Agency Migration Guide
Insightly to HubSpot Migration
What actually transfers, what quietly does not, and what has to be rebuilt by hand.
We mapped Insightly against HubSpot feature by feature: 52 features, 5 synced objects, 8 documented traps and 30 items that have to be rebuilt. The whole map is on this page, ungated.
The PDF is the same reference, formatted to send to a client.
Get The Guide And The Calculator
The full Insightly to HubSpot reference as a branded PDF you can send straight to a client, plus the Excel calculator we scope these migrations with: every one of the 52 features as a row, enter your counts, get hours.
Three files: the guide as a PDF, the same guide unbranded in Markdown for your AI tool, and the full Excel effort calculator.
Insightly to HubSpot is a medium migration, typically 3-6 weeks. Of 52 features we mapped, 40 carry across as they are and 12 land with something lost. The work is not moving records: it is the 30 items nothing moves for you.
Migration Scorecard
- Migration complexity
- Medium
- Typical timeline
- 3-6 weeks
- Recommended method
- Sync then migrate
- Native sync
- Data sync, two way
- Smart transfer
- Not supported
- HubSpot subscription
- Free for default mappings. Data Hub Starter or higher required for custom field mappings.
Feature parity across 52 capabilities
- Maps directly: 40 (77%)
- Maps partially: 12 (23%)
- No equivalent: 0 (0%)
5
Objects synced natively
8
Limitations and traps
30
Manual rebuild items
3
Source editions covered
Where this comes from: Our own research corpus, verified 2026-08-01, behind every number on this page.
The Five Objects That Sync Natively
What the connector moves for you, and which way each one flows.
Contacts
Two wayBecomes Contacts
Email address is the primary matching key. Records without valid email may not sync.
Organizations
Two wayBecomes Companies
Matched by company name and domain.
Opportunities
Two wayBecomes Deals
Deal sync requires an accompanying contact and/or company sync to maintain associations. Syncs across all pipelines and stages.
Leads
Two wayBecomes Contacts
Insightly Leads map to HubSpot Contacts, a mapping distinct from the Contacts entry. Listed as a shared object on the app's HubSpot marketplace listing (read 2026-07-31). HubSpot publishes 16 default field mappings for it.
Custom Object
Two wayBecomes Custom Object
Insightly custom objects sync to HubSpot custom objects, which requires HubSpot Enterprise. Listed as a shared object on the app's HubSpot marketplace listing (read 2026-07-31). No default field mappings are published.
Eight Things the Sync Does Not Tell You
Each one is documented, and each one has ended a migration in a bad week.
Activities and Engagements Do Not Sync Natively
The native HubSpot data sync does not transfer activities such as notes, tasks, emails, calls, or meetings between Insightly and HubSpot. HubSpot's standard import also does not support importing engagements.
Workaround: Use API-based migration or third-party tools (e.g., Trujay/MigrateMyCRM) to transfer activity history.
Attachments Require Separate Migration
File attachments on Insightly records do not transfer through the native data sync and need to be migrated separately.
Workaround: Export attachments from Insightly and re-upload to HubSpot via API or manual import.
Custom Field Mappings Require Data Hub Starter
Default field mappings are available for free, but editing defaults or creating custom field mappings requires Data Hub Starter or higher.
Workaround: Subscribe to Data Hub Starter ($20/mo) for custom mapping capability.
Some Field Types Only Sync One-way as Text
Dropdown select properties may not sync two-way in all cases and may only map one-way as text. Address properties may also sync one-way due to formatting discrepancies.
Workaround: Review field mapping screen carefully; manually update fields that cannot sync bidirectionally.
Custom Objects Require Enterprise Tier and Separate Configuration
Syncing custom objects between Insightly and HubSpot requires HubSpot Enterprise and specific configuration. Not all custom object types may be supported.
Workaround: Use HubSpot Enterprise with custom object sync feature, or migrate custom object data via CSV/API.
Activity Data Split From Main Records Loses Associations
If main records are migrated via native tool and activities are migrated separately (e.g., via third-party), the activities will not be attached to main records and relationships will not be preserved.
Workaround: Use a single migration tool/method that handles both records and activities together to preserve associations.
Email Address Required for Contact Matching
HubSpot's data sync relies on email address as the primary deduplication key. Contacts without valid email addresses may not sync or match correctly.
Workaround: Ensure all contacts have valid email addresses before syncing, or use CSV import for records without emails.
Insightly Projects Do Not Have a Direct HubSpot Equivalent
Insightly's Projects module (used for post-sale delivery tracking) has no direct equivalent in HubSpot CRM. Project data must be mapped to deals, tickets, or custom objects.
Workaround: Map projects to HubSpot tickets, a custom object, or a secondary deal pipeline depending on use case.
One Thing a Migration Does Not Rebuild
This is Insightly's own code or product. A HubSpot migration does not port it, so it carries no hours in any estimate. It still needs a decision, because the client is giving something up.
AppConnect (Integration Platform)
Each AppConnect integration needs evaluation and replacement. Some may have native HubSpot equivalents; others need Zapier/Make.
The 30 Items That Get Rebuilt by Hand
This is the list that separates a quote that holds from one that does not.
Data And Objects
Notes and Comments
Free-text notes and threaded comments on Insightly records.
HubSpot: Notes on the record timeline
Outside the native integration's scope, so this is an API extraction run after the records land.
Task History and Assignments
Open and completed tasks with their owners and due dates.
HubSpot: Tasks
Import open tasks at minimum. Completed history is rarely worth the cost, but confirm rather than assume.
Email Correspondence History
Email threads logged against Insightly records.
HubSpot: Logged email on the timeline
Reconnecting the mailbox to HubSpot recovers recent threads more cheaply than extracting the archive.
Call Logs and Meeting Records
Logged calls and meetings with their outcomes.
HubSpot: Calls and meetings on the timeline
Owner must resolve to a real HubSpot user on import or the activity attributes to nobody.
File Attachments
Documents attached to Insightly records.
HubSpot: Attachments on records
Pulled through the API and re-associated after the records exist, so a second pass.
Insightly Projects
Insightly's post-sale delivery records, tracking work after a deal closes.
HubSpot: A delivery pipeline and tasks, or an external project tool
No direct equivalent. Decide whether delivery lives in HubSpot at all before scoping, because the answer changes the project size more than any other question here.
Custom Object Data
Records held in Insightly custom objects.
HubSpot: Custom objects
Custom objects are a plan-dependent feature on both sides. Confirm what the client is buying before designing the mapping, or the data has to collapse into properties instead.
Record Relationships Beyond the Primary Association
The secondary links Insightly holds between records.
HubSpot: Secondary associations with labels
Association labels are plan-dependent. Without them only the primary relationship survives, which is worth confirming before the import is designed.
Automation
Workflow Automation Rules
Insightly rules firing actions when records change.
HubSpot: Workflows
Rebuilt rule by rule after pipelines and properties exist.
Activity Sets
Templated task sequences applied to a record in one action.
HubSpot: Workflow task actions in sequence
The chain becomes a workflow with delays. Due-date offsets between steps are the detail that gets lost.
Email Notification Rules
Who gets told when a record changes.
HubSpot: Notification settings and workflow internal emails
Split across two places in HubSpot, so it is easy to rebuild only half. Check both.
Lead Assignment Rules
Rules routing new leads to owners.
HubSpot: Workflow rotation actions
Users and teams must exist first. Test distribution with real records.
Pipeline Stage Automation Triggers
Actions fired when an opportunity changes stage.
HubSpot: Deal stage workflow enrolment
Stages before workflows, or the enrolment criteria have nothing to point at.
Reporting
Custom Reports and Saved Filters
Saved report definitions and the filters behind them.
HubSpot: Custom reports and saved views
Rebuild from the question each answers rather than reproducing the layout.
Dashboard Configurations
Saved dashboard layouts.
HubSpot: Dashboards
Build after the reports exist rather than alongside.
Opportunity Reports and Pipeline Analytics
Pipeline and forecast reporting.
HubSpot: Deal reports and forecasting
A configuration job before a reporting one: amount, close date and stage probability set deliberately.
Activity and Productivity Reports
Per-user activity reporting.
HubSpot: Activity reports
Restarts at migration unless activity history is extracted, which is the expensive item above.
Sales And Marketing Config
Lead Scoring Criteria
How Insightly ranks incoming leads.
HubSpot: Score properties
Built from scratch against the signals HubSpot records.
Email Templates
Reusable message templates.
HubSpot: Email templates and snippets
Rebuilt by hand, with token names changing.
Pipeline Stages and Configuration
Insightly's opportunity pipelines and stages.
HubSpot: Deal pipelines and stages
Build first. Everything downstream depends on it.
Web-to-lead Forms
Forms capturing leads straight into Insightly.
HubSpot: Forms
Swap every website embed at cutover or leads keep arriving in the old system.
Sales Sequences and Cadences
Multi-touch follow-up run by reps.
HubSpot: Sequences
Enrolment is per rep and per mailbox in HubSpot, and sending limits differ.
Users And Permissions
User Roles and Permissions
Logins and their access levels.
HubSpot: Users and permission sets
Created before the import so record ownership resolves.
Team and Territory Assignments
How users are grouped and which territory each covers.
HubSpot: Teams and territory properties
One Insightly setting becomes two HubSpot concepts, since there is no territory object. Separate them before building either.
Record Visibility Rules
Who can see which records.
HubSpot: Record access settings
Confirm what genuinely needs hiding before reproducing old restrictions.
Field-level Permissions
Per-profile control over individual fields.
HubSpot: Permission sets
HubSpot is less granular at field level. Where a field is genuinely sensitive, confirm the control exists before promising it.
Integrations
Third-party App Connections
Connectors such as Mailchimp and QuickBooks joined to Insightly.
HubSpot: App Marketplace integrations
A Mailchimp connection in particular is worth questioning: with HubSpot in place the marketing tool may be redundant rather than reconnected.
AppConnect Automations
Insightly's own integration platform and the flows built in it.
HubSpot: Workflows, marketplace apps, or an external automation tool
This is an integration platform rather than a single connector. Inventory the flows before scoping, because each one may land in a different place.
Calendar Sync
Google or Microsoft calendar connection.
HubSpot: Calendar integration and the meetings tool
Per user, not once for the account.
Custom API Integrations
Bespoke code written against the Insightly API.
HubSpot: HubSpot APIs
Rewritten against a different object model. Scope against the code rather than a description of it.
The Sequence
Sync First, Then Migrate
Order is the content here. These are a dependency chain, and running them out of order is a documented way these migrations fail.
- 1
Audit Insightly Data
identify active records, custom fields, pipelines, and integrations
- 2
Clean Data
deduplicate contacts, remove inactive records, verify email addresses
- 3
Set up HubSpot
create custom properties, configure pipelines, set up deal stages
- 4
Install HubSpot Data Sync App for Insightly to Sync Contacts, Companies, and Deals
Install HubSpot Data Sync app for Insightly to sync contacts, companies, and deals
- 5
Configure Field Mappings (Data Hub Starter Required for Custom Mappings)
Configure field mappings (Data Hub Starter required for custom mappings)
- 6
Run Initial Sync and Verify Data Accuracy
Run initial sync and verify data accuracy
- 7
Migrate Activities, Notes, and Attachments via API or Third-party Migration Tool
Migrate activities, notes, and attachments via API or third-party migration tool
- 8
Rebuild Workflows, Automation Rules, and Email Templates in HubSpot
Rebuild workflows, automation rules, and email templates in HubSpot
- 9
Recreate Reports and Dashboards in HubSpot
Recreate reports and dashboards in HubSpot
- 10
Train Team on HubSpot, Run Parallel Systems Briefly, Then Cut Over
Train team on HubSpot, run parallel systems briefly, then cut over
Typically 3-6 weeks end to end, depending on how much of the source configuration is actually in use.
Effort Estimator
How Big Is This Migration?
A handful of questions, no email required. The ranges come from the research above: every feature we mapped carries an effort figure, and this adds up the ones that apply to you.
Estimated Effort
Answer a couple of questions and an hours range appears here.
Built from our research on 52 Insightly features. It is a range, not a quote.
A planning range, not a quote. It is delivery effort only, with no project management line and no agency markup, so add your own. What moves it most in practice is data quality.
What Goes Wrong Most Often
The failures that show up again and again, in roughly the order they bite.
Insightly Projects Map Onto the HubSpot Projects Object and Milestones Onto Its Pipeline Stages; the Mapping Strategy Is About What to Do With Budgets and Dated Milestones, Not About Finding a Home
Insightly Projects map onto the HubSpot projects object and milestones onto its pipeline stages; the mapping strategy is about what to do with budgets and dated milestones, not about finding a home
Activity Data Migrated Separately From Records Loses Associations
Activity data migrated separately from records loses associations
HubSpot Does Not Natively Import Notes/activities via CSV - API or Third-party Tool Required
HubSpot does not natively import notes/activities via CSV - API or third-party tool required
Email History From Insightly Cannot Be Easily Forwarded Into HubSpot
Email history from Insightly cannot be easily forwarded into HubSpot
Timestamps May Be Lost During CSV-based Migrations
Timestamps may be lost during CSV-based migrations
Insightly's Tag System Needs to Be Mapped to HubSpot Properties or Lists
Insightly's tag system needs to be mapped to HubSpot properties or lists
Questions
Insightly To HubSpot, Answered
Yes. Data sync, two way, covering 5 objects. What it does not do is rebuild configuration: that is the 30 items below.
Typically 3-6 weeks. Complexity is driven by automation and reporting depth, not by record count: the connector moves records, so a large database is not by itself a long project.
Of 52 features we mapped, 40 (77%) carry across directly and 12 (23%) map partially, meaning something is lost or reshaped. 0 have no HubSpot equivalent at any tier.
30 items have to be rebuilt by hand, and 8 documented limitations are not surfaced by the connector at all. The full list of both is on this page.
Free for default mappings. Data Hub Starter or higher required for custom field mappings.
No. 1 item on this page is Insightly's own code or product, which a HubSpot migration does not port and which carries no hours in an estimate. It still needs a decision, because the client is giving something up.
Only in one direction. The sync is not bidirectional here, so a parallel period means picking a system of record and accepting drift in the other.
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