frac vs HubSpot for fractional executives
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Short answer
HubSpot is a full CRM and marketing platform, and it is the right choice if you run real sales or marketing operations with contacts, sequences and campaigns at volume. frac is lighter and built for a solo fractional practice: it reads your sales calls into a pipeline with next steps, and does the same for client work, hours and business health.
A fractional executive's pipeline is a handful of conversations, not thousands of contacts. The question is whether you need a CRM, or a practice system that includes a pipeline.
What HubSpot is built for
HubSpot is built for sales, marketing and service teams: contact records, deal pipelines, email tracking and sequences, marketing automation, forms and reporting. It has a free CRM tier and paid hubs.
frac is built for one person running a fractional practice: client work, pipeline and the numbers in one place. It reads your Google Calendar and recorded calls (Fireflies today, or forward a recap from any notetaker), turns what was decided into tasks with owners and due dates for you to approve, preps you before every call, and shows hours against each retainer. It is read-only and never sends anything for you.
Side by side
| Topic | frac | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Pipeline | A short pipeline of prospects from your sales calls, each with a next step and date. | Deep deal pipelines, forecasting and reporting for sales teams. |
| Getting data in | Reads your calendar and recorded calls; prospects come in with the next step already set. | Contacts and deals from forms, email logging, imports and integrations. |
| Client delivery | Tasks with owners and due dates from client calls, pre-call briefs, one list across every client. | Not built for managing delivery work on retainers. |
| Hours and retainer | Hours against each retainer, effective hourly rate, over-retainer work in dollars. | Not a focus. |
| Email and outreach | Never sends anything for you. Read-only. | Email tracking, templates, sequences and marketing email. |
| Business health | Revenue vs goal, effective rate, clients at risk and pipeline in one view. | Sales and marketing reporting. |
Choose HubSpot if
- You run outbound or marketing at volume and need sequences and campaigns.
- You have a sales team or plan to hire one.
- You need a system of record for many contacts and companies.
Choose frac if
- Your pipeline is a few conversations a month and lives in your calendar.
- You want sales follow-ups and client work in the same place.
- You'd rather not maintain a CRM for a solo practice.
Using both
If a client runs HubSpot, you'll keep working in theirs. For your own practice, frac covers the small pipeline most fractionals have, next to the client work it turns into.
frac costs $89 a month or $890 a year, with a 30-day free trial and no card. HubSpot has its own plans; check their site for current pricing.
Common questions
Do fractional executives need a CRM?
Most solo fractionals have a handful of active prospects at a time. A full CRM is often more than they need; what matters is that every sales conversation has a next step and a date. frac does that from your calls.
Can frac send follow-up emails like HubSpot?
No. frac never sends anything for you. It tells you the next step and when it's due; you send it.
What happens when a prospect becomes a client?
In frac you add them as a client and their calls, tasks and hours are tracked from there. The history of your sales calls stays with the prospect record.