Cheapest CRM Software: Real Prices for Budget-Conscious Teams
Let's cut to the chase: you need a CRM but you don't want to pay Salesforce prices. Good news—there are legitimate options starting at $0 that can actually get the job done.
I've spent way too many hours digging through CRM pricing pages, and I'll save you the headache. Here's what the cheapest CRM software actually costs, what you get, and where the catch is (there's always a catch).
The Actually Free CRMs Worth Using
Before we talk paid plans, let's cover the free options. These aren't just trial versions—they're legitimately free forever plans that work for small teams.
Zoho CRM Free
Zoho's free plan is limited to 3 users, but it includes essentials like leads, contacts, accounts, deals, tasks, and mobile apps. You get basic CRM functionality without paying a dime.
The catch? No workflow automation, limited reporting, and you'll outgrow it fast if you're doing any serious volume. But for a solopreneur or tiny team just getting organized, it's legit.
Freshsales Free
Freshsales (by Freshworks) offers a free plan for up to 3 users. You get Kanban views, email templates, built-in phone, and live chat features. The interface is cleaner than Zoho's, in my opinion.
What you won't get: reports, sales funnel views, and most of the automation features. If you need those, you're looking at paid plans.
HubSpot Free CRM
HubSpot's free CRM is probably the most well-known option. You get unlimited users (nice), contact management, deal tracking, and some basic email marketing.
The catch is that HubSpot's free tier is really designed to get you hooked on their ecosystem. The moment you need marketing automation or sales sequences, you're looking at their paid plans which jump to hundreds per month. It's the dealer-first-taste-free model.
If you want a deeper comparison, check out our free CRM software guide.
Cheapest Paid CRM Plans (Under $15/user/month)
If you need more than basic contact management, here's where the budget paid plans stack up.
Zoho CRM Standard - $14/user/month
Zoho CRM's Standard plan costs $14/user/month when billed annually, or $20/user/month if you pay monthly. This is the entry point for getting actual CRM features.
What you get at this tier:
- Sales forecasting
- Workflow rules
- Mass email
- Custom reports and dashboards
- Email insights
- Zoho Marketplace integrations
The Standard plan is solid for small teams who need more than spreadsheets but aren't ready for enterprise features. You'll miss out on Blueprint (their process management tool) and some advanced automation, but honestly, most small businesses don't need that stuff yet.
Freshsales Growth - $9/user/month
Freshsales starts even cheaper at $9/user/month (billed annually). The Growth plan includes visual sales pipelines, AI-powered contact scoring, and built-in phone and email.
Here's the problem: the $9 plan is missing features you'd expect at this price point. No multiple pipelines, no duplicate management, no email sequences. If you need those, you're jumping to the Pro plan at $39/user/month—a massive 300%+ price increase.
The $9 entry point looks good on paper but many teams find themselves forced to upgrade quickly.
Bigin by Zoho - $7/user/month
If you want something even simpler, Zoho created Bigin specifically for very small teams. At just $7/user/month billed annually, it's one of the cheapest paid CRM options available.
Bigin focuses on essential CRM functions: pipeline management, contact organization, and basic automation. The interface is much simpler than full Zoho CRM—which is either a feature or a limitation depending on your needs.
For solo consultants or micro-businesses, this might be all you need.
Less Annoying CRM - $15/user/month
Less Annoying CRM takes a different approach: one plan, one price, $15/user/month. No tiers, no upsells, no annual contract required.
The simplicity is refreshing. You get everything they offer from day one. No wondering if you need to upgrade to get some feature. The trade-off is that it's more basic than Zoho or Freshsales—but if simple is what you want, this is it.
Mid-Range Budget Options ($20-40/user/month)
If you can stretch your budget a bit, these tiers offer significantly more functionality.
Zoho CRM Professional - $23/user/month
At $23/user/month (annual) or $35/month (monthly billing), the Professional tier is where Zoho gets interesting. You unlock Blueprint for visual workflow management, inventory tracking, and validation rules.
For growing sales teams who need process consistency, the Professional plan is often the sweet spot. Blueprint alone justifies the upgrade for many businesses—it lets you standardize your sales process visually.
Zoho CRM Enterprise - $40/user/month
At $40/user/month (annual), Enterprise adds custom modules, conversational AI (Zia), advanced customization, and multi-user portals. This competes with much more expensive platforms like Microsoft Dynamics 365.
For our full breakdown, see our CRM software comparison.
What About Close CRM?
If you're running an outbound sales operation, Close CRM is worth considering even though it's pricier. It's built specifically for sales teams who live on the phone and email.
Close isn't the cheapest option, but it's purpose-built for sales velocity. Built-in calling, email sequences, and pipeline management in one tool. Check out our Close CRM review and Close CRM pricing breakdown for details.
Price Comparison Table
| CRM | Free Plan | Cheapest Paid | Mid-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho CRM | Yes (3 users) | $14/user/mo | $23/user/mo |
| Freshsales | Yes (3 users) | $9/user/mo | $39/user/mo |
| Bigin (Zoho) | No | $7/user/mo | N/A |
| Less Annoying CRM | No | $15/user/mo | N/A |
| HubSpot | Yes (unlimited) | $15/user/mo | $90/user/mo |
*All paid prices shown are for annual billing. Monthly billing typically costs 20-40% more.
Hidden Costs to Watch For
The sticker price isn't always the full story. Here's what catches people off guard:
Add-on fees: Freshsales charges extra for bot sessions, additional workflows, and phone credits. What looks like $9/month can balloon quickly.
User minimums: Some CRMs require minimum user counts on certain plans. Check the fine print.
Storage limits: Freshsales Pro only gives you 5GB per user. If you deal with lots of attachments, you'll hit that wall fast.
Marketing contacts: Freshsales Suite caps marketing contacts at 500 regardless of which plan you're on. That's a deal-breaker for many.
Annual billing lock-in: Almost all these "cheap" prices require annual payment. If you want monthly flexibility, expect to pay 20-40% more.
Which Cheap CRM Should You Pick?
Here's my take based on different situations:
Just getting started, budget is zero: Start with HubSpot Free or Zoho Free. You can always migrate later.
Solo or micro-team, need simplicity: Bigin at $7/user/month or Less Annoying CRM at $15/user/month. Both are no-nonsense.
Growing team, need real features: Zoho CRM Professional at $23/user/month is the best value in this range. You get solid automation without enterprise pricing.
Sales-focused team doing outbound: Freshsales is fine if you stick to basic features. For heavy phone/email outreach, look at Close CRM despite the higher price—it's built for that use case.
For more options beyond price, check out our guides on best CRM software and CRM for small business.
Bottom Line
The cheapest functional CRM is Bigin at $7/user/month if you need something dead simple. For actual features, Zoho CRM Standard at $14/user/month is hard to beat. Freshsales' $9 plan looks attractive but the feature gaps push most teams to their $39 tier quickly.
Don't just chase the lowest number—figure out what features you actually need, then find the cheapest plan that includes them. A $14 plan that does everything beats a $9 plan that forces you to upgrade in three months.