HubSpot Free CRM Limitations: Every Cap on the Free Plan
How we checked this: Compared from HubSpot's official catalog, docs and pricing pages as of 2026-10-19. We haven't tested HubSpot hands-on.
You can use HubSpot's free CRM with up to two users, and HubSpot's catalog caps free accounts at 1,000 contacts [1][2]. The free plan also limits you to one HubSpot-provided pipeline per object type, 10 custom properties and 2,000 marketing email sends a month with HubSpot branding [1]. Free forms, emails, the meeting link, live chat and pages carry HubSpot branding [1].
To compare free CRMs side by side, see our best free CRM for small business guide.
HubSpot free CRM limitations: the short answer
- Price: HubSpot's pricing page shows the free tools at "$0/mo" and says "Free for up to 2 users. No credit card required." [4]
- Time limit: none. HubSpot says its free CRM is "100% free, with no expiration date" [5].
- Users: HubSpot's free tools are "a single free edition (with up to two free users)" [1].
- Contacts: HubSpot's technical limits list 1,000 contacts for free accounts and 15 million for paid accounts [2].
- Branding: free forms, live chat, the meeting link, 1-to-1 email, marketing email and pages include HubSpot branding [1].
- Support: HubSpot says all free users can use the HubSpot Community, HubSpot Academy and the Knowledge Base; its pricing page names no email, chat or phone support for free users [4].
Contacts: two HubSpot pages, two wordings
HubSpot describes the contact cap in two places, so we quote both:
- Technical limits page: "Contacts 1,000 (free accounts), 15 million (paid accounts)" [2].
- Free CRM product page: "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." [5]
HubSpot also says there's no charge for contacts you add to the free contacts database; Marketing Hub subscribers are charged for marketing contacts [3].
Every free-plan cap in HubSpot's catalog (as of 2026-10-19)
| Area | Free-plan limit (HubSpot's catalog) |
|---|---|
| Users | Up to two free users [1] |
| Contacts | 1,000 for free accounts (15 million on paid accounts) [2] |
| Pipelines | 1 HubSpot-provided pipeline per object type, for example one deal pipeline [1] |
| Custom properties | 10 in total [1] |
| Marketing email | 2,000 sends per calendar month, with HubSpot branding [1] |
| Email automation | 1 automated action [1] |
| Marketing email templates | Basic templates (plain text, newsletter, welcome, promotion) [1] |
| Forms | Include HubSpot branding; 1 automated email per form [1] |
| Meeting scheduling | 1 personal meeting link, with HubSpot branding [1] |
| Sales email templates | 3 per account [1] |
| Email tracking | 200 notifications per month [1] |
| 1-to-1 email | Includes HubSpot branding [1] |
| Live chat | Includes HubSpot branding; 3 canned snippets per account [1] |
| Landing and website pages | 30 landing pages and 30 website pages, with HubSpot branding [1] |
| Reporting | 10 dashboards, 50 reports per dashboard, history limited to the past 30 days [1] |
| Import | 50 imports and 500,000 rows a day [1] |
| Export | 300 exports a day (30 a day via the API) [1] |
| Segments | 10 active CRM segments and 1,000 static segments [1] |
| API calls | 250,000 a day (Free and Starter) [2] |
| Associations per record | 10,000 on Free, 250,000 on paid editions [2] |
HubSpot says the same free tools are included in Starter, Professional and Enterprise, many with higher limits [1].
Support on the free plan
On its CRM pricing page, HubSpot says: "All free users can connect with fellow users in the HubSpot Community, sharpen their skills in HubSpot Academy, and get expert advice on HubSpot tools in the Knowledge Base." [4] That page names no email, chat or phone support for free users.
Decision rule: when the free plan stops being enough
This is our editorial shortcut, built from the caps above. It isn't a test result. Go through these checks in order; the first "yes" means it's time to price a paid seat.
- Do 3 or more people need to edit records? The free edition has up to two free users [1]. For people who only need to look, 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].
- Will you pass 1,000 contacts? That's the technical limit for free accounts [2].
- Do you need a second deal pipeline, for example one for service calls and one for installs? Free allows 1 HubSpot-provided pipeline per object type [1].
- Do you track more than 10 custom fields? Free allows 10 custom properties in total [1].
- Do you need to remove HubSpot branding from forms, emails, the meeting link, chat or pages? On free, those include HubSpot branding [1].
- Do you need more than one automated email action, or more than one automated email per form? Free email automation is 1 automated action, and forms get 1 automated email each [1].
- Do you need reports older than 30 days? Free dashboard history covers the past 30 days [1].
If every answer is "no", these seven caps won't stop you. Check the rest of the table too (email sends, templates, tracking notifications, pages, imports, exports, segments and API calls).
What Starter costs per seat (as of 2026-10-19)
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 2026-10-19) [3]. HubSpot says Starter includes 1,000 marketing contacts and 500 HubSpot Credits [4]. Starter products get 500 credits a month, extra credits are $0.010 per credit, but HubSpot doesn't say whether these are billed monthly or annually (as of 2026-10-19), and unused credits don't roll over [3].
Worked seat-cost example. This assumes every person who works in the CRM needs a paid Core Seat; HubSpot's catalog lists View-Only seats for read-only staff at no additional cost on Starter (as of 2026-10-22) [3]. At the $20/month per seat list rate, basis not stated (as of 2026-10-19) [3]:
| Working users | Per month, at the list rate, basis not stated | Per year (x 12), at the list rate, basis not stated |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20 [3] | $240 |
| 3 | $60 [3] | $720 |
| 5 | $100 [3] | $1,200 |
For 1 or 2 users, the free edition costs $0 [1][4]. So the first real jump comes at the third working user, or sooner if you hit one of the caps above.
Sales Hub Professional is the next step up. As of 2026-10-19, HubSpot's Sales pricing page shows it starting at $90/mo/seat on an annual commitment; the $100/mo/seat list price is what Pay Monthly shows, still on an annual commitment [7]. The cost shown doesn't include "the required, one-time Professional Onboarding for a fee of $1,500" (a flat fee, not per seat) [7]. Same assumption as above (one paid seat per working user), at the "starts at" $90 per seat a month on an annual commitment: 1 user is $1,080 a year plus the one-time $1,500 flat fee ($2,580 in year 1), 3 users are $3,240 a year plus the one-time $1,500 flat fee ($4,740) and 5 users are $5,400 a year plus the one-time $1,500 flat fee ($6,900), as of 2026-10-19 [7].
Who each plan is not for
- Not for (Free): a team where 3 or more people edit records, or anyone past 1,000 contacts, because those are the free caps [1][2]. Also not for you if you need branding-free forms or emails [1].
- Not for (Starter): anyone who needs a confirmed annual-or-monthly price before buying, because the catalog doesn't state the billing basis of the $20/month per seat list price [3]. Check the live checkout terms first.
- Not for (Sales Hub Professional): a small team that wants to pay month to month with no commitment, because HubSpot shows Professional on an annual commitment, plus the required one-time $1,500 flat onboarding fee (as of 2026-10-19) [7].
For other options, see our HubSpot alternatives list or HubSpot vs Pipedrive.
Common questions about HubSpot's free CRM
How many contacts does HubSpot free CRM allow? HubSpot's technical limits list 1,000 contacts for free accounts [2]. Its product page says the free CRM comes "with up to two users, 1,000 contacts, and no limits on customer data" [5].
How many users can use HubSpot for free? Up to two free users [1]. 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].
How many pipelines do you get on free? One HubSpot-provided pipeline per object type, such as one deal pipeline [1].
Can you remove HubSpot branding on the free plan? No. HubSpot's catalog says free forms, live chat, the meeting link, 1-to-1 email, marketing email and pages include HubSpot branding [1].
Can you export your data on the free plan? Yes. HubSpot says users on all products and plans can export records, and download links expire after 30 days [6]. The free plan allows 300 exports a day [1].
What support do free users get? Self-serve help: the HubSpot Community, HubSpot Academy and the Knowledge Base [4].
What to do next
Run the seven checks above against your own setup: editing users, contacts, pipelines, custom fields, branding, automation and report history. If you pass them all and the other limits in the table fit, start on the free plan and export a test file so you know how you'd leave. If you don't, compare paid options in our best free CRM for small business guide and the best AI tools for small business guide.
Prices checked . Prices and plans change; confirm on each vendor's site.
Sources
Claims on this page are cited to the sources below. Prices and features change, so check the vendor's own page before you buy.