SaaS Guide · Updated September 2026
Best Free SaaS Tools 2026: 40+ Tools That Cost Nothing
10 categories · Real free tier limits · When you need to upgrade
Quick answer: You can run a startup on free SaaS tools for 6-12 months. ClickUp (PM), Notion (docs), Figma (design), HubSpot (CRM), GitHub (code), and Slack (chat) all have generous free tiers. The main limits are storage, automation, and message history. Here are 40+ free tools across 10 categories.
Project Management: Free Tiers
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Key Features |
Upgrade Trigger |
| ClickUp |
Unlimited users |
Tasks, docs, 100MB storage |
Need Gantt, automations, or more storage |
| Notion |
Unlimited users |
Docs, databases, 5MB/file limit |
Need collaboration, version history |
| Trello |
Unlimited users |
10 boards/workspace, unlimited cards |
Need more than 10 boards |
| Asana |
10 users |
Tasks, list/board/calendar views |
Team grows past 10 users |
| Monday.com |
2 users |
3 boards, 200+ templates |
Only 2 users (useless for teams) |
| Linear |
10 members |
Issues, projects, basic cycles |
Need cycles, roadmaps, analytics |
Best free PM tool: ClickUp Free supports unlimited users and offers the most features. Trello Free is simpler but limited to 10 boards. For engineering teams, Linear Free is excellent for up to 10 members.
Design Tools: Free Tiers
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Key Features |
Upgrade Trigger |
| Figma |
3 files, unlimited viewers |
Design, prototyping, collaboration |
Need more than 3 active files |
| Canva |
250,000+ templates |
Graphics, presentations, social |
Need Brand Kit, background remover |
| Excalidraw |
Unlimited |
Whiteboard, diagrams, collaboration |
Need saved libraries, exports |
| Penpot |
Unlimited |
Open source design tool |
Need shared projects, storage |
| Unsplash |
Unlimited |
Free stock photos |
Need premium photos |
Developer Tools: Free Tiers
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Key Features |
Upgrade Trigger |
| GitHub |
Unlimited repos |
Code, CI/CD (2,000 min/mo), Actions |
Need advanced security, larger runners |
| Vercel |
Hobby (personal) |
Deploy, preview, 100GB bandwidth |
Need team features, more bandwidth |
| Netlify |
100GB bandwidth/mo |
Deploy, forms, 125K function invocations |
Need more bandwidth, team features |
| Supabase |
2 projects |
Postgres, auth, storage, 500MB DB |
Need more projects, larger DB |
| PlanetScale |
1 database |
MySQL, branching, 5GB storage |
Need more databases, larger storage |
| Railway |
$5 credit/mo |
Deploy, databases, 500GB bandwidth |
Exceed $5 monthly credit |
CRM and Sales: Free Tiers
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Key Features |
Upgrade Trigger |
| HubSpot CRM |
Unlimited contacts |
Deals, tasks, email tracking, live chat |
Need sequences, advanced reporting |
| Notion CRM |
Unlimited (template) |
Custom CRM with databases |
Need automation, integrations |
| Airtable |
1,000 records/base |
Spreadsheet-database hybrid |
Need more records, automations |
| Streak |
500 contacts |
Gmail CRM, pipelines |
Need more contacts, integrations |
Best free CRM: HubSpot CRM offers unlimited contacts, deals, and tasks on its free tier. It includes email tracking, meeting scheduling, and live chat. For basic CRM needs, HubSpot Free is the best alternative to Salesforce.
Communication: Free Tiers
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Key Features |
Upgrade Trigger |
| Slack |
Unlimited users |
90-day message history, 10 integrations |
Need full history, more integrations |
| Discord |
Unlimited |
Voice, text, screen share, 25MB files |
Need larger file uploads, HD video |
| Zoom |
100 participants |
40-min meetings, screen share |
Need longer meetings, cloud recording |
| Google Meet |
100 participants |
60-min meetings, screen share |
Need recording, breakout rooms |
| Loom |
25 videos |
Screen recording, 5-min limit |
Need longer recordings, more videos |
Marketing and Email: Free Tiers
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Key Features |
Upgrade Trigger |
| Mailchimp |
500 contacts |
Email, landing pages, basic automations |
Need more contacts, A/B testing |
| Beehiiv |
2,500 subscribers |
Newsletter, referral program |
Need custom domains, more subscribers |
| Substack |
Unlimited |
Newsletter, paid subscriptions |
Need custom domains (10% fee on paid) |
| ConvertKit |
1,000 subscribers |
Email, landing pages, forms |
Need automations, sequences |
| Carrd |
3 sites |
One-page websites, forms |
Need custom domains, more sites |
Analytics: Free Tiers
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Key Features |
Upgrade Trigger |
| Google Analytics |
Unlimited |
Traffic, conversions, audiences |
Need advanced analysis (GA360) |
| Plausible |
Self-hosted only |
Privacy-focused, lightweight |
Need cloud hosting ($9/mo) |
| PostHog |
1M events/mo |
Product analytics, session replay |
Need more events, advanced features |
| Mixpanel |
20M events/mo |
Product analytics, funnels |
Need data warehouse, advanced reports |
Finance and Accounting: Free Tiers
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Key Features |
Upgrade Trigger |
| Wave |
Unlimited |
Invoicing, accounting, receipts |
Need payroll, payment processing |
| Stripe |
No monthly fee |
Payments (2.9% + 30¢ per transaction) |
Need custom pricing (high volume) |
| Mercury |
Unlimited |
Banking, cards, bill pay |
Need treasury, advanced features |
| Brex |
Unlimited |
Corporate cards, expense management |
Need advanced controls, integrations |
AI Tools: Free Tiers
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Key Features |
Upgrade Trigger |
| ChatGPT |
GPT-4o mini |
Chat, code, analysis (limited) |
Need GPT-4o, more usage, DALL-E |
| Claude |
Claude 3.5 Sonnet |
Chat, code, analysis (limited) |
Need more usage, Claude 3.5 Opus |
| Gemini |
Gemini 1.5 Flash |
Chat, code, Google integration |
Need Gemini Pro, more usage |
| GitHub Copilot |
2,000 completions/mo |
Code completion, chat |
Need unlimited completions |
| Perplexity |
Limited searches |
AI search with citations |
Need more searches, Pro search |
Free tier traps: Free tiers are designed to get you hooked. Common limitations include storage caps (ClickUp 100MB, Notion 5MB/file), user limits (Asana 10 users, Monday 2 users), feature gates (no Gantt, no automations, no AI), and message history (Slack 90 days). You will likely need to upgrade within 6-12 months as your team grows.
Free SaaS Stack for a Pre-Seed Startup
You can run a startup on $0-50/month using free SaaS tools. Here is a complete stack:
| Category |
Tool |
Cost |
| Project Management |
ClickUp Free |
$0 |
| Docs and Wiki |
Notion Free |
$0 |
| Design |
Figma Free |
$0 |
| CRM |
HubSpot Free |
$0 |
| Code |
GitHub Free |
$0 |
| Deploy |
Vercel Hobby |
$0 |
| Chat |
Slack Free |
$0 |
| Meetings |
Google Meet Free |
$0 |
| Email |
Gmail Free |
$0 |
| Analytics |
Google Analytics |
$0 |
| Payments |
Stripe (2.9% + 30¢) |
Per transaction |
| Total |
|
$0/month |
Total cost: $0/month. This stack covers PM, docs, design, CRM, code, deploy, chat, meetings, email, analytics, and payments. You only pay Stripe transaction fees when you make money. Upgrade individual tools as you grow past free tier limits.
When Free Tiers Expire: Upgrade Costs
Free tiers work until they do not. Here is what you will pay when you outgrow them:
| Tool |
Free Limit |
Paid Price |
Jump |
| ClickUp |
100MB storage |
$7/user/mo |
Unlimited storage, Gantt, automations |
| Notion |
5MB/file, limited collab |
$10/user/mo |
Unlimited file uploads, full collaboration |
| Figma |
3 files |
$15/user/mo |
Unlimited files, team libraries |
| HubSpot |
Basic CRM |
$20/seat/mo |
Sequences, advanced reporting, AI |
| Slack |
90-day history |
$8.75/user/mo |
Full history, unlimited integrations |
| GitHub |
Basic CI/CD |
$4/user/mo |
Advanced security, larger runners |
Budget for growth: A 10-person team upgrading from free tiers to paid plans costs approximately $300-500/month. Plan for this expense as you grow. Lock in annual pricing to save 15-20% on each tool.