Zoho CRM vs HubSpot
Both give you a real CRM for nothing before they charge anything. The free plans are not the same size. The price gap on the paid plans disappears entirely depending on how you choose to pay.
Zoho CRM
4.3You want the bigger free plan or you will pay a year upfront.
HubSpot CRM
4.5You want marketing and sales in one account and prefer paying monthly.
Compared at a glance
The short answer
The price gap depends on how you pay
This is the detail that decides it. Neither pricing page puts it front and centre.
| Billing | Zoho Standard | HubSpot Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Paid annually | $14/user/mo | $20/seat/mo |
| Paid monthly | $20/user/mo | $20/seat/mo |
Zoho's advertised $14 is the annual rate. Choose monthly billing and it becomes $20, which is exactly what HubSpot charges. So Zoho is 30% cheaper or identical, depending on a checkbox at checkout.
Read from each company's own pricing page in US dollars on 8 September 2026. HubSpot also advertises Starter from $7 a seat, but that is a limited-time offer for new customers, so $20 is the rate to budget on.
Free plans compared
| Zoho CRM Free | HubSpot Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Users | 3 | 2 |
| Records | 5,000 | 1,000 contacts |
| File storage | 1 GB | Not published |
| Time limit | None | None |
| Card at signup | No | No |
| Covers marketing | Basic multichannel | Yes, email and forms |
Zoho gives you an extra user and five times the records. HubSpot gives you fewer of both but lets the same free account do marketing work, which is a different kind of generous.
What you are really choosing between
HubSpot is a platform with a CRM at the front. The free CRM exists to pull you into marketing, service and content tools that all share one contact record. If you send campaigns or run forms, that shared record is worth more than $6 a seat.
Zoho is a CRM inside a very large suite of cheap business apps — books, desk, projects, mail. If you already use any of them the ecosystem argument runs the same way as HubSpot's does. It is simply cheaper and less polished.
Cost over a year
| Team size | Zoho annual | HubSpot annual |
|---|---|---|
| 3 users | $504 | $720 |
| 5 users | $840 | $1,200 |
| 10 users | $1,680 | $2,400 |
Both figures assume the annual rate. At five seats Zoho saves $360 a year, which is real money for a small business but not enough to pick a tool your team refuses to open.
Check the tax line on Zoho
Which one fits you
- Three people who want to stay free — Zoho. HubSpot stops at two.
- You send marketing email — HubSpot, even on the free plan.
- You will pay a year upfront — Zoho. That saves 30% a seat.
- You want to pay monthly — either. The price is the same.
- You already use Zoho Books or Desk — Zoho, obviously.
How we compared them
We read both pricing pages and both free-plan pages on the same day, toggling the monthly and annual views to record each rate. The yearly totals are our arithmetic from those rates. We have not run a sales team on either product, so this covers cost and limits rather than how they feel in daily use.
Only interested in the free plans?
See the best free CRMThe tools, in detail
Zoho CRM
Free planBest for: Budget-conscious teams inside the Zoho ecosystem
Why we picked it
A feature-rich CRM at a low price that works well with other Zoho apps.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Deep customization
- Big app suite
Cons
- UI feels dated
- $20 a user if you pay monthly
HubSpot CRM
Best Free CRMFree planBest for: Small teams that want a free CRM that grows with them
Why we picked it
A useful free CRM with sales and marketing tools built in.
Pros
- Strong free tier
- Sales and marketing tools
- Easy to learn
Cons
- Free tier caps at 2 users
- Paid tiers jump in price
Independent
Rankings aren't for sale.
Kept current
Reviewed and dated.
Clear method
Same 5 criteria, every time. See how
Frequently asked questions
Is Zoho CRM cheaper than HubSpot?
Annually, yes — $14 a user against $20 a seat. Paid monthly Zoho is $20 and the two cost the same. The saving depends entirely on committing to a year.
Which has the better free plan?
Zoho, on size. It covers three users and 5,000 records against HubSpot's two users and 1,000 contacts. HubSpot's free tier reaches further into marketing, so it is more generous in a different direction.
Why does Zoho advertise $14 and charge $20?
$14 is the annual rate and $20 is the monthly one. The pricing page has a toggle for each. Zoho also adds local taxes such as VAT or GST on top of both.
Is HubSpot really $7 a seat?
Only as a limited-time offer for new customers. The standard Starter rate is $20 a seat, which is what you renew at, so plan around that number.
Can I start free and upgrade later?
Yes on both. Neither asks for a card to start. Remember that upgrading charges for every seat rather than only the new one, so a third user costs three seats.
Keep reading
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