HubSpot Contact Limit: Records vs Marketing Contacts (2026)
HubSpot lets you store up to 1,000,000 contacts and companies in the CRM, and that ceiling is the same on the free plan as on paid ones. The number you actually pay for is different: marketing contacts, the records you can email and target with ads, which are billed in tiers on Marketing Hub. Non-marketing contacts do not count toward your marketing-contact tier, so you can keep hundreds of thousands of records in the CRM while paying for only the fraction you actively market to. As of 2026 these are the published figures, but HubSpot revises tiers and pricing regularly, so confirm on the HubSpot pricing page.
The Limits at a Glance
Total CRM records (all plans, including free)
- Up to 1,000,000 contacts
- Up to 1,000,000 companies
Marketing contacts (the billed metric on Marketing Hub)
- Starter: includes ~1,000 marketing contacts; buy more in blocks of 1,000
- Professional: includes ~2,000 marketing contacts; buy more in blocks of 5,000
- Enterprise: includes ~10,000 marketing contacts; buy more in blocks of 10,000
Key rule
- Non-marketing contacts are free and do not count toward your marketing-contact tier, up to the 1,000,000 total-records ceiling.
Tier inclusions and block sizes change; treat these as the 2026 baseline and verify on HubSpot’s pricing page.
The 1,000,000 Cap Is Total Records, Not What You Pay For
The single most misunderstood thing about HubSpot limits is that the 1,000,000-contact ceiling and the number you’re billed for are two different things. Every HubSpot account, free included, can hold up to a million contact records. That cap exists to protect database performance, not to meter your bill.
What you actually pay for on Marketing Hub is marketing contacts — the specific records you want to send marketing emails to or target with ads. You designate which contacts are “marketing” and which are “non-marketing.” Only the marketing ones count toward your paid tier.
So a company can hold 400,000 contacts in HubSpot and pay for just 5,000 marketing contacts, as long as the other 395,000 are set to non-marketing. The total-records cap and the marketing-contact tier are entirely separate limits.
How Marketing-Contact Tiers Work
Marketing Hub bills marketing contacts in blocks, and the block size differs by plan. Starter typically adds capacity in increments of 1,000, Professional in increments of 5,000, and Enterprise in increments of 10,000. Each plan comes with a baseline allotment included in the base price, and you buy additional blocks as your marketable audience grows.
Because you only pay for marketing contacts, the practical strategy is to keep as many records as possible set to non-marketing — old leads, closed-lost deals, service-only contacts — and mark a record as “marketing” only when you actually intend to email or advertise to it. HubSpot lets you switch a contact between marketing and non-marketing, though changes to reduce your count usually take effect at your next billing renewal rather than instantly.
What Happens When You Approach a Limit
Approach the 1,000,000 total-records ceiling and HubSpot flags the account; you’ll need to clean up or archive records, and very large enterprises can discuss higher limits with HubSpot directly.
Approach your marketing-contact tier and HubSpot prompts you to purchase the next block. If you exceed your paid marketing contacts, the platform charges for the additional block at your next renewal rather than cutting off your emails mid-send. Non-marketing contacts, by contrast, never trigger a charge no matter how many you store.
Troubleshooting
How many contacts can HubSpot hold in total?
Up to 1,000,000 contacts and up to 1,000,000 companies, on every plan including the free CRM. This is a database ceiling, not a billing threshold.
Do I pay for every contact in HubSpot?
No. You only pay for marketing contacts on Marketing Hub. Contacts set to non-marketing are free and do not count toward your paid tier, up to the 1,000,000 total-records cap.
What’s the difference between a marketing and non-marketing contact?
Marketing contacts can receive marketing emails and be targeted with ads, and they count toward your billed tier. Non-marketing contacts can be stored, called, and worked in the CRM but can’t be sent marketing emails, and they’re free.
How do I lower my marketing-contact count?
Set contacts you no longer market to as “non-marketing.” The reduction typically takes effect at your next billing renewal, not immediately.
Is the contact limit different on the free HubSpot plan?
No. The free CRM has the same 1,000,000 total-records ceiling. The free plan simply doesn’t include Marketing Hub’s paid marketing-contact features.
Quick Reference
| Concept | Limit |
|---|---|
| Total contacts (all plans) | up to 1,000,000 |
| Total companies (all plans) | up to 1,000,000 |
| Marketing contacts — Starter | ~1,000 included, +1,000 blocks |
| Marketing contacts — Professional | ~2,000 included, +5,000 blocks |
| Marketing contacts — Enterprise | ~10,000 included, +10,000 blocks |
| Non-marketing contacts | free, don’t count toward tier |
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