# Best CRM for Startups _CompareFairly · en/US · neutral comparison, cited sources, no paid placement_ **Category:** software › business software › crm **Our pick**: HubSpot CRM (82/100) · **Cheapest**: HubSpot CRM · **Best value**: Monday.com CRM ## Comparison table | Criterion | HubSpot CRM | Monday.com CRM | Zoho CRM | Freshsales (by Freshworks) | Pipedrive | Salesforce Essentials | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pricing (USD) | 0 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 14.9 | 25 | | Sales Features | Advanced | Advanced | Advanced | Advanced | Advanced | Advanced | | Marketing Features | Advanced | Standard | Standard | Standard | Basic | Basic | | Customer Service Features | Advanced | Standard | Standard | Standard | Basic | Basic | | Scalability | Designed for Growth | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good | Excellent | | Ease of Use | Easy | Easy | Moderate | Easy | Very Easy | Moderate | | Integrations | Extensive | Many | Many | Many | Many | Many | | Customer Support | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Good | | Mobile App Availability | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Free Trial Availability | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ## 1. HubSpot CRM A comprehensive CRM with a free tier, ideal for startups looking to grow. **Best for:** Small to mid-sized businesses, especially marketing-focused organizations or growing companies needing to automate tasks. **Pros:** - Centralized Data - Automation Capabilities - Integrations - Ease of Use **Cons:** - Pricing - Feature Exclusivity - Complexity - Large Business Limitations _Source (estimate): [https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm](https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm)_ ## 2. Monday.com CRM A visual and customizable CRM built on the monday.com Work OS, adaptable for startup needs. **Best for:** Businesses that can afford to upgrade beyond the Basic plan and require a highly customizable platform, or those who can leverage the free web forms and browser extension. **Pros:** - Offers free web forms for lead capture even on the Basic plan. - Browser extension available for capturing contacts and leads from Gmail. - Mobile apps available for Android and iOS devices. - 14-day free trial is offered for the Pro plan. **Cons:** - Basic plan lacks essential CRM features like activity logs, two-way email sync, mass emails, workflow automation, sales sequences, task management, and duplicate management. - Integrations with business apps are not available on the lowest subscription. - The layout can be difficult for beginners to navigate due to numerous modules, subtabs, and buttons. - A minimum of three users is required for all paid plans, significantly increasing the cost. _Source (estimate): [https://monday.com/crm](https://monday.com/crm)_ ## 3. Zoho CRM Offers a robust set of features at competitive pricing, suitable for growing businesses. _Source (estimate): [https://www.zoho.com/crm/](https://www.zoho.com/crm/)_ ## 4. Freshsales (by Freshworks) An intuitive CRM with built-in phone and email, designed for sales teams. **Best for:** Small to mid-sized sales teams already using Freshdesk or Freshchat, or those looking for a capable sales CRM with good pipeline management and AI features, provided they are aware of the potential cost increases for advanced functionalities. **Pros:** - Multiple pipelines, territory management, and auto-assignment rules are all Pro-gated - Kanban views for contacts, accounts, and deals make pipeline hygiene visible - Deep alignment with Freshdesk and Freshchat for teams already inside the Freshworks stack - Freshworks publishes SOC 2 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and ISO/IEC 27701:2019 assurance material **Cons:** - API access is capped at 1,000 calls per hour on Free and Growth, at the account level, not per user - AI bot sessions are capped at 500 per account on paid plans, with extra sessions sold separately - Field-level permissions, audit logs, sandbox, and custom modules require Enterprise at $59/user/month - Freshsales is not Freshsales Suite. Freshworks cross-sells Suite as the combined sales and marketing product, and several campaign, journey, and email-marketing capabilities live in that scope rather than in the standalone CRM. _Source (estimate): [https://www.freshworks.com/freshsales/](https://www.freshworks.com/freshsales/)_ ## 5. Pipedrive A visual sales CRM focused on pipeline management, easy to adopt for small teams. _Source (estimate): [https://www.pipedrive.com/](https://www.pipedrive.com/)_ ## 6. Salesforce Essentials A tailored version of Salesforce for small businesses, offering core CRM functionalities. _Source (estimate): [https://www.salesforce.com/products/sales-cloud/editions/](https://www.salesforce.com/products/sales-cloud/editions/)_ ## 7. Apptivo An all-in-one business management suite including CRM, with flexible pricing. _Source (estimate): [https://www.apptivo.com/](https://www.apptivo.com/)_ ## 8. Insightly Combines CRM with project management features, suitable for service-oriented startups. _Source (estimate): [https://www.insightly.com/](https://www.insightly.com/)_ ## 9. Capsule CRM Simple and user-friendly CRM designed for small businesses and startups. _Source (estimate): [https://capsulecrm.com/](https://capsulecrm.com/)_ ## 10. Streak CRM A CRM that works directly within Gmail, ideal for startups heavily reliant on email communication. _Source (estimate): [https://www.streak.com/](https://www.streak.com/)_ ## In short This comparison covers 10 crm across 10 criteria: Pricing, Sales Features, Marketing Features, Customer Service Features, Scalability, Ease of Use. HubSpot CRM comes first with 82/100, driven by Integrations (100/100) and Mobile App Availability (100/100). The cheapest option is HubSpot CRM. ## Frequently asked questions **What is the best CRM for startups in 2026?** HubSpot CRM is currently the top-rated CRM for startups in 2026, scoring 82/100 based on our comprehensive comparison. **How do CRM pricing plans compare for startups?** We analyze pricing across various CRM solutions, considering different tiers and features to help startups find the most cost-effective option. **Which CRM offers the best sales and marketing features for new businesses?** Our comparison evaluates the sales and marketing functionalities of CRMs, looking at lead management, campaign automation, and more, to identify those best suited for startup growth. **Is your CRM ranking for startups based on paid placements?** No, our ranking is completely neutral and not influenced by paid placements; each data point is sourced and objectively evaluated across key criteria like pricing, features, and scalability. --- _Generated by CompareFairly - neutral universal comparator. Ranking not for sale, data sourced._ --- _CompareFairly · https://comparefairly.com/en/US/best-crm-for-startups — citation with a link is allowed; bulk extraction/redistribution is prohibited._