Top CRM Software for Small Businesses

Managing customer data has always been a complex task for businesses worldwide. The ability to effectively handle this data is crucial for nurturing customer relationships, a key factor in business success. This is where CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software comes into play. CRM software is designed to help businesses manage and enhance customer interactions, providing a better understanding of customer preferences, insights-driven personalized services, cross-selling opportunities, and more.

The CRM software market is rapidly expanding, driven by a customer-centric approach, the need for sales and marketing automation, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and predictive analytics integration, and an increasing emphasis on customer experience. This growth is expected to continue, with the market size projected to reach $281.2 billion by 2028, up from $163.6 billion in 2024, representing a CAGR of 14.5%.

The growing importance of informed decisions powered by CRM solutions underscores the need for selecting the right CRM software. Poor quality CRM data can lead to inadequate customer outreach, lost sales prospects, and revenue loss. With a plethora of options available, choosing the right CRM software is essential for achieving success in the digitalization effort.

Consider the list of top CRM software created by industry experts based on their services and advanced functionalities, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends.

List of Best CRM Software for small businesses

The countless CRM software availability makes it difficult to decide which is the best. This curated list of the best CRM software allows you to easily narrow the choice and help to select the right one for your needs.

HubSpot – Free CRM Software & Tools for Your Whole Team

HubSpot, a free CRM software, is designed to streamline your work. It offers a range of tools for every company person, from salespeople to business owners, making their jobs easier. The sales team can sell more quickly with features like automatic email tracking, meeting reminders, and instant alerts when prospects open an email. This not only saves time but also ensures a more efficient sales process.

Sales leaders can access, track, and analyze sales activity in real-time with a 360-degree view. The time-saving tools such as deal pipeline, insights, reporting, and pipeline management allow them to close more deals.

Pros of using HubSpot:

• A meeting scheduler that schedules meetings with clients automatically
• AI email writer who writes email content based on brief
• Email template builder that provides different templates for customized email
• Live chat software ensures real-time interaction with customers
• The dashboard displays all the customer’s data on a single screen
• Facilitate contact deal and task management

Cons of using HubSpot

• Template customization is challenging
• No split testing in lower packages
• No 24/7 support in free plans

Pricing of HubSpot

The professional customer platform starts at $1170 monthly, and enterprise customer platforms cost $4300 monthly. For scaling the number of functionalities, the cost will surge automatically. Different packages exist for various products, including marketing, sales, service, content, operations, and commerce. Businesses can select the products and add-ons to create bundles under one of the three plans- starter, professional, and enterprise.

Onpipeline CRM – CRM for Sales Teams & Pipeline Management

It’s a perfect CRM suite that helps businesses manage customer relationships and streamline sales processes to level up the sales game. The integrated virtual CRM assistant provides real-time updates and tracks the sales pipeline, ensuring no important tasks get missed. The cloud-based CRM improves sales team performance and productivity. Easy access to APIs and tools allows the creation of custom solutions.

Besides, the ability to capture and manage leads from various sources and share valuable information enables the team to close deals faster. A 30-day free trial period is provided to try the best free CRM and access its functionalities to see if it works for your business.

Pros of using Onpipeline CRM

• Quote management for the sales team
• Lead management from several sources
• View different reports to gain rich insights
• Schedule online appointments for the customer meeting
• Track and manage deals as they progress
• Track activities such as calls, emails, meetings, etc., related to deals
• Team members can share sales data

Cons of using Onpipeline CRM

• Lacks advanced features
• The reporting feature is not so great
• No PDF editor

Price of Onpipeline CRM

The CRM allows businesses to choose one of the three premium plans based on CRM functionality’s needs and budget. The pipeline plan starts at $25 per month, the standard plan with additional features starts at $39 per month, and the advanced plan with advanced functionality costs $58 per month.

Pipedrive: Sales CRM & Pipeline Management Software

Pipedrive is an Estonian cloud-based software as a service company for small businesses saves several hours for the sales team with automated lead nurturing. The AI assistants automatically take the follow-ups with sales conversations and prompts. With the capability to capture insights from detailed reports, businesses can easily monitor teams, view sales metrics, set goals, and provide projections to create data-driven strategies.

Pipedrive CRM is the best CRM software for small businesses, offering a high level of flexibility and adaptability. The sales customer relationship management tool can easily accommodate your business needs and seamlessly integrate with existing applications. This adaptability gives you the power to create a CRM system that works best for your business, putting you in control of your sales process.

Pros of using Pipedrive CRM

• One space for all sales activities
• Helps easily manage leads and deals
• Automate sales processes and scale resources as required
• Instant sales insights to fine-tune strategy
• Improve CRM experience with a zero learning curve

Cons of using Pipedrive CRM

• Little pricey for small businesses
• Limited freedom to manipulate data in the dashboard
• Lack of user-friendliness for beginners

Pricing structure of Pipedrive

Five different plans- essential (At $24 per month), advanced (At $44 per month), professional ($64 per month), power ($79 per month), and enterprise ($129 per month) plans are offered with different set of features and cost that businesses can choose based on their CRM needs. Also, the plans are enriched with add-ons, including web visitors, campaigns, projects, etc, at different prices.

Creatio: No-Code Platform to Automate Workflows and CRM

CRM creatio is a comprehensive CRM system that helps manage the entire customer journey. It is a global vendor of a no-code platform to automate workflows and CRM with a maximum degree of freedom. With its sales, marketing, and service products, it ensures that your organization is truly customer-first. The single source database and unified workflow maximize cross-team collaboration, while CRM analytics help evaluate and optimize marketing campaign efficiency, making you feel secure and well-equipped for the task at hand.

Sales pipeline tracking and analysis based on certain factors automatically identify the areas to improve the sales process. Access to rich insights boosts the chances of products/services cross-selling and up-selling.

Pros of using Creatio

• Enhance customer experience with personalized communications
• Multichannel marketing campaign management across different channels
• Track and increase win rates
• Unlimited no-code customization
• End-to-end workflow automation
• Real-time reporting and analytics
• AI/ML generated insights

Cons of using Creatio

• Lacks extensive integration with other platforms
• Inconsistent customer service

Pricing structure of Creatio

Creatio platform provides different pricing plans- Growth plan at $25 per user per month, Enterprise plan at $55 user per per month, and Unlimited plan $85 user per per month that businesses can choose and add sales, marketing, or service products that determine the actual price of using Creatio CRM.

Salesforce CRM: Try The World’s #1 AI CRM

It is one of the best free CRMs for small businesses and enterprises that help attract prospects with actionable insights from data and unite teams around customers so that they won’t look further. The trusted platform provides marketing, sales, service, and commerce applications, ensuring CRM supports businesses at every touchpoint.

For example, Tableau and Mulesoft integration enable understanding data and taking actions in real-time. The built-in Einstein- AI feature leverages data with workflow in Slack to automate business functions.

Pros of using Salesforce CRM

• It’s a complete solution that provides everything businesses seek in CRM.
• Allow business employees to easily manage tasks collaboratively with others.
• The next-gen infrastructure architecture is scalable and secure
• High adaptability and flexibility in adding or changing the Salesforce apps based on business needs
• Built with a customer-centric approach, it allows businesses to maximize the value from Salesforce investment.

Cons of using Salesforce CRM

• Little expensive to use
• Complex to use and requires extensive training
• Hidden fees for third-party integration and customization

Pricing structure of using Salesforce

Two different sales cloud editions for enterprises and SMBs are provided, and each solution has three different pricing plans. Sales CRM starts with a starter suite at $25 per month, a pro suite plan at $100 per month, an enterprise plan at $165 per month, an unlimited plan at $330 per month, and an Einstein 1 sales plan at $500 per month, supporting different features. The related app and add-ons are available at various prices that businesses can select according to their needs.

Teamgate – The CRM for Sales-Led Growth

One of the smart CRM allows businesses such as startups, SMBs, and large-sized enterprises to get started for free with a 14-day trial period. The in-depth CRM insights and intelligence tools help them know the sales performance and avoid the misleading metrics trap. A centralized dashboard provides insights into sales performance and rich stats that improve decision-making.

The drag-and-drop interface with indicators, warnings, and highlights makes it easy to move the deals across the sales pipeline, ensuring the deadlines for follow-up or others are not missed. Data-driven analytics allow for the accurate handling of leads.

Pros of using Teamgate CRM

• Data-driven insights help make accurate forecasts and decision-making
• Reduces churn rate for SMBs by 50%
• Mobile optimization and lead nurturing increase conversion by 70%
• Dialog elimination allows the sales team to focus on closing more deals
• Performance visualization enables the team to capture performance insights
  quickly.

Cons of using Teamgate CRM

• Limited automated functionalities
• Slow loading impacts usability
• Software issues are expected

Pricing structure of Teamgate

Teamgate opens the gate to CRM with different subscription plans that are billed monthly or yearly. The starter plan is free, the team plan is $39.90 per user per month, and the growth plan costs $59.90 per user per month if billed annually with different sets of functionalities that businesses can select based on their CRM needs.

Zoho | Top-rated Sales CRM Software by Customers

The top-rated CRM is the best for businesses that grow resiliently with improved conversion and relationship building using contextual AI power. More than 100 million businesses started using the platform with a 15-day free trial and later adopted the full-service CRM to enjoy its features. It’s an online Sales CRM software to help manage your customer operations. With deep BL capabilities, Zoho is leveraged for nuanced forecasting, performance management, and informed decision-making.

Zia and ChatGPT help with AI-powered email writing and detect anomalies in the content that allow customers to be engaged across different channels with contextual content. Advanced workflow and cadence help scale sales efficiently.

Pros of using Zoho

• Increases productivity with AI email and faster, data-driven decisions
• Faster implementation ensures quick results
  71% saving on licensing fees
• Salesforce automation and sales enablement
• Marketing segmentation and advanced analytics
• Security certificate integration ensures uncompromised security and privacy.

Cons of using Zoho

• The reporting dashboard is unsatisfactory
• Poor documentation
• The associated learning curve to use CRM
• Feature redundancy and lack of compatibility

Pricing structure of Zoho

Sensational CRM provides straightforward pricing plans with no lock-ins. The standard plan is available at $20 per user, the professional plan costs $35 per user, the Enterprise is popular and costs $50 per user, and the ultimate plan shells out $65 per user per month.

Zendesk Sell | Zendesk CRM for Sales | All-in-One Sales Platform

The modernized sales CRM enables businesses to sell smartly while maintaining pipeline visibility, maximizing productivity, and growing revenue. The best CRM software for small businesses allows the sales team to follow up on the leads efficiently and close more deals than ever. With everything in one platform, contact management, tracking activity, and lead generation boost team productivity. Setting reminders and automating tasks helps target customers without any misses.

The ability to view customer information across sales and service enables delivering personalized conversational experiences. Reporting and analytics provide full visibility into the sales pipeline, allowing effortlessly planning, tracking, and analyzing sales processes.

Pros of using Zendesk sell

• Unified platform with prospecting, engagement, lead generation, and communication capabilities.
• Ensure reduced cost of ownership from setup to ongoing maintenance
• Intuitive interface that’s easy to use and setup
• Full customer view ensures better experiences
• Revenue growth with unlimited productivity features

Cons of using Zendesk Sell

• Poor technical support
• Require a lot of data and connectivity
• Doesn’t offer personalized training
• Steep learning curve
• Customization settings are complex
• Performance issues during peak usage

Pricing structure of using Zendesk Sell

Zendesk provides two different pricing plans for service products and sales products. The selling plan includes three plans, including Sell Team $19 per agent per month, Sell Growth $55 per agent per month, and Sell Professional $115 per agent per month. Sell enterprise with additional features and customization capability starts at $169 per month.

Workbooks CRM: Powerful CRM Software With Expert Implementation

The reliable CRM software for small and middle-size businesses is a less complicated alternative to HubSpot and Salesforce CRM. The powerful CRM provides a customized platform that businesses can preview before signing the contract. Reliable support, along with faster implementation, is guaranteed.

The single view of customer insights from interactions, marketing, and sales improves marketing campaign results. Customer relationship management software also provides free tips, guides, and advice on sales and marketing.

Pros of using Workbooks

• Improve collaboration that allows the team to stay on the same page
• Provide insights to identify roadblocks
• Centralized knowledge that customer support agents can use
• Performance tracking in real-time.

Cons of using the Workbooks

• The free version is limited to two users
• Don’t have a large third-party app marketplace

Pricing structure of the Workbooks

Businesses can select one of the three packages- CRM edition $43 PUPM, Business edition $115 PUPM, and Events edition $169 PUPM and then select the options. Later, the personalized quote is provided in a few minutes using a pricing calculator.

Monday.com | A Powerful and Intuitive sales CRM that’s fully customizable

If you are looking for a CRM powered by advanced AI technology that speeds your sales cycle, the search ends at Monday CRM. The CRM helps manage different services, including business services, IT services, financial services, healthcare services, and more. AI-driven CRM allows businesses to step ahead with automated task generation, email composition, content generation and summarizing, and formula building for complex pipeline reporting needs.

The monday CRM platform is easily customized in a few minutes, including adding new columns, modifying deal stages, etc., ensuring multiple pipeline management simultaneously. Repetitive work automation allows the sales team to close more deals efficiently, such as assigning leads to sales reps, setting reminders, etc.

Pros of using Monday CRM

• One-click automation saves valuable time for the sales team
• Customizable CRM ensures businesses can fit their sales cycle
• Centralized client communication with emails encourages high collaboration
• All favorite tools integrated into one CRM make workflow smooth
• Streamline lead management, deal management, and post-sales management
• The tech-savvy users easily use an intuitive interface

Cons of using Monday CRM

• Advanced automation and integration are available only under paid plans
• Customization options are overwhelming
• Lacks collaboration tools like- team messenger
• The free plan is limited to two users

Pricing structure of Monday CRM

monday CRM allows businesses to start using CRM features for free. As the company grows, they can choose one of the plans- Basic CRM at $12 seat/month, their most popular Standard CRM for $17 seat/month, Pro CRM for $28 seat/month, and custom Enterprise CRM plan cost depending on the functionalities selected.

Freshsales: Streamlined Sales CRM Solution

The free CRM software for small businesses ensures revenue growth with rich insights, improved collaboration, high productivity, and simplified sales. AI-powered CRM solutions allow businesses to run smart sales campaigns that generate and qualify potential leads and track and improve conversion. With Kanban views and drag-and-drop cards, the leads are well-organized and viewed easily without wasting time.

The 360-degree view of customers and communication on preferred channels helps better engage customers. Freddy AI feature provides an intent score that allows focus on potential leads. The deal recommendations enable accurate planning and prevent bottlenecks, allowing businesses to grow faster with more sales.

Pros of using Freshsales CRM

• AI-powered insights and assistance help close more deals
• Engaging in conversation leads to more conversion
• Bring sales and marketing in one solution that streamlines communication
• Eliminating manual efforts with repetitive task automation
• Prospecting is improved with a decluttered sales view
• AI-driven campaigns generate more leads than expecte

Cons of using FreshSales CRM

• Interface and functionality are overwhelming
• Lacks third-party integrations
• Customer support needs improvement

Pricing structure of Fresh sales CRM

With 21 days free trial period with no Credit cart requirement and 24*5 support, the CRM system facilitates three plans that businesses can choose. The Growth plan, ideal for SMBs, costs $11/user/month, Pro is good for mid-sized businesses at $47/user/month, and the Enterprise plan is recommended for large-sized businesses and is available at $71/user/month. Supercharging selected CRM with add-ons increases the price accordingly.

Nimble CRM | CRM Software to Grow Your Business

The CRM is relationship-focused, allowing the sales team to close more deals and increase loyalty. Businesses can segment the database into smaller batches, enabling proper nurturing of leads. The advanced search feature helps quickly access the leads. The leads are moved down the sales pipeline with group and email sequence automation. Designing and deploying web forms on the website is a faster approach to generating and converting leads from business websites.

Microsoft and Google integrations auto-sync email, contacts, and calendars. The top-rated CRM is good for small businesses to manage relationships better.

Pros of using Nimble

• Cut prospecting and lead generation time by 50%
• Streamline contract management and track them every time
• Customizable workflow allows managing repeatable processes across department
• Enhance personalized outreach and engagement rates

Cons of using Nimble

• Limited customization options
• Limited sales pipeline functionality
• No desktop app
• Customer support is limited to the number of hours

Pricing structure of using Nimble

Nimble pricing is clear and simple; a monthly plan is available at $29.90 per month, and annual billing brings a 17% discount to businesses.

How do you choose the best CRM software?

The leading CRM provides basic features, advanced features, and customer support at competitive rates. However, you can make the right choice by assessing the features list, usability, customer support, and pricing structure. Furthermore, you should consider the below things in detail.

Consider Your Business Size: Small businesses often have limited CRM functionalities needs, while large enterprise requirements for CRM are bigger. It’s essential to choose the CRM solution and its packages that meet CRM needs, as it doesn’t make sense to invest in CRM with tons of functionalities that your business won’t require at this point.

Budget: Not all businesses have deep pockets and look for CRM solutions that provide free services. For example, Fresh sales CRM provides a starter plan for free with a limited number of users from which small businesses can choose. The mid-sized or large enterprises can opt for premium plans based on their CRM budget.

Industry-Specific Needs: Different CRM solutions are built to serve industry-specific needs, including Real estate, eCommerce, etc. Before signing the agreement, check if the customer relationship management system helps you meet the needs of your niche industry or not.

Ease of Use: CRM software with steep learning curves requires businesses to hire technical people or provide training to the team for using the solution, which is not feasible for start-ups. On the other hand, CRM system with an intuitive interface enables non-tech geeks to use the platform completely are more preferred.

Integration Capabilities: The open and flexible CRM seamlessly works with the existing tech stack. You must ensure CRM compatibility with your existing tools and system to ensure you get faster results.

CRM Software Selection!

Digging deeper into the success of leading businesses reveals that different types of enterprise and business software solutions implementation help them nail the success. Customer Relationship Management software is a solution that allows businesses in a multifaceted way and is designed to meet their specific needs. CRM takes the driver’s seat, from sales and marketing to unparalleled services. One of the top CRM software solutions helps your business achieve customer relationship, productivity, conversion, and revenue goals.

Harnessing the full potential of CRM solutions requires the assistance of CRM experts. Connecting with one of the top consulting companies that help you build CRM from scratch or customize the selected one to fit your sales cycle is better. Find a reliable technology partner that helps you from initial setup to final implementation.

Frequently Asked Question

What is the best CRM software for small businesses?

Small businesses can opt for HubSpot, Zoho, or other CRM software because of the affordability, extensive customization and ease of use.

How much does CRM software cost?

The CRM software cost depends on the number of functionalities, user licenses, size of businesses, and add-ons that businesses require and select. Customer Relationship Management software solution providers create the plans after considering these factors.
For example, based on a number of user licenses and business size

• Small businesses: Cost between $20–$50 per user per month.
• Medium businesses: Cost between $50–$150 per user per month.
• Large enterprises: Cost between $150–$300+ per user per month.

What are the benefits of using Customer Relationship Management software?

Using CRM software for businesses brings several advantages, including

• Improved customer relationship
• Increased sales and ROI
• Better sales forecasting
• Improved data analysis
• High productivity
• Reduced cost with task automation

Can CRM software integrate with my existing tools?

Yes, CRM software integrates with existing business tools and systems using Zapier or Mulesoft integration platforms, APIs, or direct integration enabled by CRM software.

What is the best free CRM software?

HubSpot and Zoho are the CRM platforms that provide functionalities for 100% free.