Comparison · updated October 2026
The best CRMs for SMEs: 2026 comparison of prices, features and integrations
Alessandro Papaupdated on 10 tools compared
IN SHORT
We compared ten CRMs used by small and medium-sized businesses, with prices taken from the official pages in October 2026. The entry price tells you little: what matters is the plan where automations kick in, onboarding costs, what the AI costs and how easy it is to connect the CRM to your website, e-commerce store and management system. That last part is what we work on every day.
The comparison in one table
| Tool | Price from | Free plan | The plan you actually need | AI | Costs to know about |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpotFor SMEs | $0 (free for up to 2 users); Starter $7/seat/month | Yes, free tools for up to 2 users | Sales Hub Professional, $90/seat/month (annual) | Breeze and AI agents on HubSpot Credits: 3,000 included on Professional, then $0.01 per credit | Mandatory onboarding: $1,500 on Professional, $3,500 on Enterprise |
| Salesforce Sales CloudFor larger organisations | $25/user/month (Starter Suite, annual) | No | Pro Suite, $100/user/month (annual) | Agentforce included only in Max ($550); otherwise an add-on at $125/user/month | Customisation often needs a partner and a higher licence |
| Zoho CRMFor SMEs | About €14/user/month (Standard, annual) | Yes, for up to 3 users | Professional, about €23/user/month (annual) | Full Zia from Enterprise (about €40/user/month); on Professional only for email | Monthly billing costs up to 34% more than annual |
| PipedriveFor SMEs | €14/seat/month (Lite, annual) | No, free trial | Growth, €39/seat/month (annual) | Not verified | Paid add-ons (LeadBooster, Smart Docs); Ultimate with a minimum of 3 seats |
| Dynamics 365 SalesFor larger organisations | $65/user/month (Professional, annual) | No, free trial | Enterprise, $105/user/month (annual) | Copilot and agents from Enterprise; 1,000 Copilot credits per user on Premium ($150) | Setup almost always with a Microsoft partner |
| monday CRMFor SMEs | €12/seat/month (Basic, annual, minimum 3) | No, 14-day trial | Standard, €17/seat/month (annual, minimum 3) | AI credits and agents included from Standard | Minimum 3 seats; 250 automations a month on Standard |
| FreshsalesFor SMEs | $9/user/month (Growth, annual) | No, 21-day trial | Pro, $39/user/month (annual) | Freddy AI: 500 bot sessions included, AI agent at $49 per 100 sessions | Branded documents billed separately ($19/user/month) |
| Odoo CRMWith ERP or marketing | €0 (one app only, unlimited users) | Yes, one app with unlimited users | Standard, €11.90/user/month (annual), all apps | Not verified | External APIs and Studio only on the Custom plan (€22.90/user/month annual) |
| BrevoWith ERP or marketing | Free CRM; Sales Essentials $31/seat/month | Yes, basic CRM included | Sales Essentials, $31/seat/month | Not verified | Marketing (email, SMS, WhatsApp) is paid separately based on volume |
| Bitrix24With ERP or marketing | Free (unlimited users); Basic €49/month for 5 users (annual) | Yes, unlimited users and 5 GB | Standard, €99/month for 50 users (annual) | Unlimited AI on the Vibe+ plans | Monthly billing costs about 40% more |
Prices and features checked on the official pages on 7 October 2026. The sources are at the bottom of each profile.
Which one to choose if…
You are a B2B SME and want marketing and sales together
HubSpot if ease of use matters most, Zoho if budget does.
You have a small sales team that lives on its deals
Clear pipelines, set up in a day, at modest prices.
You already run everything on Microsoft 365
The CRM inside Outlook and Teams, with Copilot.
You have complex processes and several divisions
Salesforce Sales CloudDynamics 365 Sales
Customisable almost without limits, with a partner to set them up.
Why the entry price is misleading
Almost every CRM has a plan costing a few euros per user. The problem is that the things you buy a CRM for (automations, email sequences, contact scoring, reports) often come two plans higher up. That is why we added a column to the table with the plan you actually need as an SME that wants to automate some of its work. That is where the comparison should be made.
Then there are the costs you do not see on the first page: mandatory onboarding fees, minimum seat numbers, add-ons, AI credits. And the difference between annual and monthly billing, which in some cases is more than 30%.
The part that decides whether the CRM gets used
We often come across CRMs that are paid for and left empty. The reason is almost always the same: entering data by hand is a chore. A CRM works when leads arrive on their own from the website and campaigns, orders from the e-commerce store and invoices from the management system. At that point it becomes the place to look before calling a customer.
So before you choose, ask yourself what it needs to talk to. All the CRMs in the table have open APIs, but the number of ready-made integrations, how easy they are to connect with n8n or Make and the cost of the plan that unlocks the APIs vary a lot (in Odoo, for example, you need the Custom plan).
How we can help
We help you choose the right one, set it up, move the data across from Excel or your old system and connect it to your website, e-commerce store, management system and campaigns. You can see how we work on our page about CRM for businesses in Turin and in our marketing automation service.
If instead of customers you have members, as an amateur sports club, a cultural association, a drama school or a non-profit does, an SME CRM may be the wrong tool: membership fees, renewals and member documents do not sit comfortably in it. For these cases we developed ClubRM, the membership management software for associations.
Tool by tool
HubSpotby HubSpot
$0 (free for up to 2 users); Starter $7/seat/month
Who it’s for: B2B and B2C SMEs that want CRM, email, forms and automations in one place, with an interface the team picks up quickly.
- Free plan
- Yes, free tools for up to 2 users
- The plan you actually need
- Sales Hub Professional, $90/seat/month (annual)
- AI
- Breeze and AI agents on HubSpot Credits: 3,000 included on Professional, then $0.01 per credit
- Costs to know about
- Mandatory onboarding: $1,500 on Professional, $3,500 on Enterprise
STRENGTHS
- The easiest to adopt: a clear interface and a huge amount of free training.
- Marketing, sales and service in the same database.
- Hundreds of ready-made integrations and open APIs.
LIMITATIONS
- The jump from Starter ($7) to Professional ($90) per seat is a big one.
- The mandatory onboarding fee weighs on the first year.
- AI features use up credits: at high volumes they need budgeting for.
Salesforce Sales Cloudby Salesforce
$25/user/month (Starter Suite, annual)
Who it’s for: Companies with complex sales processes, several teams and the need to customise almost everything.
- Free plan
- No
- The plan you actually need
- Pro Suite, $100/user/month (annual)
- AI
- Agentforce included only in Max ($550); otherwise an add-on at $125/user/month
- Costs to know about
- Customisation often needs a partner and a higher licence
STRENGTHS
- Customisable like no other, with a huge app ecosystem.
- Handles complex processes and large organisations.
- Agentforce brings AI agents into sales and service.
LIMITATIONS
- The full editions start at $195/user/month.
- Full AI comes with the most expensive editions or as an add-on.
- For a small business it is almost always too much, in cost and setup time.
Zoho CRMby Zoho
About €14/user/month (Standard, annual)
Who it’s for: Budget-conscious SMEs that want plenty of features, and perhaps other Zoho apps too (invoicing, email, support).
- Free plan
- Yes, for up to 3 users
- The plan you actually need
- Professional, about €23/user/month (annual)
- AI
- Full Zia from Enterprise (about €40/user/month); on Professional only for email
- Costs to know about
- Monthly billing costs up to 34% more than annual
STRENGTHS
- One of the best feature-to-price ratios.
- Free version for 3 users with automated workflows.
- Part of a suite of apps that talk to each other.
LIMITATIONS
- A less intuitive interface than HubSpot or Pipedrive.
- Real AI only comes with the Enterprise editions.
- Euro prices taken from comparison sources: the official page calculates them by country.
Pipedriveby Pipedrive
€14/seat/month (Lite, annual)
Who it’s for: Small sales teams that live on their deals and want a clear pipeline, with no frills.
- Free plan
- No, free trial
- The plan you actually need
- Growth, €39/seat/month (annual)
- AI
- Not verified
- Costs to know about
- Paid add-ons (LeadBooster, Smart Docs); Ultimate with a minimum of 3 seats
STRENGTHS
- The clearest, fastest pipeline for salespeople to use.
- Can be set up in a day.
- Lots of ready-made integrations and connectors for n8n, Make and Zapier.
LIMITATIONS
- Marketing and advanced email are separate add-ons.
- Paying month by month costs a lot more (Premium: €79 instead of €49).
- Prices taken from comparison sources: the official page was not accessible when we checked.
Dynamics 365 Salesby Microsoft
$65/user/month (Professional, annual)
Who it’s for: Companies that already work on Microsoft 365, Teams and Outlook and want their CRM in the same ecosystem.
- Free plan
- No, free trial
- The plan you actually need
- Enterprise, $105/user/month (annual)
- AI
- Copilot and agents from Enterprise; 1,000 Copilot credits per user on Premium ($150)
- Costs to know about
- Setup almost always with a Microsoft partner
STRENGTHS
- Deep integration with Outlook, Teams and Excel.
- Copilot and sales agents already in the Enterprise edition.
- Suits organisations that already have Microsoft licences and governance.
LIMITATIONS
- A high entry price for an SME.
- Setup and customisation require specialist skills.
- Only makes sense inside the Microsoft ecosystem.
monday CRMby monday.com
€12/seat/month (Basic, annual, minimum 3)
Who it’s for: Teams that already use monday.com for projects and want to manage contacts and deals the same way.
- Free plan
- No, 14-day trial
- The plan you actually need
- Standard, €17/seat/month (annual, minimum 3)
- AI
- AI credits and agents included from Standard
- Costs to know about
- Minimum 3 seats; 250 automations a month on Standard
STRENGTHS
- Very flexible: it adapts to processes beyond classic sales.
- A visual interface that non-technical teams like.
- Prices in euros and AI from the Standard plan.
LIMITATIONS
- Minimum 3 seats even if there are only two of you.
- The monthly automations included run out quickly on the lower plans.
- Fewer pure sales features than Pipedrive or HubSpot.
Freshsalesby Freshworks
$9/user/month (Growth, annual)
Who it’s for: Small and medium sales teams that want phone, email and chat inside the CRM at a modest price.
- Free plan
- No, 21-day trial
- The plan you actually need
- Pro, $39/user/month (annual)
- AI
- Freddy AI: 500 bot sessions included, AI agent at $49 per 100 sessions
- Costs to know about
- Branded documents billed separately ($19/user/month)
STRENGTHS
- One of the lowest entry prices.
- Phone, email and chat built in.
- Contact scoring and sequences already on the Pro plan.
LIMITATIONS
- Less widespread in Italy: fewer partners and fewer local integrations.
- The AI agent is paid per session.
- Advanced marketing sits in separate Freshworks products.
Odoo CRMby Odoo
€0 (one app only, unlimited users)
Who it’s for: SMEs that want CRM, invoicing, inventory and sales in the same system, at a single price per user.
- Free plan
- Yes, one app with unlimited users
- The plan you actually need
- Standard, €11.90/user/month (annual), all apps
- AI
- Not verified
- Costs to know about
- External APIs and Studio only on the Custom plan (€22.90/user/month annual)
STRENGTHS
- One price for all apps: CRM, sales, invoices, inventory, website.
- It can also be hosted on your own servers.
- Great if you also want to replace your management system.
LIMITATIONS
- Connecting it to other systems via API requires the Custom plan.
- A full Odoo project is an ERP project, not a CRM project.
- Less strong on marketing than HubSpot.
Brevoby Brevo
Free CRM; Sales Essentials $31/seat/month
Who it’s for: Small businesses that mainly do email and WhatsApp marketing and want a simple CRM in the same tool.
- Free plan
- Yes, basic CRM included
- The plan you actually need
- Sales Essentials, $31/seat/month
- AI
- Not verified
- Costs to know about
- Marketing (email, SMS, WhatsApp) is paid separately based on volume
STRENGTHS
- Email, SMS and WhatsApp marketing with a CRM in one place.
- Low entry prices and a free plan.
- A European company, widely used in Italy.
LIMITATIONS
- A less complete sales CRM than dedicated competitors.
- Advanced sales automations only on the paid Sales plans.
- CRM prices taken from comparison sources: the official page did not show them when we checked.
Bitrix24by Bitrix24
Free (unlimited users); Basic €49/month for 5 users (annual)
Who it’s for: Companies looking for CRM, tasks, chat and video calls in a single tool, priced per bundle of users.
- Free plan
- Yes, unlimited users and 5 GB
- The plan you actually need
- Standard, €99/month for 50 users (annual)
- AI
- Unlimited AI on the Vibe+ plans
- Costs to know about
- Monthly billing costs about 40% more
STRENGTHS
- Bundle pricing: with many users it costs very little per head.
- Includes tasks, chat, phone and WhatsApp.
- A free plan with unlimited users.
LIMITATIONS
- Lots of features: the interface can be confusing.
- Fewer ready-made integrations with the most popular marketing tools.
- Sales automations require the Professional plan (€199/month).
HOW WE COMPARED
We read the official pricing pages on 7 October 2026. For Pipedrive, Brevo and Zoho's euro prices we used up-to-date comparison sources, because the official page did not show prices when we checked. Prices are as published, excluding VAT, in the currency stated by the provider. We work every day with HubSpot, Brevo, ActiveCampaign and Klaviyo, and we also connect the other CRMs via API, n8n and Make.
Frequently asked questions
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the best free CRM?
It depends on how many of you there are. HubSpot is free for up to 2 users, Zoho for up to 3, Bitrix24 and Odoo (with a single app) for unlimited users, and Brevo includes a basic CRM. For a small business getting started, HubSpot and Zoho are the most complete. Real automations, though, almost always come with the paid plans.
How much does a CRM cost for an SME?
For a team of five, between 50 and 500 euros a month in licences depending on the CRM and the plan, plus any onboarding fees (HubSpot Professional charges a one-off $1,500). On top of that comes the work of setup, data migration and integration, which is often worth more than the licence.
HubSpot or Salesforce?
For most SMEs, HubSpot: it is quick to learn, brings marketing and sales together and has a free plan. Salesforce makes sense when processes are complex, there are several divisions and a lot of customisation is needed, accepting higher costs and longer timelines.
Can the CRM be connected to the management system and the e-commerce store?
Almost always, yes. The most popular CRMs have open APIs and ready-made integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce. With Italian management systems a custom connection is often needed, which we build with n8n, Make or code.
Do you need artificial intelligence in a CRM?
It helps with specific jobs: filling in records, summarising deals, drafting emails, scoring contacts. Almost every CRM charges for it separately or in credits, so it is worth switching it on where it saves measurable time.
