CRM feature comparison: which plan includes each feature

What you almost always have to pay more for

Capabilities are ranked by how often they require an upgrade from the cheapest paid plan. The median column shows the monthly price for 8 seats at the first plan that includes each one.

"Behind an upgrade" counts vendors whose cheapest plan carrying the capability is dearer than their cheapest paid plan. Both columns include only vendors that list the capability.

Tier matrix: eight CRMs, capability by capability

The cheapest plan at each vendor that lists the capability. Hover a cell for the plan name and what it costs at 8 seats. The table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.

Each cell names the cheapest plan that includes the capability. Hover for the plan and what it costs at 8 seats. "Entry plan" means it is in the vendor's cheapest paid plan, so no upgrade is needed to get it.

What has become standard

These capabilities appear most often in the cheapest paid plan. Their inclusion alone is unlikely to justify an upgrade.

• Standard dashboards. Included in the entry plan at 18 of the 24 vendors that offer it.
• Workflow automation. Included in the entry plan at 28 of the 38 vendors that offer it.
• API and webhooks. Included in the entry plan at 14 of the 24 vendors that offer it.
• AI assistant. Included in the entry plan at 14 of the 24 vendors that offer it.
• Security administration. Included in the entry plan at 10 of the 18 vendors that offer it.

Basic AI assistants now appear in many entry plans. Security and governance features still sit higher in most plan ladders.

How to use this when buying

• Start with your hard requirements. If a client contract requires single sign-on or an audit trail, find the first plan that includes it. Use that price for every vendor in the shortlist.
• Set common features aside. Pipelines, email and calendar sync, and mobile apps are widely available. Focus the decision on features that vary by tier or change the team's workflow.
• Watch the second upgrade. Check the cost of the plan that adds reporting, permissions, and governance. A growing team may need that tier sooner than the entry plan suggests.
• Check the pricing model too. A low per-seat rate can cost more than a flat plan once the user count grows. The cost calculator models that against your own seat count.

Buying for a specific kind of firm? The shortlists are on best CRM for agencies, for consultants, and for outsourcing companies.

How we compared

Every table is quoted on one billing basis at a time, and every row on it uses that same basis. Annual is the per-seat rate when billed annually, which is what most vendors headline and what the tables open on. Monthly is the month-to-month rate with no commitment.

Each basis reads only its own published figure. We never compute one from the other, because an advertised annual discount regularly disagrees with the vendor's own two prices and produces a number nobody can buy. A vendor that publishes only one of the two shows a dash on the other. The dataset covers 46 CRMs, and each buyer guide uses the relevant subset. Pricing was refreshed 26 August 2026.

The 8-seat column uses the cheapest professional-band plan that supports 8 users. Where a vendor sells such a plan but publishes no price for it on the basis shown, the row stays blank: it is never filled in from that vendor's cheaper entry plan, which would compare two different products and read as a price difference. The few vendors with no professional plan at all are marked as entry-plan rows and left out of the charts. Flat-fee and quote-only vendors are marked. Euro prices use a conversion rate of 1.087. The figures are list prices and exclude negotiated discounts and add-ons.

Capability tags come from an automated reading of each vendor's public plan comparison. Check any required feature with the vendor before signing. The cost calculator has a correction link that feeds back into the dataset.

Frequently asked questions

HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, monday.com, Attio, Freshworks, and other names are trademarks of their respective owners. Lumenbase is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by them. Prices describe the vendors as of 26 August 2026; products, pricing, and features change and vary by plan, so verify on each vendor's pricing page before deciding.