A seat in HubSpot is a paid license assigned to a user that unlocks the paid features of one or more hubs. Inactive users are people who still have access, and sometimes a paid seat, but have not logged in or used HubSpot for a long time.
HubSpot pricing for many plans is based partly on seats. Users who need paid features, such as sequences, the forecast tool or the help desk, are assigned the right seat type, while others can be given free access with fewer features. Seat types and what they include depend on your subscription.
Inactive users cost money in two ways. A paid seat assigned to someone who no longer logs in is spend with no return. And every user who still has access is a security risk, especially former employees or contractors who kept their login after leaving. If those users have broad permissions or super admin access, the risk is larger.
Low usage is also a signal. If many people with paid seats rarely log in, either they do not need HubSpot for their job, or the setup is not working for them. Both are worth knowing before a renewal.
Review users every quarter. Deactivate people who have left, move inactive users to free access or remove them, reassign the records they own, and check that offboarding includes removing HubSpot access on the last day.
Pelican Bay Travel, a fictional tour operator, paid for 40 sales seats but found that 11 of those users had not logged in for 90 days, including three former employees. Removing the leavers and moving the rest to free access saved enough to fund a new integration, and closed a security gap.
The records keep the deactivated user as owner until they are reassigned. Reassign contacts, companies, deals and tickets so nothing is left without an active owner.
No. Users can have free access with core CRM features. Paid seats are needed only for users who use the paid features of a hub.
Ancil connects to HubSpot read-only in about 60 seconds. Nothing changes in your portal without your approval.