Migrating from ActiveCampaign or Zoho CRM to HubSpot can be a game-changing step for businesses seeking better scalability, advanced automation, and a unified platform for marketing, sales, and service. But to unlock HubSpot’s full potential, you need more than a data transfer — you need a planned, strategic migration that sets your business up for long-term success.
In this guide, we cover:
Why businesses migrate to HubSpot
Common issues and limitations in Zoho CRM
Benefits of HubSpot over ActiveCampaign and Zoho
Risks and considerations in the migration process
How to handle data mapping
What to include in your migration scope
Typical migration timelines
From ActiveCampaign:
ActiveCampaign is strong in email marketing and customer experience automation, but it’s primarily focused on marketing. Businesses often outgrow it when they need CRM, sales pipeline management, service tools, and reporting — all in one platform.
From Zoho CRM:
Zoho offers affordability and flexibility, but the complexity of its customisation, fragmented modules, and limited marketing automation lead many businesses to seek a more intuitive, all-in-one solution.
While Zoho CRM can work well for smaller setups, we often hear these pain points:
Complex customisation – powerful but can require heavy admin or developer input
Fragmented experience – modules sometimes feel disconnected
Basic automation – not as intuitive as HubSpot’s workflows
Reporting gaps – advanced reporting often needs add-ons or external tools
Scaling challenges – adding advanced features or marketing integrations can be costly and time-consuming
All-in-One Platform – CRM, marketing automation, sales enablement, and customer service in one place
Ease of Use – Clean, modern interface with minimal training required
Scalable Features – Add hubs, users, and functionality as you grow
Advanced Automation – Build sophisticated workflows for marketing, sales, and service
Powerful Reporting – Unified dashboards for complete visibility
Robust Integrations – Connect with hundreds of tools via the HubSpot App Marketplace
A CRM migration isn’t a straight copy-and-paste. Key considerations include:
Data Quality – Cleansing and deduplicating before migration is essential
Field Mapping – Not every field has a direct match between platforms
Custom Properties – Must be created in HubSpot before importing data
Automation Rebuild – Workflows must be recreated in HubSpot (often improved in the process)
User Adoption – Without training, even the best migration can fall flat
Migrating from ActiveCampaign or Zoho to HubSpot involves aligning objects and properties:
Map standard objects:
ActiveCampaign: Accounts → Companies, Contacts → Contacts, Deals → Deals
Zoho: Accounts → Companies, Leads → Contacts, Deals → Deals
Map custom properties: Create them in HubSpot first to avoid data loss
Convert tags, lists, and segments into HubSpot lists or properties
Maintain associations between contacts, companies, and deals
Preserve historical notes, calls, meetings, and attachments where possible
A clear scope ensures no surprises:
CRMs and tools involved (ActiveCampaign, Zoho, others)
Data objects to migrate (contacts, companies, deals, products, notes, tasks, calls, invoices, attachments)
Custom fields to create in HubSpot
Automation workflows to rebuild
Integrations to reconnect or replace
Data cleansing plan
Cutover plan and onboarding schedule
While every migration is different, a standard small-to-mid-sized project follows this rough schedule:
Planning & Data Audit – 1–2 weeks
HubSpot Setup & Field Mapping – 1 week
Data Migration & Validation – 1–2 weeks
Workflow Rebuild & Testing – 1–2 weeks
Training & Go-Live – 1 week
Larger or more customised migrations can take longer, especially if complex automations or multi-CRM consolidations are involved.
The work doesn’t stop at go-live. To maximise your ROI:
Analyse migrated workflows and campaigns using HubSpot reporting
Optimise automation with segmentation and personalisation
Integrate with other tools for a unified tech stack
Continue team training via HubSpot Academy
Migrating from ActiveCampaign or Zoho to HubSpot isn’t just a platform change — it’s a chance to clean up your data, optimise your processes, and set your business up for scalable growth.
At [Your Company Name], we specialise in seamless migrations that ensure your data is clean, your automations are optimised, and your team is ready to hit the ground running.
Get in touch to plan your ActiveCampaign or Zoho to HubSpot migration today.