Buying guide
Best CRM Software for Small Businesses
Five CRMs that fit small teams, chosen on entry price, free options and the limits that matter at small scale. Listed alphabetically, from official pricing checked on 20 October 2026.
The shortlist at a glance
Listed alphabetically, not ranked. No vendor paid to be included.
| Software | Best for | Pricing model | Free plan | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshsales | Startups and SMBs that want calling, email and chat in a low-cost CRM | Subscription, per seat | Not verified | Yes |
| HubSpot | Small and mid-sized teams that want sales, marketing and service on one CRM | Free plan + paid tiers | Yes | Not verified |
| monday CRM | Teams already using monday.com or wanting board-style customisation | Subscription, per seat | No | Yes |
| Pipedrive | Small and mid-sized sales teams that work deals through a pipeline | Subscription, per seat | No | Yes |
| Zoho CRM | Budget-conscious small and mid-sized businesses | Free plan + paid tiers | Yes | Yes |
How we chose
- A free plan, a free trial or a paid entry plan under $25 per seat per month (annual billing)
- Core CRM features on the entry plan: contacts, deals and a sales pipeline
- No limits that rule out a typical team of 2 to 20 people
- Public pricing on the vendor's official site, checked on 20 Oct 2026
- No vendor paid to be included, and SoftPilot earns nothing from these links
Freshsales
Best for: Startups and SMBs that want calling, email and chat in a low-cost CRM
Freshsales is Freshworks' sales CRM, priced per user from $9 per month on annual billing, with a 21-day trial. It suits startups and SMBs that want contact lifecycle tracking with chat, email and phone built in at a low entry price. Sequences, contact scoring and territory management start on Pro at $39, and AI agent usage is billed separately.
Strengths
- Lowest listed entry price of the six CRMs we compared: $9 per user per month billed annually
- 21-day trial with access to the full CRM
- Chat, email and phone are included on the entry Growth plan
Limitations
- Large step from Growth ($9) to Pro ($39) for sequences and scoring
- Freddy AI Agent is billed per session ($49 per 100)
- No free plan was listed on the pricing page
Pricing: 20 Oct 2026, USD per user/month billed annually: Growth $9, Pro $39, Enterprise $59 (annual billing saves 20%). Add-ons: branded documents $19/user/month; Freddy AI Agent $49 per 100 sessions. 21-day trial. No free plan listed.
Read the Freshsales profile Official pricing for Freshsales (opens in a new tab)
HubSpot
Best for: Small and mid-sized teams that want sales, marketing and service on one CRM
HubSpot is a CRM platform that starts with a free CRM for up to two users and adds paid Sales, Marketing and Service Hubs on the same database. It suits small and mid-sized teams that want sales and marketing data in one place. The main trade-off is cost growth: Professional tiers add required onboarding fees, and Marketing Hub is priced by contact volume.
Strengths
- Free CRM with no time limit for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts
- Sales, marketing and service tools share one CRM database, so every interaction sits on one record
- View-only seats are free and unlimited on paid plans, so stakeholders can see reports without a paid seat
Limitations
- Professional and Enterprise require one-time onboarding fees ($1,500 to $7,000 depending on Hub and tier)
- Marketing Hub is priced by marketing contacts, so cost grows with list size, not just headcount
- Large price step from Starter (from $7 promotional, $20 regular) to Professional (from $90 per seat)
Pricing: Sales Hub, 20 Oct 2026, USD, annual billing: Free $0 (2 users, 1,000 contacts); Starter from $7/seat/mo (promotional, regular $20); Professional from $90/seat/mo plus $1,500 required onboarding; Enterprise from $150/seat/mo plus $3,500 onboarding.
Read the HubSpot profile Official pricing for HubSpot (opens in a new tab)
monday CRM
Best for: Teams already using monday.com or wanting board-style customisation
monday CRM is monday.com's sales CRM, built on configurable boards and sold per seat with a three-seat minimum. It suits teams already working in monday.com or wanting board-style customisation, with AI agents included from the Standard plan. The key constraints are per-plan limits on active contacts and deals, and mass email and sequences only from Pro.
Strengths
- Board-based CRM that fits teams already working in monday.com
- Standard includes AI agents (outreach caller, lead sourcer, meeting prep) and an AI notetaker
- Pro allows 100,000 active contacts and deals and 25,000 automations a month
Limitations
- Plans start from 3 seats, so one- and two-person teams pay for unused seats
- Basic is capped at 1,000 active contacts and deals and 5 columns per board
- Mass emails and email sequences require Pro
Pricing: 20 Oct 2026, per seat/month, yearly / monthly: Basic $12 / $18; Standard $17 / $25; Pro $28 / $41; Ultimate custom. Minimum 3 seats. Prices exclude tax and depend on billing country. 14-day trial.
Read the monday CRM profile Official pricing for monday CRM (opens in a new tab)
Pipedrive
Best for: Small and mid-sized sales teams that work deals through a pipeline
Pipedrive is a sales CRM built around visual deal pipelines, sold per seat in four plans from US$14 to US$69 per month on annual billing. It suits small and mid-sized sales teams that want a focused pipeline tool rather than an all-in-one suite. Email sync and automation start on Growth, and lead capture, projects and documents are paid add-ons below Premium.
Strengths
- Low entry price: Lite at US$14 per seat per month billed annually
- 14-day free trial on every plan, no credit card required
- Growth adds email sync, automations with if/else steps, sequences and forecasting
Limitations
- No free plan
- Lite lacks email sync and automation, so most teams need Growth or above
- Lead capture, projects, documents and web visitor tracking cost extra below Premium
Pricing: 20 Oct 2026, USD per seat/month billed annually: Lite $14, Growth $24, Premium $49, Ultimate $69. Prices exclude VAT. 14-day free trial, no card. Add-ons from $13.33 (Campaigns) to $41 (Web Visitors).
Read the Pipedrive profile Official pricing for Pipedrive (opens in a new tab)
Zoho CRM
Best for: Budget-conscious small and mid-sized businesses
Zoho CRM is a per-user CRM with a free edition for up to three users and four paid editions from $14 to $52 per user per month on annual billing. It suits budget-conscious small and mid-sized businesses, especially those already using other Zoho apps. The trade-off is that capabilities such as territory management and sandbox testing sit in higher editions, so pick the edition carefully.
Strengths
- Free edition for up to 3 users, including workflow automation and standard reports
- Low entry price: Standard at $14 per user per month billed annually
- Monthly billing available on every paid edition
Limitations
- Free edition limits include 10 custom email templates, 10 data exports and 5,000 API calls a day
- Territory management, approvals and developer sandbox start at Enterprise ($40 per user annual)
- Monthly billing costs noticeably more (Standard $20 vs $14 annual)
Pricing: 20 Oct 2026, USD per user/month, annual / monthly: Standard $14 / $20; Professional $23 / $35; Enterprise $40 / $50; Ultimate $52 / $65. Free edition for up to 3 users. Trial offered; length not stated on the pricing page.
Read the Zoho CRM profile Official pricing for Zoho CRM (opens in a new tab)
Quick picks by need
- Start free: HubSpot (free CRM for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts) or Zoho CRM (free edition for up to 3 users).
- Lowest paid entry price: Freshsales, from $9 per user per month billed annually, with chat, email and phone on the entry plan.
- A focused deal pipeline: Pipedrive, from $14 per seat, with a 14-day trial.
- Already working in monday.com: monday CRM, from $12 per seat with a three-seat minimum.
- Sales and marketing on one database: HubSpot, whose Sales, Marketing and Service Hubs share one CRM.
All prices are USD list prices with annual billing, read on the vendors’ official pricing pages on 20 October 2026. Some exclude tax, and monday CRM notes that prices depend on billing country.
How much does a CRM cost for a small business?
Two of the five have a free plan: HubSpot (up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts) and Zoho CRM (up to 3 users). Among paid entry plans, Freshsales had the lowest listed price at $9 per user a month; HubSpot Starter was listed from $7 per seat, but that was a promotional price with a regular price of $20.
| CRM | Free plan | Entry paid plan (per user/month) | 5 users on the entry plan | Free trial | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshsales | None listed | $9 (Growth) | $45/month | 21 days | Sequences and contact scoring need Pro at $39 |
| HubSpot | Yes: 2 users, 1,000 contacts | From $7 promotional (regular $20) | $100/month at the regular price | Not verified | Professional from $90 per seat plus a $1,500 onboarding fee |
| monday CRM | No | $12 (Basic), 3-seat minimum | $60/month | 14 days | Basic is capped at 1,000 active contacts and deals |
| Pipedrive | No | $14 (Lite) | $70/month | 14 days | Lite has no email sync or automation; Growth is $24 ($120/month for 5) |
| Zoho CRM | Yes: up to 3 users | $14 (Standard) | $70/month | Yes (length not stated) | Monthly billing costs $20 per user |
The cheapest plan is rarely the one a team keeps. Check what the entry plan leaves out (for example, email sync on Pipedrive Lite) and price the plan you expect to need within a year.
How to choose a CRM for a small business
- Count real seats. Every tool here charges per user or seat, and monday CRM requires at least three, so one- and two-person teams pay for seats they don’t use.
- Check what the entry plan leaves out. Pipedrive Lite has no email sync or automation, and HubSpot’s advanced automation sits in Professional. The cheapest plan is often not the one you’ll use.
- Price the next tier. The step up can be large: Freshsales goes from $9 to $39 for sequences and scoring, and HubSpot from Starter to Professional (from $90 per seat plus a $1,500 onboarding fee).
- Look for hard limits. Free plans cap users and contacts, monday CRM Basic caps active contacts and deals at 1,000, and Zoho’s free edition caps API calls and data exports.
- Try it with your own pipeline. Use a free plan or trial with real deals before you commit. Trials here run from 14 days (Pipedrive, monday CRM) to 21 days (Freshsales).
Why Salesforce isn’t on this list
Salesforce Sales Cloud has a Free Suite for two users and a $25 Starter Suite, so it can work for a small team. We left it off because its main strength is configuring complex sales processes, and every edition above Starter Suite is billed annually at $100 or more per user per month. If you expect to need that depth, read our Salesforce Sales Cloud profile.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free CRM for small businesses?
Yes. HubSpot’s free CRM covers up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts with no time limit, Zoho CRM’s free edition covers up to 3 users, and Salesforce’s Free Suite covers up to 2 users. Each has limits, so check them against your team size and contact list.
Which CRM is cheapest?
Of the paid entry plans we checked, Freshsales Growth had the lowest listed price at $9 per user per month billed annually. HubSpot Starter was listed from $7 per seat as a promotional price, with a regular price of $20.
Did SoftPilot test these CRMs?
No. This guide is desk research from each vendor’s official pricing and product pages. We say so on every page, and we mark any fact we could not verify.
Sources and methodology
This guide is desk research: SoftPilot has not tested these products hands-on. Facts come from the sources below and from each linked profile, checked on the dates shown. Prices, plans and limits change often; confirm on the vendor's site before you buy. How we research software.
- HubSpot CRM pricing (free plan FAQ) accessed 20 Oct 2026
- HubSpot Sales Hub pricing accessed 20 Oct 2026
- Zoho CRM pricing accessed 20 Oct 2026
- Freshsales pricing accessed 20 Oct 2026
- Pipedrive pricing accessed 20 Oct 2026
- monday CRM pricing accessed 20 Oct 2026
- Salesforce Sales Cloud pricing accessed 20 Oct 2026
SoftPilot earns nothing from the links on this page and no vendor paid to be included. Found an error? Request a correction.