How to Migrate From HubSpot to Zoho CRM: A Practical Checklist

Most migration problems are really data problems. Fix them in HubSpot before anything moves:

• Remove duplicates in contacts and companies.
• Archive what you don't need, like old test records, unqualified leads from years ago, and unused properties.
• Standardize key fields, such as states, phone formats, and lifecycle stages.
• List your custom properties and decide which ones you actually use.
• Map your pipelines. Write down each HubSpot deal stage and the Zoho CRM stage it should become.
• Set up Zoho CRM first: users, roles, fields, and pipelines, so the data has somewhere to land.
• Pick a cutover date and tell your team when HubSpot becomes read-only.

1. Create a private app in HubSpot. In HubSpot's settings, create a private app with read access to contacts, companies, deals, owners, quotes, and line items, then copy the access token.
2. Start the migration in Zoho CRM. As a Zoho CRM administrator, go to Setup, then Data Administration, then Import, and choose HubSpot. Enter your HubSpot account URL and token.
3. Let it run. The migration runs in the background, and Zoho notifies you when it's done.
4. Review the import history. Check the results in Zoho CRM's import history. If something looks wrong, you can undo the import and run it again.

What migrates

• Companies become Accounts
• Contacts become Contacts
• Deals become Deals, with their contact and account links
• Tasks, meetings, calls, and notes
• Owners become Users
• Products, quotes, and deal line items

Zoho's documentation lists a few limits worth planning around:

• Custom objects don't migrate through the API migration. Plan to move them separately.
• Tags are limited to the first 10 tags per record, and each tag can be at most 25 characters.
• Undo and rerun are limited, so test carefully before your final run.
• Large numbers of skipped records pause the migration so you can review them before continuing.
• Some quote fields need matching custom fields created in Zoho CRM first.

What doesn't move automatically

Plan to rebuild these by hand in Zoho:

• Workflows and automations
• Email templates and sequences
• Reports and dashboards
• Forms and website tracking
• Marketing emails and lists, which belong in Zoho Marketing Automation or Campaigns

Test with real records: Pick 20 records you know well, including a big customer, an open deal, and a recently closed deal. Check that the history, notes, owners, and associations all came across.

Rebuild the essentials: Recreate your most important workflows and reports first. Don't try to copy everything. Use the move as a chance to drop what nobody uses.

Train by role: Show sales, managers, and support only what they need, in short sessions.

Keep HubSpot read-only briefly: Leave HubSpot accessible for a few weeks in case you need to look something up. Then export a final backup and cancel.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a HubSpot to Zoho CRM migration take? The tool itself runs quickly. Cleanup, setup, testing, and rebuilding automations usually take a few weeks for a small business.

Will I lose my email history? Notes, tasks, calls, and meetings migrate. Logged emails aren't in Zoho's list of migrated items, so export any email history you need to keep before you cancel HubSpot.

Should I migrate everything? No. Migrating clean, useful data is better than moving years of clutter.

Still deciding? Read our honest Zoho CRM vs. HubSpot comparison.

Moving from HubSpot to Zoho CRM is mostly about preparation. Clean your data, map your pipeline, run the built-in migration, and test with real records before you switch off HubSpot.