Skip to content
bestCRM

Ranking · Free plans

Best CRMs for free plans

Permanent free CRM plans used by US and English-speaking small teams — HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Freshsales, Bitrix24, Agile CRM, EngageBay, Capsule, and Attio. Expiring trials do not belong here.

For founders, solopreneurs, and small sales teams that need a crm without a monthly seat bill.

Scored
8
US-based CRM
4
International CRM
4
  • Public weighted criteria
  • Official sources on every page
  • No one pays for placement
  • Updated September 26, 2026

Comparison table

Filter by what your operation cannot skip

Mark required features and the table shows only who has them natively. Sort by any column.

See the ranking
Type

Showing 8 of 8 CRMs

Must have:
PriceProfile
1
Zoho CRM
International CRM
7.6YesYesYesYesYesFree planView profile →
2
Attio
International CRM
7.5YesYesYesYesYesFree planView profile →
3
Agile CRM
US-based CRM
6.9YesNoYesYesYesFree planView profile →
4
EngageBay
US-based CRM
6.7YesNoYesYesYesFree planView profile →
5
Freshsales
US-based CRM
6.1YesNoYesNoYesFree planView profile →
6
HubSpot CRM
US-based CRM
6.0NoNoYesNoYesFree planView profile →
7
Bitrix24
International CRM
5.4YesYesYesNoNoFree planView profile →
8
Capsule CRM
International CRM
4.5NoNoYesNoNoFree planView profile →

We mark a feature as present only when it is native to the product — marketplace integrations do not count. Click a column header to sort.

Ranking

From most to least useful on a permanent free plan

The order is the overall score — a weighted average of the six criteria with this vertical’s weights. The score looks at the free plan only. A feature that unlocks after you add a card counts as missing.

  1. 1Leader

    Zoho CRM

    International CRM

    Permanent free edition for up to 3 users and 5,000 records — leads, deals, workflow automation, standard reports, and API calls on $0. One of the most complete free sales CRMs in the English-speaking market.

    Strength
    Free-plan ceiling
    Weak spot
    Messaging on free
    • 3+ users on free
    • 5k+ contacts on free
    • Sales pipeline
    • Automation on free
    • Native messaging
    7.6
    Strongout of 10

    Free plan (permanent, up to 3 users); paid editions from Standard

    View profile
  2. 2

    Attio

    International CRM

    Modern relationship CRM with a permanent free plan for up to 3 seats and 50,000 records — email sync, API, reports, and workflows on $0. Built for startups more than classic SMB lead-routing.

    Strength
    Free-plan ceiling
    Weak spot
    Messaging on free
    • 3+ users on free
    • 5k+ contacts on free
    • Sales pipeline
    • Automation on free
    • Native messaging
    7.5
    Strongout of 10

    Free plan (permanent, up to 3 seats); Plus from published USD/seat

    View profile
  3. 3

    Agile CRM

    US-based CRM

    US-based free CRM for up to 10 users and 1,000 contacts — deals, email campaigns, a limited automation rule/workflow set, basic reports, and API calls on $0.

    Strength
    Free-plan ceiling
    Weak spot
    Messaging on free
    • 3+ users on free
    • Sales pipeline
    • Automation on free
    • Email on free
    • 5k+ contacts on free
    • Native messaging
    6.9
    Fairout of 10

    Free plan (permanent, up to 10 users); paid from Starter

    View profile
  4. 4

    EngageBay

    US-based CRM

    All-in-one free plan with CRM, email marketing, autoresponders, sequences, and live chat — marketed free for 15 users, but capped at 250 contacts on $0.

    Strength
    Automation on free
    Weak spot
    Messaging on free
    • 3+ users on free
    • Sales pipeline
    • Automation on free
    • Email on free
    • 5k+ contacts on free
    • Native messaging
    6.7
    Fairout of 10

    Free plan (permanent); paid All-in-One from Basic

    View profile
  5. 5

    Freshsales

    US-based CRM

    Freshworks CRM free plan for up to 3 users — contacts, accounts, deals, Kanban, and productivity apps (Gmail/Outlook). Basic workflows and richer AI/phone packs sit on Growth+.

    Strength
    Pipeline on free
    Weak spot
    Messaging on free
    • 3+ users on free
    • Sales pipeline
    • Email on free
    • Reports on free
    • 5k+ contacts on free
    • Automation on free
    6.1
    Fairout of 10

    Free plan (permanent, up to 3 users); Growth from $9/user/mo billed annually

    View profile
  6. 6

    HubSpot CRM

    US-based CRM

    The default US free CRM — permanent $0 tier with contacts, deal pipelines, and a reporting dashboard. Caps at two users and 1,000 contacts; advanced automation and WhatsApp are not what the free CRM is.

    Strength
    Learning curve
    Weak spot
    Messaging on free
    • Sales pipeline
    • Email on free
    • Reports on free
    • API on free
    • 3+ users on free
    • 5k+ contacts on free
    6.0
    Fairout of 10

    Free plan (permanent, up to 2 users / 1,000 contacts); paid seats from Starter

    View profile
  7. 7

    Bitrix24

    International CRM

    Free-forever cloud workspace with basic CRM, tasks, chat, and 5 GB storage. FAQ states unlimited free users; the pricing table also labels Free as for 1–2 users — confirm the seat allowance in-account. Advanced CRM, WhatsApp, and automation sit on paid plans.

    Strength
    Free-plan ceiling
    Weak spot
    Messaging on free
    • 3+ users on free
    • 5k+ contacts on free
    • Sales pipeline
    • Automation on free
    • Email on free
    5.4
    Weakout of 10

    Free plan (permanent); paid cloud from Basic in USD

    View profile
  8. 8

    Capsule CRM

    International CRM

    Clean, simple CRM with a permanent free plan — 2 users, 250 contacts, one sales pipeline. Automations, advanced reporting, and richer mail land on paid plans. Easy to learn; easy to outgrow.

    Strength
    Learning curve
    Weak spot
    Messaging on free
    • Sales pipeline
    • 3+ users on free
    • 5k+ contacts on free
    4.5
    Weakout of 10

    Free plan (permanent, max 2 users / 250 contacts); Starter from published USD/user

    View profile

Side by side

Head-to-head comparisons

Stuck between two? Open the comparison: scores by criterion, features, and an editorial verdict when one exists. Only the main duels appear here — editorial verdicts and pairs among the top five. Other pairs live on each CRM profile and at the bottom of each duel page.

Context

Why a free CRM plan is not the same as a free trial

In the US and broader English-speaking market, “free CRM” usually means a permanent freemium tier — not a 14-day trial that expires into a paid seat. This ranking only includes products with a public, ongoing $0 plan. Pipedrive, monday CRM, and Close-style trials stay out on purpose.

The yardstick asks what you already get without paying: a usable pipeline, automation that fires on its own, email and reporting, native messaging on the free plan, how generous the free ceiling is (users and contacts), and how hard the product is to learn. Ceiling and automation weigh more than messaging — native SMS or WhatsApp on a permanent free tier is still uncommon.

US-based and international products sit on the same list. A Cambridge product and a Chennai product are scored with the same six slots. The score says what the free plan covers — not which brand you will like after you upgrade.