A free CRM for small business sounds like an easy win, until you hit a limit you didn't know about: one user, 500 records, no WhatsApp, or a "free" plan that turns out to be a 14-day trial. The right free plan depends on how many people sell, how many leads you keep and whether your customers reply on WhatsApp.
We checked the official pricing pages of the CRMs Indian small businesses shortlist most, and kept only plans that stay free with no end date. For each one you get the exact limits on users, records, WhatsApp and automations, plus the cheapest upgrade when you outgrow it.
Free CRM for Small Business: Plans Compared
Limits are taken from each official pricing page on 19 October 2026. "Cheapest paid plan" is the first upgrade, billed yearly, per user unless stated.
| CRM | Users | Records | WhatsApp on free | Automations on free | Cheapest paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TracktCRM | 1 | Unlimited | Yes (Meta charges apply) | 3 | ₹319 (Pro) |
| Zoho CRM | 3 | 5,000 | No | Workflow rules included | ₹800 (Standard) |
| Bigin | 1 | 500 | No | 3 | ₹400 (Express) |
| HubSpot | 2 | 1,000 contacts | No | No sales workflows | ₹585 (Starter, new-customer offer) |
| Kylas | Unlimited | Capped (page shows 10,000 and 1,000) | No | No | ₹12,999 a month flat |
| Privyr | 3 | Most recent lead only | Tap-to-chat, most recent lead | Sequences for most recent lead | US$10 (Pro) |
| Bitrix24 | Conflicting on page | 1,000 deals and contacts | No | 5 rules | Rs 1,910 a month for 5 users |
| Vtiger | 10 | 3,000 | Not listed | Workflows listed | ₹840 (One Growth) |
What to Check Before You Sign Up
Free plans look similar on a features page and very different once your leads are inside. Before you pick a free CRM for small business use, check these five limits against how your team works today:
- Users. Count everyone who will touch a lead, including the owner who checks the pipeline once a week. A 1-user plan means one login, not one active seller.
- Records. Some plans count contacts only, others count every deal, note and task. Bigin's 500 records cover pipelines, contacts, activities, notes, companies and products together, so they fill up faster than they sound.
- WhatsApp. If customers reply on WhatsApp, a CRM without it leaves the most important conversations on someone's phone.
- Automations. Even 3 automations can send a reminder when a lead goes quiet or move a deal when a stage changes.
- Exports. Make sure you can take your data out. Zoho CRM's free edition allows export up to 10 times, and Privyr's free plan limits CSV exports to 100 rows.
Write your answers down, then compare them with the table above. The best free plan is the one whose limits you will not hit in the next six months.
How We Picked
- Free forever only. A plan had to be free with no end date. Trials do not count.
- Official limits. Every number comes from the vendor's pricing page, plan comparison or help centre, checked on 19 October 2026. Where a vendor's own page shows two different numbers, we say so.
- Indian selling. We noted WhatsApp, INR pricing and lead capture from portals such as IndiaMART and Justdial.
- Upgrade cost. The cheapest paid plan matters, because most small teams outgrow free within a year.
1. TracktCRM Free
TracktCRM is a simple sales CRM for small teams that sell on WhatsApp. The Free plan is built for one person running a real pipeline, not a demo.
Free plan limits: 1 user, a single pipeline, unlimited records, contacts, products and activities, 3 automations, WhatsApp integration and a standard dashboard with charts and KPIs. File storage starts on Pro. No credit card is needed.
When you upgrade: Pro is ₹319 per user per month billed yearly (₹399 monthly) and adds 5 pipelines, 30 automations, 2 GB of storage, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Gmail and Google Sheets integrations and a custom website form. TracktCRM also integrates 99acres, Housing.com, MagicBricks, IndiaMART, Justdial and TradeIndia.
Watch out for: 1 user only on Free. Meta charges for WhatsApp business messages separately.
2. Zoho CRM Free Edition
Zoho calls this edition "free forever, for 3 users", with no trial period and no forced upgrade. It is the most generous free plan here for a small team that needs proper CRM records.
Free plan limits: 3 users, 5,000 records, 1 GB of file storage, workflow automation, up to 10 email templates, tasks, meetings and calls, standard reports, 5,000 API calls a day and mobile apps. Data import is free, and export is allowed up to 10 times.
Not included: multiple pipelines, custom fields, email integration, WhatsApp, built-in calling, dashboards and forecasting.
When you upgrade: Standard is ₹800 per user per month billed yearly (₹1,300 monthly). See our Zoho CRM alternative page for a side-by-side with TracktCRM.
3. Bigin Free
Bigin is Zoho's pipeline-first CRM for small businesses, and its free plan is a clean starting point for one person. After Bigin's 15-day trial, accounts move to the Free plan rather than being charged.
Free plan limits: 1 user, 500 records (counted across pipelines, contacts, activities, notes, companies and products), a single pipeline, 3 automations, a standard dashboard and apps for iOS, iPadOS, Android and macOS.
Not included: email and WhatsApp integration (both from Express), custom fields, mass email, social lead ads and AI.
When you upgrade: Express is ₹400 per user per month billed yearly (₹550 monthly), with 50,000 records, 3 pipelines and 30 automations. Our Bigin vs Zoho CRM guide explains when to pick each, and the Bigin alternative page compares Bigin with TracktCRM.
4. HubSpot Free CRM
HubSpot's free tools are "free for up to 2 users" with no expiry date. They are strongest for teams that live in Gmail or Outlook.
Free plan limits: 2 users, 1,000 contacts (plus up to 1 million other records), the default deal pipeline, Gmail and Outlook connection, 3 email templates, 10 reporting dashboards and the mobile app.
Not included: custom pipelines, sales workflows, calling minutes and WhatsApp, which needs Marketing Hub or Service Hub Professional or above. Emails sent from the free tools carry HubSpot branding.
When you upgrade: Starter showed ₹585 per seat per month billed yearly as a new-customer offer, against a list price of ₹1,670. HubSpot says the offer can end at any time. Compare it on our HubSpot alternative page.
5. Kylas Embark
Kylas is an Indian sales CRM, and its Embark plan is labelled "Lifetime Free" with unlimited users.
Free plan limits: unlimited users, 5 GB of storage, lead and deal pipelines, reports and a sales dashboard, mobile apps, quotations and lead capture from portals such as IndiaMART and Justdial. The record limit is capped, but the pricing page shows both 10,000 and 1,000 records in different places.
Not included: WhatsApp, workflow automation, Gmail, Outlook or SMTP email, telephony and custom fields.
When you upgrade: Elevate is a flat ₹12,999 a month for unlimited users. That is good value for 15 or more people and expensive for 2.
6. Privyr Free Forever
Privyr is a mobile-first lead app for solo sellers and small teams who get leads from ads and portals.
Free plan limits: up to 3 team members, unlimited lead source integrations, instant lead alerts in the app, up to 10 client groups and 10 templates. You can call, text, email or WhatsApp a lead in a few taps.
The catch: the free plan only lets you engage and track your most recent lead. Follow-up sequences, the timeline and file tracking work for that one lead, and WhatsApp automation add-ons are paid.
When you upgrade: Pro is US$10 per user per month billed yearly, or US$22 monthly.
7. Bitrix24 Free
Bitrix24 bundles CRM with tasks, chat and other workplace tools, and its free plan has no end date.
Free plan limits: 1,000 deals, 1,000 contacts and 1,000 companies, 1 pipeline, 5 automation rules and 5 GB of storage. User limits conflict on Bitrix24's own pages: the comparison table and FAQ say unlimited users, while the plan card says "100% free for 1–2 users".
Not included: WhatsApp, email integration, telephony, CRM forms and the leads module.
When you upgrade: Basic is Rs 1,910 per organisation per month billed yearly, for 5 users.
8. Vtiger One Pilot
Vtiger's One Pilot is a "forever free" plan with more seats than most.
Free plan limits: up to 10 users, 3,000 records, 3 GB of storage, a sales pipeline with Kanban view, workflows, email and phone integration, Google and Office 365 add-ins and a mobile app.
Not included: multiple pipelines, lead routing, customisable dashboards and AI. WhatsApp is not listed on the pricing page.
When you upgrade: One Growth is ₹840 per user per month billed yearly (₹1,050 monthly).
Other Free CRMs Worth a Look
- Odoo One App Free: unlimited users if CRM is your only Odoo app. Adding a second app, such as WhatsApp or Invoicing, moves you to the paid Standard plan.
- EngageBay: free for up to 15 members and 250 contacts, with Gmail and Outlook integration but no workflows.
- Agile CRM: free for 10 users and 1,000 contacts, with 1 campaign workflow.
- Capsule: free for 2 users, 250 contacts and 1 pipeline.
Not free: Freshsales offers a 21-day trial and Pipedrive a 14-day trial. Neither has a free plan on its pricing page.
When Free Stops Being Enough
A free CRM for small business is a good way to build the habit of logging every lead. These are the signs it is time to pay:
- A second person starts selling. TracktCRM and Bigin are free for 1 user. If two people share one login, you lose track of who promised what.
- You hit the record cap. 500 records on Bigin or 1,000 contacts on HubSpot can fill up in a few months of steady enquiries.
- Customers reply on WhatsApp. If chats live on one phone, deals get lost when that person is on leave. Most free plans exclude WhatsApp.
- Follow-ups slip. If you are copying the same reminder every day, an automation should send it.
- You need reports for decisions. Free dashboards show counts. Paid plans show which source brings won deals.
What upgrading costs for 3 users
| CRM | First paid plan | Billing | Cost for 3 users a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| TracktCRM | Pro, ₹319 per user | Yearly | ₹957 |
| Bigin | Express, ₹400 per user | Yearly | ₹1,200 |
| HubSpot | Starter, ₹585 per seat (offer) | Yearly | ₹1,755 |
| Zoho CRM | Standard, ₹800 per user | Yearly | ₹2,400 |
| Vtiger | One Growth, ₹840 per user | Yearly | ₹2,520 |
| Bitrix24 | Basic, 5 users included | Yearly | Rs 1,910 |
| Kylas | Elevate, unlimited users | Flat | ₹12,999 |
GST is extra, and WhatsApp message charges from Meta are separate on every tool.
How to Choose the Right Free CRM for Small Business
Start with your team size and your main lead channel. If one person sells mostly on WhatsApp, a 1-user plan with WhatsApp included saves the most time. If three people need to share leads, user count matters more than WhatsApp. If leads arrive from IndiaMART, Justdial or property portals, check portal capture before anything else; brokers can start with our real estate CRM for brokers guide.
Then load a week of real leads into your top two choices. Moving from a spreadsheet? Our CRM vs Excel guide shows how to prepare your sheet, and lead management software explains how leads get assigned and followed up. For a wider view of paid options, read our best CRM software in India and best WhatsApp CRM guides, or see what each plan includes on TracktCRM pricing and our CRM software page. If WhatsApp is your main channel, start with the WhatsApp CRM page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best free CRM for a small business in India?
It depends on your limits. For a solo seller on WhatsApp, TracktCRM's Free plan includes WhatsApp and unlimited records for 1 user. For a team of 2 or 3, Zoho CRM (3 users, 5,000 records) and HubSpot (2 users, 1,000 contacts) are free. For a larger team that needs many seats, Vtiger One Pilot allows 10 users and 3,000 records.
Is there a completely free CRM with no time limit?
Yes. Every plan in this guide is free with no end date on its official pricing page, including TracktCRM, Zoho CRM, Bigin, HubSpot, Kylas, Privyr, Bitrix24 and Vtiger. Freshsales and Pipedrive only offer time-limited trials.
Which free CRM includes WhatsApp?
TracktCRM includes WhatsApp integration on its Free plan, and Meta message charges apply. Privyr's free plan lets you open a WhatsApp chat with your most recent lead. Zoho CRM, Bigin, HubSpot, Kylas and Bitrix24 keep WhatsApp for paid plans.
Which free CRM allows the most users?
Kylas Embark allows unlimited users, and Vtiger One Pilot allows 10. Bitrix24's comparison table also says unlimited users, but its plan card says 1 to 2 users, so confirm before you sign up. Zoho CRM allows 3 and HubSpot 2.
Do free CRMs include automations?
Some do. TracktCRM and Bigin include 3 automations, Bitrix24 includes 5 automation rules, Zoho CRM includes workflow automation, and Vtiger lists workflows. HubSpot's free tools have no sales workflows, and Kylas Embark has no workflow automation.
Can I use a free CRM for real estate?
Yes, for a solo broker or a very small team. Check whether the free plan can capture portal leads from 99acres, MagicBricks or Housing.com, and whether it has enough records for your listings and enquiries. Our real estate CRM for brokers guide compares broker-focused options.
When should a small business move to a paid CRM?
Upgrade when you add a second salesperson to a 1-user plan, hit the record cap, need WhatsApp or email inside the CRM, or spend time on follow-ups that an automation could send. Compare the cost of the cheapest paid plan with the time your team loses each week.
Sources
Checked on from each vendor's official pages. Plans and prices change, so confirm current details on these links before you buy.
- TracktCRM pricing
- Zoho CRM pricing
- Zoho CRM edition comparison
- Zoho CRM: WhatsApp for Business integration (help)
- Bigin pricing
- HubSpot CRM pricing
- HubSpot free CRM
- HubSpot: connect WhatsApp to the inbox (help)
- HubSpot: pipelines (help)
- Kylas pricing
- Privyr pricing
- Bitrix24 pricing (India)
- Bitrix24 plan comparison
- Vtiger pricing
- Odoo pricing
- EngageBay sales pricing
- Agile CRM pricing
- Capsule CRM pricing
- Freshsales pricing
- Pipedrive pricing
