Software pricing guide · Checked October 18, 2026
CRM software pricing: what will a small team actually pay?
CRM pricing is more than the number shown on a pricing card. The real bill depends on how many people need access, which sales features are gated behind a higher tier, whether you pay monthly or annually, and whether onboarding or add-ons are required. This guide compares published starting prices and shows how per-seat costs scale.
Quick answer
Start with the workflow and seat count—not the advertised starting price.
A solo freelancer may be fine with a free CRM. A five-person team paying $14 per seat has a $70 monthly base before taxes or extras; at fifteen seats, that same rate becomes $210. If you need automation, reporting, permissions or integrations, compare the tier that actually includes them.
Published starting prices and team-size examples
USD figures below come from the providers' public US pricing pages reviewed on October 18, 2026. They are not a like-for-like feature comparison. Seat totals are simple multiplication of the listed rate and exclude taxes, add-ons, implementation, discounts and any minimum-seat rules. Check the official pages before purchasing.
| Plan | Published rate | 5 seats / month | 15 seats / month | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Free tools | $0 | Not eligible | Not eligible | Official page lists up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts; a team of five or fifteen needs a different plan or product. |
| Zoho CRM Standard | From $14/user/month | $70/month | $210/month | Illustrative seat arithmetic at the displayed starting rate; confirm billing term, region and checkout price. |
| Salesforce Starter Suite | $25/user/month | $125/month | $375/month | Official page lists USD $25 per user/month, billed monthly or annually. Confirm the selected term and included features. |
| Salesforce Pro Suite | $100/user/month | $500/month | $1,500/month | Official page lists USD $100 per user/month billed annually; the monthly equivalents are planning arithmetic, not a monthly-billing offer. |
The HubSpot row illustrates the included free allowance, not a claim that fifteen users can share one free account. Paid HubSpot prices and feature packaging vary by product and offer; use the official pricing page to price the exact CRM features you need.
The costs that are easy to miss
1. Feature-gated upgrades
Write down the exact capabilities your team needs—such as automation, custom reports, multiple pipelines, permissions or forecasting. Confirm which edition includes each one; a cheap entry tier may not cover the real workflow.
2. Annual commitments and promotions
A monthly equivalent can still require annual billing. Separate a new-customer promotion from the regular renewal price, and calculate the cash commitment over the full term.
3. Contact, usage and automation limits
Check whether limits apply to stored contacts, marketing contacts, emails, automation runs, API credits or records. A cap can force an upgrade even if your team size stays the same.
4. Setup, migration and integrations
Include the time or service cost to clean spreadsheets, map fields, connect email and accounting tools, train staff and test exports. These costs may matter more than a small difference in seat price.
A free CRM may be enough when…
- • One or two people manage a manageable contact list.
- • Contact history, tasks and a basic pipeline cover the process.
- • You can live without advanced automation or reporting.
- • You can export your records if your needs change.
A paid CRM is easier to justify when…
- • Leads are missed because follow-ups are manual.
- • Multiple staff need clear ownership and permissions.
- • Reporting or automation measurably saves time or protects revenue.
- • You have verified that the paid tier includes the workflow you need.
Official pricing pages to verify
Prices, promotions and plan features can change and may differ by country. This is desk research based on published provider pages, not a hands-on product test or a quote. StackPick currently links directly to vendors and does not claim to earn affiliate commissions from these links.