Business & Side Income · Topic page
Best CRM for Small Businesses
Every company here was researched from its own pricing pages and terms. No paid rankings.
We check it out so you don’t have to.
How we researched this page: we read each company’s own pricing pages and terms, independent tests, and customer reviews. We did not use these products ourselves. Prices change often, so each one shows the date we checked it.
The short version
For a free start that can grow into marketing and service, HubSpot. For teams that sell by phone and email all day, Close. For a simple contact and pipeline tool, Capsule, OnePageCRM or Pipeline CRM. For visual deal pipelines, Pipedrive. For an all-in-one CRM plus marketing at a low price, EngageBay or Zoho CRM. For CRM that fills itself from your email, Salesflare.
Quick comparison
| Company | Best for | Starting price | Trial / refund |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Free start, grows into a full suite | Free; Starter normally $20/seat, checked October 23, 2026 | Free tools |
| Close | Calling and emailing sales teams | $9/user/mo billed yearly (Solo), checked October 25, 2026 | 14-day trial, 30-day money-back |
| Pipedrive | Visual deal pipelines | See the official site | 14-day trial |
| Capsule | Simple, tidy contact management | Free (2 users); $18/user/mo yearly, checked October 25, 2026 | 14-day trial |
| EngageBay | All-in-one CRM plus marketing, low cost | Free; from $12.74/user/mo yearly, checked October 25, 2026 | Free plan |
| OnePageCRM | Action-focused follow-ups | See the official site | 21-day trial |
| Pipeline CRM | Simple sales pipelines | $25/user/mo billed yearly, checked October 25, 2026 | 14-day trial |
| Salesflare | Auto-filled CRM for B2B | $29/user/mo billed yearly, checked October 25, 2026 | 30-day trial |
| Zoho CRM | Low price, deep customization | See the official site | Free trial |
HubSpot
Who it fits: Small businesses that want free contact management now and marketing, sales and service tools later.
What it costs (checked October 23, 2026): free tools. Starter normally $20 per seat a month (a promo showed $7 yearly or $10 monthly). Sales Hub Professional from $100 per seat a month plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee; Enterprise from $150 per seat plus a $3,500 fee.
Honest downsides: The jump from Starter to Professional is steep, including the onboarding fee. Contracts on higher tiers are annual.
Compare: ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot · Pipedrive vs HubSpot · Close vs HubSpot · Zoho CRM vs HubSpot
Close
Who it fits: Small sales teams that live on the phone and email and want calling, sequences and SMS built in.
What it costs (checked October 25, 2026): Solo $9, Essentials $35, Growth $99, Scale $139 per user a month billed yearly ($19, $49, $109, $149 monthly, October 23, 2026). 14-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Honest downsides: Built for outbound sales, not marketing. Calling minutes cost extra.
Compare: Close vs HubSpot
Pipedrive
Who it fits: Small sales teams that want a clear, visual pipeline and reminders to follow up.
What it costs Check the official page for current prices. 14-day free trial.
Honest downsides: Many useful features (like lead scoring or e-signatures) are add-ons or higher tiers. No free plan.
Visit Pipedrive’s official site
Compare: Read our full Pipedrive review · Pipedrive vs HubSpot
Capsule
Who it fits: Small businesses that want a tidy, simple CRM without a learning curve.
What it costs (checked October 25, 2026): free for 2 users and 250 contacts. Paid plans $18, $36 and $54 per user a month billed yearly. 14-day free trial.
Honest downsides: Fewer automation and marketing tools than HubSpot or EngageBay.
EngageBay
Who it fits: Very small businesses that want CRM, email marketing and a help desk together for little money.
What it costs (checked October 25, 2026): free plan. All-in-one suite from $12.74, $55.24 and $101.99 per user a month billed yearly (Basic, Growth, Pro).
Honest downsides: Less polished than HubSpot. Fewer third-party integrations.
Visit EngageBay’s official site
OnePageCRM
Who it fits: Small teams that want a to-do-style CRM that tells you the next action for every contact.
What it costs Check the official page for current prices. 21-day free trial.
Honest downsides: Not built for complex pipelines or marketing automation.
Visit OnePageCRM’s official site
Compare: Read our full OnePageCRM review
Pipeline CRM
Who it fits: Small sales teams that want a straightforward pipeline at a fair price.
What it costs (checked October 25, 2026): $25, $33 and $49 per user a month billed yearly. 14-day free trial.
Honest downsides: Fewer built-in marketing features than all-in-one tools.
Visit Pipeline CRM’s official site
Compare: Read our full Pipeline CRM review
Salesflare
Who it fits: B2B teams that hate data entry; it builds contact records from email, calendar and phone.
What it costs (checked October 25, 2026): $29, $49 and $99 per user a month billed yearly. 30-day free trial.
Honest downsides: Works best with Gmail or Outlook. Not aimed at service businesses or ecommerce.
Visit Salesflare’s official site
Compare: Read our full Salesflare review
Zoho CRM
Who it fits: Businesses that want a low price and deep customization, especially if they use other Zoho apps.
What it costs Check the official page for current prices.
Honest downsides: Setup takes effort, and the interface is busier than Pipedrive or Capsule.
Visit Zoho CRM’s official site
Compare: Read our full Zoho CRM review · Zoho CRM vs HubSpot
Also worth knowing
- Salesforce is the big-company default, but it isn’t a fit for most small businesses.
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