We connect WhatsApp, SMS, Telegram or your own bespoke chat into HubSpot's Conversations inbox and Help Desk using the Custom Channels API, so your team replies from inside HubSpot with full contact context. We are HubSpot engineers, not configurators, and we build the public app and relay service that make it work.
HubSpot ships native apps for some platforms, but plenty of channels have no integration, or you need your own. When the platform alone is not enough, we build the bridge that brings the conversation into HubSpot.
HubSpot has a native WhatsApp integration, so if it fits your setup you may not need a custom build at all. We step in when the native app falls short, for example a provider or number setup it does not cover, so messages still land in the shared inbox against the contact record with full context, ticketing and reporting.
Bring two-way SMS conversations alongside email and live chat in a single agent workspace. Agents stop switching tools, and every text becomes part of the contact timeline and your service reporting.
Connect a bespoke or proprietary messaging channel, such as the chat inside your customer portal or product, into HubSpot. We build the relay so your developers do not have to learn HubSpot's conversation internals.
Add regional or industry-specific messaging apps that have no native HubSpot app. We register a custom channel and stand up the middleware that translates between that platform's API and HubSpot.
Pull multiple external messaging channels into a single HubSpot inbox with routing rules, automation, ticketing and reporting. One workspace, one source of truth, no more scattered conversations across apps.
This is not a one-way log. Inbound messages arrive in HubSpot and agent replies are delivered back to the external platform in real time, with attachments, rich text and threading handled correctly.
A custom channel is a hosted, bidirectional integration, so we engineer it properly rather than gluing it together with no-code workarounds.
Custom channels require a public OAuth app, not a private app. We build it with the right scopes (conversations.custom_channels.read, conversations.custom_channels.write and conversations.read) and a verified domain on the redirect URL, then register the channel via POST /conversations/v3/custom-channels with its name, webhook URL and capabilities.
We host a middleware service with a public HTTPS webhook endpoint. It receives HubSpot's outbound-message and channel-account webhooks, translates them to the external platform's API and ingests inbound messages back into HubSpot. We build this as a productised service on Railway that you can run yourself.
We implement the threading model that fits your channel (INTEGRATION_THREAD_ID where you own the thread id, or DELIVERY_IDENTIFIER where HubSpot manages it via email, phone or an opaque channel id), handle attachment size and type limits, and account for the 24-hour thread-reopen behaviour so closed tickets reopen correctly.
We build the OAuth install and connection flow so each portal links a channel account to a chosen inbox (POST .../channel-accounts with the inboxId). We handle signature verification, retries and error handling so the relay is resilient under real traffic, not just a happy-path demo.
We set channel capabilities (rich text, inline images, multiple recipients, conversation start, file limits), wire up routing rules, and test inbound and outbound paths end to end. Then we hand over a documented, monitored service that your team owns and we support.
Everything you need to know about our services
Pricing starts from £12,000 for a single-channel relay, but that figure is indicative. The cost is driven by scope: how many channels you connect, the complexity of the external platform's API, the volume and type of attachments, rich-text and routing requirements, and how much identity and threading logic is involved. We scope each engagement and work fixed-price wherever we can, as a one-off engineering cost plus modest ongoing hosting and support. Every build is covered by our guarantee: delivered on time, or you get 20% back.
Connecting a custom channel to the Conversations inbox requires Sales Hub or Service Hub Professional or Enterprise. You will also need Super Admin permissions to connect the channel, and a Sales or Service seat to configure routing rules. HubSpot's knowledge base also lists HubSpot Credits as a stated requirement, though it does not publish a specific credit cost for basic custom-channel connectivity (credits are mainly consumed by AI features such as the Breeze Customer Agent). We confirm your exact licensing position during scoping so there are no surprises.
HubSpot offers pre-built marketplace apps for some platforms (such as WeChat, Telegram, LINE, Viber, Instagram and TikTok). If a native app exists and fits your needs, you may not need a custom build at all, and we will tell you so. The Custom Channels API is for platforms with no native integration, or for bespoke and proprietary channels such as your own product or portal chat. It is also distinct from the standard Conversations API, which can manage existing inboxes, threads and messages but cannot register a net-new channel type.
This is real software engineering, and it is what we do. SpotDev is a UK HubSpot Diamond Partner and HubSpot Custom Integration Accredited, with an in-house engineering team and Cyber Essentials Plus certification. A custom channel needs a public OAuth app, a hosted bidirectional relay, webhook handling, signature verification and resilient error handling, none of which can be solved with no-code glue. We deliver these as productised, customisable solutions hosted on Railway that you can run yourself. Our own website is built with React UI work and HubSpot serverless functions, so the capability is real, not a slide.
Yes. Once connected, the custom channel behaves like a native one in the shared inbox and Help Desk. Inbound messages from the external platform are posted into HubSpot, and when an agent replies, HubSpot pushes that reply to our webhook, which delivers it back to the external service. It is fully two-way and real-time, with rich text, inline images and file attachments handled within the limits we configure on the channel.
We need access to your HubSpot account at the right tier, details and API access for the external messaging platform you want to connect, and a short conversation about how you want conversations routed and threaded. From there we scope the build, register the channel, stand up and host the relay, and connect it to your chosen inbox. We handle the HubSpot internals so your team only has to use the inbox they already know.
Decision-stage reading to help you scope the right approach.
Native channel, marketplace app or custom build: which is right for your team.
When a native action is enough, when you need custom code, and when to call a developer.
