COMPARING HUBSPOT / PROTON AI

HubSpot was built for software companies. You sell 50,000 SKUs.

HubSpot was built for inbound marketing, not distribution field sales. Proton purpose-built ERP integrations give reps the AI-driven guidance that actually drives revenue.

2.6x
avg. growth in year 1
11x
average ROI
42%
higher user engagement
A warehouse employee using Proton CRM and talking on the phone.
TRUSTED BY LEADING DISTRIBUTORS WORLDWIDE
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
Logo template for the infinite loop slider
HEAD-TO-HEAD

HubSpot vs. Proton: What's actually inside the box

HubSpot bundles a lot of tools. For wholesale distributors, the questions that matter are: Does it read your ERP? Does it tell reps who to call and which accounts to prioritize? Does its AI know what your customers actually bought? Here's how the two platforms compare on the things that drive distribution revenue.

CAPABILITY
Hubspot
All-in-one marketing CRM
PROTON.AI
AI growth platform
RECOMMENDED
The AI
The AI
Market-trained AI
Breeze AI runs on CRM activity and contact data. Without a direct ERP connection, it has no visibility into your customers' actual purchasing behavior,  so it can't predict churn, spot declining accounts, or surface wallet share gaps that matter to distributors. Connect an ERP via middleware and some of that changes, but the integration work and intelligence depth remain your responsibility.
Deep-learning models
Proton's AI is trained exclusively on distributor purchase data — every transaction, SKU trend, and reorder pattern pulled directly from your ERP. It tells reps who to call, what to pitch, and which accounts are at risk before revenue walks out the door. No middleware. No integration project. Day one.
Who it's built for
Who it's built for
Built for inbound marketers
HubSpot was founded for inbound marketing and grew into a CRM. Its DNA is SaaS companies, software firms, and services businesses, not distributors managing tens of thousands of SKUs, field reps, and ERP-driven sales cycles.
100% distribution
Proton was built from the ground up for wholesale distributors. Every AI model, every ERP integration, every rep workflow was designed for how distributors actually sell, not adapted from a horizontal platform.
What reps get
New Customer Acquisition
Reps log. They don't get guided.
HubSpot can track prospects and pipeline stages, but it doesn't tell your reps which accounts to prioritize, which cold calls to make first, or which prospects look like high-value targets based on ERP buying patterns. Field teams often end up treating it as a logging tool rather than a selling one.
Prioritized action lists
Proton surfaces the next best action for every rep, every morning. Things like which accounts to call, which new prospects to prioritize, and which pipeline stages are stalling. Reps open Proton because it makes them better at their job, not because someone made them.
Platform scope
Account Maintenance
No SKU-level alerting
HubSpot has no native visibility into customer purchase history at the SKU level. Catching a declining account requires exporting ERP data into a separate BI tool, then manually cross-referencing it against CRM activity. Most reps don't catch it until revenue has already walked.
AI-driven churn signals
Proton monitors every account's purchase patterns directly from your ERP. When a customer stops reordering a top SKU or shows signs of decline, your rep gets an alert before it becomes a loss. No Phocas lookup. No manual report. Just a signal, in the tool they're already using.
Proven outcomes
Platform Scope
CRM + marketing suite
HubSpot bundles Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, Content Hub, and more. For distributors, the critical gaps remain: no ERP-native intelligence, no product data management, and no order/quote entry automation built for distribution workflows.
The distribution suite
Proton is CRM + PIM + eCommerce AI + Order/Quote Entry Automation, all from a single ERP-native data layer. One suite. One data model. One vendor that actually knows distribution.
Outcomes
Marketing attribution
HubSpot optimizes for marketing metrics: email opens, form fills, inbound leads. Distributors who rely on it for field sales typically see low rep adoption, limited ERP visibility, and minimal measurable impact on net revenue growth.
2.6x growth, 11x ROI
Proton customers see 2.6x average organic growth in year one and 11x ROI, not because we track more activities, but because we surface the right actions from the right ERP data at the right time.
WHY DISTRIBUTORS SWITCH

Why distribution teams leave Hubspot fpr Proton

01
ERP-NATIVE INTELLIGENCE

HubSpot doesn't know what's in your ERP. Proton was built on it.

HubSpot requires middleware and custom connectors to sync ERP data — and even then, the intelligence is only as deep as the integration you've built. Proton reads directly from P21, Eclipse, APplus, and 20+ more to surface declining accounts, wallet share gaps, and cross-sell opportunities your reps would never find manually. That's not an integration. It's the foundation.

02
REP ADOPTION THAT ACTUALLY STICKS

Years on HubSpot. Reps still not using it.

Proton customers who switched from HubSpot consistently tell the same story: their field reps, selling industrial products, managing hundreds of accounts, had low adoption even after several years on the platform. The CRM became a logging tool, not a selling tool. Proton is built for the distribution rep's morning: a prioritized action list, account health signals, and AI recommendations pulled from real ERP transaction data. When the tool makes reps better, adoption takes care of itself.

03
A PARTNER, NOT JUST A PLATFORM

You won't be left without a paddle.

Proton customers consistently highlight the same thing their HubSpot experience was missing: an ongoing relationship. Our team runs regular check-ins with every customer, not just during onboarding. When new capabilities ship, we help you use them. When your reps hit a wall, we're in the conversation. That kind of partnership is built into how we work, not an add-on you buy.

Platform demo

Watch Proton AI in action

THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
2.6x
the average sales growth clients see in just 1 year with Proton
11x
the average ROI Proton clients gain
42%
higher user engagement vs. all-purpose CRMs
12 weeks
the average time it takes clients to go-live
BEFORE YOU BUY

Questions to ask HubSpot before you sign

Before you commit, make sure you're getting clear answers to the questions that determine whether a CRM actually works for a distribution field sales team.

?
How will HubSpot tell your reps which accounts are declining based on their actual buying history, and who owns the middleware integration that makes that possible?
?
Can HubSpot connect directly to your ERP without third-party middleware, and surface live transaction-level data inside the CRM for every rep?
?
What is the average rep login rate at HubSpot's wholesale distribution customers, and does HubSpot's customer success team track adoption specifically for field sales teams?
?
When HubSpot's Breeze AI surfaces a recommendation for one of your reps, what data is that recommendation based on — CRM activity and contact data, or actual purchase history from your ERP?
CUSTOMER VOICES

See what our customers have to say

“Proton gets info to our sellers fast and effectively, so they can talk about what’s relevant and what’s important. With Proton, our team has better discussions with customers.”

Tim Babco (Ad)
CIO
·
ORS Nasco

“Proton is a sales stimulant, helping us grow our business through recommended products.”

Eric Wessinger
President & CEO
·
Richards Supply

"Proton is the best ROI of any tech investment we've made in the past 30 years."

Mike Page
CMO & CTO
·
R.S. Hughes

“The value of Proton for our industry is that right out of the box, it speaks our language. It understands what challenges distribution companies have.”

Jason Moorehead
VP of Sales
·
Swish Maintenance

"Proton is one of the greatest sales tools that we've ever had at Midwest Wheel."

Sean Kinter
Sales Development Manager
·
Midwest Wheel

“Just think of the best assistant you’ve ever had. You can plug an account number or contact name into the system and get all the information you need within seconds.”

Dave Purdy
General Manager
·
Swish Maintenance

"After I got into Proton, my sales skyrocketed. Proton hasn’t just helped me maintain and build my business; it's also helped me personally. It has made me a better sales rep."

Chelsea Reddell
Sales Consultant
·
Salon Services Pro

“We’re seeing a 3x profit return for every dollar spent on Proton software. What makes Proton different is the people and their domain expertise. It feels like we have a partner — a group that’s living and breathing distribution. They understand the unique challenges distributors face.”

Erik Gershwind
President & CEO
·
MSC

“Just the ability to summarize and share call notes easily with the branch has been huge. We used to edit and summarize them manually, now it’s just three clicks. It’s probably gained us a day each week.”

Aaron Soloski
Sales Manager
·
Aquifer

“Before Proton, it would take me 10 to 15 minutes to do my research on an account. Now it’s just a minute or two.”

Zeina Shahabeddin
Inside Sales Development Manager
·
Swish Maintenance

"Proton has made our sales team much more proactive, rather than just reacting to incoming orders. This has helped us increase the order size per invoice. Proton has increased the amount of sales our team has been able to close."

Kyle Schull
President
·
Building Products Inc.

“One time, we said, ‘For one week, trust every recommendation that Proton gives you and talk with your customer about it.’ They had a 40% close rate on brands that they never would have talked about before.”

Guy Lacey
Vice President
·
Salon Services Pro

"Pronto saves me 2 hours a day, easily. It’s very user-friendly, even for guys who don’t love tech. I use it to do call notes: after a call, I bring up Pronto, hit the microphone, talk into my phone, and it logs a note, so I can move on. With that time back, I can see 3 more customers a day."

Dave Hammett
Outside Sales Rep
·
BPI

"Proton’s added one day's worth of sales per month. Sales reps are getting a full day of extra sales revenue attributed to Proton."

Adam Crews
Director of Sales
·
Chattanooga Shooting Supplies

"Customers appreciate when you show up prepared. Pronto helps you be that rep. Before, we were jumping from screen to screen, report to report. Now it’s all right there, within seconds."

Darlene Long
Account Manager
·
Swish

“When a CRM works, everybody gets on board pretty quick. So far, we’ve had a lot of wins. That makes it contagious; if everybody sees that guy got that sale, they want to get the next one.”

Eric Wessinger (Ad)
President and CEO
·
Richards Supply

"It’s not just a reporting tool, it’s a sales growth engine. We’re giving the sales team a sports car, not a ball and chain."

Dane LeBel
Inside Sales Director
·
Vallen

“If someone’s off sick or on holiday, anybody on the team is able to jump into their accounts and know exactly what’s happening. That makes onboarding new reps and coverage easier, and helps us maintain the same level of customer service, whether the rep is in-house or not.”

Crystal Howat
Director of Technology and E-Commerce
·
Aquifer

"Pronto has been the biggest game changer for us. I believe we're one of the biggest users of it."

Steve McEnany
Senior VP
·
Midwest Wheel

“Proton makes us look like experts. The customer thinks we know everything — because the tool does.”

Ryan Barnett
Inside Sales Manager
·
Vallen

“We’ve gone from zero CRM culture to everyone talking about Proton every single day. That in itself within 3 months of launching has just been spectacular.”

Victoria Blair
Sales Enablement Leader
·
Swish Maintenance

“Before Proton, important info was buried in reports and often overlooked. With Proton, the data is right at our fingertips, easy to access and actionable. It's a game-changer for our daily routine.”

Matt Goldberg
Regional Manager
·
Benco Dental

“Our reps don't see Proton as a chore. We have a call target of 50 per week, but some reps are making double that. They're going above and beyond because they can see their progress every day in Proton."

Matthew James
President & CEO
·
Purity Life

"With Proton, our sales reps don't need to dig through account history or juggle gap reports anymore. They simply hop into Proton, see which customers are at-risk, and start reaching out."

Adam Crews
Director of Sales
·
CSSI

"If you’ve stumped yourself on what to sell, you can reach in and grab Pronto to take you to another level."

Shawn Baloun
Inside Sales
·
BPI

“Our sellers are staying active and engaged with Proton, using it on a daily basis.”

Tim Babco (Ad)
CIO
·
ORS Nasco

“Proton pulls data from all our systems, so it's all in one place. It’s been a huge time saver. A task that used to take about an hour now takes me less than ten minutes.”

Carly Albrecht
Regional Sales Manager
·
Purity Life

"We used to see large projects quoted by our quotations team, but communication didn’t always reach outside sales for proper follow-up. Proton’s had a big impact helping with that. I would absolutely recommend Proton to anybody in the distribution business. It checks all the boxes for us."

Schaun Corbett
VP of Sales
·
Aquifer

“I’m not the best email writer, so Pronto really helps me get to the point of what I’m trying to say.”

Dave Hammett
Outside Sales Rep
·
BPI

“One of our new reps pitched products to a large account based on Proton’s recommendations. The customer said, ‘I never knew you supplied those products.’ Now we’re in the final stages of closing a huge deal with that customer—all within the rep’s first 90 days.”

Zeina Shahabeddin
Inside Sales Development Manager
·
Swish Maintenance

"Proton answers the 'who do I call first?' question for you. When you use Proton, you basically become a sales analyst without even trying, because all the info you need is served to you."

Adam Crews
Director of Sales
·
CSSI

"Pronto makes me look smarter, gives me the info I need, and never judges my questions."

Darlene Long
Account Manager
·
Swish

"Proton is an effective tool to save you time. For new people, this is probably the single most effective tool. It gives you all the information you need."

Cody Olson
Territory Assistant
·
Midwest Wheel

“In just two minutes in the car, sales reps can skim through the Proton app and see everything going on with the customer they're visiting."

Katy Cohen
CRO
·
Benco Dental
SCHEDULE A DEMO

Find out what makes Proton the top CRM choice for distributors

In 30 minutes, you'll see exactly how Proton compares to your current stack — and what it'd look like for your reps.

  • See how Proton turns your ERP data into next-best actions
  • Get advice on refining your sales strategy from distribution experts
  • A platform overview tailored to your book of business
faq

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between HubSpot and Proton?
We already use HubSpot for marketing. Do we have to replace it?
What if my reps don’t want to use another new tool?
HubSpot has thousands of integrations. Why doesn't that solve the ERP problem?
We're also looking for help with product data and quoting. Can HubSpot handle that?