Salesforce is built for growing businesses that need a scalable, customizable CRM, and it can do a lot. But it isn't cheap to grow into. There's no free plan, only a 30-day trial. Starter Suite is $25/user/month, but the next tier, Pro Suite, is $100/user/month billed annually with a contract, which is a 4x jump. Transaction fees apply, and the Premier Success Plan costs 30% of net license fees. If that's more than your business needs right now, 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
Some links are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, crmpicks.org may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How that works.
HubSpot is built for small teams that want an easy CRM with marketing tools in the same place. Unlike Salesforce, you can start for free, which makes it an easy way to try a CRM before you commit any money.
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
Pros
A free plan to start on, and a Starter list price below Salesforce Starter Suite's $25/user/month.
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.
Zoho CRM is built for budget-conscious small teams, especially ones already using other Zoho apps, who want an affordable all-in-one CRM. Like Salesforce, it's an all-in-one CRM, but it has a free plan for up to 3 users.
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
Workflow automation and standard reports on a free plan, while Salesforce has no free plan at all.
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.
Pipedrive is for sales teams that want a highly visual, pipeline-first CRM. If your team mainly uses Salesforce to track deals, Pipedrive is built around exactly that.
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
A lower entry price than Salesforce Starter Suite, and a smaller jump to the next tier (US$14 to US$39 billed annually, versus $25 to $100).
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.
Odoo is for growing businesses that want one connected system across sales and operations. If part of Salesforce's appeal was having everything in one ecosystem, Odoo's Standard plan includes all of its apps for one per-user price.
Free plan
Available
One App Free: one app (plus any apps it depends on) is free for unlimited users on Odoo Online. That means you can run the CRM app alone for free.
Cheapest paid plan
Standard (all apps) at $24.90/user/month billed yearly, or $31.10 billed monthly. That's a discount valid for 12 months for the users you order at the start.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
Pros
The CRM app is free for unlimited users, and the paid plan covers all of Odoo's apps, not just the CRM.
Watch out
The headline Standard price is a first-12-months discount. The page also shows US$31.10 (yearly) and US$38.90 (monthly), which appear to be the regular rates after that. Studio, multi-company and external API use need the Custom plan ($49.00 yearly or $61.10 monthly, discounted). Implementation services aren't included.
Vtiger is aimed at small-to-mid businesses that want an all-in-one sales, marketing and helpdesk CRM at low cost. Its free plan covers a team of up to 10, which is a big difference from Salesforce's trial-only start.
Free plan
Available
One Pilot: up to 10 users, 3,000 records, 1,000 emails/month and 3 GB storage.
Cheapest paid plan
One Growth at $12/user/month billed annually (Standard user). The monthly-billing price wasn't shown on the page.
Prices last checked October 22, 2026
Pros
Free for up to 10 users, and sales, marketing and helpdesk tools in one CRM.
Watch out
Pricing is complex, with Standard and Single App user licenses across 4 paid editions. One Growth caps at 15 users and 100,000 records and has no Single App option. Monthly prices aren't in the page text, and local taxes are extra.
Yes, several. HubSpot is free for 2 users and 1,000 total contacts. Zoho CRM is free for up to 3 users. Vtiger's One Pilot plan is free for up to 10 users and 3,000 records. Odoo's CRM app alone is free for unlimited users on Odoo Online.
How much does Salesforce cost for a team of 5?
At Starter Suite's $25/user/month, 5 users comes to $1,500 a year, plus transaction fees. If you move up to Pro Suite at $100/user/month billed annually with a contract, the same 5 users come to $6,000 a year.
Which alternative is closest to Salesforce?
Zoho CRM and Odoo, since both are built as all-in-one systems rather than just a pipeline. Pipedrive and HubSpot are simpler, which is the point if Salesforce felt like more than you needed.
How much is Zoho CRM's paid plan?
See Zoho's site. The Standard plan's price didn't appear on Zoho's pricing page when I checked, so confirm it there before you count on it.
Should I switch off Salesforce?
Not always. If your team already has its data in Salesforce and the problem is a confusing setup, fixing the setup can be easier than moving everything to a new CRM.
Need help with the CRM you already have?
I'm Cole, and I'm a Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator. If you're staying on Salesforce and it's turned into 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
Get new picks by email
Occasional updates when tools are added or pricing changes. No spam.
