CRM and sales · Guide
HubSpot for startups: the free CRM, the startup discount, and what you will really pay
HubSpot gives startups two ways in: a free CRM that never expires, and a discount on the paid plans through an approved partner. Both are good deals, as long as you know where each one ends.
Disclosure: SaaS Relaunch is an Instantly Solutions Partner, and Instantly is one of the tools we set up for clients, who own and fund their own accounts. The partnership does not decide any verdict here: every claim links to its source.
The short answer
Start on HubSpot's free CRM: up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts with no time limit, enough for a founder doing their own outbound. Do not pay for HubSpot until you need what lives on Professional: sequences, workflows and forecasting.
When you do, apply to HubSpot for Startups first. Funded startups at pre-seed to Series A that come through an approved partner are reported to get up to 90 percent off year one, then 50 and 25 percent; members of approved accelerators and communities get 30 percent off year one and 15 percent in year two. Plan your budget for the list price after the discount ends.
Two ways in: the free CRM and the startup discount
HubSpot is often the first CRM a startup tries, for a simple reason: the CRM itself is free, for good. What costs money are the hubs on top (Sales, Marketing, Service, Content, Operations and Commerce) at Starter, Professional and Enterprise. HubSpot for Startups is a separate program that discounts the Professional and Enterprise plans for eligible early-stage companies.
So the question a founder actually faces is not whether HubSpot is free. It is when the free CRM stops being enough, and how much the discount saves once it does.
What the free CRM includes, and where it stops
HubSpot's free CRM gives up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with no expiry. Accounts opened before September 2024 kept a far higher contact limit, which is why older guides quote one million. It holds contacts, companies, deals and tickets on one timeline with one deal pipeline, and includes email tracking in Gmail and Outlook, a meeting scheduler that syncs your calendar, forms, live chat and capped email marketing.
The walls are clear. Sequences, workflows and the forecasting tool need Professional or Enterprise; custom objects need Enterprise; and HubSpot's branding stays on free tools until you pay for Starter. Reporting is limited to standard dashboards.
| Free CRM | Starter | Professional | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per seat a month | $0 | $20 list; a new-customer offer from $7 billed annually | $90 billed annually, $100 monthly | $150 |
| One-time onboarding fee | None | None | $1,500, required | $3,500, required |
| Users | Up to 2 | By seat | By seat | By seat |
| Sequences and workflows | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Startup discount applies | Not needed | Only bundled with Professional or Enterprise | Yes, on new purchases | Yes, on new purchases |
HubSpot for Startups: the discount tiers
HubSpot does not publish one universal rate on a single page, and the tiers differ by how you come in. What HubSpot's own partner and offer pages show, and what third-party guides report, lines up like this:
| Tier | Who qualifies | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funded, through a partner | Pre-seed to Series A, through an approved partner or with venture funding HubSpot can verify | Up to 90% off | 50% off | 25% off |
| Entrepreneur organizations | Members of an approved accelerator, incubator, investor or community | 30% off | 15% off | List price |
| Bootstrapped (HubSpot's Latin America page) | Eligible bootstrapped startups | 30% off | Not stated | Not stated |
| Onboarding | On HubSpot's partner pages | 50% off HubSpot's own onboarding services |
The rules that trip people up are the same across tiers. The discount applies to net-new Professional or Enterprise purchases, not to a plan you already pay for, and not to Starter on its own. It needs an annual commitment. Series B and later companies are excluded from the top tier. And once the discount period ends, the price returns to HubSpot's list price.
What the discount saves, year by year
Take a small team buying three Sales Hub Professional seats at $90 a seat a month, billed annually: $3,240 a year at list price, plus the one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. On the top tier, year one costs about $324, year two $1,620 and year three $2,430. On the 30 percent tier, year one costs about $2,268 and year two $2,754. From the year the discount ends, every tier pays $3,240.
The saving is real, and so is the cliff. Budget for year four at list price before you build your sales process on Professional features, so the renewal is a decision, not a surprise.
How to apply
- Check whether you have a partner. HubSpot works with approved accelerators, incubators, investors and startup communities; your program manager or investor will know if they are on the list.
- Get the partner's referral link, or apply directly with your funding, which guides say HubSpot verifies through sources such as Crunchbase or PitchBook.
- Apply before you buy. The discount covers net-new Professional or Enterprise purchases only, so a plan bought first and discounted later is unlikely to qualify.
- Sign the annual commitment and ask whether the onboarding fee is discounted for your tier.
- Write down when the discount ends, and what the renewal will cost at list price.
Is the free CRM enough for now?
Many founders never need HubSpot's own sequences, because their cold email runs in a dedicated sequencer that syncs replies into the CRM. Instantly documents a native HubSpot connection, and Smartlead a two-way one; HeyReach adds LinkedIn activity through a HubSpot marketplace app. If that covers your outbound, the free CRM can carry you a long way. See Instantly vs Smartlead (opens in a new tab).
If you do not qualify
No partner and no funding is not a reason to pay list price early. Stay on the free CRM, or compare it with Attio's free plan (up to 3 seats and 50,000 records, with AI credits) and Salesforce's Free Suite (2 users). The full comparison is in the best CRM for startups (opens in a new tab), and Attio vs HubSpot (opens in a new tab) covers Attio's own startup program.
For where the CRM sits in the order you build a go-to-market stack, see the GTM tech stack for early-stage founders (opens in a new tab).
Questions
Is HubSpot free for startups?
HubSpot's CRM is free for any company, with no expiry, for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts on new accounts. The paid Professional and Enterprise plans are what HubSpot for Startups discounts.
How much is the HubSpot for Startups discount?
Third-party guides report up to 90 percent off year one, 50 percent in year two and 25 percent in year three for funded startups through a partner. HubSpot's entrepreneur offer page lists 30 percent off year one and 15 percent in year two.
Who qualifies for HubSpot for Startups?
Startups at pre-seed to Series A that come through an approved partner, such as an accelerator, incubator or investor, or whose venture funding HubSpot can verify. Series B and later are excluded from the top tier, and the discount covers new Professional or Enterprise purchases.
Does the discount cover HubSpot Starter?
Not on its own. It applies to Professional and Enterprise plans; Starter is discounted only when bundled with them.
What happens when the discount ends?
The price returns to HubSpot's list price. For three Sales Hub Professional seats that is $3,240 a year at $90 a seat a month, billed annually, as of October 2026.
What are the limits of HubSpot's free CRM?
Up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts on accounts opened since September 2024, one deal pipeline, HubSpot branding on free tools, and no sequences, workflows or forecasting, which start on Professional.
Is there an onboarding fee?
Yes, on Professional and Enterprise: $1,500 once for Sales Hub Professional on HubSpot's pricing page, and about $3,500 for Enterprise in third-party breakdowns. HubSpot's partner pages list 50 percent off its own onboarding services through the program.
Sources
- Streamline your entire business with a free CRM (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 19, 2026
- Sales software pricing (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 19, 2026
- Sales Hub Starter (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- Product and services catalog (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 21, 2026
- HubSpot Sales Hub pricing (opens in a new tab), HubSpot Blog, checked October 19, 2026
- Enroll contacts in a sequence (opens in a new tab), HubSpot Knowledge Base, checked October 19, 2026
- Automate your processes (opens in a new tab), HubSpot Knowledge Base, checked October 19, 2026
- Use the forecast tool (opens in a new tab), HubSpot Knowledge Base, checked October 19, 2026
- How to use objects for business processes (opens in a new tab), HubSpot Knowledge Base, checked October 19, 2026
- What is the contact creation limit in the free plan? (opens in a new tab), HubSpot Community, checked October 19, 2026
- Program guide: HubSpot for Startups (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 19, 2026
- HubSpot for Startups: Techstars (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 19, 2026
- HubSpot for Startups: entrepreneur organizations offer (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 19, 2026
- HubSpot for Startups, Latin America (opens in a new tab), HubSpot, checked October 19, 2026
- HubSpot for Startups: discount, eligibility and alternatives (opens in a new tab), Deepak Gupta, checked October 19, 2026
- HubSpot startup discount 2026: how to qualify for 90% off (opens in a new tab), Elefante RevOps, checked October 19, 2026
- HubSpot for Startups program (opens in a new tab), Resonate, checked October 19, 2026
- HubSpot discounts (opens in a new tab), CostBench, checked October 19, 2026
- HubSpot Sales Hub pricing (opens in a new tab), Docket, checked October 19, 2026
- Is HubSpot free? What the free CRM really includes in 2026 (opens in a new tab), SpotDev, checked October 19, 2026
- HubSpot CRM free plan 2026: what's included and what's not (opens in a new tab), CostBench, checked October 19, 2026
- How to connect HubSpot to Instantly (opens in a new tab), Instantly Help, checked October 19, 2026
- How to set up HubSpot integration with Smartlead (opens in a new tab), Smartlead Help, checked October 19, 2026
- Sales engagement apps (opens in a new tab), HubSpot Marketplace, checked October 19, 2026
- Plans and pricing (opens in a new tab), Attio, checked October 19, 2026
- Salesforce small business pricing (opens in a new tab), Salesforce, checked October 19, 2026
How these comparisons are made: from each vendor's own documentation and pricing pages, independent reviews and the policies of the platforms involved, each linked and dated. Prices change often; check the vendor's page before you buy.
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