Frustrated with Pipedrive’s limitations as your business scales? You’re not alone. Thousands of companies start with Pipedrive because it’s simple, affordable, and sales-friendly. But as teams grow and processes become more complex, the cracks begin to show: minimal marketing automation, shallow reporting, limited customization, and the need to duct-tape integrations together just to maintain daily operations.
That’s usually the moment businesses realize that HubSpot offers something much more powerful—a fully unified CRM platform built for scalable automation, customer journeys, and revenue operations. Sales, marketing, service, and operations all speak the same language inside HubSpot. Reporting becomes cleaner. Automation becomes smarter. Pipelines become more predictable. And your team becomes dramatically more efficient.
But there’s one major obstacle:
Migrating from Pipedrive to HubSpot without losing data, breaking workflows, or derailing your sales team.
This guide exists to eliminate that fear.
Migrating correctly requires more than exporting a few CSV files. You need to ensure every deal, activity, custom field, pipeline stage, historical note, email thread, and integration survives the transition. One mistake—one incorrect field map or mislabeled column—can permanently distort data or fragment your team’s process.
In this complete 2026 step-by-step migration guide, you’ll learn:
- Exactly how to prepare your Pipedrive environment
- How to export, map, and import data correctly
- What to do with custom objects, notes, emails, and attachments
- How to test for integrity and prevent duplicates
- The most common migration mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- Tools, timelines, and cost expectations
- How to go live in HubSpot with minimal downtime
If you want a zero-stress, zero-data-loss Pipedrive → HubSpot migration, read on.
Pre-Migration Preparation
A successful migration is 80% preparation and 20% execution. Before you move a single record, you must clearly understand your existing CRM structure and design your future HubSpot environment.
1. Audit Your Current Pipedrive Setup
This step helps you uncover hidden complexities and define what truly needs to move.
a. Assess your data volume
Export counts or use Pipedrive’s Insights:
- Number of contacts
- Number of organizations
- Deals by pipeline
- Activities (calls, meetings, tasks)
- Notes
- Emails
- Files/attachments
- Custom objects (if enabled)
Why this matters: Large accounts require staged imports and potentially API-based migration tools.
b. Review custom fields
Most Pipedrive accounts accumulate dozens of custom fields over time. List out:
- Field name
- Type (text, dropdown, date, numeric)
- Purpose (active, legacy, unused)
During migration, you’ll need to create matching fields in HubSpot or merge/retire them.
c. Document pipeline structure
- Pipeline names
- Stages
- Probabilities
- Stage-specific required fields
These rarely match HubSpot’s lifecycle or deal stage naming conventions and must be mapped.
d. Document integrations
Common risks include:
- Slack alerts breaking
- Zapier automations duplicating contacts
- Email sync conflicts
- Lead forms not pointing to HubSpot
Prepare a list of integrations to rebuild after the migration.
2. Pre-Migration Checklist
A feature comparison table makes it clear what will change and must be adapted.
☑ Back Up All Data
Download full exports from Pipedrive:
- Contacts
- Organizations
- Deals
- Activities
- Notes
- Products
- Pipelines
- Custom fields
- Email attachments
Store backups securely—ideally in two locations.
☑ Identify Key Stakeholders
Include:
- CRM admin
- Sales operations
- Marketing operations
- Team managers
- A data specialist (if large org)
☑ Define Migration Timeline
Typical timelines:
- Small teams (1–10 users): 2–4 weeks
- Mid-size teams (10–50 users): 4–8 weeks
- Enterprise: 8+ weeks
Build these into your timeline:
- Prep and cleaning
- Mapping
- Test import
- Full import
- QA
- Training
- Go-live
☑ Decide on Migration Approach
You can migrate using:
- HubSpot native importer (best for simple migrations)
- API-based migration tools (for large or complex accounts)
- Professional services (when accuracy matters most)
Step-by-Step Migration Process
Now the real work begins. These are the exact steps required for a clean, safe Pipedrive → HubSpot migration.
Step 1: Export Pipedrive Data
You can export data manually or via Pipedrive API.
Manual Export
Go to Settings → Export Data. Export:
- People (Contacts)
- Organizations
- Deals
- Activities
- Notes
- Products
- Pipelines
- Stages
Download each as a CSV.
API Export (recommended for 50,000+ records)
Use Pipedrive’s API to pull:
/v1/persons
/v1/organizations
/v1/deals
/v1/activities
/v1/notes
This ensures you capture timestamps, associations, and IDs properly.
Step 2: Map Pipedrive Fields to HubSpot
Field mapping is the #1 cause of migration errors. Create a mapping sheet before import.
Step 3: Create Custom Fields in HubSpot
Before importing:
- Go to Settings → Properties
- Create custom properties that match Pipedrive custom fields
- Use appropriate types:
- Dropdown for categories
- Single-line text
- Multi-line text
- Date picker
- Number
- Boolean
Properly matching field types prevents failed imports.
Step 4: Import Data into HubSpot
Option A: HubSpot Native Importer
Great for:
- Contacts
- Companies
- Deals
Upload using:
- Single object import
- Multiple object import with associations
Option B: HubSpot API (Power Users)
Use the Engagements, Deals, CRM Associations APIs for:
- Notes
- Meetings
- Calls
- Tasks
Option C: Third-Party Tools
Recommended if:
- You have >100k records
- You need activity or notes histories
- You use custom objects
Popular tools:
- Trujay
- Import2
- HubSpot Migration App
Step 5: Handle Custom Objects
Pipedrive’s custom objects are often used for:
- Subscriptions
- Projects
- Event registrations
- Assets
In HubSpot:
- Create custom objects in Settings → Objects → Custom Objects
- Set associations (Contact ↔ Object, Deal ↔ Object)
Import custom object data separately.
Step 6: Migrate Emails and Notes
HubSpot does not automatically pull historical emails from Pipedrive.
Options:
Emails
- Forward historical emails into HubSpot using IMAP sync
- Use a migration tool that supports engagement migration
- Upload emails as engagements (API only)
Notes
Import via:
- CSV (as timeline notes)
- API for large volumes
Step 7: Test for Data Integrity
Before going live, run QA checks.
a. Deduplication
HubSpot dedupes by:
- Contact email
- Company domain
- Deal ID (if included)
Use HubSpot’s duplicate management tool to resolve conflicts.
b. Validation Scripts
If using API, run scripts to validate:
- Record counts
- Associations
- Owner assignments
- Required fields
c. Sample QA Checklist
- Are contact timelines complete?
- Are companies associated correctly?
- Are deals in the right stages?
- Are dates formatted correctly?
- Do workflows trigger correctly?
- Are pipelines replicated accurately?
Step 8: Prepare Go-Live Strategy (Minimize Downtime)
Sales teams hate downtime. Here’s how to keep operations running smoothly.
a. Choose a weekend or low-volume period
Most teams go live Friday evening → Monday morning.
b. Freeze CRM updates for 24 hours
Prevent new data from being lost.
c. Train your team before launch
Cover:
- Navigation
- Deal management
- Logging calls
- Using sequences
- Updating lifecycle stages
d. Monitor the first 72 hours
Expect small fixes:
- Rebuilding a workflow
- Reconnecting email inboxes
- Adjusting permissions
This is normal and short-lived.
Common Migration Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
Even experienced administrators make mistakes when migrating from Pipedrive to HubSpot. Here are the most common—and how to prevent them.
1. Poor Field Mapping → Lost or Misplaced Data
Example:
A SaaS company accidentally mapped Pipedrive’s “Deal Owner” field to HubSpot’s “Contact Owner,” leading to 30% of their contacts assigned incorrectly.
Prevention:
Use a shared spreadsheet. Double-check every field. Confirm naming conventions with stakeholders.
2. Importing in the Wrong Order
Correct order:
Companies
- Contacts
- Deals
- Activities
- Notes
- Attachments
- Custom objects
- Why? HubSpot builds associations on import. If deals are uploaded first, they won’t know which contacts/companies they belong to.
3. Not Cleaning Data Before Exporting
Common issues:
Duplicates
- Blank fields
- Outdated deals
- Legacy pipelines
- Contacts with no emails or phone numbers
- If it’s messy in Pipedrive, it will be messy in HubSpot.
4. Breaking Integrations
After migration:
Slack notifications may break
- Zapier automations may double-create contacts
- Outreach tools may no longer sync
- Web forms may stop sending leads
- Document all integrations and rebuild them intentionally.
5. Not Training Users
Even the best migration fails if the team doesn’t adopt the new platform.
User training should include:
How to log calls
- How to update deal stages
- How to use sequences
- How to create tasks
- How to interpret dashboards
- 6. Going Live Without QA
Real example:
A B2B company imported 12,000 contacts—but forgot to enable deduplication. They ended up with 27,000 contacts and spent 6 weeks cleaning them.
Tools & Resources
Migrating manually is possible, but the right tools can drastically reduce errors.
Free Tools
- HubSpot CSV Importer
- Pipedrive Export Tool
- Google Sheets
- HubSpot Data Quality Tools
Paid Tools
- Trujay
- Import2
- HubSpot Migration App
- Zapier
Official Documentation
- HubSpot Import Guide
- HubSpot API Documentation
- Pipedrive API Documentation
- HubSpot Custom Objects Guide
Cost Breakdown & Timeline
Migrating CRMs is an investment—but a worthwhile one when done correctly.
Typical Cost Ranges
DIY: $0-500
Assisted (tools): $500-2,000
Professional migration: $1,000-5,000
Enterprise migration: $5,000-20,000+
Factors affecting cost:
- Record volume
- Number of custom fields
- Amount of historical activity
- Number of pipelines
- Custom objects
- Email + attachment migration
Typical Migration Timelines
1-10 users: 2-4 weeks
10-50 users: 4-8 weeks
50-200 users: 8-12 weeks
200+ users: 12-16 weeks
These include preparation, mapping, import, QA, and training.
Conclusion
Migrating from Pipedrive to HubSpot in 2026 doesn’t have to be painful. With the right preparation, clear field mapping, reliable tools, and thorough QA, you can move every piece of critical data—contacts, deals, activities, notes, and more—without breaking your sales process or losing team productivity.
Once the migration is complete, you'll experience the real power of HubSpot:
- Unified marketing + sales automation
- Cleaner reporting with complete customer journey visibility
- Stronger integrations and less manual work
- Scalable growth infrastructure
But the migration step itself must be handled with precision.
Ready to migrate seamlessly?
Book a free 30-minute CRM migration audit.
We’ll review:
- Your current Pipedrive setup
- Data structure & custom fields
- Migration risk assessment
- Tools vs. manual approach
- Timeline & cost estimate
This audit alone can save you weeks of headaches and thousands of dollars in cleanup work.
👉 Click below to schedule your free audit now.
Your future operations will thank you.