HubSpot and Salesforce are two of the best-known CRM names. Both now have a free plan and a starter plan aimed at small businesses. Here is how they compare as of October 2026, using each vendor's own pricing pages.
The short verdict
Pick HubSpot if you want a free plan with no stated login rule, more free marketing email, and sales and marketing tools in one account.
Pick Salesforce if you expect to build a larger sales team and want to start on the platform you will grow into.
Both are reasonable choices for a small business. The price gap is small at the start and wider at the next level up.
Free plans compared
HubSpot free CRM (source):
- Up to two users and 1,000 contacts
- No end date
- Up to 2,000 marketing emails a month (email page)
- HubSpot branding on emails, forms, live chat and meeting links
Salesforce Free Suite (source):
- Two user licenses
- Free as long as you log in at least once every 60 days
- Up to 100 emails a month
- Lead, opportunity and support case management, plus connected Slack conversations
If you plan to send a newsletter from your CRM, the email limits matter. If you only track deals, both cover the basics.
Paid plans, as of October 2026
All prices are in US dollars.
HubSpot
- Starter: normally $20 per seat per month. New customers can get a limited-time discount (Starter page).
- Professional: Core Seat $50 per seat per month. Full Sales Hub Professional needs a Sales Seat at $100 per seat per month (product catalog). Onboarding is required.
- Enterprise: Core Seat $75, Sales Seat $150 per seat per month.
Salesforce (sales pricing, small business pricing):
- Starter Suite: $25 per user per month, billed monthly or yearly.
- Pro Suite: $100 per user per month, billed yearly, with a contract.
- Sales Cloud Core: $195 per user per month, billed yearly.
- Sales Cloud Advanced: $395 per user per month, billed yearly.
- Sales Cloud Max: $550 per user per month, billed yearly.
Salesforce offers a 30-day free trial of Sales Cloud and of Starter Suite.
What a team of three would pay
At list price, before discounts, add-ons or taxes:
- HubSpot Starter: $60 a month.
- Salesforce Starter Suite: $75 a month.
- HubSpot with three Sales Hub Professional seats: $300 a month, plus required onboarding.
- Salesforce Pro Suite: $300 a month, billed yearly with a contract.
At the second level the seat prices are the same. The terms differ: HubSpot requires onboarding, and Salesforce requires yearly billing with a contract.
Setup effort
On the starter plans, one person can set up either tool for a simple sales process. HubSpot says its free and Starter plans come with setup guides, and Starter adds guided onboarding. Salesforce's Starter Suite and Pro Suite are sold as its small business plans.
The Sales Cloud editions above them are priced for larger sales teams. A small team can start on Starter or Pro Suite and move up only when a specific feature requires it.
What grows with you
Both platforms can grow with a business for many years. HubSpot adds more automation, reporting and permissions at Professional and Enterprise. Salesforce moves from the Suites to Sales Cloud editions, which add AI tools, security features and data capacity.
Think about the step you will take in two years as well as today's. A CRM switch later costs real time.
How to decide
- One or two users, mostly tracking deals: start on either free plan.
- Sending regular marketing emails: HubSpot's free plan allows more.
- Lowest entry paid price per seat: HubSpot Starter, at list price.
- Planning a larger sales team on one platform: look closely at Salesforce.
- Not sure: use Salesforce's 30-day trial and HubSpot's free plan side by side.
If neither fits, see Salesforce alternatives for small business and HubSpot alternatives for small business.
Your process matters more than the logo
The CRM will hold your deals. It will not tell you how to run a good first call or when to follow up. Write those steps down before you set up either tool. The guides to discovery call questions and how to close a sale are a good place to start.