HubSpot CRM vs Zoho CRM vs Freshsales: which CRM is best for a small business in 2026?
Every price and fact below was checked on each company's own website on October 11, 2026. Sources are listed at the bottom. No company pays to appear.
The short answer
Zoho CRM is the best fit for a small team that wants the lowest paid price, from $14 a user a month billed annually, and its free edition covers 3 users. HubSpot CRM is the better start for a one or two person business that wants a free CRM with no expiry, and paid seats start at $15 a month. Freshsales suits teams that want a 21 day trial and a clear paid ladder from $9 a user a month billed annually, but it does not list a free plan.
Side by side
| HubSpot CRM | Zoho CRM | Freshsales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #1 | #2 | #3 |
| Best for | One or two person teams that want a free CRM with no expiry date | Small teams that want a free plan for 3 users and low paid prices | Teams that want the cheapest published paid plan and a 21 day trial |
| Free plan | Yes. Up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, no expiration date | Yes. Free forever for 3 users | Not listed on the pricing page. A 21 day trial is offered |
| Cheapest paid plan (US list price) | Starter from $15 a month per seat | Standard $14 a user a month, annual billing | Growth $9 a user a month, billed annually |
| Mid-tier plan | Professional from $50 a month per seat | Professional $23 a user a month, annual billing | Pro $39 a user a month, billed annually |
| Top plans | Enterprise from $75 a month per seat | Enterprise $40 and Ultimate $52 a user a month, annual billing | Enterprise $59 a user a month, billed annually |
| What the entry paid plan adds | Required fields, permission sets, multiple currencies, no HubSpot branding | Email integration and mass emails, built-in calling, multiple sales pipelines, sales forecasting, custom modules | Kanban view, contact lifecycle stages, chat, email and phone, email templates, basic workflows |
| Automation and AI at the mid tier | Professional adds an AI customer agent, duplicate management, standard contact scoring and custom reporting | Professional adds AI agents, process management, inventory management and predictive intelligence | Pro adds contact scoring, deal insights, territory management and sales sequences |
| Custom modules or objects | Custom objects on Enterprise ($75) | Custom modules from Standard ($14) | Custom modules on Enterprise ($59) |
| Free trial | Not mentioned on the CRM product page | Start free trial buttons on every paid plan, length not shown on the pricing page | 21 days, no credit card required |
| Published customer numbers | Over 306,000 customers in more than 135 countries | 250,000+ other businesses (CRMPlus section) | 74,000+ businesses worldwide |
The winner, by what you need
Solo founders and two person teams on a zero budget
HubSpot CRM
The free CRM covers up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts with no expiration date.
Teams of three that want to stay free
Zoho CRM
Zoho's free edition covers 3 users, one more than HubSpot's free CRM.
Lowest published paid price per user
Freshsales
Growth is $9 a user a month billed annually, against $14 for Zoho Standard and $15 for HubSpot Starter.
Custom modules without paying for a top plan
Zoho CRM
Custom modules are listed on Standard at $14 a user a month. HubSpot lists custom objects on Enterprise at $75 and Freshsales on Enterprise at $59.
Teams that want to test before choosing
Freshsales
It states a 21 day trial with no credit card needed. The other two do not state a trial length on the pages read.
Worth knowing
- HubSpot's $15 Starter price carries a note that the discount is for new customers only and can be discontinued at any time, so check the price at checkout. HubSpot prices are per seat per month as shown on the CRM product page, and its separate pricing page would not load for us, so higher-tier limits were not checked.
- Zoho shows prices in a local currency by default. The US dollar prices above come from the page's USD selector with annual billing selected. Monthly billing costs more, and Zoho says annual billing saves up to 34%.
- Freshsales prices are billed annually. The pricing page says monthly billing costs more but the monthly price was not readable, so it is left out. Freddy AI Agent is an extra $49 per 100 sessions and Branded documents an extra $19 a user a month.
- Prices are US list prices as read on 11 October 2026 and can change at any time.
See all eleven in the full ranking: HubSpot CRM vs Zoho CRM vs Freshsales: 11 Best CRM Software for Small Business 2026.
Sources
- HubSpot CRM free plan limits (2 users, 1,000 contacts), Starter, Professional and Enterprise prices and feature lists, 306,000 customers in 135 countries: https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm
- Zoho CRM free edition for 3 users, Standard, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate USD prices with annual billing, feature lists, 250,000+ businesses: https://www.zoho.com/crm/zohocrm-pricing.html
- Freshsales Growth, Pro and Enterprise prices billed annually, feature lists, add-on prices, 21 day trial: https://www.freshworks.com/crm/pricing/
- Freshsales 74,000+ businesses and 21 day free trial with no credit card: https://www.freshworks.com/crm/sales/