Free CRM plans compared
| CRM | Free plan | Users | Records / contacts | Expires? | First paid seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot CRM | Yes | 2 | 1,000 contacts | Never | $9/seat/mo (annual) |
| Zoho CRM | Yes | 3 | Not the limiting factor at this size | Never | $14/user/mo (annual) |
| Freshsales | Yes | 3 | Core contact & account management | Never | $9/user/mo (annual) |
| Bigin by Zoho | Yes | 1 | 500 records | Never | $9/user/mo (Express) |
| Capsule CRM | Yes | 2 | 250 contacts | Never | $18/user/mo (Starter) |
| Attio | Yes | 3 | 50,000 records | Never | $35/user/mo (Plus) |
| Bitrix24 | Yes | Unlimited* | 5GB storage | Never | $49/mo flat (Basic, 5 users) |
| Pipedrive | Trial only | — | — | 14 days | $14/user/mo (Lite) |
| monday CRM | Trial only | — | — | 14 days | $12/seat/mo, 3-seat min |
| Less Annoying CRM | Trial only | — | — | 30 days | $15/user/mo |
| Salesforce | Trial only | — | — | 30 days | $25/user/mo (Starter Suite) |
Limits and prices from each vendor's US site, September 2026. "First paid seat" is the lowest paid tier billed annually. *Bitrix24's pricing page headlines "1–2 users" but its own FAQ confirms the free plan allows unlimited users; Basic is priced per organization, not per seat.
Top 7 Free CRM Software Options
If you just need the shortlist: these are the seven free CRM tools we'd actually recommend in 2026, out of dozens that call themselves "free." Each one is covered in full further down this page.
- HubSpot CRM: best all-in-one free CRM for sales, marketing, and service with a 2-user cap and no expiry.
- Zoho CRM: best free CRM for small teams already using other Zoho apps, with up to 3 users and basic automation included.
- Freshsales: best free CRM for phone-first teams that will want built-in calling the moment they upgrade.
- Bigin by Zoho: best free CRM for a single solo user who wants a clean pipeline with no learning curve.
- Capsule CRM: best free CRM for simplicity — a genuine free plan and one of the easiest CRMs to learn in an afternoon.
- Attio: best free CRM for startups that want a flexible, customizable data model instead of a fixed layout.
- Bitrix24: best free CRM for unlimited users, with tasks and basic collaboration tools bundled in at no cost.
"Every 'free CRM' roundup online lists tools by feature count. We list them by where the free plan actually breaks — because that's the number that decides whether you're migrating your contacts again in six months."
— BestCRMPick Team
The three kinds of "free"
- Free forever, with limits. HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Freshsales, Bigin, Capsule, Attio, and Bitrix24. You can run a small business on these indefinitely; the limit is people (1–3 users, or unlimited on Bitrix24) or records, not time.
- Free for a while. Pipedrive and monday CRM give you 14 days; Salesforce and Less Annoying CRM give you 30. Good for evaluating, not for operating.
- Free until you need one feature. Every free-forever plan has a wall — automation, sequences, a third user, custom reports, telephony. The trick is knowing where the wall is before you build your process against it.
We ranked the free-forever plans by how much real CRM software they give you inside their limits, then by how gentle the first paid step is.
HubSpot CRM — Free
Best free CRM overallHubSpot's free plan is the most complete no-cost CRM we've tested. It isn't a cut-down demo: two users get contact and deal records, a drag-and-drop pipeline, email tracking and templates, a meeting scheduler, live chat with a chatbot builder, a shared inbox, reporting dashboards, the Breeze AI assistant, and the mobile app — with no expiry and no card.
Where the wall is: the third user, HubSpot branding on customer-facing tools, and automation. Any of those pushes you to Starter — which, at $9 per seat, is one of the gentlest first steps in the category.
Pros and cons
- Most features of any free plan
- Never expires
- Cheapest upgrade path
- Only 2 users
- Branding on forms and meeting pages
Zoho CRM — Free edition
Best free CRM for 3 usersIf you have three people, Zoho's free edition beats HubSpot's user cap. It includes contact management with follow-up reminders, basic workflow automation, custom email templates, standard reports, mobile apps, and API access — a genuinely working CRM for a three-person team.
Where the wall is: a fourth user, multiple pipelines, built-in calling, mass email, and forecasting — all of which arrive in Standard at $14. Zia AI needs Professional ($23) or higher.
Pros and cons
- 3 users free
- Basic automation included on Free
- Gentle price ladder above
- Interface less polished than HubSpot
- No AI on the free tier
Freshsales — Free
Best free CRM for phone-first teamsFreshsales' free plan also covers three users, with contact and account management, lifecycle stages, an activity timeline, and a Kanban view. The reason to pick it over Zoho is the upgrade: Growth at $9 adds built-in phone, email, and chat — the cheapest way to get a CRM with a dialer.
Where the wall is: phone and email templates (Growth), scoring and sequences (Pro, $39). Freddy AI is an add-on at every tier.
Pros and cons
- 3 users free
- $9 upgrade includes calling
- 21-day trial of paid tiers
- Free tier is lighter than HubSpot's
- AI costs extra
Bigin by Zoho — Free
Best free CRM for one personBigin is Zoho's pipeline-only CRM for very small businesses. The free plan is for a single user with 500 records — a solo consultant, agent, or freelancer who wants a clean pipeline and contact list without a spreadsheet.
Where the wall is: a second user or your 501st record. Express lifts that to 50,000 records at $9; Premier to 100,000 with advanced workflows at $12. When you outgrow Bigin entirely, Zoho CRM is a direct step up.
Pros and cons
- Simplest free CRM here
- Set up in an hour
- Cheap paid plans
- One user only
- 500-record cap
Capsule CRM — Free
Simplest free CRM to learnCapsule's free plan is a real product, not a lead-gen trial. Two users get contact management, one sales pipeline, task categories, and 5 custom fields — enough for a solo founder or a two-person team to run a live pipeline within the hour, with no expiry date.
Where the wall is: a third teammate, email templates, workflow automation, and advanced reporting all sit behind Starter at $18. Capsule's pricing page only lists the annual rate, so budget for that unless sales confirms otherwise.
Pros and cons
- Genuinely permanent free plan
- One of the easiest CRMs to learn, free or paid
- Clean upgrade path with four paid tiers
- Only 2 users free
- No automation until Starter
Attio — Free
Best free CRM for startupsAttio's free plan is the most generous by record count on this list: three seats, 50,000 records, three custom objects, 200 emails a month, and inbox and calendar sync that builds contact data automatically instead of asking you to type it in.
Where the wall is: workflows, sequences, and a fourth seat all require Plus at $35. Attio also runs a startup programme offering up to 80% off for eligible early-stage companies.
Pros and cons
- Highest free record limit here (50,000)
- Data model bends to any sales process
- Startup discounts up to 80% off Plus
- No automation or sequences on Free
- Steeper learning curve than HubSpot
Bitrix24 — Free
Best free CRM for unlimited usersBitrix24 is the outlier on this list: its free plan allows an unlimited number of users, not just one to three. You get basic CRM (deals and contacts), task management with Kanban and Gantt views, shared calendars, and chat and video calls, all inside 5GB of storage.
Where the wall is: telephony and the Bitrix24 Market app marketplace are paid-only, and the pricing page's own headline confusingly advertises "1–2 users" even though its FAQ confirms the free plan has no user cap. Basic and every tier above it price per organization, not per seat — a flat $49 a month covers up to 5 people.
Pros and cons
- Only mainstream free CRM with unlimited users
- Tasks and team chat bundled in for free
- Flat organization pricing, not per seat
- No telephony or app marketplace on Free
- 5GB storage cap fills up fast with attachments
- Interface is denser than the other tools here
Free trials worth knowing about
These tools don't have a free-forever plan, but their trials are long enough to evaluate properly — and two of them are the best CRMs in their category.
- Pipedrive — 14 days. No free plan, but if you're sales-only, its $14 Lite tier is worth paying for from day one. The trial is enough to import real deals and see whether your team keeps the pipeline updated.
- monday CRM — 14 days. Paid plans start at $12 per seat with a 3-seat minimum. Use the trial to test whether board-style flexibility helps or distracts your team.
- Less Annoying CRM — 30 days. No feature limits during the trial and no card until it ends; then a single $15 flat plan. The right fit if your definition of "free" is really "no surprises."
- Salesforce Starter Suite — 30 days. No permanent free plan, but 30 days with no payment upfront is a fair test of whether Salesforce's guided small-business setup works for you before committing $25 a seat.
- EngageBay — no strict trial, but worth a look. Not one of our top 7, but EngageBay's free plan covers up to 15 users and 250 contacts with basic email marketing, a helpdesk, and live chat bundled in — a genuine alternative if you want marketing and support tools alongside a free CRM, not just a pipeline.
When a Free CRM Stops Being Enough
Free plans fail in predictable ways. If you recognize any of these, price the first paid tier now rather than working around it:
- You need a third (or second) person in the system. User caps are the hardest wall. HubSpot Starter and Freshsales Growth at $9, or Zoho Standard at $14, are the cheapest ways through — or Bitrix24, if the honest answer is "more than three."
- You're following up manually. Reminders exist on free plans; automated sequences and workflows don't. This is the most common reason teams upgrade.
- A customer noticed the vendor's branding. Forms, meeting pages, and emails on free tiers carry the CRM's logo. Starter tiers remove it.
- Leadership wants a report the free dashboard can't make. Custom reporting is almost always a mid-tier feature.
- You need to call or text from the CRM itself. Telephony sits behind a paid plan on nearly every tool here, Bitrix24 included.
For the full breakdown of what each paid tier adds, see our best CRM software ranking and our post on the signs you've outgrown a free CRM plan.
"The question we hear most isn't 'which free CRM is best' — it's 'which one will I regret in a year.' Pick the free plan whose paid tier you'd actually be happy to pay for, not just the one with the highest user cap today."
— BestCRMPick Team
Free CRM Alternatives to Consider
If none of the seven above fit, the right next step depends on why. If you've priced out every free plan here and would rather just pay a fair, predictable amount from day one, our best CRM for small business guide ranks eight paid options by cost per seat. If you're an early-stage company that expects headcount and process to change fast, see best CRM for startups for free-first picks with room to grow. And if you want the full field — including tools with no free tier at all, like Salesforce, Pipedrive, and monday CRM — our best CRM software ranking scores all ten on the same six criteria.
Industry-specific teams should also check whether a specialist tool beats a generalist free plan: real estate teams can compare options in our best CRM for real estate guide, and recruiters should see best recruitment CRM, where Zoho Recruit offers its own free plan for one recruiter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free CRM?
HubSpot CRM for most teams: 2 users, 1,000 contacts, no expiry, and the fullest feature set. If you have three people, Zoho CRM, Freshsales, and Attio all offer free plans for 3 users.
Is there a free CRM with unlimited users?
Yes — Bitrix24 is the main mainstream option, with unlimited users on its free plan and a 5GB storage cap instead of a user limit. Every other free-forever plan here caps at 1–3 users.
Is a free CRM good enough for a small business?
For 1–3 people, yes — contacts, deals, pipeline, tasks, and basic email are all covered. You'll outgrow it when you need more users, automation, or custom reports. See our best CRM for small business guide for the paid picks.
Does Salesforce have a free CRM?
No. Salesforce offers a 30-day trial of Starter Suite, then $25 per user per month. Pipedrive and monday CRM also only offer 14-day trials.
What's the best free CRM app for a phone or tablet?
HubSpot, Zoho, Freshsales, Capsule, Attio, and Bitrix24 all have mobile apps on their free plans. Freshsales and Zoho lean strongest on mobile if calling from the app matters most to you.
Our Recommendation
Two people: HubSpot, no contest. Three people: Zoho CRM for breadth, Freshsales if you'll want a phone built in when you upgrade, or Attio if your sales process doesn't fit a standard pipeline. One person: Bigin or Capsule, whichever interface feels more natural in a five-minute trial. More than three people and still want free: Bitrix24. And if you're sales-only and can spend $14 a seat, skip the free tier question entirely and trial Pipedrive.