks, Calls, Events (Meetings). Linked to parent records
8. Notes. Linked to parent records
9. Attachments. Last, linked via mapping CSV

After each module import, spot-check 10 to 20 records. Verify field values, associations, and ownership. It is much easier to catch a mapping problem after importing Companies than after importing everything.

Step 7: Rebuild workflows and automations

This is where most of the project time actually goes. Moving data is the easy part. Rebuilding your automation logic is the real work.

Workflows → Zoho Workflow Rules or Blueprint

HubSpot workflows and Zoho workflow rules are conceptually similar: trigger on a condition, run an action. But the builders are different, and some HubSpot workflow actions (like "Enroll in sequence" or "Create task") need to be mapped to Zoho's action types.

For complex multi-step processes with stage gates, Zoho's Blueprint is the better fit. It enforces a specific sequence of actions, closer to how HubSpot's newer "Pipeline Automation" works.

Sequences → Zoho Cadences

HubSpot sequences are automated email + task follow-up chains for sales reps. Zoho Cadences serve the same purpose: multi-step follow-up sequences with email, call, and task steps. The setup is different but the concept maps directly.

Lists → Custom Views or Segments

• Active lists (filter-based) → Zoho Custom Views with matching filter criteria
• Static lists → Export the list, tag the records in Zoho, or create a custom view based on a shared property

Forms → Zoho Forms or Web Forms

Zoho CRM has built-in web forms, and Zoho Forms is a more fully featured form builder. Either works. Rebuild each form and update the embed code on your website.

Reports and Dashboards

These must be rebuilt from scratch. Zoho's report builder uses a different approach (tabular, summary, and matrix report types). Document what your HubSpot reports measure and recreate the logic in Zoho.

Step 8: Train your team and run in parallel

Keep HubSpot running in read-only mode for 2 to 3 weeks.

• Your team enters new data in Zoho CRM only
• HubSpot stays available for reference and historical lookups
• Compare pipeline totals, deal counts, and activity metrics between both systems daily
• Have 2 to 3 team members act as go-to people for questions during the transition

The interface shift from HubSpot to Zoho CRM is noticeable. HubSpot's navigation is centered around a top menu bar; Zoho CRM uses a module-based tab system. Give people a week to get comfortable before you judge adoption.

Cancel HubSpot only after your team confirms they can work entirely in Zoho CRM.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

1. Deal stage ID vs. display name mismatch

HubSpot stores deal stages internally as IDs, not display names. If your CSV export shows stage IDs instead of names, Zoho's mapper will not recognise them. Export a separate list of pipeline stages from HubSpot Settings > Objects > Deals > Pipelines and use it to map IDs to names before import.

2. Email activity history does not migrate cleanly

HubSpot tracks every email open, click, and reply on the contact timeline. This activity data does not export in a simple CSV format. You can pull it via the HubSpot Engagements API, but importing it into Zoho CRM as structured activity records requires custom scripting. Most teams accept that pre-migration email history stays in HubSpot and start fresh in Zoho.

3. HubSpot default properties have cryptic internal names

Properties like hs_analytics_source, num_associated_deals, or hs_lifecyclestage_lead_date appear in your CSV export with these internal names. Zoho's auto-mapper will not match them. You need to manually map the ones you care about and ignore the rest.

4. Contact lifecycle stages work differently

HubSpot uses a lifecycle stage property (Subscriber → Lead → MQL → SQL → Opportunity → Customer → Evangelist) that drives a lot of reporting and automation. Zoho CRM does not have an equivalent built-in lifecycle concept. You need to create a custom picklist field in Zoho and map HubSpot lifecycle stages to it, then rebuild any automation that depended on lifecycle stage changes.

5. Association labels and types

HubSpot allows custom association labels between objects (e.g., a Contact can be "Decision Maker" or "Billing Contact" for a Company). Zoho CRM lookups do not support association labels in the same way. You may need to use a custom field or tag to preserve this information.

6. Marketing contact vs. non-marketing contact distinction

HubSpot separates marketing contacts (who count toward your billing) from non-marketing contacts. Zoho does not have this concept. All contacts are just contacts. This simplifies things, but if you relied on the distinction for segmentation, create a custom field to track it.

7. Workflow dependency chains

HubSpot workflows can trigger other workflows through enrollment triggers. If you have workflows that depend on each other in sequence, map out the entire chain before rebuilding in Zoho. Rebuilding them individually without understanding the dependencies leads to broken automation.

What Zoho CRM Does Better Than HubSpot

The cost difference is clear from the pricing table. But there are also things Zoho CRM does that HubSpot either charges extra for or does not offer at all.

• More features at lower tiers. Workflow automation, multiple pipelines, and custom reports, all available at a fraction of HubSpot's price.
• No contact-based pricing. Your marketing cost stays flat as your contact list grows. That alone is a reason some teams switch.
• Built-in inventory management. Quotes, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, and Invoices are native in Zoho CRM Professional. HubSpot requires the Quotes tool (limited on lower tiers) or a third-party integration.
• Canvas Design Studio. Custom CRM layouts with drag-and-drop design. HubSpot has limited record layout customization by comparison.
• Zia AI included. Lead scoring, deal predictions, anomaly detection, and sentiment analysis, all bundled at no extra cost on Enterprise. HubSpot's AI features (Breeze) are newer and more limited.
• Blueprint process enforcement. Guides reps through mandatory steps in a deal process. HubSpot has pipeline rules but nothing as structured.
• Zoho One value. $37/user/month (billed annually) gets you CRM, helpdesk, accounting, project management, HR, marketing, and 40+ more apps. HubSpot's equivalent would cost multiples of that.
• Deeper customization. Deluge scripting, custom modules, custom buttons, client scripts, and server-side functions give you more flexibility than HubSpot's Operations Hub.

What HubSpot Does Better (Worth Knowing)

We would not be doing our job if we skipped this part.

• User experience. HubSpot's interface is genuinely easier to pick up, especially for non-technical users. The learning curve is shorter. That is not marketing, it is true.
• Marketing Hub. HubSpot's marketing automation (email sequences, landing pages, blog hosting, social scheduling, SEO tools) is more mature than Zoho's marketing stack for inbound-heavy strategies.
• Content management. HubSpot's CMS Hub is a full website builder integrated with the CRM. Zoho Sites exists but is not at the same level.
• App marketplace. HubSpot's App Marketplace has 1,500+ integrations with strong documentation and one-click installs. Zoho Marketplace is smaller, though Zoho Flow fills many gaps.
• Community and education. HubSpot Academy, the community forums, and the knowledge base are among the best in the industry. Zoho's resources are improving but not yet at that level.
• Free tier generosity. HubSpot's free CRM is more feature-rich than Zoho's free tier for small teams that never need to scale.

If inbound marketing is the core of your strategy and HubSpot Marketing Hub runs a big chunk of it, check whether Zoho's marketing tools cover what you need before committing to the move.

Realistic Timelines

Phase breakdown (medium org)

Same pattern as every CRM migration: the data moves fast. The automation rebuilds and getting people comfortable on the new system. That is where the calendar fills up.

DIY vs. Hiring a Migration Partner

DIY makes sense when:

• Under 1,000 contacts with standard properties
• Fewer than 5 active workflows
• No custom objects
• Your team is comfortable with CRM administration
• You have time to learn Zoho's setup

A partner makes sense when:

• You have complex workflow chains that depend on each other
• Custom objects or heavy property customization
• Your pipeline cannot afford downtime during the switch
• You need integrations rebuilt (Shopify, QuickBooks, Slack, custom APIs)
• Nobody on the team has time to manage a multi-week migration project

We have done this 100+ times at Zolify. HubSpot to Zoho CRM migrations are one of our most common projects. We know where the data mapping breaks, where workflows need rethinking (not just copying), and how to get your team comfortable on the new platform fast.

Every migration comes with a zero data loss guarantee. We keep both systems running side by side until your team says they are ready.

Talk to us about your HubSpot to Zoho CRM move →

Related Reading

• HubSpot to Zoho CRM Migration Service - our managed migration service
• Zoho CRM vs HubSpot: Full Comparison - feature-by-feature breakdown
• Salesforce to Zoho CRM Migration Guide - migrating from a different CRM?
• Freshsales to Zoho CRM Migration Guide - another CRM migration path
• Mailchimp to Zoho Campaigns Migration Guide - moving your email marketing too?
• All Migration Services - see every migration path we support