Salesforce is a big platform, and its higher editions are priced for large sales teams. A small business often needs less. Below are five cheaper alternatives, with prices as of October 2026 and what a team of five would pay. First, one option many people miss.
Check Salesforce's own small business plans first
Salesforce sells plans for small teams. As of October 2026 (small business pricing):
- Free Suite: two users, up to 100 emails a month, free as long as you log in at least once every 60 days (Free Suite page).
- Starter Suite: $25 per user per month, billed monthly or yearly.
- Pro Suite: $100 per user per month, billed yearly with a contract.
The Sales Cloud editions start at $195 per user per month, billed yearly (sales pricing). If you are on one of those and only use the basics, Starter or Pro Suite may cover you for less.
What five users would pay each month
All prices are in US dollars, at list price, from each vendor's page, as of October 2026. Taxes and add-ons are extra.
- Salesforce Starter Suite: $25 x 5 = $125
- Salesforce Pro Suite: $100 x 5 = $500, billed yearly
- HubSpot Starter: $20 x 5 = $100 at the normal price, before a new-customer discount
- Zoho CRM Standard: $14 x 5 = $70 billed yearly, or $100 billed monthly
- Pipedrive Lite: $14 x 5 = $70 billed yearly
- Freshsales Growth: $9 x 5 = $45 billed yearly
- Less Annoying CRM: $15 x 5 = $75
Price per seat is only part of the cost. Features differ by plan, so check that the plan you price actually includes what you need.
1. HubSpot
HubSpot's free CRM covers two users and 1,000 contacts, with no end date. Starter is normally $20 per seat per month, and HubSpot runs a limited-time discount for new customers (Starter page).
Suits: small teams that want sales and marketing tools in one account.
Less suited: teams that will need Professional soon. Professional Sales Seats are $100 per seat per month with required onboarding (product catalog). See HubSpot vs Salesforce for the side-by-side.
2. Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is free for up to three users. Standard is $14 per user per month billed yearly, Professional $23, Enterprise $40 and Ultimate $52. Monthly billing costs more. Paid editions have a 15-day trial.
Suits: teams that want several plan levels to grow through, and the option to add other Zoho apps.
Less suited: people who want the fewest possible settings.
3. Pipedrive
Pipedrive has no free plan. Billed yearly, Lite is $14, Growth $39, Premium $59 and Ultimate $79 per seat per month. Each has a 14-day trial.
Suits: sales-led businesses where the pipeline is the main screen. Full email sync and automated sequences start on Growth.
Less suited: businesses that want marketing email in the base price.
4. Freshsales
Freshsales Growth is $9, Pro $39 and Enterprise $59 per user per month, billed yearly. The trial lasts 21 days.
Suits: budget-conscious teams who want calls, email and chat next to their contacts.
Less suited: teams who need sales sequences or contact scoring on the lowest plan. Those start on Pro.
5. Less Annoying CRM
Less Annoying CRM has one price: $15 per user per month, with every feature included. The trial lasts 30 days.
Suits: owners who want a simple contact, task and follow-up tool with a flat price.
Less suited: teams who want to pay more later for extra features. There is only one plan, so what you see in the trial is what you get.
How to choose
- List the five features you use every week in Salesforce today.
- Price each tool at the plan that includes all five. That is often above the cheapest plan.
- Export a sample of your data and import it into two trials.
- Rebuild your deal stages and run one real week in each.
- Pick the one your team actually kept up to date.
For more options, see HubSpot alternatives for small business and Pipedrive vs Zoho CRM.
Before you migrate
Switching CRMs is a good moment to clean up. Delete dead deals, merge duplicates and rename fields nobody understands. Then write down your sales steps in plain words, so the new tool is set up around how you actually sell. If your team is growing, this page also helps you scale without breaking things.