TL;DR: Attio and HubSpot both publish a $0 starting plan. Attio is the AI-native CRM for teams that live in email and want a modern data model. HubSpot is the free CRM that becomes a suite, with Breeze AI layered on seats and credits. Close publishes from $9/user/month on annual Solo and is built around calling and SMS. Pipedrive publishes Lite from $14/user/month annual with AI on every paid plan. Salesforce Sales Cloud now publishes a seat grid too: Starter Suite $25 and Pro Suite $100, then Core $195, Advanced $395 and Max $550 per user per month, each bundling an org-level Flex Credit pool; Agentforce for Sales remains listed from $125/user/month as an add-on on eligible editions. Public packaging is below.
An AI CRM is the system of record for accounts, contacts and deals that also drafts outreach, scores records, summarises calls or runs agents against that data. Buying one is confusing because “AI CRM” can mean a free contact database with a chatbot, a dialer with an agent, or an enterprise cloud plus a $125 add-on.
This guide compares five platforms businesses licence for that job. Every entry is assessed on the same fields: published pricing, how AI is sold, primary sales motion and the buyer it fits. The order below is not a quality ranking. All five publish a starting price. Products appear in ascending order of their lowest published entry price.
AI CRMs compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | How AI is sold | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attio | Free $0 (up to 3 seats). Plus from $35/user/mo monthly or $29–$44 depending on the current annual toggle. Pro from $79–$99/user/mo. Enterprise quote. Credits sit on top of seats. | Ask Attio, sequences, call intelligence and agent workflows consume plan credits | Product-led teams that want an AI-native CRM without a marketing suite | Visit → |
| HubSpot Smart CRM | Free $0. Starter from about $15–$20/seat/mo on current promos. Professional from $50/seat/mo. Enterprise from $75/seat/mo on the CRM page. Breeze agents can be outcome-priced (credits). | Breeze Assistant on many plans; agents and credits scale with edition | Teams that want a free CRM now and a marketing/sales suite later | Visit → |
| Close | Solo from $9/seat/mo annual ($19 monthly). Essentials $35 annual / $49 monthly. Growth $99 / $109. Scale $139 / $149. Calling minutes and numbers extra. | Chloe AI sales agent listed as free in beta on the pricing page. Call Assistant is a paid add-on | Inside-sales teams that live on phone and SMS | Visit → |
| Pipedrive | Lite $14, Growth $39, Premium $59, Ultimate $79 per seat per month billed annually. 14-day trial. | Vendor labels paid plans “Now with AI” (reports, multi-email tools on higher tiers) | Pipeline-first SMBs that want a listed seat price | Visit → |
| Salesforce Sales Cloud | Starter Suite $25, Pro Suite $100, Core $195, Advanced $395, Max $550 per user per month billed annually. Each edition bundles an org-level Flex Credit pool; Max lists 2.75m credits per org per year. Agentforce for Sales from $125/user/month as an add-on on eligible editions. | Einstein features by licence; Agentforce add-on or Agentforce 1 editions | Enterprises already on Salesforce that need agents on Sales Cloud | Visit → |
Pricing and packaging were read from each provider’s own website on 12 September 2026. Where a vendor publishes no dollar figure for the core CRM, this guide says so. Promotional seat discounts on HubSpot can move; confirm the live pricing page before you buy.
All five print a starting number. Salesforce joined them on 3 September 2026, when it replaced the old quote-led Sales Cloud grid with the Core, Advanced and Max editions.
What “AI CRM” actually costs in 2026
Seat price is the floor. Credits, calling minutes, Agentforce add-ons and outcome fees for agents are the bill you meet after month two. Model usage, not just headcount.
The five providers in detail
1. Attio
LOWEST PUBLISHED PAID RUNG AMONG AI-NATIVE CRMS, WITH A REAL FREE PLAN
Best for: startups and product-led sales teams that want enrichment, email sync and agents without buying HubSpot’s full suite.
| Published pricing | attio.com/pricing: Free $0 up to 3 seats; Plus and Pro per user; Enterprise quote. Credits listed per plan |
| How AI is sold | Seat plus credits for research, enrichment and workflows |
| Sales motion | Founder-led and PLG outbound |
| Free plan / trial | Free plan, no card required |
| Main limitation | Credit burn on heavy enrichment. Not a marketing automation suite |
- Read the credit table on the same page as the seat price.
- Free is for exploring, not for a ten-person outbound team.
- Enterprise is the path if you need a custom security review.
2. HubSpot Smart CRM
Best for: companies that want a free system of record now and may add Sales Hub, Marketing Hub and Breeze agents later.
| Published pricing | hubspot.com/products/crm lists Free $0, Starter, Professional from $50/seat/mo, Enterprise from $75/seat/mo. Starter is often promoted below $20/seat |
| How AI is sold | Breeze Assistant is widely included. Agents and some features spend HubSpot Credits; some agents moved to outcome pricing in 2026 |
| Sales motion | Inbound plus sales, marketing and service on one platform |
| Free plan / trial | Free CRM, no card |
| Main limitation | Serious outbound and custom objects live on paid editions. Credits are easy to underestimate |
- Price the CRM seat and the hub you actually need. They are not the same SKU.
- Ask which Breeze features are included versus credit-metered.
- Onboarding fees appear on some Sales Hub professional quotes — confirm before you compare to Pipedrive.
3. Close
Best for: SDR and inside-sales teams that need calling, SMS and email in the CRM, not bolted on.
| Published pricing | close.com/pricing: Solo from $9 annual; Essentials $35; Growth $99; Scale $139 per seat per month on annual billing |
| How AI is sold | Chloe listed free in beta. Call Assistant $50/org/month plus $0.02/minute on the same page |
| Sales motion | High-activity outbound calling |
| Free plan / trial | No lasting free plan; paid plans are listed |
| Main limitation | Calling usage and numbers sit on top of the seat. Solo is one user and capped leads |
- Budget minutes, not only seats.
- Treat Chloe’s “free in beta” line as temporary until Close publishes a paid SKU.
- Wrong tool if you need marketing automation more than a dialer.
4. Pipedrive
Best for: small sales teams that want a visual pipeline and a public annual seat price.
| Published pricing | pipedrive.com/pricing: Lite $14, Growth $39, Premium $59, Ultimate $79 per seat per month billed annually |
| How AI is sold | AI report creation from Lite; richer AI email tools from Premium on the public grid |
| Sales motion | SMB pipeline management |
| Free plan / trial | 14-day trial, no card |
| Main limitation | Not an AI-native data platform. Power sits in pipeline UX, not agents |
- Buy Growth if you need email sync and sequences, not Lite.
- Compare annual seat totals to HubSpot Starter before you assume Pipedrive is cheaper.
- AI here is assistive, not Agentforce-class.
5. Salesforce Sales Cloud
Best for: companies already running Salesforce that want Agentforce on the same records.
| Published pricing | Starter Suite $25 and Pro Suite $100, then Core $195, Advanced $395 and Max $550 per user per month billed annually. Core, Advanced and Max were announced on 3 September 2026 and bundle Flex Credits, Slack and AI capability. Agentforce for Sales is still listed from $125/user/month as an add-on on eligible editions |
| How AI is sold | Einstein features by licence; Agentforce add-on; Flex Credits for some usage |
| Sales motion | Enterprise, multi-cloud revenue teams |
| Free plan / trial | Trials exist; not a public $0 CRM like HubSpot or Attio |
| Main limitation | The seat grid is public now, but Flex Credit burn, add-ons and implementation are not. You still cannot self-qualify total cost, and legacy Enterprise and Unlimited contracts price differently |
- Ask for the edition, the Agentforce SKU and the Flex Credit pool in one quote.
- Do not compare $125 Agentforce to Pipedrive Lite — they are different products.
- If you are not already on Salesforce, start with Attio, HubSpot, Close or Pipedrive.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
Pick the line that describes your team and open it.
We are two people and need a CRM this week
Attio Free or HubSpot Free. Close Solo if you live on the phone. Do not start a Salesforce sales cycle.
We sell on the phone all day
Close. Pipedrive plus a separate dialer is the slower path.
We will also run marketing and a help desk
HubSpot. The CRM is the on-ramp to the suite.
We want an AI-native CRM, not a suite
Attio. Price credits as well as seats.
We already pay for Salesforce
Stay there and quote Agentforce. Switching CRMs is a programme, not a SaaS swap.
Buying tip: send every vendor the same scope: seats, outbound vs inbound, whether calling is in-CRM, and whether AI is included or metered. Then compare year-one cost, not the landing-page seat.
How this comparison was put together
Plan names and public prices were read from vendor pricing pages on 12 September 2026. Salesforce replaced its quote-led Sales Cloud grid with published Core, Advanced and Max editions on 3 September 2026; those figures were read from salesforce.com/sales/pricing on 17 September 2026 with the currency converter set to US Dollar. No vendor paid for its position. Kurums did not run a win-rate lab test.
Products with a published starting price appear first. Salesforce follows because its lowest published entry price, Starter Suite at $25 per user per month, is the highest of the five. No badge on this page reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free AI CRM enough?
For a founder pipeline, often yes. For a team that needs permissions, sequences and reporting, you will be on a paid edition within a quarter.
Are AI credits part of the list price?
Not always. Attio and HubSpot publish credit or outcome fees beside seats. Close meters calling. Salesforce meters some Agentforce usage with Flex Credits.
Can I replace Salesforce with Attio?
Only if you do not depend on the Salesforce app ecosystem, data model and operating cadence. That is a migration, not a discount.
Does “Now with AI” on Pipedrive mean agents?
It means assistive features on the public grid. It is not the same product category as Agentforce or Chloe.
Did we test deliverability or call quality?
No. Run a 14-day trial on your own domains and numbers.
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