Best CRM for Small Business (2026): Published Plans Compared
This page summarizes what vendors publish. We have not used these tools hands-on and we do not rate them. We are an independent affiliate, not a spokesperson for HighLevel or any other vendor.
Picks are listed by use case, not ranked by score. Each one is matched to what its published plans are priced for.
At a glance
| CRM | How it prices | Lowest published price |
|---|---|---|
| Close | per user | $19/user/mo monthly; $9/user/mo billed yearly (Solo) |
| Nutshell | per user | $19/user/mo monthly; $13/user/mo billed annually (Foundation) |
| HighLevel | flat per account | $97/mo (Starter), plus usage |
For a per-user sales pipeline: Close
| Close plan | Per user, monthly billing | Per user/mo, billed yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | $19 | $9 |
| Essentials | $49 | $35 |
| Growth | $109 | $99 |
| Scale | $149 | $139 |
Visit Close (affiliate link: we may earn a commission)
For a per-user CRM with optional marketing: Nutshell
| Nutshell tier | Per user, monthly billing | Per user, annual billing |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | $19 | $13 |
| Growth | $32 | $25 |
| Pro | $49 | $42 |
| Business | $67 | $59 |
| Enterprise | $89 | $79 |
Optional Nutshell add-ons: Marketing from $49/mo, Engagement at $16 per user/mo, extra email at $5/mo and SMS at $15/mo.
Read the Nutshell review or Nutshell pricing.
Visit Nutshell (affiliate link: we may earn a commission)
For CRM, website, email and SMS in one flat fee: HighLevel
HighLevel is sold mainly to marketing agencies. Its Starter plan includes 3 sub-accounts (one per business), so a single small business would use one of them.
For a small business, every HighLevel plan includes a CRM with pipelines, a website and funnel builder, email and SMS, calling, calendars, forms and surveys, workflows, a social planner, an ad manager, review management, payments and invoicing, courses, communities, a mobile app, an API and AI tools. Email, SMS, calling and AI are billed by usage.
| HighLevel plan | Per month | Listed for |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $97 | Up to 3 businesses (sub-accounts); contacts and users unlimited |
| Unlimited | $297 | Unlimited sub-accounts, phone and email rebilling at cost, basic API |
| Founder | $497 | Unlimited features plus SaaS Mode and rebilling with markup |
| Enterprise | custom quote | Premium support, HIPAA, enterprise reporting |
Billed monthly; no yearly plan listed (checked Nov 4, 2026).
On top of the plan fee, HighLevel bills phone, email, SMS and AI by usage. The current usage rates are listed on HighLevel's pricing page, so we leave them off this page.
See HighLevel pricing for a small business.
See HighLevel plans (affiliate link: we may earn a commission)
For startups
Per-user plans keep cost tied to headcount. See best CRM for startups for team-size costs.
For a simple or free CRM
If you only need contacts and a pipeline, see simple CRM for small business, including Zoho CRM's free edition.
Other CRM pricing
Published plans for Zoho CRM, Pipedrive and Salesforce.
FAQ
What is the cheapest CRM here?
On published prices, Close Solo billed yearly ($9/user/mo) is the lowest paid entry, then Nutshell Foundation billed annually ($13/user/mo).
Per-user or flat pricing?
Close and Nutshell charge per user. HighLevel charges a flat plan fee with unlimited users, plus usage for phone, email, SMS and AI.
Do you rank these?
No. We publish no ratings, and commissions never decide our picks.
All figures come from each vendor's own pricing page and are not statements by HighLevel; vendors may word their plans differently.
Last checked 2026-11-01 on each vendor's public US pricing page, in USD before tax. Vendors change prices, so check their site before buying.
Sources
- HighLevel pricing page (last checked 2026-11-01)
- Close pricing page (last checked 2026-11-01)
- Nutshell pricing page (last checked 2026-11-01)