Comparison guide

Notion CRM templates for freelancers vs free CRMs and freelancer apps (2026)

Disclosure: we make Clientsroster Client Database for Freelancers, one of the options below. This comparison is made from public information on each vendor's own pages, checked 2026-11-11; we did not receive anything from the other vendors.

If you want a free CRM and do not use Notion, HubSpot's free CRM is the simplest start. If you work in Notion and only need a basic lead and contact tracker, the free OnePageCRM template for Notion costs nothing. If you need to send contracts, invoices and take payments, or want clients to log in to a portal, an app such as Bonsai (Essentials plan), Moxie or Dubsado fits better than any Notion template, ours included. Our Notion template suits solo freelancers in Notion who want leads, clients, projects, invoices and notes in one place with a worked example and message drafts, for a one-time price.

Prices checked 2026-11-11.

This guide compares ways a solo freelancer can keep track of leads and clients: free and paid Notion templates, a free CRM, and subscription business apps for freelancers. It is a comparison made from public information on the vendors' own pricing and product pages, checked on 2026-11-11, not from hands-on testing. Prices change, so check the linked page before you pay.

How we compared

• Price as shown on the vendor's own page: free, one-time, or subscription (monthly vs annual billing, per user where stated)
• What it tracks: leads, clients, projects, invoices, notes
• Whether it can send invoices, contracts or take payments, or only records them
• Whether it offers a client-facing portal
• Sign-up or plan requirements (Notion account, credit card, trial length)

The options

HubSpot free CRM

HubSpot · freemium · USD 0 per month (free plan, up to two users, no credit card required); paid Starter shown from USD 7 per seat per month billed annually as a limited-time new-customer price · price checked 2026-11-11 on the vendor page

A standalone CRM with a free plan that HubSpot says has no time limit. The free plan is for up to two users and 1,000 contacts.

Good:

• Free with no credit card required and no time limit on free access, per HubSpot's pricing page
• A dedicated CRM app, so you do not build or maintain the database yourself

Watch out:

• The free plan is capped at 1,000 contacts and two users; more needs paid seats
• Not a Notion template: if your projects and notes already live in Notion, your client records sit in a separate tool

Best for: Freelancers who want a free contact and deal tracker and do not work in Notion

Free CRM Template in Notion

OnePageCRM · free · USD 0 (free template, no paid subscription or email address needed) · price checked 2026-11-11 on the vendor page

A free Notion CRM template from the CRM company OnePageCRM, aimed at small businesses, freelancers and solopreneurs, with contacts, next steps and a Kanban deals pipeline. You need a Notion account to add it to your workspace.

Good:

• Free, and the page says it works on Notion's free tier
• Includes a step-by-step guide and a video tutorial

Watch out:

• The page itself says it is not built for full email integration, email sequencing, bulk emailing or sales forecasting
• Focused on contacts, next steps and deals; the page does not describe project or invoice tracking

Best for: Notion users who want a free lead and deal pipeline and nothing more

Freelance OS

Notion Everything · paid · USD 79 one-time (sale price shown on 2026-11-11, marked limited time; the page's FAQ refers to a USD 129 price) · price checked 2026-11-11 on the vendor page

A larger paid Notion template for freelancers with modules for projects and tasks, clients (CRM), time tracking, meetings, notes, invoices and finances, plus extra templates and an onboarding guide.

Good:

• One-time purchase with lifetime access and lifetime template updates, per the seller
• Covers more ground than a client database: time tracking, finances, goals and a portfolio page

Watch out:

• The page says refunds are not issued once the files have been downloaded
• Its Financial Reports page needs a paid Notion Plus plan because Notion's free plan shows only one chart at a time, per the seller
• The current price is a time-limited sale, so the price you pay may differ

Best for: Freelancers who want one big Notion workspace that also covers time and finances

Bonsai

Bonsai · paid · Basic USD 15 per user per month billed monthly or USD 9 per user per month billed annually; Essentials (adds invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, client portal) USD 25 per user per month monthly or USD 19 annually · price checked 2026-11-11 on the vendor page

A subscription business app for freelancers and agencies. Every plan includes a CRM; invoices and payments, proposals and contracts and a client portal start at the Essentials plan.

Good:

• Sends invoices, proposals and contracts and has a client portal (Essentials plan and above)
• Unlimited clients and projects on every plan

Watch out:

• Ongoing subscription billed per user; the cheapest plan with invoices and contracts is USD 19 per user per month on annual billing
• The Basic plan does not include invoices, contracts or the client portal

Best for: Freelancers who need to send proposals, contracts and invoices and get paid from one app

Moxie

Moxie · paid · Starter USD 12 per month billed monthly or USD 10 per month billed annually (USD 120 per year); Pro USD 25 per month monthly or USD 20 per month annually (USD 240 per year) · price checked 2026-11-11 on the vendor page

A subscription app for freelancers with client and project management, invoicing, proposals, quotes and contracts, time tracking and a sales pipeline on the Starter plan.

Good:

• Starter already includes invoicing, proposals, quotes and contracts, time tracking and a sales pipeline
• Each plan has a free-trial button on the pricing page

Watch out:

• The white-label client portal is listed only from the Pro plan (USD 20 per month billed annually)
• A recurring subscription rather than a one-time cost

Best for: Solo freelancers who want invoicing and contracts in an app at a lower monthly price than Bonsai's Essentials plan

Dubsado

Dubsado · paid · Starter USD 335 per year; Premier USD 525 per year (only annual prices are shown on the pricing page) · price checked 2026-11-11 on the vendor page

A client management app with unlimited clients and projects, invoicing and payment plans and client portals on both plans. Scheduling, automated workflows and public proposals are Premier features.

Good:

• Client portals and invoicing on both plans
• 21-day free trial of the Premier plan with no credit card required

Watch out:

• The pricing page shows annual prices only, so you pay for a year up front
• Starter allows one active lead capture form and has no scheduling or automated workflows

Best for: Service freelancers who want client portals, invoices and payment plans and are fine paying yearly

Clientsroster Client Database for Freelancers (made by us)

Bardach Technologies · paid · USD 59.99 one-time · price checked 2026-11-11 on the store page

A workspace template for solo freelancers that runs in Notion: six databases (Leads, Clients, Projects, Invoices, Notes, Message Drafts), a lead pipeline from New to Won or Lost, an invoice list with Draft, Sent, Paid and Overdue, a worked example of one sample freelance business, 16 message drafts and 4 guide pages. It is a client database for you, not a client-facing portal, and it records invoices rather than sending them or taking payments.

Good:

• One-time purchase, no subscription
• Comes with a worked sample business and 16 editable message drafts (lead replies, proposal follow-ups, project updates, payment reminders)
• Leads, clients, projects, invoices and notes live together in your own Notion workspace

Watch out:

• Costs money while free Notion CRM templates and HubSpot's free CRM exist
• Views and relations are added by hand after import, following the setup page (about 20 minutes, the seller's estimate)
• Does not send invoices or contracts, take payments or give clients a portal; an app such as Bonsai, Moxie or Dubsado does
• Needs Notion; it is made for freelancers who already work there

Best for: Solo freelancers and consultants in Notion with roughly 5 to 30 active clients who want a ready client database with examples

Template or app: what you actually need

A Notion template is a set of databases inside your own workspace. You record leads, clients, projects and invoice status yourself, and you can change any field. It does not send anything to your clients on its own.

A freelancer business app such as Bonsai, Moxie or Dubsado sends proposals, contracts and invoices, collects payments and, on the plans named above, gives clients a portal to log in to. If that is what you need, an app fits better than any template, including ours. The trade-off is a monthly or yearly subscription.

A free CRM such as HubSpot's sits in between: a dedicated contact and deal database that costs nothing on the free plan, within its limits of two users and 1,000 contacts.

Free Notion templates

Notion's official template gallery has a CRM category, and the CRM templates on its first page are all marked Free. Many sellers on other stores also give basic freelancer CRM templates away. The OnePageCRM template above is one free option with a published guide.

Notion's own Free plan costs USD 0, so a free template on the Free plan costs nothing. Free plan file uploads are limited to 5 MB per file, per Notion's pricing page.

"Client portal" templates vs client databases

Some Notion templates are sold as a client portal: pages meant to be shared with a client. Ours is not one of them: it is a private client database for you. If you want a portal that clients log in to with invoices and payments, Bonsai (Essentials and above), Moxie (Pro) and Dubsado list a client portal on their pricing pages.

Know your rate before you fill the pipeline

A lead's value is only useful if your rate is right. Our free freelance rate calculator works out an hourly or day rate from your income goal, tax set-aside, business costs and billable hours, and needs no sign-up.

Try it free first

Before buying anything, use the Free freelance rate calculator. It is free and needs no sign-up.

Questions

Is there a free CRM for freelancers?

Yes. HubSpot's free CRM costs USD 0 for up to two users and 1,000 contacts with no credit card required, and free Notion CRM templates such as OnePageCRM's work on Notion's free plan.

Can I use Notion as a CRM for my freelance business?

Yes, with a template that has databases for leads, clients and deals. Notion records the information but does not send invoices or take payments, so freelancers who need that usually add an invoicing app or use a freelancer business app instead.

Is a Notion template a client portal?

Only if it is built as a page you share with clients. Many templates, ours included, are private databases for your own use. Apps such as Bonsai, Moxie and Dubsado list a client portal on certain plans.

Do I need a paid Notion plan for these templates?

The free OnePageCRM template says it works on Notion's free tier. Notion Everything says its Freelance OS works on the free plan except one financial reports page that needs Notion Plus.

When is a freelancer app better than a Notion template?

When you want to send proposals, contracts and invoices, collect payments or give clients a portal from one place. A template is better when you want a low or one-time cost and full control of your own fields.

Sources

• HubSpot CRM pricing
• OnePageCRM: Free CRM Template in Notion
• Notion Everything: Freelance OS
• Bonsai pricing
• Moxie pricing
• Dubsado pricing
• Notion pricing
• Notion template gallery: CRM templates

• All comparison guidesMore honest comparisons
• All free toolsCalculators that need no sign-up