The $97.59/Month Stack (3 Seats)
| Category | Tool | Plan | Price/Mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRM | Freshsales | Growth (3 seats) | $33.00 |
| Brevo | Standard | $18.00 | |
| Automation | Make | Core | $10.59 |
| Project Management | ClickUp | Unlimited (3 seats) | $30.00 |
| Analytics | PostHog | Free (1M events) | $0.00 |
| Scheduling | Cal.com | Free | $0.00 |
| Forms | Tally | Free (unlimited) | $0.00 |
| Total | $91.59/mo | ||
This stack gives you: AI-powered CRM with sequences, marketing automation with A/B testing, 10,000 automation operations/month, unlimited project management with Gantt charts, 1M analytics events, unlimited scheduling, and unlimited forms. All for $91.59/month.
Alternative: Solo Founder Stack at $47.59/Month
If you're a solo founder and don't need 3 CRM or PM seats, the same quality stack costs far less:
| Category | Tool & Plan | Price/Mo |
|---|---|---|
| CRM | Freshsales Growth (1 seat) | $11.00 |
| Brevo Starter | $9.00 | |
| Automation | Make Core | $10.59 |
| PM | ClickUp Unlimited (1 seat) | $10.00 |
| Analytics | Plausible Starter | $9.00 |
| Total | $49.59/mo | |
Common Mistakes
- Starting with HubSpot Starter ($20/seat) instead of Freshsales Growth ($11/seat). HubSpot's Starter plan gives you less functionality at nearly double the per-seat price. The only reason to choose HubSpot Starter is if you plan to invest heavily in the HubSpot ecosystem long-term.
- Paying for analytics before you need it. PostHog's free tier includes 1M events. Mixpanel's free tier includes 1M events. Most businesses under $100/month in software don't need paid analytics yet.
- Picking Zapier over Make. Zapier Professional ($29.99/month) gives you 750 tasks. Make Core ($10.59/month) gives you 10,000 operations. That's $19.40/month saved that can go toward other tools.
- Ignoring annual billing discounts. With annual billing, this stack drops from $91.59/month to approximately $75–80/month, saving $140–200/year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Freshsales over Pipedrive for the CRM slot?
Freshsales Growth at $11/seat includes AI contact scoring, sequences, and built-in phone. Pipedrive Lite at $14/seat does not include AI or phone features. For a budget stack, Freshsales delivers more per dollar.
Can I swap Brevo for Mailchimp?
You can, but it costs more. Mailchimp Standard ($20/month for 500 contacts) costs more than Brevo Standard ($18/month for unlimited contacts). Brevo's per-send model is better value for most small businesses.
What about adding a help desk?
Freshdesk Free (2 agents, email ticketing) keeps you under $100. If you need more, Freshdesk Growth at $15/agent/month adds automations and dashboards, pushing a 3-seat stack to about $106/month.
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