Pipedrive is a lean sales tool. HubSpot is an all-in-one platform with a strong free tier. Both are excellent, but they win for different reasons.
Where each one wins
Pick Pipedrive for the simplest, fastest sales pipeline. Pick HubSpot if you need a free start or plan to add marketing tools as you grow.
Pricing
HubSpot starts free; Pipedrive starts low but has no permanent free plan. Ease of use goes to Pipedrive; breadth goes to HubSpot.