Do I need a CRM at the pre-seed stage, and should I pick an AI-native CRM like Attio over HubSpot or Zoho?

You need a system of record the day you have more than ten live conversations, but it can be embarrassingly simple; what kills founders is switching costs later, not the wrong first choice. HubSpot's free tier is the safe default, Zoho and Freshsales are strong India-priced options, and Attio is the AI-native pick if you want enrichment, custom objects, and automations built into the data layer. Choose whatever you will actually update, ideally one where AI does the updating for you.

A quick orientation. The real value is below: resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it.