Every SaaS Free Tier at a Glance
Last updated March 2026 · 7 min read
Not all free tiers are created equal. Some are genuinely usable forever (HubSpot CRM, Kit). Some are glorified trials that push you to pay within weeks (Mailchimp at 250 contacts). This page lists every free SaaS tier we track, with exact limits and what's behind the paywall.
Email & Newsletter Free Tiers
| Tool | Free Limit | What's Walled Off | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit (ConvertKit) | 10,000 subs, unlimited sends | Advanced automations, integrations | Excellent |
| Brevo | 100,000 contacts, 300 sends/day | Daily send limit, branding, no A/B | Excellent |
| beehiiv | 2,500 subs, unlimited sends | Ad network, referral program, A/B | Great |
| Substack | Unlimited subs, unlimited sends | 10% revenue cut, limited design, no custom domain | Good (with catch) |
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo | Most automations, A/B, reporting | Very limited |
| Buttondown | 100 subscribers | Custom domain, automations | Very limited |
CRM Free Tiers
| Tool | Free Limit | What's Walled Off | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot CRM | Unlimited contacts, basic CRM | Branding, no automation, basic reporting | Excellent |
| Zoho CRM | 3 users, 5,000 records | Workflows, custom dashboards | Good |
| Freshsales | 3 users, basic CRM + phone/chat | AI scoring, sequences, pipelines | Great |
| Attio | 3 seats, 50,000 records | Advanced reporting, automations, AI | Great |
Automation Free Tiers
| Tool | Free Limit | What's Walled Off | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| n8n (self-hosted) | Unlimited everything | Cloud hosting, support | Best (if technical) |
| Make | 1,000 ops/mo, 2 scenarios | More scenarios, custom functions | Great |
| Zapier | 100 tasks/mo, 2-step only | Multi-step, volume, paths | Limited |
| Pipedream | 100 credits/mo, 3 workflows | More workflows, credits, timeout | Limited |
| Bardeen | 100 credits/mo, basic automations | Premium automations | Limited |
Project Management & Productivity Free Tiers
| Tool | Free Limit | What's Walled Off | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notion | Unlimited pages, 7-day history | Longer history, file uploads, automations | Excellent |
| ClickUp | Unlimited tasks + members, 60MB | Storage, integrations, dashboards | Excellent |
| Trello | Unlimited boards | Advanced views, automations, storage | Great |
| Jira | 10 users | Advanced roadmaps, audit logs | Great |
| Linear | 250 issues | Unlimited issues, advanced features | Good |
| Asana | 2 users | Timeline, forms, dashboards | Very limited |
| Monday.com | 2 seats | Timeline, integrations, automations | Very limited |
AI, Communication, Design & Other Free Tiers
| Tool | Category | Free Limit | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | AI | GPT-4o mini, limited GPT-4o | Great |
| Claude | AI | Sonnet, limited daily messages | Great |
| Grammarly | AI Writing | Basic grammar, 100 AI prompts/mo | Great |
| Slack | Communication | 90-day history, 10 integrations | Limited |
| Discord | Communication | Unlimited history, unlimited users | Excellent |
| Figma | Design | 3 Figma + 3 FigJam files | Good |
| Canva | Design | Basic templates, limited assets | Great |
| Supabase | Developer | 500MB DB, pauses after 7 days | Good (with catch) |
| Vercel | Developer | Hobby projects, 100GB bandwidth | Excellent |
| Calendly | Scheduling | 1 event type | Very limited |
| Cal.com | Scheduling | Unlimited event types, 1 user | Excellent |
| Freshdesk | Help Desk | Up to 2 agents, basic ticketing | Good |
| Fathom | Meeting | Unlimited recordings (limited features) | Great |
| tl;dv | Meeting | Unlimited recordings + transcription | Excellent |
| Tally | Forms | Unlimited forms + responses | Excellent |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which free tiers are actually usable long-term?
HubSpot CRM (unlimited contacts), Kit (10K subscribers), Notion (unlimited pages), ClickUp (unlimited tasks), Cal.com (unlimited events), Tally (unlimited forms), and Discord (unlimited everything) are genuinely usable indefinitely without hitting painful walls.
Which free tiers are basically trials?
Mailchimp (250 contacts), Buttondown (100 subscribers), Asana (2 users), Monday.com (2 seats), and Calendly (1 event type) are so limited that most users outgrow them within weeks. They're effectively trials with no end date.
Can I build a complete business stack for $0?
Yes. HubSpot CRM (free) + Kit Newsletter (free, 10K subs) + Make (free, 1K ops) + ClickUp (free, unlimited tasks) + Cal.com (free, unlimited scheduling) + Tally (free forms) gives you CRM, email, automation, project management, scheduling, and forms for $0/month. Each tool has limitations, but it's genuinely functional.