CRM software can cost nothing on an ongoing free plan, or require a paid subscription based on users, features, and usage. The useful price is the total for the plan your workflow needs. A monthly equivalent shown on an annual plan is not necessarily the amount you can pay month to month.
For a small business, start with three numbers: the required plan, the number of paid seats, and the billing commitment. Then add required extras and the work involved in moving your data.
Dextr Free is our first pick for organizing contacts and relationships on Apple devices. Evaluate the ongoing free edition separately from Pro features and the premium trial.
Published CRM cost examples
These examples were checked on official pricing pages on October 27, 2026. They are USD figures before applicable tax and optional extras. Dextr publishes this guide. Product research is based on official documentation, not a hands-on test of every platform.
- Dextr: a free plan and a paid annual Pro plan. Its pricing page lists $14.99 per year at the check date and announces an increase to $19.99 per year in November. Confirm the current checkout and renewal terms.
- HubSpot free CRM: $0 within its stated free-plan limits.
- Bigin Express: $7 per user per month with yearly billing, equivalent to $84 per user per year.
- Less Annoying CRM: $15 per user per month, equivalent to $180 over twelve months at that rate.
- Pipedrive Lite: $14 per seat per month with annual billing, charged as $168 per seat per year.
- Pipedrive Growth: $39 per seat per month with annual billing, charged as $468 per seat per year.
- Bonsai Essentials: $19 per user per month with annual billing, equivalent to $228 per user per year.
Sources: HubSpot, Bigin, Less Annoying CRM, Pipedrive, Bonsai, and Dextr.
These products also cover different jobs. A relationship manager, a deal-tracking CRM, and a client-work suite should be compared against the work you need done.
1. Find the plan containing your required features
Write down the features you would miss during a normal working week. Examples might include full email synchronization, separate deal records, automation, client documents, or a particular integration.
Then find the lowest plan containing all of them. Avoid starting with the cheapest tier and treating every missing requirement as an exception.
For example, Pipedrive lists full email sync and automation in Growth. A buyer who needs those functions should budget from that tier rather than Lite. The relevant price difference is part of the initial decision.
For a relationship-based workflow on Apple devices, Dextr can be a candidate. Its free and Pro plans serve contact and relationship work. Compare a sales platform if the central requirement is opportunity forecasting.
2. Count the seats you will actually pay for
A per-user price scales with the number of paid users. Check whether everyone needs the same level of access and whether the vendor has a minimum seat requirement.
Using the published Pipedrive annual rates as an example, three Lite seats cost $14 multiplied by three multiplied by twelve, or $504 per year. Three Growth seats cost $39 multiplied by three multiplied by twelve, or $1,404 per year. The difference is $900 per year before extras and tax.
That does not establish which plan is better. It shows why the necessary feature set belongs in the budget before you compare vendors.
3. Separate the monthly equivalent from the commitment
A price described as per month, billed annually usually expresses a monthly equivalent for a longer commitment. Read the actual payment schedule.
For a solo business still evaluating a product, month-to-month billing may be useful even if the rate is higher. Once the system fits and the business expects to keep it, an annual option may make sense.
Compare the cost of the commitment you are willing to make. Do not put an annual-billing price beside a competitor's month-to-month price without explaining the difference.
4. Add required extras and usage charges
The subscription may not cover every part of a process. List the items that need a separate check:
- Email or messaging usage.
- Calling services and numbers.
- Additional storage or record capacity.
- Required integrations or connectors.
- Document, payment, or scheduling tools.
- Onboarding, migration, or specialist help.
These are questions to ask, not charges that every vendor applies. Use the relevant vendor's terms and your expected usage. Keep transaction costs separate from the fixed CRM subscription when comparing payment-enabled tools.
5. Include setup and ongoing upkeep
A free subscription can still take time to adopt. You may need to clean a spreadsheet, merge duplicate contacts, map fields, test imports, and decide how your process works.
Estimate that effort separately from the vendor bill. If you plan to value your own time, make the hourly assumption explicit. Four hours at an assumed $50 per hour is a $200 internal time estimate, not a fee charged by the CRM vendor.
Also consider routine upkeep. A system with fewer manual updates may be worth more to your business, but test that benefit with a small pilot before assigning it a saving.
A simple CRM budget checklist
For each shortlisted tool, record the required plan, paid users, annual subscription commitment, necessary extras, and estimated setup effort. Then list any existing subscriptions you would genuinely cancel.
Subtract a replaced tool only if you will stop paying for it. If you will keep your current invoicing subscription for other work, its cost has not disappeared because the CRM also offers invoicing.
For product options alongside this budget process, see our affordable CRM comparison.
Put the workflow into practice with Dextr
Dextr on iPhone: review the contact
Dark-mode app examples below use fictional demonstration contacts.
On iPhone, the contact view shows the core record and relationship context. A visible Files shortcut does not imply that every file or journal capability is included free.
Dextr on iPad: organize with tags
On iPad, the Tags view illustrates contact categories. These are feature illustrations, not a claim that every device entitlement or Pro feature is included in the free plan. Check current iPad and Mac access terms.
Frequently asked questions
Can a small business use a free CRM long term?
Yes, when the ongoing free edition covers the required users, capacity, and workflow. Check that the account will remain on the free edition after any premium trial ends.
Is a paid CRM always more capable?
A paid plan may add features, capacity, or support. Value depends on whether those additions solve a problem your business has.
How should I compare a personal CRM with a sales CRM?
Compare the jobs first. Maintaining contacts and follow-ups is different from forecasting deals or running client projects. Price the type of system your work requires.
Start with the total for one realistic year of use. That gives you a clearer basis for a purchase than the smallest monthly number on a pricing page.
Start with Dextr
Start organizing the people and relationships that matter to you with Dextr. Install Dextr from the App Store.