Bigin by Zoho CRM

What is Bigin?

Bigin is a CRM from Zoho for small businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets. It keeps contacts, leads and deals in one pipeline view and logs email, calls, WhatsApp and social messages against each record. Workflow automations handle follow-ups, and the Zia AI assistant drafts replies and summarizes records. Zoho says setup takes about 30 minutes.

Who is it for?

Businesses with 1 to 20 employees: agencies, consultancies, real estate firms, schools, clinics, retailers and ecommerce brands. Solo operators fit the free plan. Teams that need complex multi-product sales stages, custom modules or enterprise reporting should look at full Zoho CRM or another CRM.

Pricing

• Free: $0, 1 user, 500 records, 1 pipeline, 3 automations
• Express: $7/user/mo (annual), unlimited users, 50,000 records, 3 pipelines, 30 automations
• Premier: $12/user/mo (annual), unlimited users, 100,000 records, 5 pipelines, 50 automations
• Bigin 360: $18/user/mo (annual), unlimited users, 1 million records, 15 pipelines, 100 automations, 3,000 AI credits a month

There is a 15-day free trial without a card, and a refund within 30 days (monthly plans) or 45 days (annual plans). Prices checked on 6 October 2026.

Strengths

• Free plan: one user gets a pipeline, 500 records and 3 automations at no cost.
• Low entry price: the first paid plan costs $7 per user per month on annual billing.
• Multichannel logging: email, calls, WhatsApp and social messages attach to the contact record.
• Integrations: connects to Zoho Books, QuickBooks, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Shopify and Mailchimp, plus 2,000+ apps through Zapier.
• Mobile apps: iOS and Android apps include the AI features.

What to consider

• The free plan allows one user, one pipeline and 500 records. A second user means a paid plan.
• Express caps you at 3 pipelines and 30 automations. Teams with several sales processes reach that limit quickly.
• AI credits (3,000 a month) come only with Bigin 360, the $18 plan.
• Bigin targets teams of up to 20, so larger sales organisations will need Zoho CRM or another system.

Bottom line

Shortlist Bigin if you run a team of up to 20 and want a pipeline CRM that costs $7 per user or less. Before buying, count your pipelines and automations against the plan caps.