Stack Cost Index
How much should your software stack cost?
Choose the categories your business needs and compare three different numbers: the constrained free-tier floor, the cheapest credible paid stack, and a typical paid benchmark. Per-seat plans scale with the representative team size instead of one generic multiplier.
Choose what belongs in the stack
Estimated monthly benchmarks
Representative seats: 1. The free-tier floor uses free plans only where their seat and plan limits can cover this modeled team; otherwise the cheapest eligible paid plan is included. Lean paid chooses the cheapest eligible paid plan per category. Typical uses the median eligible paid-plan cost in the current pricing data.
| Category | Free-tier floor | Lean paid | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRM | $0 | $14 | $14 |
| Forms | $0 | $29 | $32 |
| Scheduling | $0 | $10 | $12 |
| Email marketing | $0 | $15 | $19 |
| Accounting and finance | $0 | $23 | $31 |
| Website and hosting | $0 | $9 | $14 |
What limits the free-tier floor?
- CRM: Free CRM is limited to 2 users in the current data record.
- Forms: Starter: 1 user, 5 forms, 100 monthly submissions, and 10 monthly signed documents.
- Scheduling: Lite is free for one user.
- Email marketing: Free is limited by subscriber volume and features.
- Accounting and finance: Free/low-cost entry is suitable for simple receipt capture; team controls and broader bookkeeping are not assumed.
- Website and hosting: Free has 300 credits/month and one Team Owner; team collaboration is limited.
Planning benchmark, not a quote. Seat assumptions are 1 for solo, 3 for a 2-5 person team, and 10 for a 6-25 person team. Usage, contacts, payroll recipients, annual billing, add-ons, taxes, and regulated-business requirements can move actual spend.