HubSpot TCO calculation: How to determine the total cost of your HubSpot investment (+ free calculator)

When deciding on software such as HubSpot, it is not enough to just look at the license costs. Companies should consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) in order to be able to realistically estimate the actual total costs of their investment. The TCO includes not only the direct acquisition costs, but also implementation, training, ongoing operating costs and additional resources required.

The TCO is also the basis for calculating the return on investment (ROI). Only when the full costs are known can the actual benefit of HubSpot in the form of increased sales, efficiency gains and savings be realistically assessed.

But how do you calculate the TCO for HubSpot correctly? In this article, you will find out which factors are included in the calculation and how you can use our free TCO calculator to obtain a well-founded estimate of the total cost of your HubSpot investment.

What is the TCO and what factors should be taken into account?

The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) describes the total costs of an investment over its entire useful life. While the license costs are an obvious component, many other factors play a decisive role:

Acquisition costs: License fees for HubSpot Hubs (Marketing, Sales, Service, CMS, Operations)
Implementation costs: Set-up, customization and integration into existing systems
Training and onboarding: Time and costs for training teams
Ongoing operating costs: Maintenance, support and potential upgrades
Indirect costs: Internal resources for use and administration

The exact determination of the TCO is essential in order to be able to carry out a well-founded ROI calculation in the next step. The ROI puts the financial benefits achieved in relation to the total investment costs

How do you calculate the HubSpot TCO in just a few steps?

Determine the acquisition costs: This includes the license fees for the selected HubSpot Hubs as well as one-off costs for set-up and implementation.
Consider the operating costs: In addition to the monthly license costs, there may be additional costs for extended functions, external consulting or internal resources.
Calculate training and adaptation costs: An important component of the TCO is the time required for onboarding your employees and for adapting existing processes or additional personnel resources.

As soon as all the values are available, the TCO can be calculated. Use our TCO calculator to obtain a quick and realistic estimate.

Why many companies misjudge the TCO

A common mistake is underestimating indirect costs. While the obvious license fees are easy to calculate, internal expenses for training, administration or process adjustments are often overlooked.

In addition, the focus is often on short-term expenses. A long-term view, however, shows which costs remain in subsequent years and how they change.

Without a correct TCO calculation, the ROI cannot be realistically assessed. If you do not know the full cost expenditure, you cannot estimate what financial benefits and increases in turnover will actually be achieved.