Best CRM Software 2021

CRM software, or customer relationship management software, is technology that helps individuals, SMBs, and enterprises manage relationships with their potential and existing customers. This involves obtaining data about customers and analyzing that data to drive business growth.

CRM software is most commonly used by business-to-business (B2B) companies. The benefits of CRM software include saved time, improved deal close rates, and faster closed deals.

CRM platforms offer key features for lead capture, contact and deal management, workflow automation, and insights reporting. The best CRM solution for you will depend heavily on the number of customer relationships you have to manage. Some platforms are also better for marketing and team collaboration. You will also need to decide if you want an all-in-one solution or have a CRM that integrates with the software you are currently using.

Research Led By:
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Junior Research Analyst

We use a rigorous software review process to create our unbiased, in-depth research.
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Highest Rated CRM Software

Different software vendors build solutions for freelancers, small businesses, and larger businesses. All the tools we've reviewed are industry-agnostic, meaning that they're relevant for businesses of all types.

HubSpot
Rating: 91
Starting Price: $50 per month

HubSpot is a feature-rich CRM software solution used by over 114,000 customers. It's ideal for those who need an advanced, all-in-one platform with high-quality marketing tools.

Pros:
  • HubSpot is one of the more user-friendly, advanced CRM solutions
  • HubSpot offers one of the most robust in-platform email marketing tools among its competitors
  • HubSpot offers a robust free plan
Cons:
  • HubSpot’s CRM Suite pricing is one of the most expensive
  • HubSpot is not HIPAA compliant
  • HubSpot is not recommended if you do not need an all-in-one solution
Zoho CRM
Rating: 89
Starting Price: $20 per month

Zoho CRM is a CRM platform that is used by over 150,000 customers. It's ideal for those who need a more affordable, advanced solution and currently use other Zoho products.

Pros:
  • Zoho CRM is an affordable, advanced CRM solution
  • Zoho CRM offers seamless integrations with its other products – including Zoho Forms and Zoho SalesIQ
  • Zoho CRM is HIPAA compliant
  • Zoho CRM offers a free plan
Cons:
  • Zoho CRM has a slight learning curve
  • Zoho CRM’s UI is clunky
  • For an advanced platform, some of Zoho CRM’s features are basic – i.e. its task management feature
Freshsales
Rating: 86
Starting Price: $35 per month

Freshsales is a CRM platform with over 40,000 customers. It's ideal for small businesses with a slightly larger budget and that need a strong set of communication channels and digital marketing tools.

Pros:
  • Freshsales offers one of the widest ranges of communication channels – email, live chat, SMS, and phone
  • Freshsales offers Freddy AI, which uses data to predict how well a contact fits with your business
  • Freshsales offers high-quality, powerful live chat and email marketing tools
Cons:
  • Freshsales is a relatively expensive platform
  • Freshsales only offers two lead capture methods – forms and emails
  • Freshsales does not let you set reminders for tasks
Copper
Rating: 84
Starting Price: $29 per month

Copper is a CRM software solution that is used by over 25,000 customers. It's ideal for SMBs that only need a basic CRM and currently use Google Workspace.

Pros:
  • Copper is one of the more user-friendly CRMs available
  • Copper integrates tightly with Google Workspace
  • Copper offers a built-in email marketing tool
Cons:
  • Copper only offers one in-platform communication channel – email
  • Copper does not offer an in-platform lead capture forms feature
  • Copper is not HIPAA compliant
Pipedrive
Rating: 83
Starting Price: $18 per month

Pipedrive is a basic CRM software tool used by over 95,000 customers. It's ideal for individuals and SMBs who mainly need a solution to visually manage their deals and pipelines.

Pros:
  • Pipedrive is a better fit for individuals and entrepreneurs
  • Pipedrive is user-friendly and offers an intuitive interface
  • Pipedrive offers an in-platform live chat lead capture tool
Cons:
  • Pipedrive’s task management feature does not let you set reminders
  • Pipedrive does not offer an in-platform email campaign feature
  • Pipedrive does not offer an automatic activity feed
  • Pipedrive does not offer lead scoring
Vtiger
Rating: 82
Starting Price: Free

Vtiger is a popular CRM solution with over 300,000 customers. It's best for smaller businesses who need a reliable, all-in-one solution with multiple communication channels.

Pros:
  • Vtiger offers a robust free plan that allows up to 10 users
  • Vtiger offers a wide range of communication channels – email, direct messaging, SMS, and phone
  • Vtiger is HIPAA compliant
Cons:
  • Vtiger’s UI is not the most intuitive
  • Vtiger’s lead capture form only works well for creating simple forms
  • Vtiger’s triggered events tool does not let you view your workflow visually
Salesforce
Rating: 81
Starting Price: $25 per month

Salesforce is an advanced CRM software tool used by over 150,000 customers. It's ideal for those who have a large budget and are looking to scale their business to enterprise-level. We highly recommend having assistance from a Salesforce representative when it comes to customizing your platform.

Pros:
  • Salesforce is the most scalable, customizable solution for large enterprises
  • Salesforce includes its own AI system called Einstein AI, which provides predictive analytics, natural language processing capabilities, and machine learning
  • Salesforce is HIPAA compliant
Cons:
  • Salesforce has a steeper learning curve
  • Salesforce is one of the more expensive platforms in the market
  • Salesforce is not the best option for SMBs

CRM Software Prices

CRM software can range from free to upwards of $30,000 per month. Here are some details that will help you compare prices for the most popular CRM platforms.

Software VendorStarting Monthly PriceFree Trial
HubSpot$50Yes
Salesforce$25Yes
Zoho CRM$20Yes
Copper$29Yes
Pipedrive$18Yes
Freshworks CRM$35Yes
ActiveCampaign$15Yes
SugarCRM$52Yes
VtigerFreeYes

CRM Software FAQs

CRM is an acronym for Customer Relationship Management. CRM software helps individuals and businesses manage relationships with potential and existing customers. It supports marketing, sales, ecommerce, and customer service functions.

Most customers pay $50 to $150 per month for CRM software. The cheapest plans range from free to $20 per month. The most expensive plans can cost as much as $4,000 per month.

The best CRM software depends on your budget and the features you need. Salesforce is the most advanced platform, but also one of the most expensive. Zoho CRM and HubSpot are both feature-rich, high-quality, middle-tier solutions. Copper and Pipedrive are two of the most affordable solutions, but are also more basic in terms of features.

Salesforce is the most popular CRM software in the market. It has more than 150,000 customers.

There are many benefits to using CRM software. This includes:

  • Providing a safe, centralized storage space for your contacts, deals, activities, and files
  • Allowing your salespeople to optimize time spent with leads and customers
  • Closing a higher percentage of prospective deals
  • Improving communication and your customer experience
  • Saving time through workflow automation
  • Reducing the risk of human error

The most common CRM features are:

  • Lead capture
  • Contact profiles
  • Marketing communication channels
  • Lead scoring
  • Tasks
  • Pipelines
  • Workflow automation
  • Reporting
  • Integrations
  • Mobile CRM

CRM Software Research & Advice

What Does CRM Software Do?

By Amy Yang |

Customer Relationship Management is when you organize and analyze your customer interactions and the data you've compiled during their...Read More >

Best Free CRM Software

By Amy Yang |

Looking for the best CRM software? We’ve researched the market and listed the four top free solutions below. Read More >

Pipedrive vs. HubSpot

By Amy Yang |

Are you deciding between Pipedrive and HubSpot? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you select the best CRM tool to help...Read More >

Freshworks CRM vs. HubSpot

By Amy Yang |

Are you deciding between Freshworks CRM and HubSpot? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you select the best CRM tool to...Read More >

Vtiger vs. HubSpot

By Amy Yang |

Are you deciding between Vtiger and HubSpot? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you select the best CRM tool to help you...Read More >

Copper CRM vs. HubSpot

By Amy Yang |

Are you deciding between Copper CRM and HubSpot? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you select the best CRM tool to help...Read More >

Zoho CRM vs. Salesforce

By Amy Yang |

Are you deciding between Zoho CRM and Salesforce? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you select the best CRM tool to...Read More >

Salesforce vs. HubSpot

By Amy Yang |

Are you deciding between Salesforce and HubSpot? This in-depth, feature-by-feature breakdown will help you select the best CRM tool to help...Read More >

Why You Should Trust Our Recommendations

The team at SoftwarePundit has been testing software since 2017. We’ve hand-tested over 250 software products in that time, including 5 in the CRM category. We applied the same rigorous process to each piece of CRM software that we analyzed. The specifics of our CRM category research process are outlined below.

Amy led our analysis of CRM software. She has spent more than 400 hours evaluating leading CRM software systems. To test the tools, she set up trials of each tool, created customer relationship flows, and tested their overall usability. She also spoke with several users of each solution to hear their input and personal experiences.

In addition, all research and content was overseen by Bruce Hogan, SoftwarePundit’s Co-founder & CEO. Bruce has more than a decade of experience researching, building, and reviewing the world’s best software products. His technology advice has been featured on a wide range of media sites such as AngelList, CMSWire, Dental Economics, iPhone Life, Reader’s Digest, Thrive Global, U.S. News, and the Zapier Blog.

How We Selected the Best CRM Software

We selected the best CRM software tools to review based upon a number of criteria. The most important criteria were each software tool’s features, usability, price, and customer support. The details of our analyses are captured in the in-depth reviews we publish about each software tool.

There are a handful of critical features that you should look for in CRM software. We prioritized analyzing features in these key categories in our analysis:

  • Lead Capture
  • Contact Management
  • Communication Channels
  • Deal Management
  • Workflow Automation
  • Insights Reporting

How We Evaluated CRM Software

We used the same rigorous process to evaluate CRM software as all other software categories. For the CRM category, Amy invested several weeks researching, testing, and writing about the tools.

Amy interviewed the teams of the software companies listed above. Our conversations involved discussing each company’s product, customer base, pricing, customer support, and business strength. Amy was also able to participate in product demos led by each company, which gave her the chance to ask detailed questions about each CRM software’s features and functionality.

Amy was also able to interview actual users of each CRM tool listed above. Our conversations here included discussions about each product’s features, advantages, disadvantages, customer support, and usability. These interviews gave Amy the opportunity to ask detailed questions about each solution’s functionality.

Amy also obtained a free trial of each software tool listed above. She spent several hours testing the major and unique features of each CRM. This allowed us to validate the features offered by each product, and to gain an understanding of the software’s usability.

In addition to conducting conversations with the software companies and hand-testing every platform, Amy also spent dozens of hours interviewing real customers of the software tools listed above.

CRM Software Customers

  • Sandeepan Jindal: Sandeepan is the founder of the SaaS-based product, BidFortune. He currently uses Pipedrive.
  • Eden Cheng: Eden Cheng is the founder of WeInvoice, an invoicing software company. She currently uses Pipedrive.
  • Robert Soares: Robert Soares is the founder of Provided.io, a company that provides development solutions. He currently uses HubSpot.
  • Alina Clark: Alina Clark is the co-founder of CocoDoc, a PDF editor software company. She currently uses Zoho CRM.
  • Caroline Lee: Caroline Lee is the co-founder of CocoSign, an electronic signature software company. She currently uses HubSpot.