Free CRMs for Startups
Which CRMs a startup can use for free today, how many users and contacts the free plan allows, which start with a free trial instead, and what the first paid plan costs, read from each CRM's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . CRMs change their free plans and prices from time to time: confirm the terms on the CRM's page before you move your pipeline onto it.
CRMs you can start with for free today include HubSpot (free tools for marketing, sales and service), Close (14-day free trial, no card), Zoho CRM (free forever, for 3 users), Nutshell (14-day free trial, no card), and Attio (free plan, up to 3 seats). Each of the 14 free plans and trials below links to the CRM's page that states it, with its main limit, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
A CRM keeps a startup's contacts, companies and deals in one place, so nobody loses track of a lead or a follow-up. Many CRMs have a standing free plan, and the rest let you try the paid product free for a couple of weeks before you choose.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. A free plan can stop at one or two users, a few hundred contacts or one pipeline, and a trial ends after 14 or 30 days. Each CRM below shows what is free, its main limit, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the CRM's own page with the date we read it.
Which CRMs we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the CRMs'. Several of these CRMs pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which CRMs are listed or where.
CRMs with a free plan
CRMs you can keep using for free, within limits on users, contacts or features.
- 1
HubSpot
Teams that want a free CRM with marketing and sales tools
HubSpot's free tools are free for up to 2 users, with no credit card required. Its first paid plan, Starter, starts at $7 a seat a month.
- Main limit
- Up to 2 users (source: hubspot.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: hubspot.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $7 a seat a month (source: hubspot.com)
Start free at HubSpotTerms read on hubspot.com on HubSpot: the free allowance and how to start HubSpot for Startups: what startups get - 2
Zoho CRM
Teams of up to 3 that want a free CRM with workflows
Zoho CRM's free edition is free forever for 3 users, with no credit card required. Its Standard plan is US$14 a user a month.
- What's free
- Free forever, for 3 users (source: zoho.com)
- Main limit
- Up to 3 users (source: zoho.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: zoho.com)
- First paid plan
- Standard: US$14 a user a month (source: zoho.com)
Start free at ZohoTerms read on zoho.com on Zoho CRM: the free allowance and how to start Zoho for Startups: what startups get - 3
Attio
Small teams wanting a free CRM with no card to start
Attio's Free plan gives up to 3 seats and 50,000 records, and you start with no credit card. Plus, the next plan up, is $35 to $44 a user a month.
- What's free
- Free plan, up to 3 seats (source: attio.com)
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: attio.com)
- First paid plan
- Plus: $35 to $44 a user a month (source: attio.com)
Start free at AttioTerms read on attio.com on Attio: the free allowance and how to start Attio Startup Program: what startups get - 4
Agile CRM
Teams of up to 10 that want a CRM with email tools
Agile CRM's free plan is free for 10 users with no credit card. It covers 1,000 contacts and companies, and its Starter plan is listed as low as $8.99.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: agilecrm.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: as low as $8.99 (source: agilecrm.com)
- 5
Capsule
Solo users and two-person teams wanting a clean CRM
Capsule's Free plan is US$0 for a maximum of 2 users, with 250 contacts. Its Starter plan is US$18 per user a month, and paid plans include a free 14-day trial with no card required.
- First paid plan
- Starter: US$18 per user a month (source: capsulecrm.com)
Start free at CapsuleReferral linkTerms read on capsulecrm.com on Capsule: the free allowance and how to start - 6
EngageBay
Teams of up to 15 that want marketing and CRM in one tool
EngageBay's free plan is free for up to 15 users, with 250 contacts and no credit card required. Its Basic plan starts at $12.74 a user a month.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: engagebay.com)
- First paid plan
- Basic: from $12.74 a user a month (source: engagebay.com)
Start free at EngageBayTerms read on engagebay.com on EngageBay: the free allowance and how to start - 7
Bigin by Zoho
One person who wants a simple free pipeline
Bigin's Free plan is forever free and allows only 1 user. Express, the first paid plan, is US$7 a user a month billed annually.
- What's free
- Forever free plan, 1 user (source: zoho.com)
- Payment card
- No card for the trial (source: zoho.com)
- First paid plan
- Express: US$7 a user a month (source: zoho.com)
- 8
Bitrix24
Solo founders or a two-person team wanting CRM and tasks
Bitrix24's Free plan is 100% free for 1-2 users, with 5 GB of storage. Its Basic plan is one payment of US$588 a year per organization.
- First paid plan
- Basic: US$588 a year per organization (source: bitrix24.com)
- 9
LeadCRM
Sales reps who want LinkedIn leads synced to their CRM
LeadCRM's free plan lets you sync up to 10 contacts a month into your CRM, with no credit card required. Its Professional plan is $23.96 a seat a month.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: leadcrm.io)
- First paid plan
- Professional: $23.96 a seat a month (source: leadcrm.io)
Start free at LeadCRMReferral linkTerms read on leadcrm.io on LeadCRM: the free allowance and how to start
CRMs that start with a free trial
CRMs with no standing free plan that let you try the paid product free for a set time first.
- 1
Close
Sales teams that want calling, email and a CRM together
Close offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card needed. Its Solo plan is limited to 1 user and starts at $9 a user a month.
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: close.com)
- First paid plan
- Solo: from $9 a user a month (source: close.com)
- 2
Nutshell
Small B2B teams wanting a simple CRM with sales automation
Nutshell's 14-day free trial needs no card upfront. Its Foundation plan starts at $13 a user a month and has a limit of 100 open leads.
- Payment card
- No card upfront (source: nutshell.com)
- First paid plan
- Foundation: from $13 a user a month (source: nutshell.com)
Start free at NutshellReferral linkTerms read on nutshell.com on Nutshell: the free allowance and how to start - 3
folk
Small teams that want a relationship CRM with a 2-week trial
folk activates a 2-week free trial with all premium features, and asks for no credit card during it. Its Standard plan is $24 a member a month.
- Payment card
- No card needed for the trial (source: folk.app)
- First paid plan
- Standard: from $24 a member a month (source: folk.app)
Start free at folkReferral linkTerms read on folk.app on folk: the free allowance and how to start folk for Startups: what startups get - 4
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Teams evaluating Salesforce's full sales CRM
Salesforce offers a free 30-day trial of Sales Cloud with no credit card. Starter Suite is $25 a user a month, and its trial covers up to 10 users.
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: salesforce.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter Suite: $25 a user a month (source: salesforce.com)
- 5
Pipedrive
Sales teams that want full access before paying
Pipedrive's free trial gives 100% access with no credit card required, so you can test its full CRM before choosing a plan.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: pipedrive.com)
Start free at PipedriveTerms read on pipedrive.com on Pipedrive: the free allowance and how to start
CRM startup programs
Programs from CRMs that give startups a discount on paid plans, largest tracked value first. Most ask for an application, and several for funding or a partner investor.
Also useful for founders
Shown only because they fit what this page is about, and ordered by that fit (70%) and what a referral is expected to earn us (30%). We may earn a commission if you sign up through one of these, at no cost to you. They never change the ranking of this page.
ScraperAPIScraping API that handles proxies, browsers and CAPTCHAs for you1,000 API creditsReferral link
Parallel AIAutonomous AI agents for sales, marketing and support50 free credits, no cardReferral link
ColdIQOne API and MCP server for B2B sales data from 40+ providers300 free creditsReferral linkCompare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers CRMs a founder can start with for free today without applying to a program, grouped into CRMs with a standing free plan and CRMs that start with a free trial. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each CRM's terms. Every term comes from the CRM's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on users or contacts, one pipeline or a trial that ends can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the CRM states them. Several of these CRMs pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a CRM appears, and no CRM pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free CRM for startups?
It depends on your team. By the terms each CRM states, HubSpot's free tools cover marketing, sales and service for up to 2 users, Zoho CRM's free edition is free forever for 3 users, and Attio's Free plan gives up to 3 seats and 50,000 records. For a larger team, Agile CRM is free for up to 10 users with 1,000 contacts, and EngageBay for up to 15 users with 250 contacts.
Is HubSpot CRM free?
Yes. HubSpot's free tools are free for up to 2 users, with no credit card required. Its first paid plan, Starter, starts at $7 a seat a month, and startups can apply to HubSpot for Startups for a discount on paid plans.
Which free CRM allows the most users?
Among the free plans compared here, EngageBay's is free for up to 15 users (with 250 contacts) and Agile CRM's for up to 10 users (with 1,000 contacts and companies). Zoho CRM's free edition allows 3 users and Attio's 3 seats.
Do free CRMs need a credit card?
Most here need none: HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Attio, Agile CRM, EngageBay and LeadCRM say so for their free plans, and Close, Nutshell, folk, Salesforce and Pipedrive for their free trials. Each CRM's entry quotes what its own page says.
Are there startup programs for CRMs?
Yes. HubSpot for Startups offers up to 90% off paid plans, and Attio's startup program 80% off the first year and 30% off the second. Zoho, folk and Salesforce run startup programs too. They are listed below the comparison, and most ask for an application.
More best-of guides
New startup perks, in your inbox
Get an email when a new credit, discount, or deal for founders is added. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.