Best free CRM for recruitment: free plans, free trials and their limits

One free plan, several trials

The best free CRM for recruitment is Zoho Recruit's staffing edition, the only one of these five tools with a free plan on its page: Forever Free allows 1 active job. Recruit CRM, Manatal, Loxo and Crelate offer free trials instead, and Recruit CRM's runs 30 days.

A recruitment CRM tracks client companies, contacts and deals, and an applicant tracking system (ATS) tracks candidates and jobs. Zoho's Standard plan is $25 per user per month billed annually (Zoho's price data), as read on October 27, 2026.

Zoho Recruit's Forever Free plan and its limits

Forever Free allows 1 active job and does not parse resumes; parsing starts on Standard at 250 a day. Two-way email sync (IMAP) starts on Professional. Zoho words the plan as perfect for testing the waters.

Standard is $25 per user per month billed annually or $30 billed monthly, per Zoho's price data, with 100 active jobs. Zoho adds local taxes to its prices.

Free trials: Recruit CRM, Manatal, Loxo and Crelate

Recruit CRM's trial ends at 30 days or at the caps in the table, whichever comes first, and deleted records and imports still count. Its sign-up page says no credit card is required. It is trial only, with no free plan; the Recruit CRM free trial guide covers the terms.

Manatal gives 14 days with no card, then charges if a valid payment method was entered. Loxo gives a free 7-day trial of the full Professional plan with no credit card. Crelate says you can start a free trial without talking to sales and states no length.

What a free start costs later

Recruit CRM's terms apply during the trial, charges start with the subscription, and a contract is signed in the product before it activates. Its home page says "Free to start, no contracts", while its terms make all charges nonrefundable and the rest of a term's charges due if you end early. After an unsubscribed trial, the terms keep your data 14 days, so export first.

Loxo Core is sold as annual plans paid up front, from $149 per user per month. Pick Zoho Recruit to stay free, Manatal for the lowest paid seat among the five, and Recruit CRM when the desk wants an ATS, client CRM and invoicing in one system. Recruit CRM vs Zoho Recruit and ATS for freelance recruiters go deeper on the cheapest starts.

Recruit CRM's 30 days can become 90 if you extend twice before reaching the caps.