From: From $12/seat/mo (billed annually)
Bigin by Zoho
7.8Zoho's lightweight, free-forever pipeline CRM for small business.
Visit websiteFree, paid from $7/user/mo (billed annually)

The verdict
The best free-tier CRM on the market right now simply because the free plan ships with an official MCP server too.
Best for: Small businesses (1-20 employees) who've outgrown spreadsheets but find full Zoho CRM too complex.
AI-stack fit
74/100Zoho ships an official 'Zoho MCP for Bigin' server connecting to Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini CLI, and VS Code (help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/bigin/zoho-mcp-for-bigin), available even on lower tiers, alongside standard API/webhook access.
MCP support
Official MCP server
Public API
REST API
Works with
Claude / Claude CodeChatGPTGeminiZapier / Make
What's good
- A genuinely functional free-forever plan (1 pipeline, 500 records), not just a time-limited trial
- Official Zoho-built MCP server connects directly to Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini CLI, and VS Code
- Zia AI features (reply assistant, churn analyzer, smart summaries) are bundled from the Premier tier up, not sold separately
What's not
- Record caps scale with tier (500 free up to 1M on the top plan), which can bite as your database grows
- AI features are metered via monthly AI credits that run out
- Deeper CRM capability (advanced forecasting, territory management) means graduating to full Zoho CRM
Bigin by Zoho pricing
Free, paid from $7/user/mo (billed annually). Verified 2026-09-03.
| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 pipeline, 500 records. |
| Express | $7/user/mo (billed annually) | 3 pipelines, 50,000 records. |
| Premier | $12/user/mo (billed annually) | 5 pipelines, 100,000 records. |
| Bigin 360 | $18/user/mo (billed annually) | Most popular, 15 pipelines, 1M records. |
In-depth written review coming soon. The structured scorecard above reflects Revenue Directory's current assessment of Bigin by Zoho.
Compare Bigin by Zoho alternatives
See all alternatives →85AI-fit· GRAPHQL API
80AI-fit· REST API
From: From $65/user/mo (billed annually)
73AI-fit· REST API
From: From $14/seat/mo (billed annually)