A SaaS company that wants its product inside HubSpot belongs in the Technology Partner Program. It has no fee and no application form, and you become a partner the day HubSpot approves your Marketplace listing. The other four programs serve service firms, content creators, schools and startup investors. The one most often confused with it is the Solutions Partner Program, which now costs $400 a month and measures the HubSpot revenue you sell.
For a SaaS company, the program choice is really a decision about how the customer-facing HubSpot integration gets built, listed and maintained. Partner status arrives only after a working app has three unaffiliated customers using it, and it keeps depending on those installs staying active. Appnigma's marketplace apps service is built for that path. Teams get "a native app, marketplace listing preparation, and review support." Agencies looking to be found by HubSpot customers want the Solutions Partner route instead, covered in our guide to the HubSpot Solutions Directory.
Updated October 2026. Checked against HubSpot's partner program pages, the 2026 Solutions Partner entry and tiers policy, and the Technology Partner Program guide. This update corrects the program count, tier names, tier thresholds and costs in the earlier version, and adds the 2026 Solutions membership fee.
The five programs side by side
HubSpot's partner page lists "Five ways to partner with HubSpot." Each has its own agreement, its own measure of success and its own way in.
| Program | Built for, in HubSpot's words | How you join | Cost to a member | How HubSpot rewards you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology Partner | "developers and companies that want to grow their business by building apps" | Marketplace listing approved | None | Listing page, tier benefits |
| Solutions Partner | "service firms, consultancies, and agencies" | Fit meeting, agreement, certification | $400 a month, waived at $400 a month of HubSpot spend | 20% commission on deals you bring |
| Affiliate | "bloggers, review sites, and other content creators" | Sign up | Free | 30% recurring commission for up to a year |
| Startup | "accelerators, incubators, and VCs" | Apply as an investor or program | Free | Startup pricing for portfolio companies |
| Education | "colleges and universities" | Applications on hold | Free | Enterprise portal for teaching |
The rows differ on one point that matters for a software company. Technology tiers follow the customers who use your app, while Solutions tiers follow the HubSpot subscriptions you sell. A SaaS company with no HubSpot services business earns nothing in the second measure, however good its integration is. The cost column carries a commitment too. The Solutions membership "must be renewed annually," so joining to test it means committing $4,800 for the year, while a Technology listing costs nothing to keep.
Why a software company joins as a Technology Partner
HubSpot's Technology Partner page says "Once your app is approved, you'll officially be a Technology Partner and part of the Technology Partner Program." There is no separate application. The join page has a form, but it states the form "is not an application to join the HubSpot technology partner program." It signs you up for information emails.
The real entry gate is the listing review. HubSpot's app listing requirements ask for OAuth as the only authorization method and at least three active installs from production accounts "unaffiliated with your organization" with app activity in the past 30 days. Your sandbox and your own portal don't count. The initial review takes up to 10 business days. Our guide on how to become a HubSpot App Partner walks through each step.
Once listed, a company sits at the Partner tier and can move to Rising, Leading and Premier. The Technology Partner Program guide sets those tiers by attached MRR, which it defines as "average monthly recurring revenue (MRR) from customers actively using your app(s) over the past 12 months." Rising starts at $400K of attached MRR, Leading at $1M and Premier at $7M, plus influenced revenue and review minimums. Certification is preferred for Leading and mandatory for Premier, and the tier covers your whole company rather than each app.
Read as a plan, attached MRR rewards an app that HubSpot's larger customers keep connected. As plain arithmetic from the guide's numbers, $400K of attached MRR across 200 active installs means those customers pay HubSpot about $2,000 a month on average. The lever a SaaS company controls is install quality, meaning integrations that keep syncing for accounts on Professional and Enterprise plans, not a larger install count from trial portals.
What the Solutions Partner Program costs and measures in 2026
The Solutions Partner Program changed more in 2026 than in any year since tiers began, and most guides still describe the old version. The 2026 entry and tiers policy says "all partners are required to purchase Partner Program Membership," priced at "USD$400/month" and renewed annually. The fee is waived for partners whose own HubSpot subscriptions reach $400 a month. Entry also means signing the partner agreement, completing the Partner Certification, and meeting a HubSpot Partner Specialist to check fit.
The old free entry level is gone. Per the same policy, the Solutions Provider Program closed to new joiners on February 25, 2026. Providers that had not upgraded by August 15, 2026 were terminated. Five Solutions tiers took effect on July 15, 2026. They run from the base Solutions Partner tier through Gold and Platinum up to Diamond and Elite.
Tiers run on points, not on dollar thresholds. HubSpot's tier rules set the thresholds below for partners to meet by January 15, 2027. They give partners 5 sourced points for every $100 of sourced MRR from non-growth market customers, and 10 points in growth markets.
| Tier | Sourced points | Total points | Retention rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 115 | 345 | None |
| Platinum | 425 | 1,275 | None |
| Diamond | 1,250 | 3,750 | At least 75% average GRR |
| Elite | 2,750 | 11,000 | At least 80% average GRR, by invitation |
GRR is gross revenue retention, the share of client HubSpot revenue that renews. For a software company the catch is where the points come from. Sourced MRR is the HubSpot subscription revenue from deals you bring to HubSpot. It follows those subscriptions, not your own product revenue, so an ISV whose customers buy HubSpot from HubSpot's sales team earns no points from those accounts, however many of them use its app. Converted at HubSpot's own rate for non-growth markets, Gold's sourced points equal about $2,300 of sourced MRR. Elite's equal about $55,000. Partners can move up on the 15th of any month, while tier reductions happen only twice a year. From January 2027 even the base tier needs at least one sourced point in a trailing 12 months.
HubSpot's Solutions Partner page says partners "earn 20% commission for 3 years for deals they bring to HubSpot." From Gold up, partners also become eligible for HubSpot's partner matching, which the 2026 benefits page says is "not a guarantee." For an agency selling HubSpot implementation, the commission and the directory listing are the point of the program.
When should a SaaS company also join Solutions or Affiliate?
Only when it has a second business that matches the program. The programs are independent, and HubSpot shows companies holding both roles. One testimonial on the Technology Partner page reads "As a HubSpot Elite solutions partner and technology partner."
Solutions fits a software company that also sells HubSpot onboarding or implementation and sources HubSpot deals for clients. Without that services line, the membership costs $4,800 a year, unless your own HubSpot spend already waives it. From 2027 the sourced point minimum also asks for at least one HubSpot deal a year. A pure product company pays for a directory profile it has little reason to use.
Affiliate fits a software company with content that reaches HubSpot buyers. HubSpot's affiliate page offers "30% monthly recurring commission for up to one year and a 180-day cookie window," and joining is free. It even names app builders as a good fit. Two affiliate policies shape how an ISV uses it. "You cannot use affiliate links to refer clients you are servicing," and a customer earns commission from only one program, so affiliate income doesn't stack on a Solutions deal. That makes it a content revenue line, separate from the app relationship.
There is also a way to work with agencies without joining Solutions. The Technology Partner Program guide describes a Partner Growth Accelerator that "pairs technology and solutions partners to build co-marketing campaigns," and invitations are prioritized for higher tiers. The Startup Partner Program, despite its name, is for investors and accelerators, and active Solutions Partners can't join it. A startup's own discount comes from HubSpot for Startups instead.
What joining any HubSpot program won't do for your app
No program builds the app or pays for building it. HubSpot's Technology Partner pages describe benefits that start after listing. The only partner money we found in HubSpot's official material is marketing development funds for joint campaigns, which arrive through the Partner Growth Accelerator long after the app exists.
What the programs do reward is an integration that keeps working. HubSpot counts an install as active only when it shows successful app activity in the past 30 days. That one definition sits under the three installs needed to list, the 60 needed for certification, and the attached MRR behind every Technology tier. A sync that fails quietly for a customer stops counting toward all three, which is why integration maintenance shows up in partner status, not just in support tickets.
A listing also doesn't promise demand. The Technology Partner Program guide says partners can add calls to action to their listing page "to capture leads," but HubSpot doesn't publish a ranking formula. Its partner guides say reviews, install rates, relevance and partner tier influence what customers see. Appnigma's own marketplace page says it plainly: "A listing supports discovery and evaluation, but it is not a promise of inbound leads."
Certification is a later milestone, not a launch step. The certification requirements ask for six months listed, 60 active installs and an API success rate above 95%. Our page on HubSpot app certification requirements covers that review.
Mistakes software companies make choosing a HubSpot program
These come up repeatedly with SaaS teams planning a HubSpot integration.
- Joining Solutions to "become a HubSpot partner" when the goal is a Marketplace app. Solutions has no path to a listing.
- Filling in the Technology join form and waiting for an approval email that the form never sends.
- Planning around tier names from older guides, such as Solutions Provider or Certified App Partner, which HubSpot no longer uses.
- Counting sandbox or internal portals toward the three installs a listing needs.
- Budgeting Solutions as free. Since July 2026 it costs $400 a month unless your HubSpot spend waives it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does certification decide a Technology Partner's tier?
No. Tiers follow attached MRR, influenced MRR and reviews. Certification is a separate badge that is preferred for Leading and mandatory for Premier.
What is the difference between a HubSpot Solutions Partner and a Technology Partner?
The split is what you sell. Solutions Partners sell HubSpot itself and earn 20% commission for a $400 monthly membership. Technology Partners sell their own software through an approved app, pay nothing, and tier up on their customers' HubSpot revenue.
Is the HubSpot partner program free?
Not every program. Technology, Affiliate, Startup and Education cost nothing, but Solutions Partner membership costs $400 a month on an annual term unless your own HubSpot spend waives it.
What are the HubSpot Solutions Partner tiers?
Since July 15, 2026 the base Solutions Partner tier sits below Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Elite. Gold needs 115 sourced points, about $2,300 of sourced MRR in a non-growth market.
Can a company be both a Technology Partner and a Solutions Partner?
Yes, if it also sells HubSpot implementation. The Technology side stays free, and the $400 monthly Solutions membership applies with no exemption for Technology Partners.
Can Appnigma build and list our HubSpot app?
Yes. Appnigma's marketplace apps service delivers a native HubSpot app with listing preparation and review support, including certification support where eligible. HubSpot controls approval and review timing.
About the author
Sunny Chauhan is the co-founder and CEO of Appnigma AI, which builds and maintains customer integrations and native Salesforce and HubSpot apps for B2B SaaS teams. Before Appnigma, he was on Salesforce's AppExchange team, where he worked with more than 300 SaaS partners. He has spent close to a decade on the Salesforce platform, including work at Zennify, and holds Salesforce certifications including Platform Developer II, Platform App Builder, Administrator, Data Cloud Consultant, and AI Associate.
Related Articles
- How to become a HubSpot App Partner
- HubSpot app certification requirements
- HubSpot partners directory
- HubSpot integration providers and services
- Salesforce ISV partner program guide
Sources
- Partner programs, HubSpot
- Technology Partner Program and join page, HubSpot
- Technology Partner Program Tiers, Requirements and Benefits Guide, HubSpot
- App listing requirements and certification requirements, HubSpot Developers
- 2026 Entry and Tiers Policy for HubSpot Solutions Partners, HubSpot
- Solutions Partner tiers and benefits 2026 and how tiers work, HubSpot
- Solutions Partner Program, HubSpot
- Affiliate Program, HubSpot
- Startup Partner Program and Education Partner Program, HubSpot
