Zoho CRM is the best cheap CRM for most small teams: its US$14 Standard tier already includes mass emails, built-in calling and multiple pipelines. Freshsales has one of the lowest paid seats at $9, Less Annoying CRM has the simplest single price, and Bigin by Zoho has the lowest listed price per user.
This guide covers paid budget plans only. If you want to spend nothing, see our best free CRM software guide, which covers the $0 tiers. Here we price what small teams actually pay once they need more than a free plan.
Prices come from each vendor’s official pricing page, checked October 16, 2026. This is desk research, not hands-on testing. Prices are in US dollars before tax.
Pricing checked October 16, 2026
At a glance
Compare the top picks
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| Rank | Logo | Product | WireRank | Best for | Starting price | Standout | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |  | Zoho CRMTop pick | 9.4 / 10 | Small teams that want mass email, built-in calling and multiple pipelines on a low-cost entry tier | US$14/user/month billed annually (Standard)Last verified October 16, 2026 | Best cheap CRM overall | View plans |
| #2 |  | Freshsales | 9.1 / 10 | Small teams that want the lowest per-seat price with chat, email and phone on the entry tier | $9/user/month billed annually (Growth)Last verified October 16, 2026 | Lowest paid seat with phone included | View plans |
| #3 |  | Less Annoying CRM | 8.8 / 10 | Very small teams that want one price with every feature and no tier decisions | $15 per user (one plan)Last verified October 16, 2026 | Simplest single-plan pricing | View plans |
| #4 |  | Bigin by Zoho | 8.5 / 10 | Very small teams that want the lowest per-user price and may move to Zoho CRM later | US$7/user/month billed yearly (entry tier)Last verified October 16, 2026 | Lowest listed price per user | View plans |
| #5 |  | Pipedrive | 8.2 / 10 | Sales teams that want a visual pipeline and can move to Growth for bulk email | US$14/seat/month billed annually (Lite)Last verified October 16, 2026 | Best cheap pipeline-first CRM | View plans |
| #6 |  | Close | 7.9 / 10 | Solo founders and small calling teams that want built-in calling, email and SMS | $9/user/month on annual billing (Solo, 1 user)Last verified October 16, 2026 | Best cheap CRM for a solo seller who calls | View plans |
Best cheap CRM overall
Zoho CRM
- Best for
- Small teams that want mass email, built-in calling and multiple pipelines on a low-cost entry tier
- Starting price
- US$14/user/month billed annually (Standard)Last verified October 16, 2026
- Our rating
- 9.4/10WireRanked score
Lowest paid seat with phone included
Freshsales
- Best for
- Small teams that want the lowest per-seat price with chat, email and phone on the entry tier
- Starting price
- $9/user/month billed annually (Growth)Last verified October 16, 2026
- Our rating
- 9.1/10WireRanked score
Simplest single-plan pricing
Less Annoying CRM
- Best for
- Very small teams that want one price with every feature and no tier decisions
- Starting price
- $15 per user (one plan)Last verified October 16, 2026
- Our rating
- 8.8/10WireRanked score
Lowest listed price per user
Bigin by Zoho
- Best for
- Very small teams that want the lowest per-user price and may move to Zoho CRM later
- Starting price
- US$7/user/month billed yearly (entry tier)Last verified October 16, 2026
- Our rating
- 8.5/10WireRanked score
Best cheap pipeline-first CRM
Pipedrive
- Best for
- Sales teams that want a visual pipeline and can move to Growth for bulk email
- Starting price
- US$14/seat/month billed annually (Lite)Last verified October 16, 2026
- Our rating
- 8.2/10WireRanked score
Best cheap CRM for a solo seller who calls
Close
- Best for
- Solo founders and small calling teams that want built-in calling, email and SMS
- Starting price
- $9/user/month on annual billing (Solo, 1 user)Last verified October 16, 2026
- Our rating
- 7.9/10WireRanked score
Best cheap CRM overall
Zoho CRM
US$14 per user per month billed annually for Standard, which already lists mass emails, built-in calling and multiple pipelines.
1. Zoho CRM — best cheap CRM overall
Zoho CRM ranks first because its cheapest paid tier is the most complete one in this guide. Standard is US$14 per user per month billed annually and already lists email integration with mass emails, built-in calling and multiple pipelines. Most budget CRMs hold back at least one of those for a higher tier.
The rest of the ladder is gentle: Professional is US$23 and Enterprise US$40 per user per month on annual billing. On monthly billing the same tiers are US$20, US$35 and US$50. A 5-user team on Standard pays US$70 a month on annual billing, or US$840 a year.
If you have not decided between Zoho and Freshsales, our Zoho CRM vs Freshsales comparison goes deeper, and HubSpot vs Zoho CRM covers the move from HubSpot.
Key tradeoff: The most included at the entry tier, but monthly billing costs 43% more
- Annual view
- Standard US$14, Professional US$23, Enterprise US$40 per user/month · SourceChecked October 16, 2026
- Monthly view
- US$20, US$35, US$50 per user/month · SourceChecked October 16, 2026
- Standard includes
- Email integration & mass emails, built-in calling, multiple pipelines · SourceChecked October 16, 2026
Lowest paid seat with phone included
Freshsales
Growth is $9 per user per month billed annually, with chat, email and phone; sales sequences start on Pro.
2. Freshsales — lowest paid seat with phone included
Freshsales has one of the lowest paid seats in this guide. Its main pricing page lists Growth at $9, Pro at $39 and Enterprise at $59 per user per month billed annually, and $11, $47 and $71 on monthly billing. The main pricing page shows only these paid plans, plus a 21-day trial with the full CRM.
Growth includes chat, email and phone, which is a lot for $9. The catch is automation: sales sequences start on Pro, which is more than four times the Growth price. A 5-user team pays $45 a month on Growth or $195 on Pro, billed annually.
Choose Freshsales if your reps mainly need a pipeline with phone and email logging. If automated follow-up is the reason you are buying, compare Pro at $39 with Zoho Standard at US$14 before deciding.
Key tradeoff: The cheapest seat, but email automation waits for Pro
Simplest single-plan pricing
Less Annoying CRM
One plan at $15 per user, with all features and free upgrades, and a 30-day trial that needs no credit card.
3. Less Annoying CRM — simplest single-plan pricing
Less Annoying CRM takes the opposite approach to the tier ladders above: there is one plan at $15 per user, and it includes all features and free upgrades. You never have to work out which tier unlocks what, which is the most common hidden cost of a cheap CRM.
Its trial is the most generous in this guide: 30 days, with no credit card required and, in the vendor’s words, no limitations. The pricing page does not list individual features by name, so use the trial to check that it covers the automation you need.
Choose it if you want a simple, predictable bill and a CRM your team can learn quickly. Skip it if you need a specific advanced feature that only a larger vendor documents.
Key tradeoff: No tier traps, but no cheaper tier either
Lowest listed price per user
Bigin by Zoho
Paid plans at US$7, US$12 and US$18 per user per month billed yearly, or US$9, US$15 and US$21 billed monthly.
4. Bigin by Zoho — lowest listed price per user
Bigin is Zoho’s lighter CRM, and it has the lowest listed per-user price here. Its three paid tiers are US$7, US$12 and US$18 per user per month billed yearly, or US$9, US$15 and US$21 billed monthly. The monthly premium is small, which matters if you will not commit to a year.
We rank Bigin below Zoho CRM, Freshsales and Less Annoying CRM because the plan features did not appear in the pricing-page text we captured, so we cannot say which tier adds automation. It offers a 15-day free trial; use it to check the features on the tier you would buy.
A 5-user team pays US$35 a month on the entry tier billed yearly, or US$45 monthly. That makes it the cheapest paid option at every team size we priced.
Key tradeoff: The lowest price, but confirm the features on each tier
Best cheap pipeline-first CRM
Pipedrive
Lite is US$14 per seat per month billed annually; bulk email, open and click tracking and full email sync start on Growth at US$39.
5. Pipedrive — best cheap pipeline-first CRM
Pipedrive’s Lite plan looks cheap at US$14 per seat per month, but that is the annual rate, and the page shows it as one payment of US$168 per seat per year. On monthly billing, Lite is US$24, Growth US$49, Premium US$79 and Ultimate US$99.
For a small sales team, the more useful tier is Growth at US$39 annually, which adds full email sync, bulk emails and open and click tracking. A 5-seat team on Growth pays US$195 a month billed annually. There is no free plan, but a 14-day trial needs no credit card.
Compare it with monday CRM in our Pipedrive vs monday CRM page, or with Close in our Close vs Pipedrive comparison.
Key tradeoff: Cheap on annual Lite, but the useful tier and monthly billing cost more
- Annual Lite
- One payment of US$168 per seat/year; per seat per month, billed annually · SourceChecked October 16, 2026
- Monthly billing
- Lite US$24, Growth US$49, Premium US$79, Ultimate US$99 · SourceChecked October 16, 2026
- Plans (annual)
- Lite $14, Growth $39, Premium $59, Ultimate $79 per seat/month · SourceChecked October 16, 2026
Best cheap CRM for a solo seller who calls
Close
Solo is $9 per user per month on annual billing for one user and 10,000 leads; Essentials at $35 adds built-in email, calling and SMS. Usage is extra.
6. Close — best cheap CRM for a solo seller who calls
Close is a calling-first CRM, and its Solo plan is one of the cheapest entry points here at $9 per user per month on annual billing. Solo is limited to one user and 10,000 leads, so it suits a founder doing their own selling.
A team needs Essentials at $35 per user per month annually ($49 monthly), which includes built-in email, calling and SMS. Calling and SMS usage is passed through at cost: most outbound calls are around $0.02 per minute and phone numbers start at about $1 per month. Power dialer and bulk email start on Growth at $99.
Close ranks last here on cost, not quality: at five seats it is the most expensive option in this guide. Choose it if phone calls are the core of your sales motion and you would otherwise pay for a separate dialer.
Key tradeoff: Cheap for one seller, but a team pays $35 a seat plus usage
What small teams really pay
The entry price on a pricing page is rarely what a team pays. Two things push the bill up: billing monthly instead of annually, and needing a higher tier for email automation. The table below shows the monthly cost at 3, 5 and 10 users on the cheapest tier, billed annually, plus the first tier with bulk email or sequences where the vendor names one.
- Zoho CRM Standard (US$14): US$42 / US$70 / US$140. Mass emails are already included.
- Freshsales Growth ($9): $27 / $45 / $90. Sequences need Pro at $39: $117 / $195 / $390.
- Bigin entry tier (US$7): US$21 / US$35 / US$70.
- Pipedrive Lite (US$14): US$42 / US$70 / US$140. Bulk email needs Growth at US$39: US$117 / US$195 / US$390.
- Close Essentials ($35): $105 / $175 / $350, plus calling usage. Solo at $9 is one user only.
- Less Annoying CRM: $15 per user on its single plan.
On that basis, the cheapest CRM that includes mass email on its entry paid tier is Zoho CRM Standard, at US$14 per user per month billed annually.
Choose This CRM If...Pick a cheap CRM by what you need
Zoho Standard includes mass emails at US$14.
View plansFreshsales Growth is $9 with chat, email and phone.
View plansHow we chose the best cheap CRMs
We reviewed each vendor’s official pricing page on October 16, 2026. We ranked on the cost of the first useful tier, what that tier includes, the gap between monthly and annual billing, trial terms and hidden costs such as usage charges and add-ons. Free-only plans are excluded because they are covered in our free CRM guide.
This is desk research from vendor pricing pages; we did not test the products. Payout did not influence rank. Seat costs are list prices multiplied by user count and exclude tax and add-ons.
Related guides: best CRM for startups, best HubSpot alternatives and Zoho CRM vs Freshsales.
Related research
Continue your CRM research
Compare budget CRMs with our free, startup and head-to-head guides.
Final recommendation
Final recommendation
Choose Zoho CRM for the most included on a cheap entry tier. Choose Freshsales for the lowest seat with phone, Less Annoying CRM for one simple price, Bigin for the lowest listed price, Pipedrive for a visual pipeline, and Close if you are a solo seller who lives on the phone.
Top pick: Zoho CRM for small teams that want mass email, built-in calling and multiple pipelines on a low-cost entry tier.
Price the first tier that has the features you will use every week, at your real seat count and billing term, and use the trial before paying.
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