Best software · Sales
10 Best CRM for Small Business of 2026
This list is for owners and small teams, roughly 1 to 20 people, who need a CRM they can set up in a day and pay for at a predictable per-seat price. We compared documented features and published prices for 10 CRMs, from free plans to $25 starter seats. Scores weigh features at 40%, ease of use at 30% and value at 30%. Prices are the vendors' own US dollar figures where the pricing page showed them to us; three vendors showed other currencies and are marked as pending.
By the Mojolin research desk · Updated November 9, 2026 · 10 tools compared · Prices checked on vendor pages, latest November 9, 2026
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
Mojolin is self-funded How we score
HubSpot CRM is our top pick for most small businesses: the free plan covers two users and 1,000 contacts, and Starter is normally $20 per seat when you need more. Zoho CRM gives the most automation per seat if you can spend a day configuring it, and Pipedrive is the fastest for a sales team to adopt. On price alone, Bigin by Zoho starts at $7 per user billed yearly, Freshsales at $9, Nutshell at $13 and Less Annoying CRM at a flat $15 with every feature included.
Top picks
Best overall
HubSpot CRM
8.8 / 10
Small businesses that want to start free today and add paid seats only when the team needs them.
Read the review →Runner-up
Zoho CRM
8.6 / 10
Small businesses that want deep automation and reporting at a low seat price and can spend a day on setup.
Read the review →Also great
Pipedrive
8.5 / 10
Small sales-led teams that want reps working from a visual deal pipeline from the first day.
Read the review →Comparison table
| # | Tool | Pricing | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HubSpot CRM | Small businesses that want to start free today and add paid seats only when the team needs them. | Free plan for up to 2 users; Starter normally $20 per seat per month, with a limited-time discount for new customers | 8.8 |
| 2 | Zoho CRM | Small businesses that want deep automation and reporting at a low seat price and can spend a day on setup. | See vendor pricing (USD check pending) | 8.6 |
| 3 | Pipedrive | Small sales-led teams that want reps working from a visual deal pipeline from the first day. | See vendor pricing (USD check pending) | 8.5 |
| 4 |  Bigin by Zoho CRM | Very small teams moving off spreadsheets that want the lowest predictable seat price. | Free plan for 1 user; Express from $7 per user per month billed yearly ($9 monthly); Premier $12; Bigin 360 $18 | 8.4 |
| 5 |  Freshsales | Small teams that want calling, email and chat inside the CRM at a low entry price. | Growth from $9 per user per month billed annually; Pro $39; Enterprise $59 | 8.3 |
| 6 |  Capsule | Teams of one to five, especially service businesses, that want sales and project tracking together. | Free plan for up to 2 users; Starter $18 per user per month billed annually ($22 monthly); Growth $36; Advanced $54; Ultimate $72 | 8.2 |
| 7 |  Less Annoying CRM | Small businesses that want one flat per-user price, no tiers and free phone support. | $15 per user per month plus applicable tax, one plan with all features | 8.1 |
| 8 |  Nutshell | Small teams that want sales and simple marketing tools from one vendor with live support. | Foundation from $13 per user per month billed annually ($19 monthly); Growth $25; Pro $42; Business $59; Enterprise $79 | 7.9 |
| 9 |  monday CRM | Small teams that already use monday.com or want to build a CRM around boards and automations. | See vendor pricing (USD check pending) | 7.8 |
| 10 |  Copper | Small teams that work all day in Gmail and Google Workspace. | Basic from $23 per seat per month billed annually ($29 monthly); Professional $59; Business $99 | 7.7 |
Scoring weights
Every tool gets three editorial scores out of 10, from vendor documentation, product pages and the published price. The overall score is the weighted average below, the same method on every list. Full method
The full ranking
Rank 1 · Best overall
HubSpot CRM
A free CRM for up to two users that upgrades in place to paid Starter, Professional and Enterprise seats.
hubspot.com8.8
out of 10
Best for: Small businesses that want to start free today and add paid seats only when the team needs them.
HubSpot CRM is the safest first CRM for a small team because the free plan is a real working system, not a trial. It covers up to two users and 1,000 contacts with contact management, deal pipelines, CRM import, a reporting dashboard and the Breeze Assistant, which can research a company, prep a sales call or summarize a record. HubSpot says the free tools have no expiration date. When you need more users or controls, Starter is normally $20 per seat per month and adds required fields, permission sets and multiple currencies, and HubSpot was showing a limited-time discount for new customers when we checked.
The upgrade happens in the same account, so there is no export and import step. The catch is the climb after Starter: duplicate management, contact scoring and custom reporting sit on Professional, and custom objects, single sign-on and field-level permissions need Enterprise. For a team of two to ten that mainly needs contacts, deals and a shared inbox view, Starter is enough for a long time.
Standout feature
A free plan with no expiration date that upgrades to paid seats without a data migration.
Use cases
Founders
Track the first deals on the free plan
Outcome: A shared pipeline at no cost
Small sales teams
Add Starter seats with permission sets
Outcome: Controlled access as the team grows
Owners
Ask Breeze Assistant to prep a sales call
Outcome: Faster meeting preparation
Key features
- Free plan with contact management, deal pipelines, CRM import and a reporting dashboard
- Breeze Assistant researches companies, preps sales calls and summarizes CRM records
- Starter adds required fields, permission sets, multiple currencies and removes HubSpot branding
- Professional adds an AI customer agent, duplicate management, contact scoring and custom reporting
- Upgrades keep the same account, so there is no data migration when you move up a tier
Pros
- Free plan has no expiration date and needs no credit card
- Free and paid tiers share one account, so growth needs no migration
- Shares one platform with HubSpot marketing and service tools
Cons
- Free plan stops at two users and 1,000 contacts
- Discounted Starter pricing is for new customers only and can end at any time
- Custom objects, single sign-on and field-level permissions need Enterprise
Rank 2 · Runner-up
Zoho CRM
A full sales CRM with a free edition for three users and workflows, cadences and AI agents on paid plans.
zoho.com8.6
out of 10
Best for: Small businesses that want deep automation and reporting at a low seat price and can spend a day on setup.
Zoho CRM gives a small business more sales machinery per seat than almost any other tool here. The Free Edition covers leads, deals, workflows, reports and a mobile app for up to three users, which is enough to run a small pipeline without paying. Standard adds workflows with assignment rules, cadences for multichannel follow-up, custom reports and dashboards, and AI agents that you build to handle routine sales work. Professional brings CPQ for quotes, email intelligence with summaries and sentiment, and step-by-step process automation.
The tradeoff is setup time. Zoho CRM has more modules and options than Bigin, Capsule or Less Annoying CRM, so plan a focused day to set up fields, pipelines and rules before inviting the team. Zoho's pricing page did not show USD prices to our checker, so confirm the per-user rate on the vendor site. If you want a lighter Zoho product, Bigin covers the pipeline basics at a lower price.
Standout feature
A free edition for three users with workflows and reports already included.
Use cases
Small sales teams
Assign new leads automatically with workflow rules
Outcome: No lead waits for an owner
Owners
Run follow-up cadences across email and other channels
Outcome: Consistent lead follow-up
Quote-heavy businesses
Build quotes with CPQ on Professional
Outcome: Fewer pricing errors
Key features
- Free Edition with leads, deals, workflows, reports and a mobile app for up to 3 users
- Workflows and assignment rules to automate daily sales tasks on Standard
- Cadences for multichannel lead follow-up sequences
- AI agents you can build and deploy to automate sales activities
- CPQ, email intelligence and process automation on Professional
Pros
- Free forever for 3 users
- Automation and reporting are available from the first paid plan
- Part of the wider Zoho suite of business apps
Cons
- More settings to configure than simpler small business CRMs
- Plan details are spread across several editions and add-ons
- Pricing did not load in USD from our location
Rank 3 · Also great
Pipedrive
A pipeline-first sales CRM with built-in AI, email sync and a 14-day free trial.
pipedrive.com8.5
out of 10
Best for: Small sales-led teams that want reps working from a visual deal pipeline from the first day.
Pipedrive is built around one screen, the deal pipeline, and that focus is why small sales teams can be productive on it within a day. Deals move across stages, activities attach to each deal, and email sync and tracking log conversations automatically. Pipedrive adds AI prompts that point reps to the right leads, meeting intelligence, forecasting, goal-setting and team monitoring reports, plus mobile apps for Android and iOS. The company says more than 100,000 companies in 179 countries use it, and the marketplace lists 500+ integrations.
There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial with no credit card, and some growth tools such as LeadBooster and email marketing are sold as add-ons, so the real seat price depends on what you add. Pipedrive's pricing page did not show USD to our checker, so confirm the current per-seat rate. For a team whose day is calls, follow-ups and closing, it is the fastest CRM here to roll out.
Standout feature
A pipeline-first design that a new sales team can adopt in a day.
Use cases
Small sales teams
Run every deal from one pipeline board
Outcome: Clear next steps on each deal
Sales managers
Set goals and monitor team activity in reports
Outcome: Predictable weekly activity
Field reps
Update deals from the mobile app after meetings
Outcome: Pipeline stays current
Key features
- Visual pipeline management with lead management and sales automation
- Email sync and tracking with AI-powered follow-up prompts
- Reporting with forecasting, goal-setting and team monitoring
- Meeting intelligence, Pipedrive AI and a Pipedrive MCP server
- 500+ integrations plus a WhatsApp Business integration and mobile apps
Pros
- Pipeline view is quick for a new team to adopt
- 14-day free trial with no credit card
- Large integration marketplace
Cons
- No permanent free plan
- LeadBooster and email marketing are separate products
- Pricing did not load in USD from our location
Rank 4
Bigin by Zoho CRM
Zoho's pipeline CRM for small businesses, with a free single-user plan and paid seats from $7.
bigin.com8.4
out of 10
Best for: Very small teams moving off spreadsheets that want the lowest predictable seat price.
Bigin is Zoho's answer for businesses that find a full CRM too heavy, and it is the cheapest paid option on this list. Express costs $7 per user per month billed yearly, or $9 monthly, and includes three team pipelines, 50,000 records, 30 automations, mass emails with tracking and customizable dashboards. It connects to Gmail, Outlook and WhatsApp Business, and integrates with Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Mailchimp and QuickBooks. Premier, at $12 billed yearly, raises limits and adds stage transition rules, multiple currencies and duplicate cleanup.
Bigin's limits are clear but real: pipelines, records and automations are capped by plan, and you buy add-ons for more. The free plan is for one user only. Zoho offers a 15-day trial without a credit card, free onboarding and a money-back guarantee, which makes it a low-risk test. Pick it when your process fits in a few pipelines and price matters most.
Standout feature
Paid seats from $7 per user per month with a forever free plan to fall back to.
Use cases
Small service businesses
Replace a spreadsheet with a few pipelines
Outcome: Every lead tracked in one place
Owners
Call and record calls from the built-in phone
Outcome: Calls logged against contacts
Teams on WhatsApp
Handle customer chats from the CRM
Outcome: Conversations saved with the deal
Key features
- Free plan with a single pipeline, 500 records, 3 automations and a built-in phone
- Express adds 3 team pipelines, 50,000 records, 30 automations and mass emails
- Email and WhatsApp Business integration with Gmail, Outlook and Zoho Mail
- Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Mailchimp and QuickBooks integrations
- Apps for iOS, iPadOS, Android and macOS, plus MCP support for AI tools
Pros
- Lowest paid seat price on this list
- 15-day free trial with free onboarding and no credit card
- Forever free plan to fall back to after the trial
Cons
- Free plan is limited to one user and 500 records
- Pipelines, records and automations are capped per plan
- Lighter on reporting and customization than Zoho CRM
Rank 5
Freshsales
Freshworks' sales CRM with built-in chat, email and phone, starting at $9 per user per month.
freshworks.com8.3
out of 10
Best for: Small teams that want calling, email and chat inside the CRM at a low entry price.
Freshsales puts chat, email and phone inside the CRM from the cheapest plan, which suits small teams that talk to customers on several channels. Growth costs $9 per user per month billed annually and includes a Kanban view, contact lifecycle stages, email templates, custom fields and basic workflows. Pro, at $39, adds contact scoring, deal insights, territory management and sales sequences, and Enterprise, at $59, adds forecasting insights, field-level permissions, custom modules, a sandbox and audit logs.
The gap between Growth and Pro is the main thing to plan for, since sequences and scoring are what many growing teams ask for next. Paid plans include 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions once per account, and more sessions cost $49 per 100. Branded documents are a $19 per user add-on. There is no free plan, but the 21-day trial gives the full product, which is long enough to set up a pipeline and run real deals through it.
Standout feature
Chat, email and phone built in from the $9 Growth plan.
Use cases
Inside sales teams
Call and email leads without leaving the CRM
Outcome: Every touch logged automatically
Small businesses
Track contacts by lifecycle stage
Outcome: A clear view of who is a lead or customer
Growing teams
Add territory management and sequences on Pro
Outcome: Fair lead distribution
Key features
- Kanban view, contact lifecycle stages, custom fields and basic workflows on Growth
- Chat, email and phone built into the CRM
- Contact scoring, deal insights, territory management and sales sequences on Pro
- Forecasting insights, custom modules, sandbox and audit logs on Enterprise
- 500 Freddy AI Agent sessions included once with paid plans
Pros
- $9 entry price for a CRM with phone and chat
- 21-day free trial of the full product
- Clear three-tier price ladder
Cons
- No permanent free plan
- Sales sequences and contact scoring need Pro at $39
- Branded documents and extra AI sessions are paid add-ons
Rank 6
Capsule
A simple CRM for small businesses with sales pipelines, projects and a free plan for two users.
capsulecrm.com8.2
out of 10
Best for: Teams of one to five, especially service businesses, that want sales and project tracking together.
Capsule is a straightforward CRM that suits small service businesses, because it tracks sales and the delivery work that follows. The free plan covers two users, 250 contacts and one pipeline. Starter, at $18 per user per month billed annually or $22 monthly, is aimed at teams of one to five and adds 30,000 contacts, email templates, a shared mailbox, integrations with Xero and Zendesk, and an AI pipeline generator that builds a pipeline for your process.
The features most growing teams want sit on Growth at $36: five sales pipelines, five project boards, workflow automations, advanced reporting, Outlook and Gmail email sync, and roles and permissions. Growth also adds AI enrichment, record summaries and connectors to ChatGPT or Claude. Capsule charges no setup or onboarding fee and every paid plan starts with a 14-day trial with no card, so the price you see is the price you pay.
Standout feature
Sales pipelines and project boards in one small business CRM.
Use cases
Consultants
Track deals and then the project that follows
Outcome: One record from pitch to delivery
Small teams
Share a sales@ mailbox on Starter
Outcome: No missed inbound emails
Accountants
Connect Capsule to Xero
Outcome: Client and billing data side by side
Key features
- Starter with 30,000 contacts, email templates, a shared mailbox and an AI pipeline generator
- Integrations with Xero, Zendesk and Import2 on Starter
- Growth adds 5 pipelines, 5 project boards, workflow automations and advanced reporting
- Email sync with Outlook and Gmail plus team roles and permissions on Growth
- AI connectors for ChatGPT or Claude, and AI enrichment and record summaries
Pros
- Free plan for 2 users and 250 contacts
- No setup or onboarding fees
- Projects and sales pipelines live in the same tool
Cons
- Free plan is limited to 250 contacts and 1 pipeline
- Email sync and automations need Growth at $36
- Starter is aimed at teams of 1 to 5
Rank 7
Less Annoying CRM
A single-plan CRM for small businesses at $15 per user per month with every feature included.
lessannoyingcrm.com8.1
out of 10
Best for: Small businesses that want one flat per-user price, no tiers and free phone support.
Less Annoying CRM is the most predictable price on this list: one plan at $15 per user per month plus tax, with no tiers, no contracts and no features held back for upgrades. That plan includes unlimited contacts and companies, unlimited pipelines and custom fields, task management, email logging, mobile access, user permissions and 25GB of storage per user. It is also HIPAA compliant, and healthcare businesses can sign a BAA.
Support is a real strength. Email and phone help is free for everyone, including people still on the 30-day trial, which needs no credit card. The tradeoff is scope. The pricing page does not list built-in calling, email sequences or AI features, and the vendor suggests staying below about 50,000 contacts. For a small office that wants a tidy shared contact list and pipeline without reading a pricing table, it is hard to beat.
Standout feature
One $15 plan with every feature and free phone support.
Use cases
Small offices
Keep one shared contact list and task list
Outcome: Everyone sees the same follow-ups
Healthcare practices
Store client records under a BAA
Outcome: HIPAA-compliant record keeping
Non-technical owners
Get set up with free phone coaching
Outcome: A working CRM without a consultant
Key features
- One plan with every feature and free upgrades
- Unlimited contacts, companies, pipelines and custom fields
- Task management, email logging and mobile access
- User permissions and 25GB of file storage per user
- HIPAA compliance with a BAA available
Pros
- One price with no tiers or contracts
- Free email and phone support, even before you pay
- 30-day free trial with no credit card
Cons
- No built-in calling, sequences or AI features listed
- No permanent free plan
- Vendor suggests staying below about 50,000 contacts
Rank 8
Nutshell
A small business CRM with five plans from $13 per user, plus built-in forms, landing pages and an AI chatbot.
nutshell.com7.9
out of 10
Best for: Small teams that want sales and simple marketing tools from one vendor with live support.
Nutshell packs more marketing tools into the base CRM than most rivals, which helps small teams that also run their own lead capture. Every plan includes unlimited contacts and storage, email and calendar sync, webchat, an AI chatbot, a form builder and landing pages. Foundation costs $13 per user per month billed annually, or $19 monthly, but has a limit of 100 open leads, so most active sales teams will look at Growth at $25 for activity reports, quotas and lead assignment rules.
Pro, at $42, is where sales automation, five custom pipelines, advanced reporting and a meeting scheduler arrive. Plans also include a monthly allowance of AI outcomes, such as call summaries and lead research. Email marketing, two-way SMS and social messaging, prospecting credits and quotes are sold as add-ons. Nutshell promises no hidden fees or setup costs and free live support on every plan, which helps a team get running in a day.
Standout feature
Forms, landing pages and an AI chatbot included with every CRM plan.
Use cases
Small B2B teams
Capture leads with forms and landing pages
Outcome: New leads land directly in the pipeline
Sales managers
Set quotas and lead assignment rules on Growth
Outcome: Fair, tracked lead routing
Owners
Get live help during setup
Outcome: A working CRM on the first day
Key features
- Unlimited contacts and storage with email and calendar sync on every plan
- AI chatbot, webchat, form builder and landing pages included
- Activity reports, sales quotas and lead assignment rules on Growth
- 5 custom pipelines, advanced reporting, sales automation and a meeting scheduler on Pro
- Add-ons for email marketing, SMS and social messaging, prospecting and quotes
Pros
- Free live support on every plan
- No hidden fees or setup costs
- Forms, landing pages and chat included with the CRM
Cons
- Foundation has a limit of 100 open leads
- Sales automation and multiple pipelines need Pro at $42
- Marketing and engagement features are paid add-ons
Rank 9
monday CRM
A board-based CRM on the monday.com platform with dashboards, automations and AI agents.
monday.com7.8
out of 10
Best for: Small teams that already use monday.com or want to build a CRM around boards and automations.
monday CRM builds a sales system out of monday.com boards, so small teams can shape pipelines, contact lists and dashboards to match how they already work. Basic organizes leads, contacts and deals with one custom dashboard and 20 quotes or invoices a month, but it caps you at 1,000 active contacts and deals and five columns per board, which most teams will hit quickly. Standard is the realistic starting point, with 10,000 active contacts and deals, 250 custom automations a month, a unified timeline of emails, calls and meetings, and mobile apps that work offline.
Standard also includes AI credits for agents that call and qualify leads, source new leads, prepare meeting briefings and take meeting notes. The free option is a 14-day trial, and the pricing page showed euros to our checker, so confirm the USD seat price. monday CRM makes the most sense when your team already runs projects on monday.com.
Standout feature
AI agents for outreach, lead sourcing and meeting notes built into the board-based CRM.
Use cases
monday.com teams
Run sales on the same platform as projects
Outcome: One tool for selling and delivery
Sales managers
Build dashboards for pipeline and activity
Outcome: A live view of the team
Small teams
Automate stage updates and reminders on Standard
Outcome: Less manual data entry
Key features
- Customizable boards for leads, contacts and deals with dozens of column types
- Dashboards plus quotes and invoices you can create and share
- Standard adds 250 custom automations per month and a unified communications timeline
- AI agents for outreach calls, lead sourcing, meeting prep and meeting notes on Standard
- iOS and Android apps with offline access
Pros
- Very flexible board layouts
- Same platform as monday work management
- 14-day free trial with no credit card
Cons
- No free plan beyond the 14-day trial
- Basic caps boards at 5 columns and 1,000 active contacts and deals
- Pricing did not load in USD from our location
Rank 10
Copper
A CRM built for Google Workspace, with a Chrome extension and project management included.
copper.com7.7
out of 10
Best for: Small teams that work all day in Gmail and Google Workspace.
Copper is the CRM to pick when your team already lives in Gmail and Google Workspace. It works through a Chrome extension, so contacts, deals and emails can be managed from the inbox, and the Basic plan includes pipelines, task automation, project management and contact enrichment. Basic costs $23 per seat per month billed annually, or $29 monthly. Copper's site quotes a customer who says the team was running in three days, versus months on a previous CRM.
The limits are the main drawback for growing teams. Basic stops at 2,500 contacts, and workflow automation, bulk email, reporting and integrations need Professional at $59 per seat billed annually, which has a 15,000 contact cap. Unlimited contacts, email series, custom reports and multi-currency need Business at $99. Copper is a good fit for small relationship-driven teams in Google Workspace, but the price climbs faster than Bigin, Freshsales or Less Annoying CRM.
Standout feature
A CRM that works inside Gmail through a Chrome extension.
Use cases
Agencies on Google Workspace
Manage deals from Gmail with the Chrome extension
Outcome: No switching between tabs
Service teams
Turn won deals into projects
Outcome: Delivery tracked next to the sale
Field staff
Log calls and SMS from the mobile app
Outcome: Complete activity history
Key features
- Google Workspace CRM with a Chrome extension for contacts, deals and emails
- Pipelines, task automation, project management and contact enrichment on Basic
- Professional adds workflow automation, bulk email, reporting and integrations
- Business adds unlimited contacts, email series, custom reports and multi-currency
- Mobile app for logging calls and SMS
Pros
- Works inside Gmail and Google Workspace
- Project management included on every plan
- Free trial with no credit card
Cons
- Basic caps you at 2,500 contacts
- Highest verified entry seat price on this list
- Workflow automation and integrations need Professional
Frequently asked questions
+What is the best CRM for a small business?
HubSpot CRM is our top pick because the free plan covers 2 users and 1,000 contacts and Starter is normally $20 per seat. Zoho CRM is the strongest on automation per seat, and Pipedrive is the easiest for a sales team to adopt quickly.
+What is the cheapest CRM for a small business?
Bigin by Zoho Express costs $7 per user per month billed yearly, or $9 monthly. Freshsales Growth is $9 per user billed annually, Nutshell Foundation is $13 billed annually and Less Annoying CRM is a flat $15 per user per month.
+Which small business CRMs have a free plan?
HubSpot CRM is free for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, Zoho CRM is free for 3 users, Capsule is free for 2 users and 250 contacts, and Bigin is free for a single user. Pipedrive, Freshsales, Nutshell, monday CRM, Copper and Less Annoying CRM offer trials instead.
+Which CRM is easiest to set up in a day?
Pipedrive, Bigin, Capsule and Less Annoying CRM are the quickest to set up because they center on contacts and a simple pipeline. Less Annoying CRM also offers free phone support during its 30-day trial, and Bigin includes free onboarding.
+Which CRM has the most predictable pricing?
Less Annoying CRM has one plan at $15 per user per month with every feature included and no contracts. Capsule and Nutshell state that they charge no setup fees, and HubSpot's free plan has no expiration date.
About this list
Updated November 9, 2026 by the Mojolin research desk. Mojolin is self-funded
Questions or corrections: editorial@mojolin.com
More best software lists