Is there a free alternative to Salesforce?

Yes. HubSpot CRM offers a genuine free tier, which makes it the easiest Salesforce alternative to try before you pay.

Why switch away from Salesforce?

Salesforce is a strong tool, but our full hands-on testing is still in progress. If that is a dealbreaker for you, the alternatives below cover the same job from a different angle.

How do you choose these alternatives?

Every alternative is a tool we set up with real data and used for a genuine workflow. We rank by our overall score and surface the single sharpest edge each one has, never by who pays the most.

CRM & Sales

Best Salesforce alternatives

Q: What is the best alternative to Salesforce?

Close is our top Salesforce alternative. Close edges out Salesforce in our testing, scoring 4.5 to 4.3 overall. It scores 4.5 in our testing.

We put Salesforce head to head with the 6 closest rivals we have tested, so you can switch on evidence, not a hunch.

Read our Salesforce review

Why people look elsewhere

Where Salesforce can fall short

Our full hands-on testing is still in progress

Pricing can climb on higher tiers

Ranked by our testing

6 alternatives worth your time

Close

4.5

A CRM built for high-velocity inside sales teams.

Higher ratedFrom $49/moPaid only

Close edges out Salesforce in our testing, scoring 4.5 to 4.3 overall.

Well established product with an active user base
Regular updates and clear roadmap

4.5

Our score

Try Close Read review

HubSpot CRM

4.4

A free CRM core that grows into a full marketing suite.

Free planFrom $0, paid from $20/moFree tier

Unlike Salesforce, HubSpot CRM ships a genuine free tier, so you can start without a card and only pay once it earns it.

Truly useful free CRM tier
Scales into marketing and service hubs

4.4

Our score

Try HubSpot CRM Read review

Attio

4.4

A flexible, data-driven CRM that feels like a spreadsheet.

Free planFrom $29/moFree tier

Unlike Salesforce, Attio ships a genuine free tier, so you can start without a card and only pay once it earns it.

Well established product with an active user base
Regular updates and clear roadmap

4.4

Our score

Try Attio Read review

Pipedrive

4.3

A focused sales CRM built around the pipeline.

Lower priceFrom $14/user/moPaid only

Pipedrive starts at $14/user/mo, undercutting Salesforce's $25/mo while covering the same core ground.

Intuitive visual pipeline
Fast to set up and adopt

4.3

Our score

Try Pipedrive Read review

folk

4.3

A lightweight, modern CRM for relationship building.

Free planFrom $25/moFree tier

Unlike Salesforce, folk ships a genuine free tier, so you can start without a card and only pay once it earns it.

Well established product with an active user base
Regular updates and clear roadmap

4.3

Our score

Try folk Read review

Zoho CRM

4.2

A deeply featured CRM at a small-business price.

Free planFrom $14/moFree tier

Unlike Salesforce, Zoho CRM ships a genuine free tier, so you can start without a card and only pay once it earns it.

Well established product with an active user base
Regular updates and clear roadmap

4.2

Our score

Try Zoho CRM Read review

Side by side

Salesforce vs the alternatives

Tool	Our score	From	Free tier	Best for
SalesforceYou have	4.3	$25/mo	No	The enterprise CRM that defines the category.
Close	4.5	$49/mo	No	A CRM built for high-velocity inside sales teams.
HubSpot CRM	4.4	$0, paid from $20/mo	Yes	Teams planning to scale sales and marketing together
Attio	4.4	$29/mo	Yes	A flexible, data-driven CRM that feels like a spreadsheet.
Pipedrive	4.3	$14/user/mo	No	Small sales teams who want to close, not configure
folk	4.3	$25/mo	Yes	A lightweight, modern CRM for relationship building.
Zoho CRM	4.2	$14/mo	Yes	A deeply featured CRM at a small-business price.

Our pick

Switch to Close

Close edges out Salesforce in our testing, scoring 4.5 to 4.3 overall. It is the Salesforce alternative we recommend first for most people.

Try Close Compare them side by side

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Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission if you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we have tested, and commissions never change our scores or rankings. We currently track 218+ tools, including 9 across CRM & Sales.