How to choose CRM software for a small team

We compare ten CRMs on what each company publishes about its entry plan: the cheapest paid plan that allows five users. This guide explains what we weigh and why, the prices you will see, and the traps our research found. Every company page was read on Sep 27, 2026.

What we weigh, and why

• Cost for five users (35%). Almost every CRM is priced per user, so a five-person team pays five times the headline. We use the regular price, with annual prepay allowed.
• What the entry plan includes (25%). Five things: deal pipelines, two-way email sync with Gmail or Outlook, automation, reporting dashboards and a mobile app. Without these, a CRM is a contact list.
• A free plan (15%) lets you start before you pay. A free trial scores less.
• Support (15%). Phone and chat, or 24/7 chat, scores highest; email or a help centre only scores lowest.
• Contact limit (10%). Some entry plans stop at 1,000 or 2,500 contacts.

The full formulas are in how we score CRMs.

The prices you will see

Billed annually, entry plans run from $9 a user a month (Freshsales Growth) to $35 (Close Essentials). That is $45 to $175 a month for five users. Billed monthly, the same plans run from $11 to $49 a user. Less Annoying CRM is $15 a user, monthly only, and Salesforce Starter Suite is $25 a user either way. Our cost guide has the full table.

Traps our research found

Offer prices shown as the price. HubSpot shows Sales Hub Starter at $7 or $10 a seat beside a struck-through $20. The lower prices are for new customers, for a limited time, with no end date. Budget for $20.

A big gap between annual and monthly billing. Pipedrive Lite is $14 a seat billed annually and $24 monthly. Close Essentials is $35 and $49. If you want to pay month by month, compare monthly prices.

Seat minimums. monday CRM plans start from 3 seats, so its $18 Basic plan costs at least $54 a month billed monthly, even for one person.

The basics on the second tier. Several entry plans leave out things most teams expect:

• Pipedrive Lite: no two-way email sync and no automations; both start at Growth, $39 a seat.
• Capsule Starter: no email sync or workflow automation; both start at Growth.
• monday CRM Basic: no two-way email integration and no automations.
• Close Essentials: "Workflows not included".
• Copper Basic: task automation only, and no activity, pipeline or custom reports.

Contact limits nobody states. Freshsales publishes only 2 GB of file storage per user for Growth, and Salesforce publishes 10 GB of data storage for Starter. Neither says how many contacts that holds.

Pages that disagree. Where a company's own pages conflict, we use the worse reading for the buyer, and so should you until the company confirms:

• Less Annoying CRM says "Unlimited contacts" on the plan card and advises staying below 50,000 in its FAQ.
• monday CRM lists mobile apps as a Standard addition on its plan cards but ticks them for Basic in its feature list.
• HubSpot gives Starter email support in its pricing FAQ, and 24/7 chat and email on its Starter page.
• Salesforce lists "Built-in Sales Flows" on the Starter card but marks "Process Automation with Flows" Not included.
• Freshsales shows a free plan on its comparison page but not on its pricing page.

Fees beyond seats. HubSpot Professional requires a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. Close passes calling and SMS usage through at cost. Pipedrive sells add-ons such as LeadBooster from $32.50. Freshsales charges $19 a user a month for branded documents.

Support that isn't a person. Capsule offers human support by email or form, weekdays; its 24/7 support is an AI assistant. Close lists email support and a knowledge base. Salesforce Starter gets self-guided resources and case support. By contrast, Zoho CRM paid editions get email, call or chat, and Pipedrive lists 24/7 live chat on every plan.

Free plans

Four CRMs we rank have one: Zoho CRM for 3 users, HubSpot for 2 users, Capsule for 2 users and 250 contacts, and Salesforce Free Suite for 2 users, as long as you log in at least once every 60 days.

A checklist before you buy

1. Multiply the per-user price by your team size, at the billing you will actually use.
2. Check whether the price is an offer, and what it becomes.
3. Check for a seat minimum.
4. Confirm the plan you will buy has pipelines, two-way email sync, automation, dashboards and a mobile app, or decide which you can live without.
5. Find the contact limit in writing. If there isn't one, ask.
6. Check support channels and hours on that plan, not the top plan.
7. Add onboarding fees, calling costs and add-ons.
8. Check the contract: Zoho CRM says pay-as-you-go with no commitment and Less Annoying CRM bills month to month, while Salesforce Pro Suite says "Contract required".

Where to go next

See all ten in our CRM ranking. Real estate agents can start with our list for real estate agents.