Best CRM Software for Small Business

Another great option amongst CRM software platforms for smaller companies is Pipedrive. In some ways, Pipedrive is the opposite of Salesforce, meaning it offers a limited number of fantastic tools for managing your leads and contacts, being a solid alternative for those who prefer working on confined platforms.

For me, it can be viewed as an asset or a drawback, depending on what you need from your CRM software. Either way, Pipedrive is a dependable platform with core features that will meet the expectations of modern business entrepreneurs.

Why I Like It

Pipedrive is effortless to navigate, offering a clean interface and ease of use at every step of the way. It’s a sales-oriented platform with tools that allow you to visualize the entire sales process, as well as tools for customization (a good example is their customizable chatbot). 

Again, they will not be the most suitable option for businesses that need more complex contact management tools, but I wanted to showcase that a quality CRM for a small business doesn’t have to be equipped with every possible feature. Sometimes simplicity is the way to go.

Who Can Benefit

I think it’s a fantastic option for smaller businesses that are looking for something easy to use. 

The quality of customer service Pipedrive provides is good as well (I had some minor issues with their mobile app, but customer service helped me resolve them in a matter of hours and via mail, which is always appreciated), and for this reason, they’re so high on my list.

Zoho is a company with versatile experience when it comes to creating CRM software. They have created a full-featured CRM package for large companies and decided to accommodate small businesses as well. Bigin by Zoho CRM software makes pipeline management easier than ever before.

From my experiences with the platform, I can tell that this is software a lot of people will like. It’s very easy to navigate yet still offers comprehensive CRM features. In my book, it’s the perfect middle ground between my top 2 picks, so it made sense for me to put it at number 3.

Why I Like It

I had the best time testing this CRM software. Bigin by Zoho CRM is very intuitive, so even those who don’t have that many experiences with CRM platforms will be able to learn it in no time. 

One of their strongest suits is their mobile app which was superior to all the other mobile software I tested. Managing contacts and leads from your phone is easy and fast, so you can conduct your business in whatever manner you prefer.

Who Can Benefit

It’s a great proposition for small businesses that look for a fairly straightforward user interface with a fantastic mobile app. Bigin by Zoho CRM is also one of the more affordable choices, so if you want to keep things budget-friendly, I’d recommend giving them a try.

If you’re looking for your first CRM software and you don’t have any experience with contact management and customer relationship management via CRM systems, this platform might be exactly what you need.

FreshSales is another software designed to support your sales team in their endeavors to acquire and manage sales. And as business software made with that goal in mind, it lives up to my expectations entirely.

Why I Like It

I consider FreshSales one of the best CRM software companies for first-timers. Meaning their platform is equipped with valuable tools that you might need at the beginning of your journey as a business owner. 

You can easily track sales and all your marketing communication. I also appreciated the option to integrate other business software, as this flexibility makes running a business so much easier. 

Overall, it’s an easy platform to learn (it took me only an hour to set everything up), so you shouldn’t encounter any major problems on that front.

Who Can Benefit

It’s not an entirely basic CRM system, and it offers some interesting options, like the possibility to customize some business processes or run targeted campaigns. Still, FreshSales is not going to overwhelm you with the number of features and their complexity, which makes it a solid choice for those who are just starting out. 

I found this platform very easy to navigate, and the range of tools they have in store is entirely sufficient for small companies needs.

Project management, even in small companies, usually requires a collaborative approach. When I started testing different platforms, it became clear to me that when it comes to small business CRMs, team collaboration tools were not always on the front seat. But that’s not the case with monday.com.

Why I Like It

This software is my favorite platform for collaborative work, offering key features for managing projects among different teams. I loved their centralized workload view on projects, which allows every team member to have a clear view of each project’s status and priority. I’m a visual person, like most people, so having that feature really helped me prioritize and manage the work I was doing.

Of course, the platform is cloud-based, so every team member can access it while working remotely. Additionally, you can attach files and comments, which is essential in communication between teams. monday.com has a fantastic free plan with solid contact and deal management tools and up to 1,000 contacts, but it is limited to only two team members. If you wish to include more people, you’ll have to invest in one of their paid plans.

• Advanced customization features
• A wide range of tools
• The cloud-based platform that is accessible from anywhere
• Offers add-ons to extend the available features further
• Fantastic mobile app

Who Can Benefit

This is the best small business CRM software for companies that require a platform for managing teamwork. They offer amazing pipeline management with loads of features for workflow automation and third-party integrations.

HubSpot is a well-established name in the world of quality small business CRM software, especially for the fact that it can just as well cater to bigger organizations. This means you can grow within the platform. 

HubSpot offers all the essential tools for a sales pipeline and lead management, which includes sales automation, multiple deal pipelines, and lead generation tools. But that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the possibilities this CRM system presents to its users.

Why I Like It

I chose to include HubSpot in my ranking for the same reason this company is so successful. They offer many advanced features, and although that also comes with a hefty price, you can benefit quite a lot from their free HubSpot CRM plan, which is a significant asset when you’re a small company looking for a more advanced platform.

Some of the tools that impressed me the most were HubSpot’s social media tools. Not only can you easily manage customer relationships by reaching the right audience via marketing automation, but they also provide you with some helpful SEO tools as well, so you can optimize your site and content.

One thing I’d say is that the customization features they offer are relatively basic. So, at some point, it might make more sense to upgrade to a paid plan, and this will cost you quite a lot.

Who Can Benefit

I would recommend this small business CRM software to companies interested in a customer relationship management platform they can grow with. With various tools, it’s a well-equipped CRS system, but you have to be prepared to potentially spend some money on it.

The last CRM platform for small businesses I want to talk about is Insightly. There is a lot to like about this software, and although there are some drawbacks I experienced using this software, overall, it’s a pretty solid choice for automating and overseeing sales processes.

Why I Like It

I like Insightly for its clean and user-friendly interface and well-designed tools for managing the sales pipeline and workflow automation. It offers a clear view of the project by allowing you to track lead information, oversee your budget, and automatically route leads to people in your team.

The whole platform is built to support teamwork. Additionally, this CRM solution provides you with Business Intelligence features, giving you access to valuable data so that you can make better decisions about your campaigns and strategies.

My main problem with the platform was the fact that you can’t schedule outbound emails and do lead assignments and routing within the free plan – those are available in Insightly’s two paid plans.

Who Can Benefit

This is a CRM system with all the essential features, so I can recommend it to any small business that wants to benefit from comprehensive deal management software with a solid team mobile app and team management tools.