HubSpot is a good place to start, but its limits are worth knowing before you settle in. The free plan stops at 2 users and 1,000 total contacts. The cheap $7 Starter price is a limited-time deal for new customers, and the list price is $20/seat/month. On top of that, AI credits, marketing-contact tiers and add-ons can raise the bill. If any of that is pushing you to look elsewhere, here are five alternatives. I picked them based on who each tool is built for and what its free and entry plans include. They're not ranked. Every price below comes from the vendor's own pricing page, except Zoho CRM's paid price, which I couldn't confirm.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
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Zoho CRM is built for budget-conscious small teams, especially ones already using other Zoho apps, who want an affordable all-in-one CRM. If HubSpot's 2-user free plan is what's holding you back, Zoho's free plan covers up to 3 users and includes reminders and workflow automation.
Free plan
Available
Forever free for up to 3 users: contact management, follow-up reminders, workflow automation, up to 10 custom email templates, data export up to 10 times, standard reports, 5,000 API calls/day, and mobile apps.
Cheapest paid plan
Not verified
Standard. See Zoho's site for the current price. It didn't show up on Zoho's pricing page when I checked.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
Pros
One more free user than HubSpot, plus workflow automation and standard reports on the free plan.
Watch out
The free plan caps at 3 users, and local taxes are added on top. Since the paid price couldn't be confirmed, check it before you compare paid plans.
EngageBay is for small businesses that want marketing automation, a CRM and a helpdesk bundled cheaply. It's the closest match here if you picked HubSpot for having marketing and the CRM in one place, and its free plan covers a much bigger team.
Free plan
Available
$0 for teams of up to 15 members: 250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, 2 lists, 5 custom fields, 1 landing page, 2 email sequences, CRM, helpdesk and live chat.
Cheapest paid plan
Basic at $13.79/user/month billed yearly, or $14.99/user/month billed monthly ($12.74 on biennial billing). Basic includes 500 contacts.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
Pros
Email marketing, a CRM and a helpdesk in one tool, free for up to 15 people.
Watch out
The free plan only holds 250 contacts. There's a big jump from Basic to Growth ($59.79 yearly or $64.99 monthly per user) to unlock marketing automation and A/B testing. The page labels are inconsistent (the $14.99 monthly card is captioned "paid yearly"), and the "Starts at $12.74" headline is the biennial rate.
Agile CRM is aimed at very small teams that want marketing automation bundled with a CRM on a tight budget. Like HubSpot, it puts email marketing next to your contacts, but its free plan covers more users.
Free plan
Available
Free for 10 users: 1,000 contacts and companies, 5,000 branded emails, 1 campaign workflow, 1 automation rule, 1 plugin, email support, and 500 API calls/day.
Cheapest paid plan
Starter at $9.99/user/month billed yearly, or $8.99/user/month on a 2-year term. The monthly-billing price wasn't shown on the page. Starter includes 10,000 contacts.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
Pros
Free for up to 10 users with the same 1,000-contact limit as HubSpot's free plan, plus email support.
Watch out
The headline "as low as $8.99" is the 2-year rate, not the yearly rate. Emails beyond plan limits are charged per email (for example, $0.004/email up to 100,000).
Pipedrive is for sales teams that want a highly visual, pipeline-first CRM. If you mostly used HubSpot to track deals and don't need the marketing side, Pipedrive keeps the focus on moving deals through stages.
Free plan
None
None. There's a 14-day free trial.
Cheapest paid plan
Lite at US$14/seat/month billed annually (US$168/seat/year). The monthly-billing price wasn't shown on the page.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
Pros
The pipeline is front and center, and Lite costs less than HubSpot Starter's $20/seat list price.
Watch out
There's no free plan, and only annual prices are confirmed. The page says annual billing saves up to 42%. Higher tiers billed annually are Growth at US$39, Premium at US$59 and Ultimate at US$79 per seat/month.
Less Annoying CRM is made for solo users and small teams who want one simple, flat-rate CRM with no feature gating. If HubSpot's tiers, credits and add-ons are what's bugging you, this is the opposite: one plan, one price.
Free plan
None
None. There's a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
Cheapest paid plan
$15/user/month plus applicable tax. One plan, no tiers, no contracts, cancel anytime.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
Pros
No tiers to climb and no add-ons to track. Contacts aren't strictly capped.
Watch out
There's no permanent free plan, and with a single flat plan there's no cheaper entry tier. The page suggests staying below 50,000 contacts.
It depends on what you're bumping into. If you need more users, Agile CRM's free plan covers 10 users and EngageBay's covers up to 15 members. If you want reminders and automation for a small team, Zoho CRM's free plan covers up to 3 users. If you need more contacts, Agile CRM matches HubSpot's 1,000, while EngageBay's free plan only holds 250.
Is HubSpot Starter really $7 a seat?
Only as a limited-time deal. New customers can get $7/seat/month billed annually (annual commitment) or $10/seat/month billed monthly while the offer lasts. The list price is $20/seat/month.
Which alternative is cheapest once I start paying?
Among the confirmed prices here, Agile CRM Starter is $9.99/user/month billed yearly ($8.99 on a 2-year term), EngageBay Basic is $13.79/user/month billed yearly, Pipedrive Lite is US$14/seat/month billed annually, and Less Annoying CRM is $15/user/month. For Zoho CRM's paid price, see Zoho's site.
Which one is closest to HubSpot?
EngageBay and Agile CRM, since both bundle email marketing with the CRM the way HubSpot does. Pipedrive and Less Annoying CRM are better fits if you mainly want to track contacts and deals.
Should I leave HubSpot at all?
Not always. If the real problem is that your HubSpot account is messy or hard to use, cleaning it up can be easier than moving everything to a new tool.
Need help with the CRM you already have?
I'm Cole, and I'm a Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator who also works hands-on in HubSpot. If your CRM is already a mess, my CRM cleanup starts at $110. Email me at [email protected].
Duplicates, confusing fields, and leads stuck in an inbox make any CRM hard to use. I will tidy it up so your contact list is something you can actually work from.
Dedupe and clean up to 1,000 contacts
Fix or simplify fields (properties) so the data makes sense
Connect a simple lead form so new inquiries land in your CRM
Flat fee for one CRM (HubSpot or Salesforce). Payment via PayPal. Need a sales pipeline and follow-up setup too? Ask about cleanup plus setup for $200. Done by Cole Siegel, Salesforce Certified Platform Admin. More about Cole.
$110flat fee
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