If you run a small business, you probably have a love-hate relationship with your CRM. On one hand, it keeps your customer interactions organized. On the other, it drains your wallet every single month. But how much are you actually paying for it? And is there a better way?

Let’s break it down.

The Real Cost of a CRM

Most small businesses don’t just pay for a CRM – they pay for a whole ecosystem of tools that integrate with it. Here’s what that typically looks like:

1. CRM Software Costs

Popular options like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho charge anywhere from $25 to $300 per user per month depending on features and plan levels. If you have a team of five, that’s an immediate $125 to $1,500 per month just for the base subscription.

Some advanced plans include automation, reporting, and AI-driven analytics, but those come at a premium. Small businesses often end up paying for features they don’t fully utilize.

2. Email Marketing Add-ons

If your CRM doesn’t include built-in email marketing, you might be using a separate tool like Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, or ConvertKit. These services cost between $30 to $300 per month depending on the number of subscribers and emails sent. Many businesses underestimate this cost, but it adds up quickly.

3. Automation & Integrations

Most businesses use CRMs in combination with automation tools like Zapier to connect different apps. This could be an extra $20 to $100 per month just to keep everything running smoothly.

 4. Support, Training & Customization

While many CRM platforms offer customer support, accessing dedicated help often requires an upgraded plan. If you need external consultants or developers to set up or customize your CRM, expect to pay $50 to $200 per hour for their services. This can result in thousands of dollars in setup costs alone.

5. Scaling Costs

As your business grows, you might need to add more users or access premium features. This means your costs will continue to increase year after year. Some CRMs even charge additional fees for extra storage, reporting, or integrations, making it difficult to predict long-term expenses.

Hidden Costs That Add Up

 

Beyond the direct price tag, traditional CRMs come with hidden costs that many business owners don’t consider upfront:

1. Time Spent on Setup & Maintenance*– Configuring a CRM isn’t easy. From setting up workflows to connecting third-party tools, businesses spend **dozens of hours just getting started.
2. Training Your Team – Every new employee needs to learn how to use the system. This can slow productivity and require additional resources.
3. Feature Overload – Many CRMs pack in features that small businesses never use, but you’re still paying for them in your monthly plan.
4. Long-Term Contracts – Some CRMs require annual commitments or lock you into contracts that make it difficult to switch if you find a better solution.

The Total Cost of Ownership

When you factor in all these elements, a small business can easily end up spending $6,000 to $18,000 per year on CRM-related expenses. Over five years, that’s $30,000 to $90,000 – a significant investment that could be better used elsewhere.

What’s the Alternative?

For many small businesses, an expensive, one-size-fits-all CRM isn’t the best option. But what if you could build your own CRM, customized for your business, without hiring developers or spending months on setup?

That’s exactly what Fuzen.io lets you do.

Build Your Own CRM in Minutes with AI

Instead of paying monthly for a CRM that may or may not fit your business, you can create your own using Fuzen.io’s AI app builder.

• Simply chat with the AI assistant, tell it what you need (lead tracking, email automation, pipeline management, etc.), and it will build the first version of your CRM.
• You can then customize or modify it as your business evolves.
• Need tweaks? Just continue the conversation with the AI assistant, and it will make the changes for you.
• Prefer a ready-made solution? You can buy pre-designed CRM templates from the Fuzen app marketplace – all at a one-time cost (no recurring fees!).

Why Fuzen Makes Sense for Small Businesses

1. No Monthly Subscriptions – You pay once and own your CRM forever.
2. Custom Fit – Unlike traditional CRMs, Fuzen builds a system based on your needs.
3. Easy to Use – No coding required. Just chat with the AI assistant, and it does the work for you.
4. Scales with Your Business – Make modifications whenever needed, without hiring developers.

The Bottom Line

Most small businesses are overpaying for CRMs, often locked into expensive subscriptions for features they don’t need. With Fuzen, you get a custom CRM without the ongoing costs – and the best part? No coding required.

So before you renew that CRM subscription, ask yourself: Do I really need to pay thousands per year, or is there a smarter way?