The 10 best crms, ranked
We score every crm on the same weighted criteria. See how we score.
#1PiPipedrive
Small sales teams that want a simple pipeline9.1/10ExcellentPipedrive is a sales pipeline you can set up in an afternoon. Plans run $14 to $79 per seat billed annually, with no setup fee and month-to-month billing on every plan. Most teams will want Growth ($39 annually) for email sync and automations.
$14/seat/mo billed annually ($24 monthly)
Pros
- Every plan can be billed monthly; no annual contract required
- No setup or onboarding fee
- Growth ($39/seat/mo annually, $49 monthly) adds full email sync, tracking and automations
- 14-day free trial with no credit card
- 4.3/5 on G2 from 5,122 reviews
Cons
- No free plan
- Lite ($14/$24) has no email sync or automations, so most teams pay for Growth
- Fees are non-refundable, including when you cancel an annual plan early
- Lead capture tools (LeadBooster) cost extra, from $32.50/month per company
HubSpot
Starting free, then growing into paid tools8.9/10Very goodHubSpot has the most useful free CRM here (2 users, 1,000 contacts) and a cheap Starter plan. The catch is the jump to Professional: $90 to $100 per seat, an annual commitment and a required $1,500 onboarding fee.
$0 free for 2 users; Starter $20/seat/mo list price
Pros
- Free plan with no time limit: 2 users and 1,000 contacts
- Starter is $20/seat/month at list price, with new-customer discounts to $7 (annual) or $10 (monthly)
- Starter already includes up to 15 pipelines and 50 workflows
- Sales, marketing and service tools on one contact record
- 4.4/5 on G2 from 14,393 reviews
Cons
- Professional costs $90/seat/month billed annually, or $100 paid monthly, and both require an annual commitment
- Professional adds a required one-time onboarding fee of $1,500 (Enterprise: $3,500)
- Sequences and lead scoring are only on Professional and Enterprise
- The $7 and $10 Starter prices are new-customer discounts; list price is $20
Zoho CRM
The most features for the money8.8/10Very goodZoho CRM gives you the most features per dollar: a free plan for 3 users, then $14 per user billed annually for Standard with multiple pipelines, workflows and mass email. There's no contract. It takes more setup than Pipedrive or HubSpot.
$0 free for 3 users; Standard $14/user/mo annually
Pros
- Free plan for 3 users with workflow automation and 5,000 records
- Standard is $14/user/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) with 5 pipelines and workflow rules
- No contracts: pay monthly or yearly
- Free onboarding listed on the pricing page
Cons
- 4.1/5 on G2, the lowest rating among the big names here
- Standard caps mass email at 250 a day per organization
- Faster support (Premium, 24x5) costs 20% of your subscription
- More settings to learn than simpler tools such as Capsule or Pipedrive
Capsule
Small teams that want it simple8.5/10Very goodCapsule is a plain, tidy contact manager with a pipeline. It's free for 2 users and 250 contacts. Starter is $18 per user a month billed annually. Workflows, email sync and multiple pipelines start on Growth at $36.
$0 free for 2 users; Starter $18/user/mo annually
Pros
- Free plan for 2 users and 250 contacts
- No setup fee and no onboarding fee; cancel any time
- Starter includes 30,000 contacts
- 14-day free trial, no card
- 4.7/5 on G2 from 529 reviews
Cons
- Workflow automation, email sync and multiple pipelines start on Growth ($36/$40)
- Support is by email (Ultimate adds an account manager)
- No refund for partial periods
Freshsales
The cheapest paid plan with workflows8.2/10Very goodFreshsales is cheap to start: Growth is $9 per user billed annually and includes basic workflows, email and phone. Read the terms first: you can't drop users or downgrade mid-term, and Freshworks can raise fees at renewal.
$9/user/mo billed annually ($11 monthly)
Pros
- Growth is $9/user/mo annually ($11 monthly) with basic workflows
- Built-in chat, email and phone on the cheapest plan
- 21-day free trial, no credit card
- 4.5/5 on G2 from 1,244 reviews
Cons
- No free plan on the pricing page
- During a term you can't reduce users or downgrade your plan
- Freshworks can adjust fees at renewal, and discounts can disappear if you cut users
- Payments are non-cancellable and non-refundable
monday CRM
Teams already working in monday.com8.0/10Very goodmonday CRM is a flexible board-style CRM. It's sold in seat buckets (3, 5, 10, 15, 20…) with a 3-seat minimum, so a solo user pays for 3 and a team of 6 pays for 10. Automations start on Standard ($17 yearly).
$12/seat/mo billed yearly, 3-seat minimum ($18 monthly)
Pros
- Very flexible boards for custom sales processes
- Standard ($17/seat/mo yearly, $25 monthly) includes 250 automations a month and 10,000 contacts and deals
- Prorated refund if you cancel a yearly plan within 30 days
- 14-day free trial, no credit card
- 4.5/5 on G2 from 1,983 reviews
Cons
- 3-seat minimum, sold in buckets: 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 100, 200+
- Basic ($12/$18) has no automations and caps you at 1,000 contacts and deals
- No free plan
- Monthly billing costs about 50% more than yearly
Close
Inside sales teams that live on the phone7.9/10GoodClose is built for teams that sell by calling and emailing. Calling, SMS and email are built in. Workflows (automated sequences) start on Growth at $99 per user billed annually, which makes it one of the pricier picks for a team.
$9/user/mo Solo, 1 user, billed annually ($19 monthly)
Pros
- Built-in calling, SMS and email, with calls at about $0.02 a minute passed through at cost
- 30-day money-back guarantee and no contracts
- Solo plan for one person: $9/mo annually, $19 monthly
- 4.7/5 on G2 from 2,159 reviews
Cons
- Workflows start on Growth: $99/user/mo annually, $109 monthly
- Solo is limited to 1 user and 10,000 leads
- Support is email and knowledge base only
- Call Assistant costs $50/month plus $0.02 a minute
Salesforce Starter
Small teams planning to move up to a larger platform later7.7/10GoodSalesforce Starter Suite is $25 per user a month, billed monthly or annually, with no user maximum. It's the way into the Salesforce platform and includes built-in sales flows and lead routing. Custom objects, sandbox and complex workflow automation need Pro Suite at $100 per user, billed annually on a contract.
$25/user/mo Starter Suite, billed monthly or annually
Pros
- Starter is $25/user/month, billed monthly or annually, with no user maximum
- 30-day free trial
- Guided onboarding included on Starter
- Grows into the full Salesforce platform and its app marketplace
Cons
- Custom objects, sandbox and complex workflow automation need Pro Suite: $100/user/month, billed annually, contract required
- Starter includes 2,000 marketing emails a month; more cost $10 per 1,000
- More to learn than tools built only for small teams
- G2 doesn't list Starter separately; the 4.4/5 rating covers all of Sales Cloud
Pipeline CRM
Small sales teams that want live chat support7.6/10GoodPipeline CRM is a straightforward deal tracker with US-based live chat support on every plan. The Start plan is tight (1 pipeline, 250 active deals, 1 automation), so most teams will need Develop at $33 per user billed annually.
$25/user/mo billed annually ($29 monthly)
Pros
- US-based live chat support on every plan
- Monthly or annual billing; onboarding is optional
- Develop and Grow include 2 free read-only users
- 14-day free trial on the Grow plan, no card
Cons
- No free plan
- Start allows only 1 pipeline, 250 active deals and 1 automation
- Payments are non-refundable and cancelling takes 30 days' written notice
- Fees can rise with 30 days' notice
Keap
Service businesses that want marketing automation built in6.7/10FairKeap is a CRM with heavy marketing automation, payments and texting, sold as one plan from $320 a month for 2 users and 1,500 contacts. Extra users are $39 each. An implementation package is required, and annual contracts carry a $299 early termination fee.
$320/mo 2 users and 1,500 contacts, billed monthly
Pros
- One plan with every feature: automation, payments, texting
- US-based phone support on business days plus 24/7 chat
- A dedicated Customer Success Manager
- Free trial with no credit card
Cons
- Starts at $320/month for 2 users and 1,500 contacts
- Extra users cost $39/month each
- Required implementation package ($500 on the services page, shown against $1,500)
- $299 early termination fee on annual contracts
- 3.9/5 on G2, from only 33 reviews on the current Thryv listing
What a CRM really costs a small business
Most CRMs price per user, per month. That number on the pricing page is rarely what you pay. The plan a growing team needs usually isn't the cheapest one, annual billing changes the rate, and a few vendors add setup fees or seat minimums.
The table below prices the plan a team typically needs once it wants email sync and some automation. It uses annual billing and adds any required setup fee to year one. Every price comes from the vendor's own pricing page, checked November 12, 2026.
| CRM |
Plan |
Per user/month |
5 users |
20 users |
50 users |
| Freshsales |
Growth |
$9 |
$540 |
$2,160 |
$5,400 |
| Zoho CRM |
Standard |
$14 |
$840 |
$3,360 |
$8,400 |
| monday CRM |
Standard |
$17 |
$1,020 |
$4,080 |
$10,200 |
| HubSpot |
Starter (list price) |
$20 |
$1,200 |
$4,800 |
$12,000 |
| Salesforce Starter |
Starter Suite |
$25 |
$1,500 |
$6,000 |
$15,000 |
| Pipeline CRM |
Develop |
$33 |
$1,980 |
$7,920 |
$19,800 |
| Capsule |
Growth |
$36 |
$2,160 |
$8,640 |
$21,600 |
| Pipedrive |
Growth |
$39 |
$2,340 |
$9,360 |
$23,400 |
| Close |
Growth |
$99 |
$5,940 |
$23,760 |
$59,400 |
| HubSpot |
Professional + $1,500 onboarding |
$90 |
$6,900 |
$23,100 |
$55,500 |
| Keap |
One plan, billed monthly |
$320 for 2 users + $39/user |
$5,744 |
$12,764 |
$26,804 |
Keap's figures include its required $500 implementation package and cover only 1,500 contacts. HubSpot's new-customer Starter price is $7 billed annually ($420 a year for 5 users), but HubSpot calls $20 the normal price. Keap's annual billing lists the base at $3,195 a year, $645 less than 12 monthly payments; extra-user pricing on annual isn't stated, so our table uses monthly billing. For teams over 40 users, monday asks you to request a quote, so monday's 50-user figure ($10,200) is the self-serve list rate at the 50-seat option, not a quote.
How to choose
Start with how your team sells, then check the price at your real headcount.
- You mostly track deals through stages. Pipedrive and Pipeline CRM are built around the pipeline. Pipedrive bills monthly on every plan with no setup fee.
- You want to start free. HubSpot (2 users, 1,000 contacts), Zoho CRM (3 users) and Capsule (2 users, 250 contacts) have free plans with no time limit.
- You want the most features per dollar. Zoho CRM Standard costs $14 per user billed annually and includes 5 pipelines and workflow rules.
- Your team sells by phone. Close has calling, SMS and email built in, with calls at about $0.02 a minute. Workflows start on its $99 Growth plan.
- You run marketing automation and payments for a service business. Keap does all of it in one plan, from $320 a month.
- You expect to grow into an enterprise platform. Salesforce Starter is $25 per user with no user maximum and includes built-in sales flows and lead routing. Complex automation and custom objects need Pro Suite at $100.
Traps to check before you sign
Annual commitments on "monthly" prices. HubSpot Professional costs $100 per seat paid monthly, and that still requires an annual commitment. Salesforce Pro Suite is billed annually on a contract.
Setup fees. HubSpot Professional adds a required $1,500 onboarding fee. Keap requires an implementation package. Pipedrive, Capsule, Zoho and Close list no setup fee.
Seat minimums and buckets. monday CRM starts at 3 seats and sells them in buckets of 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 and up. A team of 6 pays for 10.
The cheapest plan leaves out what you need. Pipedrive Lite has no email sync or automations. monday CRM Basic has no automations. Close Essentials has no workflows. Capsule Starter has no workflow automation or email sync; both start on Growth.
Prices that can change. HubSpot's $7 and $10 Starter prices are for new customers, and HubSpot calls $20 the normal price. Freshworks' terms let it adjust fees at renewal. Pipedrive, Capsule and Pipeline CRM can change fees with 30 days' or one month's notice.
You can't shrink mid-term. On an annual Freshsales plan you can't reduce users or downgrade until renewal. Pipedrive doesn't refund fees when you cancel. Keap charges $299 to leave an annual contract early.
How we rank
Each CRM gets a score out of 10 from five weighted criteria: real cost (30%), ease of use (25%), sales features on the plan you'd buy (20%), contract terms (15%), and G2 ratings and support (10%). Rankings are the same whether or not a vendor pays us; Salesforce and Freshsales don't have affiliate programs we use.
These reviews are research-based. We read each vendor's pricing, terms and help pages and G2's published ratings, and link every fact to its source with the date we checked it. We don't claim hands-on testing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best CRM for a small business?
Pipedrive, for most small sales teams: it's quick to set up, every plan can be paid monthly, and there's no setup fee. HubSpot is the better start if you want a free plan (2 users, 1,000 contacts), and Zoho CRM gives the most features for the money ($14 per user a month billed annually).
How much does a CRM cost for a small business?
On the plan most growing teams need (email sync plus automation), expect $9 to $39 per user a month billed annually. At 5 users that's about $540 to $2,340 a year. HubSpot Professional ($90 per seat plus a $1,500 onboarding fee) and Close Growth ($99 per user) cost much more.
Which CRMs have a free plan?
HubSpot (2 users, 1,000 contacts), Zoho CRM (3 users, 5,000 records) and Capsule (2 users, 250 contacts). Pipedrive, monday CRM, Close, Pipeline CRM and Freshsales offer free trials instead (14 to 21 days).
Which CRMs require an annual contract?
HubSpot Professional requires an annual commitment even when paid monthly, and Salesforce Pro Suite is billed annually on a contract. Keap's annual contracts carry a $299 early termination fee. Pipedrive, Zoho, Capsule, Close, monday CRM and Pipeline CRM all offer monthly billing.
Do you test these CRMs yourself?
No. These reviews are research-based: every price, limit and contract term comes from the vendor's own pricing or terms page, and ratings come from G2. Each fact links to its source and shows the date we checked it.