A Salesforce to HubSpot migration looks like a data export. In practice it is a list of decisions about which parts of the old process you rebuild and which you leave behind, and the export is the last step.
The tools to move the data exist and are documented. What they cannot do is decide what a deal stage, an owner or a required field should mean in the new portal. If nobody makes those calls first, the migration copies years of workarounds into a fresh system and calls it a clean start.
What HubSpot gives you for a Salesforce to HubSpot migration
There are two routes, and they are built for different situations.
- Smart Transfer moves data one way, from another app into HubSpot, and Salesforce is on its list of supported apps. It starts with an audit that shows each source object, its HubSpot equivalent and the property and record counts. Then you configure objects and properties, sync, and optionally transfer the rest. Only Super Admins can open it. Details are in HubSpot’s Smart Transfer guide.
- The HubSpot-Salesforce integration keeps both systems connected. You can import Salesforce records such as leads, contacts, accounts, opportunities, tasks, cases and events, and then keep them syncing.
The first migration decision is the route: are you leaving Salesforce, or will both systems stay live and in sync for a while.
Who this matters for
Founders and heads of sales who signed off on the move and expect a working pipeline on day one. Heads of marketing whose lead history and campaign lists have to survive the migration from Salesforce. And whoever will own the HubSpot portal afterwards, because every mapping chosen now becomes their daily reality.
An honest note: not every team should start a Salesforce migration now. If your process depends on heavy custom objects, check first. HubSpot’s supported apps page says Smart Transfer does not move custom objects, so that part needs its own plan.
The decision list before anything is exported
- Objects. Smart Transfer maps Accounts to companies, Leads and Contacts to contacts, Opportunities to deals and Cases to tickets. Leads and contacts land on the same object, so decide now what a lead means in HubSpot.
- Pipelines and stages. Do not migrate every Salesforce stage. Keep the ones that have a written exit criterion; merge or drop the rest. This is the moment to fix stage definitions, not after the import.
- Fields. Run the audit and look at the property counts. Every field nobody filled in a year is a field you do not move. The supported apps page also lists field types Smart Transfer does not support, such as calculated and reference fields.
- Owners and users. Decide who owns each record after the move, including records of people who left.
- Currency. If you keep the integration running, HubSpot’s opportunity sync page says it does not convert currencies; only the number syncs.
- A named owner per phase. One person signs off objects, one signs off stages and fields, one checks the result. Usually that is ops, the head of sales and the future admin.
How to check that nothing was silently dropped
A migration can finish with no visible error and still lose records. Two checks catch most of it:
- Counts per object. Export record counts per object from Salesforce before the migration and compare them with HubSpot after. Smart Transfer’s audit table gives you the source side.
- A small sample. Pick a handful of accounts with open opportunities and compare them field by field: owner, stage, amount, close date, associated contacts.
Smart Transfer lets you download an error log from the Transfer results table. If you use the integration, sync errors sit under the settings icon, Integrations > Connected Apps > Salesforce > Data sync > Sync Health. If a transfer went wrong, Smart Transfer can revert a transfer, which deletes the records it created.
Our take
The portal mirrors the process, and a migration is the one moment you get to change the process without fighting the tool. Most of the work is not technical. It is a few meetings where someone says “we do not use this stage anymore” and someone else agrees to own that decision.
Budget for it in hours, not in records. The export is fast; the decision list takes the time, and it needs the head of sales in the room, not only ops. If nobody on your team can own the stage and field decisions, wait. A migration done without an owner gives you a new portal with old habits, and a second cleanup project six months later. Our HubSpot implementation plan shows where the migration sits in the wider rollout, and the duplicate merge rules help once records land.
Implementation
Planning a HubSpot rollout or a migration?
We set up pipelines, data and onboarding so the team actually uses it.
FAQ
How do I migrate from Salesforce to HubSpot?
If you are leaving Salesforce, HubSpot’s Smart Transfer moves data one way into HubSpot: audit, configure, sync, then transfer the rest. If both systems stay live, connect the HubSpot-Salesforce integration and import the records. Decide objects, stages and fields before either.
Can Smart Transfer migrate Salesforce custom objects?
No. HubSpot’s supported apps page says Smart Transfer does not transfer custom objects. Plan those separately before you commit to a migration date.
How can I check for data loss after a CRM migration?
Compare record counts per object before and after the move, then compare a small sample of records field by field. Review the error log or the Sync Health tab for anything that failed.
This week, write the decision list on one page: objects, stages you keep, fields you drop, and a named owner for each. Run the Smart Transfer audit only after that page is agreed.
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