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The Top Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software for Small Businesses in 2024

Updated
Tom Rayner
By: Tom Rayner

Our Small Business Expert

Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

Today's data-driven market requires the best CRM software to manage your customer relationships. To drive sales and new insights into your industry, consider these cutting-edge CRM tools for your business.

No matter what industry you're in, you probably need customer relationship management (CRM) software. Rest assured your competitors are using it, and if your organization is a mess when it comes to managing leads and customers, those other companies are going to eat you alive.

Enterprise companies and small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) need well-managed customer data to generate the results they want, and this is where the magic of CRM software comes into play.

CRM solutions automate and oversee the customer life cycle of a business from end to end, with different types of CRMs focusing on different needs. Customer-facing teams utilize CRM tools to respond effectively to the real-time needs of their clients and customers and foster closer relations with them.

This guide will break down what to look for in CRM software and provide the 10 best CRMs based on The Ascent's ratings.

Product Description Next Steps
Rating image, 4.40 out of 5 stars.
4.40/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Freshworks CRM software caters to businesses of all sizes. Our full review breaks down features, customer support, pricing, and other aspects of this platform.
Insightly
Rating image, 4.20 out of 5 stars.
4.20/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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As one of our favorite CRM software tools, Insightly comes with an outstanding collection of features to support both your sales and marketing teams.
Agile CRM
Rating image, 4.10 out of 5 stars.
4.10/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Designed for small to mid-sized businesses, Agile CRM acts as a centralized hub for your CRM software needs. Offering tons of integrations, this tool is a great option for sales teams.
Rating image, 4.10 out of 5 stars.
4.10/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Pipedrive is an easy-to-use CRM software for small businesses and marketing teams. At an affordable price, this tool will help you invigorate your lead generation so you can maximize your sales.
Redtail CRM
Rating image, 4.10 out of 5 stars.
4.10/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Redtail CRM is designed to put everything a salesperson needs at their fingertips with a simple web-based dashboard. While there is a learning curve, users are able to quickly access critical info.
Rating image, 3.90 out of 5 stars.
3.90/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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HubSpot offers a great free CRM software product with upgrade options for robust paid features. This tool also syncs with the rest of the HubSpot ecosystem so you can easily coordinate your teams.
Rating image, 3.80 out of 5 stars.
3.80/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Capsule CRM is a simple, straightforward platform that is web-based, offers a free version, and is very easy to use. It lacks more advanced features but is perfect for small teams on a budget.
Zendesk Sell
Rating image, 3.70 out of 5 stars.
3.70/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Zendesk Sell makes managing a sales team simple, and it offers a variety of reporting tools to help you figure out how to improve your team's efficiency.
Rating image, 3.70 out of 5 stars.
3.70/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Zoho CRM software is designed for a variety of business models and sizes. With plenty of integrations and options, this platform is best used within the Zoho ecosystem of software products.
Vtiger Sales CRM
Rating image, 3.70 out of 5 stars.
3.70/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
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Vtiger specializes in improving customer interactions by streamlining communication. With customer support and automation features, integrated teams will appreciate this CRM software tool.
Rating image, 3.70 out of 5 stars.
3.70/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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The titan of the sales industry, Salesforce is the most advanced CRM software tool known to man. This mammoth is built for large enterprises and comes with a matching price tag.
SugarCRM
Rating image, 3.60 out of 5 stars.
3.60/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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SugarCRM is a powerful CRM software that offers plenty of features and third-party integrations. This platform helps streamline communication so your team stays coordinated and organized.
Close
Rating image, 3.60 out of 5 stars.
3.60/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
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Close is a centralized lead generation and sales pipeline CRM software that keeps your entire team organized and streamlined.
Bitrix24
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Bitrix24 has a vast number of features and customizations yet, consequently, comes with a steep learning curve. This CRM software offers a free version that's perfect for startups and tight budgets.
Rating image, 4.40 out of 5 stars.
4.40/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Bottom Line: Freshworks CRM software caters to businesses of all sizes. Our full review breaks down features, customer support, pricing, and other aspects of this platform.

Freshworks CRM (formerly Freshsales) earned our top ranking as the best CRM out there. This software solution provides a good balance between a lean and affordable option and an enterprise solution that has more features. The platform offers excellent customer support and an intuitive interface with an option for just about any feature you would need. It also comes in at a low price point.

Some actions and dashboard customization are limited. There's also no user forum. However, these downsides are outweighed by all of the software's advantages.

One of the main features Freshworks offers is lead scoring. It has a strong prospecting tool that will help salespeople feel more in control of their pipeline. Other features include team management and reports.

A screenshot of the Freshworks dashboard.

Freshworks offers a lead tracking system that allows you to score individual prospects. Image source: Author

Insightly
Rating image, 4.20 out of 5 stars.
4.20/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Bottom Line: As one of our favorite CRM software tools, Insightly comes with an outstanding collection of features to support both your sales and marketing teams.

Insightly is a CRM tool geared toward improving the flow and organization of your business. Its range of marketing tools is impressive, and it has automation features that will save your team time.

Unfortunately, the best marketing features are for higher-paid tiers, and some app integrations regularly break. However, those issues are more than outweighed by a fantastic support team, extensive features no matter your business size, and even a "forever free" plan for those solopreneurs who need a simple solution right away.

Its most interesting feature is lead routing, which helps you contact prospects at exactly the right time. With this feature, the sales team focuses efforts on red-hot leads, automatically sending those leads to a team member when the time is right. Insightly also offers email marketing, custom dashboards, and plenty of integrations with popular third-party software.

A screenshot of the Insightly dashboard.

Insightly’s marketing dashboard displays all the relevant data. Image source: Author

Agile CRM
Rating image, 4.10 out of 5 stars.
4.10/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Bottom Line: Designed for small to mid-sized businesses, Agile CRM acts as a centralized hub for your CRM software needs. Offering tons of integrations, this tool is a great option for sales teams.

Agile CRM is designed for small and medium-sized companies. It is a cloud-based solution that integrates all of your activities -- sales, marketing, social media, and even customer service -- into one place. The software comes at a number of pricing levels, ranging from free to enterprise, and it supports more than 50 plug-ins and integrations.

While the customization could be better and automation features can be tough to understand, we like the fact that importing contacts is quick and easy, there's seamless application with popular apps like Skype and Facebook, and gamification features help improve employee efficiency.

One of the big features of Agile is its contact management tool. Agile keeps contacts organized and allows the user to store basics about your customers, including interests and how they interact with your company. This allows you to build lasting relationships with your customers. The software also offers tools for project management, appointment scheduling, and even a landing page builder.

A screenshot of the Agile CRM dashboard.

Agile’s dashboard clearly shows where your sales team stands at the present moment. Image source: Author

Rating image, 4.10 out of 5 stars.
4.10/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line: Pipedrive is an easy-to-use CRM software for small businesses and marketing teams. At an affordable price, this tool will help you invigorate your lead generation so you can maximize your sales.

Pipedrive is ideal for small businesses or salespeople who are heavily involved with the marketing team. This easy-to-use CRM has lots of marketing tools to help your team get to the next level, and it comes in at an affordable price. It's also very easy to use and was made by sales experts for sales experts. This is a great option if your team is growing and you need something to organize your efforts.

Despite the good pricing options, there's no forever free plan for this software. Also, the Essential plan includes web forms that are branded, and the feature set is somewhat limited. However, this is one of the most affordable CRM solutions out there, and it's easy to use as long as you get the training. Also, the customer support is 24/7.

Pipedrive's pipeline management feature is a standout. It allows you to closely monitor your lead generation and sales process with proven methodologies, helping your team make more conversions. You can use it to spot trends, and customization is easy. The software also integrates your email system, helps you generate leads, and produces visual sales reports.

A screenshot of the Pipedrive dashboard.

Pipedrive will improve the communication between your sales team and your customers. Image source: Author

Redtail CRM
Rating image, 4.10 out of 5 stars.
4.10/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Bottom Line: Redtail CRM is designed to put everything a salesperson needs at their fingertips with a simple web-based dashboard. While there is a learning curve, users are able to quickly access critical info.

Redtail CRM is another top solution that goes the route of simplicity rather than trying to bombard the user with features. This software option doesn't have the range of capabilities of some platforms, but it's a great web-based solution for small businesses that need a simple CRM platform to organize their sales efforts.

The software could stand to have some free training, more features, a more robust mobile app, and some additional customization options, but it does a lot of things really well -- particularly customer service, an easy-to-use dashboard, detailed contact information, and email archiving. The pricing is pretty straightforward: It's $99/month for every 15 users.

The dashboard is one of the best aspects of Redtail. As soon as you log in, you can see everything that you need to know, including upcoming appointments, workflow tasks, and team notices. Salespeople are often pulled in every direction, so it's helpful to have one hub to keep them centered. Additionally, the software offers a calendar, detailed contacts list, reports, a mobile app, and workflow processes.

A screenshot of the Redtail CRM dashboard.

Redtail’s dashboard is easy to navigate with the handy menu on the left. Image source: Author

Rating image, 3.90 out of 5 stars.
3.90/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line: HubSpot offers a great free CRM software product with upgrade options for robust paid features. This tool also syncs with the rest of the HubSpot ecosystem so you can easily coordinate your teams.

HubSpot CRM is a free CRM option for small businesses on a tight budget. This CRM is very easy to set up and get started with, and its massive features list makes it great for large enterprises as well. HubSpot offers something for everyone -- big companies can get all the bells and whistles to manage their marketing and sales teams, while solopreneurs can opt for the simple "forever free" option.

The massive feature set can be daunting for some users and costs can quickly increase the more features you need. However, the "forever free" option, the scalable CRM stack and marketing suite, and the excellent performance-reporting dashboards set this software platform apart in a good way.

HubSpot's pipeline dashboard is its standout feature. The dashboard shows every detail about your sales funnel in real time and lets you share it with the entire team so everyone is on the same page. It is well-designed and easy to read, and you can chop up the data to see who is overperforming and who is underperforming. Other features include activity logging, real-time chat, and email templates.

A screenshot of the HubSpot CRM dashboard.

HubSpot does a good job of providing visualized data. Image source: Author

Rating image, 3.80 out of 5 stars.
3.80/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
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Bottom Line: Capsule CRM is a simple, straightforward platform that is web-based, offers a free version, and is very easy to use. It lacks more advanced features but is perfect for small teams on a budget.

Capsule CRM is ideally suited for companies that are worried about price and ease of use. This platform provides all of the functionality any sales team expects from a CRM, even if it doesn't have some of the more advanced features you might find with some of the pricier options. However, it's a web-based tool that offers a free version, and that makes it attractive to a lot of small businesses.

Beyond its limited features, the software has other downsides. Its customer support is also limited, and it doesn't have a long list of integrations. It also doesn't offer much in the way of reports. However, it has a simple, clean dashboard, a great mobile app, and -- most importantly -- a free version. And that might be enough for your organization.

The software has an interesting contact list tool. You can upload contacts from a spreadsheet, and its automation tool checks the fields and automatically creates those fields in the software, which is a big time-saver. You can add an opportunity or a case to the contact to track sales progress with each individual or make notes and attach files to them. The software also helps you track cases and opportunities, and while its reporting features are limited (and only available to paid users), you can create basic reports to help with sales forecasting and spotting trends.

A screenshot of the Capsule CRM dashboard.

Capsule allows you to store detailed information on potential customers. Image source: Author

Zendesk Sell
Rating image, 3.70 out of 5 stars.
3.70/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
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Bottom Line: Zendesk Sell makes managing a sales team simple, and it offers a variety of reporting tools to help you figure out how to improve your team's efficiency.

Zendesk Sell is a platform that excels with limited onboarding and powerful reporting features to help you improve the performance of your team. It can get expensive, but this CRM is one you should explore as it is easy to use and offers plenty of interesting features for a sales team.

The main downsides of the software are that it is expensive beyond three users, has limited features at its lowest tier, and customer support is limited. However, this is an easy-to-use platform that is great for tech novices; onboarding is minimal and its strong reporting tools compare favorably to competitors.

Zendesk has a good tool for managing leads. You can't put as much detail into it as other software platforms, but leads are easy to add and organize. The software keeps a detailed call log so you know how many calls your team is making and what impact it is having on conversion rates. Its reports let you dive into conversions, call and email outcomes, and many other aspects of your team's performance.

A screenshot of the Zendesk Sell dashboard.

The Zendesk Sell dashboard can be customized depending on your needs. Image source: Author

Rating image, 3.70 out of 5 stars.
3.70/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line: Zoho CRM software is designed for a variety of business models and sizes. With plenty of integrations and options, this platform is best used within the Zoho ecosystem of software products.
Vtiger Sales CRM
Rating image, 3.70 out of 5 stars.
3.70/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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= Fair
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Bottom Line: Vtiger specializes in improving customer interactions by streamlining communication. With customer support and automation features, integrated teams will appreciate this CRM software tool.

Vtiger Sales CRM is a platform that aims to streamline communication both internally and externally, as well as improve your interactions with customers overall. The software does a good job of organizing and storing information on your various sales and marketing efforts, and it has helpful automation features to save your team some time.

Vtiger has a free version, making it a solid option for sole proprietors and small businesses. The software's organization of contact search results leave much to be desired, and a number of modules may increase the learning curve, but Vtiger has a lot of advantages as well. For example, it offers an easy-to-understand management console, adaptable customization and modules, and excellent value when it comes to the number of features you get.

The level of customization when it comes to the contact list is probably the software's strongest feature. You'll be able to capture leads and contacts a lot easier with customizable fields and the ability to attach notes and other information to help land a sale. Prebuilt widgets and customizable charts will help you get even more out of the software.

A screenshot of the Vtiger Sales CRM dashboard.

Vtiger’s contact pages are about as detailed as you will find in the CRM world. Image source: Author

Rating image, 3.70 out of 5 stars.
3.70/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
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Bottom Line: The titan of the sales industry, Salesforce is the most advanced CRM software tool known to man. This mammoth is built for large enterprises and comes with a matching price tag.

Salesforce CRM is one of the biggest names in the CRM world, for good reason. This platform caters to small and large businesses alike, and it offers just about any CRM feature your company needs. The Salesforce team will customize the software to your specifications, and while it's not the cheapest CRM on the market, you'll get a lot for your money.

Salesforce can be challenging to learn, the setup is complicated, and if you want a lot of features, you'll have to pay quite a bit. However, you can pick and choose the features you want, there’s a lot of integrations, and it offers tools for every facet of your business.

Salesforce's opportunity management feature will let your team funnel leads through the pipeline so they keep track of them better. The software also offers task management, which lets you attach dates and manage the team schedule through the software. And you'll also be able to create custom quotes using information entered into the software so you can quickly process orders.

A screenshot of the Salesforce CRM dashboard.

Salesforce’s highly visual dashboard will keep your sales team on the same page. Image source: Author

SugarCRM
Rating image, 3.60 out of 5 stars.
3.60/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Bottom Line: SugarCRM is a powerful CRM software that offers plenty of features and third-party integrations. This platform helps streamline communication so your team stays coordinated and organized.
Rating image, 3.60 out of 5 stars.
3.60/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Bottom Line: Close is a centralized lead generation and sales pipeline CRM software that keeps your entire team organized and streamlined.
Bitrix24
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
= Good
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Bottom Line: Bitrix24 has a vast number of features and customizations yet, consequently, comes with a steep learning curve. This CRM software offers a free version that's perfect for startups and tight budgets.

What The Ascent looks for in a great CRM software

CRM software offers a wide range of features, but in general, you should ensure any option you choose has the following three characteristics.

Contacts and lead tracking

Every CRM software option worth its salt should have a good way to organize contacts and track sales leads. While every software offers some version of this -- it's impossible to do your job as a salesperson without it -- not all of them do it as well. You want software that lets you customize your contact list and add detailed information that will give you an edge. It should also allow you to chart where leads are in the sales funnel so you know when to reach out to them.

Relationship management

Relationship management is important in sales -- after all, it's the "R" and "M" in "CRM." Look for software options that ensure you are not only able to land a sale but keep that customer and even develop a relationship that could lead to future sales. That means your software should track the customer life cycle, offer data insights, and have automated tools for building customer relationships.

Sales tracking and analytics

Data is of the utmost importance in sales. By tracking every metric possible, you can determine if you're making too many or too few calls, doing poorly in terms of conversions, or not spending enough time on lead qualification, among other activities that might be affecting your bottom line. Look for software with strong sales tracking, analytics, and reporting features. Software that can break down how you're performing in granular detail should not be undervalued.

How your business can benefit from using CRM software

So why should your organization sign up for CRM software? Chances are you wouldn't be reading this article if you didn't think some things need improvement at your organization. Here are some of the benefits of a CRM you'll enjoy.

Interaction tracking

Modern CRM systems document all interactions with your customers. For example, the CRM suite tracks every live chat, email, in-person conversation, text message, and phone call you have with customers.

Tracking processes are fully automated and can include engagements on social media platforms. With social media tracking enabled, businesses can learn which social posts drive the most customer interaction.

Workflow automation

No CRM strategy will be successful without proper execution. With CRM software, you can set up and maintain integrated office software tools such as task lists, push alerts, and interactive calendars through CRM suites.

For instance, if you compile a list of daily objectives in the calendar app, the CRM tool will automatically create a to-do list from the data. As you work through the day, the list updates in real time, keeping you focused and on track.

Performance reporting

CRM software tracks sales productivity and customer analytics. You can compile and issue regular reports based on the activities logged in the CRM system. Reports can include bottom-line information such as new revenue accumulated or customer-side metrics such as the number of new contacts generated.

Performance reports are useful tools for forecasting business outcomes. Using the data collected through CRM software, your business can be better positioned to forecast your sales pipeline for the upcoming quarter.

Our Small Business Expert