To really get into Hubspot plugin development, you should start by into their developer ecosystem, which is packed with tools and resources. Honestly, when I first looked into extending Hubspot’s functionality, I felt a bit overwhelmed, but once you break it down, it’s actually super logical and incredibly powerful. This guide is all about helping you understand how to create awesome custom solutions, whether you’re looking to build something for your own business or even put an app on the Hubspot Marketplace for others to use. We’ll chat about everything from setting up your developer account to writing code and even what kind of cash a Hubspot developer can expect to make. It’s a bit of a journey, but trust me, connecting your tools, automating workflows, and personalizing experiences on Hubspot can seriously change the game for businesses.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Hubspot Ecosystem for Developers

Think of Hubspot as this huge digital city, right? It’s got different districts—Marketing, Sales, Service, CRM, and CMS. What we call a “plugin” or “app” in Hubspot development is basically like building a new shop or a custom bridge between these districts, or even connecting this city to another city your other business tools. These custom creations are all about making Hubspot work exactly how you need it to.

What is a Hubspot “Plugin” or “App”?

when we say “plugin” or “app” in the Hubspot world, we’re usually talking about a few different things:

Custom Integrations: These are like tailor-made bridges that connect your Hubspot account with other software you’re using. Maybe it’s an ERP system, a unique analytics tool, or a proprietary database. If there isn’t a pre-built connection, you can build one yourself!
Custom Modules & Themes for CMS Hub: If you’re working with Hubspot’s Content Hub formerly CMS Hub, you can build unique design elements, like a fancy image slider or a custom contact form, that marketers can then drag and drop onto their pages without needing to touch any code. You can also build entire website themes from scratch.
CRM Extensions: This is where you add custom bits of user interface directly into the Hubspot CRM. Imagine a special card on a contact’s record that pulls in data from an external system or lets sales reps perform an action directly from Hubspot. Super handy!
Workflow Actions & Serverless Functions: For more advanced automation, you can create custom actions within Hubspot workflows or build serverless functions that run code in response to specific events, without needing your own server infrastructure.

Basically, if Hubspot doesn’t do something out of the box, chances are you can build an app or integration to make it happen.

The Core Hubs: CRM, CMS, Marketing, Sales, Service, and Operations

Hubspot isn’t just one thing. it’s a collection of powerful tools all built around a central CRM Customer Relationship Management system. Understanding these different “hubs” helps you figure out where your plugin might fit in and what data it needs to access:

CRM Hub: This is the heart of it all. It stores all your customer data – contacts, companies, deals, tickets. Any custom app will likely interact with the CRM in some way, whether it’s pulling data, updating records, or adding custom properties.
CMS Hub Content Hub: This is Hubspot’s website builder. Developers use it to create themes, templates, and modules for websites and blogs. Marketers love it because they can manage content easily without code.
Marketing Hub: All about attracting and engaging customers. Think email marketing, landing pages, forms, and automation. Your plugin might help enrich marketing data or automate campaign tasks.
Sales Hub: Tools for sales teams, like sales automation, meeting scheduling, and quoting. Custom apps can streamline sales processes or bring external sales data into Hubspot.
Service Hub: Focused on customer support, with tools like ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases. You could build tools that enhance support agent workflows or connect customer service data.
Operations Hub: This one’s a bit newer and really powerful for developers. It helps automate and connect business processes, including data syncing and custom coded automation, often removing manual tasks that used to be a pain.

Why Develop on Hubspot?

So, why bother building on Hubspot? There are some pretty compelling reasons: Turbocharge Your Workflow: The Ultimate Guide to HubSpot Plugin Downloads

Seamless CRM Integration: Everything you build is inherently connected to the CRM. This means your tools can leverage rich customer data for personalization, reporting, and automation, giving you a unified view of your customer interactions.
Extend Functionality: Hubspot is robust, but every business has unique needs. Developing allows you to add features that aren’t available out-of-the-box, giving you a competitive edge.
Automate Processes: One of the biggest wins is automating repetitive tasks. By integrating systems, you can eliminate manual data entry, trigger workflows across platforms, and free up your team’s time.
Centralize Data: Custom integrations help break down “data silos,” pulling information from various systems into one place. This creates a single source of truth and better insights for your teams.
Enhanced User Experience: You can create tailored experiences for your users, whether they’re customers interacting with your website or internal teams using Hubspot daily. Custom CRM cards are a great example of this.
Market Reach: If you build a public app, you can list it on the Hubspot App Marketplace, giving you access to Hubspot’s massive customer base over 100,000 customers!.

Setting Up Your Hubspot Developer Environment

Before you start slinging code, you need a proper setup. Think of it like a workshop for your coding projects. Hubspot has made it pretty straightforward to get going.

Getting Your Developer Account

First things first, you’ll need a Hubspot developer account. Good news: they’re free! This account acts as your base for building, testing, and managing your apps. It’s distinct from a regular customer account and gives you the specific tools you need to build. You can usually sign up directly through the Hubspot Developers portal.

Once you’re logged into your developer account, you’ll find a dedicated “Apps” section where you can create new applications. This is where you’ll get important credentials like your App ID, Client ID, and Client Secret.

Understanding Test & Sandbox Accounts

You definitely don’t want to test new features or integrations on a live customer account. That’s a recipe for disaster! Hubspot provides a few ways to safely test your creations: Understanding HubSpot Partner Seats

Test Accounts: These are like miniature, fully functional Hubspot portals that you create within your developer account. They behave just like a regular customer account, allowing you to install and test your apps without any risk.
Sandbox Accounts: These give you a safe space to experiment with Hubspot features and changes without impacting your standard production account. There are even specific CMS sandbox accounts for website development.

The great thing is that your CRM object properties and custom objects can often be synced over to these test environments, so you’re working with realistic data.

Essential Tools: HubSpot CLI and VS Code Extension

Hubspot provides some neat tools to make your development life easier:

HubSpot CLI Command Line Interface: This is your best friend for local development. You install it on your computer, and it lets you do things like:
- Initialize new projects.
- Fetch files from your Hubspot portal to work on them locally.
- Upload changes back to Hubspot.
- Set up a “watch” command to automatically upload changes as you save them, which is a huge time-saver.
- Start local development servers.
HubSpot VS Code Extension: If you use Visual Studio Code and many developers do!, this extension is a must-have. It offers features like HubL syntax highlighting and autocomplete, which can make writing code much faster and less prone to errors.

Local Development Setup Node.js, Package Managers

To use the HubSpot CLI and other modern web development tools, you’ll need to have Node.js installed on your machine. I always recommend using a package manager like Homebrew for macOS to install Node.js. it just makes managing different versions much smoother.

Once Node.js is there, you’ll use npm Node Package Manager, which comes with Node.js to install the HubSpot CLI globally: npm install -g @hubspot/cli. After that, you’ll run hs init or hs auth to connect your CLI to your Hubspot developer account. This involves getting a personal access key and giving your account a recognizable name.

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Key Building Blocks for Hubspot Plugins/Apps

Alright, let’s talk about the actual technologies and concepts you’ll be using to build stuff.

HubSpot APIs: The Backbone of Integration

When you’re connecting Hubspot to something else or creating a custom app that interacts with Hubspot’s core data, you’re almost certainly using its APIs Application Programming Interfaces. Think of APIs as the language that different software uses to talk to each other.

Types of APIs: Hubspot offers a comprehensive suite of APIs for different parts of its platform:
- CRM APIs: For managing contacts, companies, deals, tickets, and custom objects. This is probably where most of your integrations will start.
- Marketing APIs: Accessing email events, workflows, campaigns, and other marketing data.
- CMS APIs: Managing HubDB tables, templates, and other content-related assets.
- And many more, covering everything from forms to conversations.
Authentication: How do your apps prove they’re allowed to access Hubspot data?
- OAuth 2.0: This is the recommended and most secure method, especially for public apps that will be installed by multiple Hubspot accounts. It provides a secure, scalable way for users to grant your app specific permissions without sharing their login credentials.
- Private App Tokens: Ideal for internal integrations that only need to access a single Hubspot account. They offer direct access to a specific portal and are simpler to set up for personal or company-specific tools. Just a heads-up, older API keys are deprecated, so you definitely want to use OAuth or private app tokens!
API Best Practices: To build reliable integrations, keep these tips in mind:
- Understand the Ecosystem: Familiarize yourself with Hubspot’s API capabilities and documentation before you start.
- Plan Your Data Model: If you’re syncing data, think carefully about how information flows between systems and how it maps to Hubspot objects.
- Document Everything: Good documentation isn’t just for others. it helps your future self too! Record your API design, endpoints, and data models.
- Error Handling: Build robust error handling into your code. Things can go wrong, and you need a plan for when they do e.g., API limits, network issues.
- Monitor Rate Limits: Hubspot APIs have rate limits to prevent abuse. Make sure your app respects these limits and includes retry logic with exponential backoff if you hit them.
- Test Often: Thorough testing is non-negotiable. Simulate real-world scenarios and test across different environments. Tools like Postman or Swagger can be super useful here.

HubL: HubSpot’s Templating Language

If you’re building anything on Hubspot’s CMS, you’ll quickly get to know HubL HubSpot Markup Language. It’s Hubspot’s custom templating language, kind of like Jinja or Liquid, and it lets you create dynamic, personalized content within the CMS.

With HubL, you can:

Manipulate data: Pull information from your Hubspot CRM, HubDB, or other sources.
Create conditional statements: Show different content based on who’s viewing it e.g., if a contact is in a certain lifecycle stage, show them a specific CTA.
Loop through collections: Display lists of blog posts, products, or custom objects.

While HubL is specific to Hubspot, it works hand-in-hand with standard web technologies. A solid understanding of HTML for structure, CSS for styling, and JavaScript for interactivity is still absolutely crucial. You’ll use these to build the front-end of your Hubspot themes and modules. Project Management with HubSpot: Your Ultimate Guide

CMS Hub Development: Themes, Modules, and Templates

The CMS Hub is a powerful platform for building websites, and as a developer, you’ll be working with its core components:

Templates: These are the blueprints for your web pages. You’ll create page templates, blog templates, and system templates using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and HubL. These provide the basic structure that content creators then fill in.
Modules: These are reusable, self-contained components that can be dragged and dropped into templates or pages by marketers. Think of them as building blocks. You can create custom modules for anything from testimonial sliders to complex data displays. Each module can have its own HubL/HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The cool part is you can define “module fields” that non-developers can easily control from the page editor, like changing text or images, without breaking the design.
Themes: A theme is a package of all these developer-created assets templates, modules, global CSS, JavaScript that defines the overall look and feel of a website. It helps maintain consistency across a large site. You can buy themes from the marketplace or develop completely custom ones.
HubDB: This is Hubspot’s relational database that’s built right into the CMS. It’s super useful for storing structured content like employee directories, product catalogs, or event listings. Instead of hardcoding this data into your pages, you can store it in HubDB and retrieve it dynamically using HubL, making your site content much easier to manage and update.

CRM Customizations: Cards, Objects, and Events

Beyond websites, you can significantly enhance the Hubspot CRM itself.

Custom CRM Cards: These are UI extensions that let you display external data or add custom actions directly onto contact, company, deal, ticket, or custom object records within the Hubspot CRM. Imagine having a card on a contact’s profile that shows their recent purchases from your e-commerce platform or a button that triggers an SMS with one click. You’ll typically build these using React-based UI extensions.
Custom Objects and Properties: While Hubspot has standard objects like contacts and companies, you can create your own custom objects to store unique data relevant to your business e.g., “Projects,” “Courses,” “Assets”. You can also add custom properties to existing objects to capture specific information. This helps tailor the CRM to your exact needs.
Timeline Events: These allow your app to add entries to a CRM record’s timeline. So, if an action happens in your external system e.g., a customer completes a specific course, your app can log that as an event on their Hubspot contact timeline, giving your sales and marketing teams a richer view of the customer journey.

The Hubspot Plugin Development Process

Building a Hubspot plugin or app isn’t just about writing code. it’s a whole process. Thinking about it in distinct steps can keep things organized.

1. Planning & Defining Your App’s Purpose

Before you even open your code editor, clearly define what problem your app solves, who it’s for, and what its core features will be. What data will it use? How will it interact with Hubspot? Having a solid plan at this stage saves a ton of headaches later. HubSpot Playbooks Demo: Your Ultimate Guide to Supercharging Your Team

2. Design and Prototyping

Visualize your app. Create wireframes or mockups to see how the user interface will look and feel, especially if you’re building CRM cards or custom modules. Think about the user experience UX – how will people interact with your solution?

3. Coding & Implementation

This is where you bring your design to life.

Front-end: This involves writing your HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and HubL for any visual components within Hubspot like custom modules or CRM cards.
Back-end: For integrations that need to process data, connect to external APIs, or run complex logic, you’ll typically write server-side code. Hubspot’s platform supports languages like Node.js, Python, or PHP for these serverless functions or external applications.
API Interactions: You’ll be making calls to Hubspot’s APIs and potentially external APIs to get, create, or update data. Remember to use OAuth or private app tokens for secure authentication.

4. Rigorous Testing & Debugging

Don’t skip this step! Test, test, and re-test.

Unit Tests: Test individual components of your code.
Integration Tests: Make sure your app correctly communicates with Hubspot’s APIs and any other integrated systems.
User Acceptance Testing UAT: Have actual users try out your app in a test environment to ensure it meets their needs and works as expected.
Performance Testing: Check how your app performs under load, especially considering API rate limits.

Using Hubspot’s configurable test accounts and sandbox environments is crucial here. Also, ensure you have proper error logging and monitoring in place.

5. Deployment & Maintenance

Once your app is solid, it’s time to deploy it. Demystifying HubSpot Pipelines: Your Ultimate Guide to Sales Success

For CMS assets: Use the HubSpot CLI to upload your themes, modules, and templates to your Hubspot portal.
For custom apps/integrations: This might involve deploying your server-side code to a cloud platform like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure and then configuring your app within the Hubspot developer portal with the necessary redirect URLs and scopes.
Ongoing Maintenance: Software isn’t “set it and forget it.” Hubspot constantly updates its platform and APIs, so you’ll need to keep your app updated, monitor its performance, and address any bugs or changes.

Skills Every Hubspot Developer Should Master

To excel in Hubspot plugin development, you’ll want a mix of general web development skills and Hubspot-specific knowledge.

Core Web Technologies:
- HTML: The fundamental structure of web content.
- CSS: Styling your web elements to look good.
- JavaScript: Adding interactivity and dynamic functionality to your apps and pages. This is probably the most crucial web language for Hubspot dev.
Server-Side Languages: For custom integrations and backend logic, proficiency in languages like Node.js, Python, or PHP is often required.
Hubspot-Specific Knowledge:
- HubL: Essential for anyone doing CMS development.
- Hubspot APIs: Understanding how to interact with Hubspot’s various APIs, including authentication OAuth 2.0, private app tokens, data models, and rate limits.
- Platform Nuances: Familiarity with Hubspot’s ecosystem, its different hubs, and how they interact.
UX/UI Principles: Designing intuitive and user-friendly interfaces is key, especially for CRM extensions and modules.
Database Knowledge: Basic understanding of databases, especially if you’re working with HubDB or syncing data between systems.
Project Management & Version Control: Skills in planning, organizing, and tracking your development projects. Using Git for version control is a standard best practice.
Testing and Debugging: The ability to identify, troubleshoot, and fix issues efficiently.

Hubspot Developer Community & Resources

You’re not alone on this journey! Hubspot has built a fantastic ecosystem for developers to learn and get support.

Developer Documentation: This is your go-to reference for everything API-related, platform overviews, quickstarts, and integration guides. It’s incredibly comprehensive.
Hubspot Academy: Offers a ton of educational courses and certifications, including specific ones for CMS developers and designers. These can help you build your foundational knowledge and gain credibility.
Hubspot Developer Blog: Features hands-on tutorials, insights directly from Hubspot engineers, and articles from other developers in the community.
Hubspot Developer Community Forum: A great place to ask questions, share your knowledge, and interact with other developers. If you run into a tricky problem, chances are someone else has too!
Changelog and Updates: Hubspot is always , so staying updated on API changes, new features, and deprecations is critical. The changelog is the place for this.

How Much Is HubSpot Per Month? Let’s Break Down the Cost!

Understanding Hubspot Development Costs & Salaries

Now for some real-world talk: what does Hubspot development cost, and what can a developer expect to earn?

Freelancer vs. Agency Rates

If you’re hiring for Hubspot development, costs can vary widely:

Freelancers: Typically charge between $75 – $150 per hour in the US, though junior developers or offshore talent might be $30-80/hr. Experienced freelance hybrid designer/developers can charge around $120/hr.
Agencies: Generally higher, ranging from $125 – $250 per hour or more, especially for specialized inbound marketing agencies.
Monthly Retainers: For ongoing work, freelancers might charge $1,500 – $5,000 per month, while agencies could be $3,000 – $10,000+ per month.

Project-Based Costs Simple vs. Complex Integrations

For specific projects, you’re usually looking at fixed fees:

Basic HubSpot Website Setup: $2,500 – $5,000 freelancer or $5,000 – $15,000 agency.
Custom HubSpot Theme Development: $5,000 – $15,000 freelancer or $10,000 – $50,000 agency.
Landing Page Design & Development: $1,500 – $3,500 freelancer or $3,000 – $7,500 agency.
HubSpot CRM & API Integrations: This varies greatly with complexity. Simple, one-way syncs might be $1,500 – $3,000. Intermediate projects could be $3,000 – $6,000, and complex integrations multiple systems, high data volume, intricate logic can easily range from $6,000 – $15,000+.

The average cost for a website redesign onto the Hubspot CMS can be quite substantial, typically between $30,000 to $120,000, depending on the complexity.

Hubspot Developer Salary Expectations

If you’re looking to become a Hubspot developer, the earning potential is pretty good, and it varies a lot based on experience, location, and specific skills: Mastering HubSpot: Essential Tips and Tricks for Business Growth

Average Hubspot Developer Salary: As of August 2025, the average hourly pay for a Hubspot Developer in the US is around $52.84 per hour, translating to roughly $109,905 annually. The majority of salaries fall between $40.38 and $64.66 per hour. Other reports suggest an average of around $80,000 per year, with some estimates for an average of $75,000 annually.
Entry-Level Developers: Typically earn around $50,000 to $60,000 per year.
Senior Developers: With several years of experience, you can expect to earn upwards of $100,000 annually. The top 10% of Hubspot developers can earn over $130,000 per year.
Hubspot Software Engineer Salaries Internal: For those working directly at Hubspot as software engineers, the salaries are significantly higher. Entry-level software engineers can expect a total compensation of around $154,000 annually. Senior Software Engineer I roles can see $219,000 annually, with Senior II reaching $301,000, and Technical Leads/Staff Software Engineers receiving around $331,000 annually. The median yearly compensation for a software engineer at Hubspot in the US totals $287,000, with ranges from $171,000 for entry-level to over $502,000 for principal engineers.

As you can see, becoming a skilled Hubspot developer can be a very rewarding career path, both creatively and financially!

Frequently Asked Questions

What programming languages are used for Hubspot plugin development?

For front-end development within Hubspot’s CMS for themes, modules, and templates, you’ll primarily use HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Hubspot’s own templating language, HubL. If you’re building custom backend integrations or serverless functions, JavaScript Node.js and Python are commonly used, though PHP is also an option. A solid understanding of RESTful APIs is also crucial, regardless of the language.

Do I need a special account to develop on Hubspot?

Yes, you’ll need a Hubspot developer account. These accounts are free and provide access to the developer tools, documentation, and the ability to create apps, test accounts, and sandboxes without affecting a live customer portal. It’s your dedicated environment for building and testing. What Exactly is HubSpot Marketing Hub, Anyway?

What is a Hubspot CRM card?

A Hubspot CRM card is a custom UI extension that lets you display external data or add specific actions directly onto records like contacts, companies, deals, or tickets within the Hubspot CRM. It’s built using React-based UI extensions and helps personalize the CRM experience by bringing relevant information and functionality right where sales and service teams need it.

How much does it cost to build a custom Hubspot integration?

The cost for a custom Hubspot integration can vary greatly depending on its complexity. Simple integrations, like a one-way sync of contacts, might cost around $1,500 – $3,000 in development effort. More intermediate projects could range from $3,000 – $6,000, while complex integrations involving multiple systems, high data volume, or intricate logic can be anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000+. Freelancers typically charge less than agencies for these services.

Can I develop Hubspot plugins locally on my computer?

Absolutely! Hubspot fully supports local development. You’ll use the Hubspot CLI Command Line Interface, which you install on your machine after installing Node.js. This allows you to fetch Hubspot files to your local environment, make changes using your preferred code editor like VS Code, often with the Hubspot VS Code extension, and then upload those changes back to your Hubspot portal. You can even set up a “watch” command to automatically sync changes as you save them.

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