We tested 7 CRMs against real small business workflows. Here's what we'd actually pay for.
Best free tier in the category — no time limit, genuinely useful. Starter at $15/seat covers most small teams for years. One caveat: the jump to Professional is $500/month minimum. Know that number before you start.
HubSpot Free. No commitment, no time limit.
Pipedrive. Better pipeline, cleaner interface, no distractions.
HubSpot. Budget for Professional when you need automation.
Notion or HubSpot Free. You probably don't need a real CRM yet.
Not unless you have 50+ people and a dedicated admin. Starter at $25/user/mo has hard ceilings (no API access, no advanced automation, 2,000 emails/month cap, basic segmentation only). The next real tier is Pro at $80/user — and Unlimited is $1,250/user. The complexity isn't worth it below 50 people.
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Not immediately. A spreadsheet works fine until you're losing track of follow-ups, can't see where deals are stalling, or have a team where everyone needs the same customer view. Most businesses hit that point somewhere between 15 and 30 active deals. Before that, the overhead of a CRM isn't worth it.
HubSpot Free. It has no time limit, covers the core use case, and doesn't require a credit card. If you want something paid from the start, Pipedrive at $14/seat is the best entry-level option.
HubSpot for almost every small business. Salesforce is built for enterprises with a dedicated admin and complex integrations. Under 50 people, the setup complexity and cost are unjustifiable. See the full comparison: HubSpot vs Salesforce →
Best free CRM available. No credit card, no time limit.