Most agents don't need a giant sales platform. You need one place for buyers, sellers and past clients, and a pipeline simple enough that you'll actually keep it updated. I picked these five based on who each tool is built for and what its free and entry plans include, matched to how a solo agent or small team works. They're not ranked, and every price below comes from the vendor's own pricing page.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
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HubSpot is built for small teams that want an easy CRM with marketing tools in the same place. That fits an agent who wants to keep contacts and email outreach together and start for free. The free plan's 1,000-contact cap is the thing to weigh: it's fine for a newer agent, but tight if you're importing years of past clients.
Free plan
Available
2 users, 1,000 total contacts, 10 custom properties, basic CRM, HubSpot branding on emails, forms, live chat and meeting links, and community and knowledge-base support only.
Cheapest paid plan
Starter, with a list price of $20/seat/month. There's a limited-time new-customer offer of $7/seat/month billed annually (annual commitment) or $10/seat/month billed monthly.
Limited-time new-customer dealPrices last checked October 22, 2026
Watch out
The up-to-65% discount is for new customers only and is time-limited. The list price is $20/seat/month. Starter includes 500 HubSpot Credits/month for AI features and agents, with extra credits or overages charged separately, and marketing-contact tiers and add-ons raise the bill.
Less Annoying CRM is made for solo users and small teams who want one simple, flat-rate CRM with no feature gating. A lot of agents work solo, and one plan means you never have to figure out which tier unlocks what. Contacts aren't strictly capped either, so your database can keep growing.
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
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.
Bigin is aimed at very small businesses and solopreneurs who want a simple pipeline CRM. For a solo agent, the free plan includes a booking page, which could handle showing or listing-appointment requests. Paid Express gives you up to 3 pipelines, enough to run buyers and sellers separately.
Express at $7/user/month billed yearly, or $9/user/month billed monthly.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
Watch out
The free plan allows only 1 user and 500 records. Express caps at 3 pipelines, 50,000 records and 30 automations. The pricing page contradicts itself on tax (it says prices include local taxes, then that taxes are added).
Zoho CRM is built for budget-conscious small teams, especially ones already using other Zoho apps, who want an affordable all-in-one CRM. For a small team of agents, the free plan covers up to 3 users and includes follow-up reminders, workflow automation and mobile apps, which is a lot for $0.
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, billed per user/month on monthly or annual billing: see Zoho's site. This price is unverified. It didn't show up on Zoho's pricing page when I checked, so check the vendor page before you count on it. The only figure on the page was Zoho CRM Plus at "Starts at $20/user/month," and that's a different bundle.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
Watch out
The free plan caps at 3 users, and local taxes are added on top.
Pipedrive is for sales teams that want a highly visual, pipeline-first CRM. If you think about your business in stages, like listing, showing, offer and closed, that layout fits how you already work. There's no free plan, so plan on paying after the trial.
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
Watch out
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.
Free. HubSpot (2 users, 1,000 contacts), Zoho CRM (up to 3 users) and Bigin (1 user, 500 records) all have free plans. The cheapest confirmed paid plan here is Bigin Express at $7/user/month billed yearly. HubSpot's $7/seat/month Starter price is a limited-time new-customer offer on an annual commitment, not the list price.
Which one won't make me worry about a contact limit?
Less Annoying CRM. Contacts aren't strictly capped, though the page suggests staying below 50,000. HubSpot's free plan, by comparison, stops at 1,000 total contacts.
Can a small team of agents share a free plan?
Yes, within limits. Zoho CRM's free plan covers up to 3 users and HubSpot's covers 2. Bigin's free plan is single-user only.
Is there a free version of Pipedrive?
No. Pipedrive has a 14-day free trial and no free plan. Less Annoying CRM is the same story with a 30-day trial.
Need help with the CRM you already have?
I'm Cole, and I'm a Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator. If your CRM is already a mess, I do a $110 CRM cleanup. 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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