Comparison guide ยท Prices checked October 11, 2026
Best CRM for small business: HubSpot vs Pipedrive vs Zoho CRM
Three CRMs show up in almost every small-business shortlist. They price very differently: HubSpot starts free and gets expensive as you add features, Pipedrive has no free plan but a simple per-seat ladder, and Zoho CRM is the cheapest paid option with a free plan for up to three people.
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Quick answer
- Smallest budget, up to 3 people: Zoho CRM Free covers three users at $0. HubSpot’s free CRM covers two.
- Cheapest paid seat: Zoho CRM Standard and Pipedrive Lite are both $14 per user a month on annual billing. Once you want automations and email sync, Zoho Professional ($23) is cheaper than Pipedrive Growth ($39).
- Watch HubSpot’s step-ups: the Starter offer for new customers is $7 a seat, but the vendor says it is normally $20, and Professional is roughly $90–$100 a seat with required onboarding.
This is our reading of the pricing structure, not a hands-on test result.
Plans and prices side by side
| Plan | Price per user / month | What the vendor lists | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Free CRM | $0 | “100% free, forever”; the free plan includes 2 users | Vendor page |
| HubSpot Starter | $7 annual or $10 monthly for new customers (limited-time offer); normally $20 | Unlimited users, billed per seat; onboarding not required | Vendor page |
| HubSpot Professional | About $90–$100 | Onboarding is required; the fee was not shown on the pages we could read | Third-party, verify |
| Pipedrive Lite | $14 | Lead, calendar and pipeline management; 500+ integrations | Vendor page |
| Pipedrive Growth | $39 | Adds full email sync with tracking, automations, sequences, forecast reports | Vendor page |
| Pipedrive Premium | $59 | Adds lead routing, scoring, contracts and e-signatures | Vendor page |
| Pipedrive Ultimate | $79 | Adds advanced security, a sandbox account and extended phone support | Vendor page |
| Zoho CRM Free | $0 | Up to 3 users; 10 email templates; 5,000 API calls a day; standard reports | Vendor page |
| Zoho CRM Standard | $14 annual / $20 monthly | Entry paid tier | Third-party, verify |
| Zoho CRM Professional | $23 annual / $35 monthly | Vendor page lists unlimited reports, Google Ads integration, custom portals | Third-party, verify |
| Zoho CRM Enterprise | $40 annual / $50 monthly | Vendor page lists multi-team management, sandbox, field-level encryption | Third-party, verify |
Source tags: Vendor page means we read the figure on the vendor's pricing page on October 11, 2026. Third-party, verify means it comes from an independent pricing tracker and we could not confirm it on the vendor page; check it before you buy. Prices are in US dollars, exclude tax, and change often.
What a team actually pays
Per-seat pricing adds up quickly. These totals multiply the annual-billing price by the number of seats and leave out add-ons and tax.
| Plan (annual billing) | 1 seat | 5 seats | 10 seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Free CRM | $0 | – (2 users) | – (2 users) |
| HubSpot Starter, new-customer offer ($7) | $7 | $35 | $70 |
| HubSpot Starter, regular ($20) | $20 | $100 | $200 |
| Zoho CRM Free | $0 | – (3 users) | – (3 users) |
| Zoho CRM Standard ($14) | $14 | $70 | $140 |
| Pipedrive Lite ($14) | $14 | $70 | $140 |
| Zoho CRM Professional ($23) | $23 | $115 | $230 |
| Pipedrive Growth ($39) | $39 | $195 | $390 |
HubSpot: free to start, pricey to grow
The free CRM costs nothing and the Starter tier is discounted for new customers. The risk is the jump after that: the vendor’s own page calls $20 a seat the normal Starter price, and Professional and Enterprise both require paid onboarding. Plan for the regular price, not the offer, when you budget for year two.
Pipedrive: no free plan, simple ladder
Pipedrive offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card instead of a free plan. Four tiers run from $14 to $79 a seat on annual billing. Email sync and automations only arrive at Growth ($39), so compare that tier, not Lite, if you need them. Add-ons such as LeadBooster and Campaigns are priced separately.
Zoho CRM: lowest paid prices
The free edition allows up to 3 users with some limits (10 custom email templates, 5,000 API calls a day, standard reports). Paid tiers start at $14 a user on annual billing according to the tracker we used; the vendor page we read showed prices in Indian rupees, so confirm the dollar price for your country.
How to choose
- One to three people, simple needs: start on a free plan (Zoho for three seats, HubSpot for two) and upgrade only when a limit blocks you.
- A sales team that lives in a pipeline: price Pipedrive Growth against Zoho Professional for your real seat count.
- You expect to add marketing and service tools later: HubSpot keeps them under one login, so price the whole bundle, not only the CRM.
How this page was made. It compares published pricing and plan limits. We have not run hands-on tests of these products yet, so nothing here is a performance or usability verdict. See our methodology.
Common questions
Is there a truly free CRM?
Yes. HubSpot’s free CRM (2 users) and Zoho CRM Free (up to 3 users) cost $0. Pipedrive has no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Is annual billing cheaper?
Yes. Pipedrive’s page shows annual-billing prices, and the tracker we used lists Zoho at $14 annual versus $20 monthly for Standard. HubSpot’s Starter offer is $7 annual versus $10 monthly.
Are there setup fees?
HubSpot says Professional and Enterprise require onboarding and Starter does not. We could not confirm the onboarding fee, so ask HubSpot for a quote before committing.
When were these prices checked?
October 11, 2026. Vendors change plans and run promotions, so confirm on the vendor’s own page.