HubSpot Free CRM 1,000 contacts: when indies should buy Starter

When overseas indie builders start capturing leads, they often search whether HubSpot Free CRM’s 1,000 contacts are enough. This article does not compare Mailchimp versus HubSpot. It only covers Free CRM’s stated caps and when Starter is worth a look. Facts are anchored to HubSpot’s Free CRM page as of 2026-09-28.

What the Free CRM page states

The page says Free CRM has no expiration date, up to two users, and 1,000 contacts. Starter starts around $15 per seat per month with required fields, permission sets, multiple currencies, and branding removal. Professional around $50 per seat is usually not the first decision. Ask whether a minimal lead-to-close loop fits inside two writable users and 1,000 contacts.

Spend 1,000 contacts on a working set

Import only people who might talk within about 90 days. Deduplicate by email. Use lifecycle stages instead of cloning contacts per channel. Near 800, archive cold records under a compliance-aware policy. Link large files elsewhere—CRM owns relationships and stages.

How two users should split

Two seats fit founder plus seller or support. Evaluate a paid seat for a third writable user instead of shared passwords. Meet read-only needs with exports. Buy Starter permission features only after Free process works.

When to consider Starter—and when to wait

Evaluate Starter when contacts still exceed 1,000 after cleaning, a third writable user is mandatory, or branding/permissions are required. Wait when two users and cleaning keep the system healthy and email lives elsewhere. Recheck the live page before paying.

Read this beside comparison articles

Toolvori’s Mailchimp versus HubSpot piece covers stack choice. This page answers Free CRM quota only. Write import, dedupe, and archive rules, recheck quarterly, and prefer hygiene over seats until ceilings are real.

Keep the official numbers on a pinned ops note with a review date and source URL. When someone claims the free tier is always enough or that you must upgrade today, open the note instead of arguing from memory. Write upgrade triggers as a checklist: two consecutive weeks at the ceiling, mainline delivery blocked, link-out discipline already exhausted, and a paid feature that maps to the exact gap. Pay only when two of the four are true. Even as a solo builder, leave the checklist for your future self so release week does not trigger impulse subscriptions.

Pick one light monthly review: current usage, broken outbound links, and whether guests or collaborators are still needed. A single memo is enough. The conclusion should be stay on free, clean up and wait another month, or start a paid evaluation—with the next review date written in the same paragraph.

Keep the official numbers on a pinned ops note with a review date and source URL. When someone claims the free tier is always enough or that you must upgrade today, open the note instead of arguing from memory. Write upgrade triggers as a checklist: two consecutive weeks at the ceiling, mainline delivery blocked, link-out discipline already exhausted, and a paid feature that maps to the exact gap. Pay only when two of the four are true. Even as a solo builder, leave the checklist for your future self so release week does not trigger impulse subscriptions.

Pick one light monthly review: current usage, broken outbound links, and whether guests or collaborators are still needed. A single memo is enough. The conclusion should be stay on free, clean up and wait another month, or start a paid evaluation—with the next review date written in the same paragraph.