Nine CRMs let a small team manage contacts and deals without paying. This list scores each free tier on how long it lasts, how much it lets you do, whether it does the core CRM job, and whether you need a card. Prices are USD and were checked on 21 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free CRM that fits
- Solo founder or consultant: HubSpot CRM — forms, live chat and email tracking included, no card, no clock; two seats and 1,000 marketing contacts are the walls.
- Team of three on a zero budget: Zoho CRM — three seats, workflow rules and standard reports free forever; the first upgrade trigger is the fourth seat.
- You can host it yourself: EspoCRM — open source, unlimited users and records, your server costs only; SuiteCRM if you need enterprise-style roles and campaigns.
- Ten logins, short contact list: Agile CRM — ten free users but a 1,000-contact cap.
Which CRM tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every CRM on this page offers a tier you can use for as long as you like without paying: seven are vendor-hosted free-forever plans and two are open-source applications you install yourself. We excluded tools that only offer a time-limited trial, because a trial answers a different question (“can I evaluate it?”) than the one this list answers (“can I run on it?”). Where a vendor also sells a trial of its paid plans, the Scorecard says so and gives the day count.
The nine were chosen for category fit and verifiable public pricing: each has a public pricing page that states the free tier’s limits, or an open-source license that removes them. We did not include CRMs whose free tier exists only as a sales-led “contact us” offer, nor ones whose pricing page we could not load on the verification date.
The table shows the one limit most likely to push you to a paid plan, whether a card is needed to start, and the Free Score. The rows below it open into a full Scorecard: what is included, every hard limit, the time limit, the card requirement, what triggers the upgrade, the cheapest paid step, who the free tier fits, and where we checked it.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z |
Free forever | 3 users · 10 email templates | No | 93 | Scorecard ↓ |
| H |
Free forever | 2 users · 1,000 marketing contacts | No | 91 | Scorecard ↓ |
| E |
Open source | Self-hosted · unlimited users | No | 90 | Scorecard ↓ |
| A |
Free forever | 10 users · 1,000 contacts | No | 89 | Scorecard ↓ |
| S |
Open source | Self-hosted · unlimited users | No | 87 | Scorecard ↓ |
| B |
Free forever | 5 GB · basic CRM | No | 85 | Scorecard ↓ |
| F |
Free forever | 3 users · basic pipeline | No | 84 | Scorecard ↓ |
| C |
Free forever | 2 users · 250 contacts | No | 79 | Scorecard ↓ |
| B |
Free forever | 1 user · 500 records | No | 77 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 21 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free CRM plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1Z
Zoho CRMIndia · full sales CRM with workflow rules and standard reports, free for three usersFree forever3 users · 10 email templatesNo card93⌄
- What’s free
- Free Edition: leads, contacts, accounts, deals, tasks, standard reports, basic workflow rules, mobile apps
- Hard limits
- 3 users · 10 custom email templates · 10 data exports · 5,000 API calls/day
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. Sign-up is email only.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth seat, custom reports, or more than 10 email templates
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $14/user/month (annual) · $20 monthly
- Best free for
- A 2–3 person sales team that wants pipeline, basic automation and standard reports without paying
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoho.com/crm/zohocrm-pricing.html
2H
HubSpot CRMUS · contact and deal management with free email tracking, forms and live chat for two usersFree forever2 users · 1,000 marketing contactsNo card91⌄
- What’s free
- Free CRM: contacts, companies, deals, tasks, email tracking, forms, live chat, meeting links, 2,000 marketing email sends/month with HubSpot branding
- Hard limits
- 2 users · 1,000 marketing contacts · 1,000,000 other records · 2,000 email sends/month
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. The page states no credit card is required.
- Upgrade trigger
- A third user, removing HubSpot branding, or custom reporting
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter from $7/seat/month (promotional; $20 list)
- Best free for
- A solo founder or a two-person team that lives in Gmail or Outlook and wants forms, chat and email tracking in one place
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · hubspot.com/pricing/crm
Why it ranks here. HubSpot’s free tier is the broadest on features (forms, chat, meetings, email sends) and the tightest on seats. Two users is the hard wall; 1,000 marketing contacts is a soft one, since contacts you do not email are not counted. Capacity scores lower than Zoho’s because of the seat cap, core job higher because of the built-in inbound tools.
3E
EspoCRMUkraine · open-source CRM you install on your own server; unlimited users and records at no license costOpen sourceSelf-hosted · unlimited usersNo card90⌄
- What’s free
- The full self-hosted application: leads, opportunities, accounts, cases, email, calendar, workflows via Advanced Pack (paid extension) or basic flows
- Hard limits
- No vendor limits; your server, storage and maintenance time are the limits
- Time limit
- Unlimited (open-source license)
- Card required
- No. Download or Docker image; the 30-day cloud trial is separate.
- Upgrade trigger
- Wanting hosted maintenance (cloud from $15/user/month, min 3 users) or paid extensions such as Sales Pack
- Cheapest paid step
- Cloud Basic $15/user/month, minimum 3 users, billed 6 or 12 months
- Best free for
- A technical team that can run a LAMP or Docker stack and wants no per-seat fee at any size
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · espocrm.com/pricing · github.com/espocrm
Why it ranks here. Open source removes every vendor limit, which is why capacity and core job score full marks. Friction is where it loses: someone has to install, back up, update and secure it, and the useful workflow features sit in a paid extension. If that someone is on your team already, this is the most generous option on the list.
4A
Agile CRMUS · sales, marketing and helpdesk in one free plan for up to ten usersFree forever10 users · 1,000 contactsNo card89⌄
- What’s free
- Free: lead scoring, unlimited deals and tasks, appointment scheduling, email campaigns (5,000 branded emails), form and landing-page builder, helpdesk
- Hard limits
- 10 users · 1,000 contacts and companies · 1 campaign workflow · 1 automation rule · 500 API calls/day
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. The page states no credit card is required.
- Upgrade trigger
- More than 1,000 contacts or a second automation rule; the contact cap arrives fast for marketing use
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter from $8.99/month (per-user basis not stated on the page)
- Best free for
- A small services firm that needs ten logins but keeps a short contact list
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · agilecrm.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Ten free seats is the most on this list, and the plan bundles marketing and helpdesk tools the others charge for. The 1,000-contact cap and the single automation rule hold capacity back, and the product has changed less in recent years than the others, which the core-job score reflects.
5S
SuiteCRMUK · open-source enterprise CRM (SugarCRM fork) for teams that want full control of data and hostingOpen sourceSelf-hosted · unlimited usersNo card87⌄
- What’s free
- The full application: accounts, contacts, opportunities, cases, campaigns, workflow, reporting, role-based security
- Hard limits
- No vendor limits; hosting and administration are on you
- Time limit
- Unlimited (open-source license)
- Card required
- No. Download from the vendor; SuiteCRM Hosted has its own free trial.
- Upgrade trigger
- Wanting the vendor to host it (SuiteCRM Hosted, price on request) or a supported build (SuiteASSURED)
- Cheapest paid step
- SuiteCRM Hosted and SuiteASSURED: quote-based
- Best free for
- A mid-size team with an IT admin that needs roles, campaigns and reporting without a per-seat bill
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · suitecrm.com · suitecrm.com/download
Why it ranks here. SuiteCRM is heavier than EspoCRM and closer to a classic enterprise CRM, which suits larger teams and costs more setup time. No license fee at any user count keeps capacity at full marks; the interface and admin overhead keep friction low in score terms.
6B
Bitrix24Cyprus · collaboration suite with a basic CRM (deals, contacts) in the free planFree forever5 GB · basic CRMNo card85⌄
- What’s free
- Free: basic CRM (deals, contacts), tasks and projects, chat, video calls, online documents, website builder
- Hard limits
- 5 GB storage · basic CRM only; the page states ‘1–2 users’ in one place and ‘unlimited users’ in its FAQ
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- Not stated for the free plan; the 15-day trial of paid plans needs no card.
- Upgrade trigger
- Sales automation, CRM reports, or storage above 5 GB
- Cheapest paid step
- Basic $49/month billed annually ($69 monthly) for 5 users, per organization
- Best free for
- A small team that wants chat, tasks and a simple deal list in one free workspace
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · bitrix24.com/prices
Why it ranks here. Bitrix24 gives away a whole workspace, but the CRM inside the free plan is the basic one: deals and contacts, no automation, no CRM reports. The vendor’s own page is inconsistent about the free user count, so we score capacity on the conservative reading and flag it.
7F
FreshsalesUS/India · sales CRM with built-in email and phone; free plan for up to three usersFree forever3 users · basic pipelineNo card84⌄
- What’s free
- Free: contact management, deal tracking, built-in email and phone, basic pipelines, mobile app
- Hard limits
- 3 users · no Freddy AI, advanced workflows or forecasting
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever); the full-suite trial is 21 days
- Card required
- Not stated on the pricing page; the 21-day trial runs without a plan selection.
- Upgrade trigger
- Lead scoring, workflows or Slack/Zoom integrations, all of which sit in Growth
- Cheapest paid step
- Growth $9/user/month billed annually
- Best free for
- A three-person inside-sales team that calls and emails from the CRM
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · freshworks.com/crm/pricing · crm.org review
Why it ranks here. Freshsales’ free plan is cleanly scoped: three users, the core pipeline, email and phone. The pricing page itself no longer describes the free plan in detail, so the limits here come partly from a third-party review and are marked for re-verification. Friction loses points for that opacity.
8C
Capsule CRMUK · simple contact-first CRM with one pipeline; free for two users and 250 contactsFree forever2 users · 250 contactsNo card79⌄
- What’s free
- Free: contacts, 1 sales pipeline, custom milestones, 5 custom fields, task categories, Gmail/Outlook mail connection
- Hard limits
- 2 users · 250 contacts · 1 pipeline · 5 custom fields
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever); paid plans have a 14-day trial
- Card required
- No card for the 14-day paid trial; the free plan is sign-up only.
- Upgrade trigger
- Contact 251, a second pipeline, or a third user
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $18/user/month billed annually ($22 monthly, per Capterra listing)
- Best free for
- A freelancer or two-person consultancy with a short, high-value client list
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · capsulecrm.com/pricing · capterra.com
Why it ranks here. Capsule is the easiest CRM on this list to learn and the smallest free tier on it. 250 contacts is a real ceiling for anyone doing outbound, which is why capacity scores low; for a consultant managing a few dozen accounts it is more than enough.
9B
Bigin by ZohoIndia · pipeline-first mini CRM for solo operators; one user and 500 records freeFree forever1 user · 500 recordsNo card77⌄
- What’s free
- Free: 1 pipeline, contacts, companies, products, activities, 3 automations, built-in phone, standard dashboards, 1 booking page, no-code forms, card scanner
- Hard limits
- 1 user · 500 records · 1 pipeline · 3 automations
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No card for the trial; the free plan is sign-up only.
- Upgrade trigger
- A second user or record 501
- Cheapest paid step
- Express $7/user/month billed yearly ($9 monthly)
- Best free for
- A solo seller who wants a clean pipeline and a booking page on a phone
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · bigin.com/pricing.html
Why it ranks here. Bigin is Zoho’s small-business cut of Zoho CRM. The free plan is strictly single-user and 500 records, so it ranks last on capacity, but the paid step is the cheapest on the list at $7, which makes it a low-risk place to start if you know you will pay later.
Which free CRM has no credit-card requirement?
All nine start without a card. HubSpot, Agile CRM and Zoho state this explicitly on their pricing pages; Capsule, Bigin and Freshsales say it about their paid-plan trials and run the free plan as a plain sign-up; the two open-source tools are downloads. Bitrix24’s page does not say either way for the free plan, so we flag it rather than assume. None of the nine converts a free plan into a paid one automatically, which is the risk that card-gated trials carry and this list avoids.
The practical difference between the free-forever plans is therefore not the sign-up but the ceiling: seats (HubSpot 2, Capsule 2, Bigin 1, Zoho 3, Freshsales 3, Agile 10), contacts (Capsule 250, Bigin 500 records, HubSpot and Agile 1,000) and features (Bitrix24’s basic CRM, Zoho’s 10 templates, Freshsales’ missing workflows). Pick the ceiling you will hit last.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free CRM fits your situation?
Two people, under 1,000 contacts, inbound leads
HubSpot CRM. Forms, chat and meeting links are free, and 1,000 marketing contacts is enough for most two-person teams for a year.
Three people, outbound pipeline, need rules
Zoho CRM. Three seats, workflow rules and standard reports with no stated record cap; the 10 email templates are the first thing you will feel.
Ten logins, mostly service work
Agile CRM. Ten free users and a helpdesk, as long as the combined contact and company list stays under 1,000.
Technical team or an IT admin on staff
EspoCRM for a lean install, SuiteCRM for roles, campaigns and reporting. Neither charges per seat; both charge you in admin hours.
Solo seller on a phone
Bigin. One user, 500 records, a booking page and a card scanner, with the cheapest paid step on the list if you grow.
Consultant with a short, high-value list
Capsule. The simplest interface here; 250 contacts and two users is plenty for account-based work.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, contacts, deals and tasks in a pipeline. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 21 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections through the Update your free tier form.
How did we verify these free tiers?
For each product we opened the pricing page, recorded the free tier’s stated limits, the trial terms where any, the cheapest paid plan and its billing basis, and the card requirement if stated. Where a page was inconsistent (Bitrix24 states both “1–2 users” and “unlimited users”), we scored the conservative reading and said so in the row. Where a vendor page no longer describes its free plan in detail (Freshsales), we used a current third-party review and marked the row for re-verification at the next quarterly pass. We did not test the products for this list; the score measures the published free tier, not the product’s quality.
Prices are in USD. Zoho’s pricing page served INR on our first load and USD on the second; the USD figures are the ones used. Promotional prices (HubSpot’s $7 Starter) are quoted as promotional, with the list price beside them.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free CRM good enough to run a real sales process?
For a team of one to three, yes: Zoho, HubSpot and Freshsales all run a full pipeline with tasks and email on their free tiers. What you give up is reporting depth, automation and seats, not the core workflow.
Which free CRM has the most users?
Agile CRM at ten, if your contact list stays under 1,000. Among self-hosted options, EspoCRM and SuiteCRM have no user limit at all.
Do these free plans expire or convert to paid automatically?
No. All nine are free-forever plans or open-source software. Only time-limited trials of paid plans expire, and the ones mentioned here (Capsule 14 days, Freshsales 21 days, EspoCRM cloud 30 days) are separate from the free tier.
Why is an open-source CRM ranked third and not first?
Capacity and core job score full marks for EspoCRM, but friction does not: someone has to install, update and secure it, and its workflow features sit in a paid extension. The score reflects total effort to run on it, not just the license fee.
What is the cheapest paid step if I outgrow the free plan?
Bigin Express at $7 per user per month billed yearly, then HubSpot Starter at a promotional $7 per seat, Freshsales Growth at $9 and Zoho Standard at $14, all annual billing.
How is this different from Kurums’ Best CRM comparison?
This list answers “where can I start without paying”. The Best comparison answers “which one should I buy” and ranks paid tiers. Both use the same no-sponsorship rule and link to each other.
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