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Zoho CRM and HubSpot are both popular first CRMs for small businesses, and both have free plans. After that they part ways. Zoho packs a lot of CRM into a low per-user price and connects to the rest of the Zoho suite. HubSpot costs more per seat but is easier to adopt and keeps marketing and sales in one polished platform.
Here is how the two compare for a small team, with prices read from both vendors on October 17, 2026.
Full disclosure: we make DoubleScale, a WordPress CRM. It appears as side notes and in its own section; Zoho and HubSpot prices come from their own pricing pages.
Pick Zoho CRM if price per user matters most, you want serious automation and customization without enterprise prices, or you already use other Zoho apps.
Pick HubSpot if you want the easiest CRM to roll out, with marketing tools in the same place, and you can afford higher per-seat prices as you grow.
Zoho CRM vs HubSpot at a glance
| Zoho CRM | HubSpot | DoubleScale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 3 users | Up to 2 users | Free plugin, unlimited users |
| Paid plans (per user/mo, annual) | Standard $14, Professional $23, Enterprise $40, Ultimate $52 | Starter ~$20, Professional $90, Enterprise $175 | $99/yr per site |
| Monthly billing | $20, $35, $50, $65 | Annual | Annual (lifetime option) |
| Email marketing | Zoho Campaigns, separate product | Built in | Built in |
| Ease of setup | Moderate | Easy | Easy (inside WordPress) |
Vendor pricing pages, October 17, 2026. Zoho prices read in USD from Zoho’s own pricing data.
What a 5-person team pays
Zoho CRM is free for up to three users. Paid editions, billed annually, are Standard at $14 per user a month, Professional at $23, Enterprise at $40 and Ultimate at $52 (monthly billing: $20, $35, $50 and $65). Standard already includes workflow rules, AI agents, automated sequences, reports and forecasting; Professional adds CPQ, email insights, process automation and inventory; Enterprise adds the Zia sales assistant, journeys, territory management and portals. Zoho CRM Plus, which bundles marketing, support and analytics, is $57 per user a month billed annually.
HubSpot is free for up to two users, then Starter at about $20 per seat a month at regular price, Professional at $90 and Enterprise at $175, billed annually.
| Plan for 5 users | Per year |
|---|---|
| Zoho CRM Standard | $840 |
| Zoho CRM Professional | $1,380 |
| Zoho CRM Enterprise | $2,400 |
| HubSpot Starter (regular) | $1,200 |
| HubSpot Professional | $5,400 |
| DoubleScale Basic (1 site, any number of users) | $99 |
Licence only, annual billing.
Zoho Enterprise costs less than half of HubSpot Professional for the same five people.
Our take: Zoho CRM has the edge clearly.
Automation and customization
Zoho offers a lot of control for the money: workflow rules from Standard, process automation on Professional, custom functions and journeys on Enterprise. HubSpot keeps automation simple on Starter and unlocks full workflows on Professional, which is the expensive jump.
Our take: Zoho CRM has the edge for automation per dollar.
Looking elsewhere?Considering other options? See Zoho CRM alternatives for small business.
Ease of use and adoption
This is HubSpot’s strongest card. Its interface is clean, defaults are sensible, and new users find their way quickly, which matters if your team has to actually log their activity. Zoho is powerful but busier, and getting the most out of it takes some setup time.
Our take: HubSpot has the edge.
Marketing tools
HubSpot’s email marketing, forms and landing pages share one CRM with sales. Zoho handles email marketing through Zoho Campaigns, a separate product (with a free tier), or bundles everything in Zoho CRM Plus; it works well if you commit to the Zoho suite.
Our take: HubSpot has the edge.
Looking elsewhere?Like HubSpot but not the price? Read HubSpot alternatives for small business.
Runs your entire business
A third option: DoubleScale
If your business runs on a WordPress site, DoubleScale gives you a CRM with email marketing built in, priced per site rather than per user.
Its workflows support nested conditions, Pro adds pipelines, lead scoring and contracts, and the free plugin includes proposals, invoices, bookings, a client portal and a helpdesk.
Modular by design. Turn on only the modules you need from one Control Modules panel; everything else stays out of your way.
- Email campaigns
- Automations
- Sales pipelines
- Proposals & invoices
- Contracts
- Booking
- Helpdesk
- Forms
- Projects
- Tasks
Free on WordPress.org · Unlimited contacts · Pro from $99/yr per site
DoubleScale is the better pick if…
- You want CRM and email marketing in one product without per-user pricing.
- Your leads come from your WordPress site.
- You also need bookings, invoices or a helpdesk for the same contacts.
Stick with the big platforms if…
- You want Zoho’s wider suite or HubSpot’s marketplace.
- You need territory management or advanced AI assistants.
- Your team works mostly outside WordPress.
See also DoubleScale vs HubSpot.
Disclosure: we make DoubleScale. The screens above are real, and every price for the other tools comes from their own pricing pages.
So, which should you choose?
| Your situation | Choose |
|---|---|
| Lowest price per user with real automation | Zoho CRM |
| Free CRM for a team of three | Zoho CRM Free |
| Easiest rollout, marketing in the same tool | HubSpot |
| Already using Zoho apps | Zoho CRM or CRM Plus |
| CRM and email inside WordPress, flat price | DoubleScale |
How we compared: every price was read on the vendor’s own pricing page on October 17, 2026 (USD). Zoho prices are per user per month, read in USD from Zoho’s pricing data; HubSpot prices are per seat, billed annually. Prices change often, so check the vendor’s page before you buy.
Questions people ask
Is Zoho CRM cheaper than HubSpot?
Yes, at every level. Five users on Zoho CRM Professional cost $1,380 a year; five HubSpot Professional seats cost $5,400.
Which has the better free plan?
Zoho CRM’s free edition covers three users; HubSpot’s free CRM covers two and includes free marketing tools with HubSpot branding.
Is HubSpot easier than Zoho?
Most teams find HubSpot easier to adopt. Zoho offers more control for the money but takes more setup.
Does Zoho CRM include email marketing?
Email marketing is Zoho Campaigns, a separate product, or included in the Zoho CRM Plus bundle.
Is there a CRM without per-user pricing?
Yes. DoubleScale is priced per WordPress site with unlimited users and contacts.
More head-to-head comparisons
- ActiveCampaign vs HubSpot
- GoHighLevel vs HubSpot
- HubSpot vs Salesforce
- Pipedrive vs HubSpot
- Salesforce vs GoHighLevel
- GoHighLevel vs Pipedrive
- Pipedrive vs Salesforce
- Zoho CRM vs Salesforce
- Pipedrive vs Zoho CRM
Email marketing, pipelines, invoices and bookings in one WordPress plugin.
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Mohamed Magdy, Founder & CEO, DoubleScale
Mohamed Magdy is the founder and CEO of DoubleScale, the all-in-one CRM for WordPress. He writes about CRM, email marketing and automation for WordPress businesses.
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