Integration fragility
Zapier connections break. API changes require updates. Sync delays cause enrollment mismatches. Your team spends more time fixing integrations than teaching.
Why Not an LMS?
It's not about features. It's about architecture.
LMS platforms are powerful tools. Kajabi, Thinkific, Teachable, Circle, Northpass—they've helped thousands of businesses deliver courses. We're not here to attack them.
But if HubSpot is already your system of record—where you manage contacts, close deals, run automation, and report on revenue—adding an external LMS creates an architectural problem that no integration can fully solve.
The question isn't "Which LMS has the best features?" The question is: "Should course delivery live outside the system that already runs my business?"
The real problem with LMS + HubSpot
It's not the LMS. It's the architectural mismatch.
Fragmented data
Revenue lives in HubSpot. Learning progress lives in your LMS. Reports require exporting, combining, and hoping the data matches. You can't trigger workflows based on course completion without complex workarounds.
Two sources of truth
Is the contact enrolled or not? Did they complete the course? When you have two systems, you have two answers—and they don't always agree.
Compounding costs
HubSpot subscription + LMS subscription + Zapier (or custom dev work to maintain integrations). As you scale, the cost and complexity compound.
Workflow limitations
You can't build sophisticated lifecycle automation when half your data lives in another platform. Want to unenroll someone based on payment failure? Good luck making that reliable across systems.
LMS + HubSpot vs. Coursefully
Where the architectures diverge
LMS + HubSpot
Coursefully
Data lives in one system
✗
✓
No sync delays or drift
✗
✓
Native HubSpot workflows
✗
✓
Unified revenue + learning reports
✗
✓
No integration maintenance
✗
✓
Single platform cost
✗
✓
Customizable foundation
✗
✓
When an LMS makes sense
We're not saying LMS platforms are wrong. They're just architecturally misaligned for businesses that already run on HubSpot.
An LMS might be the right choice if:
You're not using HubSpot as your system of record
- You use HubSpot lightly (just for marketing emails)
- Your deals, lifecycle stages, and reporting live somewhere else
- You don't need tight integration between courses and CRM
You're building a marketplace or multi-instructor platform
- You need instructor payouts and revenue sharing
- You're building a course marketplace like Udemy
- Course creation is self-service for external instructors
You need LMS-specific features that HubSpot doesn't support
- SCORM compliance for corporate training
- Advanced quizzing and assessments with conditional logic
- Gamification, badges, and leaderboards
If those describe your business, an LMS is probably the right tool. But if HubSpot is already where your business runs, there's a better way.
When Coursefully makes sense
Coursefully is built for businesses that already run on HubSpot and want education delivery to live in the same place.
You're a great fit if:
HubSpot is your system of record
You manage contacts, deals, lifecycle stages, and reporting in HubSpot. It's where your business runs.
You're on Pro or Enterprise
You need advanced workflows, custom objects, and automation—not just basic contact management.
Integration pain is real
You're tired of fixing Zapier connections, dealing with sync drift, or manually uploading CSVs to keep systems aligned.
Courses drive revenue
This isn't a side project. Courses are a meaningful part of your business model, and you need reliable data and automation.
You want unified reporting
You need to see revenue and learning outcomes in one place, not across two platforms with conflicting dashboards.
You want to build on top
You need flexibility to customize workflows, add properties, and extend the system to match your unique business model.
The bottom line
If you're already running your education business in HubSpot—managing contacts, closing deals, automating lifecycles—why send learners to a different platform?
Coursefully doesn't replace LMS platforms. It replaces the need for one when HubSpot is already your foundation.
It's not about features. It's about keeping your business in one system.
See the difference
Book a 20-minute demo to see how course delivery works natively inside HubSpot.