Compare CRM software for Australian businesses. See per-user costs, contact limits, pipeline management, marketing automation, and integrations side by side.
Estimates use each free plan where your team fits, otherwise the paid entry plan times your user count. Turn on the automation toggle to compare paid plans, since free plans exclude marketing automation. Monday CRM has a 3-seat minimum. ActiveCampaign is priced by contacts, not users.
HubSpot | ActiveCampaign | Freshsales | Zoho CRM | Copper | Monday CRM | Pipedrive | Salesforce | Insightly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Est. Cost /mo (AUD) | $0/moCheapest | $21/mo | $63/mo | $70/mo | $84/mo | $84/mo | $114/mo | $175/mo | $203/mo |
| Costs & Pricing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | Free | Starter | Growth | Standard | Starter | Basic | Essential | Starter Suite | Plus |
| Price per user /mo | $28/seat/mo (Starter) | Per contact (from $21/mo) | $13/user/mo (Growth) | $14/user/mo (Standard) | $17/user/mo (Starter) | $17/seat/mo (Basic) | $23/user/mo (Essential) | $35/user/mo (Starter Suite) | $41/user/mo (Plus) |
| Free tier | ✓unlimited users | ✕ | ✓3 users | ✓3 users | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓2 users |
| Monthly base fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Contact limit (entry plan) | 1,000 (Starter) | 1,000 (Starter) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Setup/onboarding fee | None (Starter) | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None |
| Pricing currency | USD | USD | USD | AUD | USD | USD | EUR | USD | USD |
| Minimum seats | None | None | None | None | None | 3 | None | None | None |
| Contract required | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | Annual | ✕ | ✕ | Annual | ✕ |
| Sales & Pipeline | |||||||||
| Pipeline management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓best-in-class | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓Gmail native | ✓Standard+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Marketing automation | ✓Starter+ | ✓best-in-class | ✓Growth+ | Professional+ | Professional+ | Pro+ | Advanced+ | Add-on (Marketing Cloud) | Add-on |
| Reporting/dashboards | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓advanced | ✓ |
| AI features | ✓Breeze AI | ✓predictive AI | ✓Freddy AI | ✓Zia AI | Limited | ✓Monday AI | ✓Pipedrive AI | ✓Einstein AI | Limited |
| Workflow automation | ✓Starter+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓Professional+ | Limited (Standard+) | ✓Advanced+ | ✓Flow | ✓ |
| Features & Integrations | |||||||||
| Integrations ecosystem | 1,000+ | 870+ | 200+ | 1,000+ | 100+ (Google focus) | 200+ | 400+ | 5,000+ | 250+ |
| Built-in phone/calling | ✓ | Via integrations | ✓built-in | Via integrations | Via integrations | Via integrations | Via integrations | ✓ | Via integrations |
| Mobile app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Customer support | 24/7 chat | 24/7 chat | Business hours | Business hours | Business hours | 24/7 online | Business hours | Business hours | Business hours |
A few things to know before you switch.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software helps businesses manage contacts, track sales pipelines, automate marketing, and improve customer relationships. It replaces spreadsheets and manual tracking with a centralised system your whole team can access.
Per-user CRM pricing ranges from free (HubSpot, Zoho, Freshsales) to around $14/user/mo for Zoho Standard, up to roughly $230/user/mo for Salesforce Enterprise. Most providers charge per user per month, so your total cost depends on team size. All prices on MerchantCompare are shown in AUD, even for providers that bill in USD or EUR.
Yes. Most CRM providers (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Freshsales) publish pricing in USD or EUR. We convert every price to Australian dollars so you can compare costs directly. The "Pricing currency" field shows each provider native billing currency. Exchange rates are updated periodically.
The most common hidden costs are mandatory onboarding fees (HubSpot charges from about $2,100 on Professional plans), contact overage charges when you exceed your contact limit, annual contract lock-in, and add-on pricing for features like marketing automation or advanced reporting. Our comparison table surfaces these costs so there are no surprises.
Free CRM plans from HubSpot, Zoho (3 users), and Freshsales (3 users) are genuinely usable for small teams. They include contact management, deal tracking, and basic reporting. You will outgrow free plans when you need marketing automation, advanced reporting, or more users. Turn on the automation toggle in our calculator to see paid pricing, since free plans exclude marketing automation.
Most major CRMs integrate with Xero and MYOB, the two leading Australian accounting platforms. HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho, and Pipedrive all offer Xero integrations. Check the "Integrations ecosystem" field in our comparison table for each provider integration capabilities.
Most CRMs charge per user (each team member who logs in). ActiveCampaign is unusual in charging per contact (the number of people in your database). Per-user pricing is simpler to predict. Per-contact pricing can be cheaper for large teams with small databases, but expensive if your contact list grows.
For budget-conscious teams, Zoho CRM offers the best value with AUD pricing from $14/user/mo. HubSpot free plan is the best starting point if you are not sure what you need. Pipedrive is the top choice for sales-focused teams who want the best pipeline management. Freshsales offers the most features for the price, including a built-in phone. Use our comparison tool to find the best fit for your team size and budget.
Our team can help you evaluate your options based on your team size, sales process, and existing software stack.