10 Best Free & Cheap HubSpot Alternatives for Startups (2026)

Last verified: 24 September 2026. Every price below was checked against the vendor's official website on this date (pricing, startup or help pages, as noted). Prices are in USD, per user per month, unless noted.

By Kabandi, co-founder and Chief M-aa-rket-er at maarket.ai, a distribution platform for products. This list's order is editorial and pricing-led (see How we picked), not taken from maarket.ai's community rankings. No vendor paid for inclusion or placement, and this page carries no affiliate links.

Quick answer: The best cheap HubSpot alternatives for startups are Zoho CRM (free for 3 users, then $14; the best default for most startups), Freshsales (free for up to 3 users per its startups page, then $9), Pipedrive ($14, founder-led sales), Attio (free for 3 seats; 80% off Pro for VC-backed startups) and Twenty (open source, free to self-host). HubSpot itself is free for up to 2 users, and Sales Hub Starter is only $7 per seat billed annually. The cost jump comes at Professional: $90 per seat plus a $1,500 onboarding fee. Prices: per user per month, billed annually.

Comparison at a glance

\Cost for 5 users per year uses the cheapest paid plan on annual billing, before tax and add-ons. Twenty's figure applies its advertised 25% yearly discount to the $9 monthly price. Brevo and Bitrix24 charge per account, not per seat. Less Annoying CRM has no annual discount, so its figure is 12 × the monthly price. †Listed on Freshworks' startups page rather than its main pricing page. EngageBay's free plan allows 15 users but only 250 contacts; Brevo doesn't publish a seat limit for Starter.*

Cheapest for 5 users, annual billing: Twenty Cloud ~$405 (calculated) · HubSpot Starter $420 · Freshsales $540 · Bitrix24 $588 · EngageBay $827 · Zoho CRM and Pipedrive $840 · Less Annoying CRM $900 (monthly only) · Capsule $1,080 · Attio $2,100. (Brevo Starter is $97 a year per account for email only; it isn't ranked here because Brevo doesn't publish a seat limit.)

How we picked: a tool made the list only if it has a free plan, a free self-hosted version, or a paid plan under $20 per user per month, and covers core CRM or the HubSpot hub it replaces. folk, for example, starts at $24 per member per month billed annually ($30 monthly) with no free plan, so it missed the cut. Prices were read from each vendor's official pricing page on 24 September 2026; where a figure appears only on a vendor's help or startup page, we say so. This is a pricing-led comparison: the order is editorial, weighing 5-seat annual cost, free-plan limits and seat-cap headroom for a typical 3–10 person startup.

Why This List Matters: What HubSpot Really Costs a Startup in 2026

• HubSpot is not expensive at the start. It gets expensive in one jump. Sales Hub Starter costs $7 per seat per month billed annually. That's cheaper than every per-seat paid plan here except Twenty Cloud on yearly billing. But HubSpot's pricing page caps Starter at 50 workflows with restricted triggers, and custom reporting, sales analytics and playbooks sit in Professional, at $90 per seat plus a required one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. A five-person team goes from $420 a year to $6,900 in year one.
• Annual vs monthly billing changes the answer. Monthly billing costs anywhere from nothing extra (Less Annoying CRM, which has no annual discount) to 186% more (HubSpot Sales Hub Starter: $20 vs $7). Brevo and HubSpot Professional charge about 11% more monthly, and Zoho 43% more. If you can't commit to a year, check each vendor's monthly price, listed in the table for most vendors.
• Seat caps are the hidden budget risk. Attio Plus stops at 10 seats, Bitrix24 Basic at 5 users and Capsule's free plan at 2. Brevo doesn't publish a seat limit for Starter or Standard, so confirm before adding teammates. Check where your team will be in 12 months, not today.
• At the full 90% discount, HubSpot Professional can undercut Freshsales Pro, Pipedrive Growth and Attio Plus in year one, but not Zoho CRM Professional. HubSpot for Startups gives up to 90% off Professional or Enterprise in year one (50% in year two, 25% in year three) if you've raised pre-seed to Series A funding and are either affiliated with an approved HubSpot for Startups partner or have raised verified venture funding. Startups tied to an approved entrepreneurial organisation get 30% off in year one and 15% in year two. The discount covers only new Professional or Enterprise products, not Starter; HubSpot's startups page doesn't say whether it covers the onboarding fee, so confirm with your HubSpot rep.

1. Zoho CRM: best default CRM for most startups

Zoho CRM is the strongest fit here for a startup that expects to grow from a free plan to a full suite on one vendor. The free edition covers up to 3 users. The entry paid plan is $14 per user per month billed annually ($20 monthly). Professional is $23 per user per month billed annually ($35 monthly). That's roughly a quarter of HubSpot Professional's per-seat price, with no onboarding fee. Zoho also bundles into a wider suite (Books, Desk, Campaigns), so you can add finance and support tools without a second vendor.

Budget watch-out: prices vary by region and taxes are added on top. India-based startups may qualify for Zoho for Startups wallet credits.

Best for: startups that also want accounting (Books) and a help desk (Desk) from the same vendor.

2. Freshsales: cheapest per-seat CRM with built-in calling

Freshsales (Freshworks CRM) Growth, at $9 per user per month billed annually, is the cheapest paid plan among the per-seat alternatives here, apart from Twenty's yearly cloud price. That's $2 more than HubSpot Sales Hub Starter's $7 per seat. Freshworks' startups page describes a forever-free plan with core CRM features for teams of up to 3 users; it isn't shown on the main pricing page. Pro is $39 per user per month billed annually, and there's a 21-day free trial. Freshworks lists phone, email, SMS and live chat among Freshsales' core features, so an early sales team may not need a separate dialer.

Budget watch-out: AI agent sessions and some document features are paid add-ons.

Best for: early sales teams that want the cheapest per-seat sales CRM with calling built in.

3. Pipedrive: best for founder-led sales

Pipedrive is built around a visual deal pipeline. That suits founder-led sales, where the job is moving a handful of deals forward each week. Lite is $14 per seat per month billed annually, Growth is $39, and there's a 14-day trial with no card needed. There's no free plan.

Budget watch-out: lead capture (LeadBooster), web visitor tracking, email campaigns and projects are paid add-ons, so the real price can be well above the headline.

Best for: founders running outbound or deal-by-deal B2B sales.

4. Attio: best for VC-backed startups

Attio is a data-first CRM with a dedicated programme for venture-backed startups. You model your own objects (investors, partners, users, not just contacts and deals), and records are enriched automatically. The free plan covers 3 seats and 50,000 records. Plus is $35 per seat per month billed annually ($44 monthly), and Pro is $79 ($99 monthly). Venture-backed companies can apply to Attio for Startups for 80% off Pro in year one and 30% off in year two.

Budget watch-out: Plus stops at 10 seats, and every member must be on the same plan, so the 11th hire moves the whole team to Pro.

Best for: VC-backed startups with custom workflows (fundraising, partnerships, PLG pipelines).

5. Twenty: best open-source HubSpot alternative

Twenty is an open-source CRM you can self-host for free. The core is licensed under AGPL-3.0, with some enterprise-licensed files. The cloud version is $9 per user per month, 25% less on yearly billing. It has unlimited records and custom objects, and a free trial with no card. It's the only option here where you own the code and the data outright.

Budget watch-out: self-hosting is free in licence fees, not in time. You pay for servers, upgrades and whoever maintains it. SSO needs the Organization plan at $19 per user per month billed monthly.

Best for: technical teams that want an extensible CRM and full data ownership.

6. Less Annoying CRM: simplest CRM with one flat price

Less Annoying CRM has one plan: $15 per user per month, every feature included, no contracts, no tiers. There's a 30-day free trial. It deliberately skips marketing automation and complex configuration, which is exactly why small teams can learn it in an afternoon.

Budget watch-out: no free plan, and the vendor suggests keeping under roughly 50,000 contacts and companies.

Best for: very small teams that want contacts, pipeline and follow-ups, nothing else.

7. Capsule CRM: simplest free plan for relationship tracking

Capsule CRM is a simple contact and pipeline CRM with a free tier that covers the basics: 2 users, 250 contacts and one pipeline. Starter is $18 per user per month annually ($21 monthly) and holds 30,000 contacts. There's a 14-day trial.

Budget watch-out: automations, multiple pipelines and AI tools start at Growth ($36 per user per month billed annually), and email marketing is a separate add-on.

Best for: service startups and agencies tracking relationships rather than high-volume deals.

8. Brevo: cheapest HubSpot Marketing Hub alternative

Brevo is the budget replacement for HubSpot Marketing Hub rather than Sales Hub. The free plan sends 300 emails a day and, per Brevo's help centre, stores up to 100,000 contacts for one user. Brevo also has a free Sales plan (one seat, one pipeline). Starter is a flat $9 per month ($8.08 yearly) for 5,000 emails, and Standard, which adds automation, is $18 ($16.17 yearly). Pricing is by email volume, not contact count, which is the opposite of HubSpot's model.

Budget watch-out: removing Brevo's logo on Starter costs $10.80 a month extra, which makes Standard the better deal. Brevo's pricing page does not state a seat limit for Starter or Standard (it lists 10 seats on the $499-a-month Professional plan), so confirm with Brevo before adding teammates.

Best for: startups whose main HubSpot use is newsletters and email campaigns.

9. EngageBay: most users on a free plan

EngageBay follows HubSpot's all-in-one model at a lower price: marketing, CRM and helpdesk in one tool. The free plan allows up to 15 users and 250 contacts. All-in-One Basic is $13.79 per user per month billed yearly, or $12.74 per user per month on a two-year term. EngageBay has no true month-to-month price: even the $14.99 "monthly" tier is billed annually.

Budget watch-out: Basic is capped at 500 contacts, and Growth jumps to $59.79 per user billed yearly.

Best for: very early teams that want HubSpot-style breadth for under $15 a seat.

10. Bitrix24: best flat-priced all-in-one workspace

Bitrix24 prices per organisation, not per seat. Basic is $49 a month billed annually ($69 monthly) for 5 users. Standard is $99 a month billed annually ($144 monthly) for 50 users. You get CRM plus tasks, projects, chat and HR tools. The free plan covers up to 2 users, and there's a 15-day trial.

Budget watch-out: Basic stops at 5 users, so a sixth user means moving to Standard at $99 a month billed annually ($144 monthly).

Best for: teams of up to 50 that want one flat monthly bill for CRM and internal collaboration.

How to choose a HubSpot alternative on a budget

1. Decide which HubSpot you're replacing, and whether you need to pay at all. The strongest free HubSpot alternatives are Zoho CRM and Freshsales (3 users each; Freshsales' free plan is listed on its startups page), Attio (3 seats) and self-hosted Twenty. EngageBay's free plan allows the most users (15) but caps you at 250 contacts. If it's Sales Hub, look at Freshsales, Pipedrive, Zoho or Attio. If it's Marketing Hub email, look at Brevo. If it's the all-in-one, look at EngageBay or Bitrix24.
2. Price your team size in 12 months, not today. Seat caps (Attio Plus at 10, Bitrix24 Basic at 5) decide the real cost.
3. Compare annual and monthly billing separately. Pre-revenue startups often can't commit to a year. Month-to-month prices run from the same as annual (Less Annoying CRM) to 186% higher (HubSpot Sales Hub Starter).
4. Check HubSpot for Startups first if you're VC-backed. At the maximum 90% off, Professional is $9 a seat ($540 a year for 5 seats), level with Freshsales Growth, or $2,040 if the $1,500 onboarding fee isn't waived. It still costs more than Twenty Cloud ($405), HubSpot Starter ($420) or any free plan. For comparison, 5 seats cost $1,380 a year on Zoho CRM Professional and $2,340 on Freshsales Pro or Pipedrive Growth. Model years two and three before you commit.
5. Count add-ons. Pipedrive, Freshsales, Capsule and Brevo all sell key features separately. Add them to the headline price.

How to move off HubSpot

1. Export your data. HubSpot lets you export contacts, companies and deals as CSV or Excel files from each record list. Export notes and activity history separately if you need them.
2. Map your fields before importing. Match HubSpot properties (lifecycle stage, deal stage, owner) to the new CRM's fields, and recreate your pipeline stages first.
3. Check for a direct importer. Search the new CRM's help docs for a HubSpot import or migration option, which saves manual mapping; otherwise use the CSV importer.
4. Run both for a week. Keep your current HubSpot plan until switch-over day, then turn off sequences, forms and workflows before you downgrade to the free plan (2 users), so no leads get lost.

FAQ

Is HubSpot free?

Yes, HubSpot's free CRM tools cover up to 2 users with no credit card, but with limits. Sequences, simple automation (up to 50 workflows) and more users start at Sales Hub Starter: $7 per seat per month billed annually. Custom reporting, sales analytics and playbooks need Professional: $90 per seat ($100 billed monthly) plus a $1,500 onboarding fee.

How much does HubSpot cost for a startup?

Starter costs $7 per seat per month billed annually or $20 monthly, so a 5-person team pays $420 a year. Sales Hub Professional costs $90 per seat billed annually ($100 billed monthly) plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee: $6,900 in year one for 5 seats. Eligible pre-seed to Series A startups can get up to 90% off Professional in year one through HubSpot for Startups.

What is the cheapest alternative to HubSpot?

The cheapest HubSpot alternative is Twenty: free to self-host, or about $6.75 per user per month on yearly cloud billing (calculated from the 25% discount). The most generous free hosted plans are Zoho CRM and Freshsales (3 users each), Attio (3 seats) and EngageBay (15 users, 250 contacts). The cheapest paid per-seat plan is Freshsales Growth at $9 per user per month billed annually. For a 5-person team on annual billing, the cheapest are Twenty Cloud (~$405), HubSpot Starter itself ($420) and Freshsales Growth ($540).

Is HubSpot worth it for a startup?

HubSpot is worth it on the free plan or Starter, or if you qualify for HubSpot for Startups. It's usually not worth it if you need Professional features at full price: $90 a seat plus a $1,500 onboarding fee, when Zoho CRM Professional ($23), Freshsales Pro ($39) and Pipedrive Growth ($39) are the mid-tier options, with no onboarding fee listed.

Does HubSpot have a startup discount?

Yes. HubSpot for Startups gives pre-seed, seed and Series A companies up to 90% off Professional or Enterprise in year one, 50% in year two and 25% in year three. You must have raised pre-seed to Series A funding (not Series B or later) and be either affiliated with an approved HubSpot for Startups partner or have raised verified venture funding. Startups tied to an approved entrepreneurial organisation get 30% off in year one and 15% in year two. Starter isn't covered; confirm with HubSpot whether the discount applies to the onboarding fee.

Does HubSpot for Startups cover Starter?

No. The discount applies only to new Professional or Enterprise products, so HubSpot for Startups doesn't discount Starter ($7 per seat billed annually).

How much does HubSpot Marketing Hub cost?

Marketing Hub Starter is $7 per seat per month billed annually ($20 monthly) with 1,000 marketing contacts. Professional is $800 a month on annual billing ($890 monthly) for 3 seats and 2,000 marketing contacts, plus a required one-time $3,000 onboarding fee. For email-first startups, Brevo's free plan (300 emails a day) or $9 Starter is the budget alternative.

What is the best free HubSpot alternative?

Zoho CRM for most startups: free for 3 users, with a paid path into Zoho's wider suite. Choose Freshsales (3 users, per Freshworks' startups page) if you want built-in calling, Attio (3 seats, 50,000 records) for custom data, EngageBay if you need up to 15 users and can live with 250 contacts, and Twenty if you can self-host.

What is the best CRM for startups?

For most early-stage startups, Zoho CRM is the best default: it's free for 3 users, $14 per user billed annually after that, and it grows into a full suite (Books, Desk, Campaigns) without a second vendor. If you only need a basic CRM, HubSpot Starter ($7 a seat, annual) is cheaper; it gets expensive at Professional. Pick Freshsales if built-in calling at the lowest per-seat price matters more, Pipedrive for founder-led deal pipelines, or Attio if you're VC-backed with custom data needs.

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