Best Free CRM for Small Business
HubSpot CRM and Zoho CRM have free plans with no expiry; Pipedrive and noCRM.io offer free trials. Here is which fits which team, by their published limits.
Quick answer
- Best free CRM for one or two people: HubSpot CRM, free for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts with no expiry date.
- Best free CRM for a team of three: Zoho CRM, whose free edition covers up to 3 users and 5,000 records.
- Best free trials if you will outgrow free: Pipedrive (14 days, every plan, no card) and noCRM.io (15 days, no card; 30 days if you add payment details).
- First paid plans: Zoho Standard $14, Pipedrive Lite $14, noCRM.io Starter $13 and HubSpot Starter $7 (HubSpot’s is a new-customer offer) per seat a month, billed annually.
The free plans compared
Two of the CRMs we track have a free plan with no expiry, and two have a free trial. These are the limits each vendor publishes.
| HubSpot CRM | Zoho CRM | Pipedrive | noCRM.io | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free option | Free CRM, no expiry | Free edition, no expiry | 14-day trial, no card | 15-day trial, no card |
| Published limits | Up to 2 users, 1,000 contacts | Up to 3 users, 5,000 records, 150 emails a day, 5 workflow rules | Trial of any plan | Trial of any plan (30 days if payment details are added) |
| First paid plan (annual) | Starter: $7 (new-customer offer) | Standard: $14 | Lite: $14 | Starter: $13 |
Prices per seat per month in US dollars, excluding tax. HubSpot, Zoho and noCRM.io terms read on the vendors’ pages on October 19, 2026; Pipedrive’s trial terms read on Pipedrive’s pricing page on October 16, 2026.
| Tool | Paid from (per month) | Free plan | Free trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 HubSpot CRM | $7 Starter, annual | Yes | – | Visit |
 Zoho CRM | $14 Standard, annual | Yes | 15 days | Visit |
 Pipedrive | $14 Lite, annual | No | 14 days, no card | Visit |
 noCRM.io | $13 Starter, annual | No | 15 days, no card | Visit |
Best free CRM for one or two people: HubSpot CRM
HubSpot’s free CRM page says it is “100% free, with no expiration date” for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with no credit card needed. It includes contact and deal management, tasks, deal pipelines, a reporting dashboard, email tracking, templates, meeting scheduling, live chat and sales quotes. Paid Starter seats add unlimited users, remove HubSpot branding and add email and live chat support; the price is $7 a seat annual on a limited-time offer (HubSpot lists $20 as normal).
Pros of HubSpot CRM
- No expiry date and no credit card for the free plan.
- Many sales and marketing tools included free.
- One platform to grow into.
Things to consider with HubSpot CRM
- Free is capped at 2 users and 1,000 contacts.
- HubSpot branding appears on free emails and live chat.
- Higher plans have one-time onboarding fees.
More detail: best CRM for small business.
Best free CRM for a team of three: Zoho CRM
Zoho says its free edition is free forever for up to three users. Zoho’s free-edition guide (read October 19, 2026) lists 5,000 records, 150 emails a day without Zoho branding, five active workflow rules, 1 GB of storage and integrations with seven free Zoho apps. When you need more, Standard is $14 a user (annual) and Professional is $23.
Pros of Zoho CRM
- Free for up to 3 users.
- Higher record count and email allowance on the free edition than the other free option here.
- Low-priced paid tiers.
Things to consider with Zoho CRM
- Free edition limits such as five workflow rules and 1 GB of storage.
- Extra users need a paid plan.
Best free trial for a visual sales pipeline: Pipedrive
Pipedrive has no free plan, but every plan has a 14-day free trial with no credit card. Lite is $14 a seat (annual) and includes deal and pipeline management, a calendar view and AI-powered report creation; Growth ($39) adds two-way email sync and automations. Pipedrive pricing guide →
Pros of Pipedrive
- 14-day trial of any plan, no card.
- Pipeline-focused, with 500+ integrations.
Things to consider with Pipedrive
- No free plan after the trial.
- Email sync and automations start on Growth.
Best free trial for lead-based follow-up: noCRM.io
noCRM.io’s pricing page (read October 19, 2026) says every plan has a 15-day free trial with no credit card, extended to 30 days if you add payment details. Starter, for new customers, is $13 a user (annual) and covers 500 leads in one pipeline with 4 custom fields; Expert ($26) lifts these limits.
Pros of noCRM.io
- 15-day trial, no card, with a 30-day option.
- Simple lead-based pipeline for small teams.
Things to consider with noCRM.io
- No free plan after the trial.
- Starter is limited to 500 leads, one pipeline and 4 custom fields.
What research says about using a CRM
A peer-reviewed 2026 study of 103 small and medium food and beverage businesses in East Java, Indonesia found that customer relationship management had a significant effect on business performance (Indrawati, Prasetyo and Rusdiyanto, Problems and Perspectives in Management, doi:10.21511/ppm.24(1).2026.19). It studied the practice of managing customer relationships, not a specific product or a free plan, so use it as context for why a CRM matters rather than as a comparison of the tools below.
Watch
Which is best for you?
- Best for a solo founder or pair: HubSpot CRM, free for 2 users and 1,000 contacts.
- Best for three users or more records: Zoho CRM, free for 3 users and 5,000 records.
- Best for testing a pipeline CRM before paying: Pipedrive, 14 days, no card.
- Best for simple lead follow-up: noCRM.io, 15 days, no card.
Use the team cost calculator to estimate paid plans, and see free plans and trials and CRM software for more.
Common questions
What is the best free CRM for a small business?
It depends on size: HubSpot CRM suits one or two people (up to 2 users, 1,000 contacts) and Zoho CRM suits three (up to 3 users, 5,000 records).
Does Pipedrive have a free plan?
No. It has a 14-day free trial of every plan with no credit card.
Does noCRM.io have a free plan?
No. It offers a 15-day free trial with no card, or 30 days if you add payment details.
Can I upgrade later?
Yes. HubSpot says you can upgrade a free account without moving your data; Zoho lists paid editions from Standard.
Sources
- HubSpot, free CRM, Starter, read October 19, 2026.
- Zoho CRM, free edition and pricing, read October 19, 2026.
- noCRM.io pricing, nocrm.io/pricing, read October 19, 2026.
- Pipedrive pricing, pipedrive.com/en/pricing, read October 16, 2026.
- Indrawati, M., Prasetyo, I. and Rusdiyanto, R. (2026). Problems and Perspectives in Management, 24(1). doi:10.21511/ppm.24(1).2026.19.
- Videos on YouTube: HubSpot and Pipedrive, channels checked with YouTube oEmbed on October 19, 2026.