Best CRM Software for Solopreneurs

Why I Like ClickUp CRM

ClickUp is often considered little more than a task and project management platform; a consideration that really does the platform a disservice. To be fair, the platform is designed to focus on these features, but ClickUp CRM has several capabilities that make it an excellent tool for solopreneurs.

While it’s not the easiest to set up, it does have standard templates, including ones for invoice management, customer service and communication tracking, account management, and more. It’s also reasonably priced, with a free forever plan available and their paid plans starting at $10/month, per user.

The Top Features for Solopreneurs

As I mentioned, ClickUp wasn’t designed specifically as a traditional CRM but, as the developers expanded the features, it eventually became one. Now, solopreneurs can use ClickUp CRM for:

• Managing and tracking tasks and projects.
• Tracking time and managing resources.
• Collaborate with clients.
• Create customized dashboards, workflows, etc.
• Manage emails and track communication.

To top it off, ClickUp can integrate with over 1,000 tools, including GitHub and GitLab, HubSpot, Google Drive, DropBox, Outlook, Zoom, Teams, Calendly, and others. Now, it might not be the easiest to set up, but if you want iron control over your projects and tasks while still using a capable CRM, ClickUp is worth the effort.

Why I Like Monday Sales CRM

Where ClickUp is a project management-focused CRM, Monday Sales CRM is better for generating leads and managing sales. It will keep track of your leads, score them automatically based on criteria you provide, track communications, and help optimize your sales process and funnel. It has a drag-and-drop customizable interface, and even a native AI that can assist with sales activities.

While all plans are paid – and they’re not the most affordable compared to some other CRMs – it does integrate with Monday Work Management, which has a free plan and adds project management capabilities to your setup.

The Top Features for Solopreneurs

Despite its apparent limitations, Monday Sales CRM could really help you accelerate your sales pipeline through efficient lead management. It’s features include:

• Email and customer communication tracking.
• AI assistant.
• Customizable sales dashboards for forecasting.
• Lead capturing and organization.
• Custom automations and notifications.

Additionally, the Monday app store has many paid and free add-ons that can help you expand your CRM significantly. However, if managing your leads and sales pipeline is your priority, Monday could be a good fit for you.

Why I Like Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is, undeniably, one of my favorite customer relationship management platforms. It’s not only suited to almost any budget, but it’s highly customizable, comes with several native features and capabilities, and boasts hundreds of add-ons and integrations.

It’s intuitive, easy to use, and covers just about every part of your business, from marketing and sales, to contact and invoice management. It’s an excellent and comprehensive CRM solution that’s great for solopreneurs.

The Top Features For Solopreneurs

If you plan on sticking to the free CRM, you’ll have access to key features such as:

• Lead and contact management.
• Email marketing and communication management.
• Sales automation.
• Reports and analytics.

The paid plans, starting at a reasonable $20/month, per user, includes significantly more, including the ability to manage tasks and calls, creating and managing your sales pipeline, forecasting, marketing automation, and advanced security. In the higher-priced plans, you also gain access to AI tools.

Why I Like HubSpot

On just about every top CRM list out there, HubSpot will feature. It’s well-known as one of the best and most scalable customer relationship management platforms available on the market, but with a price tag to match.

What you might not know is that HubSpot has a great free plan and a budget starter plan, both of which come quite loaded with features. Naturally, it’s geared particularly towards marketing, but that represents just a fraction of its full capabilities. HubSpot CRM is also one of the most customizable platforms. That said, the bigger you go, the more expensive it gets, so keep that in mind. 

The Top Features for Solopreneurs

Within the free plan, you’ll get access to all the free tools available through HubSpot, including those for marketing, sales, content, operations, and commerce. You can also get access to tools such as:

• Email and marketing automation.
• Lead generation and landing pages.
• Tasks and activities management.
• Quotes, invoices, and payment processing (US only).

You can also gain access to the various hubs, including sales, marketing, service, and more, to customize your CRM and create exactly the kind of system you need.

Why I Like Less Annoying CRM

Less Annoying CRM does exactly what it says on the box – it’s a simple CRM that’s built for solopreneurs and small businesses, and created to be as intuitive as possible. Unsurprisingly, they’ve been voted as the #1 Easiest To Use CRM on G2, showing that there’s truth to their claim.

To top it off, Less Annoying CRM comes with one price tag that includes all available features. That is, for the price of $15, you’ll have access to every tool and resource available. Now, that does mean it’s not the most scalable of platforms, but it more than makes up for it with its key features.

The Top Features for Solopreneurs

The single catch with Less Annoying CRM is that it doesn’t have many of the advanced features other platforms include. That said, the developers are continually improving the system and adding new capabilities, so don’t be afraid to take the plunge, particularly if the key features appeal to you. These include:

• Contact management that includes a complete interaction overview.
• Event, meeting, and calendar management.
• Automated task reminders and daily reports.
• Task and basic project management tools.
• Lead and sales pipeline management and tracking.
• Unlimited customizable fields and reports.
• Cross-device and cloud access.

In short, outside of covering things like invoices and quotes, Less Annoying CRM will meet the needs of almost all Solopreneurs, without frustrating you to no end.

Why I Like Insightly CRM

Insightly CRM comes with a free plan that includes two users and 2,500 client and prospect records, which is not to be sniffed at. It can also be scaled up significantly, with paid plans starting at a reasonable, though higher than average, $29/month, per user. With that said, Insightly CRM is designed to drive ROI, and its key capabilities reflect that.

The Top Features for Solopreneurs

Not only does Insightly CRM integrate with well over a thousand apps, it also comes with several excellent tools and capabilities that will serve any solopreneur well. These include:

• Sales pipeline and lead management.
• Lead tracking and evaluation / ranking.
• Opportunity management.
• Pricing, quote, and invoice management.
• Workflow automation.
• Project and task tracking and management.

Keep in mind that Insightly CRM is designed to be scaled up, growing with your business. If you plan to expand into a full entrepreneurial venture, Insightly could be a great match for you. However, if you plan to remain a solopreneur, you may prefer a CRM with a lower price.

Why I Like Indy CRM

Indy CRM is one of the few CRM systems designed specifically for freelancers and solopreneurs. In other words, it’s easy to use, comes with almost all critical features you may need, and has both a free and a low-cost, all inclusive paid plan. That’s right, for only $12 a month, you can unlock every advanced feature the platform offers.

To top it off, you don’t need to worry about scalability, as Indy CRM offers unlimited contacts, proposals, invoices, and contracts, and even boasts a digital assistant. It even has an extensive template library, and integrates with several top platforms and tools you may need to use.

The Top Features for Solopreneurs

Indy CRM is one of my preferred platforms for solopreneurs, and for good reason. While its affordability and customizability counts for a lot, the features to cost ratio is almost unbeatable. Key features include:

• A clean, easy to use client portal.
• Calendar and meeting management tools.
• Built-in contract editor, including e-signature capabilities.
• Rudimentary file management system.
• Forms for lead gathering, testimonial requests, and more.
• Invoice and quote management.
• Tasks management and time tracker.

With the right integration, you can even receive and organize payments through the platform. If you want bang for your buck, Indy CRM is almost unbeatable.

Why I Like Breakcold CRM

Breakcold is an all-in-one sales CRM built for solopreneurs specifically. Not only does it allow you to manage your contacts, but it’s designed to help you prospect for leads and build an effective sales pipeline. It integrates with over 5,000 tools, more than most CRMs out there, but it can also link with LinkedIn to pull leads straight from the platform. If you want to focus on sales and ROI, Breakcold may be your best match.

The Top Features for Solopreneurs

Breakcold is a sales CRM – it focuses on that, and does it well. It won’t allow you to track projects, create marketing campaigns, or manage your invoice. What it will do, however, is:

• Prospect for leads via social media.
• Manage your contacts effectively.
• Create and customize sales pipelines.
• Create automated sales and email campaigns.

Now, for a CRM that has no free plan and starts at $29/month, per user, you may be wondering why I’d include such a seemingly limited platform on my list. The answer is simple. If you want to generate leads, particularly through social media, rank those leads, and build a robust sales pipeline, all without the need for fancy features or advanced capabilities, then Breakcold is your match.

Why I Like Nimble CRM

Like Indy and Breakcold, Nimble CRM is designed for small businesses and solopreneurs, and it’s been highly rated for years. It’s rich with features, which does make up somewhat for what it lacks in integrations. It’s simple and easy to use, and focuses on allowing you to build better relationships with your customers for only $29.90/month, per seat.

The Top Features for Solopreneurs

Nimble has won awards from G2, Capterra, Software Reviews, and GetApp, to name a few, and has been doing so since 2017. Aside from integrating with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, it also offers:

• Email and communications tracking.
• Audience segmentation.
• Workflows and automations.
• Nimble prospector, for finding leads on social media.
• Lead qualification and reporting.
• Task management and time tracking.

It may not be as scalable as some other platforms, but it’s fun to use, comes with all key features you might want, and has a single paid package to keep things simple. 

Why I Like Bigin CRM

Made by Zoho, Bigin is the platform’s solopreneur solution. If you don’t want to go for a system as advanced as Zoho itself, Bigin will provide you with all the key capabilities you need from a CRM, without the additional add-ons, complex interface, and learning curve. It’s simple, straight-forward, and easy to use. 

The Top Features for Solopreneurs

Bigin is more than just a basic version of Zoho CRM. Instead, it takes all the tools you need, package them into neat and affordable packages, and presents them in an easy to use way. These tools and features include:

• Contact management and tracking.
• File storage and management tools.
• Sales pipeline management.
• Custom fields.
• Workflow automation.
• Email, task, and activity tracking.