(from someone who spent a decade in the Salesforce ecosystem)

I spent the better part of ten years inside the Salesforce consulting world before starting Crawl Walk Run. Over that decade, I watched the same conversation play out with small and mid-sized Australian businesses again and again. They'd sign up for Salesforce because it was the safe choice, the recognised name, the "no one ever got fired for choosing Salesforce" option. Two years later, they'd be paying for capabilities they didn't use, looking at a quote for the next add-on, and quietly wondering whether their CRM was actually helping them sell more.

If you're an Australian founder evaluating Salesforce in 2026, this comparison is for you. It's not a pitch for either platform. It's an honest look at what each one does, where each one falls short, and how to tell which is right for the business you're actually running today.

If you're an Australian business evaluating CRM platforms in 2026, you're probably already familiar with HubSpot. It's been the default recommendation for SMBs for years, and for good reason - it's capable, well-documented, and has a large ecosystem of partners and integrations.

But something has shifted. More and more Australian businesses are questioning whether HubSpot's price tag is justified by the value they're actually getting. And a growing number are making the move to Attio.

Ever missed a sales opportunity because a prospect changed jobs without you noticing? 

Or spent hours trying to find a working email address for someone who perfectly matches your ideal customer profile on LinkedIn? We’ve recently discovered a great add-on for Attio that solves these problems. Groovin automatically keeps contact details up to date, detects job changes in real time, and enriches records with professional email addresses - even when they’re not publicly listed on LinkedIn.

Ever wished your email campaigns delivered real time sales triggers instead of just sitting in a report? At Crawl Walk Run, APAC's first Attio experts, we know how frustrating it can be when engagement data from tools like Mailchimp gathers dust in dashboards. By integrating Mailchimp with Attio, you can transform those metrics into immediate action items for your sales team, such as automated tasks or sequences triggered by clicks and opens.

Seamless integration between your CRM and accounting system can be a game changer. At Crawl Walk Run, APAC's first Attio experts, we've seen firsthand how connecting tools like Attio with accounting platforms such as Xero can transform operations.

PASIFIKAID required an improved system for donor engagement and relationship management to advance their mission. This included processing online donations, tracking donor histories, managing partnerships, and mapping stakeholder networks, all while maintaining data security.

Australia’s major cities - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth are economic powerhouses, but they come with a steep price. The cost of doing business in these urban centres is soaring, with skyrocketing rents, increasing labour expenses, and mounting operational overheads.

In today’s fast-paced sales environment, connecting with prospects on a personal level is more crucial than ever. What if you could step into every conversation knowing your prospect’s latest business moves, their industry pressures, or even their strategic priorities?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have undergone a remarkable transformation since their early days. From rudimentary databases to comprehensive platforms managing customer interactions across multiple channels, CRMs have become indispensable for businesses worldwide.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are vital tools for businesses aiming to organise customer interactions, enhance sales processes, and foster growth. Yet, many companies encounter challenges with traditional CRMs that feel outdated, expensive, or misaligned with today’s needs.