How Much Does a CRM Cost for a Small Business?
How much does a CRM cost for a small business? I read the pricing pages of five CRM and business-software companies in November 2026. Most plans ran from free to about $100 per user a month. Here's what the price page leaves out (your own setup time) and what my done-for-you plans cost.
Do-it-yourself CRM software starts free for two or three users. Starter plans run about $14 to $20 per user a month, and higher plans about $23 to $100 per user a month, some of those billed yearly. One of those higher plans also requires a $1,500 one-time onboarding fee.[1]
The price page doesn't count your own hours: importing contacts, building the steps, and writing the emails. That part is on you.
If you'd rather have it set up for you, my starting plan, Quick Response, is $297 a month plus a $750 one-time setup.[2]
A CRM is a customer list that reminds you who to call back. I spent 10 years working inside CRMs at auto dealerships in South Florida. Now I build them for local businesses.
That means I sell one, so you should know where I stand. I put the do-it-yourself prices first, and most of them cost less than mine. I left company names out on purpose. This isn't a ranking, and I don't want to send you shopping off a list I wrote.
Prices change often. I checked every price below on each company's own pricing page on November 5, 2026. Plans, discounts, and billing options move around, so check the current page before you sign up for anything.
How much does a CRM cost if you set it up yourself?
Most of the CRMs I checked are priced per user (some say "per seat"), per month. Two people means twice the price. Here's what I found, from cheapest to most expensive.
Free plans
Two of the companies I checked offer a free plan. One is free for up to two users, the other for up to three.[1] A free plan is a fair way to find out whether you'll open a CRM every day. You do all the setup yourself.
Starter plans: about $14 to $20 per user a month
The entry-level paid plans I read were $14 to $20 per user a month.[1] Two companies list $14 per user a month billed yearly, which is $168 a year per person. One of them charges $20 if you pay month to month. A third lists $20 a seat as its regular price and shows a lower first-time discount next to it, so check which price applies to you before you sign up.
Higher plans: about $23 to $100 per user a month
The higher plans I read ran $23 to $79 per user a month when billed yearly, and $35 to $50 at one company when paid month to month. One more was $90 to $100.[1]
That $90 to $100 plan comes with a required one-time onboarding fee of $1,500. The same company's top plan starts at $150 per user a month, with a required $3,500 onboarding fee.[1] Other pages were gentler: one mentions free onboarding, and another offers free implementation on plans over $400 a year.
All-in-one platforms built for agencies
Some platforms bundle a CRM with texting, email, booking, and AI. The one I read starts at about $97 a month with unlimited users, but it's built for marketing agencies that run accounts for several businesses, and the $97 plan includes three of them.[1]
Its page also says "usage based charges apply" for phone numbers, texts, emails, and AI, and AI add-ons were another $50 to $97 a month per account.[1] You set it up yourself.
Field-service apps for trades
If you run a crew that does jobs at customers' homes, there are apps built for scheduling, quotes, and invoices. The one I read priced its first plan at $49 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly, for one user. Bigger plans were $99 to $149 a month billed yearly, or $139 to $199 a month billed monthly.[1]
The extras are add-ons: an AI receptionist for $29 a month, a sales pipeline for $49 a month, and a marketing package for $99 a month. Sales tax is extra.[1]
Monthly or yearly billing
Watch the billing toggle. One page I read showed yearly billing first and said you save "up to 42%" by paying yearly. Another said yearly billing saves "up to 25%."[1] The low number you see first is often the yearly one, paid up front.
The cost that isn't on the price page: your setup time
Software prices assume you'll do the work. Here's what that work usually is:
- Getting your customers out of your phone, your email, and a notebook, and into the CRM.
- Deciding the steps a job goes through, from new lead to quote to paid.
- Connecting your email and your website form.
- Writing the replies and follow-up emails you'll send over and over.
- Fixing it when something stops syncing.
The software companies know this takes real work. One of them charges $1,500 for required onboarding on one of its plans. One all-in-one platform's own page says its AI features "require setup, configuration, and ongoing human oversight."[1]
I can't tell you how many hours it will take you. It depends on how many contacts you have and how organized they are. So here's the question to answer for yourself: how many evenings would you give up to set it up, and what is an evening of your time worth? Then add the time to keep it running.
If the setup never gets finished, you end up paying for software you don't use. More on that in my post on whether you need a CRM.
What done-for-you costs: my prices
Done-for-you means someone else sets it up around how your business already works, then sticks around to make changes when you need them. That's what I do. My plans are Quick Response at $297 a month plus a $750 one-time setup, Booked & Reviewed at $497 a month plus a $1,000 one-time setup, and Full Office at $797 a month plus a $1,500 one-time setup.[2] What each plan includes is on the Top Three CRM plans page, and how the setup works is on my custom CRM page for local businesses.[3]
Example: a two-person shop does the math
Example: Say you run a pressure-washing business in Palm Bay with one helper, and you both need to see the leads. Here's the first year of software for two users, using only the prices I read on November 5, 2026.[1] None of these include your own setup time.
- Free plan: $0, as long as it covers two users.
- Starter plan at $14 per user a month billed yearly: two users × $168 = $336 a year. At $20 per user a month, it would be $480.
- Higher plan at $39 per user a month billed yearly: two users × $468 a year = $936 a year.
- The $90 to $100 plan with required onboarding: two users × $90 to $100 = $180 to $200 a month, or $2,160 to $2,400 a year, plus $1,500 = $3,660 to $3,900 the first year.
- Field-service app: $29 a month billed yearly is $348 a year for one user. I only read the one-user price, so check what a second user adds.
For comparison, my Quick Response plan is $297 × 12 = $3,564, plus the $750 setup = $4,314 the first year, and $3,564 a year after that.[2] It isn't the same kind of product as per-user software, so ask me what it would cover for your shop before you compare the two line by line.
On paper, most of the software is cheaper than mine. The plans also don't include the same things, so compare what you get, not just the total. A big part of the difference is who spends the evenings setting it up, and who you call when it breaks. If you'll do the setup and keep it up, the software is the better deal. If you won't, even the cheapest plan can turn into one you pay for and stop opening.
Which kind makes sense for you
- Start free if you like setting up software and you have a few quiet evenings. You'll learn fast whether you use it.
- A field-service app fits if your real headache is scheduling crews, quotes, and invoices.
- Done-for-you fits if you're on job sites all day, leads come in from calls, your website, and Google, and you know you won't do the setup yourself.
- Nothing at all is fine if you have a handful of repeat customers and nothing slips. I explain when you don't need one in my post on whether you need a CRM for your small business.
If missed calls are the real problem, count your missed calls from the last two weeks before you pay for anything. I show how in how to stop missing customer calls.
Questions owners ask about CRM cost
How much does a CRM usually cost?
On the pricing pages I read in November 2026, starter plans were about $14 to $20 per user a month and higher plans about $23 to $100 per user a month, some of those billed yearly. Free plans exist for two or three users.[1]
What is an inexpensive CRM?
A free plan, or a starter plan at about $14 per user a month (billed yearly on the two pages I read). Inexpensive on the price page can still cost you a lot of evenings, so count your setup time too.
Can I build my own CRM for free?
Yes, in a basic way. You can start on a free plan and set it up yourself, or track customers in a spreadsheet. The software is free; your time isn't. A spreadsheet won't remind you who to call back, so you have to check it every day.
Is a CRM worth keeping?
Only if you use it. If you're paying for one you stopped opening, either fix the setup so it fits how you work, or cancel it. I can't promise any CRM will bring you more jobs. Mostly, it helps you keep track of the people who already reached out.
- Pricing pages of five CRM and business-software companies (one general CRM, two sales CRMs, one all-in-one agency platform, and one field-service app for trades), each read on the company's own pricing page on November 5, 2026. I left the names out on purpose; I keep the list of pages and dates on file. Prices are in US dollars, per user a month unless noted, and may not include sales tax.
- Top Three CRM. Plans. Quick Response, Booked & Reviewed, and Full Office, monthly prices and one-time setup fees. Read November 5, 2026. topthreecrm.com/#plans
- Top Three Web Design. Custom CRM. Setup and service area. Read November 5, 2026. topthreewebdesign.com/custom-crm
Rather not set it up yourself? Let's talk it through.
A free call, about 15 minutes, on how leads reach you and what slips. If a free plan or a field-service app fits you better, I'll tell you. Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
