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
- HubSpot is the default start for small teams, with a genuinely usable free CRM and a steep price jump at Professional.
- Pipedrive suits sales-only teams that live in the pipeline, while Zoho CRM wins on features per dollar.
- Per-seat pricing rules this category, so multiply the sticker price by your headcount before comparing.
- Close and Freshsales suit call-heavy teams, while Copper suits teams that live in Gmail.
- Start free or cheap, and move up only when automation or reporting pays for itself.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 HubSpot CRM | Free start, marketing plus sales | Free | Yes |
 Pipedrive | Pipeline-focused sales teams | $14 per seat per month | Free trial |
 Zoho CRM | Features per dollar | $14 per user per month | Yes |
 Freshsales | Built-in calling and email | $9 per user per month | Free trial |
 Close | Outbound calling teams | $9 per user per month | Free trial |
 Monday Sales CRM | Visual teams off spreadsheets | $12 per seat per month | Free trial |
 Copper | Google Workspace teams | $9 per seat per month | Free trial |
 Salesforce Starter | Teams planning to scale | $25 per user per month | Free trial |
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The best sales software for small businesses
#1HubSpot CRM
Best for: Free start, marketing plus sales4.5/5 on
Capterra (4,485 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit hubspot.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
HubSpot is the default recommendation for small teams because the free CRM actually works: contact management, deal pipelines, meeting scheduling, and forms at no cost, with one shared record for marketing and sales history. A two-person team can run on it for months before paying anything.
The catch is the price cliff. Email sequences, real automation, and custom reporting need Sales Hub Professional at about $90 per seat per month, plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. Start free, add Starter seats when you need them, and move up only when automation pays for itself.
What we like- Free CRM is genuinely usable
- One shared contact record
- Easy setup for non-technical teams
Watch out for- Starter $15 to $20 per seat per month
- Professional jumps to about $90 per seat plus $1,500 onboarding
#2Pipedrive
Best for: Pipeline-focused sales teams4.3/5 on
G2 (5,034 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit pipedrive.com
Starting price$14 per seat per month
Free planFree trial
Pipedrive is built for teams that live in the pipeline. Deals move across a visual board, activities stay tied to deals, and reps adopt it fast because the interface stays simple. Lite starts at $14 per seat per month billed annually, with AI assistance included on paid plans.
There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and marketing tools are thinner than HubSpot. For a sales-only team that wants pipeline discipline without a heavy platform, Pipedrive is the cleanest pick, and its adoption rate is the reason many small teams stay on it for years.
What we like- Cleanest visual pipeline
- Fast rep adoption
- AI assistance on paid plans
Watch out for- No free plan, only a 14-day trial
- Marketing features are thin
- Costs rise with add-ons
#3Zoho CRM
Best for: Features per dollar4.1/5 on
G2 (2,952 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit zoho.com
Starting price$14 per user per month
Free planYes
Zoho CRM wins on value per dollar. The free plan covers up to 3 users, Standard costs $14 per user per month billed annually, and the feature list runs deep: automation, analytics, social, and email integration, plus the wider Zoho suite for finance, support, and projects.
The interface feels busier than HubSpot or Pipedrive, and setup takes longer to get right. The AI assistant Zia sits on Enterprise at about $40 per user per month, so budget teams skip it. For a small team that wants maximum features for minimum spend, Zoho is hard to beat.
What we like- Free plan up to 3 users
- Standard $14 per user per month
- Deep feature set and Zoho ecosystem
Watch out for- Interface feels busy
- Setup takes longer
- AI assistant Zia needs Enterprise at about $40 per user per month
#4Freshsales
Best for: Built-in calling and email4.5/5 on
G2 (1,237 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit freshworks.com
Starting price$9 per user per month
Free planFree trial
Freshsales, from Freshworks, suits small teams that call and email prospects all day. Built-in phone and email mean reps work inside the CRM instead of juggling tools, and Growth starts at $9 per user per month billed annually, the lowest paid entry on this list.
The free trial runs 21 days, and the integration library is smaller than HubSpot or Salesforce. For a budget team that wants calling baked in rather than bolted on, Freshsales delivers the core job at the lowest price.
What we like- Lowest per-seat price here at $9
- Built-in phone and email
- AI scoring on higher tiers
Watch out for- Free trial only 21 days
- Smaller integration library
- Advanced features need higher tiers
#5Close
Best for: Outbound calling teams4.7/5 on
G2 (2,069 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit close.com
Starting price$9 per user per month
Free planFree trial
Close is built for outbound teams that live on the phone. Calling, SMS, and email sit inside the CRM with power dialing and call automation, so a rep can work a list without switching apps. Solo starts at $9 per user per month billed annually.
Marketing features are thinner than HubSpot, and reporting is simpler than enterprise tools. For an inside sales team whose day is calls and follow-ups, Close removes friction that general CRMs add, and that focus is exactly why outbound teams pick it.
What we like- Calling, SMS, and email built in
- Solo from $9 per user per month
- Built for high-volume outbound
Watch out for- Trial only 14 days
- Less marketing depth
- Reporting is simpler than enterprise CRMs
#6Monday Sales CRM
Best for: Visual teams off spreadsheets4.5/5 on
G2 (1,636 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit monday.com
Starting price$12 per seat per month
Free planFree trial
Monday Sales CRM suits visual teams moving off spreadsheets. Deals, activities, and projects live on colorful boards that non-technical teams grasp in a day, and Basic starts at $12 per seat per month billed annually. The same platform handles projects, so sales and delivery can share one workspace.
Sales-specific depth trails Pipedrive, especially for forecasting and pipeline analytics, and costs grow as seats and add-ons pile up. For a small team that wants one visual workspace for sales and operations, Monday is a strong, friendly pick.
What we like- Visual boards teams grasp fast
- Basic $12 per seat per month
- Flexible workflows beyond sales
Watch out for- Trial only 14 days
- Sales depth trails Pipedrive
- Costs grow with seats and add-ons
#7Copper
Best for: Google Workspace teams4.5/5 on
G2 (1,158 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit copper.com
Starting price$9 per seat per month
Free planFree trial
Copper is the CRM for teams that run their business in Gmail. It pulls contacts, emails, and Drive files into deal records automatically, so reps rarely type data by hand. Starter lists at $9 per seat per month billed annually by some guides, while others list Basic at $23, so confirm the current tier on the pricing page before budgeting.
Outside Google Workspace the value drops sharply, since the Gmail integration is the whole point. For a Google shop that wants a CRM that feels like part of Gmail, Copper is the natural fit.
What we like- Deep Gmail and Drive integration
- Starter from $9 per seat per month
- Fast setup for Google shops
Watch out for- Trial only 14 days
- Weaker outside Google Workspace
- Some guides list Basic at $23 per seat
Starting price$25 per user per month
Free planFree trial
Salesforce Starter suits small teams planning to scale into the full platform. Starter Suite costs $25 per user per month billed annually and covers core sales, service, and marketing basics, with a path to the deep customization and integration library that make Salesforce the enterprise standard.
Complexity grows fast, and AI add-ons such as Einstein packages run $75 to $165 per user per month by guides, which small teams should skip. Pick Salesforce Starter when you expect to outgrow a simple CRM within a year or two; otherwise a cheaper tool serves you better today.
What we like- Room to grow into the full Salesforce platform
- Deep customization
- Huge integration library
Watch out for- $25 per user per month Starter
- Complexity grows fast
- AI add-ons cost $75 to $165 per user per month
How we chose
We compared sales software on price per seat, free-tier quality, pipeline usability, calling and email integration, and current status, using vendor pages and October 2026 CRM guides. We favored tools with published per-seat pricing and real small-team adoption, and we left out enterprise-only platforms and tools with no small-business pricing. Prices here are annual-billing figures where guides state them, and they change, so check the vendor page before you pay.
How to pick sales software for a small business
Multiply the sticker price by your headcount first, since per-seat pricing turns a small monthly figure into a real budget line. Then trial two finalists with your real pipeline for two weeks, and watch adoption: the best CRM is the one reps actually update. If reps skip it, even a cheap tool wastes money.
Start free, upgrade on proof
HubSpot free and Zoho free cover genuine small-team use at no cost, so start there unless you need built-in calling, in which case Freshsales or Close trials make sense. Move to a paid tier when a specific limit blocks revenue, such as automation, sequences, or reporting, and measure whether the paid feature earns its cost within a quarter.
Watch the price cliff
The biggest surprise in this category is the jump from Starter to Professional tiers, where HubSpot moves from about $20 to about $90 per seat. Before you build workflows on a paid tier, check what the next tier costs and what it adds, since migrating later costs time and retraining. A tool with a gentler price curve can beat a cheaper starter price over two years. Also check onboarding fees, since HubSpot charges about $1,500 on Professional, and confirm whether annual billing locks you in before your team has proven the tool fits.
Frequently asked questions
Which sales software is best for a tiny team?
HubSpot free or Zoho free, since both cover real small-team use at no cost. HubSpot is easier to learn, while Zoho gives more features per dollar once you pay. Either one lets a tiny team run for months before spending anything.
Is Pipedrive better than HubSpot for sales-only teams?
Yes, for pipeline-focused teams. Pipedrive has the cleanest visual pipeline and fastest rep adoption, while HubSpot wins when sales and marketing share one database and one team.
How much should a small business pay for sales software?
Budget $9 to $25 per user per month for a solid paid tier, and $0 while free tiers cover your needs. Watch the jump to Professional tiers, which can triple the per-seat cost, and skip AI add-ons unless deal size justifies them.
Do I need Salesforce as a small business?
Only if you plan to scale into its full platform within a year or two. Otherwise HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Zoho serve small teams better at lower cost and with faster setup.
What matters more than the tool itself?
Data quality and rep adoption. A CRM full of stale contacts is an expensive address book, and a tool reps skip helps nobody. Clean your data on import, keep it fresh, and pick the tool your team will actually update daily. Review data quality monthly, since stale contacts quietly undo even the best tool choice.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.hubspot.com
- https://www.pipedrive.com
- https://www.zoho.com
- https://www.freshworks.com
- https://close.com
- https://monday.com
- https://www.copper.com
- https://www.salesforce.com
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.