Which CRM fits a small business: five picks
Every tool on this desk, checked 2026-11-05
| Tool | From | Includes | Free trial | Refund | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Review Alternatives | $7/mo Content Hub Starter | Not listed | Not listed | None | Yes |
| Zoho CRM Review | $7/mo Bigin Express | Not listed | Yes | 45 days | Yes |
| Close | $9/mo Solo | 500 credits | 14 days | 30 days | None |
| Freshsales | $9/mo Growth | Not listed | 21 days | None | None |
| monday CRM Review | $12/mo Basic | 1,000 contacts | 14 days | 30 days | None |
| Pipedrive Review Alternatives | $14/mo Lite | Not listed | 14 days | None | None |
| Attio | $35/mo Plus | Not listed | 14 days | None | Yes |
| GoHighLevel Review Alternatives | $97/mo Starter | Not listed | 14 days | None | None |
| Keap Review | $320/mo Platform | Not listed | Yes | 90 days | None |
From and Includes are each tool's cheapest paid plan, on its cheaper billing. The other columns cover every plan.
HubSpot Starter Customer Platform
$7 a month, billed yearly
$10 on monthly billing
- Contacts
- 1,000
- Credits
- 500
- Users
- Priced per user
- Free trial
- Not listed
- Refund
- None
- Free plan
- Yes
If you pay annually, $7 a seat undercuts Close Solo's $9. Five seats cost $35 a month. You also get 1,000 marketing contacts. Monthly billing lifts the price to $10 a seat.
The catch is the term. You cannot cancel before it ends. Payments are non-refundable.
Starter includes 500 HubSpot Credits. Usage past your limits is invoiced as overage.
- Best if
- You want the lowest price per seat and will stay for the full term.
- Skip it if
- You need to cancel mid-term or want a fixed price at renewal.
Zoho CRM Free
Free
- Contacts
- Not listed
- Credits
- Not listed
- Users
- 3 included
- Free trial
- Yes
- Refund
- 45 days
- Free plan
- Yes
Three people can use Zoho CRM Free at $0 with no end date. HubSpot's free tools stop at two seats. When you outgrow it, Bigin Express is the first step up. It costs $9 per user per month on monthly billing.
The catch is seat four. A fourth user means paying, from $9 a user monthly. Zoho gives you 45 days to ask for a refund on paid plans.
- Best if
- You want $0 for up to three people and a clear first paid step.
- Skip it if
- You need the plan to stay free for good.
Freshsales Growth
$11 a month, billed monthly
$9 a month billed yearly
- Contacts
- Not listed
- Credits
- Not listed
- Users
- Priced per user
- Free trial
- 21 days
- Refund
- None
- Free plan
- None
If you pay monthly, $11 a user beats Close Solo's $19. Three seats come to $33 a month. A 21-day trial lets you test it first.
The catch is the exit. Payments are non-refundable. You cannot cut seats or downgrade mid-term.
To change plans, give written notice 30 days before the term ends. Branded documents cost $19 a user on top.
- Best if
- You want to pay month by month at a low price per user.
- Skip it if
- You want a free plan or a refund if the tool does not fit.
Close Solo
$9 a month, billed yearly
$19 on monthly billing
- Contacts
- Not listed
- Credits
- 500
- Users
- Priced per user
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Refund
- 30 days
- Free plan
- None
Want two weeks to try a CRM? Close Solo gives you 14 days. It costs $19 a user monthly, or $9 on annual billing.
Freshsales gives 21 days, seven more. On annual billing, Solo's $9 undercuts Zoho CRM Standard's $14.
Calls cost extra. Most outbound calls run about $0.02 a minute. Phone numbers start near $1 a month. Solo includes 500 credits, while Essentials includes 1,000 at $49 a user.
- Best if
- You want two weeks to test calling and email before you pay.
- Skip it if
- You want call costs inside the plan.
Keap Platform
$320 a month, billed monthly
- Contacts
- Not listed
- Credits
- Not listed
- Users
- 2 included
- Free trial
- Yes
- Refund
- 90 days
- Free plan
- None
You get 90 days to ask Keap for your money back. Zoho CRM gives 45. The plan costs $320 a month with two seats included.
Leaving early is the catch. On an annual contract, cancelling before the year ends costs $299.
Extra users cost $39 a month each. Texts over your allotment cost $0.015 each. To cancel, call support 10 days before your next invoice.
- Best if
- You want the longest window to back out and can commit to a year.
- Skip it if
- You are a solo owner on a small budget or may need to leave early.
Five needs, five picks, and no tool twice
You may want a CRM that costs little or nothing. You may want monthly billing, a long trial or an easy exit.
Each need gets one pick. A tool that wins one need never returns for another. A tie goes to the vendor with the cheaper paid plan, then to the alphabet.
A listed price is a seat price, not your bill
Most CRM plans charge per seat. A team of five pays the listed figure five times. Annual prices are separate offers from monthly ones.
Extras sit outside the headline: added seats, onboarding, calls and texts. A cancellation notice or a fixed term can cost you more than a month’s fee. Free trials let you test setup before any of that applies.
Turn a plan into a monthly figure with the true cost calculator. Narrow the field with the CRM picker. Compare plans on the pricing desk.
Start on the free plan if it covers your team. Before you pay for anything else, read the term length and the cancellation notice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest CRM for a small business?
Zoho CRM Free and HubSpot Free Tools cost $0, with three and two seats. The cheapest paid plans cost $7 a user on annual billing. HubSpot and Zoho Bigin Express both charge that. Monthly billing costs $10 on HubSpot and $9 on Zoho.
Is there a free CRM I can stay on?
Yes, Zoho CRM Free is listed as forever free with three seats. Zoho can start charging for a free service later. A rise waits until your billing cycle ends.
Which CRM has a free trial?
Close lists a 14-day trial on every plan, and Freshsales lists 21 days. The cheapest Close plan is Solo at $19 a user monthly. For $11 a user monthly, Freshsales Growth also has a trial.
Can I get my money back if a CRM does not fit?
Keap and Zoho CRM refund, with windows of 90 and 45 days. HubSpot and Freshsales payments are non-refundable, except where their agreements say otherwise.
What costs extra beyond a CRM's plan price?
Seats, onboarding and usage can all add to the bill. Each added Keap user costs $39 a month. Close bills most outbound calls near $0.02 a minute.
Sources
Show all 21 sources
- Attio, : terms
- Attio, : plan details and prices and terms
- Close, : terms
- Close, : plan details and prices and terms
- Freshsales, : plan details and prices and terms
- Freshsales, : terms
- GoHighLevel, : plan details and prices and terms
- GoHighLevel, : terms
- HubSpot, : terms
- HubSpot, : plan details and prices
- HubSpot, : plan details and prices
- HubSpot, : plan details and prices
- Keap, : terms
- Keap, : plan details and prices and terms
- monday CRM, : plan details and prices and terms
- monday CRM, : terms
- Pipedrive, : plan details and prices and terms
- Pipedrive, : plan details and terms
- Zoho CRM, : plan details and prices and terms
- Zoho CRM, : terms
- Zoho CRM, : terms