How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Salesforce CRM is not listed here, since this article covers alternatives for teams leaving Salesforce or choosing a first CRM.
- HubSpot offers the strongest free CRM, though free user limits reports conflict, with 2 users in some 2026 sources and unlimited users in others.
- Zoho CRM offers the deepest breadth at a low price, with a free plan for 3 users and Standard at 14 dollars per user per month.
- Pipedrive offers the simplest visual pipeline at 14 dollars per user per month, while Freshsales offers the lowest per seat paid price at 9 dollars.
- Implementation risk is real: estimates suggest 50 to 65 percent of CRM projects underperform expectations, so pick the simplest tool your process actually needs.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 HubSpot CRM | Free CRM with marketing depth | Free | Yes |
 Zoho CRM | Budget breadth with customization | Free | Yes |
 Pipedrive | Simple visual pipeline | $14 per user per month | No |
 Freshsales | AI assisted CRM at low cost | $9 per user per month | Yes |
 monday Sales CRM | Visual pipeline plus work management | $12 per user per month | No |
 Close | Sales teams that live on calls | $9 per user per month | No |
 Copper | Teams entirely on Google Workspace | See website | No |
 Attio | Flexible relationship database | Free | Yes |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best alternatives to Salesforce CRM
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
What we like- HubSpot offers the most generous free CRM in the industry, with contact and company management, deal pipelines, email tracking, meeting scheduling, live chat, and a reporting dashboard. Paid Starter starts at 15 to 20 dollars per seat per month depending on source and billing, and the platform combines sales, marketing, and service tools with a huge integration library. It suits first time CRM users, solo founders, and small teams who also want marketing tools.
Watch out for- Free user limits reports conflict across 2026 sources, with 2 users and 1,000 contacts in some comparisons and unlimited users in others, so confirm the current free tier before planning. Advanced automation requires paid tiers, with full workflows at Professional around 90 to 100 dollars per seat per month plus a one time 1,500 dollar onboarding fee. Promo Starter pricing should not be treated as a permanent renewal rate.
#2Zoho CRM
Best for: Budget breadth with customization4.1/5 on
G2 (2,952 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit zoho.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
What we like- Zoho CRM offers the deepest breadth at a low price, with a free plan for 3 users, Standard at 14 dollars per user per month annually, and Professional at 23 dollars with Blueprint process builder. It suits budget conscious teams that want customization, with workflow rules on the free edition and structured processes on paid plans. Zoho serves more than 250,000 customers, with Zia AI agents on newer plans.
Watch out for- The interface feels busier than Pipedrive or HubSpot, and the breadth of Zoho apps can overwhelm teams wanting only a CRM. Advanced automation and Blueprint need Professional or higher. Support quality varies by tier, and implementation still needs process design.
#3Pipedrive
Best for: Simple visual pipeline4.3/5 on
G2 (5,034 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit pipedrive.com
Starting price$14 per user per month
Free planNo
What we like- Pipedrive offers the simplest visual pipeline, with Lite at 14 dollars per user per month annually and a 14 day trial. It is the default recommendation for an owner who wants to see which opportunities are advancing and what needs attention, with event and date triggers on deals and activities. It serves more than 100,000 customers, with an AI Sales Assistant on newer plans.
Watch out for- There is no free plan, only a 14 day trial, and automation starts at Growth 39 dollars per seat per month, so the practical entry tier is higher than Lite for active teams. Marketing depth lags HubSpot, and project delivery features are thin.
#4Freshsales
Best for: AI assisted CRM at low cost4.5/5 on
G2 (1,237 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit freshworks.com
Starting price$9 per user per month
Free planYes
What we like- Freshsales offers the lowest per seat paid price on this list, with Growth at 9 dollars per user per month annually, built in phone and email, and Freddy AI assistance. It suits mid market teams wanting AI features at low cost, with fast setup and a free plan reported for 2 to 3 users depending on source. It serves more than 72,000 customers.
Watch out for- Free user limits reports conflict, with 2 users in some sources and 3 in others, so confirm the current free tier. Advanced automation and AI depth lag HubSpot and Zoho at higher tiers. The Freshworks ecosystem is smaller than HubSpot or Salesforce app marketplaces.
#5monday Sales CRM
Best for: Visual pipeline plus work management4.5/5 on
G2 (1,636 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit monday.com
Starting price$12 per user per month
Free planNo
What we like- Monday Sales CRM offers visual pipeline plus work management, with Basic at 12 dollars per seat per month annually and a 14 day trial. It suits teams loving visual workflows and teams connecting sales work to delivery coordination, since boards link pipeline to project work. AI Sales Agents appear on newer plans, and the platform serves more than 250,000 customers.
Watch out for- There is no free plan, only a trial, and the minimum purchase is 3 seats, so the practical entry bill is 36 dollars per month. Entry plans omit features active teams need, and the board model suits visual teams better than traditional sales reporting. Per seat pricing adds up for larger teams.
#6Close
Best for: Sales teams that live on calls4.7/5 on
G2 (2,069 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit close.com
Starting price$9 per user per month
Free planNo
What we like- Close suits outbound teams on calls and SMS, with workflows mixing email, SMS, and call tasks, plus Call AI and an email assistant. Solo starts at 9 dollars per user per month annually for a single user, while teams start at Essentials 35 dollars per user per month. It offers a 14 day trial, and it is built for inside sales teams that live on the phone.
Watch out for- There is no free plan, and Solo cannot serve five users, so team pricing starts at Essentials 35 dollars, a large jump from Solo. Marketing depth lags HubSpot, and the call centric design suits outbound teams better than inbound or relationship led sales.
#7Copper
Best for: Teams entirely on Google Workspace4.5/5 on
G2 (1,158 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit copper.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Copper offers automatic Gmail logging through a Chrome extension, suiting teams entirely on Google Workspace who want CRM data captured from the inbox without manual entry. It offers a 14 day free trial, with Google Gemini integration on newer plans, and it keeps CRM work inside Gmail and Drive workflows. Professional plans add automation at higher tiers.
Watch out for- Pricing reports conflict sharply across 2026 sources, with Basic listed at 23 dollars per seat in one comparison, 29 dollars per month in another, and 9 dollars per user per month in a third, so the price is listed as See website. There is no free plan, and Google Workspace dependence limits teams on Microsoft 365.
#8Attio
Best for: Flexible relationship database4.3/5 on
G2 (597 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit attio.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
What we like- Attio offers a flexible relationship database with AI agents in the workflow, including agent blocks for scoring, routing, and enrichment. It offers a free plan for 3 seats, with Plus at 35 dollars per user per month annually and a 14 day Pro trial. It suits startups that want a modern, flexible CRM without Salesforce complexity, with 250 workspace credits per month on the free plan.
Watch out for- The platform is newer than HubSpot or Zoho, with a smaller integration ecosystem. Plus pricing at 35 dollars per user per month is high for small teams, and the flexible model needs setup discipline to avoid a messy database. Enterprise depth lags Salesforce and HubSpot.
How we chose
We ranked tools on free plan honesty, pipeline clarity, automation depth, ecosystem fit, and published pricing. Tools earned credit for generous free tiers, visual pipelines, built in calling or Gmail capture, and AI assistance. We excluded Salesforce itself, since this article covers alternatives, and we excluded single feature tools without full CRM pipelines. Figures come from published pricing and 2026 comparison reporting, and readers should confirm current terms directly, since HubSpot, Freshsales, and Copper free and entry pricing reports conflict across sources.
How to choose the right Salesforce CRM alternative
Start with your sales process, not an aggregate review score. Owner led teams wanting a simple pipeline should start with Pipedrive, while marketing led teams should start with HubSpot free. Next, check free plan honesty: HubSpot free user limits vary by source, Zoho free covers 3 users, Freshsales free covers 2 to 3 users, and Attio free covers 3 seats, so count your team before choosing. Then check the practical entry tier, since entry plans omit features active teams need: Pipedrive automation starts at Growth, HubSpot full workflows need Professional, and Close teams start at Essentials. Then check ecosystem fit: Google Workspace teams suit Copper, Microsoft 365 teams suit Dynamics, and visual workflow teams suit monday. Finally, remember implementation risk, since estimates suggest 50 to 65 percent of CRM projects underperform expectations, so pick the simplest tool your process actually needs and budget for process design, not just seats.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Salesforce alternative?
HubSpot suits teams wanting the strongest free CRM with marketing depth, Pipedrive suits teams wanting the simplest pipeline, and Zoho suits teams wanting the deepest breadth at a low price. The best pick depends on your sales process and team size.
Is there a free Salesforce alternative?
Yes. HubSpot free, Zoho free for 3 users, Freshsales free for 2 to 3 users, and Attio free for 3 seats all offer permanent free tiers. Pipedrive, monday, Close, and Copper offer trials but no free plan.
How much do Salesforce alternatives cost?
Entry prices cluster between 9 and 29 dollars per user per month, but the practical entry tier is often higher, since entry plans omit features active teams need. HubSpot Professional with full workflows runs around 90 to 100 dollars per seat per month plus onboarding fees.
Why do teams leave Salesforce?
Teams leave for price, complexity, implementation time, and admin burden. Salesforce suits complex sales operations with dedicated sales operations support, while small teams with a simple pipeline find it heavy and slow to adopt.
Which alternative is best for small business?
Pipedrive is the default for small business visual deal management, HubSpot free suits first time CRM users, and Zoho suits budget conscious teams wanting depth. Start with Pipedrive unless a different selling motion gives a concrete reason to choose another product.
Do I need to migrate data from Salesforce?
Yes, if you have existing Salesforce data. Plan the migration before switching: export contacts, companies, deals, and activities, map fields to the new CRM, and test with a small batch. Most alternatives offer import tools and migration support.
Sources we checked (0)
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.