A HubSpot Free alternative that grows with your business
Keep your contacts, follow-ups and client work together. Stacks core CRM stays free as your contact list and team grow, with no per-user charge. Compare the work you need to do before moving.
No card required. Free includes 50 one-time AI credits; AI Pro is optional. Your sending and payment providers bill separately.
Choose around your next stage of work
HubSpot has a real free edition, with no time limit. It may already cover what a solo operator needs. Stacks is worth evaluating when you want to add contacts and collaborators without changing your core CRM subscription.
The useful comparison is your client workflow: can you find the customer, see what happened, and know what to do next? Keep the tool that handles your requirements well.
HubSpot Free vs. Stacks Free
Official HubSpot information checked September 23, 2026. This describes its current advertised free offer; check the terms and limits in your own account. Stacks is independent of HubSpot.
| What matters | HubSpot Free | Stacks Free |
|---|---|---|
| Users and contacts | Advertised for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts. Free-plan limits. | Unlimited human users and contacts; no upgrade triggered by ordinary growth. |
| Core price | $0, without a trial expiry. | $0 ongoing for the core platform. |
| Marketing email | Includes 2,000 sends each calendar month, with HubSpot branding. Email limits. | Campaign and sequence tools; connect your own supported email provider and budget for its fees and limits. |
| Meeting booking | One personal scheduling page with HubSpot branding. Scheduling details. | Availability and booking tools included. Test your actual availability and confirmation flow. |
| Invoicing | Invoice creation is available across plans; online collection needs a supported payment setup. Invoice requirements. | Invoice tools included. Connect your own Stripe account for online payment collection; processing fees are separate. |
| Customer context | Shared CRM data plus free tools such as task management and ticketing. Product catalog. | Contacts, deals, tasks, notes and connected tools in one workspace. Validate any specialist workflow you depend on. |
Neither free subscription removes every operating cost. Compare provider charges, setup time, branding and the exact features you need. Paid HubSpot prices are not quoted here because product, seat and billing choices matter.
Who should stay on HubSpot?
Stay if its free limits fit and your current process works, or if you depend on HubSpot-specific integrations, reporting or paid workflows. Its free CRM supports Gmail and supported Outlook connections; check those needs before moving.
When should you try Stacks?
Try Stacks if your freelance business is growing its client list or bringing in collaborators, and you want the core CRM to remain free. Start with one client workflow, then compare the extra tools you actually use. A longer feature list alone is not a reason to migrate.
What stays free, and what costs extra?
- Core business work. Contacts, companies, deals, tasks, invoicing, scheduling, reviews, support and email tools are part of Free. Users and contacts do not create a subscription charge.
- Optional AI. Free includes 50 one-time credits. AI Pro provides continued AI access at $99/month or $995/year, with usage safeguards and priority product support.
- Branding. Free customer-facing output carries Powered by Stacks. AI Pro removes Stacks branding; it does not turn the hosted service into your own custom platform.
- Your providers. Sending email, taking online payments and texting require the relevant connected providers. Their bills are separate; customer-contact SMS uses your own Twilio account.
- Implementation help. Free is self-service. Stacks Custom scopes hands-on implementation, tailored workflows and ongoing responsibilities separately.
Try a representative workflow before switching
Start with a client follow-up. You can organize this work without first connecting an email or payment provider:
- Add a contact. Use a test contact while evaluating, then open its record.
- Create a linked follow-up. Give it a clear action and due date.
- Finish the task. Check it off and confirm the completion appears in the contact activity.
- Record the next action. Use the contact's Save Note action. Reopen the record and check that the note and completed work are still there.
Add-contact guide · Task guide · Sales pipeline guide
Then test the sending, booking, payment, reporting and integration paths your business relies on. This comparison does not establish complete feature parity, successful provider delivery, or compatibility with a particular AI client.
Plan the move around the data you need
- Export a small contact sample. HubSpot's record-export guide covers current properties and associations. Export permissions are required; activities such as notes and calls have separate export paths.
- Check the Stacks mapping. Follow the contact CSV import guide, review the mapped fields, and inspect the resulting sample before importing more.
- List what the sample does not move. A contact import does not migrate every file, custom workflow or historical record. Keep the original system and exports available while validating.
- Check your exit path too. Read supported exports and exclusions. A contact CSV export is not a complete workspace backup.
Use the cost calculator with your actual subscriptions, seats, billing cadence and provider costs. Start with the free core; add optional AI or implementation help only when it solves a need.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stacks a good HubSpot Free alternative?
Stacks is worth trying if you want a free core CRM without user or contact upgrade thresholds. Test your own contact and follow-up workflow before switching; this is not a claim of complete HubSpot feature parity.
Does Stacks include marketing email like HubSpot?
Yes. Stacks includes campaign and sequence tools. Connect your own supported sending provider; its charges and limits are separate. This does not establish Gmail or Outlook inbox-sync parity. Campaign guide.
Will Stacks stay free when I add teammates?
Yes. Stacks core CRM stays free as users and contacts grow. Free includes 50 one-time AI credits; continued AI is optional through AI Pro at $99/month or $995/year. Provider charges are separate. Why Stacks is free.
Can I import from HubSpot?
Yes, through a contact CSV export and import. Validate a small sample and field mappings first. This is not a complete migration of HubSpot activities, files, workflows, or every object. Import guide.
Is Stacks only a CRM?
No. Stacks includes CRM, tasks, email tools, invoicing, scheduling, reviews and support. Confirm each workflow and any provider connection you need before replacing an existing tool.
Try your first client follow-up in Stacks
Create a free workspace, add a test contact and work through a follow-up. No card required. Decide whether it fits before moving your business.
Start free → Read the task guide