HubSpot is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform with Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, Content Hub, and the newly launched Operations Hub software applications that help scaling companies grow better.
Operations Hub is the newest addition to the HubSpot platform. Operations Hub connects HubSpot to the rest of your tech stack, cleans your data, and automates your business process, creating a single source of truth for your company.
Operations Hub's data sync feature is designed to continuously sync contact data between your apps, two ways and in real time. This means you'll have more reliable, up-to-date, and enriched data. You have full control over your sync, and can choose one-way and two-way connections between your apps.
Tray.io is a leading automation platform in the market, with a focus on enterprises and fast-growing companies. Tray.io enables users to connect apps and automate one-off, one-way workflows with plenty of flexibility.
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Historical data sync
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Two-way data sync
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Real-time sync
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Default and custom field mappings
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Easy-to-use workflow editor
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Flexible automation and workflows
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Data quality automation
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Programmable automation
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One-way, trigger-action automation
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Integrations between non-HubSpot apps
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Community forums
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Free plan available
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When choosing an integration solution for your business, one of the most important questions to ask is what kind of data you need to sync.
If you need to sync contact data, HubSpot Operations Hub is an excellent fit. Its data sync feature is made exactly for this: creating a tailor-fit bridge between your apps to continuously sync the right contact data based on personalized conditions.
Unlike Tray.io, Operations Hub's data sync supports two-way syncing, which means that whenever something changes in one app, it's instantly reflected in your synced apps. It also syncs historical data, so you can instantly sync entire databases.
So, because Operations Hub focuses on keeping databases in sync, it's optimized for keeping your data accurate and consistent across your apps at any time. It does this by:
Tray.io thrives when it comes to creating complex automated workflows between apps, and caters specifically to large and fast-growing companies with specific needs. Companies who choose Tray.io often have a dedicated rep to set it up and run it, and receive specialized attention from Tray.io to keep their automations running smoothly.
However, this level of complexity may not work for some companies. For businesses of all sizes that want an automation tool that's easier to implement and use, Operations Hub is the better choice.
In addition, Tray.io can be costly if you're on a budget, with pricing plans starting at $695/month (source)*, whereas Operations Hub is offered for free, with paid plans starting at $50/month.
*Pricing as of 7 May 2021
Operations Hub enables powerful and customizable data syncs, as well as flexible automated workflows to fit your business needs, by integrating HubSpot with the rest of your tools.
This means that if you already use HubSpot, Operations Hub is a natural choice to make HubSpot CRM the central source of truth for your business and connect it to all of your other tools in real time.
If you don't have a CRM system yet – or are looking to replace your current one – consider implementing HubSpot CRM and Operations Hub to build a fully integrated tech stack from the ground up. You also have the option of adding on HubSpot's Marketing, Sales, Service, and Content Hubs, all of which connect natively to the CRM.
Because HubSpot is a CRM with a built-in iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service), HubSpot stores your data as well as keeping it in sync, whereas Tray.io – a standalone iPaaS – connects tools but doesn't store data.
Tray.io specializes in one-way, trigger-action automations from App A to App B. But Operations Hub excels when it comes to handling large amounts of data between apps – especially contact and company data – as it was built to keep large databases in sync in real time.
Your Tray.io connections might include contact data – such as alerting your team of new CRM leads on Slack – but these are small, one-off pieces of data. To create a true two-way sync between your databases, Operations Hub will be a better fit.
HubSpot offers a range of options to create integrations and automated workflows with HubSpot at the center: in addition to Operations Hub, each Hub features its own set of automations to serve a huge variety of use cases. For example, users can create a trigger-action data push that creates a new row on Google Sheets when a certain event happens inside HubSpot.
However, it's not yet possible to do it the other way around and trigger an action in HubSpot when an event happens in another app – for example, when a Google Form is filled out, a new contact record is created in HubSpot. For this type of trigger-action workflow from third-party apps into HubSpot (or any other app), Tray.io is the better choice.
Tray.io excels in creating flexible and imaginative automations between any and all of their supported tools, allowing you to connect all of your apps in a wide range of ways. On the other hand, Operations Hub needs to have HubSpot CRM in the middle of all connections - it's not yet possible to connect two third-party apps to each other, without HubSpot acting as a middleman.
So, while Operations Hub connects tools to and from HubSpot CRM, Tray.io will likely be a better choice for you if you want to create automations between apps that don't involve HubSpot.
It's also possible to use Tray.io and HubSpot together for great results.
Think of Operations Hub as a way to strengthen the foundations of your data: its purpose is to ensure all of your databases match one another and that everyone in your organization is working with consistent, accurate, and up-to-date data, no matter which tool they use. HubSpot CRM is at the heart of your tech stack, with your other apps connecting to it two ways and in real time.
You can then layer trigger-action automations on top of it with Tray.io; especially if you want to create workflows that don't need to involve HubSpot. In addition, because Operations Hub helps to clean and enrich your data, it can also help you get better results from your Tray.io workflows.
Operations Hub and Tray.io divide their pricing in tiers, with users gaining access to more features as they upgrade. Here's how they compare.
Tray.io offers four pricing plans: Standard, Standard Plus, Professional, and Enterprise. Plans start at $695 per month, with no free plan or free trial.
Operations Hub offers three fixed-price packages, with users gaining access to extra features as they upgrade their plans.
Operations Hub's free plan includes dozens of HubSpot-built integrations that feature two-way data syncing and default field mappings. These integrations supercharge the broader suite of free HubSpot tools that include free email marketing, free live chat software, free meeting booking software, and a powerful free CRM. Operations Hub's paid plans start at $50/month. See the full pricing information for Operations Hub here.