Choose Zoho CRM if you want the lower price, a free plan that covers up to three users, and room to grow without a big jump in cost. Choose HubSpot if ease of use and a polished free starting point matter more than the monthly bill. For most UK small businesses watching their budget, Zoho CRM is the cheaper long-term route. HubSpot earns its higher price when a team wants a tidy, connected set of tools from day one.
One caution before the detail. HubSpot’s pricing page showed US dollars and Zoho’s showed Indian rupees when we opened them. Neither showed pounds. We have not converted either figure, so compare them as shapes of cost rather than as a single GBP total.
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Quick verdict
- Free plan: Zoho allows 3 users; HubSpot allows 2 users and 1,000 contacts.
- Paid cost: Zoho lists a lower per-user price at each tier we checked. HubSpot Professional also carries a one-time onboarding fee.
- Pick Zoho for budget control and customisation as the team grows.
- Pick HubSpot if you are a small team that wants a simple start and is prepared to pay more once you outgrow the free tier.
HubSpot vs Zoho CRM at a glance
Figures below come from each vendor’s own pricing page. Date checked: 8 October 2026. Currencies are as displayed on the page and are not converted.
| HubSpot (Sales Hub / CRM) | Zoho CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Currency shown on page | US dollars | Indian rupees |
| Free plan users | Up to 2 users | Up to 3 users |
| Free plan contacts | 1,000 contacts | Not stated on the page |
| Entry paid tier | Starter, from $7 per seat per month (page also shows $20) | Standard, ₹800 per user per month |
| Mid paid tier | Professional, from $90 per seat per month (page also shows $100), billed annually | Professional, ₹1,400 per user per month |
| Top paid tiers | Enterprise, $150 per seat per month | Enterprise ₹2,400; Ultimate ₹2,600 per user per month |
| One-time fees | Onboarding: $1,500 (Professional), $3,500 (Enterprise) | None shown on the pricing page |
| Pipelines | Up to 15 (Starter), 100 (Professional), 350 (Enterprise) | Multiple pipelines from Standard |
| Automation | 50 restricted workflows (Starter), 300 (Professional), 1,000 (Enterprise) | Workflow automation on every edition, including Free |
| Standout features | Sequences, lead scoring and forecasting at Professional | Built-in calling, forecasting and web forms at Standard; approval processes and territory features higher up |
| Date checked | 8 October 2026 | 8 October 2026 |
Two points on reading this table. HubSpot’s page lists two figures for Starter and Professional without labelling which is monthly and which is annual, so we show both. Zoho’s page has a monthly/annual toggle and says yearly plans save up to 34%, but it shows only one price per edition, so we cannot say which billing period the rupee figures reflect.
Key differences
Free plan: three users versus two
Zoho’s free edition is free forever for three users and includes contact management, workflow automation, tasks, standard reports and mobile apps. HubSpot’s free plan covers two users and 1,000 contacts, with no time limit and no credit card needed. A three-person team can run entirely on Zoho Free. The same team cannot stay on HubSpot Free without paying for a seat.
What you pay as you grow
HubSpot’s jump from free to Professional is steep. The page lists Professional from $90 per seat per month, and sets a one-time onboarding fee of $1,500 on top. Zoho’s Professional is ₹1,400 per user per month with no onboarding fee on the pricing page. We cannot turn those into a like-for-like pound figure without a conversion, but the structure is clear: HubSpot front-loads cost, Zoho spreads it thinly.
Depth of the tiers
HubSpot’s limits scale with the tier. Starter allows up to 15 pipelines and 500 calling minutes. Professional raises that to 100 pipelines, 3,000 calling minutes, lead scoring, sequences and custom reporting. Zoho puts multiple sales pipelines, built-in calling and forecasting at Standard, then adds process management, unlimited reports and predictive intelligence at Professional. For a team that wants multi-pipeline selling cheaply, Zoho reaches that point earlier in the price ladder.
Winner by use case
| Use case | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo operator | HubSpot Free or Zoho Free | Both are free for one user. HubSpot is capped at 1,000 contacts; check Zoho’s limits in the product before relying on it for a large list. |
| Small team of 3 | Zoho | Its free edition covers three users. HubSpot Free stops at two. |
| Sales team of 10 or more | Zoho, unless you need HubSpot’s sequences and scoring | The per-user list price is lower, and Standard already includes multiple pipelines and forecasting. |
| Agency managing several clients | Zoho | Lower per-user cost and no onboarding fee make adding people less painful. We have not verified agency-specific features on either page. |
Pricing difference at 3, 10 and 25 users
This compares the Professional tiers, because both vendors list a clear per-user figure for them. HubSpot uses its lower listed “starts at” price of $90 per seat per month. Zoho uses ₹1,400 per user per month. We have not converted between dollars and rupees, and the HubSpot onboarding fee is shown separately. Monthly or annual billing is not clearly labelled on either page, so treat these as list-price illustrations.
| Team size | HubSpot Professional (USD per month) | Zoho Professional (INR per month) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 users | 3 x $90 = $270 | 3 x ₹1,400 = ₹4,200 |
| 10 users | 10 x $90 = $900 | 10 x ₹1,400 = ₹14,000 |
| 25 users | 25 x $90 = $2,250 | 25 x ₹1,400 = ₹35,000 |
HubSpot adds a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee at Professional. If the higher listed figure of $100 applies to your billing choice, HubSpot comes to $300, $1,000 and $2,500 respectively. At Zoho’s Standard tier (₹800 per user per month) the same sizes come to ₹2,400, ₹8,000 and ₹20,000. At three users on Zoho’s free edition, the software cost is zero.
Limitations of each
HubSpot
- The free plan stops at 2 users, so a third person forces a paid seat.
- Professional and Enterprise each carry a one-time onboarding fee ($1,500 and $3,500).
- The pricing page shows two figures per paid tier without clear labels, which makes budgeting harder.
- Workflow and pipeline limits are tiered, so growing teams hit caps at Starter (50 workflows, 15 pipelines).
Zoho CRM
- The pricing page we checked showed rupees, and no UK pound page loaded for us, so a UK buyer should confirm GBP pricing and VAT at checkout.
- Annual versus monthly figures are not separated on the page.
- The free edition caps custom email templates at 10 and API calls at 5,000 a day.
- The number of features across five editions can take longer to map to your needs.
Best for HubSpot
HubSpot suits a one- or two-person business that wants a free, straightforward CRM now and expects to pay for upgrades later. It also suits teams that value a clear path from free to Professional, with sequences, lead scoring and forecasting arriving together at one tier. If you will not need more than two people in the system for a while, HubSpot Free costs nothing.
Best for Zoho
Zoho suits a team of three or more that wants to stay inside a small budget. The free edition covers three users, Standard adds multiple pipelines, built-in calling and forecasting at a low list price, and Professional adds process management and unlimited reports. It also suits buyers who like to turn on features gradually rather than jump to a larger bundle.
Alternatives worth checking
- Pipedrive: plans are listed at US$14 (Lite), US$39 (Growth), US$59 (Premium) and US$79 (Ultimate) per seat per month billed annually, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required.
- Salesforce Starter Suite: shown at £20 per user per month, billed monthly or annually, on the UK page. Pro Suite is £80 per user per month, billed annually.
- Staying free: if your needs are small, either vendor’s free plan may be all you need for the first year.
We do not yet have a dedicated URIVIO CRM comparison for these tools. Related reading on the site: Why AI Bookkeeping Still Needs a Human Checkpoint covers where to keep a human in finance workflows, and Why Most Marketing Teams Lose 22% of Tracking Data is worth a read if your CRM will sit downstream of marketing tracking.
FAQ
Is HubSpot CRM really free?
Yes, within limits. HubSpot’s page says the free plan is for up to 2 users, with 1,000 contacts and no time limit on free access. Beyond that you move to a paid tier.
Is Zoho CRM free for small teams?
Zoho’s pricing page states “Free forever for 3 users”, which makes it the larger of the two free plans by user count.
Which is cheaper for ten users?
On list prices at Professional, Zoho is cheaper in nominal terms, ₹14,000 per month versus $900 per month for HubSpot. Because those are different currencies, work out the pound equivalent yourself at today’s rate before you decide. HubSpot Professional also has a $1,500 onboarding fee.
Does HubSpot charge for onboarding?
The Sales Hub pricing page lists one-time onboarding fees of $1,500 for Professional and $3,500 for Enterprise. These are not part of the per-seat price.
Can I switch later if I pick the wrong one?
Both vendors let you import data, and Zoho’s free edition lists data import and export. We have not verified the exact steps or limits for migrating between them, so test a small export before you commit.
Final recommendation
For most small UK teams of three or more, start with Zoho CRM. The reason is arithmetic: its free edition covers three users while HubSpot’s covers two, and its paid tiers list at lower per-user prices with no onboarding fee shown. That leaves more budget for the tools around the CRM.
Choose HubSpot instead if you are one or two people, you want the cleanest free starting point, and you accept that moving to Professional means a larger bill plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. Before paying for either, confirm pound pricing and VAT at checkout, because neither page we checked showed GBP for these products.
Related reading: the business software buying guide, which sets out how to choose CRM, finance and productivity tools.
Sources
- HubSpot CRM pricing
- HubSpot Sales Hub pricing
- Zoho CRM pricing
- Pipedrive pricing
- Salesforce Sales pricing (UK)
Prices and features were checked against the vendors’ official pages on 8 October 2026 and can change; verify before buying.
