HubSpot vs Zoho CRM vs monday CRM: Which Fits a Small Business?
HubSpot and Zoho CRM still publish forever-free editions with seat caps; monday CRM does not — it starts with a 14-day trial and a three-seat floor. On annual USD list pricing, Zoho Standard is $14/user/month, monday CRM Basic is $12/seat/month, and HubSpot Starter lists $20/seat/month (with time-limited new-customer promos on HubSpot’s page). Local taxes may apply at checkout.
HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and monday CRM compared for a small business using USD list prices, free or trial terms, and tax notes checked on vendor pages on November 2, 2026.
Prices checked on from HubSpot CRM, HubSpot pricing, Zoho CRM pricing, and monday CRM pricing.
- HubSpot Free: $0, up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts; Zoho CRM Free: forever free for 3 users; monday CRM: trial only, not forever free.
- Entry paid annual USD seats: Zoho Standard $14, monday CRM Basic $12, HubSpot Starter list $20 (promo rates can change).
- monday CRM plans start from 3 users; prices exclude tax and vary by billing country.
- Zoho states VAT/GST and similar taxes are charged in addition to listed prices.
HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and monday CRM are three different answers to the same small-business question: where do contacts and deals live once email folders stop being enough? HubSpot and Zoho publish forever-free CRM editions with numbered caps. monday CRM publishes a trial and paid plans that start from three users. I read the vendor pages linked in Sources on November 2, 2026 and used only the USD figures and plan rules those pages state. This is a pricing and fit comparison, not a lab test and not a pile of invented customer quotes.
Lead with USD list prices. Readers in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada should treat UK VAT, Australian GST, and Canadian GST/HST as typically added at checkout on top of list figures. Zoho states that local taxes (VAT, GST, and similar) are charged in addition; confirm any GBP or other regional display on Zoho’s own page before you pay. monday CRM states that prices exclude tax and can vary by billing country. Do not invent converted GBP, AUD, or CAD amounts here.
If you are still deciding whether any paid CRM is warranted, start with the broader best free and cheap CRM guide, which also covers Freshsales, Pipedrive, and Bigin. Keep client booking and billing out of the CRM decision when you can: use the scheduling apps for freelancers and Calendly vs alternatives posts for calendars, and the free invoicing guide or QuickBooks vs Wave vs FreshBooks for invoices after a deal closes.
How do HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and monday CRM prices compare?
| HubSpot CRM | Zoho CRM | monday CRM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forever free | Free CRM $0; up to 2 users; 1,000 contacts; no expiration | Forever free for 3 users | Not a forever-free CRM; 14-day trial |
| Entry paid (USD) | Starter list $20/mo/seat; promo new-customer $7/mo/seat annual or $10/mo/seat monthly (can end) | Standard $14/user/mo annual ($20 monthly) | Basic $12/seat/mo annual ($18 monthly) |
| Mid / upper paid (USD) | Professional starts $50/mo/seat; Enterprise $75/mo/seat | Professional $23 annual ($35 monthly); Enterprise $40 annual ($50 monthly); Ultimate $52 annual ($65 monthly) | Standard $17 annual ($25 monthly); Pro $28 annual ($41 monthly); Ultimate custom |
| Seat floor notes | Free capped at 2 users | Free capped at 3 users | Plans start from 3 users |
| Tax / currency notes | Confirm checkout for your country | Local taxes (VAT, GST, etc.) in addition; confirm regional price on Zoho’s page (GBP toggle exists on Zoho surfaces) | Prices exclude tax; price by billing country |
Photo: Unsplash License (commercial use OK).
What does HubSpot charge for Free CRM and Starter?
HubSpot’s CRM product page and CRM pricing list a Free CRM at $0 with up to 2 users, 1,000 contacts, and no expiration on that Free plan. For a founder plus one colleague under a thousand contacts, that is a complete “do we need a CRM at all?” experiment without a software fee.
Paid seats on the same HubSpot surfaces: Starter lists at $20 per month per seat. Promotional new-customer pricing was shown as $7 per month per seat billed annually or $10 per month per seat billed monthly. Promotions can end. Budget the $20 list seat unless the promo is still visible at your checkout. Professional starts at $50 per month per seat. Enterprise is $75 per month per seat. Those Professional and Enterprise starting figures come from the HubSpot CRM product page context used for this comparison.
HubSpot fits when you want a forever-free on-ramp with a hard two-user Free ceiling and a clear paid ladder afterward. It is a weaker forever-free fit than Zoho if three people need logins on day one — Zoho’s free edition is the three-user forever-free card. It is a stronger forever-free fit than monday CRM, which does not publish a forever-free CRM plan.
When you leave Free, decide whether Starter’s list $20 seat (or the then-current promo) is enough, or whether Professional’s $50 starting seat is the card that lists the capability you need. Do not invent a feature checklist HubSpot did not print on the plan comparison you are reading.
Best for
HubSpot Free CRM — solo or two-person teams under 1,000 contacts who want $0 software with no Free-plan expiration on HubSpot’s CRM pages.
Zoho CRM Free → Standard — three free seats now, then $14/user/mo annually when the free edition’s published limits force a paid step.
monday CRM Basic — teams that already need at least three seats, will use the 14-day trial, and accept tax and billing-country pricing at checkout.
What are Zoho CRM’s free and paid seat prices?
Zoho CRM’s pricing page lists a forever-free edition for 3 users. That is the sharpest free-seat advantage in this three-way matchup. HubSpot Free stops at two users. monday CRM does not offer a forever-free CRM tier.
Paid USD edition rates grounded in Zoho’s pricing materials:
- Standard: $14 per user per month billed annually, $20 monthly
- Professional: $23 per user per month annually, $35 monthly
- Enterprise: $40 per user per month annually, $50 monthly
- Ultimate: $52 per user per month annually, $65 monthly
Zoho states that local taxes (VAT, GST, and similar) are charged in addition. If you work in the UK or another market where Zoho’s currency controls matter, open the pricing page, switch currency if offered (including GBP where shown), and confirm the regional price before you pay. Zoho CRM Plus starts at $20 per user per month for buyers looking at the wider Plus packaging rather than CRM-only editions — treat that as a separate product line decision on Zoho’s CRM Plus materials.
Standard at $14 annually is the natural first paid rung after Free when Zoho’s free edition caps or missing paid-tier items on the comparison table are the blocker. Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate are successive annual/monthly pairs for teams that need what those cards list. Annual billing is the lower published per-user rate on every paid rung above.
Compared with HubSpot Starter’s $20 list seat, Zoho Standard’s $14 annual seat is the lower published ordinary rate for a basic paid user — still subject to tax at checkout. Compared with monday Basic’s $12 annual seat, remember monday’s three-user minimum: three Basic seats at $12 is $36 per month before tax on annual billing math, not $12 for a solo.
Photo: Unsplash License (commercial use OK).
How is monday CRM priced for small teams?
monday CRM’s pricing page does not describe a forever-free CRM. It offers a 14-day trial. Paid plans start from 3 users. USD figures checked November 2, 2026:
- Basic: $12 per seat per month billed annually ($18 monthly)
- Standard: $17 per seat per month annually ($25 monthly)
- Pro: $28 per seat per month annually ($41 monthly)
- Ultimate: custom
Prices exclude tax. Price can vary by billing country. For UK, AU, and CA teams, that means the checkout total is not “USD list × headcount” in isolation — tax treatment and country pricing belong in the final quote on monday’s page.
monday CRM fits when three people already need seats and the trial confirms that monday’s CRM workflow matches how the team moves deals. It is a poor forever-free substitute for HubSpot Free or Zoho CRM Free. It is also a poor solo bargain if you only need one login: the plan floor is three users, so you are buying capacity you may not use.
Basic at $12 annually looks cheaper than HubSpot Starter’s $20 list on a per-seat sticker. Multiply by three before you celebrate. Standard and Pro raise the annual seat to $17 and $28. Ultimate is custom — open monday’s sales path rather than inventing a number.
What are the pros and cons of HubSpot vs Zoho vs monday CRM?
Pros to weigh
- HubSpot Free and Zoho CRM Free give real $0 on-ramps with published seat and (for HubSpot) contact caps.
- Zoho’s paid ladder publishes clear annual vs monthly USD pairs from Standard through Ultimate.
- monday CRM’s Basic annual seat is a low published per-seat rate once you accept the three-user minimum and trial-first path.
- All three vendors state enough about tax or billing country for a careful buyer to know checkout will not equal the raw USD sticker alone.
Watch-outs
- HubSpot Free stops at 2 users and 1,000 contacts; Starter promos ($7 annual / $10 monthly as shown for new customers) can end.
- Zoho adds local taxes; GBP or other regional displays must be confirmed on Zoho’s page, not copied from a blog conversion.
- monday CRM is not forever free; plans start from 3 users; prices exclude tax and vary by billing country.
- None of these pages replace your accountant on VAT, GST, or GST/HST treatment.
Which CRM should you open first for a small business?
Path A — stay on $0 as long as possible.
Open HubSpot Free if you are one or two users under 1,000 contacts. Open Zoho CRM Free if three users need access. Skip monday CRM for a forever-free experiment; use the trial only when you already expect to pay for three seats.
Path B — first paid seat on a clear annual rate.
Compare Zoho Standard at $14/user/mo annually, HubSpot Starter at $20/mo/seat list (or the promo if still shown), and monday Basic at $12/seat/mo annually × at least three seats. Add expected UK VAT, Australian GST, or Canadian GST/HST at checkout rather than pretending the sticker is the invoice.
Path C — mid-market seats.
HubSpot Professional starts at $50/mo/seat; Enterprise at $75/mo/seat. Zoho Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate use the annual/monthly pairs above. monday Standard / Pro use $17 and $28 annually. Match the plan card to the capability you need; do not upgrade because a marketing headline sounds larger.
Path D — suite packaging.
If Zoho CRM Plus at $20/user/month is the SKU you are actually evaluating, read Zoho’s CRM Plus materials separately from CRM-only Standard. Do not mix Plus marketing with Standard seat math in the same budget line.
Photo: Unsplash License (commercial use OK).
How do these CRMs pair with scheduling and invoicing?
A CRM holds the pipeline. It should not silently become your calendar and your ledger. Book demos and client calls with a scheduling tool from the freelancer scheduling roundup or the Calendly comparison. Send invoices from a dedicated invoicing or accounting login — free invoicing options or QuickBooks vs Wave vs FreshBooks. Link stages in the CRM to “proposal sent” and “won,” then create the invoice in the billing tool. That handoff is process, not a claim that any of these three CRMs replaces bookkeeping.
For cheaper forever-free and low-seat alternatives outside this trio — including Freshsales Free/Growth, Pipedrive Lite after trial, and Bigin Free/Express/Premier — use the best free and cheap CRM software guide. Bigin’s Free plan (1 user, 500 records), Express at US$9, and Premier at US$15 sit on Bigin’s pricing page with local taxes in addition and a currency toggle that includes GBP.
When should you switch between HubSpot, Zoho, and monday CRM?
Leave HubSpot Free for Zoho Free when a third user needs a seat and you still refuse a software fee. Leave either free edition for Zoho Standard or HubSpot Starter when a published free-plan limit or a paid-only line on the pricing comparison is the blocker. Leave both HubSpot and Zoho free paths for monday CRM only when three paid seats are already justified and the 14-day trial proves the workflow — not because a per-seat sticker looks lower in isolation.
Re-check HubSpot Starter promo language on the day you buy; the $7 annual / $10 monthly new-customer figures can disappear. Re-check Zoho and monday tax and country pricing on the day you buy; UK VAT, Australian GST, and Canadian GST/HST typically attach at checkout, and monday explicitly varies price by billing country.
Export contacts and open deals before any migration. Keep PDF or CSV backups. Confirm that your scheduling links and invoice templates still point at the same legal business name after the CRM URL changes. None of that requires a vendor case study — it is basic cutover hygiene.
Which vendor pages were checked for this comparison?
See also our methodology / how we check prices page.
Checked November 2, 2026: HubSpot CRM, HubSpot CRM pricing, Zoho CRM pricing, monday CRM pricing, Bigin pricing (referenced for suite context with the free/cheap CRM guide).
How we score
Desk scores are editorial. They summarize how useful the vendor’s own pricing and help pages were for a solo small business (US, UK, AU, or CA) on the date in this guide. They are not customer star ratings, lab benchmarks, or paid placements. Read the full process on our methodology / how we check prices page.
See a price or feature that has changed? Send a correction. Guides are updated from the vendor’s page, not from memory. How we check prices.
Book a consultation with Faizan Nawaz on this site.
FAQ
Which of HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and monday CRM has a forever-free plan?
HubSpot lists a Free CRM at $0 with up to 2 users, 1,000 contacts, and no expiration. Zoho CRM lists a forever-free edition for 3 users. monday CRM is not a forever-free CRM; it offers a 14-day trial and paid plans that start from 3 users. Confirm current terms on each vendor’s pricing page.
What are the entry paid seats in USD?
HubSpot Starter lists $20/mo/seat, with promotional new-customer pricing shown as $7/mo/seat billed annually or $10/mo/seat monthly (promotions can end); Professional starts $50/mo/seat and Enterprise $75/mo/seat. Zoho CRM Standard is $14/user/mo billed annually ($20 monthly). monday CRM Basic is $12/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly), with plans starting from 3 users. Prices and taxes: see each vendor page — Zoho adds local taxes; monday prices exclude tax and vary by billing country.
How should UK, Australian, and Canadian buyers read these prices?
Lead with the USD list prices from the vendor pages. UK VAT, Australian GST, and Canadian GST/HST are typically added at checkout. Zoho notes local taxes (VAT, GST, etc.) in addition and offers currency controls including GBP on related Zoho surfaces — confirm the regional price on Zoho’s page before paying. monday CRM states prices exclude tax and can vary by billing country. Do not invent GBP, AUD, or CAD conversion totals from a blog.
When is monday CRM a poor fit compared with HubSpot or Zoho?
When you need a forever-free CRM or when you are truly one or two users. monday CRM plans start from 3 users and the product is trial-then-paid, not free forever. HubSpot Free (2 users) or Zoho CRM Free (3 users) are the forever-free paths on those vendors’ pages.
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