Best Free and Cheap CRM Software for Small Businesses (2026)

A small business that still tracks leads in a shared spreadsheet usually does not need an enterprise sales suite on day one. It needs a place for contacts, a pipeline stage that matches how you actually sell, and a reminder before a follow-up disappears. Several vendors still publish a $0 CRM plan with named caps. Others skip forever-free CRM and sell a low annual seat after a trial. I read the vendor CRM pricing pages listed in Sources on November 2, 2026. This guide uses those published USD figures and caps. It is not a lab test, not a survey, and not tax advice.

Lead with the USD list prices on each vendor page. For readers in the UK, Australia, and Canada: UK VAT, Australian GST, and Canadian GST/HST are typically added at checkout on top of those figures. Zoho and Bigin state that local taxes (VAT, GST, and similar) are charged in addition, and their pages include a currency toggle that can show GBP — confirm the regional price on the vendor page before you pay. Do not treat a blog conversion as the invoice. monday CRM notes that prices exclude tax and can vary by billing country.

If your week is mostly client meetings and invoices rather than a long outbound pipeline, pair this CRM pick with the best scheduling apps for freelancers and the Calendly vs alternatives guides so booking and follow-up do not live in three tools. When the deal closes, keep billing in one system — see best free invoicing software for 2026 and QuickBooks vs Wave vs FreshBooks.

Which free or cheap CRM plans are listed on vendor pages in 2026?

Product	Forever free?	Entry paid (USD, as listed)	Notes from vendor pages
HubSpot CRM	Yes — Free CRM $0, up to 2 users, 1,000 contacts, no expiration	Starter list $20/mo/seat; promotional new-customer pricing shown as $7/mo/seat billed annually or $10/mo/seat monthly (promotions can end). Professional starts $50/mo/seat; Enterprise $75/mo/seat	Free caps and paid seats from HubSpot CRM product and pricing pages
Zoho CRM	Yes — forever free for 3 users	Standard $14/user/mo annually ($20 monthly); Professional $23 annually ($35 monthly); Enterprise $40 annually ($50 monthly); Ultimate $52 annually ($65 monthly)	Local taxes (VAT, GST, etc.) in addition; confirm currency on Zoho’s page
Bigin by Zoho	Yes — Free: 1 user, 500 records	Express US$9 (per-user context on page); Premier US$15	Local taxes in addition; currency toggle includes GBP
Freshsales	Yes — Free $0 up to 3 users	Growth $9/user/mo billed annually; Pro $39; Enterprise $59 (annual billing on pricing page)	Compare page seats and annual rates
Pipedrive	No permanent free plan; 14-day trial	Lite US$14/seat/mo billed annually	Trial, then paid
monday CRM	Not a forever free CRM; 14-day trial	Basic $12/seat/mo annually ($18 monthly); Standard $17 annual ($25 monthly); Pro $28 annual ($41 monthly); Ultimate custom	Plans start from 3 users; prices exclude tax; price by billing country

Photo: Unsplash License (commercial use OK).

Is HubSpot Free CRM enough before Starter?

HubSpot publishes a Free CRM at $0 with up to 2 users, 1,000 contacts, and no expiration on the Free plan itself, according to the HubSpot CRM product page and CRM pricing checked November 2, 2026. That combination is the reason HubSpot shows up first for many solo operators: two logins, a four-digit contact ceiling, and no “trial ends Friday” cliff on the Free card.

When Free is no longer enough, HubSpot lists Starter at a list price of $20 per month per seat. The same pricing surface was also showing promotional new-customer pricing at $7 per month per seat billed annually or $10 per month per seat billed monthly. Treat those lower figures as promotions that can end. Plan the budget around the $20 list seat unless HubSpot still shows the promo at checkout. Professional starts at $50 per month per seat and Enterprise at $75 per month per seat on the CRM product page figures used here.

Stay on Free while you are two users or fewer and under 1,000 contacts. Move when a published seat or contact limit, or a Starter-only feature on HubSpot’s plan cards, blocks the work. Do not invent a feature matrix that HubSpot did not put on the page you are reading that day.

How does Zoho CRM Free compare with its paid editions?

Zoho CRM lists a forever-free edition for 3 users on its pricing page. That third seat is the practical difference versus HubSpot Free’s two-user Free CRM when a founder, a closer, and an assistant all need login access.

Paid USD edition figures from Zoho’s pricing materials (including the Zoho USD edition PDF context noted on the vendor side) are:

• Standard: $14 per user per month billed annually, or $20 monthly
• Professional: $23 per user per month annually, or $35 monthly
• Enterprise: $40 per user per month annually, or $50 monthly
• Ultimate: $52 per user per month annually, or $65 monthly

Zoho states that local taxes (VAT, GST, and similar) are charged in addition. Use the currency controls on Zoho’s page if you bill from the UK or elsewhere — confirm the regional price before you pay. Zoho CRM Plus is listed starting at $20 per user per month for buyers who want the wider suite packaging rather than CRM alone; open Zoho’s CRM Plus materials if that bundle is the product you are actually buying.

Choose Zoho CRM Free when three seats matter on day one. Step to Standard when the free edition’s published limits or missing paid-tier items on Zoho’s comparison force the upgrade. Annual billing is the lower published seat rate on every paid rung above.

When is Bigin by Zoho a better fit than full Zoho CRM?

Bigin is Zoho’s smaller CRM product. The Bigin pricing page lists Free at 1 user and 500 records. Express is shown at US$9 in a per-user context on that page, and Premier at US$15. Local taxes (VAT, GST) apply in addition. The currency toggle includes GBP — again, confirm the regional total on Zoho’s page before checkout.

Bigin is the fit when you want a pipeline and contacts without climbing Zoho CRM’s full edition ladder. Leave Free when a second user needs a seat or when 500 records is no longer honest for the roster you keep. Do not treat Bigin Free as a multi-seat team tool; the Free card is one user.

Photo: Unsplash License (commercial use OK).

What does Freshsales charge after the free plan?

Freshsales (Freshworks CRM) lists Free at $0 for up to 3 users on its CRM pricing and compare surfaces. Growth is $9 per user per month billed annually, Pro $39 per user per month billed annually, and Enterprise $59 per user per month billed annually, per those pages checked November 2, 2026.

Three free users put Freshsales beside Zoho CRM Free for small teams that want a $0 start. Growth’s $9 annual seat is one of the clearer low paid steps on this list when Free’s published feature set is no longer enough. Pro and Enterprise are the larger annual seats for teams that need what those plan cards list — open the compare page rather than guessing which automation lives where.

Does Pipedrive offer a forever-free CRM?

Pipedrive does not publish a permanent free CRM plan. It offers a 14-day trial, then paid seats. Pipedrive pricing lists Lite at US$14 per seat per month when billed annually.

Use Pipedrive when you are willing to pay for a pipeline-first product after the trial and the Lite card matches the features you need. Do not budget as if a free forever tier will appear later — the vendor page does not list one. Compare Lite’s annual US$14 seat to Freshsales Growth at $9 annually and to Zoho Standard at $14 annually before you lock a card on file.

Why does monday CRM start at three seats?

monday CRM is not a forever-free CRM. The monday CRM pricing page lists a 14-day trial and paid plans that start from 3 users. USD figures checked November 2, 2026:

• Basic: $12 per seat per month billed annually ($18 monthly)
• Standard: $17 per seat per month annually ($25 monthly)
• Pro: $28 per seat per month annually ($41 monthly)
• Ultimate: custom

Prices exclude tax and can vary by billing country. For UK, AU, and CA buyers, expect tax treatment at checkout and confirm the country-specific price on monday’s page rather than converting USD yourself in a spreadsheet.

monday CRM is a weak match for a true solo on a forever-free budget, because plans start from three users and there is no forever-free CRM card. It is a better conversation when three people already need seats and the board-style CRM workflow on monday’s product pages matches how you work. For a head-to-head with HubSpot and Zoho CRM paid tiers, read HubSpot vs Zoho CRM vs monday CRM.

Photo: Unsplash License (commercial use OK).

What are the pros and cons of starting on a free CRM?

How should a small business choose a CRM without fake scores?

Match the published cap to the team you have this month, not the team you hope to hire next year.

• One user, light roster: Bigin Free (1 user, 500 records) or HubSpot Free if you want HubSpot’s Free CRM surface and will stay under 1,000 contacts.
• Two users, growing contact list: HubSpot Free until the 1,000-contact or 2-user line is hit; then Starter list pricing or another vendor’s paid seat.
• Three users on $0: Zoho CRM Free or Freshsales Free.
• Willing to pay a low annual seat after a trial: Freshsales Growth at $9/user/mo annually, Pipedrive Lite at US$14/seat/mo annually, or Zoho Standard at $14/user/mo annually.
• Three seats minimum and board-style CRM: monday CRM Basic at $12/seat/mo annually, knowing tax and billing country change the checkout total.

Export contacts before you switch. Keep the CRM, the scheduling tool, and the invoicing login separate but linked by process — one person owns the pipeline stages, one owns the calendar link, one owns the invoice template. That is an operations habit, not a vendor feature claim.

When you outgrow Free, open the paid comparison that matches your shortlist. The companion post HubSpot vs Zoho CRM vs monday CRM walks the paid seats and tax notes for those three in more depth. For billing after the close, stay inside one invoicing stack from the free invoicing guide or the QuickBooks / Wave / FreshBooks comparison.

When should you leave a free CRM plan?

Upgrade when a numbered limit on the pricing page is the blocker: seats, contacts, or records. Upgrade when a feature you need is listed only on a paid card on that same page. Do not upgrade because a competitor’s homepage uses stronger adjectives. Do not treat promotional HubSpot Starter seats as permanent. Do not assume Pipedrive or monday will add a forever-free CRM tier; their pages describe trials and paid plans.

For UK, AU, and CA checkout: expect VAT or GST/HST treatment on top of USD list figures unless the vendor’s currency switcher shows a local list you have verified that day. Zoho and Bigin’s GBP toggle is a reason to look, not a reason to invent a converted total in this article.

Which vendor pages were checked for this guide?

See also our methodology / how we check prices page.

Checked November 2, 2026: HubSpot CRM, HubSpot CRM pricing, Zoho CRM pricing, Bigin pricing, Freshworks CRM pricing, Pipedrive pricing, monday CRM pricing.

How we score

Desk scores are editorial. They summarize how useful the vendor’s own pricing and help pages were for a solo small business (US, UK, AU, or CA) on the date in this guide. They are not customer star ratings, lab benchmarks, or paid placements. Read the full process on our methodology / how we check prices page.

See a price or feature that has changed? Send a correction. Guides are updated from the vendor’s page, not from memory. How we check prices.

FAQ

Which CRM is actually free forever for a small business?

HubSpot lists a Free CRM at $0 with up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts and no expiration. Zoho CRM’s free edition is forever free for 3 users. Freshsales lists Free at $0 for up to 3 users. Bigin Free covers 1 user and 500 records. Pipedrive and monday CRM do not publish a forever-free CRM plan — they offer trials instead. Confirm caps on each vendor’s pricing page before you migrate a live pipeline.

Do UK VAT, Australian GST, or Canadian GST/HST change the sticker price?

Lead with the USD list prices shown on the vendor pages. UK VAT, Australian GST, and Canadian GST/HST are typically added at checkout on top of those list figures. Zoho and Bigin note local taxes (VAT, GST, and similar) in addition and offer a currency toggle that includes GBP — confirm the regional price on the vendor page before you pay. monday CRM states prices exclude tax and can vary by billing country.

When should I leave a free CRM plan?

Upgrade when a published cap blocks real work — contact or record limits, seat counts, or features that only appear on paid tiers on the pricing page. Do not upgrade because a homepage slogan sounds incomplete. Open the plan comparison, match it to your pipeline, then decide.

Is a cheap paid CRM better than a free forever plan?

Sometimes. Free plans are useful while the roster and contact volume fit the published caps. A low paid seat (for example Freshsales Growth or Pipedrive Lite at the annual USD rates below) can be the honest next step when you need the features listed on that paid card. Compare annual vs monthly seat prices and tax at checkout.