Kommo alternatives: free and cheaper CRMs, and when you need an AI agent instead

This is for sales-led small businesses that use Kommo, or are close to buying it, and want to check the alternatives before committing to six months. You get Kommo's real prices and billing terms, the upfront cost for a three-person team on each option, the free CRMs worth trying, and a simple test for whether your problem is a CRM problem at all.

By Ritchie, ReplyKit · Published 17 October 2026 · 8 min read

What does Kommo cost, and why does the bill arrive in one go?

Kommo is US$25, US$35 or US$45 per user a month, billed in US dollars. Monthly payment is not offered: the shortest subscription is six months, paid upfront, according to Kommo's pricing page in October 2026.

Kommo connects WhatsApp through the official WhatsApp Business Platform, so Meta's message charges are separate; Kommo links to its own calculator for those. Unused AI credits do not roll over. There is a 14-day free trial with no card and no free plan.

Kommo is a strong product for teams who sell in chat all day. Its pipeline, Salesbot builder and multi-user roles are deeper than anything in a pure messaging tool. The common reasons people look elsewhere are the six-month upfront bill, the per-user maths as a team grows, and that the AI agent features sit on Advanced and Pro. Our ReplyKit vs Kommo page covers the head-to-head.

Do you need a CRM, or something that answers your messages?

If people on your team spend the day moving deals through stages, you need a CRM. If leads go cold because nobody replied in time, you need something that answers first. Many small businesses buy the first when their problem is the second.

Ask yourself these four questions:

1. How many people work leads every day? Three or more, with handovers between them, points to a CRM.
2. Where do deals stall? If it is "waiting for our reply", a CRM will record the delay but not fix it.
3. What happens to messages after 7pm? If the answer is "they wait until morning", look at an AI agent.
4. Do you need reports by salesperson? That is CRM territory.

Speed matters more than most owners think. A Harvard Business Review study of online leads found that firms that tried to contact a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as those that tried an hour later (HBR, 2011). Our guide on WhatsApp response time and leads goes further. And our WhatsApp CRM guide explains how little CRM most small businesses actually use.

Kommo alternatives compared

Here is how the main alternatives differ on the three things that usually decide it: how they charge, how you commit, and whether an AI answers customers.

What does a three-person team pay upfront?

On Kommo Base, three users cost US$450 before you start, because the six months are paid at once. On most alternatives you can pay monthly and leave sooner.

Prices from each vendor's pricing page, checked October 2026. HubSpot's price is per seat; that WhatsApp sits on its Professional tiers comes from our earlier check, so confirm it on HubSpot's site. Official API tools add Meta's message charges, which since 1 October 2026 include service replies after 1,000 free a month per number (Meta).

Is there a free Kommo alternative?

Yes, for the CRM part. Bitrix24 has a free plan, HubSpot has free CRM tools for up to two users, and Zoho CRM is free for three users. WhatsApp and AI answering usually need a paid plan on all of them.

• Bitrix24 Free includes a basic CRM with deals and contacts, tasks, calendars and chat. Its plan card describes it as free for one to two users, and its FAQ notes that telephony and marketplace apps need a paid plan. WhatsApp integration is listed from Basic.
• HubSpot Free includes the CRM, live chat with HubSpot branding and a meetings link, free for up to two users with no card.
• Zoho CRM Free is listed as free forever for three users.

A free CRM records conversations; it does not reply to them. If replying is the gap, see our free WhatsApp chatbot guide for what is genuinely free on that side.

Each Kommo alternative in brief

We make ReplyKit, so weigh our view accordingly. Each line says when the tool is the better choice than Kommo.

• Choose Bitrix24 when you want CRM, tasks and internal chat for a whole team at one flat price, and you are happy with a busy interface. Basic is US$49 a month billed annually for five users, Standard US$99 for 50 users. There is a 15-day trial.
• Choose HubSpot when you expect to grow into marketing automation and want the most widely used small business CRM. Start free; budget for Professional if you need WhatsApp inside it. Our HubSpot WhatsApp comparison has the detail.
• Choose Respond.io when several people answer WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email and you need assignment, workflows and reports more than deal stages. Starter is US$79 a month billed yearly; AI Agents start on Growth at US$159.
• Choose Trengo when you are in Europe with a team of up to ten in one inbox. Boost is €299 a month billed annually, with AI conversations charged on top.
• Choose ReplyKit when the job is answering WhatsApp and website enquiries in seconds, qualifying them and booking appointments, and a light pipeline is enough. Plans are US$29, US$49 and US$99 a month with AI replies included. See pricing.

Where ReplyKit fits: next to a CRM, or instead of one

ReplyKit is not a full CRM. It is an AI agent that answers WhatsApp and website chat from your own content, qualifies leads and books appointments, with a shared inbox and a simple leads pipeline.

The AI captures name, need, budget and timing in a normal conversation and scores each lead hot, warm or cold. Say a renovation contractor gets 25 WhatsApp enquiries a week, half of them after hours. The AI answers the price range from the contractor's PDF, asks about the job size and timing, offers a site visit slot and books it. In the morning the owner sees the hot leads first. When a chat needs a person, the owner is notified and takes over in one click; the AI pauses for that chat.

WhatsApp connects through Quick Connect, which pairs your number by QR code in about two minutes. It is unofficial and not sanctioned by Meta, a number can be restricted, and we recommend a dedicated number. The upside is no Meta fees and no approval process.

When ReplyKit is the wrong choice. If you need deep pipelines with tasks, roles and per-salesperson reports, broadcasts, Instagram or Messenger, or a live sync into another CRM, choose Kommo or one of the CRMs above. ReplyKit has no Zapier, webhooks or native CRM integrations; leads leave by CSV export. Some teams run both: ReplyKit answers and books, and a weekly CSV goes into the CRM. Our guide to moving WhatsApp leads into a CRM shows how.

You can test the answering side on your own enquiries with the 7-day free trial before deciding whether you still need a bigger CRM.

Frequently asked questions

ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp, or by Kommo or any other vendor named here. Third-party prices are taken from public pricing pages as checked in October 2026 and may change. This article is general guidance, not financial advice.