Hubspot Email Deliverability: Why It Is Failing? + [Alternative]

By
Iga Wójtowicz
February 12, 2025
5 min read
Table of contents
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If your emails aren’t landing in inboxes, you have a problem.

HubSpot is a popular CRM and email marketing platform, but many users struggle with poor email deliverability. 

Emails end up in spam, open rates drop, and domains get flagged.

So, why does this happen? And more importantly, how can you fix it?

In this guide, we’ll cover:


Why do HubSpot emails fail to reach inboxes?

Proven solutions to improve deliverability.

A better CRM alternative for scaling businesses.

If you’re tired of emails not getting delivered, let’s get straight to the problem. 👇

What Is Email Deliverability?

Email deliverability is simple: It’s whether your emails land in the inbox or get lost in spam.

If your deliverability is bad, your emails won’t be seen. 

That means fewer replies, fewer sales, and a damaged sender reputation.

Why Should You Care?

Poor email deliverability kills your email marketing.

Low open rates → No one reads your emails.

High bounce rates → Your domain gets flagged.

Spam folder? → Say goodbye to conversions.

If your emails aren’t reaching inboxes, you’re wasting time and money.

What Affects Email Deliverability?

Sender Reputation

  • Email providers (Gmail, Outlook) score your domain.
  • If you send too many bad emails, they block you.

Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

  • These are security settings for emails.
  • Without them, email providers don’t trust you and flag emails as spam.

Engagement Rates

  • Email providers watch how people react to your emails.
  • More opens, clicks, and replies?Better deliverability.
  • Too many unsubscribes or complaints? → Straight to spam.

Email Infrastructure

  • Shared IPs (like HubSpot’s)? Risky, because others can ruin your reputation.
  • Private infrastructure (like Salesforge’s Infraforge)? You stay in control.

Now that you know what affects deliverability, let’s talk about why HubSpot is failing at it. 👇

Why Is HubSpot Email Deliverability Failing? (Top 5 Issues)

Hubspot Software
This image shows the homepage of Hubspot

🚨 1. Shared IP Reputation & Blacklisting Risks

One of the biggest problems with HubSpot’s email system is shared IPs

When you send emails through HubSpot, you’re sharing your sending reputation with thousands of other businesses.

The risk?

  • If another company on the same IP spams their list, your emails suffer too.
  • If the shared IP gets blacklisted, your messages may never reach inboxes.

But can you fix this? 

So instead of relying on shared infrastructure, businesses that care about deliverability set up their own private email system

This gives you full control over your email reputation. 

Here tools like Infraforge can help. 

Custom Domain tracking in Infraforge
This image shows the Custom Domain tracking in Infraforge

It provides dedicated sending domains, private IPs, and built-in monitoring to keep your outreach on track.

By switching to a private email infrastructure, you can protect your email reputation, maintain high deliverability, and avoid the risks of shared IPs

If your business depends on email outreach, this isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a necessity.

How Infraforge Compares to Other Email Providers

Feature Infraforge Google Workspace Microsoft 365
Dedicated IP ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No
Automated DNS Setup ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No
Designed for Cold Outreach ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No
Unlimited Mailboxes ✅ Yes ❌ No ❌ No
Setup Time 5 Minutes Longer Longer
Cost for 200 Mailboxes $651/month $1,440/month $1,200/month

💡 Infraforge is built for cold outreach, while Google Workspace & Microsoft 365 are not. 

With Infraforge, you get dedicated email infrastructure at a fraction of the cost.

📩 2. HubSpot Emails Going to Spam or Promotions Tab

Ever sent a HubSpot email that never made it to the inbox? You’re not alone.

  • Gmail and Outlook detect HubSpot’s bulk-sending patterns and classify them as "Promotions" or spam.}
  • Even if you follow best practices, HubSpot’s sending behavior can tank your inbox placement.

💡 You can fix It by improving subject lines, email formatting, and warming up your domain

AI Email Subject Line Generator by Salesforge
This image shows the AI Email Subject Line Generator by Salesforge

Salesforge’s Warmforge does this automatically, boosting inbox placement.

⚠️ 3. Poor Email Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

Email providers only trust senders with proper authentication. HubSpot requires you to set this up manually, and one small mistake can wreck your deliverability.

  • Missing or incorrect SPF, DKIM, or DMARC? Your emails may be flagged as suspicious.
  • Without authentication, email providers don’t know if your emails are legit—so they dump them in spam.

💡 You can fix it by setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly

Or, use Salesforge’s Infraforge, which automates authentication for you.

📉 4. Low Engagement & List Quality Issues

Email providers track how people interact with your emails.

  • Low open rates? They assume your emails aren’t valuable.
  • Too many bounces? Your sender's reputation drops.
  • Unsubscribes or spam complaints? Your emails get flagged.

HubSpot doesn’t have AI-driven engagement tracking, so it keeps sending to unresponsive contacts—hurting your deliverability.

💡Fix this by regularly cleaning your email lists and focusing on highly engaged audiences. 

Salesforge tracks email health in real-time, helping you remove bad contacts before they hurt your deliverability.

Placement Tests on Warmforge
This image shows the Placement Tests on Warmforge

🤖 5. No AI-Powered Deliverability Optimization

HubSpot lacks advanced tools to automatically fix deliverability issues.

  • No email warm-up → Your emails might look suspicious to providers.
  • No real-time blacklist monitoring → You won’t know if your domain is in trouble.
  • No AI-driven A/B testing → You’re guessing what works.

Now that you know why HubSpot’s deliverability fails, let’s fix it. 

Next, let’s walk through step-by-step solutions to boost your inbox rates. 👇

How to Fix HubSpot’s Email Deliverability Issues?

If your emails aren’t reaching inboxes, don’t panic. You can fix it with a few strategic changes. 

Here’s what you need to do:

✅ 1. Use a Dedicated Sending Domain Instead of Shared IPs

Shared IPs mean you’re at the mercy of other senders. If they spam, you suffer. If the IP gets blacklisted, your deliverability tanks.

  •  Set up a dedicated sending domain so you control your sender reputation.
Unlimited Domains with dedicated IPs in Infraforge
This image shows the Unlimited Domains with dedicated IPs in Infraforge

✅ 2. Configure SPF, DKIM & DMARC Properly

Email providers need proof that your emails are legit. Without authentication, your emails look suspicious and often get flagged as spam.

  • Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate your emails.
  • Don’t want to deal with manual setup? Salesforge automates this with Infraforge.

✅ 3. Clean Email Lists & Improve Engagement

Sending emails to inactive contacts hurts your sender score. High bounce rates, unsubscribes, and spam complaints lower deliverability.

  • Remove unresponsive contacts from your list.
  • Segment your emails to target engaged recipients.

✅ 4. Use AI-Based Warm-Up to Boost Inbox Placement

Cold domains lack reputation. Sending emails without warm-up raises red flags, making it harder to land in inboxes.

  • Warm up your domain before sending high volumes.

Here Salesforge’s Warmforge automates warm-up, ensuring your emails build trust with providers.

Warm up your mailboxes with Warmforge
This image shows how to Warm up your mailboxes with Warmforge

✅ 5. Monitor Your Email Health & Blacklist Status

Why? If your domain is blacklisted, your emails won’t get delivered—period.

  • Regularly check your email health, blacklist status, and sender reputation.

Fixing deliverability is only part of the equation. 

If HubSpot’s email limitations are slowing you down, it might be time to switch to a better CRM. 👇

Let’s talk about why Salesforce is a stronger alternative.

A Better Alternative to HubSpot: Salesforce CRM

If you're outgrowing HubSpot, you're not alone. Many businesses start with HubSpot because it's simple and user-friendly, but as they scale, they hit limitations.

What Users Say About HubSpot vs. Salesforce?

Reddit users confirm what many businesses experience:

📌 HubSpot is great for beginners but lacks deep customization.

📌 Scaling companies often regret switching from Salesforce to HubSpot.

📌 HubSpot’s API and integrations are limited, making it harder to grow.

📌 Migrating back to Salesforce is a nightmare—so don’t make the wrong move.

🚨 One user put it perfectly:

"The floor is higher with HubSpot, but the ceiling is much, much higher with Salesforce."

Salesforce vs. HubSpot: Key Differences

Feature HubSpot CRM Salesforce CRM
Scalability 🚫 Limited for large teams ✅ Highly customizable for enterprises
Email Automation ✅ Basic workflows ✅ Advanced AI-powered automation (Einstein)
Integrations 🚫 Fewer third-party integrations ✅ 1,000+ integrations & full API support
Customization 🚫 Less flexible ✅ Fully customizable dashboards & workflows
Enterprise Security 🚫 Limited ✅ Best-in-class security & compliance

Why Salesforce?

🔹 More control over automation & analytics.

🔹 Better scalability for growing businesses.

🔹 Deeper integrations with marketing, sales, and customer service tools.

🚀 "If your business is growing, Salesforce is the better long-term choice. It’s harder to set up, but once it’s running, it gives you full control over your CRM, automation, and data."

But no matter which CRM you use, email deliverability will still be a challenge. 

HubSpot Sales Hub

That’s where Salesforge comes in. 

Let’s talk about how to keep your emails out of spam. 👇

Salesforge: The Solution to Email Deliverability (Regardless of CRM)

Switching from HubSpot to Salesforce (or vice versa) won’t fix email deliverability issues. 

Why? 

Because deliverability isn’t just about your CRM—it’s about how email providers perceive your emails.

Whether you're using HubSpot or Salesforce, your emails can still land in spam if you don’t manage sender reputation, authentication, and engagement.

That’s where Salesforge comes in. 🚀

Hubspot vs Salesforge

How Does Salesforge Fix Email Deliverability Issues?

Infraforge: Private Email Infrastructure

  • Shared IPs ruin your reputation. Infraforge gives you full control of private sending domains.
  • Stop relying on risky shared email servers—protect your sender score.

Warmforge: AI-Powered Email Warm-Up

  • Cold domains = instant spam. Warmforge gradually builds trust with email providers.
  • AI automatically adjusts the sending volume to optimize inbox placement.

Blacklist Monitoring: Stay Off Spam Lists

  • If your domain is blacklisted, your emails won’t be delivered—period.
  • Salesforge scans blacklists in real time and helps you recover before it’s too late.

AI SDR (Agent Frank): Write Better, More Human Emails

  • Generic emails get ignored. AI SDR creates unique, human-like messages for every recipient.
  • Better personalization = higher engagement = better deliverability.

Email Verification: Prevent Bounces & Spam Complaints

Free email spam checker tool
This image shows the Free email spam checker tool

So,

💡 No matter what CRM you use—Salesforce or HubSpot—Salesforge helps you land in the inbox, not spam.

🔹 Struggling with low open rates?

🔹 Seeing emails land in spam?

🔹 Worried about getting blacklisted?

🚀 Fix your email deliverability today with Salesforge.

Conclusion

Improving email deliverability isn’t about flipping a switch—it’s an ongoing process.

You can clean your list, warm up your domain, and set up authentication, but email providers are always changing their rules. What works today might not work tomorrow.

That’s why businesses that rely on email need a long-term strategy, not just a quick fix.

Here’s What You Can Do Next:

  • If you’re sticking with HubSpot, start by using a dedicated domain, enabling SPF/DKIM/DMARC, and monitoring engagement closely.
  • If you’re thinking of switching CRMs, Salesforce gives you more flexibility and scalability as your business grows.
  •  If you want to truly fix deliverability—regardless of your CRM—Salesforge can help. It automates warm-up, manages reputation, and ensures your emails land where they should.

Deliverability isn’t just about sending emails—it’s about making sure they get seen. Salesforge helps with that, so you can focus on what actually matters: growing your business. 🚀

FAQs (People Also Ask)

1. How to improve email deliverability on HubSpot?

If your emails aren’t reaching inboxes, here’s what you need to fix:

Use a dedicated sending domain – Shared IPs increase spam risk.

Clean your email lists – Remove inactive contacts to boost engagement.

Enable SPF, DKIM, and DMARC – Proper authentication tells email providers you’re a trusted sender.

Warm up your domain – Gradually increase sending volume to build a reputation.

2. Which of these commonly causes issues with email deliverability?

There are four main reasons why emails fail to reach the inbox:

Shared IPs – If others on your IP spam, your emails get affected too.

Spammy content – Certain words or formatting trigger spam filters.

Poor authentication – Without SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, email providers don’t trust your emails.

Blacklisted domains – If your domain is flagged, your emails will be blocked.

3. Why is HubSpot not sending emails?

⚠️ If HubSpot isn’t sending emails, check these issues first:

🔹 Email authentication isn’t set up correctly (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).

🔹 You’ve hit HubSpot’s sending limits (review your plan and quota).

🔹 Your emails are being filtered as spam due to poor sender reputation.


🔹 Your domain might be blacklisted, preventing email delivery.

4. How can Salesforge help?

🛠️ Salesforge fixes email deliverability at the source.

AI-powered warm-up – Boosts inbox placement over time.

Private email infrastructure (Infraforge) – No more shared IP risks.

Real-time blacklist monitoring – Prevents deliverability issues before they happen.

AI SDR (Agent Frank) – Sends unique, human-like emails to improve engagement.

Whether you use HubSpot or Salesforce, Salesforge makes sure your emails land where they should—the inbox.

Iga Wójtowicz
Content & Community Manager