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Read article →September 17, 2026
Software and CRM
Zoho CRM: What the free plan includes and when it's better than HubSpot
Zoho CRM It has a free plan for three users, and that plan is sufficient for organizing contacts and the sales funnel of a small business. The real limitation isn't the number of users: the free version doesn't allow custom fields, custom reports, or mass emailing, and it stores a maximum of 5,000 records. When you reach any of those three limits, you're already on the paid plan.
The comparison with HubSpot arises naturally because both offer a free entry-level version. But they offer different features, and that difference determines which one is right for you. Here, we break down a single tool using the figures currently available on the official website, not the usual list.
The essentials
- The free plan includes 3 users and 5,000 records, with 10 email templates and batch import of up to 1,000 records.
- What the free version doesn't offer and almost no one mentions: custom fields, custom reports, custom dashboards, bulk email, and backups.
- The Standard plan costs $12 per user per month with annual billing, and $18 if you pay month-to-month. That's a more expensive 50% for the same tool.
- Zoho is priced in dollars and clarifies that local taxes are charged separately, so your cost in pesos fluctuates with the exchange rate.
- A CRM is a personal database: in Colombia it falls under the data protection law, and that does not depend on the provider you choose.
What is Zoho CRM and what business can it help with?
Zoho CRM is the business management tool from Zoho, a company that sells around fifty interconnected office applications: email, invoicing, support, e-signatures, spreadsheets. That's their real selling point, and also their trap.
If your business already uses two or three Zoho applications, the CRM integrates seamlessly, and you share the same customer record between sales and support. If you don't use any, you're buying a separate piece of an ecosystem designed for integration, and in that case, the comparison with more focused tools becomes more competitive. If you've never worked with one, our guide to What is a CRM and what is it used for? The explanation is there from scratch.
What does the free Zoho CRM plan include, and what's the limit?
The free edition is real and doesn't expire: three users, no credit card required, leads, opportunities, basic workflows, standard reports, and a mobile app. It's enough to stop managing sales in a notebook.
The problem arises when you want the CRM to resemble your business. This is a comparison between the free edition and the first paid plan, with the figures listed today in the Official Zoho price and edition table.
| Limit | Free edition | Standard Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Users | 3, forever | Payment is per user, with no limit. |
| Stored records | 5,000 (10 MB) | 100,000 (200 MB) |
| Custom fields | Does not include | 10 per module |
| Customized reports | Does not include | 100 |
| Custom panels | Does not include | 10 |
| Mass email | Does not include | 250 per day per organization |
| Email templates | 10 | 100 |
| Data Import | 1,000 records per batch | 10,000 per batch |
| Prospect scoring rules | Does not include | 10 criteria per module |
| Backup included | Does not include | 2 per month |
The three limitations that practically force a business off the free plan are these: the inability to create custom fields (if you sell by region, consultant, or contract type, you have nowhere to store the data), the inability to generate customized reports, and the inability to send an email to the entire database. 5,000 records may sound small, but they're more than you'd expect in a consultative sales business.
Be careful with backups. The free edition doesn't include them, which means your entire customer base lives in an account you're not backing up. Before adding a thousand contacts there, export them to a spreadsheet once a month. It takes five minutes and is the difference between a scare and a loss.
How much will Zoho CRM cost in 2026?
Four paid plans, priced in dollars per user per month. What almost no one looks at is the difference between paying annually and paying monthly, which is enormous in the two entry-level plans.
| Plan | Annual billing (USD per user/month) | Monthly billing (USD per user/month) | Monthly payment surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 (up to 3 users) | 0 | Not applicable |
| Standard | 12 | 18 | +50% |
| Professional | 20 | 30 | +50% |
| Enterprise | 35 | 45 | +29% |
| Ultimate | 45 | 55 | +22% |
Two warnings are clearly stated on the website. First, local taxes are added to these prices. Second, though not explicitly stated, the impact on your card statement is noticeable: because the price is quoted in dollars, your cost in pesos changes every month, even if the plan remains the same. A four-person team on the Standard plan costs $48 per month annually, and that amount in pesos is not the same in January as it is in August.
If you want the complete overview of the category with the alternatives placed side by side, it's in our comparison of The best CRMs for SMEs in Colombia.
Zoho CRM versus HubSpot: which one is right for you
The short answer: HubSpot offers more features for free to more people, while Zoho charges less once you've already decided to pay. The two free plans aren't competing on the same level.
HubSpot's free plan doesn't limit you to three users, and its strength lies in marketing, with forms and email included from the start. Zoho's free plan is smaller in scope but relies on its own enormous ecosystem, and its first paid tier costs less than the competition. In the in-depth analysis of HubSpot CRM There are their own limits, which are also surprising.
And there's a case where neither is the answer. If your operation relies on WhatsApp, which is the norm for many Colombian SMEs, a tool built around chat like Kommo It will be less of a hassle than adapting a traditional CRM. Technology adoption in the country's businesses is happening rapidly. The adoption of artificial intelligence went from 34 % to 42 % in twelve months, However, the tool that is abandoned after two months does not count in any statistics.
How to set up Zoho CRM without it being abandoned
CRM doesn't fail because of the software, but because of the initial setup. This order works.
- Define the stages of your funnel before touching the tool. Four or five, with a clear criterion for when one opportunity passes to the next.
- Only live contacts matter. Don't upload the entire historical database. The dead skew the reports and push you closer to the record limit.
- Connect your email from day one. If the team has to copy and paste conversations, stop doing so in the second week.
- Set just one hygiene rule. The one that works best: no opportunity goes without a scheduled next action. One rule is followed, ten are not.
- Review the funnel in a fixed weekly meeting. If no one looks at the dashboard, the team stops feeding it, and that's where any CRM dies.
Common mistakes when implementing Zoho CRM
- Start by creating fields and automations before you have thirty opportunities loaded. It's configured based on a hypothetical business.
- Pay monthly to try it out. If you decide to stay, the annual subscription costs a third less for the same thing.
- Forgetting the consent of the contacts you're importing. You inherit the foundation with its obligations, not without them.
That last point is not a minor legal detail. A CRM is a personal data database, and in Colombia the processing of that data is regulated by the Law 1581 of 2012, which develops the right of every person to know, update, and correct the information collected about them. Changing tools doesn't change that responsibility. And if the business has already grown to the point of needing inventory, purchasing, and accounting in the same system, the next step isn't another CRM but rather looking at the ERP systems.
Do you want to set up your CRM and have the team actually use it?
At Digital Trendy 360, we help Colombian SMEs choose the right tool, build the sales funnel, and get their business operations running smoothly without relying on anyone's memory.
Frequently Asked Questions about Zoho CRM
Does the free Zoho CRM plan expire?
No. The free edition is free forever for up to three users, with no trial period and no credit card required. What expires isn't the plan itself, but its usefulness: when you need a custom field, a tailored report, or to send bulk emails, you'll have to upgrade to Standard.
How many contacts can the free version handle?
The limit is 5,000 records with 10 MB of storage for the entire organization, and this count includes contacts, opportunities, and accounts. The Standard plan increases this to 100,000 records. Free imports are limited to 1,000 records per batch.
Is Zoho CRM suitable for selling via WhatsApp?
You can connect, but it's not its natural habitat. Zoho is built around the contact record, and the conversation is attached to that record. If your sales calls are primarily handled via chat, a tool designed with messaging in mind will be less work for you.
How much does Zoho CRM cost for a team of five people?
The Standard plan with annual billing is $12 per user per month, or $60 per month for five users, plus local taxes, which are charged separately. Paying monthly for the same device would cost $90. Since the price is in dollars, the equivalent in pesos depends on the exchange rate.
Can I migrate to another CRM later?
Yes, by exporting contacts, opportunities, and notes. The part that almost never migrates cleanly is the conversation history and automations, which have to be redone. That's why it's advisable to test for two weeks with real clients before committing to the entire operation.
In summary
Zoho CRM offers a free, robust plan for three users and charges a low price for its entry-level paid plan, at $12 per user per month on an annual bill. The decision isn't based on price alone, but rather on the three limitations of the free version: no custom fields, no custom reports, and no mass emailing. If your business needs any of these features, the free plan is a stepping stone, not the final destination. And if you already use other Zoho applications, the decision becomes clear.
