Best Free CRM for Small Business: Free Plan Limits Compared

By Jody Rourke · Published October 22, 2026 · Last updated October 22, 2026 · Prices checked October 19, 2026

How we checked this: Compared from official docs and pricing pages as of 2026-10-19. All prices are in US dollars. We haven't tested these tools hands-on.

If you need a free CRM for one or two people, start with Zoho CRM or HubSpot; for three, Zoho CRM is the only free plan here that fits. Zoho CRM's free edition covers up to 3 users and 5,000 records [5][6]. HubSpot says its free CRM covers "up to two users, 1,000 contacts, and no limits on customer data" [1]. Bigin Free fits one person with one pipeline [8].

For the wider toolkit, see our guide to the best AI tools for small business.

Best free CRM for small business: quick picks by situation

• Up to 3 users, up to 5,000 records: Zoho CRM's free edition [5][6].
• Up to 2 users: HubSpot's free CRM, which HubSpot says covers "up to two users, 1,000 contacts, and no limits on customer data" [1].
• Just you, one pipeline (one board of deals moving through your sales stages), up to 500 records: Bigin Free [8].
• You want to try a paid CRM first: Freshsales has a 21-day trial [9] and Pipedrive a 14-day trial [10]. Neither has a free plan [9][10].

We don't name one "best" free CRM. These picks rank only on the free-plan limits and prices each vendor publishes.

Free plans compared (as of 2026-10-19)

HubSpot's catalog lists more free caps: 1 HubSpot-provided pipeline per object type, 10 custom properties, 2,000 marketing email sends a month with HubSpot branding, 1 automated email per form, 1 personal meeting link with HubSpot branding and 3 email templates per account [11]. Its technical-limits page puts free accounts at 1,000 contacts [12]. For a closer look, see HubSpot free CRM limitations.

Zoho CRM

Zoho says its free edition is "Free forever", supports up to 3 users and stores up to 5,000 records across all modules [6]. Each organization gets 1GB of cloud storage [6]. Zoho's pricing page lists Free limits of up to 10 custom email templates, 10 free data exports and 5,000 API calls a day [5]. No credit card is required [5].

First paid step (as of 2026-10-19): Standard is $14 per user per month billed annually, or $20 per user per month billed monthly [5]. Zoho's paid editions come with a 15-day free trial [7].

Not for: teams of 4 or more who want to stay free, because Zoho's free edition supports up to 3 users [5]. Also not for you if you need QuickBooks sync, because Zoho lists QuickBooks integration as an Enterprise-edition feature [5].

HubSpot free CRM

HubSpot says its free CRM is "100% free, with no expiration date" and needs no credit card [1][2]. Its pricing page says the free tools are free for up to 2 users [2]. HubSpot's catalog lists View-Only seats at no additional cost on Starter, Professional and Enterprise; HubSpot's catalog doesn't say whether the free CRM includes View-Only seats (as of 2026-10-22) [3]. HubSpot doesn't charge for contacts in its free contacts database; it bills for marketing contacts only if you subscribe to Marketing Hub [3].

First paid step: HubSpot's catalog lists a Starter Core Seat list price of $20/month per seat, but HubSpot doesn't say whether this is billed monthly or annually (as of Oct. 19, 2026) [3].

Not for: a team of 3 or more who need to edit records for free, because the free tools cover up to 2 users [2]. Also not for you if you need a clear price for the first paid step today, because HubSpot doesn't say whether its Starter list price is billed monthly or annually (as of Oct. 19, 2026) [3].

To compare HubSpot with paid options, see HubSpot vs Pipedrive and our HubSpot alternatives list.

Bigin

Bigin is a CRM from Zoho; its pricing page brands it "Bigin by Zoho CRM" [8]. Its Free edition is $0 for a single user, with a single pipeline and 500 records [8]. Bigin counts each row you enter across Pipelines, Contacts, Activities and Notes as a record [8].

First paid step (as of 2026-10-19): Express is $7 per user per month billed yearly, or $9 per user per month billed monthly [8]. Express includes 3 team pipelines and 50,000 records [8]. Bigin says yearly billing saves up to 35%, and lists a 15-day free trial, free onboarding, a 100% money-back guarantee and "No forced contracts" [8]. Zoho's pricing page lists QuickBooks integration under Bigin Express [5].

Not for: a team of two or more who want to stay free, because Bigin Free is a single user [8]. Also not for you if you'll log more than 500 rows of contacts, deals, activities and notes, because that's the Free cap [8].

Trial-only options: Freshsales and Pipedrive

These two aren't free CRMs. They're worth a look if you're ready to pay after a trial.

Freshsales: there's no free plan; the pricing page shows Growth, Pro and Enterprise [9]. Freshworks offers a 21-day trial of the full CRM; after that you pick a plan and pay by credit card, or the account is suspended [9]. Growth is $9 per user per month billed annually, or $11 per user per month billed monthly (as of 2026-10-19) [9].

Not for: anyone who needs a CRM that stays free, because Freshsales has no free plan [9].

Pipedrive: the pricing page lists no free plan; every plan offers a free 14-day trial with no credit card [10]. Lite is $14 per seat per month billed annually (one payment of $168 per seat a year), or $24 per seat per month billed monthly (as of 2026-10-19) [10].

Not for: anyone who needs a CRM that stays free, because Pipedrive's plans are paid after the 14-day trial [10].

Decision rule: pick by team size and record count

This is our editorial shortcut, built from the vendor limits cited above. It isn't a test result.

1. Count the people who need to edit records. One person: Bigin Free, HubSpot or Zoho all cover you [2][5][8]. Two: HubSpot or Zoho [2][5]. Three: Zoho is the only free plan here that covers you [5]. Four or more: none of these free plans covers you, so compare the first paid steps below.
2. Count your records. Bigin Free stops at 500 records [8]. Zoho Free stops at 5,000 records [6]. HubSpot describes its free CRM as covering "up to two users, 1,000 contacts, and no limits on customer data" [1].
3. Check how you'd leave. HubSpot lets users on all plans export records, and download links expire after 30 days [4]. Zoho Free allows up to 10 free data exports [5]. Bigin's plan comparison table ticks "Import and Export Data" for Free and every paid edition [8]. Export rules for Freshsales and Pipedrive aren't covered here.

Worked cost example: year 1 when you outgrow free

If you outgrow a free plan, or skip it, here's what the first paid step costs for a year as of 2026-10-19. The Bigin, Freshsales, Zoho and Pipedrive rows use each vendor's annual billing price. HubSpot is left out of the table because HubSpot doesn't state a billing basis for its Starter list price; see the note below the table. Freshsales and Pipedrive have no free plan, so their rows are the first paid plan after the trial. The math is price x 12 months x users. All prices are in US dollars.

Billed monthly instead (as of 2026-10-19), the prices are Bigin $9 per user per month, Freshsales $11 per user per month, Zoho $20 per user per month and Pipedrive $24 per seat per month [5][8][9][10]. That's $108, $132, $240 and $288 a year for one user.

HubSpot isn't in the table because its first paid price has no stated billing basis. HubSpot's catalog lists Starter at a list price of $20/month per seat, but HubSpot doesn't say whether this is billed monthly or annually (as of Oct. 19, 2026) [3]. At the list rate, basis not stated, that's $240 a year for 1 seat or $480 for 2 seats.

For two users, HubSpot and Zoho can cost $0 on their free plans [2][5], which matters more than any list price above. Bigin can't, because its Free edition is a single user [8].

Common questions about free CRMs

Is HubSpot CRM really free? HubSpot says: "With up to two users, 1,000 contacts, and no limits on customer data, HubSpot's free CRM functionality is 100% free, with no expiration date" [1]. No credit card is required [2].

Does Freshsales have a free plan? No. Freshsales offers a 21-day trial, and Growth is $9 per user per month billed annually (as of 2026-10-19) [9].

Does Pipedrive have a free plan? No. Every Pipedrive plan offers a free 14-day trial with no credit card [10].

Which free CRM allows the most users? Of the plans here, Zoho CRM's free edition, at up to 3 users [5].

Which free CRM works with QuickBooks? Zoho lists QuickBooks integration as a Zoho CRM Enterprise-edition feature, so not on Zoho CRM Free [5]. It lists QuickBooks integration under Bigin Express [5]. Bigin's plan comparison table ticks QuickBooks Integration for Express, Premier and Bigin 360, but not for Free [8]. QuickBooks on HubSpot's free CRM isn't covered here.

What to do next

Count your editing users and your records, then match them to the decision rule above. Sign up for the free plan that fits, and export a test file early so you know how you'd leave. If you run jobs in the field, compare field-service tools in our guide to CRMs for contractors.

Prices checked October 19, 2026. Prices and plans change; confirm on each vendor's site.

Last updated: October 22, 2026