Free scorecard · CRM comparison
Pick the right CRM in one afternoon.
Seven CRMs on their published prices, what each is genuinely best at, and the questions vendors don't volunteer, all below. The free scorecard weights what matters to you and prices every CRM at your team size.
CRM Buyer's Scorecard
Pick the right CRM in one afternoon, priced at your team size.
- Weighted scoring and first-year cost workbook XLSX
- The method, published prices and fair notes PDF
Every price is the vendor's published list price, checked September 2026, with its source. We make one of the seven CRMs, so score our row as hard as the rest.
Five steps, one afternoon.
Most CRM choices go wrong the same way: a demo impresses, the price looks fine at three seats, and the add-ons arrive in month two. Price the setup you'll actually run before anyone falls for a demo.
- Step 01
List your must-haves · 30 min
The jobs the CRM must do in your first 90 days. Everything else is a nice-to-have.
- Step 02
Weight them · 10 min
Give each criterion a weight from 1 to 5. Be ruthless: if everything is a 5, nothing is.
- Step 03
Shortlist three · 30 min
Score each CRM from 1 to 5 on every criterion, from its own feature pages. Keep the top three.
- Step 04
Price what you'll run · 30 min
Your seats, your billing, the tier you'd actually buy, onboarding fees included. The workbook does the arithmetic.
- Step 05
Trial with your data
Import 30 real records into each finalist and run one real deal through it. The one your team reaches for wins.
What the first year really costs.
For a team of 8 on annual billing, plus any required onboarding fee: the cheapest tier that fits, and the tier above it. Tiers include different features, which is why the scorecard scores features separately from price.
| CRM | Cheapest tier that fits | Next tier up |
|---|---|---|
| AutomateNexus CRM | $1,428Growth | $3,348Business |
| HubSpot | $672Starter | $10,140Professional, incl. $1,500 onboarding |
| Pipedrive | $1,344Lite | $3,744Growth |
| Zoho CRM | $1,344Standard | $2,208Professional |
| Attio | $3,360Plus | $7,584Pro |
| GoHighLevel | $970Starter | $2,970Unlimited |
| Salesforce | $2,400Starter Suite | $9,600Pro Suite |
Add-ons are not included. AI credits beyond the allowance, extra email sending and paid apps change the total, so ask about them.
Every tier, as published.
List prices checked September 2026. Per seat per month unless marked flat. Vendors change prices, so check the source before you buy.
| CRM | Tier | Pricing | Monthly billing | Annual billing, per month | Onboarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AutomateNexus CRM | Starter | flat, up to 5 users | $49 | $39 | None |
| Growth | flat, up to 10 users | $149 | $119 | None | |
| Business | flat, up to 25 users | $349 | $279 | None | |
| Agency | flat | $597 | $478 | None | |
| HubSpot | Free | per seat, up to 2 users | $0 | $0 | None |
| Starter | per seat | $20 | $7 | None | |
| Professional | per seat | $100 | $90 | $1,500 | |
| Enterprise | per seat | Not published | $150 | $3,500 | |
| Pipedrive | Lite | per seat | $24 | $14 | None |
| Growth | per seat | $49 | $39 | None | |
| Premium | per seat | $79 | $59 | None | |
| Ultimate | per seat | $99 | $79 | None | |
| Zoho CRM | Free | per seat, up to 3 users | $0 | $0 | None |
| Standard | per seat | $20 | $14 | None | |
| Professional | per seat | Not published | $23 | None | |
| Enterprise | per seat | Not published | $40 | None | |
| Ultimate | per seat | Not published | $52 | None | |
| Attio | Free | per seat, up to 3 users | $0 | $0 | None |
| Plus | per seat, up to 10 users | $44 | $35 | None | |
| Pro | per seat | $99 | $79 | None | |
| GoHighLevel | Starter | flat | $97 | $80.83 | None |
| Unlimited | flat | $297 | $247.50 | None | |
| Agency Pro | flat | $497 | $414.17 | None | |
| Salesforce | Starter Suite | per seat | $25 | $25 | None |
| Pro Suite | per seat | Not published | $100 | None | |
| Core | per seat | Not published | $195 | None | |
| Advanced | per seat | Not published | $395 | None | |
| Max | per seat | Not published | $550 | None |
Sources: AutomateNexus CRM, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, Attio, GoHighLevel, Salesforce.
Every CRM here is best at something.
A comparison is only useful if it's honest about the competition. Here is where each of the seven is strongest, us included.
HubSpot
Marketing, sales and service on one record; the largest app marketplace and pool of experienced partners; a free CRM for two users.
Pipedrive
The pipeline itself: fast to adopt, low per-seat price, no onboarding fee.
Zoho CRM
The most capability per dollar, deep customisation, and the wider Zoho suite on one login.
Attio
A data model you shape yourself, a fast interface, and AI research that works on records.
GoHighLevel
Funnels, courses, memberships and SaaS mode for agencies that resell software under their own brand.
Salesforce
Enterprise depth, customisation and ecosystem; AI included from the Core edition.
AutomateNexus CRM
Flat pricing with unlimited contacts, Karrie and all eight AI agents on every plan, client workspaces and a white-label portal on every plan, and an AI phone receptionist on your own Twilio account. Not the right pick if you need a funnel and course builder or an enterprise admin ecosystem.
The questions they don't volunteer.
Put these to every sales rep, in writing. The answers are where the real price hides.
- 01Is AI included in the price, metered by credits, or a separate add-on? What happens when credits run out?
- 02Is there a contact limit, or do prices step up as your contact list grows?
- 03Can we send email campaigns from the CRM, how many a month, and from our own domain?
- 04Is there an onboarding or implementation fee, and is it required?
- 05Per seat or flat? What does the bill look like at twice our team size?
- 06What is the minimum term, and what does monthly billing cost compared with annual?
- 07Can we export every record, note and file to CSV at any time, without asking support?
- 08What do a client portal, white-label branding and extra workspaces cost, if we need them?
CRM Buyer's Scorecard
Pick the right CRM in one afternoon, priced at your team size.
- Weighted scoring and first-year cost workbook XLSX
- The method, published prices and fair notes PDF
Score us like everyone else.
Then put your 30 test records into a free 7-day trial and see whether the numbers hold. Karrie and all eight AI agents are on every plan.