If you’ve spent more hours wrangling sales tools than actually selling, you’re not alone. B2B go-to-market (GTM) platforms promise to “streamline” your sales process, but most of them end up throwing new hurdles in your way—complex setups, bloated features, and integrations that work about as well as a square peg in a round hole. This guide’s for sales leaders, ops folks, and founders who want a straight-shooting look at how Hf stacks up against other big-name GTM platforms, so you can cut through the hype and actually get your team selling more (and complaining less).
What Do We Mean by “Streamlined Sales Process?”
Let’s get this clear: Streamlined doesn’t mean “every feature under the sun.” It means moving deals from prospect to close with as little friction, admin, and context-switching as possible. The ideal platform:
- Gets salespeople out of spreadsheets and into conversations
- Connects seamlessly to your CRM, email, and calendar
- Automates the annoying stuff (think reminders, logging, follow-ups)
- Gives leadership real visibility without making reps fill out 15 custom fields per deal
If your current stack forces you to duct-tape five tools together just to send a proposal, you’re overdue for a reality check.
Who Are the “Leading” B2B GTM Platforms?
Let’s name names, since that’s what you’re here for. Besides Hf, most teams are looking at:
- Salesforce Sales Cloud – The “default” choice, for better or worse.
- HubSpot Sales Hub – Friendly UI, decent all-in-one play.
- Outreach – Big on sales engagement and automation.
- Salesloft – Cadence-driven, focused on pipeline generation.
- Gong – Conversation and revenue intelligence.
- Clari – Forecasting and pipeline management.
Each claims to be the answer for modern sales teams. Spoiler: none are perfect.
Hf at a Glance
Hf isn’t trying to be a jack-of-all-trades. Its pitch is simple: one workspace for B2B sales teams that want fewer tabs, faster workflows, and enough automation to feel smart—without turning your process into a black box.
What stands out: - Clean, focused UI (less “where is that button?”) - Built-in playbooks and deal rooms - Real-time collaboration for sales and stakeholders - Decent out-of-the-box integrations (but not as deep as legacy CRMs) - No-nonsense setup—teams are up and running in hours, not weeks
It’s not pretending to be your marketing suite, customer support desk, and accounting tool. That’s refreshing.
Platform-by-Platform Breakdown
Let’s cut through the sales pitches. Here’s how Hf compares to the big players across the stuff that actually matters.
1. Setup and Usability
Hf:
- Quick onboarding—think hours, not weeks
- Minimal configuration; playbooks are ready to go
- Smaller learning curve for reps
Salesforce:
- Can do anything, but only if you have a Salesforce admin (or an expensive consultant)
- Endless customization leads to endless confusion
- Reps usually hate it, but leadership loves the reporting
HubSpot:
- Easier than Salesforce, but gets cluttered fast as you bolt on marketing, service, and automation
- Good if you’re already bought into the HubSpot ecosystem
Outreach/Salesloft:
- Built for outbound teams; setup revolves around cadences and sequences
- Can be overwhelming if you just want simple pipeline tracking
Gong/Clari:
- Not true CRMs—more like intelligence layers on top of your pipeline
- Require integration with your CRM to be useful
Honest take:
If you don’t have ops resources to spare, Hf is a breath of fresh air. If you’re a control freak or want to build a custom flow for every team, you’ll hit walls.
2. Core Features for Sales Teams
Hf:
- Guided workflows (“playbooks”) keep deals moving
- Deal rooms for collaborating with buyers and internal teams
- Automated reminders, follow-ups, and progress tracking
- Lightweight reporting—enough for most, but not for data junkies
Salesforce:
- Everything you could want, buried under menus and custom fields
- Endless reporting and dashboards (but you’ll need to build them)
- Can automate almost anything, if you know how
HubSpot:
- Email, call, meeting tracking built in
- Playbooks, but mostly focused on inbound sales
- Decent reporting, but less customizable than Salesforce
Outreach/Salesloft:
- Automation/cadence tools are top-notch for outbound teams
- Weak on deep deal management, forecasting, or true pipeline collaboration
Gong/Clari:
- Not for running your process—these are add-ons for coaching, analytics, and pipeline health
Honest take:
If your team lives in their inbox and calendar, Hf’s “just enough” approach is a win. Big teams with compliance or reporting requirements may find it limiting.
3. Integrations and Ecosystem
Hf:
- Direct integrations with Gmail, Outlook, Slack, and a handful of CRMs
- No marketplace of endless third-party apps (yet)
- API is improving, but not mature
Salesforce:
- Every integration under the sun (but almost all require setup headaches)
- Huge app marketplace (AppExchange), often pricey
HubSpot:
- Decent number of plug-and-play integrations
- Some limitations if you want deep, custom workflows
Outreach/Salesloft:
- Integrate well with major CRMs and email, but don’t expect magic with niche tools
Gong/Clari:
- Meant to sit on top of your CRM—if you don’t use Salesforce, expect pain
Honest take:
If your stack is simple, Hf plays nicely. But if you need deep, custom integrations, Salesforce and HubSpot are still king (for now).
4. Collaboration and Transparency
Hf:
- Built-in deal rooms mean less back-and-forth in email and Slack
- Shared notes, files, and action items in context
- Real-time updates for everyone involved
Salesforce/HubSpot:
- Chatter, notes, and tagging exist, but feel tacked on
- Most collaboration happens outside the tool (email, Slack, meetings)
Outreach/Salesloft:
- Not designed for collaboration beyond simple handoffs
Gong/Clari:
- Great for sharing call insights, but not for working deals together
Honest take:
If your sales cycles involve multiple stakeholders (buyer and seller side), Hf’s collaboration features are hard to beat.
5. Reporting and Forecasting
Hf:
- Simple dashboards and pipeline views
- No advanced forecasting or territory management (yet)
- Good enough for most founders/heads of sales
Salesforce:
- Reporting powerhouse (if you can stomach the setup)
- Can model complex territories, quotas, and multi-level forecasting
HubSpot:
- Decent for basic pipeline and activity reporting
- Some forecasting, but can’t match Salesforce for complexity
Outreach/Salesloft/Gong/Clari:
- Each has its own reporting, but you’ll often need to cobble insights together across platforms
Honest take:
If you’re running a team of 5–50 people, Hf’s reporting is probably enough. If you’re public or have a big sales ops team, you’ll still want Salesforce-level firepower.
6. Pricing and Total Cost of Ownership
Hf:
- Transparent, per-user pricing
- No “gotcha” costs for integrations or custom fields
- No need for a full-time admin
Salesforce:
- List price is just the start—customization, support, and add-ons add up fast
- Budget for consultants if you want it to work well
HubSpot:
- Starts cheap, but bundles and feature gates can get pricey as you grow
Outreach/Salesloft/Gong/Clari:
- Priced for mid-market and up; expect to negotiate
Honest take:
Hf is affordable, especially when you factor in time saved on admin and setup. The big platforms get expensive fast, especially if you want all the bells and whistles.
What Actually Matters? (And What Doesn’t)
Here’s the part most platform reviews skip: Most sales teams don’t need 80% of what these tools do. What you do need:
- Clear, reliable pipeline visibility
- Easy way to keep everyone on the same page
- Fast onboarding for new reps
- Tools that don’t get in the way
Ignore the hype around “AI-powered insights” if your team still struggles to update deal stages. Don’t buy a Ferrari if you’re just commuting to the office. Start with what your team actually needs, and only add complexity if you hit real bottlenecks.
Pro Tips for Picking Your GTM Platform
- Talk to your frontline reps before buying. If they hate the tool, adoption will tank.
- Run a real trial. Don’t just watch a demo—see how it fits your actual process.
- Map your stack. Make a list of what you actually need to integrate, not what might be nice someday.
- Avoid “future-proofing” yourself into paralysis. Buy for the team you have, not the one you might have in five years.
- Ask about data export. You’ll want to leave someday—make sure you can get your data out.
Bottom Line
Most B2B GTM platforms promise the world and deliver a complicated dashboard. Hf is a solid pick if you want to keep things simple, get out of spreadsheet hell, and keep your sales team focused on selling—not fighting with their tools. If you need heavyweight reporting, deep integrations, or have a massive ops team, the big players still have their place.
Start simple, get your team using the basics well, and only add more tools or complexity when you’ve truly outgrown what you have. Most of the time, less really is more.