Let’s be honest: HubSpot is a powerful CRM. But once you start growing and need a little automation magic—like creating deals when new leads come in—it hits you with the dreaded upgrade wall. Suddenly, you’re staring at a $1,300/month Pro plan just to unlock something that feels like it should be included by default.

That was me. All I wanted was to automatically create a deal when a contact was added from a specific source. That’s it. Not a full-blown marketing automation suite. Not fancy email sequences. Just a simple “contact → deal” workflow.

So I did what any bootstrapped, automation-loving person would do:
I got creative—and made it happen with Make (formerly Integromat) for just $11/month.

The Problem: HubSpot Workflows Were Locked Behind a Paywall

I needed a way to automatically create deals in HubSpot when specific types of contacts were added—like leads coming from a partner form or a certain campaign.

But HubSpot had other ideas. The automation I needed (a workflow that triggers when a contact is created from a certain source) was only available on the Pro plan, starting at $1,300/month. And for what? One feature?

I wasn’t about to pay that kind of money just to create deals when Make could do it for a fraction of the cost.

The Solution: A Smart Combo of HubSpot Lists + Make

Here’s what I did instead:

🧩 Step 1: Create a Smart List in HubSpot

I created a dynamic list (aka smart list) in HubSpot to capture all contacts that met my criteria—for example:

• Contacts created in the last 24 hours
• Source is “XYZ Campaign”
• Or lifecycle stage = “Lead”

This list automatically updates as new qualifying contacts come in.

⚙️ Step 2: Use Make to Watch That List

Then, in Make, I set up an automation to:

• Trigger every day at 6 AM
• Pull contacts from the dynamic list
• Create a new deal in HubSpot using the contact’s information (like company name, source, etc.)
• Associate the contact to the new deal

Boom. No coding, no stress, and no Pro plan required.

Why This Workflow Is a Game-Changer

This setup might sound small, but it saved me a ton of time and money. Here's why it worked so well:

✅ It’s Automated

No one has to manually create deals anymore. It just runs every day, like magic.

✅ It’s Reliable

Make’s visual builder makes it easy to monitor runs, debug errors, and fine-tune the logic.

✅ It’s Dirt Cheap

Seriously. $11/month for Make vs $1,300/month for HubSpot Pro. Unless you're sending massive email campaigns or doing complex marketing automation inside HubSpot, this is a no-brainer.

✅ It’s Modular

Need to tweak the criteria? Just update the smart list in HubSpot—no need to rewrite your whole automation.

A Quick Look at the Automation Flow

Here’s a simplified breakdown of how it works:

1. HubSpot Smart List: Dynamic list captures contacts based on your conditions.
2. Make Schedule Trigger: Every day at 6 AM.
3. Get Contacts: Retrieve contacts from that smart list.
4. Create Deal: Use HubSpot’s API to create a deal for each new contact.
5. Associate Contact to Deal: Connect the contact to the newly created deal.

You could get fancy with filters, conditional logic, branching—whatever you need. But this setup? Dead simple. Super effective.

FAQs

❓ Can I use this method for different types of contacts or campaigns?

Absolutely. Just create a separate dynamic list for each source, and set up different Make scenarios to handle each one.

❓ How often does Make run the scenario?

You can set it to run hourly, daily, or whenever you want. I went with once a day to keep things clean.

❓ What if a contact appears in the list twice?

You can add filters or unique identifiers in Make to check if a deal already exists before creating a new one.

❓ Is this secure?

Yes—Make uses HTTPS, and HubSpot’s API is secure. Just make sure to store your API keys safely.

Final Thoughts: Pay for Value, Not Hype

Look, HubSpot is great. But not every team needs to drop over $1,300/month just to automate a basic workflow. If you’re already handling email with another tool, or just need smarter data movement between systems, Make is a smart, affordable way to do it.

It’s not just about saving money—it’s about staying in control of your stack and building systems that make sense for where you are now.

So before you upgrade your HubSpot plan out of frustration, ask yourself:
“Can I build this in Make instead?”
Chances are, the answer is yes.

Want help setting up something similar? I’ve been there. Happy to chat. Just click the "Meet us" button below and schedule a time.

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