15 CRM Software Examples 2026: Features & Pricing

What is CRM Software?

CRM software (Customer Relationship Management software) is a technology platform that centralizes customer data, tracks interactions across the buyer journey, and automates repetitive sales, marketing, and service tasks. At its core, a CRM system serves as a single source of truth for every customer touchpoint: from initial lead capture through deal closure and ongoing account management.

Modern CRM software goes far beyond digital Rolodexes. These platforms combine contact management with sales pipeline tracking, email automation, reporting dashboards, and integration layers that connect to your entire tech stack. When a prospect downloads a whitepaper, emails your sales team, and connects on LinkedIn, your CRM should capture and connect all three touchpoints to build a complete interaction history.

CRM systems typically fall into three categories. Operational CRMs focus on automating sales tasks like email follow-ups and meeting scheduling. Analytical CRMs emphasize data mining, pattern recognition, and forecasting to identify buying patterns from customer data. Collaborative CRMs prioritize information sharing across departments—sales, marketing, and customer success teams share the same customer intelligence.

The business case for CRM software is measurable. Companies using CRM systems report 29% increases in sales, 34% improvements in sales productivity, and 42% better forecast accuracy according to Salesforce research. These gains come from eliminating manual data entry (sales reps spend 17% less time on administrative tasks), preventing leads from slipping through cracks, and giving managers real-time visibility into pipeline health.

For sales teams specifically, CRM software transforms how you prospect, qualify, and close deals. Instead of juggling spreadsheets, sticky notes, and personal inboxes, your entire team operates from a unified system that tracks every email sent, meeting scheduled, and proposal delivered. This structured process increases accountability, enables coaching based on actual behavior patterns, and ensures no deal stalls because someone forgot to follow up.

The ROI equation is straightforward: CRM software costs $12-150 per user monthly, while manual processes cost your business far more through missed opportunities, duplicated efforts, and deals that die due to poor follow-through. Companies that implement CRM effectively see payback periods of 6-12 months, with benefits compounding as more historical data enables smarter forecasting and targeting.

How to Choose the Right CRM Software

Choosing CRM software requires matching your actual sales process—not an idealized version—to platform capabilities. Start by documenting how deals currently progress through your pipeline. Do you rely heavily on phone calls, or is your motion primarily email and LinkedIn outreach? Does your average sales cycle span 3 weeks or 9 months? Do individual reps manage 50 accounts or 500 prospects simultaneously?

Company size determines which CRM categories you should evaluate. Teams under 10 people need simplicity and speed to value—you can’t afford 3-month implementations or platforms requiring dedicated administrators. The 10-50 employee range needs scalability and customization options to accommodate growing complexity. Organizations beyond 50 employees require enterprise-grade security, role-based permissions, and advanced reporting that satisfies executive stakeholders.

Budget considerations extend beyond the advertised per-user-per-month price. Calculate true total cost of ownership by adding implementation fees (typically $3,000-50,000 depending on complexity), training costs, required add-ons that aren’t included in base packages, and integration development for connecting your existing tools. A $25/user CRM often becomes $50+/user after essential features like advanced automation, API access, or additional storage.

Your must-have features checklist should prioritize capabilities that directly impact revenue. Contact and account management is table stakes. Sales pipeline visualization with drag-and-drop deal stages enables quick updates. Email integration (ideally two-way sync) prevents duplicate data entry. Activity tracking captures calls, emails, and meetings automatically. Reporting and dashboards give managers visibility without constant status meetings.

Consider your integration ecosystem carefully. Modern sales organizations use 10+ tools—your CRM must connect to your email platform, calendar, marketing automation system, customer support software, and accounting platform. Native integrations outperform Zapier workarounds for mission-critical connections. Check integration reviews specifically, as promised integrations often work poorly in practice.

Data migration capabilities matter more than vendors admit. Moving customer data from spreadsheets, legacy CRMs, or multiple disconnected systems into your new platform determines whether you launch successfully or spend months cleaning up duplicate records and broken data relationships. Evaluate whether the CRM offers migration services, accepts bulk imports, and maps custom fields to your existing data structure.

User adoption makes or breaks CRM success—58% of CRM implementations fail because sales teams refuse to use the system consistently. Choose platforms that match your team’s technical comfort level. If your reps struggle with complex software, enterprise-grade customization options won’t help. Mobile functionality is non-negotiable for field sales teams who update CRM data between meetings.

Scalability planning prevents expensive migrations down the road. Can the platform handle 10x your current contact volume? Does pricing become prohibitive at higher tiers? Will you outgrow the automation capabilities within 2 years? Select systems that accommodate your 3-year growth projections, not just today’s headcount.

For B2B sales teams specifically, multi-channel engagement capabilities increasingly separate modern CRMs from legacy contact databases. If your prospects require touchpoints across email, LinkedIn, phone, and direct mail, evaluate whether the CRM natively supports these channels or requires duct-taping multiple tools together. Platforms offering unified multi-channel sequences deliver 3.5x higher response rates compared to email-only approaches.

Top 18 CRM Software Examples

La Growth Machine

La Growth Machine combines CRM functionality with multi-channel prospecting automation, offering an alternative to traditional contact management systems that leave outreach as a separate problem. Unlike conventional CRMs that store customer data but require separate tools for engagement, La Growth Machine executes LinkedIn and email sequences directly from the platform.

Best for: B2B sales teams running multi-channel outreach campaigns who need CRM contact management merged with prospecting automation

Key Features:

• Multi-channel sequences combining LinkedIn (connection requests, messages, profile visits) and email in unified workflows
• LinkedIn Voice Messages with AI-generated personalized audio messages
• AI Writing Assistant for message generation and sequence optimization
• Native email enrichment finding professional and personal addresses without separate data providers
• Company Database with 27M+ companies for ABM targeting
• Social Warming technology that progressively increases LinkedIn activity to avoid platform restrictions
• Identity consolidation tracking the same prospect across multiple email addresses and LinkedIn profiles
• Multichannel Inbox unifying LinkedIn and email conversations
• Built-in A/B testing for messages, sending times, and sequence structures
• Lead scoring based on engagement signals (profile visits, email opens, link clicks)
• Twitter/X automation (Ultimate plan)

Pricing: Basic plan at €50/month per identity for 250 lead enrichments monthly, Pro plan at €100/month per identity for 400 lead enrichments, Ultimate plan at €150/month per identity for 1,000 lead enrichments (annual billing, billed per identity/seat)

Pros:

• Achieves 3.5x higher response rates compared to email-only sequences by adding LinkedIn touchpoints
• Replaces separate prospecting tools like Phantombuster, Lemlist, or Apollo (eliminates multiple subscriptions)
• Cloud-based architecture avoids Chrome extensions that risk LinkedIn account restrictions
• Multiple email accounts for inbox rotation without per-account fees (5 emails on Pro, 10 on Ultimate)
• LinkedIn Voice AI generates personalized audio messages (unique differentiator)
• Company Database (27M+) included for ABM targeting

Cons:

• LinkedIn focus makes it less suitable for B2C businesses or industries where decision-makers aren’t active on LinkedIn
• Learning curve for building effective multi-channel sequences versus simple email campaigns
• Not a full-featured traditional CRM—focused on prospecting automation rather than post-sale relationship management

Integration highlights: Native integrations with HubSpot and Pipedrive (CRM sync), connects with Salesforce via Zapier, API access (Pro and Ultimate), Clay, Make, and webhooks for custom integrations

Salesforce

Salesforce pioneered cloud-based CRM and remains the dominant enterprise platform, serving over 150,000 customers globally. As the most customizable and feature-rich CRM available, Salesforce accommodates virtually any sales process, industry requirement, or organizational structure through its extensive app ecosystem and development platform.

Best for: Enterprise organizations (100+ employees) requiring extensive customization, complex workflows, and deep integration with existing business systems

Key Features:

• Comprehensive contact, account, and opportunity management with unlimited custom fields and objects
• Advanced sales forecasting with AI-powered predictions from Einstein Analytics
• Territory management assigning accounts based on complex rules and hierarchies
• Workflow automation through Process Builder and Flow for multi-step business processes
• AppExchange marketplace with 5,000+ pre-built integrations and industry solutions
• Lightning Experience interface with customizable components and pages
• Mobile app with offline capability for field sales teams

Pricing: Starter Suite at $25/user/month (limited to 10 users), Professional at $75/user/month, Enterprise at $150/user/month, Unlimited at $300/user/month with advanced features

Pros:

• Unmatched customization supporting virtually any sales process or data model
• Mature platform with extensive documentation, training resources, and consultant ecosystem
• Robust security and compliance certifications meeting enterprise requirements
• Powerful reporting engine with custom dashboards and cross-object analytics

Cons:

• Steep learning curve requiring 20+ hours training for basic proficiency
• Total cost of ownership often reaches $200+/user/month after add-ons, implementation, and administrator costs
• Over-engineering for small teams who need simple contact management
• Complex pricing structure where essential features require higher-tier plans

Integration highlights: Native integrations with Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Slack, and thousands of business applications through AppExchange and REST API

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM pioneered the freemium CRM model, offering core contact management and pipeline tracking at no cost while monetizing through marketing, sales, and service hub add-ons. This approach lowered adoption barriers and built HubSpot into a platform serving over 194,000 customers globally.

Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses (5-100 employees) seeking user-friendly CRM with optional marketing automation growth path

Key Features:

• Contact and company records with unlimited users on free tier
• Deal pipeline with customizable stages and drag-and-drop interface
• Email tracking and templates with open and click notifications
• Meeting scheduler embedded in emails to eliminate back-and-forth booking
• Live chat and chatbot builder for website visitor engagement
• Marketing Hub integration for email campaigns, landing pages, and lead nurturing

Pricing: Free tier available indefinitely, Starter at $15/user/month, Professional at $90/user/month, Enterprise at $150/user/month

Pros:

• Genuinely useful free version without forced upgrades for basic functionality
• Intuitive interface requiring minimal training—most users productive within hours
• All-in-one platform eliminating need for separate marketing automation tools
• Strong content library with templates, playbooks, and educational resources

Cons:

• Free tier limits contacts to 1 million, but most essential features require paid plans
• Email sending limits and automation capabilities constrained on lower tiers
• Pricing escalates quickly when adding Marketing Hub or Service Hub
• Limited customization compared to enterprise platforms

Integration highlights: Native connections to Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Shopify, WordPress, Stripe, and 1,000+ apps through HubSpot marketplace

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 integrates CRM capabilities with ERP functionality, positioning itself as a unified business application platform. For organizations already invested in Microsoft ecosystem (Office 365, Azure, Power Platform), Dynamics offers seamless data flow and familiar user interfaces.

Best for: Enterprise organizations (200+ employees) standardized on Microsoft technologies who need CRM tightly integrated with ERP, finance, and operations systems

Key Features:

• Unified customer view combining sales, service, and operations data
• Relationship analytics mapping organizational hierarchies and stakeholder influence
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration surfacing prospect insights within CRM interface
• Power Platform integration for custom apps, automated workflows, and business intelligence
• AI-driven insights for next-best-action recommendations and pipeline health
• Industry-specific modules for financial services, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing

Pricing: Sales Professional at $65/user/month, Sales Enterprise at $95/user/month, Sales Premium at $135/user/month (includes LinkedIn Sales Navigator)

Pros:

• Deep Office 365 integration with Outlook, Teams, Excel, and SharePoint
• Powerful customization through Power Apps without traditional software development
• Strong compliance and security inherited from Microsoft enterprise infrastructure
• Unified data model connecting CRM, ERP, and operational systems

Cons:

• Complex implementation requiring Microsoft partner consultants
• Interface less intuitive than modern CRM platforms designed for simplicity
• Licensing structure confusing with per-app versus per-user pricing models
• Overkill for businesses not using broader Microsoft ecosystem

Integration highlights: Native Microsoft ecosystem integration, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Adobe Sign, Dynamics 365 Marketing, and Power BI

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM serves as the sales-focused centerpiece of Zoho’s 45+ business application suite. This positioning enab

Pipedrive

Pipedrive was built by salespeople frustrated with CRMs that prioritized marketing features over sales workflow. This origin story shows in the product—Pipedrive strips away complexity to focus exclusively on pipeline management, activity tracking, and deal progression.

Best for: Sales teams (5-50 reps) who need visual pipeline management without enterprise complexity or marketing features

Key Features:

• Visual pipeline with customizable stages and drag-and-drop deal movement
• Activity-based selling methodology with tasks linked to specific deals
• Email integration with templates, tracking, and two-way sync
• Smart contact data automatically pulling information from emails and web
• Goals and forecasting with rep-level and team-level target tracking
• Sales automation with workflow recipes triggered by deal stage changes
• Mobile apps with full offline functionality

Pricing: Essential at $14/user/month, Advanced at $29/user/month, Professional at $59/user/month, Enterprise at $99/user/month

Pros:

• Extremely intuitive interface—sales reps adopt quickly without extensive training
• Activity-based approach ensures consistent follow-through on deals
• Robust mobile apps enabling productive CRM usage outside the office
• Transparent pricing with clear feature differentiation between tiers

Cons:

• Limited marketing automation capabilities compared to all-in-one platforms
• Reporting less sophisticated than enterprise CRMs like Salesforce
• No built-in multi-channel sequences (LinkedIn integration requires third-party tools)
• Customization options constrained compared to more flexible platforms

Integration highlights: Native integrations with Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Trello, Asana, Zapier, and 400+ apps through marketplace

Freshworks CRM (Freshsales)

Freshworks CRM (formerly Freshsales) emerged from Freshdesk’s customer service platform, bringing that same philosophy of simplicity and affordability to sales. The platform emphasizes AI-powered lead scoring and built-in phone/email capabilities without requiring separate subscriptions.

Best for: SMBs (10-100 employees) wanting unified sales and marketing with built-in phone and reasonable pricing

Key Features:

• Built-in phone with click-to-call, call recording, and voicemail drops
• AI-powered lead scoring ranking prospects based on engagement and fit
• Email sequences with A/B testing and optimal send time recommendations
• Visual sales pipeline with automation rules for stage transitions
• Freddy AI assistant providing deal insights and next-action suggestions
• Unified inbox combining email, phone, and chat interactions
• Territory management with automatic lead assignment

Pricing: Free tier for unlimited users, Growth at $15/user/month, Pro at $39/user/month, Enterprise at $69/user/month

Pros:

• Built-in phone eliminates need for separate VoIP subscriptions
• Strong AI capabilities at price points where competitors offer none
• Clean, modern interface that feels more current than legacy CRMs
• Marketing automation included in higher tiers without separate product purchases

Cons:

• Newer platform with smaller integration ecosystem than established players
• Advanced features require Enterprise tier, making it less economical at scale
• Phone quality varies by region and internet connection
• Customization limitations for complex sales processes

Integration highlights: Native integrations with Google Workspace, Office 365, Segment, Zapier, and Freshworks suite (Freshdesk, Freshservice)

Monday.com CRM

Monday.com extended its popular project management platform into CRM by leveraging its flexible board system. This approach gives teams unprecedented customization options, essentially building CRM functionality on top of a visual workflow engine that adapts to any sales process.

Best for: Teams already using Monday.com for project management, or businesses wanting highly visual and customizable CRM

Key Features:

• Customizable boards with unlimited field types and workflow stages
• Visual pipeline with Kanban, timeline, chart, and form views
• Automations with 200+ pre-built recipes or custom logic
• Email integration with Gmail and Outlook sync
• Lead capture forms embedding directly on websites
• Activity timeline showing all customer touchpoints
• Collaboration features like @mentions, file sharing, and update threads

Pricing: Basic CRM at $12/user/month (3 users minimum), Standard at $17/user/month, Pro at $28/user/month, Enterprise (custom pricing)

Pros:

• Extremely flexible—adapts to virtually any sales process without technical development
• Visual interface makes pipeline status instantly clear to entire team
• Strong collaboration features for teams selling together
• Project management capabilities built-in for managing post-sale implementation

Cons:

• Not purpose-built for CRM—lacks specialized sales features like forecasting and territory management
• Customization flexibility can become overwhelming without clear process
• Limited native sales automation compared to dedicated CRM platforms
• Pricing per minimum 3 users makes it expensive for solo sales professionals

Integration highlights: Connects with Gmail, Outlook, Zoom, Slack, Mailchimp, and 70+ apps through marketplace plus Zapier

Insightly

Insightly bridges CRM and project management by tracking relationships through the entire customer lifecycle—from initial prospect through customer delivery and ongoing relationship management. This makes it particularly valuable for service businesses, agencies, and consultancies where post-sale execution impacts retention.

Best for: Service businesses, agencies, and consultancies (10-100 employees) needing to manage both sales processes and post-sale project delivery

Key Features:

• Relationship linking connecting contacts to organizations, projects, and opportunities
• Project management with tasks, mil

Copper CRM

Copper (formerly ProsperWorks) was built specifically for Google Workspace users, positioning itself as “the CRM that lives in your inbox.” Every feature prioritizes Gmail integration and Google ecosystem workflows, making it the natural CRM choice for organizations standardized on Google tools.

Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses (5-75 employees) fully committed to Google Workspace who want CRM embedded in Gmail

Key Features:

• Deep Gmail integration with sidebar interface showing contact/company info while reading emails
• Automatic contact and company creation from Gmail threads
• Pipeline management with customizable stages directly in Gmail
• Chrome extension adding CRM data to LinkedIn profiles
• Google Calendar integration with automatic activity logging
• Google Drive file attachment to CRM records
• Task automation with workflow rules and sequences

Pricing: Basic at $23/user/month, Professional at $59/user/month, Business at $99/user/month

Pros:

• Seamless Google Workspace integration eliminates context switching
• Automatic data capture from emails reduces manual entry
• Simple, clean interface with minimal learning curve
• Strong mobile apps for iOS and Android

Cons:

• Limited value for non-Google Workspace users
• Fewer advanced features compared to enterprise CRMs
• Customization options more limited than flexible platforms
• No free tier—pricing starts at $23/user/month

Integration highlights: Native Google Workspace integration (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Sheets), Slack, Mailchimp, Zendesk, Zapier

Nimble CRM

Nimble positions itself as the “relationship-focused CRM,” aggregating contact information and interaction history from email, social media, and other channels into unified profiles. This social CRM approach surfaces relationship intelligence that helps personalize outreach and strengthen connections.

Best for: Solo entrepreneurs and small sales teams (1-10 people) prioritizing relationship quality over transaction volume

Key Features:

• Contact enrichment automatically pulling data from 160+ sources including social profiles
• Browser extension (Nimble Prospector) showing CRM data on any website
• Unified inbox combining email, Twitter, and LinkedIn messages
• Social listening tracking mentions and engagement opportunities
• Pipeline management with customizable deal stages
• Group messaging for personalized bulk outreach
• Today page with prioritized action items and relationship reminders

Pricing: Single tier at $24.90/user/month (annual billing required)

Pros:

• Exceptional contact enrichment finding information competitors miss
• Browser extension makes CRM accessible everywhere you work
• Social CRM capabilities stronger than traditional platforms
• Simple pricing with all features included

Cons:

• Single pricing tier offers no budget-friendly entry point
• Limited automation compared to modern CRM platforms
• Reporting capabilities basic compared to enterprise CRMs
• Annual billing requirement locks you in for 12 months

Integration highlights: Office 365, Google Workspace, social media platforms, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, QuickBooks, Zapier

Agile CRM

Agile CRM bundles sales automation, marketing automation, and customer service into a single affordable platform. This all-in-one approach targets small businesses wanting comprehensive capabilities without paying for separate sales and marketing tools.

Best for: Small businesses (5-25 employees) needing sales, marketing, and service capabilities on a limited budget

Key Features:

• Contact management with tagging, scoring, and segmentation
• Marketing automation with email campaigns, landing pages, and lead nurturing
• Telephony with click-to-call, call recording, and voicemail
• Helpdesk ticketing integrated with customer records
• Appointment scheduling with calendar availability
• Web analytics tracking visitor behavior and engagement
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android

Pricing: Free tier for 10 users, Starter at $8.99/user/month, Regular at $29.99/user/month, Enterprise at $47.99/user/month

Pros:

• Extremely affordable with free tier for small teams
• All-in-one approach eliminates need for separate marketing tools
• Built-in telephony without additional subscriptions
• Regular feature updates and improvements

Cons:

• Interface feels cluttered with too many features competing for attention
• Email deliverability issues reported by some users
• Documentation and support less comprehensive than major platforms
• Steeper learning curve due to breadth of features

Integration highlights: Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Stripe, PayPal, Twilio, RingCentral, Zapier, and 100+ apps

Keap (formerly Infusionsoft)

Keap evolved from Infusionsoft by creating a simplified version for small businesses while maintaining the powerful automation that made Infusionsoft famous among entrepreneurs. The platform emphasizes marketing automation and sales pipeline management with particularly strong e-commerce integration.

Best for: Small businesses and entrepreneurs (1-25 employees) selling digital products, courses, or services with complex sales funnels

Key Features:

• Marketing automation with tag-based segmentation and behavior triggers
• Landing page and email template builders with A/B testing
• E-commerce with payment processing, invoicing, and subscription management
• Sales pipeline with visual drag-and-drop interface
• Appointment scheduling embedded in website or emails
• Lead scoring based on engagement and behavior
• Campaign builder with visual flowchart interface

Pricing: Pro at $159/month (1,500 contacts), Max at $229/month (2,500 contacts), Ultimate (custom pricing for coaching and support)

Pros:

• Powerful automation rivaling marketing automation platforms costing far more
• Strong e-commerce capabilities for digital product businesses
• Campaign builder enables sophisticated marketing funnels
• Comprehensive training resources and active user community

Cons:

• Expensive compared to basic CRM platforms—pricing starts at $159/month
• Contact-based pricing becomes prohibitive as database grows
• Learning curve steep for users without marketing automation experience
• Max plan pricing increases with contact count

Integration highlights: WordPress, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, QuickBooks, Outlook, Gmail, Zapier, and 2,000+ apps

Streak CRM

Streak takes the opposite approach from traditional CRM platforms—instead of pulling you into a separate application, Streak transforms Gmail itself into a CRM. Pipelines live directly in your inbox as Gmail labels, and deals appear as email threads with attached metadata.

Best for: Solo professionals and small teams (1-10 people) who live in Gmail and want minimal disruption to existing workflows

Key Features:

• Gmail-native interface with pipelines as custom views
• Email tracking with open and click notificat

Bitrix24

Bitrix24 bundles CRM with project management, internal communication, HR tools, and website builder into a comprehensive business platform. This breadth makes it overwhelming initially but valuable long-term for businesses wanting all operations in one system.

Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses (10-100 employees) wanting unified platform for sales, operations, and team collaboration

Key Features:

• CRM with contact management, deals, invoices, and quotes
• Task and project management with Gantt charts and workload planning
• Internal social network with activity stream, group workspaces, and messaging
• Telephony with VoIP integration and call center capabilities
• Website and online store builder
• HR tools including time tracking, vacation planning, and employee directory
• Document management with version control and co-editing

Pricing: Free tier for unlimited users (limited features), Basic at $49/month for 5 users, Standard at $99/month for 50 users, Professional at $199/month for unlimited users, Enterprise at $399/month

Pros:

• Generous free tier with unlimited users makes it accessible for small teams
• All-in-one platform eliminates need for 10+ separate tools
• Strong collaboration features foster team communication
• Self-hosted option available for data sovereignty requirements

Cons:

• Overwhelming interface with too many features competing for attention
• CRM capabilities weaker than dedicated CRM platforms
• Translation quality varies—some areas feel poorly localized
• Customer support inconsistent across pricing tiers

Integration highlights: Gmail, Outlook, Mailchimp, Zapier, 1C:Enterprise (Russian accounting), and 50+ apps

Zendesk Sell

Zendesk Sell (formerly Base CRM) extends Zendesk’s customer service platform into sales. This lineage shows in the unified customer view—support tickets, sales interactions, and customer health live in one place, making it ideal for organizations where sales and support collaborate closely.

Best for: B2B companies (25-200 employees) selling products or services requiring ongoing support where sales and service teams need shared customer visibility

Key Features:

• Unified customer profile combining sales and support interactions
• Visual sales pipeline with deal progression tracking
• Built-in calling and SMS with automatic logging
• Email integration with tracking and templates
• Lead scoring and enrichment with automatic data population
• Mobile apps with offline mode for field sales
• Forecasting with rep-level and team-level targets

Pricing: Sell Team at $19/user/month, Sell Growth at $55/user/month, Sell Professional at $115/user/month, Sell Enterprise at $169/user/month (discounts for annual billing)

Pros:

• Seamless integration with Zendesk Support creates unified customer experience
• Clean, intuitive interface with minimal training required
• Built-in calling eliminates need for separate phone subscriptions
• Strong mobile apps for sales reps working remotely

Cons:

• Less valuable for businesses not using Zendesk Support
• Customization options limited compared to flexible platforms
• Advanced features require higher-tier plans
• Marketplace smaller than established CRM platforms

Integration highlights: Native Zendesk ecosystem integration, Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Mailchimp, PandaDoc, Zapier

Capsule CRM

Capsule embraces simplicity as its core value proposition. With deliberately limited features and straightforward interface, Capsule serves small businesses and teams who find traditional CRMs overwhelming and want just enough functionality to organize contacts and track opportunities.

Best for: Small businesses and teams (5-30 people) wanting simple contact management without enterprise complexity

Key Features:

• Contact and organization management with custom fields
• Sales pipeline with customizable stages
• Task and calendar integration
• Email integration with Gmail and Outlook
• Track and cases for managing customer issues
• Reports and dashboards with filtering
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android

Pricing: Free tier for 2 users, Professional at $18/user/month, Teams at $36/user/month, Enterprise at $54/user/month

Pros:

• Extremely simple interface—productive within 30 minutes
• Affordable pricing with useful free tier
• No unnecessary features cluttering the interface
• Reliable performance and uptime

Cons:

• Limited automation compared to modern CRM platforms
• Basic reporting capabilities
• Small integration ecosystem
• May outgrow it quickly as sales process becomes more sophisticated

Integration highlights: Gmail, Outlook, Google Workspace, Mailchimp, Xero, QuickBooks, Zapier, and 30+ apps

Ontraport

Ontraport combines CRM with marketing automation, membership site functionality, and e-commerce capabilities. This platform targets entrepreneurs, coaches, and digital product businesses selling information products, courses, or recurring memberships alongside consultative services.

Best for: Entrepreneurs and digital businesses (1-50 employees) selling courses, coaching, or memberships with marketing automation needs

Key Features:

• CRM with contact management and deal tracking
• Marketing automation with visual campaign builder
• Landing page and form builders
• Membership site hosting with content dripping
• E-commerce with payment processing and subscription management
• Email and SMS marketing with segmentation
• Reporting and analytics across marketing and sales

Pricing: Basic at $24/month (1,000 contacts), Plus at $83/month (2,500 contacts), Pro at $124/month (10,000 contacts), Enterprise at $249/month (20,000 contacts)

Pros:

• Comprehensive platform for digital businesses eliminates tool sprawl
• Powerful automation for complex marketing funnels
• Membership site functionality included without separate subscription
• Strong e-commerce capabilities for digital products

*Cons:

CRM Software Comparison Table

Choosing between 18 CRM options requires side-by-side comparison of key decision factors. This table highlights pricing, best-fit company size, standout features, and ideal use cases to accelerate your evaluation process.

Key Pricing Considerations

Advertised prices rarely reflect true costs. When evaluating CRM pricing:

Add-on costs: Essential features often require higher tiers. Salesforce’s advertised $75/user Professional plan lacks API access, advanced automation, and forecasting—pushing most customers to $150 Enterprise tier.

Implementation fees: Enterprise CRMs typically charge $5,000-50,000 for implementation, data migration, and configuration. Cloud-based platforms like HubSpot and Pipedrive offer faster deployment but still benefit from consultant guidance ($2,000-10,000).

Per-user vs. per-account pricing: Most CRMs charge per user monthly. Contact-based platforms (Keap, Ontraport) charge for database size instead. Calculate which model favors your team structure.

Hidden costs: Training time (20-40 hours for complex platforms), ongoing administrator costs ($40,000-80,000 annually for Salesforce admins), and integration development ($5,000-25,000) compound beyond subscription fees.

True ROI calculation: If a $50/user CRM increases sales productivity 20%, and your average rep generates $500,000 annually, you gain $100,000 in additional revenue per rep. The CRM pays for itself within weeks.*

• Contact-based pricing becomes expensive as database grows

Industry-Specific CRM Examples

Generic CRM platforms struggle with industry-specific workflows, compliance requirements, and specialized data models. These vertical CRM solutions address problems that horizontal platforms can’t solve.

Real Estate CRM Software

Real estate professionals juggle property listings, buyer/seller relationships, transaction timelines, and regulatory compliance. Real estate CRMs organize these complexities with property-centric data models.

Top Examples:

Follow Up Boss ($69/user/month) dominates residential real estate with automated lead routing, text messaging, and integrations with Zillow, Realtor.com, and MLS systems. The platform tracks leads from inquiry through closing with stage-specific task automation.

LionDesk ($25/user/month) combines CRM with video email, transaction management, and drip campaigns specifically for realtors. Integrated texting and calling eliminates separate phone subscriptions.

BoomTown (custom pricing) serves high-producing agents and teams with IDX website integration, lead nurturing, and predictive analytics identifying ready-to-transact prospects.

Key Requirements: MLS integration, property database management, transaction pipeline tracking, compliance documentation, open house sign-in capture, and homebuyer/seller lifecycle nurturing.

Healthcare CRM Software

Healthcare CRMs navigate HIPAA compliance, patient engagement across multi-year treatment cycles, and integration with electronic health records (EHR). These platforms emphasize secure communication and regulatory adherence.

Top Examples:

Salesforce Health Cloud ($300/user/month) extends Salesforce for healthcare with HIPAA-compliant infrastructure, patient timelines visualizing medical history, care team collaboration, and EHR integration with Epic, Cerner, and Allscripts.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Healthcare ($95/user/month) provides patient engagement tools, care management workflows, and integration with Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare including Azure HIPAA compliance.

Claritysoft Healthcare CRM ($49/user/month) offers affordable HIPAA-compliant CRM for medical practices, pharmaceutical sales teams, and healthcare service providers without enterprise budgets.

Key Requirements: HIPAA compliance with encryption and audit trails, EHR integration, patient portal, appointment scheduling, referral tracking, and insurance verification workflows.

E-commerce CRM Software

E-commerce businesses need CRM that unifies customer data across website behavior, purchase history, email engagement, and customer service interactions. These platforms emphasize segmentation for personalized marketing and lifetime value optimization.

Top Examples:

Klaviyo ($20/month starting) specializes in e-commerce email and SMS marketing with customer data platform (CDP) capabilities. Deep Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento integrations enable purchase-behavior-based segmentation.

Shopify CRM (built-in) lives within Shopify admin, tracking customer purchase history, abandoned carts, and engagement. While basic, it eliminates integration complexity for Shopify-native stores.

Bloomreach (custom pricing) combines CRM with e-commerce personalization, using AI to predict customer lifetime value, optimal product recommendations, and churn probability.

Key Requirements: E-commerce platform integration (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento), customer segmentation by purchase behavior, abandoned cart recovery, product recommendation engine, and CLV calculation.

B2B Sales CRM Software

B2B sales cycles span months, involve multiple stakeholders, and require coordinated touchpoints across email, LinkedIn, phone, and in-person meetings. Modern B2B CRMs emphasize multi-channel engagement and account-based selling.

Top Examples:

La Growth Machine (€50-150/month/identity) leads multi-channel B2B prospecting by unifying LinkedIn and email sequences. Unlike traditional CRMs that store contacts separately from outreach execution, La Growth Machine automates prospecting campaigns achieving 3.5x higher response rates than email-only approaches. The platform handles connection requests, LinkedIn messages, profile visits, and email follow-ups in coordinated sequences. Built-in email enrichment, Company Database (27M+ companies), and LinkedIn Voice AI eliminate separate data provider and automation tool subscriptions.

Salesloft ($135/user/month) specializes in sales engagement with cadence management, call recording, email templates, and revenue intelligence. Strong analytics identify which sequences and messaging drive pipeline.

Outreach ($100/user/month) pioneered sales engagement platforms with multi-channel sequences, conversation intelligence, and deal management integrated with Salesforce.

Key Requirements: Multi-channel sequence automation (LinkedIn + email + phone), account-based marketing tools, stakeholder mapping, email enrichment, sales intelligence integration, and conversational AI for coaching.

Small Business CRM Software

Small businesses (under 25 employees) prioritize simplicity, speed to value, and affordability. These CRMs emphasize intuitive interfaces, quick implementation, and pricing that scales with growth.

Top Examples:

HubSpot CRM (Free) provides unlimited users and contacts with deal tracking, email integration, and reporting at no cost. Most small businesses operate on the free tier for 1-2 years before outgrowing it.

Zoho CRM ($14/user/month Standard tier) delivers enterprise features at small business pricing. The platform scales from 3-person startups to 100+ employee organizations without requiring migration.

Pipedrive ($14/user/month) focuses exclusively on pipeline management without overwhelming small teams with marketing automation or customer service features. Visual interface requires minimal training.

Key Requirements: Free or low-cost entry tier, quick setup (under 2 hours), minimal training requirements, mobile apps, basic automation, and clear upgrade path as business grows.

Common CRM Implementation Challenges

CRM implementations fail 30-40% of the time. Understanding common pitfalls enables proactive mitigation.

Data Migration Disasters

Moving customer data from spreadsheets, legacy CRMs, or multiple systems into new platforms goes wrong more often than right. Common issues include:

Duplicate records: Same customer exists with multiple spellings, email addresses, or phone numbers. Without deduplication logic, you import 50,000 contacts that should be 35,000.

Broken relationships: Legacy system linked contacts to companies and deals through IDs that don’t map to new CRM. You successfully migrate 10,000 contacts but lose all relationship data.

Custom field mapping: Your old CRM’s “Lead Source” field doesn’t match new CRM’s structure. Manual mapping required for dozens of custom fields consumes weeks.

Data quality issues: Importing garbage data (typos, incomplete records, outdated information) contaminates new CRM from day one.

Mitigation strategies: Export data early, clean before importing, use CRM’s deduplication tools, map custom fields in staging environment, and run parallel systems for 30 days to verify accuracy.

User Adoption Failures

You can implement the perfect CRM, but if sales reps refuse to use it consistently, you’ve wasted time and money. Adoption fails when:

CRM adds work without clear benefits: If reps must manually enter data with no immediate payoff (like automatic follow-up reminders or pipeline visibility), they’ll revert to spreadsheets.

Training is inadequate: Two-hour training session followed by “figure it out” approach leaves users frustrated and unproductive.

System doesn’t match sales process: CRM enforces stages your team doesn’t actually use, or requires data your reps don’t have access to.

Executive team doesn’t use it: If management asks for updates via email rather than checking CRM, reps know it’s not actually important.

Mitigation strategies: Involve sales team in CRM selection, customize system to match existing process, provide ongoing training and support, make executives use CRM exclusively for pipeline visibility, and celebrate early adopters.

Integration Nightmares

Modern sales organizations use 10+ tools. When CRM doesn’t integrate properly, you create data silos and duplicated effort:

Promised integrations don’t work: Vendor claims “seamless Salesforce integration” but in practice, data syncs with 4-hour delays and custom fields don’t map.

Zapier workarounds break: Third-party integration platforms work initially but break when either system updates APIs.

Data flows one direction: CRM pulls data from marketing automation but can’t push updates back, creating two sources of truth.

Integration costs more than CRM: Custom API development costs $10,000-25,000 to connect legacy systems.

Mitigation strategies: Test integrations during trial period, prioritize native integrations over Zapier, allocate budget for custom integration development, and accept that some tools won’t integrate perfectly.

Cost Overruns

CRM budgets routinely double actual costs:

Hidden add-on fees: Base CRM plan lacks essential features (API access, advanced automation, extra storage) requiring expensive upgrades.

Implementation consulting: What seemed like straightforward setup requires $15,000 consultant engagement for proper configuration.

Training costs: Remote training insufficient; you fly consultant onsite for $5,000 two-day intensive training.

Ongoing administration: Complex CRMs require dedicated administrator at $60,000-100,000 annual salary.

Mitigation strategies: Calculate total cost of ownership including add-ons, implementation, training, and administration before committing. Build 30-50% buffer into CRM budgets for unexpected costs.

Conclusion

Choosing the right CRM software isn’t about finding the “best” platform—it’s about finding the best fit for your specific sales process, team size, budget, and growth trajectory. The 18 CRM examples in this guide span simple contact management tools through enterprise-grade platforms, each solving different problems for different businesses.

Small teams (under 10 people) should prioritize simplicity and affordability—HubSpot’s free tier, Zoho at $14/user, or Pipedrive at $14/user deliver core CRM functionality without overwhelming new users. These platforms implement quickly and scale as you grow.

Mid-sized organizations (10-100 employees) benefit from platforms balancing power and usability. Freshworks CRM, Monday.com, and Insightly provide sophisticated automation and customization without enterprise complexity. For B2B teams emphasizing multi-channel prospecting, La Growth Machine’s unified LinkedIn and email sequences eliminate separate automation tools while achieving 3.5x higher response rates.

Enterprises (100+ employees) require platforms like Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, or Salesforce that accommodate complex workflows, extensive customization, and enterprise-grade security. These implementations demand significant investment ($50,000-200,000+) but deliver corresponding ROI through improved forecasting, territory management, and sales productivity.

Industry-specific businesses should evaluate vertical CRM solutions addressing specialized requirements—Follow Up Boss for real estate, Salesforce Health Cloud for healthcare, or Klaviyo for e-commerce. These platforms solve problems generic CRMs can’t touch.

Regardless of which CRM you choose, implementation success depends on user adoption, clean data migration, proper training, and executive commitment. Start with clear documentation of your current sales process, involve your sales team in the selection process, allocate realistic budgets including implementation and training, and plan for 60-90 day adoption period before judging results.

The CRM software market will continue evolving toward AI-powered insights, deeper multi-channel integration, and more intuitive interfaces. But fundamental CRM principles remain constant: centralize customer data, automate repetitive tasks, enable consistent follow-through, and give managers visibility into pipeline health. Choose the platform that delivers these outcomes for your specific context, implement thoughtfully, and commit to consistent usage. That’s how CRM software transforms sales performance.

Ready to explore modern multi-channel CRM? La Growth Machine offers 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Experience how unified LinkedIn and email sequences achieve 3.5x higher response rates than traditional email-only CRM approaches.- Steeper learning curve due to breadth of features

• Interface feels dated compared to modern platforms
• Primarily serves digital business model—less suitable for traditional B2B sales

Integration highlights: WordPress, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, Twilio, PilotPress, Zapier, and 100+ integrationsions

• Mail merge for personalized mass emails
• Snippets (templates) for common email responses
• Thread splitter moving emails between pipelines
• Collaboration with shared pipelines and @ mentions
• Mobile apps accessing CRM data outside Gmail

Pricing: Free tier available, Solo at $15/user/month, Pro at $49/user/month, Enterprise at $129/user/month

Pros:

• Zero learning curve for Gmail users—CRM feels like native Gmail feature
• Lightweight approach doesn’t overwhelm with unnecessary features
• Free tier genuinely useful for freelancers and solo professionals
• Fast implementation—productive within minutes of installation

Cons:

• Gmail dependency makes it useless for Outlook or other email users
• Limited functionality compared to full-featured CRM platforms
• Customization constrained by Gmail interface limitations
• Not suitable for complex sales processes requiring extensive automation

Integration highlights: Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Sheets), Zapier for connecting other toolsestones, and pipeline stages

• Workflow automation with conditional logic and multi-step sequences
• Email template library with merge fields and tracking
• Advanced reporting with custom dashboards and scheduled email delivery
• Lead routing based on territory, product interest, or custom criteria
• AppConnect for building custom integrations without code

Pricing: Plus at $29/user/month, Professional at $49/user/month, Enterprise at $99/user/month

Pros:

• Unified platform for sales and project delivery eliminates tool switching
• Relationship linking creates comprehensive organizational maps
• Robust workflow automation at mid-market price points
• Australian company with strong data privacy and security standards

Cons:

• Interface feels dated compared to modern CRM platforms
• Mobile apps lack functionality of web platform
• Steeper learning curve due to dual CRM/project management nature
• Limited marketing automation compared to all-in-one platforms

Integration highlights: Native connections to Gmail, Outlook, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Slack, Xero, and 500+ apps via Zapierles businesses to adopt CRM first, then expand into project management (Zoho Projects), accounting (Zoho Books), or customer support (Zoho Desk) without switching vendors or re-integrating systems.

Best for: Cost-conscious small to mid-sized businesses (10-100 employees) wanting flexibility to expand into adjacent business functions

Key Features:

• Multichannel communication tracking email, phone, live chat, and social media interactions
• Sales process builder with stage-specific task automation and field validation
• Territory management assigning accounts based on geography, industry, or revenue
• Zia AI assistant for sales predictions, optimal contact times, and anomaly detection
• Canvas design studio for creating custom CRM interfaces tailored to specific roles
• Blueprint feature enforcing sales methodologies with conditional stage progression

Pricing: Free tier for 3 users, Standard at $14/user/month, Professional at $23/user/month, Enterprise at $40/user/month, Ultimate at $52/user/month

Pros:

• Exceptional value with enterprise-grade features at SMB-friendly pricing
• Comprehensive feature set rivaling platforms costing 3-5x more
• Zoho ecosystem enables unified business operations without multiple vendors
• Regular feature updates and innovation despite lower price points

Cons:

• Interface feels dated compared to modern CRM platforms
• Integration quality varies—some Zoho apps connect seamlessly while others feel disconnected
• Support responsiveness slower on lower-tier plans
• US-based businesses sometimes concerned about India-based parent company

Integration highlights: Deep integrations across Zoho suite, G Suite, Office 365, Mailchimp, Slack, Zapier, and 800+ third-party apps