Free CRM questions, answered straight
The questions small businesses actually ask before choosing a CRM — answered honestly, including when the answer is “keep the spreadsheet.”
Is there a truly free CRM?Yes, but most 'free CRMs' are trial-shaped free tiers with contact caps, seat limits, and feature gates. A truly free CRM has no paid plan at all — every feature, unlimited records, unlimited users.Which free CRMs have no contact limits?Most free CRM tiers cap contacts — often around 1,000 — and charge to grow past it. Free CRMs without contact limits are rare: mainly self-hosted open-source tools and crm-153, which is free with unlimited contacts.Is there a free CRM with unlimited users?Most free CRM tiers limit you to one or two users, since per-seat pricing is the industry's core business model. crm-153 has unlimited free seats; self-hosted open-source CRMs are the other unlimited-user option.Does a small business really need a CRM?You need a CRM when follow-ups start slipping: more contacts than you can hold in your head, more than one person talking to customers, or deals that take multiple touches to close. Before that, a spreadsheet is honestly fine.Should I use a spreadsheet or a CRM to track customers?A spreadsheet works until follow-ups and shared editing start failing — it can't remind you of anything, and it holds one row per contact, not a history. A free CRM removes the usual cost reason to stay on the spreadsheet.How can a CRM be free? What's the catch?Usually the 'free' CRM is a paid product's on-ramp: caps and feature gates designed to convert you later. The honest exceptions are open-source software you host yourself and products like crm-153 where free is simply the whole product.What features should a free CRM include?A usable free CRM needs a contact database, an activity log per contact, follow-up reminders, a visual pipeline, CSV import/export, and room for your whole team — without caps that expire the 'free' as you grow.