Free Tier Comparison Table
| Feature | HubSpot Free | Zoho CRM Free | Freshsales Free | Attio Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Unlimited | 5,000 records | Unlimited | 50,000 records |
| Users | Unlimited (5 with full features) | 3 users | 3 users | 3 seats |
| Deal Pipeline | 1 pipeline | 1 pipeline | 1 pipeline | Yes (core CRM) |
| Email Marketing | 2,000 sends/mo, HubSpot branding | Not included | Built-in email | Email integration |
| Automation | None (requires Starter $20/seat) | 5 workflow rules | None (requires Growth $11/seat) | None (requires Plus $34/seat) |
| Built-in Phone | No | No | Yes (built-in chat/email/phone) | No |
| Reporting | Basic dashboards | Standard reports | Basic reports | Basic reporting |
| First Paid Tier | Starter $20/seat/mo | Standard $20/seat/mo | Growth $11/seat/mo | Plus $34/seat/mo |
What Each Free Tier Walls Off
HubSpot Free
Walled off:Automation, remove branding, custom reporting, multiple pipelines, email health reporting. The jump to Starter ($20/seat) is manageable. The jump to Professional ($890/mo flat) is where it gets expensive — that's a 4,350% increase.
Zoho CRM Free
Walled off: More than 3 users, more than 5,000 records, scoring rules, custom dashboards. Standard tier at $20/seat adds 100K records and custom dashboards.
Freshsales Free
Walled off:AI contact scoring, sequences, visual pipeline customization. Growth at $11/seat is the cheapest paid CRM upgrade — and includes AI scoring.
Attio Free
Walled off: Unlimited records, advanced reporting, automations, API access. Plus at $34/seat is the most expensive first paid tier among free CRMs.
FAQ
Which free CRM is best for solo founders?
HubSpot Free if you want the broadest feature set and unlimited contacts. Freshsales Free if you want built-in phone and chat. Attio Free if you want automatic contact enrichment from email.
Which free CRM lasts longest before needing to upgrade?
HubSpot Free — unlimited contacts and unlimited users means you can run it indefinitely if you don't need automation or custom reporting.