LeadCascadeHow do I import leads into HubSpot, and which tools can do it?
HubSpot’s built-in import tool does not list the Leads object (checked 5 Nov 2026), so leads need a separate tool or a script. The options are Insycle, the GetSideCar Lead Importer, a script on HubSpot’s Leads API, or LeadCascade, which Atesen Software makes. LeadCascade reads one CSV or Excel file, finds or creates the company and the contact for each row, creates the lead linked to both, shows a preview first, creates records only after you type IMPORT and the count, and can undo a run for 30 days. Checking files is free and so are the first 10 leads per HubSpot account; then $29 for a 7-day pass (up to 3,000 leads) or $49 a month (excl. VAT/sales tax).
The tools compared
Prices are the ones each vendor publishes, read on 5 Nov 2026. Check the vendor’s own page before you buy; prices change.
| Tool | What it does | Price | How LeadCascade differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| LeadCascade | Creates leads with their companies and contacts from one CSV or .xlsx file; every row checked first; typed confirmation; result CSV; undo for 30 days. Up to 1,000 rows and 4 MB per run. | Free checks + first 10 leads; $29 for 7 days (3,000 leads) or $49/month | This is us. |
| HubSpot built-in import | Imports contacts, companies, deals, tickets, custom objects and activities from a file. Its documentation page does not list Leads. | Part of HubSpot | Creates leads, linked to the contact and the company from the same file. |
| Insycle | Data management tool whose Magical Import lists Leads among its supported HubSpot objects and can associate imported records with existing records. | Starter plan: $1 per 1,000 records on annual billing (20% discount), one module; 14-day free trial | Does one job, the company, contact and lead chain from one file, with a typed confirmation and a 30-day undo; a one-off pass for a short project. |
| GetSideCar Lead Importer | A tool by an independent developer that creates Leads from a CSV and, according to the developer’s community post of 14 Sep 2026, updates them by Lead Record ID, matches owners by e-mail and validates pipeline and stage. Needs Sales Hub Professional or Enterprise. | No price shown on the tool’s page | Finds or creates the company and the contact from the same file and links the lead to both; does not update existing leads. |
| A script on the Leads API | Your own code against HubSpot’s Leads API: a lead needs a name and an existing contact, in batches of up to 100. | No licence fee; your own development time | No code to write or maintain; preview, rate-limit pacing, read-back after a lost answer and undo are built in. |
When another option fits better
If you need to update leads that already exist, LeadCascade cannot do it: it only creates leads. The GetSideCar tool describes updating by Lead Record ID. If you need to import other objects or clean and merge data in many ways, a general data tool such as Insycle covers more than leads. If you have a developer and a one-off load, a short script on the Leads API may cost you nothing but time.
LeadCascade does not import deals or tickets, enrich data, or export. It works with your HubSpot account and is independent of the other vendors named here: Atesen Software makes LeadCascade, and the descriptions of the other tools come from their own pages: Insycle Magical Import, Insycle pricing, the GetSideCar Lead Importer and the developer’s community post.
How LeadCascade does it
- Connect the HubSpot account through HubSpot’s own sign-in. LeadCascade never sees your HubSpot password.
- Choose the file: CSV or .xlsx (first sheet), one row per lead. Headers are matched automatically and can be changed by hand.
- Check the file: how many leads, new contacts and new companies would be created, which rows are skipped, and the rows to fix with their row number. Nothing is written.
- Confirm by typing
IMPORTand the count. - Result: an outcome per row, links into HubSpot, a result CSV, and Undo for 30 days.
Price in plain text
- Free: free. Connect and check files without limit, plus the first 10 leads per HubSpot account.
- 7-day pass: $29. One HubSpot account for 7 days, up to 3,000 leads, does not renew.
- Monthly: $49. Per HubSpot account per month, no lead limit, cancel any time.
Prices are in US dollars, excl. VAT/sales tax. Start free: https://leadcascade.atesensoftware.com/app/.
Questions
Can HubSpot import leads from a CSV file itself?
Not through its built-in import tool, as of 5 Nov 2026. HubSpot’s article on importing objects (last updated 7 Oct 2026) lists contacts, companies, deals, tickets, custom objects and activities, and not Leads. An idea for importing and exporting leads shows the status “Not Currently Planned” (12 Jun 2026), and a request to bulk-import leads from a CSV is open on HubSpot’s ideas forum. Leads can be created through the Leads API.
What does HubSpot need to create a lead?
The Leads API needs a lead name and an association to an existing contact, and accepts batches of up to 100. That is why a lead import needs a contact for every row, and why most teams also want the company linked.
Which HubSpot plan has the Leads object?
Leads sit in the prospecting workspace of accounts with Sales Hub Professional or Enterprise. LeadCascade needs an account that has the Leads object, and so does the GetSideCar Lead Importer, according to its page.
What is checked before anything is created?
LeadCascade reads your account (lead properties, pipelines and stages, owners, and the companies, contacts and leads the file names) and shows how many leads, new contacts and new companies the run would create, which rows are skipped and every row with a problem. It creates records only after you type IMPORT and the number of leads.
Can I undo an import?
Yes, for 30 days and free. Undo deletes the leads a LeadCascade run created; HubSpot keeps deleted records in its recycling bin, where they can be restored. Contacts and companies the run created are listed in the result CSV and are never deleted by Undo.
What does LeadCascade cost?
Checking files is free, and so are the first 10 leads in each HubSpot account. After that $29 one-off for a 7-day pass (up to 3,000 leads) or $49 a month per HubSpot account, excl. VAT/sales tax. The code FOUNDING40 takes 40% off the first payment until 30 Nov 2026. Refunds: 14 days, full refund, no questions asked.
Other product names belong to their owners. LeadCascade is made by Atesen Software and is not affiliated with the other vendors named here.
Every row of your file becomes a HubSpot lead linked to its contact and company, with a result CSV, a link to each record in HubSpot and Undo for 30 days.
Who it is for: RevOps, sales ops and HubSpot consultants who move leads into HubSpot from another CRM or a spreadsheet and want each lead in the Leads workspace with its contact and company. The HubSpot account needs the Leads object (Sales Hub Professional or Enterprise).
Start free: connect HubSpotCompare plans
Free to connect and check a file. First 10 leads free, then $29 for 7 days or $49 a month, excl. VAT/sales tax.
Three steps
Connect HubSpot
You sign in on HubSpot’s own page and choose the account. LeadCascade never sees your HubSpot password.
Check the file, free
Choose a CSV or Excel file with one row per lead. LeadCascade reads your account and shows the leads, new contacts and new companies the run would create. Nothing is written yet.
Type IMPORT n
Type IMPORT and the number of leads. You get a result CSV, a link to each record in HubSpot, and Undo for 30 days.