So, you’re trying to pick a lead capture form tool for your B2B business. Maybe you’re eyeing HubSpot Forms, or maybe you’re just tired of wrestling with whatever’s duct-taped to your site now. Either way, every vendor swears they’re the answer. Most guides just list features and call it a day. That’s not helpful. Here’s how to actually compare these tools—and make a decision you won’t regret in six months.
1. Get Clear on What Actually Matters
Before you get lost in comparison tables, step back and figure out what your team really needs.
Don’t Buy for Edge Cases
Vendors love to pitch every possible feature, but most teams only use the basics:
- Collect contact info (name, email, phone)
- Route leads to sales or marketing
- Avoid spam and junk submissions
- Trigger follow-up emails or CRM workflows
Ask yourself: - Who’s going to own the forms? (Marketing? Sales? IT?) - How often will forms change? (Daily, monthly, once a year?) - What systems do the forms need to talk to? (CRM, email, Slack, etc.)
Pro tip: If you only need to capture emails and push them to your CRM, don’t overcomplicate things. Fancy features you’ll never use just get in the way.
2. Break Down the Core Features (and Ignore the Fluff)
Here’s what you should compare when sizing up HubSpot Forms and its competitors:
2.1. Ease of Use
- Form Builder: Is it drag-and-drop or do you need to know code?
- Templates: Are there solid templates, or do you have to start from scratch?
- Editing: Can you tweak forms quickly, or is it buried in menus?
Honest take: HubSpot Forms is one of the easier builders out there, especially if you’re already using HubSpot. Some competitors (like Typeform or Jotform) look slick but are less practical for B2B teams who just want to get leads into their sales pipeline.
2.2. Integration (The Biggie)
- CRM Sync: Does the form pipe data straight into your CRM? (No manual imports, please.)
- Marketing Automation: Can you trigger emails, assign leads, or score them automatically?
- Other Tools: Think: Slack, Google Sheets, Salesforce, Zapier, etc.
Watch out: Many tools claim ‘integration’ but still need you to fiddle with APIs or zaps. HubSpot Forms plugs right into the HubSpot CRM, which is great if you’re already using their stack. If not, you’ll have to weigh if that’s worth the lock-in.
2.3. Customization and Branding
- Look and Feel: Can you make the forms match your brand, or do they all look like generic widgets?
- Field Logic: Can you show/hide fields based on answers? (Useful for qualifying leads.)
- Mobile Friendly: Do the forms work well on phones and tablets?
Pro tip: Don’t overthink design. Clean and fast wins over fancy animations, especially for B2B. HubSpot’s customization is decent, but you might hit limits if your designer has big ideas.
2.4. Spam and Bot Protection
- Captcha or Honeypots: Does it have built-in spam protection, or will your inbox fill with garbage?
- Double Opt-In: Can you require real email confirmation?
Honest take: HubSpot’s anti-spam is fine for most B2B sites. If you’re in a high-volume spam niche, look at tools with more aggressive options.
2.5. Data Ownership and Compliance
- GDPR/CCPA: Can you add consent checkboxes? Are submissions stored securely?
- Exporting Data: Can you get your leads out easily, or are they trapped?
Warning: Some form tools make it a pain to export your own data. Don’t assume you’ll never want to switch platforms.
3. Compare Pricing—But Don’t Get Tricked
Pricing for form tools is a mess. Here’s how to keep it straight:
- Free Tiers: Most tools have one, but the limits are real—think capped submissions, forced branding, or no integrations.
- Per-Form vs. Per-User: Some charge by number of forms, others by users or features.
- Hidden Costs: Watch for “premium” integrations or required add-ons.
HubSpot Forms: Free if you’re using basic forms, but real automation and CRM sync quickly push you into paid plans. If you’re already paying for HubSpot Marketing Hub, forms are included.
Other Tools: - Typeform: Beautiful, but gets expensive fast, especially if you want integrations. - Formstack: Powerful, but pricing jumps quickly as you add users or forms. - Jotform: Affordable, but limited in B2B integrations unless you pay more.
Bottom line: Add up what you actually need—most teams overpay for features they never use.
4. Test Real-World Scenarios (Not Just Demos)
Before you commit, run through the actual workflow:
- Build a form from scratch.
- Embed it on your website or landing page.
- Fill it out like a lead would.
- Check where the data lands (CRM, email, spreadsheet, etc.).
- Try to update the form with a new field or logic.
What to look for: - Any weird delays or sync problems? - Do notifications go to the right people? - How many clicks does it take to make a simple change? - Can a non-techie on your team do it, or will it always be on IT’s plate?
Pro tip: Most tools have free trials or demos. Don’t be shy—beat them up a bit. If anything feels clunky now, it’ll get worse over time.
5. Think About the Future (But Not Too Far Ahead)
You want a tool that’ll grow with you, but don’t buy for a fantasy version of your company.
Ask yourself: - Are you likely to switch CRMs or marketing tools soon? - Will you need advanced workflows (like progressive profiling, multi-step forms, or ABM)? - Is your lead volume about to spike, or is it steady?
Honest advice: HubSpot Forms is a no-brainer for teams deep in the HubSpot ecosystem. If you’re not, don’t let “future-proofing” push you into a more complex (and expensive) tool than you need. It’s usually easier to switch form tools than you think.
6. Ignore These “Features” (They Don’t Matter for B2B Lead Gen)
Don’t get sidetracked by:
- Fancy Animations: Slows things down, doesn’t convert better.
- Endless Field Types: You’ll use text, email, phone, dropdown—maybe one or two more.
- Built-In Analytics: You’ll get better reporting from your CRM or Google Analytics anyway.
- Social Sharing: Not a real use case for B2B forms.
7. Make the Call—Without Overthinking It
At the end of the day, here’s the checklist:
- Does the form builder fit your team’s skills?
- Will it play nice with your CRM and marketing tools?
- Can you customize it enough to not embarrass your brand?
- Is the price fair for what you’ll actually use?
- Will you be able to fix things yourself when something breaks?
If you can say yes to those, you’re in good shape. Don’t let a wish list of “nice-to-haves” slow you down.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Picking a lead capture tool isn’t a marriage. Start simple. Make sure it works for your real process, not just in a sales demo. If you outgrow it, you can always switch later—moving forms isn’t rocket science.
Focus on getting leads in the door and routed to the right people. Everything else is just noise.