HubSpot's free CRM limits, and when Zoho's free plan fits better

01

Why you may have read different numbers

Plenty of recent articles still describe HubSpot's free CRM as having unlimited users and up to a million contacts. HubSpot's own pricing page doesn't say that now. It says you can add up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, and caps other standard records at 1,000 per account.

So check the vendor's page before you plan around a number from a comparison article, including this one. Some guides also say accounts opened before a certain date kept older limits. HubSpot's pricing page doesn't cover that, so look at the limits shown in your own account if you've had one for a while.

02

The two free plans side by side

These figures come from each vendor's pricing pages on 3 November 2026.

• Users: HubSpot allows up to 2, and Zoho allows 3
• Data: HubSpot allows 1,000 contacts plus 1,000 records across other standard objects, and Zoho allows 5,000 records in total with 10 MB of storage
• Email: HubSpot allows 2,000 sends a calendar month with its branding, and Zoho allows 50 individual emails per user per day
• Pipelines: Zoho's free edition has the default pipeline only. HubSpot's page lists a figure of 15 pipelines per account, but its table doesn't make clear which plan that applies to, so check this in a free account
• Automation: Zoho allows 10 workflow rules per module, with 5 active. HubSpot lists automation as a Starter feature
• Time limit: both describe their free plans as having no time limit

03

Which limit you'd reach first

Work this out before you choose, because moving your data later takes more effort than a little planning now. Count your people, then count your records, including old leads you'd import on day one.

A team of three can't use HubSpot's free plan as listed, and has a straightforward case for trying Zoho. A team of two with a small list and regular email to send may get more from HubSpot. If you already hold several thousand contacts, HubSpot's cap rules out its free plan on day one, while Zoho's 5,000 records may not last long either.

04

What happens at HubSpot's limit

HubSpot's pricing page doesn't explain what happens when you reach the limits. Its FAQ only points to upgrading. Some users on HubSpot's community forum report being unable to add more contacts at the cap, so treat 1,000 as a hard limit until HubSpot tells you otherwise.

Remember that the count may include more than the contacts you work with. Form submissions and imports add records, so an old list can use up your allowance quickly. Clean up your list before you import it.

05

What you'd pay next

HubSpot says Starter normally costs $20 a seat a month. When we checked, it showed new customers a limited-time offer of $7 a seat a month paid yearly, or $10 a seat a month paid monthly, with no end date given. Budget for the normal price, since an introductory rate may not last.

Zoho's comparison page showed Standard at ₹800 a user a month billed yearly, or ₹1,300 billed monthly, with taxes extra. It allows 100,000 records, 5 pipelines and 300 emails per user a day. The rupee prices may depend on where you view the page, so check them for your own country.

06

How to choose in about an hour

• Count your users, contacts and other records, and estimate a year's growth
• Write down what you must have, such as email integration, which Zoho's comparison page doesn't appear to include on its free edition
• Sign up for both, since neither free plan asks you to commit
• Import 50 real records and run one real deal through each
• Export your data from each, so you know you can leave
• Price the paid plan you'd need in a year, at the normal rate and for your full team