Compare what “free” actually means for lead capture, qualification, assignment, follow-up, conversion, automation, reporting, and future growth.
Permanent free, free trial, and free self-hosted software create very different costs and risks.
A zero-dollar starting price does not mean the same thing across products.
| Free model | What it gives you | What to price next |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent cloud tier | Ongoing access within user, record, automation, reporting, storage, or feature limits | The first paid step and whether growth forces a product redesign |
| Time-limited trial | A short evaluation of a paid product or edition | Trial length, post-trial access, data export, and the actual paid plan |
| Self-hosted open source | Source code and license rights without per-user SaaS fees | Hosting, security, upgrades, backups, email, monitoring, extensions, and support |
Official terms change. Recheck the linked source and test the current account limits before rollout.
Up to five users testing a configurable lead process
Free-to-start application with forms, related records, workflow, permissions, dashboards, and adaptable lead fields.Up to two users wanting free CRM and lead tools without an expiration date
Free contact, deal, task, activity, pipeline, reporting, and selected lead-management capabilities.Up to three users wanting a permanent free sales CRM
Free leads, contacts, accounts, deals, activities, mobile, reports, and a limited set of workflow and webform capabilities.Teams evaluating a broad CRM and collaboration suite
A free tier across selected CRM, task, communication, contact-center, and collaboration capabilities.Very small teams evaluating a limited Salesforce starting point
A free starting edition for a small number of users with basic CRM and connected Salesforce capabilities.Teams wanting to test Freshsales before choosing a paid plan
A time-limited trial can test contact lifecycle, deals, communication, workflows, reporting, and plan-specific features.Teams wanting a short, full-product pipeline evaluation
A 14-day trial can test pipeline, deals, activities, email, automation, reporting, mobile, and integrations.Teams able to operate a free open-source CRM on their own infrastructure
Open-source contacts, deals, cases, email campaigns, layouts, fields, workflows, dashboards, REST API, and self-hosting control.Avoid spending migration effort on a free tier that cannot support the first real workflow.
Every required role can see and update the correct leads.
The free user limit excludes a manager, reviewer, or operations owner.
Capture, qualification, ownership, follow-up, conversion, and rejection are connected.
The free tier stores contacts but gates the workflow that prevents leakage.
The team can run its essential reminders, exception queues, and dashboards that open the affected records.
The required rule or report exists only in a higher edition.
Data export, upgrade, retention, and ownership are understood before import.
A “free” pilot creates lock-in before the team knows the paid cost.
Some products have permanent free tiers, some offer only trials, and open-source products shift cost to hosting and administration. Check current users, records, workflows, reporting, support, storage, and upgrade rules.
The first limit your operating model will cross. For one team that may be users; for another it may be records, automation, reporting, history, email, or integrations.
Jodoo currently offers a free starting plan for up to five users. Confirm current usage and feature limits on the official pricing page before rollout.
Pilot the real forms, qualification records, follow-up workflow, permissions, and dashboards before expanding.
Choose the path that can run the first real month of work with the least hidden upgrade or administration cost.
