The CallTeam buying desk / Your first CRM

9 best CRMs for small businesses.Choose a first CRM your team will use.

Still tracking enquiries in spreadsheets and inboxes? Compare simple ways to manage contacts, quotes and follow-up, with the price for your team.

Compare the 9 CRMs ↓See one-, three- and five-user costs →

HubSpot · Pipedrive · Zoho CRM · Bigin · Freshsales · monday CRM · Salesforce · Close · Less Annoying CRM

CallTeam's shortlist: start with Bigin or Less Annoying CRM for a simple first setup, Pipedrive for active deal management, and HubSpot when enquiries and marketing need a shared record. Compare Zoho and Freshsales for more features on a tight budget. Close earns its place when calling is everyday work.

Prices and features checked 8 November 2026. Official sources are linked in each review.

Already have Salesforce? Use the Salesforce replacement guide to check migration costs and which features you need to keep.

01 / Choose a first shortlist

Which CRM fits
your small business?

Pick two to trial. Import a small sample of real enquiries and see whether the team can find the next action without help.

Nine small-business CRMs: fit, named paid plan and the main drawback
CRMUseful forBase paid planThe drawback
Bigin by ZohoA first pipeline after spreadsheets$7 / paid user / monthExpress · Annual billingExpress includes three team pipelines; more require an upgrade.
PipedriveSeeing deals and the next activity$14 / paid user / monthLite · Annual billingFull email sync and automation require Growth.
Less Annoying CRMContacts and follow-up with simple billing$15 / paid user / monthSingle plan · Monthly billingBulk email campaigns need a separate connected tool.
HubSpotA shared starting point for enquiries and sales$20 / paid user / monthSales Hub Starter · Standard monthly priceSales sequences require Professional or Enterprise.
Zoho CRMMore control on a modest subscription budget$14 / paid user / monthStandard · Annual billingSomeone must own the fields, views and setup.
FreshsalesBuilt-in communication at a low entry price$9 / paid user / monthGrowth · Annual billingSales sequences require Pro; calling usage is extra.
monday CRMA team that likes visual boards$12 / paid user / monthBasic · Annual billing; 3-seat minimumA solo user still pays for three seats.
SalesforceA business with a clear Salesforce growth plan$25 / paid user / monthStarter Suite · Monthly or annual billingPro is a substantial price jump.
CloseA small team selling by phone and email$35 / paid user / monthEssentials · Annual billingWorkflows and the power dialer require Growth.

Already running an outbound sales team? Use our CRM comparison for cold calling and outbound sales for dialers, sequences and campaign handoffs. Replacing HubSpot? Start with the HubSpot alternatives guide.

02 / A budget you can read

CRM costs for one,
three or five users.

USD base subscription per month. Annual-billing prices are monthly equivalents. HubSpot uses its standard monthly rate; Less Annoying CRM bills monthly. Taxes, phone usage, setup and separate add-ons are extra. Compare the features as well as the totals.

Small-business CRM base subscription totals, including the monday seat minimum
CRM and plan1 user3 users5 users
Bigin by ZohoExpress · Annual billing$7$21$35
PipedriveLite · Annual billing$14$42$70
Less Annoying CRMSingle plan · Monthly billing$15$45$75
HubSpotSales Hub Starter · Standard monthly price$20$60$100
Zoho CRMStandard · Annual billing$14$42$70
FreshsalesGrowth · Annual billing$9$27$45
monday CRMBasic · Annual billing; 3-seat minimum$363 paid seats required$36$60
SalesforceStarter Suite · Monthly or annual billing$25$75$125
CloseEssentials · Annual billing$35$105$175

The minimum purchase changes the price.

Three Bigin Express seats cost $21 a month equivalent, or $252 billed annually. One monday CRM Basic user still requires three seats: $36 a month equivalent, or $432 billed annually. Four monday users require five seats.

The next tier can matter more than another user.

Pipedrive requires Growth for full email sync. Close puts automated workflows in Growth. Price those upgrades before choosing an entry plan.

Need people to work the leads? CallTeam can make the calls, handle follow-up and book qualified conversations. We will agree how the results should reach your team.

Talk to CallTeam ↗

03 / The useful strengths and limits

Nine CRMs.
CallTeam's verdicts.

Buy the features your team needs for its daily work.

A first pipeline after spreadsheets

Bigin by Zoho

Official pricing ↗

What works

Bigin keeps contacts, deals and next steps together. Express includes email integration, three team pipelines and automations, with less setup than the full Zoho CRM.

The drawback

The free record allowance counts entries across pipelines, contacts, activities and notes. It fills sooner than a 500-contact limit. More pipelines and advanced automation require a higher plan.

What you pay

Express is $7 per user per month billed annually, or $9 month to month. Phone service and paid add-ons can add to the subscription.

Official sources: Plans and record limits ↗ · Bigin records and product questions ↗

Seeing deals and the next activity

Pipedrive

Official pricing ↗

What works

Pipedrive makes an active sales pipeline easy to inspect. Lite covers deals, contacts, calendars and activities. A small team can see who owns the deal and what should happen next.

The drawback

Lite leaves full email sync and automation to Growth. LeadBooster, documents and campaigns can add separate charges.

What you pay

Lite is $14 per seat per month billed annually. Growth and optional add-ons cost more.

Official sources: Current plans and prices ↗ · Billing and add-ons ↗

Contacts and follow-up with simple billing

Less Annoying CRM

Official pricing ↗

What works

One plan covers contacts, tasks, pipelines, email logging, automations and support. There are no feature tiers to work through.

The drawback

Bulk marketing campaigns need a connected email platform. Include that cost and check the integrations you need.

What you pay

$15 per user per month, plus applicable tax, with a 30-day trial.

Official sources: Pricing ↗ · Current product features ↗ · Automations ↗

A shared starting point for enquiries and sales

HubSpot

Official pricing ↗

What works

HubSpot Free brings contacts, forms and sales follow-up together for one or two people. The wider platform lets sales, marketing and service share customer information.

The drawback

Free is limited to two users and 1,000 contacts. Sales sequences require Professional or Enterprise, which raises the budget substantially.

What you pay

The table uses the standard $20 per seat monthly Starter price. Temporary new-customer discounts are excluded. Other Hubs, advanced features and usage can increase the bill.

Official sources: Sales Hub pricing ↗ · Free CRM limits ↗ · Standard product catalogue ↗

More control on a modest subscription budget

Zoho CRM

Official pricing ↗

What works

Standard includes email integration, pipelines, web forms, workflows and customisation. A separate free edition supports three users.

The drawback

Zoho needs more setup than Bigin. Unused fields and complicated rules cost staff time. Phone numbers and calling usage are extra.

What you pay

Standard is $14 per user per month billed annually, or $20 month to month. Telephony and other Zoho products cost extra.

Official sources: USD plans and free edition ↗

Built-in communication at a low entry price

Freshsales

Official pricing ↗

What works

Growth combines contact records, email, phone, custom fields and basic workflows at a low starting price.

The drawback

Sales sequences require Pro. Calling credits and destinations affect the bill even with a built-in phone.

What you pay

Growth is $9 per user per month billed annually. Pro is $39 on the same basis. Phone credits and optional add-ons are separate.

Official sources: Freshsales plans ↗ · Detailed feature and free-plan comparison ↗

A team that likes visual boards

monday CRM

Official pricing ↗

What works

monday CRM uses visual boards to organise contacts, deals and shared work. It suits teams that want to shape their own workflow.

The drawback

Basic has tighter contact and board limits. Email and automation needs can require Standard or Pro. Someone must maintain the boards.

What you pay

Basic is $12 per paid seat per month billed annually, with a three-seat minimum. Standard starts at $17 on annual billing. Four users require the five-seat package.

Official sources: CRM plans and limits ↗ · Seat packages and billing ↗

A business with a clear Salesforce growth plan

Salesforce

Official pricing ↗

What works

Starter combines sales, marketing and service basics. It gives a business an entry point into Salesforce.

The drawback

More customisation, AppExchange access and advanced sales features can require Pro at four times the seat price.

What you pay

Starter is $25 per user per month, billed monthly or annually. Pro is $100 per user per month with annual billing. Payment-processing transaction fees are separate from CRM-seat prices.

Official sources: Small-business pricing and feature tiers ↗

A small team selling by phone and email

Close

Official pricing ↗

What works

Essentials brings calls, email, SMS, tasks and lead records together. It suits a small team that spends much of the day speaking to prospects.

The drawback

Phone numbers, calls and SMS cost extra. Automated workflows and the power dialer require Growth.

What you pay

Essentials is $35 per user per month billed annually, or $49 month to month. Solo is limited to one user: $9 per month billed annually, or $19 month to month.

Official sources: Plans, calling features and usage charges ↗

04 / Start without a subscription

Which free CRM
is actually usable?

Check the user, record and feature limits before importing your list.

HubSpot, Zoho and Freshsales

HubSpot Free: up to two users and 1,000 contacts. It is worth testing for a very small team handling enquiries and sales.

Zoho CRM Free and Freshsales Free: up to three users. Check their free-edition features against the paid plans above; the allowances are different.

Bigin, trials and paid seats

Bigin Free: one user and 500 records. Activities and notes count towards the allowance, so a busy owner can reach it quickly.

Pipedrive, monday CRM and Less Annoying CRM offer time-limited trials. Budget for the subscription after the trial ends.

Our advice: stay on the free plan until a limit blocks your work. Pay for the feature or seat you need.

05 / Make the purchase useful

What your first CRM
needs to do.

Keep one customer record.

Import a small sample with company, contact, owner, deal stage and next action. Remove duplicates before the full import. Keep shared inbox history and personal notes attached to the right person.

Show the overdue work.

Ask the actual user to find today's callbacks and overdue enquiries. If the task needs a manager to explain three screens every morning, simplify the setup.

Let you take the data out.

Export the sample before importing everything. Check which notes, activities and tasks come with it. A contact CSV alone may leave out the history you need.

For leads from automated LinkedIn campaigns, check who receives the reply and records the next action. Our LinkedIn outreach tool comparison covers those workflow limits and sender costs.

HubSpot vs Pipedrive for a first CRM

Choose HubSpot when forms, enquiries and the wider marketing setup need a shared record. Choose Pipedrive when the immediate problem is seeing live deals and their next activities. Test the required email features on the plan you intend to buy.

Bigin vs Zoho CRM for a small team

Choose Bigin for a straightforward sales pipeline. Choose Zoho CRM when you need more control over ownership, reporting or automation.

Where does Apollo fit? Apollo combines prospect data with outreach and deal features. Test it against your ownership, history and follow-up needs before treating it as the main CRM. For buying contact data, use our lead generation database comparison; for replacing it, use Apollo alternatives for cold calling.

06 / Free resource

Set up your first CRM.
Keep the first week simple.

Copy this plan into your notes. Use it during the trial and again when a new colleague joins.

FIRST CRM: FIRST-WEEK SETUP
1. Import 20 real contacts before moving the full list.
2. Give every active enquiry one owner and a dated next action.
3. Use a short pipeline: New enquiry, Conversation started, Quote sent, Won, Lost. Adjust it to your actual sales process.
4. Connect email and check that a real interaction lands on the right record.
5. Save an overdue-follow-up view. Open it every working day.
6. Export the sample records and check contacts, notes and open tasks.
7. Review the week's missing follow-ups before adding more fields or automation.

07 / Direct answers

Small-business
CRM questions.

What is the best CRM for a small business?

Shortlist Bigin or Less Annoying CRM for a simple first setup, Pipedrive for active deal management, and HubSpot for connected enquiries and sales. Close suits teams that sell mainly by phone.

What is the best free CRM for a small business?

HubSpot Free supports two users and 1,000 contacts. Zoho CRM and Freshsales offer free editions for up to three users. Bigin Free supports one user and 500 records across several record types. Compare the limits against your actual team and workflow before importing the full list.

How much does a CRM cost for a three-person business?

The paid plans in our table range from USD $21 a month equivalent for Bigin Express to $105 for Close Essentials, before tax and extras. Several require annual billing; HubSpot uses its standard monthly rate. Free editions may cover a basic workflow.

Should a small business choose HubSpot or Pipedrive?

Start with HubSpot when contact capture, forms and a shared sales-and-marketing record are important. Start with Pipedrive when the main job is managing deals and next activities. Pipedrive Lite leaves full email sync and automation to Growth; HubSpot's more advanced sales features also require an upgrade.

What is the difference between Bigin and Zoho CRM?

Bigin is a separate product with a simpler pipeline focus. Zoho CRM offers broader customisation and sales controls. Start with Bigin for a straightforward first CRM; choose Zoho CRM when you need the additional configuration and have someone to maintain it.

Is monday CRM free for one person?

monday CRM has a trial and a minimum of three paid seats. At the Basic annual-billing rate, one user still creates a $36 monthly-equivalent subscription. The free monday work-management plan is a separate product.

Can Apollo replace a small-business CRM?

Apollo includes deals, tasks and pipelines alongside prospecting and outreach. It can cover a simple sales process. Check enquiry capture, ownership, email history, next actions and exports before using it as your main customer record.

Can CallTeam work with leads in our CRM?

Yes. CallTeam can prepare a B2B calling campaign, call prospects, follow up and hand over qualified appointments. Bring your current CRM or list. We will agree how campaign updates and next steps should be recorded.

Your CRM needs conversations

Let CallTeam
work the leads.

We prepare B2B calling campaigns, speak with prospects, follow up and book qualified appointments.

Bring your existing contacts or target market. We will discuss who to call, what to say and how your team will receive the next steps.

Book a free 30-minute call ↗See our small-business lead generation service →
Get in touch

Need more leads, calls or booked appointments?

Tell us about your business and we’ll discuss how we can help.

We'll reply within one business day.