We tested 20+ CRM platforms to find the best affordable options for small businesses. These tools offer essential contact management, sales pipelines, and automation without enterprise complexity or pricing.
HubSpot CRM offers the most generous free tier in the market, making it ideal for small businesses just starting with CRM. The platform provides unlimited users, up to one million contacts, and essential features like email tracking and meeting scheduling at no cost.
Starting priceFree/$20/mo
Strengths
Completely free tier with no user limits
Intuitive interface with minimal learning curve
Seamless integration with HubSpot marketing and service tools
Excellent email tracking and meeting scheduling
Strong mobile app for iOS and Android
Limitations
Advanced automation requires paid plans
Reporting limited on free tier
Can become expensive as you scale up tiers
Who it's for: Perfect for small businesses and startups wanting a free CRM that can grow with them. Especially valuable for teams already using HubSpot marketing tools.
Pipedrive is built by salespeople for salespeople, featuring the most intuitive visual pipeline in the CRM market. Its activity-based selling methodology helps small sales teams stay focused on the actions that close deals rather than getting lost in data entry.
Starting price$14/user/mo
Strengths
Best visual pipeline for deal tracking
Activity-based selling approach keeps teams focused
Excellent mobile app for field sales
Smart contact data enrichment
Customizable sales processes and stages
Limitations
No free tier available
Email features require add-on or higher tier
Limited marketing automation capabilities
Who it's for: Ideal for small sales teams that want a CRM focused purely on selling. Best for businesses with defined sales processes who value visual deal tracking.
Zoho CRM delivers enterprise-grade features at small business prices. The platform includes AI-powered sales assistant Zia, multichannel communication, and workflow automation even on lower tiers. Integration with the broader Zoho suite creates a complete business platform.
Starting priceFree/$14/user/mo
Strengths
Exceptional value with AI features included
Zia AI assistant for predictions and suggestions
Multichannel communication (email, phone, social)
Strong workflow automation on all paid tiers
Extensive Zoho ecosystem integration
Limitations
Interface can feel dated compared to competitors
Steeper learning curve due to feature depth
Best features require Zoho ecosystem buy-in
Who it's for: Best for small businesses wanting maximum features at minimum cost. Particularly valuable for teams already using or planning to adopt other Zoho apps.
Freshsales combines ease of use with AI-powered intelligence through its Freddy AI assistant. The platform offers built-in phone and email capabilities, eliminating the need for separate tools. Lead scoring and activity capture happen automatically, reducing manual data entry.
Starting priceFree/$15/user/mo
Strengths
Freddy AI for lead scoring and next-action suggestions
Built-in phone system and email
Automatic activity capture reduces data entry
Clean modern interface easy to navigate
Strong free tier for very small teams
Limitations
Phone features cost extra on lower tiers
Fewer third-party integrations than competitors
Workflow automation limited on starter plans
Who it's for: Great for small businesses new to CRM who want AI assistance without complexity. Ideal for teams that handle sales calls and want built-in communication tools.
Monday Sales CRM brings the flexibility of the Monday.com work operating system to sales. The platform offers highly customizable pipelines, automations, and dashboards that adapt to any sales process. Teams familiar with Monday.com for project management can extend it seamlessly.
Starting price$12/user/mo
Strengths
Highly customizable without technical skills
Visual automations with pre-built recipes
Seamless Monday.com ecosystem integration
Excellent for hybrid project/sales workflows
Collaborative features for team selling
Limitations
Not a traditional CRM so some features feel different
Per-user pricing can add up for larger teams
Requires setup time to customize properly
Who it's for: Best for small businesses already using Monday.com or those wanting maximum flexibility in how they structure their CRM. Great for service businesses with project components.
Capsule CRM focuses on relationship management simplicity, offering clean contact organization without feature overload. The platform excels at tracking conversations, opportunities, and tasks in a straightforward interface that requires minimal training to master.
Starting priceFree/$18/user/mo
Strengths
Exceptionally clean and simple interface
Quick setup with minimal configuration needed
Good free tier for up to 2 users
Strong Google Workspace integration
Affordable paid plans
Limitations
Limited automation capabilities
No built-in phone or advanced email features
Reporting less sophisticated than competitors
Who it's for: Perfect for very small businesses and solo entrepreneurs who need contact management without complexity. Best for relationship-focused businesses like consultants and agencies.
Less Annoying CRM lives up to its name with the simplest CRM experience available. The platform offers one straightforward pricing tier with all features included, phone-based customer support, and a setup process that takes minutes rather than days.
Starting price$15/user/mo
Strengths
Simplest setup and learning curve of any CRM
One price includes all features
Excellent phone-based customer support
No contracts or long-term commitments
Regular personalized onboarding calls
Limitations
Limited integrations compared to larger platforms
No free tier available
Basic reporting and automation
May outgrow it as business scales
Who it's for: Ideal for small business owners who are frustrated by complex software and want something that just works. Best for businesses with straightforward sales processes.
We tested each CRM from a small business perspective, focusing on setup time, daily usability, and total cost of ownership.
Ease of Setup (25%) — How quickly can a small team get started without dedicated IT support.
Affordability (25%) — Total cost including per-user fees, feature tiers, and hidden costs.
Core Features (20%) — Contact management, pipeline tracking, and basic automation capabilities.
Scalability (15%) — Room to grow without needing to migrate to a new platform.
Support Quality (15%) — Availability and quality of customer support for non-technical users.
How to Choose
Choose HubSpot CRM if you need a free CRM to get started.
Choose Pipedrive if you need visual pipeline management.
Choose Zoho CRM if you need maximum features at lowest cost.
Choose Freshsales if you need AI assistance without complexity.
Choose Monday Sales CRM if you need total flexibility in your CRM.
Choose Capsule CRM if you need simple contact management only.
Choose Less Annoying CRM if you need the absolute easiest CRM.
Common Questions
If you have more than a handful of customers and any kind of sales process, a CRM helps you stay organized and follow up consistently. Even free options like HubSpot CRM can significantly improve your customer relationships.
HubSpot CRM offers the most generous free tier with unlimited users and up to 1 million contacts. Zoho CRM and Freshsales also offer solid free options with slightly lower limits.
Most modern CRMs can be set up in a few hours. Less Annoying CRM and Capsule CRM are the fastest, often taking less than an hour. More feature-rich options like Zoho may take a day or two to fully configure.
Yes, most CRMs allow data export and many offer migration assistance. However, switching has costs in time and training, so choosing a CRM with room to grow (like HubSpot or Zoho) can save hassle later.
Expect to pay $12-25 per user per month for basic paid plans. With a team of 5, budget $60-125 monthly. Free tiers from HubSpot, Zoho, and Freshsales can eliminate costs for very small teams.
