Six CRMs with a free plan or free trial, what each one really lets you do for nothing, and the point where free stops being enough. Limits checked in October 2026.
A free CRM is the sensible way to start. You get your customers out of spreadsheets and phones, you learn what you actually need, and you don't commit money before it's proven useful.
The catch is that every free plan is designed to be outgrown. Some cap the number of people, some cap your contacts, and some keep the useful features one plan up. This guide shows exactly where each limit sits, so you can pick the one you'll outgrow last. I built one of these, Meira 16, so I'll be clear about where it fits and where it doesn't.
Quick version: if you're on your own, almost any free plan will do. For two people with lots of contacts, HubSpot's free CRM is generous. For a team of three, Zoho CRM and Meira 16 both allow 3 people for free. If you need more than three people, no free plan covers you, so compare what the paid plans cost for your whole team.
Limits checked on 24 October 2026.
| CRM | People on the free plan | Contacts or records | The main catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Up to 2 | 1,000 contacts | HubSpot branding on chat, email and meeting links |
| Zoho CRM | Up to 3 | Record limits apply | Dashboards and forecasting need a paid plan |
| Meira 16 | Up to 3 | 5 clients | Sales pipeline and WhatsApp alerts need the Team plan |
| Capsule | Up to 2 | 250 contacts | One pipeline and 5 custom fields |
| Bigin by Zoho | 1 | 500 records | One user and one pipeline |
| Pipedrive | No free plan | Not applicable | 14-day free trial, then paid |
HubSpot's free CRM lets up to 2 users store 1,000 contacts, with email tracking, forms, live chat and meeting links. There's no time limit and no card needed.
Good for: a founder or a pair who want a polished tool and plenty of room for contacts.
Watch out for: live chat, one-to-one email and meeting links carry HubSpot's branding, and a third person means moving to a paid plan, which is priced per seat.
Zoho CRM is free for up to 3 users with no time limit. You get contact management, follow-up reminders, some workflow automation, standard reports and the mobile apps.
Good for: small teams who are happy to spend some time setting things up.
Watch out for: it takes setting up, and dashboards, assignment rules and forecasting sit in the paid editions, which start at £12 per user a month on yearly billing, before VAT.
Meira 16 is free for up to 3 people and 5 clients. The free plan includes clients, tasks, a daily task log, a client portal, alerts on phone and computer, and Ask Meira, the AI assistant, for 10 questions a day.
Good for: small agencies and service businesses that need to see who's doing what for which client, not just a sales list.
Watch out for: the 5-client limit is tight, so most businesses move to the Team plan, which is £530 a year for up to 10 people with no VAT added. It's newer than the others, so it has fewer ready-made integrations.
Capsule is a simple, easy-to-use CRM. Its free plan allows 2 users, 250 contacts, one sales pipeline and 5 custom fields.
Good for: trying Capsule before you commit to a paid plan.
Watch out for: 250 contacts goes quickly once you import an email list or a customer spreadsheet. Paid plans start at £14 per user a month on yearly billing.
Bigin is Zoho's simpler CRM, built around a sales pipeline. The free plan is for 1 user, with 500 records and a single pipeline.
Good for: sole traders who want a tidy pipeline and nothing more.
Watch out for: as soon as a second person needs access, you're on a paid plan.
Pipedrive doesn't have a free plan. It has a 14-day free trial with full access and no card needed, then plans from £14 per user a month on yearly billing, before VAT.
Good for: sales-led teams who want to test a strong pipeline tool properly before paying.
Watch out for: after the trial every user costs money, so price it for your whole team.
Most small businesses outgrow a free CRM for one of three reasons:
When that happens, the cheapest option depends on how you're charged. Per-user pricing grows with every person you add, while per-team pricing stays flat up to a set team size. Our guide to per-user vs per-team CRM pricing shows the numbers for teams of 2 to 20, and our page on affordable CRM software for UK small businesses compares the paid plans side by side.
Free plan limits checked on 24 October 2026: HubSpot CRM pricing, Capsule pricing, Bigin pricing, Zoho CRM UK review (ExpertSure), Pipedrive UK review (ExpertSure), Capsule UK review (ExpertSure) and Meira 16 pricing.
Yes. HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Capsule, Bigin and Meira 16 all have free plans with no time limit. Each one limits the number of people, contacts or features.
Zoho CRM and Meira 16 both allow up to 3 people for free. HubSpot and Capsule allow 2, and Bigin allows 1.
No. Pipedrive has a 14-day free trial, then paid plans from £14 per user a month on yearly billing, before VAT.
You move to a paid plan. Most CRMs charge per user, so the cost grows with your team. Meira 16 charges one price for up to 10 people, £530 a year with no VAT added.
Set up your workspace in about 10 minutes. No card needed to start, and there's a free plan if you're small.
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