In HubSpot, click the app directory icon in the top bar, search for Zapier, click Install, then log in or sign up to Zapier. You need to be a Super Admin or have permission to install apps. Then build a Zap from Settings, Integrations, Connected Apps, Zapier, on the Embedded Zaps tab.
Zapier connects the CRM to other apps with triggers and actions. The classic example from HubSpot's own help is adding every new contact to a spreadsheet, but the same pattern covers deals, companies and custom objects.
Installing Zapier from inside the CRM
- Click the app directory icon in the top navigation bar and open the directory.
- Search for Zapier, select it and click Install. This needs a Super Admin, or a user with permission to install apps.
- Click Log in to use an existing Zapier account, or Sign up to create one. The integration needs a Zapier account either way.
- Go to Settings, Integrations, Connected Apps, Zapier, then the Embedded Zaps tab.
- Choose the app you want to connect in the Connect this app section, and click Use Zap on one of the popular Zaps. You're sent to Zapier to finish it.
- In Zapier, complete the Setup and Configure tabs, click Test step, then Publish to take the Zap live.
Once connected, teammates can also use Zapier's embedded Quick Account Creation from the same Embedded Zaps tab, which saves them signing up separately.
What you can trigger and do
Zapier's HubSpot page lists triggers such as New Company, Contact Recently Created or Updated, New Email Event, New Engagement and New Invoice. On the action side, Zapier can work with contacts, companies, deals and custom objects, and the list includes jobs such as Update Contact Subscription Preferences.
For a small business, the most useful Zaps tend to be the boring ones: website form to contact, new deal to a Slack message, closed deal to an onboarding checklist. If you'd like more ideas, these HubSpot workflow recipes show what can run inside the CRM itself before you reach for Zapier.
Dates and polling: the two things that trip people up
Dates arrive a day out
The HubSpot Knowledge Base notes that datetime values sent through Zapier into HubSpot are rounded down to UTC midnight. So a date and time can land as the start of that day in UTC, and in other apps it may show as the day before. If a field like a booking date matters, check it on a test record before you rely on it.
Many triggers aren't instant
Many HubSpot triggers in Zapier are polling, which means Zapier checks for new data on a schedule. Zapier's page says that's every 15 minutes on its Free plan, as of Nov 2026. Some triggers, such as New Contact in List, are instant. If speed matters, say a hot lead that should reach sales straight away, pick an instant trigger, or put contacts into a list and trigger on that.
Keeping Zaps tidy as you add more
The first Zap is easy to remember. By the tenth, nobody knows which one adds contacts to which list. Name every Zap after what it does, such as Website form to new contact, and keep a short note of which HubSpot property each one writes to. When two Zaps write to the same field, you'll spot the clash before a customer's record ends up with the wrong value. Test each new Zap on a dummy contact, never on a real customer.
Other ways to automate the CRM
n8n has a built-in HubSpot node that can create, update, delete and get contacts, deals, lists, engagements and companies. Make's HubSpot CRM app documentation says a HubSpot Super Admin has to pre-approve the Make app before a connection can be created, and that webhook features need a HubSpot CRM developer account. If you would rather write your own code than use a no-code tool, I explain whether HubSpot has an API and how it handles access.
If you're choosing between them, my comparison of n8n and Zapier sets out the trade-offs, and if the CRM itself is new to you, the HubSpot setup checklist is worth working through before you connect anything.
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My advice for your first Zap
Install Zapier from the app directory, start from one of the popular embedded Zaps, and pick an instant trigger if timing matters. Test it on a record with a date field and check the date in both apps. Once one Zap is running cleanly, add the next, and name each one so your team knows what it does.
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Frequently asked questions
Who can connect Zapier to HubSpot?
A Super Admin, or a user with permission to install apps from the app directory.
Where do I build a Zap inside HubSpot?
Settings, Integrations, Connected Apps, Zapier, then the Embedded Zaps tab.
Do I need a Zapier account?
Yes. You can sign up from inside the CRM.
Why are my dates wrong?
Datetime values sent through Zapier are rounded down to UTC midnight.
Are HubSpot triggers instant?
Some are, such as New Contact in List. Many others poll, every 15 minutes on Zapier's Free plan, as of Nov 2026.
