Cheapest CRM Software Plans in 2025

office workers typing on laptops using best cheap crm software

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There are cheap CRM software plans that can provide you with all the essential tools you’ll need to engage with customers and clients without unnecessary spending, so you can get the best CRM software for your business without compromising on functionality.

Based on our research, the best cheap CRM software package is HubSpot’s Free plan. It comes with sales, customer service, and marketing features, allowing you to manage a complex sales pipeline, resolve customer issues, and run marketing campaigns for zero cost.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to scale your operations, monday CRM’s cheapest package, the Basic plan, has unlimited user capacity and some of the best customization options around. Plus, it’s still a low-cost option at $12 to $15 per user, per month. In this article, we’ve got the full lowdown on HubSpot, monday CRM, and 5 other cheap CRM solutions worth considering.

HubSpot vector
HubSpot Free is our researchers' top cheap CRM software for value for money.

Try it from $0

New logo of monday CRM
Our researchers found monday CRM’s Pro Plan plan to offer the best customization features.

Try its 14-day free trial

Zendesk logo
Our researchers were impressed by Zendesk's easy data visualization options.

Try its 30-day free trial

Best Cheap CRM Software 2025: At a glance

  1. Hubspot (from $0/month) – Most generous free plan
  2. Freshsales (from $0/month) – Best free plan for integrated connections
  3. Zoho CRM (from $0/month) – Best free plan for modest data needs
  4. monday CRM (from $12/month) – Best cheap CRM for customization
  5. Pipedrive (from $14/month) – Best cheap CRM for data protection
  6. Zendesk (from $19/month) – Best cheap CRM for easy data visualization
  7. Salesforce (from $25/month) – Best cheap CRM for email communication

Click on any of the links above to look at each provider’s website. We based our recommendations on our in-house testing and research.

The 7 Best Cheap CRM Software: Reviews

The three providers listed above are the best of the bunch, and we’ll go into a bit more detail about why they performed the best shortly. However, they’re not the only CRM platforms worth considering for your business in 2025.

So, make sure you scroll on down to our in-depth reviews if you’d like to find out more. However, if you don’t have time for that, here’s a whistlestop tour of the top cheap CRM solutions we’ve researched and tested:

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Salesforce’s Starter Suite

HubSpot’s Free Plan

Freshsales’ Sprout Plan

Zoho CRM’s Free Edition

monday CRM’s Basic Plan

Pipedrive’s Essential Plan

Zendesk’s Support Team Plan

Best for

Email Communication

Best for

Most Generous Free Plan

Best for

Best free plan for integrated connections

Best for

Best free plan for modest data needs

Best for

Customization

Best for

Data Protection

Best for

Easy Data Visualizations

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Test Summary: Why HubSpot Came Out on Top

After testing these CRM providers, I think HubSpot’s free plan will be the best option for businesses on a budget such as startups that want a comprehensive, user-friendly platform that won’t take them ages to set up.

HubSpot’s user interface is highly intuitive and everything is set out incredibly clearly – in fact, there are loads of instructions are provided during setup. This means you’ll get used to it quickly, even if you’ve never used CRM software before – initially, it’s a much easier ride than a platform like Salesforce.

Of course, it’s not without its downsides – there are minimal support options, and storage is limited, although not all businesses need vast amounts of storage. Besides, if you already have an established client base and you want to get organized, engage more regularly with your clients, or run a marketing campaign, you can get into this right away.

The real crunch point is that HubSpot’s free plan now has a limit of two users per account, previously having been five users (and unlimited before that). Ultimately, this may be an issue for businesses trying to grow their staff numbers. But besides this, there are no other downsides to doing it for free with a platform like HubSpot.

James Macey CRM Research Lead, Expert Market

1. HubSpot’s Free Plan: Most Generous Free Plan

Price: Free

HubSpot's Free Plan
Pricing Free
Strengths

Free CRM platform

Impressive email capabilities

Abundant marketing tools

Weaknesses

2 user limit

Limited customizability

No phone, chat, and email support

Pricing
Free
No monthly fees

HubSpot’s key features on its free plan

HubSpot’s free CRM is one of the most generous available. Key features include:

Unlimited contacts – Manage up to 1,000,000 contacts (companies, leads, deals) but with a two-seat user cap.
Core sales tools – Contact, company, deal, task, and ticket management with an easy-to‐use visual pipeline.
Email & meeting tools – Email tracking and notifications, customizable email templates, and integrated meeting scheduling (with Gmail, Outlook, etc.).
Live chat & chatbots – Built-in live chat functionality that can be set up with simple chatbot rules to engage website visitors.
Basic reporting & dashboards – A set of customizable dashboards and basic reporting tools to monitor sales performance.
Integrations – Out-of-the-box integrations with popular tools (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, and other HubSpot marketing tools).

Why do we recommend HubSpot’s Free plan?

What’s so good about HubSpot? Here’s a glance at why its free plan could be an option for your team:

  • Value for money: At zero cost, you could save big compared to the likes of Salesforce’s cheapest plan, which would cost at least $300 per year (albeit, for more features and functionality). In return for nothing, you get one million contacts to play with, great for any rapid growth of your business, whereas fellow cost-free option Zoho CRM has a limit of 5,000 records.
  • Ease of use: When we tested HubSpot, we found the email scheduling and tracking tool both straightforward and efficient. It didn’t take long to create professional-looking emails and schedule them to be sent to those in our contact base. You can even generate auto-responses, which saves a lot of time. Organizational features, such as reminders and meeting scheduling, also help you manage your appointments.
image of hubspot crm's email template tool
We found HubSpot's email editor really easy to use, thanks to the templates - Source: Expert Market
  • All-in-one functionality: Offers a central place for contact management, such as static and dynamic contact lists, sales pipelines (with detailed activity logs) and basic support ticketing via a queuing system (inside HubSpot’s ‘service’ section of its software) without financial commitment.

Any drawbacks to HubSpot’s Free plan?

There are some key reasons why HubSpot’s free plan may not be for you:

  • User limitation: Restricted to 2 users. Previously this was five users (and unlimited before that), making it a major challenge for teams larger than two to work effectively. The free plans of Freshsales and Zoho’s free plans both allow up to 3 users, although we’d argue they are less advanced in terms of features and one extra user isn’t much of a difference.
  • File storage: Limited to 5 documents per person. If you don’t have any external storage, such as with Google Workspace, this is another hurdle to manage.
  • No direct support: Lacks phone, chat, and email support, which is far from ideal should you need to troubleshoot any issues with the CRM.
  • Customization limits: Only 10 custom fields; no custom task types or objects. To get full customization of columns and rows on your boards, the best option we recommend is Monday CRM (although, it doesn’t offer a free plan and instead starts from $12 per user, per month).
  • Basic marketing suite: Advanced social media marketing features and automation tools are largely restricted to HubSpot’s paid plans.
hubspot navigation bar with subtools
Hovering over each section in the left-hand navigation bar reveals sub-tools to swiftly dive in to - Source: Matt Reed / Expert Market

What businesses is HubSpot’s Free Plan best suited to?

Our research suggests HubSpot’s Free Plan is an affordable option for small businesses, startups, and freelancers seeking a comprehensive CRM solution for small user numbers and without any financial commitment. It offers tools to contact clients, schedule email marketing campaigns, and generally maintain a streamlined sales pipeline.

Therefore, this free plan can help these growing operations manage customer relationships effectively, so long as you can live with fewer than two user accounts. And given its user-friendly interface and extensive resources, HubSpot should be accessible for those new to CRM systems.

If you’re interested in more CRM recommendations, explore our guide to the best CRM software for small businesses.

How much do HubSpot’s other plans cost?

Beyond its generous free CRM, HubSpot offers several paid tiers that add advanced sales, marketing, and customer service functionality.

It’s worth mentioning that the marketing suites that HubSpot offer are considerably more expensive than the sales and customer service equivalents, starting at $890 per month for its Professional plan and $3,600 per month for its Enterprise plan. But for the other two, they have the same prices, which we’ve listed below

Plan TierMonthly cost (per seat)*Key features
Free CRM$0Unlimited contacts, basic sales tools, forms, landing pages, live chat (with HubSpot branding)
Starter$15 (annual) / $20 (monthly)Starter versions of Sales, Marketing, and Service tools; removal of branding; basic automation and reporting
Professional~$100Advanced automation, custom reporting, predictive analytics, and deeper integrations
Enterprise~$150Extensive customization, advanced team management, priority support, and enterprise‑grade scalability

*Prices vary based on number of users and selected add‑ons. Starter pricing applies to HubSpot’s Customer Platform bundle for startups/small businesses.

2.  Freshsales’ Sprout Plan: Best for Integrated Connections

Price: Free

Freshsales Logo
Freshsales's Sprout Plan
Pricing Free
Strengths

A variety of marketing tools

Highest in our usability rating

Efficient contact management features

Weaknesses

Zero customer service features

Tricky to customize

Could be more intuitive and user-friendly

Pricing
Free
No monthly fees

Freshsales’s key features on its cheapest plan

Freshsales (by Freshworks CRM) offers a “Forever Free” (Sprout) plan designed for smaller teams. The free plan includes:

Lead, contact & deal management – Manage your leads, contacts, accounts, and deals with an intuitive visual sales pipeline.
Two-way email sync – Integrate your email (Gmail/Outlook) to track emails and conversations directly within the CRM.
Built-in phone & live chat – Access basic phone capabilities and live chat features for real-time customer engagement.
Mobile app – Stay connected on the go with iOS and Android apps.
Essential integrations & 24×5 support – Benefit from a modest selection of integrations plus standard support via email and chat.

Note: Advanced reporting and some automation features are not available in the free edition.

Why do we recommend Freshsales’ Sprout plan?

  • No-cost, essential CRM: Completely free, the Freshsales Sprout plan has a robust foundation of CRM functionalities designed specifically for small teams of up to 3 users.
  • Integrated communication tools: Notably, you’ll have basic two-way email sync and built‑in phone capabilities so that you can handle customer communications directly within the CRM, too. That’s not something possible on the other two free plans by HubSpot or Zoho.
  • Core sales: This includes a Kanban sales pipeline to manage leads, plus separate pipelines for contacts, accounts, and deals that provide clear insights into your sales process. As well as that, there are lead & deal management functionality to track and update deal statuses, set reminders, and capture essential customer interactions for any ongoing sales.
  • Basic reporting & activity tracking: Offers preset dashboards and basic reporting tools to monitor sales activities, track deal progress, and evaluate overall performance. Calls, meetings, and tasks are also logged automatically to maintain a comprehensive view of customer interactions, sufficient for small teams.
freshsales crm's kanban view for its project management
We found the deals pipeline easy to manage with Freshsales' Kanban view - Source: Expert Market
Looking to switch providers?

We recommend the Freshsales Growth plan to teams looking to upscale quickly, due to its unlimited user capacity.

Any drawbacks to Freshsales’ Sprout plan?

  • Limited scalability: Restricted to 3 users, the Sprout plan might not suffice as your business grows or if you need to handle larger volumes of customer records.
  • Basic automation & customization: Similarly, while it offers the essential tools, advanced workflow automation, deeper customization, and more comprehensive analytics are available only in Freshsales’ paid plans (Blossom, Garden, or Estate).
  • Less stylish platform: As you can see from the image above, the interface isn’t particularly user-friendly, either, and we found it much easier to get to grips with other options like HubSpot.
freshsales crm plan pricing
Freshsales has a number of affordable plans, including a free option if you wanted to test the software before committing long-term - Source: Freshsales

What businesses is Freshsales’ Sprout Plan best suited to?

Freshsales’ Sprout plan caters to growing businesses that require CRM functionalities for no cost whatsoever. Organizations that manage a moderate volume of customer data can benefit from its simplistic pipeline and useful, built‑in communication tools for phone and live chat.

How much do Freshsales’s other plans cost?

Freshsales offers a range of paid plans that scale in functionality as your business grows. In addition to its free “Sprout” plan, paid tiers include:

Plan TierPrice (Monthly, Billed Annually)Key Features
Sprout (Free)$0 (for up to 3 users)Basic lead, contact & deal management, 2‑way email sync, built‑in phone & live chat, mobile app, essential integrations and support
Growth$9 per user/monthKanban views for contacts/accounts/deals, contact lifecycle stages, built‑in chat/email/phone, email templates, basic workflows, 24×5 support
Pro$39 per user/monthFreddy AI–powered contact scoring & deal insights, advanced custom fields, auto-assignment rules, territory management, multiple pipelines, advanced workflows, custom reports
Enterprise$59 per user/monthAdds field‑level permissions, custom modules, forecasting insights, workflows for custom modules, sandbox, and audit logs for compliance
Need more general CRM recommendations?

Read our picks for the best overall CRM software systems.

3. Zoho CRM’s Free Edition: Best for Small Businesses with Modest Data Needs

Price: Free

Zoho logo
Zoho CRM's Free Edition Plan
Pricing Free
Strengths

Most comprehensive feature list

Perfect customer service score

Outstanding sales and contact management tools

Weaknesses

Limited file storage

Initial setup is tedious

Not the cheapest option

Pricing
Free
No monthly fees

Zoho CRM’s key features on its cheapest plan

Zoho CRM offers a free edition that is ideal for small businesses or teams with basic needs. The Free Edition includes:

User & record limits – Free for up to 3 users with a limit on the number of records per module.
Core CRM functionalities – Manage leads, contacts, accounts, deals, tasks, events, call logs, and notes.
Basic email integration – Connect your email accounts to send/receive messages and schedule follow-ups.
Limited customization & reporting – Create basic custom fields, lists, and reports, along with access to standard dashboards.
Mobile access – Manage your CRM on the go via the Zoho mobile app.

While it covers the essentials, advanced automation, analytics, and extensive customization are available only in paid editions.

Why do we recommend Zoho’s CRM Free Edition plan?

Zoho CRM’s Free Edition offers a solid foundation for managing your customer relationships at no cost. Here’s why it could be an excellent option for small teams and startups:

  • Value for money: Completely free for up to 3 users, making it a cost‑effective entry point compared to the Standard, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate plans which start at a monthly fee per user.
  • Core CRM capabilities: Includes essential modules—leads, accounts, contacts, and deals—to build and manage your sales pipeline, similar to the paid plans but without advanced extras like integrated CPQ or inventory management.
  • Basic sales force automation: Supports core activities such as logging tasks, meetings, and calls (with basic reminders) and offers fundamental lead scoring (up to 10 criteria per module), while more sophisticated automation and macros are reserved for higher tiers.
  • Usability & customization: We rated Zoho highly for its ease of use in our testing of the platform, especially with the “Deals” module that allows you to tailor your sales pipeline to your business processes. You can add custom fields during the data import process, providing a degree of customization that ensures your CRM reflects your unique project needs. The data import process is customizable too, offering a higher level of precision to the overall CRM setup.
zoho crm contact import page, showing a list table of names and their contact details
We found Zoho's data importation process to be customizable, which gave a higher level of precision to the entire CRM - Source: Expert Market
  • Standard reporting & analytics: Provides access to standard reports and preset dashboards, plus the ability to create up to 100 custom reports and schedule up to 100 report schedules, with up to 10 custom dashboards—sufficient for small teams, though advanced analytics and unlimited reporting come with the paid editions.
  • Essential marketing automation: Offers mass emailing capability (limited to 250 emails per day per organization), 10 custom email templates, and 3 autoresponders per module, which covers basic marketing needs compared to the higher limits in paid plans.
  • Basic Zia functionality: It also includes minimal AI features (for example, a prediction builder set at 2 per organization) while advanced Zia capabilities like detailed scoring, sentiment analysis, and recommendation builders require higher-tier licenses.

Any drawbacks to Zoho’s Free Edition plan?

Zoho’s Free Edition plan isn’t the most advanced option around, namely:

  • User limitation: The Free Edition is restricted to 3 users, which may not suffice as your team grows, albeit that’s one more seat than HubSpot’s free plan.
  • Limited advanced features: However, we’d argue Zoho CRM has fewer advanced features than HubSpot on its free plan. It lacks functionalities like multiple pipelines, inventory management, and comprehensive analytics that are available only in its paid plans.
  • Basic support channels: Support is primarily limited to online resources and community forums, so you won’t have access to dedicated email or phone support if issues arise.
  • Small storage allowance: While Zoho’s free plan allows up to 5,000 records per module (approximately 10 MB per module), it has a max of 1GB of file storage for the organization. That might be suitable for small-scale operations but is less robust than the data capacities available in paid editions.
  • Customization constraints: While you can add custom fields during data import, overall workflow automation and advanced customization options are more limited compared to higher-tier editions.
zoho crm pricing and plans
Zoho has four plans on offer, with its Standard plan being the cheapest available - Source: Zoho CRM

What businesses is Zoho CRM’s Free Edition best suited to?

Given it has a limited number of users (up to 3) per account, we’d argue Zoho CRM’s Free Edition is only appropriate for small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs that require essential CRM functions and sales pipelines without significant financial commitment.

If you need more users, advanced automation, extensive customizations, or data limits, you’ll either need to upgrade to a paid plan (that we’ll detail shortly), or opt for a different free plan on this page.

How much do Zoho CRM’s other plans cost?

Zoho CRM’s free edition (for up to 3 users) covers the basics, but its paid plans expand the feature set significantly should you ever need to upgrade. Their tiered pricing (typically billed annually) is approximately:

Plan tierPrice (monthly, billed annually)Key features
Free Edition$0 (for up to 3 users)Basic CRM functions: leads, contacts, accounts, deals, tasks, events, call logs, limited email integration, and basic customizations
Standard~$14 per user/monthAdds workflow rules, additional customization (more custom fields and email templates), and standard reporting
Professional~$23 per user/monthEnhanced automation, advanced reporting & analytics, expanded integration options, and further customization options
Enterprise~$40 per user/monthExtensive customization, advanced analytics, modules for territory management, and enhanced security and collaboration features
Ultimate~$52 per user/monthFull suite of advanced CRM features including advanced business intelligence tools and complete CRM customization

4. monday CRM’s Basic Plan: Best for Customization

Price: $12 per user, per month (billed annually), or $15 per user, per month (billed monthly)

The logo of monday CRM
monday CRM Basic Plan
Pricing $12 - $15
Strengths

Best customization features

Outstanding email tools

Top-notch contact management features

Weaknesses

Subpar marketing features

Pricing
$12 per user, per month (when billed annually)$15 per user, per month (when billed monthly)
Minimum of three (3) users, and then ascend in multiples of 5 (though unlimited free viewers) Minimum of three (3) users, and then ascend in multiples of 5 (though unlimited free viewers)
Works out to minimum $144 per year, paid up front for three (3) users For three (3) users and paying monthly, it costs $180 per year
Cancel anytime before it is next billed by switching off auto-renewal in account settings Cancel anytime before it is next billed by switching off auto-renewal in account settings

monday CRM’s key features on its cheapest plan

monday CRM does not offer a permanently free CRM plan, although it does offer users a 14-day free trial to test its service. The next cheapest option is the Basic CRM plan—starting at $12 per user/month (billed annually). Key features include:

  • Lead & contact management – Organize leads, contacts, and deals with customizable pipelines and boards.
  • Integrated communication tools – Benefit from email integration and activity tracking to monitor customer interactions.
  • Customizable dashboards & reporting – Build visual dashboards by combining data from individual CRM boards.
  • Workflow automation & integrations – Test basic workflow automations and integrate with other productivity tools during the trial period.

Why do we recommend monday CRM’s Basic plan?

  • Affordable entry-level solution: While not free, monday CRM’s Basic plan is priced from just $12 per user/month, which isn’t much compared to the cheapest paid plans of other providers; Salesforce ($25) is more than double that cost. Better yet, there are no hidden fees meaning you have unlimited contacts, pipelines, and boards, to organize your data without worrying about extra costs. Plus, you have unlimited viewer access meaning you can add as many team members to view data in a read-only mode as you want.
Monday CRM deals tab board
On Monday CRM, you can view items in multiple different ways to write notes and move things along the pipeline as and when required - Source: Matt Reed / Expert Market
  • Intuitive & streamlined design: We found monday.com CRM to have one of the best interfaces we’ve tested for CRM. It uses a clean, drag‑and‑drop design that makes it simple to manage leads, contacts, and deals—ideal for teams with minimal training needs. It also has 200+ pre-built templates for lead, contact, and deal management to help you quickly set up your CRM with over 20 column types.
  • Clean data: Relatedly, its data import/export process is very smooth too, and there are features like list segmentation that help you organize the information you’re storing.
contacts board for monday CRM
Monday CRM walks you through the creation of your different boards but the interface is pretty self-explanatory and aesthetically pleasing too - Source: Matt Reed / Expert Market
  • Core features on a customizable CRM: With monday.com CRM, you can build and modify unlimited, customizable pipelines to fit your sales cycle without needing developer support. All the essential modules are there to manage key data—leads, contacts, accounts, and deals—in one unified system, and you’ll have access to reporting tools through preset dashboards (based on a single board) to track your performance.
Monday.com CRM showing different column options you can create within the web-app
monday.com shines when it comes to customization. Here's a glimpse at its Column Center - Source: Expert Market
  • Always connected & collaborative: Monday CRM has outstanding organization tools, such as reminders and a meeting scheduling feature to help you keep track of your commitments. You’ve got item and board activity logs to make sure everyone is in the know about what is going on in real time too, with the ability to create and/or reply to comments on individual items. That functionality extends to dedicated iOS and Android apps to keep your team connected on the go.

Any drawbacks to monday CRM’s Basic plan?

Besides being a paid option, unlike the free plans discussed above, there are a few drawbacks to monday CRM’s Basic plan compared to its higher cost tiers:

  • Restricted dashboard flexibility: When using a dashboard, you’ll be limited to combining data from only one board. That may hinder comprehensive data visualization when compared to plans that support multi-board dashboards.
  • Limited advanced automation & integration: While you get basic CRM functions, features like advanced workflow automation and deeper third-party integrations are only available in the Standard and higher plans.
  • Basic customization scope: You can add custom fields and modify pipelines to a greater extent than most free plans on this page. However, the overall customization options (for reports, dashboards, and automation rules) are more limited than what you can get at higher cost monday.com CRM plans.
monday crm pricing and plans
Monday CRM's pricing varies depending on the number of seats you require, so it's worth using its pricing tool to work out the cost for your team - Source: monday.com

What businesses is monday CRM’s Basic plan best suited to?

monday CRM’s Basic plan is ideal for businesses that require high customization in their CRM system. Users’ ability to tailor fields, dashboards, and workflows to fit specific business processes makes it suitable for teams that need adaptability in managing different projects and customer relationship needs. Plus, as your team grows, you’ve got scope to improve this customization.

This may lead it to be best suited to creative agencies or firms that are primarily project-driven and will therefore need to adapt their CRM to specific and unique client needs.

How much do monday CRM’s other plans cost?

monday CRM is offered on a tiered subscription model. Beyond the Basic CRM plan, the higher plans are priced as follows:

Plan TierPrice (Monthly, Billed Annually)Key Features
Basic CRM~$12 per user/monthBasic lead and contact management via customizable boards, essential dashboards, limited integrations and automation actions
Standard CRM~$17 per user/monthAdds enhanced collaboration features, additional integrations, increased automation actions, and guest access
Pro CRM~$28 per user/monthAdvanced reporting, expanded storage, integration of more board views (private boards, chart views), time tracking, and advanced customizations
Enterprise CRMCustom pricingTailored for large organizations with complex workflows, offering advanced security, premium support, and full customization

5.  Pipedrive’s Essential Plan: Best for Data Protection

Price: $14 per user, per month (billed annually), or $24 per user, per month (billed monthly)

Pipedrive's Essential Plan
Pricing $14 -$24
Strengths

Strong security features

User-friendly features

Productive organization and contact management tools

Weaknesses

No file storage

Marketing tools are an add-on

Lacks customer service features

Pricing
$14 per user, per month (when billed annually)$24 per month (when billed monthly)
$168 paid annually at the start of the year $288 paid per year at a rate of $24 per month
Price is for unlimited users (with no minimum required) Price is for unlimited users (with no minimum required)
Cancel anytime before renewal date Cancel anytime before renewal date

Pipedrive’s key features on its cheapest plan

Pipedrive does not offer a free, forever plan, either (although it does, similarly to other providers, have a 14-day free trial for users). Instead, you can start with the Essential plan—the next lowest-cost option—priced at around $14 per user/month (billed annually). The Essential plan includes:

  • Customizable sales pipeline – Organize deals with a visual pipeline and tailor fields to match your sales process.
  • Contact & deal management – Efficiently manage leads, contacts, and deals within an intuitive interface.
  • Email integration & activity tracking – Sync your email to log calls, emails, and follow-ups directly within Pipedrive.
  • Basic reporting & dashboard views – Access fundamental reporting tools to monitor sales performance and forecast revenue.

Why do we recommend Pipedrive’s Essentials plan?

If your business deals with sensitive information, and doesn’t mind paying the second-highest figure on this page (albeit still cheap compared to the best CRMs around) we recommend Pipedrive’s Essentials plan.

  • Budget-friendly, focused CRM: Pipedrive’s Essential plan is a cost‑effective solution designed to support small sales teams without the extra bells and whistles of higher tiers. It tracks up to 3,000 open deals per company and allows for 30 custom fields per company. You’ll also have support for three teams per company with custom visibility and permissions, plus native mobile apps for both Android and iOS with real‑time sync across platforms.
screenshot of pipedrive action on deal
The Pipedrive interface is another CRM tool that has a modern UI that makes it simple to tick off tasks as complete - Source: Expert Market
  • Robust sales process tools: Offering customizable pipeline fields and deal cards that you can create and modify to match your sales cycle, Pipedrive Essentials has a decent amount of sales tools for its low cost. Similarly, its lead’s inbox, deal rotting, data import/export, and duplicate merge capabilities keep your sales data clean and organized. You also have a built-in product catalog with support for subscriptions/installments, which is helpful for businesses that sell both products and services.
pipedrive deals page and then creating an email
Within the 'Deals' section of Pipedrive, you can easily dive into profiles to access customer information, previous call or message logs, create new emails as I do here, and much more - Source: Matt Reed / Expert Market
  • Simplified automation & reporting: The Essentials plan supports up to 30 active automation per user with basic delay/wait options (3 steps per automation) to streamline repetitive tasks. There are also 15 reports per user and a visual dashboard (1 per account) that provides key metrics like deal and activity reports to help monitor performance without complex setups.
Pipedrive CRM's automation setup page showing different nodes and actions that will be complete
Despite being a more complicated feature to set up, automations can make your CRM system easier to use in the long run - Source: Expert Market
  • API & integration readiness: Comes with API access and 30,000 API tokens per company (based on paid seats), allowing you to connect Pipedrive with other tools for a more integrated workflow.
  • Streamlined communication & collaboration: You’ll also get 1 active email sync per user along with features like email open and click tracking, customizable templates, and scheduling. That means each user can keep their communications directly in sync with any sales processes.

Any drawbacks to Pipedrive’s Essentials plan?

The catch is, Pipedrive’s Essentials plan has no file storage. Not to mention, you have to activate the lead booster add-on for $32.50 per month to access Pipedrive’s marketing tools.

With caps on open deals (3,000) and custom fields (30 per company), larger sales organizations may quickly outgrow the Essential plan’s limitations, too. Similarly, more advanced workflow rules, extensive custom dashboards, and higher automation limits are available only in the Advanced, Professional, or higher tiers. The same is true of add‑ons like advanced email syncs or enhanced sales assistant tools.

What businesses is Pipedrive’s Essentials plan best suited to?

Pipedrive Essentials is a solid choice for sales teams looking to start their business operations with a cost-effective CRM solution. Companies that manage a moderate volume of deals and require only the core functionalities of pipeline, lead, and deal management without advanced marketing or inventory features will find it a suitable choice.

How much do Pipedrive’s other plans cost?

Pipedrive has several tiers beyond the Essential plan. The additional tiers include:

Plan tierPrice (monthly, billed annually)Key features
Essential~$14 per user/monthEntry‑level CRM with customizable pipelines, contact & deal management, email integration, and basic activity tracking
Advanced~$39 per user/monthEnhanced communication tools, increased automation options, and additional customization features
Professional~$49 per user/monthAdvanced reporting, revenue forecasting, detailed analytics, and expanded customization options
Power~$64 per user/monthFurther enhanced automation features, premium support, and additional workflow options for growing teams
Enterprise~$99 per user/monthComprehensive solution with full customization, advanced security controls, extensive integrations, and dedicated support for enterprise‑grade requirements

6.  Zendesk’s Support Team Plan: Best for Easy Data Visualization

Price: $19 per user, per month (billed annually), or $25 per user, per month (billed monthly)

Zendesk logo
Zendesk's Support Team Plan
Pricing $19-$25
Strengths

Intuitive and user-friendly interface

A variety pre-made reports to choose from

Good value for money

Weaknesses

Missing marketing features

No customer service tools

Pricing
$19 per user, per month (when billed annually)$25 per user, per month (when billed monthly)
$228 paid upfront for each user at the start of the year $300 paid in total for the year per user, paid monthly ($25 per month)
No minimum number of users No minimum number of users
Notice of non-renewal required at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of subscription term, or renewed on same terms Notice of non-renewal required at least thirty (30) days prior to the end of subscription term, or renewed on same terms

Zendesk’s key features on its cheapest plan

Zendesk does not offer a permanently free CRM plan, although US-based businesses you can take advantage of a free 14-day trial of their Support plans. Instead, the cheapest package it offers is the Zendesk Support Team plan which costs $19 per user, per month (or $25 per agent/month monthly). It provides essential features, including:

  • Ticketing system – Convert incoming support emails (and select social media channels) into a unified ticketing system, ensuring that every customer inquiry is tracked and addressed.
  • Multichannel support – Handle customer requests from channels such as email, Twitter, and Facebook, so you can provide timely responses where your customers are most active.
  • Business rules & automation – Set up simple workflows based on business rules to streamline ticket routing and basic automation, helping to ensure that tickets are assigned efficiently.
  • Reporting & analytics dashboards – Access prebuilt dashboards and reporting tools that allow you to monitor support performance and identify trends, even at this entry-level tier.

Why do we recommend Zendesk’s Support Team plan?

Here’s a glance at why this entry-level Zendesk option might work for your support team:

  • Value for money: Although Zendesk doesn’t offer a free plan, its Support Team option is an affordable choice at roughly $19 per agent/month (annually billed). This plan delivers essential support tools without many of the pricier add-ons found in higher tiers.
  • Ease of use: During our testing, we found the ticketing interface to be intuitive—agents can quickly convert incoming emails and social messages into actionable tickets. The built-in workflows and preconfigured business rules simplify the process of ticket routing and basic automation, so teams can start working right away.
  • All-in-One Support Functionality: Manage inquiries from email, Twitter, and Facebook in one unified, multichannel ticketing system. Likewise, you can access customer details and support history to deliver personalized service, even if it isn’t a full-scale sales CRM.
  • Customization options: Modify fields, dashboards, and task types to align with your business processes and enforce data consistency. There are both preset and customizable dashboards to track agent performance and customer satisfaction, ensuring you’re on top of key support metrics.
zendesk software demo showing agent tools
You can get a guided tour to Zendesk's software via its website, just as we did here - Source: Expert Market

Any drawbacks to Zendesk’s Support Team plan?

While it offers a solid foundation, there are a few considerations:

  • Limited advanced features: It lacks marketing functionalities such as web forms, visitor tracking, and drip campaigns—which might be crucial if you’re looking for a combined sales and support solution. If they are a must, then look at Freshsales’ Growth plan, which includes web forms, website visitor tracking, and marketing drip campaigns.
  • Basic automation: The automation features are simple; more complex workflows and integrations require upgrading to higher tiers.
  • Primarily a support tool: Although it provides basic CRM-like functions (e.g., contact and deal management), it isn’t designed to replace a full-featured CRM system if your needs extend to advanced sales and marketing functions. Zendesk does offer more fully-fledged CRM plans, but they start from an expensive $55 per seat, per month.
zendesk crm pricing and plans list
Zendesk has the largest number of CRM plans on this page, though for its Support line of CRM tools, it has three - Source: Zendesk

What businesses is Zendesk’s Support Team plan best suited to?

Small to medium-sized businesses focusing on customer support and engagement should find Zendesk’s Support Team plan among the best cheap CRM options on the market.

Its intuitive data visualization tools, preset and custom dashboards, and comprehensive reporting features encourage teams like tech support companies or help desks, that rely on these features, to monitor customer issues and ensure high-quality, data-driven support.

How much do Zendesk’s other plans cost?

Zendesk has several other comprehensive Suite or Sell products, with pricing and features that include:

Plan tierPrice (monthly,  billed annually)Key features
Suite Team~$55 per agent/monthMultichannel ticketing, email, chat, unified agent workspace, basic bots, prebuilt dashboards
Suite Growth~$89 per agent/monthAdds multiple ticket forms, SLA management, light agents, multilingual support, and extended customization
Suite Professional~$115 per agent/monthAdvanced analytics, live reporting, side conversations, skills‑based routing, enhanced customization, and more robust reporting
Suite EnterpriseCustom pricingComprehensive enterprise features including sandbox, advanced AI add‑ons, enhanced security and data privacy options
(Zendesk Sell Options)~$19 to ~$169 per agent/monthFor sales-focused use, plans range from entry‑level to enterprise with features such as group emailing, lead tracking, and advanced automation

7. Salesforce’s Starter Suite: Best for Email Communication

Price: $25 per user, per month (when billed annually or billed monthly)

Salesforce's Starter Suite Plan
Pricing $25
Strengths

Best email features

Excellent scheduling system

Wealth of useful contact management tools

Weaknesses

Lacks sales features

Some things can be quite challenging to customize, such as reports

Comparatively pricey

Pricing
$25 per user, per month (when billed annually)$25 per user, per month (when billed monthly)
$300 paid upfront, same monthly price as paying monthly Same price as billed annually, paid monthly ($25)
No minimum user requirement (325 max) No minimum user requirement (325 max)
Cancel anytime before the renewal date Cancel anytime before the renewal date

Salesforce’s key features on its cheapest plan

Salesforce does not offer a free production CRM plan for businesses, although it does offer a free trial for certain plans.

  • For full business operations, you’d need to move to a paid Salesforce plan, with the cheapest being the Salesforce Starter Suite at $25 per user per month (with a 30‐day free trial). It combines core sales, service, marketing, and commerce functions in one unified platform and, naturally, it’s a little more advanced compared to the free plans of other providers. Its key features include:
  • Guided onboarding & preconfigured settings – Enjoy a streamlined setup process with step‐by‐step guidance and prebuilt defaults that let you import data and start using the CRM immediately.
  • Sales functionality – Manage leads, opportunities, and pipelines with prebuilt sales paths and automated “next steps” recommendations to keep deals moving forward.
  • Service & case management – Track customer interactions with integrated case management, knowledge base tools, and automated case escalation to ensure timely resolution.
  • Marketing tools – Utilize built-in campaign templates, email integration with up to 2,000 outbound emails per month, and AI-powered send time optimization (via Einstein) to craft and schedule engaging messages.
  • Reporting & dashboards – Access ready-to-use reports and customizable dashboards that provide real-time insights into sales performance and overall business health.
  • Unified customer data & integrations – Consolidate customer information from sales, service, and marketing in a single view, and integrate seamlessly with popular email platforms (e.g., Gmail and Outlook) and other third-party apps available via Salesforce’s AppExchange.

Why do we recommend Salesforce’s Starter Suite plan?

It might not be the cheapest option on this page, but Salesforce’s Starter Suite has the best email communication tools on the market. With capabilities like sending emails from its system, email insights, and auto-responses, having correspondence with your long list of leads and customers is a breeze – although it’s not quite as easy to use as HubSpot, which is more straightforward to get to grips with initially.

Elsewhere, you’ll also get access to meeting scheduling, reminders, and a calendar, helping you to keep track of your schedule. Plus, its contact management features include custom fields and list segmentation, letting you organize your contacts and their information effectively.

Screenshot of leads messaging function in Salesforce CRM
You can call and send emails to leads directly from the Salesforce platform, so all your conversations are recorded in one place. Source: Expert Market

Any drawbacks to Salesforce’s Starter Suite?

The Starter Suite doesn’t include sales features. If this is a deal breaker, then Zoho CRM’s Professional plan has superb tools to help you monitor and increase sales, including a visual sales pipeline and automated lead scoring.

salesforce crm pricing
Salesforce simplifies its CRM pricing by splitting it into its Starter Suite and Pro Suite, though this is a considerable difference in price between the two options - Source: Salesforce

What businesses is Salesforce’s Starter Suite best suited to?

Small teams and startups that prioritize email communication and basic CRM functionalities will find Salesforce an appealing option. This could be new consulting firms that focus on extensive email communications and scheduling with clients and need a simple, reliable tool to keep their interactions organized.

How much do Salesforce’s other plans cost?

While Salesforce Starter Suite is available at roughly $25 per user/month, higher-tier plans offer significantly expanded capabilities:

Plan TierPrice (Monthly, Billed Annually)Key Features
Starter Suite~$25 per user/monthGuided onboarding, basic sales (lead/opportunity management), service & case management, basic marketing tools, prebuilt dashboards, email integration
Sales Cloud Professional~$75 per user/monthEnhanced customization, advanced automation, detailed reporting, and expanded integration options
Sales Cloud Enterprise~$150 per user/monthExtensive automation, advanced analytics, robust customization, and advanced integration features
Sales Cloud Unlimited~$300 per user/monthUnlimited customization, comprehensive analytics, priority support, and enterprise‑grade scalability

Are Cheap CRM Systems Worth It?

Cheap CRM systems can be worth it for businesses that are operating on a small budget, as long as they’re scalable.

Most cheap CRM plans have small data and user capacities since they’re designed for small teams. A provider is considered scalable if its higher-priced plans come with increased data capacity, user, and contact limits to accommodate larger teams.

Upscaling can become expensive if you need to switch providers, so it’s best to choose a cheap provider that’s scalable right off the bat.

How Do Cheap CRM Providers Ensure Data Security and Privacy?

CRM systems keep your data under lock and key with features such as multi-factor authentication, email notifications of security concerns and specific user permissions. Pipedrive is a CRM system that provides all of the above to ensure your lead management is conducted with peace of mind. Zoho and Freshsales are also worthy contenders for a CRM system that takes security seriously but unfortunately does not provide email notifications.

Since CRM systems are home to highly sensitive customer data – contact information, purchase history and private communication – security features should not be skimped on when choosing a CRM provider. Nobody likes falling victim to a data breach, and risking your customer’s personal information can hurt your business reputation and customer relationships.

Things To Consider Before Switching CRM Provider

When transitioning to a new CRM provider, it’s important to consider the associated costs. Here’s some potential areas to think about:

  • Cancellation costs: Check your existing contract to determine whether you may incur extra costs for breaking the contract before its end date.
  • Data migration: You may need to pay for a service to help migrate your data from your old CRM to the new one. Costs vary widely based on the amount of data being transferred.
  • Implementation and configuration: Some CRM providers charge implementation and setup fees to get the system configured for your specific needs.
  • Training: Your team will need to be brought up to scratch on how to use the new CRM. Some plans offer complementary on-boarding assistance but for some, this may be an extra cost which will vary depending on the number of users.
  • Increased plan fees: If upscaling, the monthly fees of the new provider will likely be higher than your current fees.
  • Indirect costs: During the switching process, you may lose operational business hours to periods when your data is migrating, when your team is being trained on the new system and when the new software is integrating with your other programs. Keep this in mind as time is precious.

Ultimately, the provider you choose to switch to depends on your specific needs and what you may be lacking in your current plan. Use our free comparison tool to find your best-suited provider and receive personalized recommendations directly from them.

How Did We Compare the Best Cheap CRM Software Solutions?

To bring you our reviews, we analyzed 13 market-leading CRM systems to evaluate them in terms of functionality, usability, cost, scalability, and more so we can make the most useful recommendations to US businesses.

Our rigorous testing and research procedures see these products scored and rated using six core categories of investigation and 13 subcategories – in fact, we covered 84 areas of investigation in total. We then gave each category score a ‘relevance weighting' to ensure the product's final score perfectly reflects the needs and requirements of Expert Market readers. That's our product testing algorithm in a nutshell!

Our main testing categories for CRM systems are:

  • Features: The functionalities and capabilities provided by the CRM software, such as contact management, lead and opportunity tracking, and task and activity management.
  • Help and Support: The resources and assistance available to users when they encounter issues or require guidance while using the CRM software.
  • Customization: The ability to tailor the CRM software to suit the specific needs and processes of the organization, e.g. customizing fields, layouts, and workflows.
  • Scalability: The ability of the CRM software to accommodate the growth and changing needs of the organization, such as the capacity to handle a growing customer database.
  • Price: The cost associated with using the CRM software. It includes factors such as licensing fees, subscription plans, and additional charges for add-on modules or features.
  • Team Structure – Sales CRM: Determining if a platform makes it easier to manage large sales teams, including team dashboards, team hierarchies, and team inboxes.
  • Usability – Small Business CRM: Assessing the simplicity of the interface, the ease of navigating through menus and options, and the overall user experience.
Verdict

After our thorough research, we can confidently recommend HubSpot’s Free plan as the top choice for an affordable CRM system.

It boasts an impressive range of features typically only found on paid plans. Those include tools for organization (such as reminders and scheduling tools), content management (like dynamic contact lists), and extensive emailing features (including auto-generated responses).

The major downside for most growing businesses is its two-user limit, with our next-cheapest options from the top CRM providers (Freshsales and Zoho) similarly limited to just three users. The cheapest CMR provider plan on this page with unlimited users is monday CRM’s Basic package. You’ll get unlimited contacts, boards, and customizable pipelines in return to scale your customer database as your business grows, all while using the most user-friendly interface we tested.

Regardless, Hubspot is free of charge and has plenty of the same features as monday.com CRM without investing a cent.

If you can’t work out exactly how much a CRM will cost you for your specific business needs, or which trusted CRM provider is for you, our free quote comparison tool will help. Just answer a few questions and we’ll have the best CRM providers deliver you tailored and obligation-free quotes.

Written by:
Matt Reed is a Senior Communications and Logistics Expert at Expert Market. Adept at evaluating products, he focuses mainly on assessing fleet management and business communication software. Matt began his career in technology publishing with Expert Reviews, where he spent several years putting the latest audio-related products and releases through their paces, revealing his findings in transparent, in-depth articles and guides. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism from City, University of London, Matt is no stranger to diving into challenging topics and summarising them into practical, helpful information.
Reviewed by:
Headshot of Expert Market Senior Writer Tatiana Lebtreton
Tatiana is Expert Market's resident payments and online growth expert, specialising in (E)POS and merchant accounts, as well as website builders.