The Hubspot partner directory breaks all solutions partners down into five tiers: Partner, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Elite. Here we’ll dive into the way the company defines these HubSpot partner tiers, and what an agency with a tier badge will mean for your business.
The idea behind the tier system in the Solution Partners Program is pretty simple: Make it as easy as possible for you to find the agency that will best fit your unique needs.
Each of the five tiers in the current setup is a distinction the partner must earn through demonstrated excellence in the HubSpot ecosystem. As HubSpot explains, “Tiers are designed to acknowledge those partners who have not only brought the inbound message to the most clients but also those who executed inbound marketing services to the highest standards.”
What Determines the HubSpot Partner Tiers?
All HubSpot partners are evaluated twice each year, and their ranking on the tier list could change due to the metrics recorded at those times. HubSpot calculates tier rankings based upon a few variables, including:
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR):
Essentially, this measures how much business the agency has brought to HubSpot through clients that have HubSpot licenses.
Client Retention: HubSpot agencies that retain their clients at high rates have proven their value to businesses like yours, and get a plus in the ranking algorithm.
HubSpot Portal Engagement: This metric shows how worthy an investment the HubSpot platform has been to your business by tracking how many users are regularly logging into the portal. Every client portal connected to the partner contributes to this measurement.
Inbound Marketing Excellence: Campaign success is a clear marker of a valuable HubSpot partner agency. HubSpot hands out individual awards to partners that have attained incredible results for their clients.
Strong performance in these areas leads to membership in the prestigious HubSpot partner tiers. Any agency with a Gold or better tier ranking has established itself as a partner that knows HubSpot well—and that can help you leverage the platform to earn real results.
How HubSpot Partner Tiers Have Changed
The HubSpot partner program was launched back in 2011, but the tiers haven’t always followed a five-category structure. The current tiers are as follows, in descending order of achievement:
-
Elite
-
Diamond
-
Platinum
-
Gold
-
Partner
If you’ve seen other lists in the past, this is because ranks have adjusted three times since the original lineup. A Silver tier (just below Gold) was originally included, but was retired from the list in early 2020. Diamond was first added to the top of the tier list in 2014. In January of 2020, HubSpot rolled out a brand new top-end HubSpot partner tier called Elite.
The current Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Elite tier lists are awarded based on HubSpot’s ranking metrics, but there are also un-tiered “Partners.” These agencies and other service providers are still official HubSpot solutions partners but haven’t yet met the goal metrics to earn a tier badge.
HubSpot evaluates businesses twice a year to ensure that they belong in their assigned level and there are great companies in every tier. You may want to talk to companies in each tier to decide which one can help with your specific needs and be your strongest partner.
HubSpot is looking at tangible metrics to determine what tier a partner agency should be placed in. Those metrics include the partner’s client retention rate, portal engagement, and the performance of their end client’s campaigns.
Every agency should be able to share details with you about how long they have been a HubSpot partner and when they last had a “review” with HubSpot. It’s important to note that since HubSpot started the program in 2011, the number and names of tiers have shifted. For example, the Silver tier level was discontinued in 2020.
