6 free options · limits checked October 3, 2026
Free CRM for nonprofits: 6 options and their limits
A free CRM can carry a small nonprofit a long way, as long as you know the limits: users, contacts, emails and what happens when you grow. Here are the free options we could confirm on each vendor's own page.
- Free plans and donated licenses
- Limits shown
- From each company's own pages
Sponsored
AttackDesk
Free to start and pay as you go: no monthly fee, and you pay only for what you use, like texts and email. Change your app's own code with your AI tools or a developer to add gift types, campaigns and volunteer hours.
- Free to start
- Pay as you go
- Rewrite the software
- Developer friendly
- Build what you need
Side by side
The 6 free options
Each one in detail
Best for: Any industry that wants its own fields and workflow
- Your own app code
- Texting and calling built in
Each company gets its own app code that it can change with its own AI tools, so a brokerage can add listing fields, a law firm matter stages, a nonprofit donor history or a recruiter candidate pipelines. Texting, calling, email and AI agents are built in, pricing is per company with no per-user fee, and pay as you go has no monthly fee.
Best for: Nonprofits that want free fundraising with a donor CRM
- Free donor CRM and forms
- Plus priced by contacts
The free plan includes donation forms, events, auctions and a donor CRM. Plus is $29 a month billed yearly for up to 250 contacts, $79 for 1,000 and $129 for 2,500 ($33.80, $92.90 and $150.50 monthly).
Best for: Larger nonprofits that want Salesforce's platform
- 10 free licenses for eligible orgs
- Advanced $125
Nonprofit Cloud Core is $70 per user a month billed yearly, Advanced $125 and Max $285. Eligible nonprofits get 10 free licenses.
Best for: Small teams that want to start free
- Free for 2 users
- $1,500 onboarding on Pro
The free plan covers 2 users with no card required. Starter shows $7 per seat a month as a limited-time offer for new customers, billed yearly, against a regular $20. Professional is $90 per seat a month and Enterprise starts at $150, and both carry required one-time onboarding fees of $1,500 and $3,500.
Best for: Cost-conscious sales teams
- Free for 3 users
- Enterprise $40 yearly
Standard is $14 per user a month billed yearly, or $20 month to month. Professional is $23 yearly ($35 monthly) and Enterprise is $40 yearly ($50 monthly). Of the free plans here with stated limits, it allows the most users.
Best for: Startups on a budget
- Free for 3 users
- Pro $39 yearly
Freshworks' plan comparison lists a free plan for up to 3 users, with contacts, deals, a visual pipeline, email sync and a built-in phone. Growth is $9 per user a month billed yearly, or $11 monthly. Pro is $39 yearly ($47 monthly) and Enterprise is $59 yearly ($71 monthly).
Checklist
What to check in a free nonprofit CRM
- Contact limits: HubSpot's free plan stops at 1,000 contacts; check how many donors you have.
- Users: Zoho and Freshsales allow 3 free users, HubSpot 2.
- Gift tracking: general CRMs need setup to track gifts and receipts; Givebutter is built for donations.
- Eligibility: Salesforce's 10 free licenses require nonprofit eligibility.
- The paid step: what the first paid plan costs when you outgrow free.
Common questions
What is the best free CRM for a nonprofit?
Givebutter's free plan is built for nonprofits, with donation forms, events and a donor CRM. Salesforce gives eligible nonprofits 10 free Nonprofit Cloud licenses. General CRMs like HubSpot (2 users, 1,000 contacts), Zoho CRM and Freshsales (3 users each) are also free.
Does Salesforce give nonprofits free licenses?
Yes. Salesforce's nonprofit pricing page says eligible nonprofits get 10 free licenses; paid Nonprofit Cloud starts at $70 per user a month billed yearly.
When should a nonprofit pay for a CRM?
When donor counts pass free-plan limits or you need gift receipts, pledges and volunteer tracking out of the box. See paid options in CRM for nonprofits.