Salesforce is the default answer for big sales organizations, but its pricing is built for them. The entry plan is reasonable; the step after it is not. If you run a small team and Salesforce's quote made you wince, these are the alternatives worth comparing, with prices taken from each vendor's own pricing page at the time of our last update.
What Salesforce costs
| Salesforce edition | Price per user per month |
|---|---|
| Free Suite | $0 |
| Starter Suite | $25, billed monthly or annually |
| Pro Suite | $100, billed annually |
| Core | $195, billed annually |
| Advanced | $395, billed annually |
| Max | $550, billed annually |
Salesforce also lists a Free Suite at $0 in its edition comparison, so you can try the basics before paying.
The trap for a growing team is the jump from Starter Suite at $25 to Pro Suite at $100: four times the price per user, and annual billing only. A five-person team moving up goes from $1,500 a year to $6,000.
The alternatives at a glance
| CRM | Free plan | Entry paid price | Mid-tier price |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Up to 2 users | $20 per seat per month (special pricing from $7 for new customers) | Sales Hub Professional from $90 per seat per month + $1,500 onboarding |
| Zoho CRM | Up to 3 users | Standard: $14 per user per month annually, $20 monthly | Professional: $23 annually, $35 monthly |
| Bigin by Zoho | Yes, a $0 plan is listed | $7 per user per month annually, $9 monthly | Higher tiers available |
What five CRM users cost in the first year
Show the numbers
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Bigin by Zoho | $420 |
| Zoho CRM Standard | $840 |
| HubSpot Starter | $1,200 |
| Salesforce Starter Suite | $1,500 |
| Salesforce Pro Suite | $6,000 |
| HubSpot Sales Pro | $6,900 |
HubSpot: best if you want marketing and sales in one place
HubSpot's free CRM covers two users, 1,000 contacts and 2,000 marketing emails a month, with no time limit. Starter lists at $20 per seat per month, and HubSpot offers new customers special pricing from $7 per seat per month on a monthly or annual subscription.
Where HubSpot beats Salesforce for a small business is breadth: the same account runs your contact database, email marketing, forms and a sales pipeline. Where it costs more is the move to Professional, which starts at $90 per seat per month and carries a required $1,500 onboarding fee.
Choose it if your team does its own marketing as well as selling, and you want one system for both. Full details: HubSpot CRM pricing.
Zoho CRM: best value per user
Zoho CRM is free for three users. Its Standard edition, at $14 per user per month billed annually ($20 monthly), already includes sales forecasting, multiple pipelines, custom modules and workflow rules. Professional, at $23 annually ($35 monthly), adds quotes (CPQ), inventory management and process automation.
At every tier Zoho is a fraction of Salesforce's price: Zoho's top edition, Ultimate, costs $52 per user per month billed annually, about half of Salesforce Pro Suite.
Choose it if you want Salesforce-style depth (custom modules, forecasting, automation) at a small-business price and you are willing to configure it yourself. Full details: Zoho CRM pricing.
Bigin by Zoho: best for a simple pipeline
Bigin is Zoho's stripped-down CRM for very small teams that mainly need to see deals moving through stages. It costs $7 per user per month billed annually or $9 monthly, about a third of Salesforce Starter Suite.
Choose it if your "CRM" today is a spreadsheet of deals and you want something better without learning a big system.
How to choose
- Two or three people? Start free on HubSpot (2 users) or Zoho CRM (3 users) before paying anyone.
- Need only a pipeline? Bigin has the lowest list price here, at $7 per user per month billed annually.
- Need automation, forecasting and custom fields on a budget? Zoho CRM Standard or Professional.
- Marketing and sales together? HubSpot, but budget for the Professional onboarding fee if you will grow into it.
- Already planning for 50+ users, complex territories and custom apps? Salesforce may still be the right call; get a quote for the edition you will need in two years, not just Starter Suite.