If you only need a few seats, HubSpot's free CRM (2 users), Zoho CRM's free edition (3 users) and Salesforce's own Free Suite cost nothing. For paid plans, Zoho CRM ($14 a user billed yearly), Pipedrive ($14) and monday CRM ($12, 3-seat minimum) cost far less than Salesforce Starter Suite ($25) or Sales Cloud ($195 and up), and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales is the closest enterprise replacement. Time the switch to your Salesforce renewal date.
Salesforce can be shaped to fit almost any sales process, but that depth comes with high per-user prices, add-on costs, annual contracts and setup that often needs an admin. Those are the main reasons teams look elsewhere.
This guide compares seven CRMs on entry price, free plan, free trial and contract terms, and says which kind of team each suits better than Salesforce.
Prices are as listed in October 2026 unless noted. Most Salesforce contracts run a year, so start comparing well before your renewal date.
Why people look for Salesforce alternatives
Salesforce is the most customizable CRM here, but its reviews repeat five complaints:
- High and rising cost. Sales Cloud editions run $195 to $550 a user a month billed yearly, and add-ons such as Agentforce for Sales (from $125) and Premier Success (30% of net license fees) cost extra. Look at: Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, monday CRM or Nutshell, all under $20 a seat to start.
- Complex setup that often needs an admin or consultant. Look at: Pipedrive, Capsule or HubSpot Starter, which small teams set up themselves.
- Slow or unhelpful support. Nutshell includes free live support on every plan.
- Hard to cancel, with renewals billed after cancellation requests. Most Salesforce products use annual contracts. Look at: month-to-month billing, or Zoho CRM’s refund window.
- Frequent logouts and sign-in friction. Test daily use during a trial before you commit.
Free options
- Salesforce Free Suite. If cost is the only issue, Salesforce’s own Free Suite covers up to 2 users at $0, as long as someone logs in at least every 60 days.
- HubSpot free CRM. Up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, no expiration.
- Zoho CRM free edition. Up to 3 users.
- Capsule free plan. Up to 2 users and 250 contacts.
- A shared spreadsheet. Enough for a solo seller with a handful of deals, though you lose reminders, email sync and reports.
What Salesforce alternatives cost
Entry prices per user a month, as listed October 2026 (Pipedrive as listed September 2026), before taxes and add-ons.
| CRM |
Free plan |
Entry paid plan |
Billing |
| Salesforce |
Free Suite, 2 users |
Starter Suite $25 |
Monthly or yearly; Sales Cloud editions yearly |
| HubSpot |
2 users |
Starter $20 a seat |
Renews automatically, no refunds |
| Zoho CRM |
3 users |
Standard $14 |
Billed yearly ($20 monthly) |
| Pipedrive |
No |
Lite $14 |
Billed yearly ($24 monthly) |
| monday CRM |
No |
Basic $12 (3-seat minimum) |
Billed yearly ($18 monthly) |
| Capsule |
2 users |
Starter $18 |
Annual saves up to 18% |
| Nutshell |
No |
Foundation $13 |
Billed yearly ($19 monthly) |
| Dynamics 365 Sales |
No |
Professional $65 |
Paid yearly |
How to choose a Salesforce replacement
- List what you actually use. Custom objects, complex approvals and territory management narrow the field to Dynamics 365 or staying on Salesforce. Contacts, deals and email point to a simpler CRM.
- Check your renewal date first. Salesforce contracts are usually annual, so plan the switch to land at renewal.
- Count seats and minimums. monday CRM requires 3 seats; HubSpot Professional adds a $1,500 onboarding fee.
- Test the import. Run a trial with a real export of your accounts, contacts and open opportunities.
- Confirm integrations. Check that your email, calendar, phone and billing tools connect.
How to cancel Salesforce
- Find your order form. It sets your term, user count and renewal date. Salesforce says most products use annual contracts, so cancelling usually means not renewing.
- Give notice before renewal. Tell Salesforce in writing, through your account executive or billing contact, that you will not renew, within the notice period your contract sets.
- Export your data. Use Salesforce’s export tools to download records and attachments before the subscription ends.
- Free Suite. There is no contract; it stays free only if someone logs in at least every 60 days.
- Watch the next invoice. Keep your notice and any reply in case you are billed after the end date.
Terms to know
- CRM
- Customer relationship management software that tracks contacts, companies and deals.
- Seat
- One paid user license; most CRMs bill per seat per month.
- Order form
- The Salesforce document that sets your term, users, price and renewal date.
- Onboarding fee
- A one-time setup charge some CRMs require on higher plans, such as HubSpot Professional.
- Pipeline
- The stages a deal moves through, from first contact to won or lost.
