Free CRM is one of the few places in business software where the free product is genuinely good rather than a crippled demo. The major vendors give away real functionality because a CRM gets more valuable the longer you use it, which means the free tier is a long term relationship rather than a trial, and they are content to wait.
That makes the important question not how good the free plan is, but exactly where it stops. We have ranked these on what each free tier genuinely includes, the caps that will eventually push you off it, and what the first paid step costs excluding VAT when you get there.
Where free CRMs actually stop
Every free tier draws its line somewhere, and knowing where matters more than the feature list, because you will build habits and data on this product before you meet the limit. The four common boundaries are the number of users, the number of contacts or records, the amount of automation you are allowed, and reporting depth. Of those, automation is the one that most often forces the upgrade: manual pipeline management works perfectly well at low volume, and the moment you want sequences, task automation or rules based routing you are looking at a paid tier. Contact caps tend to sound frightening and rarely bite for years.
The second thing to weigh is the cost of the step up, and this is where the free tiers differ most sharply. Some vendors price their first paid tier modestly, so crossing the line is a small decision. Others make the jump from free to the first serious paid plan a large one, which is a reasonable business model but means you should know the number before you commit your customer data. Check the export path too: a CRM you can leave is a CRM you can adopt confidently, so confirm you can get your contacts, notes and history out in a usable format. And remember that the deciding factor is still adoption, because a free CRM your team does not update produces worse data than the spreadsheet it replaced.
How we assessed these tools
Every product here was judged on the things that actually decide whether software works for a UK business: the real published price excluding VAT, how it handles HMRC obligations such as Making Tax Digital, RTI or CIS where relevant, the depth of the core job it is bought for, how quickly a non specialist can get productive, and the quality of UK support. We read each vendor's own pricing pages rather than repeating third party figures, and we weight verified user ratings from people who run these tools day to day.
We also try to be honest about fit rather than crowning a single winner, because the right tool for a ten person business is rarely the right tool for a two hundred person one. Each entry below carries its real starting price, its current Assaylist rating and a clear note on who it suits and where it falls short, so you can match the software to your own situation rather than to an average. Where we earn a commission from an outbound link we say so, and it never changes the order of this list.
The best options ranked
1. HubSpot CRM
HubSpot gives away the most generous free CRM on the market, with unlimited users and a contact allowance no small business will trouble for years, plus marketing, sales and service tools on the same contact record. For most UK small businesses starting from a spreadsheet, this is the obvious first move.
What you get: The CRM that made a genuinely capable free tier standard. Free forever at the core, with Sales, Marketing and Service Hubs that scale into a serious platform as you grow. It holds a 4.0 out of 5 rating across 242 reviews on Assaylist.
Pricing: The plans run Free at free, Sales Hub Starter at £15, Sales Hub Professional at £77 and Sales Hub Enterprise at £135 per user per month, excluding VAT.
Why we rate it:
- The strongest free CRM tier on the market
- Sales, marketing and service on one record
- Huge app marketplace and partner network
- Clean enough to adopt without training
Bear in mind: the jump from free to a genuinely capable paid tier is steep, so know that number before you build on it.
Read our full HubSpot CRM review →
2. Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM's free tier covers a small team properly and sits inside a suite that goes considerably further when you need it, which makes it the value choice across the whole journey rather than just at the free end. If you already use other Zoho apps the integration is seamless.
What you get: A capable CRM that consistently undercuts the big names on price while matching much of the functionality. Strongest for businesses already using or open to the broader Zoho suite. It holds a 4.0 out of 5 rating across 248 reviews on Assaylist.
Pricing: The plans run Free at free, Standard at £12, Professional at £20 and Enterprise at £35 per user per month, excluding VAT.
Why we rate it:
- Strong capability at a value price
- Deep customisation
- Free edition for micro teams
- Native Zoho suite integration
Bear in mind: the breadth means it takes more configuration than a deliberately simple tool before it feels right.
Read our full Zoho CRM review →
3. Capsule CRM
Capsule is a British CRM built on the principle that a system people actually update beats a powerful one they avoid, and its free tier reflects that: contacts, pipeline and tasks without a configuration project. For a small UK business that has failed at CRM before, this is usually why.
What you get: A UK built CRM that keeps things simple and affordable, with a free plan for two users and clean per user tiers above it. Popular with small businesses that find the big platforms overkill. It holds a 4.0 out of 5 rating across 286 reviews on Assaylist.
Pricing: The plans run Free at free, Starter at £14, Growth at £27 and Advanced at £42 per user per month, excluding VAT.
Why we rate it:
- Genuinely free for two users
- Simple enough for any small team
- UK built with UK support
- Clean Xero and QuickBooks integration
Bear in mind: the simplicity that makes it easy to adopt becomes a ceiling for larger or more complex teams.
Read our full Capsule CRM review →
4. Pipedrive
Pipedrive has no free plan, and it is on this list because it is the product most often chosen when a free CRM is outgrown. The visual pipeline drives the highest sales team adoption of anything here, and if your reps will not update a CRM, adoption is the only feature that matters.
What you get: A focused, visual sales CRM designed by salespeople around the deal pipeline. Per seat pricing across four tiers, strong on doing one job well rather than being a platform. It holds a 4.0 out of 5 rating across 228 reviews on Assaylist.
Pricing: The plans run Lite at £14, Growth at £34, Premium at £49 and Ultimate at £79 per user per month, excluding VAT.
Why we rate it:
- Best pipeline view for pure sales
- Quick to set up without a consultant
- High adoption from sales teams
- Transparent per seat pricing
Bear in mind: there is no free tier, only a trial, so it belongs here as the comparison rather than as a free option.
Read our full Pipedrive review →Comparison at a glance
Here is how the shortlist compares on what it is best for, the starting price excluding VAT and the current Assaylist rating.
| Software | Best for | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot CRM | Best free CRM overall | From £15 per user / month | 4.0 |
| Zoho CRM | Best free for small teams | From £12 per user / month | 4.0 |
| Capsule CRM | Best simple free CRM | From £14 per user / month | 4.0 |
| Pipedrive | Best paid alternative | From £14 per user / month | 4.0 |
How much should you budget?
Nothing, for a while, and that is a legitimate plan rather than a compromise. HubSpot, Zoho CRM and Capsule all run free tiers that a small UK business can work in properly for years, and starting free is the sensible way to discover what you actually need from a CRM before paying for someone's guess at it.
Budget instead for the upgrade you will eventually make. First paid tiers across these products run from roughly twelve to twenty pounds per user per month excluding VAT, and because CRM is priced per user your cost multiplies by team size rather than staying flat. The trap is the step beyond that: the tier where real automation and reporting live is materially more expensive on some platforms than others, and since that is the tier most growing teams end up on, it is the number worth checking before you commit your customer data to a vendor.
Our verdict
For most UK small businesses, HubSpot's free CRM is the best starting point by some distance: unlimited users, a contact allowance you will not trouble for years, and marketing and service tools on the same record when you want them. Just go in knowing the cost of the paid tiers, because that is where the model earns its money.
Zoho CRM is the better long term value if you expect to grow into more capability, particularly alongside other Zoho apps, and Capsule is the one to choose if a previous CRM failed because nobody updated it. Pipedrive has no free tier at all, but it is the product teams most often move to when they outgrow free, so it is worth knowing where you are heading.
The bottom line
Start free, because these are real products rather than demos and you will learn more about what you need from three months of use than from any amount of comparison. HubSpot is the strongest free tier for most, Capsule the one to pick if adoption has beaten you before, and Zoho the best value if you expect to grow into more. Before you commit, check two numbers: what the first serious paid tier costs per user, and how you would export your data if you left.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free CRM for a UK small business?
HubSpot offers the most generous free CRM, with unlimited users and a contact allowance most small businesses will not reach for years, plus marketing and service tools on the same contact record. Zoho CRM and Capsule also run genuinely useful free tiers, with Capsule the simplest to adopt.
Are free CRMs actually free or just trials?
HubSpot, Zoho CRM and Capsule all offer permanently free tiers rather than time limited trials, and they are real products you can run a small business on for years. Pipedrive is the exception among the products here, offering a trial rather than a free plan.
What do free CRM plans limit?
Usually the number of users, the number of contacts, the amount of automation and the depth of reporting. Automation is the limit that most often forces an upgrade, because manual pipeline management works fine at low volume and stops working once you want sequences or rules based routing. Contact caps rarely bite for years.
How much does a CRM cost when you outgrow the free tier?
First paid tiers typically run from twelve to twenty pounds per user per month excluding VAT. Because CRM is priced per user, the cost multiplies with team size. Check the price of the tier where automation and reporting live before you commit, since that is where most growing teams end up and the jump is steeper on some platforms than others.
Can I move my data if I switch CRM later?
You should confirm this before you adopt any CRM, free or paid. The major products let you export contacts, notes and history in a usable format, and a CRM you can leave is one you can adopt confidently. Check the export path as part of your evaluation rather than after you have three years of customer history in it.
Prices were checked against each vendor's UK pricing on 7 August 2026 and exclude VAT unless stated. Vendors change pricing, so confirm the current figure on the vendor's own site before you buy. Some links are commercial; where we earn a commission it never affects our ratings or the order of this list.
