Buyer's guide
Best Free CRM
Five CRMs with a free plan that doesn't expire, what each one leaves out, and the paid plan you'd move to.
By Carlos Gil · Updated
Free plan limits and prices checked on official vendor pages October 19, 2026
Short answer
What is the best free CRM?
HubSpot's free CRM is the most complete free plan for a small team: up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts with no time limit, Gmail and Outlook connection, and a clear path into paid marketing and sales tools. If you need more seats for free, Attio's free plan covers 3 seats and 50,000 records, and Zoho CRM's free edition covers 3 users. Salesforce Free Suite covers 2 users. None of the free plans include sequences or a dialer, so budget for a paid plan once you hire salespeople.
A free CRM is the right first step for a founder, freelancer or small team that has outgrown a spreadsheet but doesn't yet have a sales process to automate. The catch is that every free plan is limited somewhere: users, contacts, emails a month or automation. This guide ranks the five free CRM plans we have reviewed by how much a small team can actually do on them, lists what each one leaves out, and names the paid plan you'd move to. We only include plans with no time limit; free trials are listed separately. This is research from each vendor's published pricing and plan pages, checked on October 19, 2026, not hands-on testing, and affiliate status doesn't affect the order.
Choosing a CRM for a growing startup rather than just a free one? See the best CRM for startups by stage, with startup discounts · the best CRM for small business
The ranking
Top Best Free CRM — Ranked
Rank reflects fit for this use case. Scores come from each tool's full BestStacked review; tools we haven't reviewed aren't scored. We've logged 2 price or plan changes for tools on this list: see the pricing tracker.
| Rank | Tool | Category | Starting Price | Best For | BestStacked Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |  HubSpot | All-in-one CRM | Free (2 users) / Starter $20/seat/mo list, promo from $7 | Small teams that want a free CRM they can grow into | Visit SiteRead Review | |
| #2 |  Attio | Flexible data-model CRM | Free (up to 3 seats); Plus $35/seat/mo billed annually ($44 monthly) | Product-led teams that want more free seats and records | Visit SiteRead Review | |
| #3 |  Zoho CRM | Budget CRM suite | Free (3 users); Standard $14/user/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) | Budget-minded teams that will move to a cheap paid plan | Visit SiteRead Review | |
| #4 |  Salesforce Free Suite | Entry Salesforce | Free Suite (2 users); Starter $25/user/mo | Teams that expect to need Salesforce later | Visit SiteRead Review | |
| #5 |  Apollo.io | Prospecting + light CRM | Free · Basic $49/seat/mo billed annually ($65 monthly) | Founders who need contact data and outreach, not just a CRM | Visit SiteRead Review |
HubSpot
All-in-one CRM · Free (2 users) / Starter $20/seat/mo list, promo from $7
HubSpot's free tools cover up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts with no time limit and no credit card, plus up to 1 million records across its other standard objects. You can connect Gmail, Google Workspace and many versions of Outlook. Support on the free plan is the community, HubSpot Academy and the knowledge base. Calling, workflows and sequences aren't included. Starter lists at $20 per seat a month and was showing a $7 new-customer price on October 19, 2026.
Attio
Flexible data-model CRM · Free (up to 3 seats); Plus $35/seat/mo billed annually ($44 monthly)
Attio's free plan covers up to 3 seats, 3 objects and 50,000 records, with email and calendar sync for one account per user, 3 reports and 200 emails a month. API and MCP access are included. Plus ($35 per seat a month annual, $44 monthly) raises the cap to 10 seats and 250,000 records; sequences and call intelligence are on Pro ($79 annual, $99 monthly).
Zoho CRM
Budget CRM suite · Free (3 users); Standard $14/user/mo billed annually ($20 monthly)
Zoho CRM's free edition is free forever for up to 3 users. Its plan card lists contact management, follow-up reminders, workflow automation, custom email templates, tasks, meetings and calls, import and export, standard reports, APIs and mobile apps. Email integration, mass email and built-in calling start on Standard ($14 per user a month annual, $20 monthly), which has a 15-day trial with no card.
Salesforce Free Suite
Entry Salesforce · Free Suite (2 users); Starter $25/user/mo
Free Suite includes 2 user licenses with no contract or credit card, and Salesforce says it doesn't expire as long as you log in at least once every 60 days. It covers leads, opportunities, accounts and support cases, customizable reports and dashboards, landing pages and up to 100 marketing emails a month, with AI that summarizes records and drafts emails. A third user means Starter Suite at $25 per user a month.
Apollo.io
Prospecting + light CRM · Free · Basic $49/seat/mo billed annually ($65 monthly)
Apollo is a prospecting tool with lead management built in, so it suits founders who need to find contacts as well as track them. The free plan grants 900 credits per seat a year (released monthly), 2 sequences, 1 meeting event and 150 minutes of call recording. It isn't a full replacement for a CRM's deal pipeline; many teams pair it with HubSpot Free. Basic is $49 per seat a month billed annually.
Our top picks
Featured Picks
HubSpot
HubSpot's free tools cover up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts with no time limit and no credit card, plus up to 1 million records across its other standard objects. You can connect Gmail, Google Workspace and many versions of Outlook. Support on the free plan is the community, HubSpot Academy and the knowledge base. Calling, workflows and sequences aren't included. Starter lists at $20 per seat a month and was showing a $7 new-customer price on October 19, 2026.
Attio
Attio's free plan covers up to 3 seats, 3 objects and 50,000 records, with email and calendar sync for one account per user, 3 reports and 200 emails a month. API and MCP access are included. Plus ($35 per seat a month annual, $44 monthly) raises the cap to 10 seats and 250,000 records; sequences and call intelligence are on Pro ($79 annual, $99 monthly).
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM's free edition is free forever for up to 3 users. Its plan card lists contact management, follow-up reminders, workflow automation, custom email templates, tasks, meetings and calls, import and export, standard reports, APIs and mobile apps. Email integration, mass email and built-in calling start on Standard ($14 per user a month annual, $20 monthly), which has a 15-day trial with no card.
Free plans compared
Free CRM plans side by side
What each free plan allows, checked on the vendor's pricing page on October 19, 2026. Listed in ranking order.
| CRM | Users | Contacts or records | First paid plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Up to 2 | 1,000 contacts; 1M other records | Gmail and Outlook connection | Starter $20/seat list ($7 new-customer promo) |
| Attio | Up to 3 | 50,000 records, 3 objects | Email and calendar sync; 200 emails a month | Plus $35/seat annual, $44 monthly |
| Zoho CRM | Up to 3 | Not stated on the pricing page | Email templates; email integration on Standard | Standard $14/user annual, $20 monthly |
| Salesforce Free Suite | 2 | Not stated on the plan page | 100 marketing emails a month | Starter Suite $25/user |
| Apollo.io | Per seat | 900 credits per seat a year for contact data | 2 sequences | Basic $49/seat annual |
- Users
- Up to 2
- Contacts or records
- 1,000 contacts; 1M other records
- Gmail and Outlook connection
- First paid plan
- Starter $20/seat list ($7 new-customer promo)
- Users
- Up to 3
- Contacts or records
- 50,000 records, 3 objects
- Email and calendar sync; 200 emails a month
- First paid plan
- Plus $35/seat annual, $44 monthly
- Users
- Up to 3
- Contacts or records
- Not stated on the pricing page
- Email templates; email integration on Standard
- First paid plan
- Standard $14/user annual, $20 monthly
- Users
- 2
- Contacts or records
- Not stated on the plan page
- 100 marketing emails a month
- First paid plan
- Starter Suite $25/user
- Users
- Per seat
- Contacts or records
- 900 credits per seat a year for contact data
- 2 sequences
- First paid plan
- Basic $49/seat annual
A free plan with no time limit can still change. Vendors can alter free plan limits, so export your data regularly.
No free plan
Popular CRMs with a free trial instead of a free plan
These CRMs have no free plan, but each offers a trial so you can import data and try the pipeline before paying. Checked October 19, 2026.
| CRM | Trial | Card needed | Entry price (annual) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Pipedrive | 14 days | No | Lite $14/seat; Growth $39 for email sync |
 Close | 14 days, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee | No | Solo $9/user (1 user) |
 folk | 2 weeks | No | Standard $24/member |
 Nutshell | 14 days | No | Foundation $13/user |
 Salesflare | 30 days | No | Growth $29/user |
 SoftSync | Shown at checkout | Shown at checkout | Pro $29/seat (up to 5 members) |
- Trial
- 14 days
- Card needed
- No
- Entry price (annual)
- Lite $14/seat; Growth $39 for email sync
- Trial
- 14 days, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee
- Card needed
- No
- Entry price (annual)
- Solo $9/user (1 user)
- Trial
- 2 weeks
- Card needed
- No
- Entry price (annual)
- Standard $24/member
- Trial
- 14 days
- Card needed
- No
- Entry price (annual)
- Foundation $13/user
- Trial
- 30 days
- Card needed
- No
- Entry price (annual)
- Growth $29/user
- Trial
- Shown at checkout
- Card needed
- Shown at checkout
- Entry price (annual)
- Pro $29/seat (up to 5 members)
The catch
What free CRM plans leave out
Free CRM plans are built to get you logging contacts and deals, not to run a sales team. The limits fall in the same places on almost every plan, so check them against what you'll need in the next six months, not just today.
- Seats: HubSpot Free and Salesforce Free Suite stop at 2 users, Attio Free and Zoho's free edition at 3. Hiring a third or fourth seller usually means paying for everyone.
- Volume: HubSpot Free caps contacts at 1,000. Attio Free allows 50,000 records but only 200 emails a month, and Salesforce Free Suite 100 marketing emails a month.
- Automation: sequences, dialers and multi-step workflows are paid features. Zoho's free edition lists basic workflow automation; the others keep follow-ups mostly manual.
- Support: HubSpot's free plan relies on the community, HubSpot Academy and the knowledge base rather than direct support.
When to pay
When to move from a free CRM to a paid plan
Stay on a free plan while one or two people sell and follow-ups are manual. Start paying when you add sellers beyond the free seat cap, need automated sequences or calling, or want reports by rep. At that point, compare the paid plan of the free CRM you're on with a CRM built for your sales motion: Pipedrive for a visual pipeline, Close for phone-heavy outbound.
If you're a venture-backed startup, check startup programs before upgrading. HubSpot for Startups discounts net-new Professional and Enterprise products, and Attio's startup program must be claimed within 90 days of creating a workspace. Our startup CRM guide lists the programs we could confirm on each vendor's site.
Buying guide
How to Choose the Right Tool
Count users first. If three people need access, HubSpot Free and Salesforce Free Suite are already too small; Attio and Zoho cover 3.
Check the email limits. Connecting an inbox is different from sending campaigns: Attio Free allows 200 emails a month and Salesforce Free Suite 100.
Price the paid plan you'd move to, not just the free one. HubSpot Starter lists at $20 a seat, Attio Plus at $35, Zoho Standard at $14 and Salesforce Starter at $25 (annual billing).
Export a test file in the first week, so you know your contacts and deals can leave with you.
Treat promos as temporary. HubSpot's $7 Starter price is for new customers, with no published end date.
Methodology
How We Evaluate Tools
Editorial Research
Tools are compared on documented features, pricing, and fit. Each review notes its own verification date.
Ease of Use
We evaluate setup time, learning curve, and daily usability from a founder's perspective.
Pricing Transparency
We break down real costs including hidden fees, usage limits, and upgrade triggers.
Integrations & Ecosystem
We check how each tool fits into existing workflows and what it connects with natively.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep reading
Explore More on BestStacked
Sources
Official sources and verification dates
Every product, price and audit fact on this page comes from the vendor's own website or the audit announcement it links to. Competitor facts never come from another vendor's comparison page. Prices are in US dollars unless marked, exclude tax, and can vary by country and promotion.
Free CRM plans
- HubSpot free tools and Starter pricing (checked )
- Attio pricing (checked )
- Zoho CRM pricing (checked )
- Salesforce free CRM (Free Suite) (checked )
- Apollo.io pricing (checked )
Trials
- Pipedrive pricing (checked )
- Close pricing (checked )
- folk pricing (checked )
- Nutshell pricing (checked )
- Salesflare pricing (checked )
- SoftSync pricing (checked )