What small-business software actually costs
Every price below was read from the vendor's own pricing page — not estimated, not copied from another article. We re-check them weekly and publish every change we find.
Three things this table shows that vendor pages don't
- Pricing models don't scale alike. Per-user, per-device, and per-organisation costs diverge fast as you grow — and per-device means a laptop plus a desktop is two licences.
- Monthly billing carries a real penalty. Where a vendor offers the choice, the premium is shown below.
- Promotional rates expire. Where a headline price is a new-customer promotion, the note says so — budget for month 13, not month 1.
Passwords
| Product | Plan | Model | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Password | Business | per user | $8.99 | $44.95 | $89.90 | $224.75 | None (14-day trial) |
| Bitwarden | Teams | per user | $4 | $20 | $40 | $100 | Free personal plan; free 2-person org for sharing |
| Proton Pass | Pass Essentials | per user | $5.97 | $9.95 | $19.90 | $49.75 | No business free tier (14-day trial) |
| Keeper | Business Starter | per user | $10 | $10 | $20 | $50 | None (trial) |
| NordPass | Business | per user | $19.95 | $19.95 | $39.90 | $99.75 | No business free tier (14-day trial) |
| Dashlane | Omnix Password Management | per user | $8 | $40 | $80 | $200 | No business free tier (14-day trial) |
Backup
| Product | Plan | Model | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Backup | Business | per device | $8.25 | $41.25 | $82.50 | $206.25 | Trial only |
| IDrive Team | Team (5 users, 5 TB) | pack of 5 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $19.98 | $49.95 | Basic free, 10 GB |
| True Image | Advanced | per device | $6.08 | $30.41 | $60.82 | $152.06 | 30-day trial |
Email & office
| Product | Plan | Model | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | Business Starter | per user | $7 | $35 | $70 | $175 | 14-day trial |
| Microsoft 365 | Business Basic | per user | $7 | $35 | $70 | $175 | 1-month trial |
CRM
| Product | Plan | Model | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pipedrive | Lite | per user | $14 | $70 | $140 | $350 | None (14-day trial, no card) |
| Capsule CRM | Starter | per user | $18 | $90 | $180 | $450 | Free: 2 users, 250 contacts, 1 pipeline |
| HubSpot | Starter Customer Platform | per user | $7 | $35 | $70 | $175 | Free tools: 2 users, 1,000 contacts |
Accounting
| Product | Plan | Model | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books | Standard | per org (3 incl.) | $15 | $20 | $32.50 | $70 | Free forever if revenue under $50K/yr (1 user + accountant) |
| Wave | Pro | per org | $15.83 | $15.83 | $15.83 | $15.83 | Starter free: unlimited invoicing and bookkeeping (card fees apply) |
| QuickBooks Online | Simple Start | per org (1 incl.) | $38 | $38 | $38 | $38 | None (30-day trial or 50% off 3 months) |
| FreshBooks | Lite | per org (1 incl.) | $23 | $67 | $122 | $287 | None (30-day trial) |
E-signature
| Product | Plan | Model | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SignWell | Business (3 senders) | per org (3 incl.) | $30 | $54 | $114 | $294 | Free: 3 documents/month, 1 sender |
Forms
| Product | Plan | Model | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jotform | Bronze | per org (1 incl.) | $34 | $34 | $34 | $34 | Starter free: 5 forms, 100 submissions/month |
The monthly-billing penalty
Where a vendor lets you choose, paying monthly instead of annually costs more — sometimes a lot more. If you're confident you'll keep a tool twelve months, this is the largest discount available to a small team.
| Product | Annual rate | Monthly rate | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot — Starter Customer Platform | $7 | $20 | +186% |
| Proton Pass — Pass Essentials | $1.99 | $4.99 | +151% |
| Pipedrive — Lite | $14 | $24 | +71% |
| NordPass — Business | $3.99 | $5.99 | +50% |
| Zoho Books — Standard | $15 | $20 | +33% |
| IDrive Team — Team (5 users, 5 TB) | $9.99 | $11.99 | +20% |
| Google Workspace — Business Starter | $7 | $8.40 | +20% |
| Wave — Pro | $15.83 | $19 | +20% |
| SignWell — Business (3 senders) | $30 | $36 | +20% |
| Jotform — Bronze | $34 | $39 | +15% |
| Computer Backup — Business | $8.25 | $9 | +9% |
How to use this
- Price your own stack with the cost calculator — it flags where you're paying twice for the same category.
- Compare against a full stack: our costed benchmark puts a complete six-category stack at $216.25/month for five people — and a deliberately lean version at $74.99.
- Watch for changes: the price-change log records what moved and when.
Prices change without notice and vary by region, promotion, and negotiated terms. Always confirm on the vendor's page before purchasing — every product above links to its official source. This page contains no affiliate links.
Get told when these prices change
We re-check all 20 vendors' pricing pages every Monday. When something moves you get one short email: what changed, by how much, the source link, and what it means at your head-count. When nothing moves, one line a month saying so.