Canny Picks / CRM
The CRM a five-person shop should use
A CRM only works if all five people open it. That rules out most of the powerful ones.
Prices checked October 5, 2026 on each company's own pricing page. Written by Canny Software, Palm Desert.
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Less Annoying CRM, $15 per user
One price, one tier, month to month: $75 a month for five people. There is no annual lock-in and no feature held back for a higher plan. Automation and reporting are lighter than the big names, which for a small shop is most of the appeal.
HubSpot Starter, cheap to start
The free tools cover two users and Starter is priced low for new customers. It ties in with email marketing and forms better than anything else here. Treat the first-year price as a promotion, ask what renewal costs, and stay away from Professional, which adds a $1,500 onboarding fee.
Pipedrive Lite
The $14 headline is for a stripped plan. Full email sync and automation start on Growth at $39 a user on annual billing, which is $195 a month for five and the most expensive option here.
What five people actually pay
| Tool | Entry price | Five seats | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less Annoying CRM | $15 per user | $75 a month | Light reporting. No free plan, 30-day trial. |
| HubSpot | $0 for 2 users | Starter, promotional pricing | Intro price resets at renewal. Big jump to Professional. |
| Zoho CRM | Free for 3 users | Paid plan needed for 5 | Takes real setup time. Check current US pricing. |
| Pipedrive | $14 per user, annual | Growth, $195 a month | Add-ons cost extra. No free plan. |
Per-month prices in US dollars before tax. Annual-billing prices are shown as the monthly equivalent where the company lists them that way.
How to decide in two minutes
If nobody on your team has used a CRM, pick Less Annoying CRM. It takes an afternoon to set up and people keep using it.
If you already run email campaigns and want leads from your website to land in one place, start on HubSpot's free tools and see whether you outgrow them.
Common questions
Do five people need a CRM at all?
If more than one person talks to customers, yes. A shared record of who promised what stops leads from falling between people.
Is HubSpot really free?
The free tools are, for two users. Most teams of five will need paid seats.
Can I move my contacts later?
Yes. Every tool here exports contacts to a spreadsheet. Notes and deal history are harder to move, so choose with care the first time.
Paying for more than one of these?
List everything on the stack audit page and see a free draft of what to cut.