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Easily Build, Run, and Scale Workflows On One Platform
Get started fast with hundreds of visual and customizable templates Easily automate the repetitive work View data as a map, calendar, timeline, kanban, and more | Read Reviews | |
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One Powerful Suite To Manage All Your Customer Interactions
Intelligent case routing to manage workloads more efficiently Multi-channel support including Email, phone, live chat, social media, & SMS Advanced IVR that runs on Conversational A.I. | Read Reviews | |
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Complete View of Customer Interactions to Personalize Engagement
Understand interest and engagement levels with the Activity Timeline Automate time-consuming tasks AI-powered Chatbots to chat with visitors in real-time | Read Reviews | |
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Polished CRM with Aligned Sales & Marketing Tools
Integrated email and calling with real-time notifications Automatic communication logging and unlimited users Native integration with HubSpot Sales and Marketing | Read Reviews | |
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Bring Sales, Marketing, IT, and Analytics Together With Digital Workflows
Shared view of every customer so that your teams can deliver One-of-a-kind learning hub to help your workforce learn essential skills Take data-driven actions with suggestions from "Einstein AI" | Read Reviews | |
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Sleek, Powerful CRM with Extensive Integrations
2-way email, 2-way telephony and social media monitoring Sales insights and email tracking built into marketing campaigns Native integration with Zoho's Cloud Application Suite | Read Reviews | |
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Powerful Cloud-Based Platform with CRM Tools for Small Businesses
Offers a host of third-party app integrations Easy to use and can be customized to fit any workflow Built-in click-to-dial call and recording | Read Reviews | |
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Combines CRM, Marketing and Sales Automation Into One Platform
Tightly integrated sales and marketing functions Extensive knowledge base for small business growth Dedicated onboarding with software expert | Read Reviews | |
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Simple, Effective CRM with High Adaptability
Includes contact management, email tracking and key integrations One-click calling with preferred VoIP built into the platform Flexible and convenient pay-as-you-go pricing | Read Reviews |
What is CRM Software?
CRM software (customer relationship management software) is a cloud-based system that is used for managing, organizing, and automating your company’s customer relationships, sales data, customer interactions, leads, marketing, and much more.
CRM software is the technology counterpart to the business strategy of customer relationship management. Customer relationship management, usually simply shortened to CRM, is a strategy where organizations leverage data to better understand their customers. This strategy takes many forms and processes, but at its core focuses on businesses knowing the needs of current and potential customers to increase overall sales.
- The Software – When mentioning CRM in today’s business environment, the term usually refers to the software that organizations use to make their CRM strategy work. While CRM systems has roots dating back to the 1970s, modern customer relationship management software leverage advanced cloud-based tools and solutions that organize and automate customer information to provide a seamless customer experience.
- A Customer-Centric Approach – CRM takes many forms, but at its core, it is the principle that creating good ongoing relationships with customers drives profits. This customer-centric strategy focuses on presenting customers with a unified face and a seamless experience.
- Shared Customer Information – CRM tools provide customer collected information – such as past purchases, customer service experiences, etc – that team members can easily access. This ensures that any customer-facing company representative has up-to-date information to serve the customer. This continuity helps customers feel respected and valued, leading to longer partnerships. It also creates a steadier business flow, allowing organizations to be better at forecasting future profits and expenditures.
- Cross-Department Integration – Customer management tools help synchronize real-time customer communications across business units, such as sales, marketing, and customer service. With these departments working together, customers receive an enhanced customer experience. They no longer need to explain challenges multiple times or repeat information. For large organizations with multiple departments and large support staff, this ability to integrate communication data can help retain customers. While CRM systems do also feature collaboration capabilities, the market is filled with robust collaboration technologies if that is your primary meed.
Why Use CRM Software?
The global CRM market was valued at $43.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 10.6% from now until 2028. This continued growth comes alongside the rising demand for automated engagement with customers as businesses continue to see the value CRM brings to operations.
Businesses institute cloud CRM systems to overcome traditional shortcomings in business processes. Many CRM features can help businesses solve the following challenges:
- Lack of centralization. Without a unified task management system and customer communication log it is difficult for even small organizations to provide an exceptional customer experience. This lack of information hurts the customer as tasks inevitably get lost or overlooked. For businesses, they also do not have a central repository of customer information to base larger decisions, which can hurt the bottom line.
- Customer retention. When a customer comes to your business with a problem they want it fixed. The easier an organization can make this process, the happier the customer will be. CRM platforms improve customer management and ensure that customers’ needs get met quickly and efficiently.
- Improve workplace efficiency. A solid solution can improve team collaboration, allowing for the needs of a customer to be passed seamlessly from one department to another. With a CRM, a customer’s information can easily become misplaced or the customer may need to repeat their needs several times, lowering their overall experience. Organizations looking for free collaboration tools should look exclusively at an outside solution.
CRM Software Essential Features
Below, we’ll cover the most important CRM functions and essential features to look for.
Customer Data and Contact Management

Source: Teamgate.com
The ability to collect, organize and access customer data is vital to all types of CRM. This tool allows users to segment contacts into groups and improve marketing strategies when introducing new products. CRM unifies all customer and client data in one place, simplifying and centralizing everything a business needs to know about them.
Marketing Automation
Top CRM platforms allow organizations to automate parts of their marketing efforts. CRM marketing tools and functions include sending emails to customers in certain buying stages or company demographics. As a result, marketing teams can strategically reach target audiences with reduced effort. This helps a sales rep generate a higher number of sales leads in a shorter period of time by leveraging things like email marketing, dynamic pricing, and even social media outreach on sites like LinkedIn.
Customer Support

Source: Zoho
CRM systems integrate with help desk and contact center software to streamline customer interactions, phone calls, and help desk cases. This continuity helps with customers who make multiple calls for support. It also helps ensure that information customers entered elsewhere, such as into an online form or with an AI chatbot, is available when speaking with customer service teams. Organizations specifically looking for the best free help desk software should check out these options if that is their primary goal.
Lead Management

Source: Kapture
Part of the CRM benefit includes the ability to use analytics for lead generation. This can include metrics and scoring prospects to determine the best opportunities to follow up with based on their profile. By using available data on a customer’s needs, purchase history, and larger industry trends, salespeople can create marketing campaigns to better target those more likely to make a purchase. Along with improving efficiency, these processes can help improve the function of your sales team.
Accelerated Sales Funnels
Along with recording customer interactions, these products can improve overall sales enablement and operations. Sales force automation features include the ability to create quotes, process orders, update contact information, send and track emails, evaluate employee performance, and create a sales management protocol.
How to Get Started with CRM Software
Selecting a CRM software can feel overwhelming for businesses looking to make the first step. Like all large technology decisions, picking these types of tools requires organizations to answer a series of small questions and then find the solution that best fits their needs.
Let’s look at some things businesses must consider.
- Infrastructure Requirements – When these products initially hit the market it was largely available on-prem, but in recent years cloud-based solutions have become the norm. Cloud-based platforms do not require organizations to make any additions to their existing IT infrastructure. Cloud-based software only requires a browser and a working internet connection. This is opposed to on-premises solutions, which would require additional servers.
- Accessibility – Businesses want employees to access CRM data wherever they work. With remote work becoming more popular, the need to access data anywhere has become that much more important. Cloud-based CRM software can be accessed anywhere from any device. This makes it simple for employees to access information in a timely manner no matter where they work.
- Costs – Some CRM platforms offer their service for free. However, these free options typically only include a base level of service and come with continuous sales pitches to increase functionality. A free option can be a good place for businesses just starting out as they can test the core of a CRM system before making a financial decision.
- Customization – Customer management solutions offer a range of additional tools based on customer needs. Thankfully, these services come as add-ons that can be tailored for an organization’s specific needs. Businesses looking to implement a CRM should consider what customized solutions work best for their needs, along with creating a list of services that would be nice to have. Determining these two factors will help in picking the best solution while keeping costs in line.
- Ease of Use and Integration – Like all software, the benefits of CRM software can only be realized if employees can integrate them into their daily work. Businesses want to ensure that any CRM system they select works with their existing systems. While many CRM solutions are built to work with a variety of technologies, businesses will want to make sure adding a certain CRM will not have integration issues.
- Security and Privacy – The security of your data and the information of your customers should be a top priority. Not only is this information a competitive advantage, exposing customer data is simply bad business. With cloud-based CRM software, the vendor bears responsibility for security and has likely invested heavily in keeping data secure.
Free vs Paid CRM Software
As businesses look to implement a CRM software they may be overwhelmed by the volume of choices available. The CRM marketplace includes a wide variety of vendors from established players to start-ups looking to disrupt the market. One of the big questions technology executives face is whether to select one of the myriad of free CRM software on the marketplace as opposed to a paid option.
While a free option may seem preferred at first glance, you must understand that most free offerings only include basic functionality. For small businesses just starting with CRM, this may be enough. For large and medium-sized companies, or for small businesses looking to quickly grow, these free platforms may fall short.
Here are some key differences between free and paid CRM software businesses should consider.
Free CRM Software |
Paid CRM Software |
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The Best Free CRM Software
Free products come with limitations, but that does not mean they can’t still be valuable for the right business. These solutions can help startup companies or small businesses looking to leverage these types of tools. A free solution may not suit an organization’s long-term needs, but it can provide a low-risk way to see if these tools can help improve your business.
When looking at the marketplace, these are currently the best free CRM options on the market:
HubSpot CRM |
Zoho CRM |
Capsule |
Insightly |
Agile CRM |
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G2 Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.0/5 | 4.3/5 | 4.1/5 | 4.0/5 |
Capterra Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.2/5 | 4.5/5 | 3.9/5 | 4.1/5 |
Trustradius Rating | 8.3/10 | 8.1/10 | 8.5/10 | 8.2/10 | 7.7/10 |
Contacts | Free up to 1,000,000 | Free up to 50,000 | 250 | Free up to 2,500 | Free up to 25,000 |
Data Storage | Unlimited | 1 GB | 50 MB per user | Free up to 200 MB | 2 GB per user |
Pricing | $0 forever | $0 forever for up to 3 users | $0 for up to 2 users | $0 for up to 2 users | $0 per month for 10 users |
Learn More | Hubspot Free CRM | Zoho Free CRM | Capsule Free CRM | Insightly Free CRM | Agile Free CRM |
Best CRM Software for 2022 – Pricing & Features Breakdown
The marketplace includes dozens of leading products. Businesses may feel overwhelmed in deciding which one to use for their organization. Since picking a solution can greatly impact a business’s bottom line it is imperative that technology leaders make the right choice. Let’s look at some of the best CRM tools currently on the market.
Monday.com
Monday.com is a team collaboration platform that focuses on project management through the use of a collection of spreadsheets that track tasks, assignees, the status of the tasks, due dates, and more. It is highly user-friendly with a simple UI and an aesthetically pleasing color scheme to make the quick sorting of tasks easier.
Monday.com Pricing and Plans
Monday.com offers 5 different pricing plans starting at $0.00 per month for the individual plan
Individual | Basic | Standard | Pro | Enterprise |
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What we like about Monday:
- Real-time information and updates from the team
- Clear and concise explanation of new features from the developers
- Thorough IT and customer support
- User-friendly UI through dashboards and views
- Variety of templates offered
What we dislike about Monday:
- Lack of integrations with more obscure emailing software
- Permissions for 3rd party app integrations could be improved
Expert Review:
Monday.com does a good job of managing tasks for small businesses, though it still falls more heavily into the role of team and project management for most companies. The CRM side of the software is growing rapidly, and new features are regularly released for client management and sales tracking. This is a great option for its customizability and wide range of use.
Nextiva
Nextiva is an all-in-one business communication and customer relationship management solution primed for businesses looking to improve their customer service across all customer communication channels. Nextiva also simplifies your company’s workflow by automating menial tasks and gaining insights from data automatically, making it the perfect partner to a busy team. Additional features like Artificial Intelligence tools and the patented SmartTopic technology give those extra bits of insight to allow you and your business to truly thrive and build a stronger customer base.
Nextiva Pricing and Plans
Nextiva offers 4 different pricing plans starting at $18.95 per month for the Essential plan
Essential | Professional | Enterprise | Ultimate |
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What we like about Nextiva:
- Fast and efficient customer service is always at the ready to help you and your business
- Easy to use, intuitive platform for both desktop and mobile
- Native unified communications and contact center software baked right into the CRM
- Different tiers of plan with noticeable differences in amenities, allowing you to pick what works best for your business
What we dislike:
- Simple integrations with a lack of options for more obscure 3rd party applications
- No free option
- CRM software isn’t at the core of their product offerings
Expert Review:
Nextiva is an excellent VoIP solution for small to large businesses looking to manage their messaging and call logs in a unified database while providing collaboration and data analytics tools as well. It does a great job of allowing your company to improve customer relationships with their customer service CRM, messaging system, and to hone your team collaboration through video conferencing, screen sharing, messaging, and more.
Freshworks
Evolving from the customer support-centric platform Freshdesk, Freshworks is a user-friendly CRM software with a robust free plan to get started, and multiple additional features with each additional tier of the paid plans. The primary focus placed on this CRM system is the ease of use and approachability for your company or small business.
Freshworks Pricing and Plans
Freshworks offers 4 different pricing plans starting at $0.00 per month for the Free plan
Free | Growth | Pro | Enterprise |
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What we like about Freshworks:
- Built-in native cloud PBX phone system
- Integrations with social media and other 3rd party applications
- One-stop native portal for customer service ticketing, sales, and marketing CRM and automation
- Email tracking and detailed reporting
- Ease of use
What we dislike:
- Lacks advanced features compared to competitors at similar price points
- Lack of variation in user permissions
- Formatting reports and emails can become tedious
Expert Review:
Freshworks is an excellent choice for businesses looking to connect their call center with customers and potential clients and provides the tools needed to create detailed reporting on your call center and individual agent performance. There is even an integrated incentive system in the form of a sort of “game” that makes monotonous work feel more rewarding and enjoyable!
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is an easy-to-use, small business-focused CRM software with more advanced features and capabilities made available to the user. It is helpful in integrating chatbots for your website and developing robust yet efficient reports on your customers and sales team.
Pipedrive Pricing & Plans:
Pipedrive offers 4 pricing plans starting at $12.50 per month
Essential | Advanced | Professional | Enterprise |
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What we like about Pipedrive:
- A robust workflow with an intuitive interface
- Easy synchronization with mobile apps
- Strong alerts to ensure tasks are completed
What we dislike:
- Limited tools for the cost
Expert Review:
Pipedrive is best for Small and medium-sized businesses due to its ability to visualize the sales process from start to finish, which can help improve efficiency. It is also a great option for businesses looking to scale, as the customizations on more advanced features can provide additional value as your clientele and company grow.
Hubspot
Hubspot is another CRM aimed at small businesses with its simple dashboard and the freemium model. The base platform can provide basic customer management to a small business on a budget, and add-ons can be purchased to develop the platform into a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for customer relationship management.
Hubspot Pricing and Plans:
The Hubspot CRM platform consists of five core products combined into one unified platform should the user choose. The five products, Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, CMS Hub, and Operations Hub, can be purchased individually at three price tiers, varying depending on the product, or as a complete bundle known as the CRM Suite. In this review, we’ll be looking at the three pricing plans of the all-inclusive CRM Suite.
CRM Suite – Starter | CRM Suite – Professional | CRM Suite – Enterprise |
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What we like about Hubspot:
- Very strong freemium offering that can help new customers easily add on new features as they grow
- Quickly integrates with all email clients to easily run larger email campaigns
What we dislike:
- The freemium model can have customers quickly rack up a high cost if they do not manage add-ons appropriately
- Purchasing the CRM suite as a bundle gets very expensive very fast, making it less ideal for small businesses seeing rapid growth in clientele
Expert Review:
HubSpot specifically targets small and medium-sized businesses and has gained a reputation for its innovation. It is great for companies that know what their needs are, and how to align those needs with the products offered.
Salesforce
Salesforce was the first CRM software offered to the public on a SaaS (software as a service) model and has long been the platform of choice for businesses large and small. Not only has Salesforce continued to innovate in the space of CRM software with features like interoperability and AI, but their list of partners offers additional benefits and potentially game-changing tools for a business of any size.
Salesforce pricing and plans:
Salesforce offers 4 pricing options, starting at $25.00 per month.
Essentials | Professional | Enterprise | Unlimited |
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What we like about Salesforce:
- Large and robust service offering aimed at integrating many departments across large organizations.
- Perhaps the best-known CRM provider, Salesforce has a history of customer satisfaction.
What we dislike:
- Salesforce can at times be too big for its own good and some users pay for services they do not use or even know to exist.
Expert Review:
Salesforce is the premier option for large enterprises that want a complete end-to-end CRM system and are not afraid of a high price tag to get what they want. It offers a wide array of integration options, and has innate capabilities to manage every facet of Customer Relationship Management, client databases, customer service, and more.
Zoho
Zoho has created an all-in-one solution that is easy to use and integrates additional features with. Zoho has a long list of products that can be used in conjunction with their software and offers their service at a competitive price making it a great choice for small and large businesses alike.
Zoho Pricing and Plans:
Zoho offers 5 different pricing options starting at $0.00 in the Free plan.
Free | Standard | Professional | Enterprise | Ultimate |
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What we like about Zoho:
- An innovative platform that offers clients a wide array of features and complimentary services
- Strong analytical integration that allows for data-savvy organizations to dig deep into customer data
What we dislike:
- Zoho is seen as a CRM for tech-savvy organizations, so might not be right for smaller organizations just starting on their CRM journey.
Expert review:
Zoho is an excellent choice for businesses that require advanced analytics or want to take a heavier hand in the customization of their CRM. It sports a proprietary AI and advanced customization at higher price tiers, making it an excellent canvas for tech-savvy organizations to impose their needs on.
Zendesk
Zendesk, formerly Base CRM, offers an affordable sales and customer relationship management software at a low starting price of $19 per month. Zendesk looks to expand on their Base CRM software to provide additional features that make sales and customer relationship tracking easy and efficient.
Zendesk Pricing and Plans:
Zendesk offers three sections of product offers, with a few pricing options available within. You can go with just their support options, the suite of products, or even beyond the standard suite options with enterprise options that allow for more choice and customization. For the sake of simplicity, and to make a suggestion, we will stick with the price tiers for Suite-based plans.
Suite Team | Suite Growth | Suite Professional |
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What we like about Zendesk:
- Zendesk easily integrates its sales and support platform in a plug and play fashion without external IT requirements
- Works great for companies with simple CRM requirements and sales cycles
What we dislike:
- Zendesk offers a simple and straightforward product not suitable for businesses with multiple sales pipelines
Expert review:
Zendesk is a great option for businesses of all sizes looking for an easy-to-use CRM software that will work right out of the box. With a simple UI and clear features, this CRM will work without the headache of more complex options.
Keap
Keap combines efficiency and ease-of-use into one software solution intended for the entrepreneur and business owners seeking long-term growth. It takes marketing, sales automation, CRM, and payments in one platform, streamlining the workflow and simplifying meticulous work.
Keap Pricing and Plans:
Keap offers three pricing options starting at $79.00/month, with the added bonus of a discount on your first 5 months of service. In addition, each plan is meant for 1 user, with additional users costing $30.00 each per month.
Lite | Pro | Max |
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What we like about Keap:
- Automated lead capture and follow-up
- Automates repetitive tasks and simpler workflows
- Campaign building and reporting
What we dislike:
- Dashboard reporting is somewhat bare
- Lack of social media integration
Expert review:
Keap is the perfect CRM software for entrepreneurs looking to maximize work hour efficiency by automating the more redundant, meticulous work tasks in the day. It is the CRM solution that has long-term growth of smaller companies in mind at the very core of its function.
Capsule CRM
Capsule CRM was built with a focus on being a smart, streamlined CRM that helps your business build better relationships with your customers and clients. It provides a litany of filters and data tags, integrations with popular software, and security through multi-factor authentication in order to make customer relationship building a simple and easy process.
Capsule CRM Pricing and Plans:
Capsule CRM offers 4 pricing options starting at $0.00/month for the free plan.
Free | Professional | Teams | Enterprise |
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What we like about Capsule CRM:
- Budget-friendly
- Easy to use
- Email and other integrations across all tiers of service
What we dislike:
- Can be too simple and lacking in features for some companies seeking customization
Expert review:
Capsule CRM presents an excellent option for small businesses with its low cost and myriad of features at even the free price tier, which only improves when paying more for the higher tiers. It is simple, easy to use, and a great starting point for many looking for a base CRM solution.
CRM Software - Additional Resources
- 5 Ways to Determine the Early ROI of CRM
- The 10 Best CRM Apps for Small Businesses
- CRM VoIP Integration: Which Phone Providers Boost Agent Efficiency?
- What is Customer Experience: Strategies, Tips & Examples
- Building Your Customer Experience Strategy in 2022
- The Art of an Effective Customer Satisfaction Survey [A How To]