What Does Microsoft CRM Cost in 2026? Understanding Licensing and Pricing

Summary

Microsoft Dynamics CRM licensing costs depend on which Dynamics 365 Sales license you choose and how those licenses are applied across your organization. Sales Professional, Sales Enterprise, and Team Member licenses each serve different roles, and selecting the right mix is critical to balancing cost, scalability, and long-term value. This article breaks down licensing options, pricing considerations, and common pitfalls so you can make informed decisions as part of your broader CRM cost planning.

Part of the Microsoft CRM Cost Series

This article is part of Optrua’s Microsoft CRM Cost series, which breaks down the true cost of CRM ownership from licensing and implementation to ongoing support and hidden costs.

To understand the full Microsoft CRM cost picture, including licensing, implementation, ongoing support, and hidden costs, start with our comprehensive overview of Microsoft Dynamics CRM cost.

Understanding Microsoft CRM Licensing Costs

When asking, "What does Microsoft CRM cost in 2026?" it’s important to know that Microsoft Dynamics Sales licensing is relatively straightforward compared to estimating implementation, support, and hidden costs. That said, even with published pricing, licensing decisions can still feel confusing without proper context.

Part of the challenge is that Microsoft offers multiple license types designed for different roles, team sizes, and levels of complexity. Choosing the right mix isn’t just about the monthly price per user. It’s about understanding how each license supports your sales process today, how it scales as your organization grows, and where limitations may require an upgrade later.

To cut through the noise, I’ve simplified this discussion by focusing on the two most common licensing options organizations evaluate first—Sales Professional and Sales Enterprise—while also covering the Dynamics 365 Team Member license, which is often used to extend CRM access to non-sales users at a lower cost.

Dynamics 365 Sales Professional: A Cost-Effective CRM Solution

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Professional (“Sales Professional”) is an affordable licensing option designed for small sales teams, typically ranging from 5 to 30 users. It provides the essential tools to get started with CRM while still benefiting from the scalability and extensibility of the Microsoft Power Platform.

While Sales Professional does not include some of the advanced features found in the Enterprise version, it delivers a strong foundation for managing core sales processes. When your business outgrows its capabilities, upgrading is straightforward — you can switch to a Sales Enterprise license without the need for a complex migration.

There is no strict upper limit on the number of users for Sales Professional.

Organizations can start with just a few users and scale to much larger teams. However, as sales processes become more automated and reporting, forecasting, or customization needs increase, many teams find that Sales Enterprise becomes a better long-term fit.

💰 Pricing: The Sales Professional license costs $65 per user/month.

📊 Example Calculation:

10 Sales Professional users = $650/month ($65 per user x 10 users)

For organizations new to sales automation or taking their first steps into CRM, Sales Professional is a practical entry point. It offers the core capabilities most teams need early on, along with a clear upgrade path as sales operations mature.

Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise: Modern CRM for Growing Sales Teams

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise is designed for larger or more complex sales teams that need advanced automation, analytics, and customization. Like Sales Professional, Sales Enterprise is built on the Microsoft Power Platform, but it unlocks additional capabilities that support more sophisticated sales operations.

Even organizations with relatively small sales teams may still require Sales Enterprise to take advantage of features such as:

• Advanced Sales Automation - Manage complex sales processes with AI-driven insights.

  
  

• Sales Forecasting – Predict revenue and performance with built-in forecasting tools.

  
  

• Territory & Competitor Management – Organize sales teams by regions and track competitor activities.

  
  

• Product & Price Management – Define product relationships, hierarchies, and structured pricing models.

  
  

• AI Capabilities – Use predictive lead scoring and relationship analytics for smarter decision-making.

  
  

• Unlimited Customization – Unlike Sales Professional, Enterprise allows unlimited custom tables, business process flows, and forms.

💰 Pricing: The Sales Enterprise license costs $105 per user/month.

📊 Example Calculation:

10 Sales Enterprise users = $1,050/month ($105 per user x 10 users)

While Sales Professional works well for smaller teams with basic CRM needs, Sales Enterprise provides the scalability, intelligence, and flexibility required to support growth, more complex sales motions, and deeper process automation.

Dynamics 365 Team Member: Affordable Access for Non-Sales Users

Not every employee needs full CRM functionality, but many still need access to customer and sales data. The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Team Member license provides a low-cost way for users outside of the sales team to view and interact with CRM information without requiring a full Sales Professional or Sales Enterprise license.

The Team Member license is designed for users who primarily need read access and the ability to perform basic interactions, without the advanced automation and sales management features included in full sales licenses.

Important Note: The Dynamics 365 Team Member license can be added alongside either Sales Professional or Sales Enterprise to extend CRM access to additional users who do not require full sales functionality.

It’s a good fit for roles such as:

• Executives and Managers – Reviewing dashboards, reports, and pipeline visibility without day-to-day CRM usage.

  
  

• Customer Service – Viewing customer records, logging activities, and accessing case-related information.

  
  

• Operations and Back-Office Staff – Accessing customer details to support sales, finance, or logistics processes.

While more limited than Sales Professional or Sales Enterprise, Team Member users can:

• View accounts, contacts, leads, and opportunities

• Update select fields such as notes and activities

• Access reports and dashboards

• Use Microsoft 365 integrations, including Outlook

• Work with select custom tables, depending on permissions

💰 Pricing: The Team Member license costs $8 per user/month, making it a cost-effective option for organizations that need lightweight CRM access for non-sales employees.

📊 Example Calculation:

20 Team Member users = $160/month ($8 per user × 20 users)

While Team Member licenses are ideal for viewing data and supporting sales activities, they cannot manage sales pipelines, create opportunities, or use advanced CRM automation features.

Important Licensing Considerations

Before finalizing your Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM licensing decision, there are a few important details that often get overlooked. These considerations don’t change the list price of a license, but they can have a meaningful impact on how flexible your licensing model is and what your actual commitment looks like over time.

One key limitation to understand is that Sales Professional and Sales Enterprise licenses cannot be mixed within the same tenant.

All users must be on the same primary Sales license. The good news is that upgrading from Sales Professional to Sales Enterprise is straightforward. You can switch licenses without requiring a system rebuild or major migration, which makes it easier to start smaller and move up as your needs evolve.

It’s also important to understand how Microsoft structures its pricing commitments.

While Dynamics 365 CRM licenses are advertised as a per-user, per-month cost, those prices are based on a 12-month subscription commitment. If you prefer true month-to-month billing with no annual commitment, Microsoft typically applies a premium of approximately 20% above the listed price.

These nuances don’t necessarily make one license better than another, but they do affect budgeting, forecasting, and flexibility. Understanding them upfront helps avoid surprises and ensures your CRM licensing aligns with both your operational needs and your financial planning.

Choosing the right Dynamics 365 CRM License

For most organizations, selecting the right Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM license comes down to choosing between Sales Professional and Sales Enterprise, based on the size of your sales team and the complexity of your sales processes.

• Sales Professional is a strong fit for small to mid-sized teams that need core CRM functionality at a lower cost. It supports essential sales activities without the overhead of advanced automation or analytics.

  
  

• Sales Enterprise is better suited for organizations with more complex sales motions, larger teams, or a need for advanced capabilities such as forecasting, AI-driven insights, and deeper customization across processes and data.

In addition to your primary Sales license, Team Member licenses can be used to extend CRM access to users outside of the sales team. This allows executives, service teams, and operations staff to view customer data and perform basic interactions without the cost of a full sales license.

Once you’ve selected your core Dynamics 365 Sales licensing, there are also a variety of add-ons that can expand functionality as your business grows. These may include Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing, Customer Service, Field Service, Business Central, and other connected applications within the Microsoft ecosystem.

What Else Impacts Microsoft CRM Cost Beyond Licensing?

Licensing is only one part of the overall Microsoft CRM cost. To keep your system running smoothly, secure, and aligned with how your business operates, you also need to account for ongoing costs related to support, training, updates, and continuous improvement.

Many of the most impactful expenses aren’t always obvious upfront. These costs tend to emerge over time as organizations refine processes, onboard new users, adapt to changing business requirements, or take advantage of new platform capabilities. Without a plan for ongoing maintenance and optimization, these expenses can become reactive rather than intentional.

Common areas that influence total CRM cost include:

• Support to troubleshoot issues and keep the system running reliably

• Training to ensure users adopt new features and workflows

• Enhancements to improve automation, reporting, and integrations as needs evolve

• Ongoing maintenance to apply updates, manage security, and prevent technical debt

• Hidden costs such as rework, poor adoption, technical debt, or relying on manual workarounds

  
  

Understanding these factors early helps set realistic expectations and creates a more accurate picture of your total CRM investment over time. It also provides a natural framework for evaluating whether in-house resources or a trusted Microsoft partner is the right fit for long-term support.

If you’d like a deeper comparison of licensing options, this additional guide can be used to compare Dynamics 365 Sales licenses in more detail.

Explore More in the Microsoft CRM Cost Series

To understand the full cost of Microsoft CRM, licensing is only one piece of the puzzle. The articles below explore other factors that influence your total investment:

• Overview: Understanding Microsoft Dynamics CRM Cost

  A high-level guide that explains the full cost picture, including licensing, implementation, support, and long-term considerations.

  
  

• Licensing: What Does Microsoft CRM Cost?

  A detailed breakdown of Dynamics 365 Sales licensing options, pricing models, and how to choose the right license mix.

  
  

• Implementation: What Does CRM Cost to Deploy?

  A practical look at the realities of CRM implementation costs, including scope, complexity, and common cost drivers.

  
  

• Hidden Costs: What Impacts CRM ROI Over Time?

  An in-depth look at the hidden costs of CRM projects that quietly erode ROI if they’re not planned for upfront.

  
  

• Small Business: Balancing CRM Cost and Value

  Guidance for small and growing businesses on how to evaluate CRM cost without sacrificing long-term value.

Frequently Asked Questions About Microsoft CRM Licensing Costs

Can I mix Sales Professional and Sales Enterprise licenses?

No. Microsoft does not allow Sales Professional and Sales Enterprise licenses to be mixed within the same Dynamics 365 tenant. All users must be on the same primary Sales license. However, upgrading from Sales Professional to Sales Enterprise is straightforward and does not require a system rebuild or migration.

Is Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM billed monthly or annually?

Although Microsoft advertises Dynamics 365 CRM pricing as a monthly per-user cost, those prices are based on a 12-month subscription commitment. Organizations that want true month-to-month billing typically pay a higher rate, often around 20% more than the listed price.

When should I choose Sales Professional instead of Sales Enterprise?

Sales Professional is a good fit for smaller sales teams that need core CRM functionality without advanced automation, forecasting, or AI features. Sales Enterprise is better suited for teams with more complex sales processes, reporting needs, or long-term scalability requirements.

Where does the Team Member license fit into Dynamics 365 CRM pricing?

The Team Member license is designed for non-sales users who need access to CRM data without full sales functionality. It can be added alongside either Sales Professional or Sales Enterprise to provide affordable access for executives, service teams, or operations staff.

Does CRM licensing include implementation, support, or customization?

No. Dynamics 365 CRM licenses cover access to the software only. Costs related to implementation, training, ongoing support, enhancements, and maintenance are separate and should be considered when planning your total CRM investment.

Need a more tailored cost estimate?

Every organization’s CRM cost looks different once you factor in licensing, implementation, support, and long-term growth plans. If you’re evaluating Dynamics 365 and want clarity beyond list pricing, a second set of experienced eyes can help.

Our Free Technology Audit reviews your current sales processes, licensing needs, and overall Microsoft ecosystem to help you understand what your CRM investment could realistically look like—before you commit.

About the Author

Ryan Redmond is the founder of Optrua, specializing in CRM and business process optimization. Ryan channeled his passion for efficiency from lessons learned in the Navy to his work today.

He helps businesses streamline technology to improve employee and customer experiences and empower teams to work smarter, not harder, without unnecessary overhead.

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn.