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Best Simple CRM Of 2024

Written By
Contributor

Reviewed

|Deputy Editor, SMB
& 1 other
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

Sales teams from the smallest of businesses to the largest of organizations use customer relationship management (CRM) software. CRMs can help to automate workflows, reduce manual tasks and, most importantly, help you improve customer relationships. But some programs can be bloated with features you don’t need or use. There are simple CRMs available, however, that give you just the core tools you need, the automation you want and reports to help guide your decisions and integrations.

Here are the best simple CRM solutions available today. If you’re looking for a streamlined, intuitive app, at least one of these ten options should be a good fit for you.

Read more

The Best Simple CRMs of 2024

Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Small Business

The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to providing unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content to guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.

Learn More: How We Evaluate CRMs

  • 12 Companies Evaluated
  • 23 Decision Factors Considered
  • Four Levels of Fact-Checking
  • Hands-On Testing


Best for Action-Focused Sales Management

OnePageCRM

OnePageCRM
4.9
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$15 per user

Free Trial

21 days

Number of Pipelines

Up to 10

OnePageCRM
Learn More Arrow

Via partner site

$15 per user

21 days

Up to 10

Expert Take

Features

We picked OnePageCRM as the best simple CRM solution for action-focused businesses that want to maximize the sales potential of every contact in their database. Its Next Action feature lets you add tasks and reminders to any contact and gives you reminders for follow-ups to ensure your team stays productive and focused on sales opportunities.

You’ll be able to see due dates in a color-coded Action Stream to-do list prioritized by urgency. The interface is clean and minimalist, and useful automations save time on repetitive tasks. It’s our top recommendation for smaller sales teams that want to stay action-focused and get the best from each client’s potential.

Pricing

At $15 per user per month, OnePageCRM is one of the more affordable names on our list—only Freshsales has a cheaper base monthly plan, while both monday.com and Less Annoying CRM’s base plans were the same price.

You can bring this down to $9.95 if you commit and pay up front for a full year—which might be a good option if you can fully benefit from its action-focused feature set. However, with limits on pipelines even on its higher plan, it might not represent the best value for bigger teams.

Customer Service

You can reach the OnePageCRM support team by phone, email and live chat, although phone support is only available to Business plan subscribers. While the site does not state its hours for support, its online chat system promises a response within 24 hours Monday to Friday. The lack of phone support for its base plan isn’t ideal, but live chat should usually be a quick way to reach help—and there are positive reviews about its support online.

Reputation

While there are fewer than 200 reviews on G2 for OnePageCRM, it does have a high score of 4.7—with many users praising its ease of use, contact management features and customer support.

Learn more: Read our full OnePageCRM review.

Pros & Cons
  • Unique Next Action system helps prioritize tasks
  • Highly functional over mobile
  • Minimalist and intuitive interface
  • Limited customization compared to others
  • No free plan
  • Maximum 10GB storage per user on base plan

Best for Automation

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM
4.2
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$20 per user

Free Trial

15 days

Number of Pipelines

Two

Zoho CRM
Learn More Arrow

On Zoho CRM's Website

$20 per user

15 days

Two

Expert Take

Features

While automation features are a standard for CRM software these days, we think Zoho’s offering goes above and beyond with its Zia AI assistant. It’s packed with capabilities, ideal for businesses that want to increase productivity and efficiency while freeing up staff from repetitive tasks.

Zia is a chatbot you can use as a sales assistant, saving time on data analysis for sales staff with automated lead scoring, anomaly detection and email sorting. It also detects customer sentiment and sends alerts about competitors. With extensive customization options available, it’s our pick for businesses willing to leverage AI in a big way to help drive productivity and sales.

Pricing

Zoho’s CRM price plans start at $20 when paying monthly, and while this isn’t the cheapest on our list as far as base plans go, it’s still towards the lower end of the scale. It’s also worth noting that its AI features are only available on the Enterprise plan, which is likely to price smaller businesses out.

But for bigger businesses that need a streamlined and automated CRM solution, especially those already using Zoho’s ecosystem, we think it represents a solid choice.

Customer Service

Zoho offers various tiers of support for its CRM customers. The standard level of support offered to all customers includes email, phone, chat and remote access support five days a week, eight hours a day and an initial response time of eight hours.

You can upgrade to Premium support for 24/5 support and a faster response time for 20% of your subscription cost, but 24/7 support on the Enterprise plan costs 25% and requires at least 50 users. Again, this level of support seems to be better suited to bigger businesses and budgets that can afford the highest tiers where the best value is found.

Reputation

Zoho has a Trustpilot score of 4.2 stars from just under 5,000 reviews at the time of writing, while its G2 score is similar at 4.1 stars from just over 2,500 ratings. With plenty of positive feedback for its ease of use and features in general, it has a strong reputation among its customers.

Learn more: Read our full Zoho CRM review.

Pros & Cons
  • Strong automation features with Zia AI
  • Extensive customization
  • Affordable with a free CRM plan
  • Setup can be complicated
  • Steep learning curve, features can be overwhelming
  • Limited mobile app

Best for Social Media Integration

Nimble

Nimble
4.2
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$29.90 per user

Free Trial

14 days

Number of Pipelines

Unlimited

Nimble
Learn More Arrow

Via partner site

$29.90 per user

14 days

Unlimited

Expert Take

Features

Nimble is our pick for smaller businesses and startups that have a strong presence on social media and want to leverage this on a simple CRM software solution. Its social media profile matching and data enrichment features ensure your contact database stays updated, while you can access and manage your inbox, social media, company websites and a range of integrations on one unified and streamlined platform.

You might be weary of its limits on storage (2GB per user) and contacts (25,000 records), but we think it offers good value for businesses that rely on social media activity and interaction and want to use this to enhance customer relationships.

Pricing

Unfortunately, Nimble is on the more expensive side when it comes to the providers on our top 10 list—in fact, it’s second only to Close in terms of monthly cost for its base plan at $29.90 per user. Additionally, while its simple flat pricing model makes for little confusion, it also means there is little wiggle room.

We think it’s a good option for those who will find particular benefit in its social media data leveraging potential—otherwise it might be a bit of a budget stretch.

Customer Service

Nimble’s customer support team is available 24/7 by live chat, while its phone support team keeps office hours from Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT. This is good news as you’ll have round-the-clock access to help when you need it.

There are positive reviews for its customer support team on G2, with praise for its helpfulness and responsiveness.

Reputation

Nimble has a strong reputation among its customers online, with a 4.5 rating on G2 from just over 1,000 reviews at time of writing. There is particular praise for its customer management, ease of use, integrations and customer support.

Learn more: Read our full Nimble review.

Pros & Cons
  • Data enrichment for contact information
  • Streamlined email and social communication
  • Simple flat pricing plan
  • Low storage limit of 2GB per user
  • A little on the expensive side
  • No phone support

Best for Lead Management

noCRM

noCRM
4.2
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$27 per user

Free Trial

15 or 30 days

Number of Pipelines

Multiple, unspecified

noCRM
Learn More Arrow

Via partner site

$27 per user

15 or 30 days

Multiple, unspecified

Expert Take

Features

With a strong set of lead management features, noCRM is our pick for businesses that prioritize prospect conversion—its core CRM software is built for sales teams and simplifies the lead management process.

You’ll have access to powerful lead capturing tools that automatically import data from web forms, LinkedIn, emails and business cards, while built-in prospecting tools make it easier to turn prospects into leads with one click. We’d recommend it specifically for sales teams and agencies that focus on lead generation and want to make the process more user-friendly and efficient.

Pricing

With pricing for noCRM starting at $27 per user per month for its Sales Essentials plan, it’s one of the more expensive providers on our list—in fact, its base plan is the third-most expensive out of all the providers we’ve reviewed.

It does offer a strong set of sales and action-oriented features that we think will benefit smaller agencies that want to prioritize sales over communication features. However, for companies that want a more customer-centric approach, we’d recommend other providers.

Customer Service

All noCRM subscribers have access to its support team by email and live chat but only for a maximum of two hours if you’re on the Essentials plan. Dreamteam subscribers have VIP support which includes access to help over the phone and no time limits, as well as a private onboarding webinar for a minimum of five users.

Online reviews of its support team are mostly positive too, with many praising their helpfulness, response times and ability to solve issues.

Reputation

Performing strongly across all three online customer review sites, noCRM has an Excellent 4.5 rating on Trustpilot, 4.7 stars on G2 and 4.6 on Capterra—however, there are fewer than 1,000 reviews across all platforms.

Much of the positive feedback revolves around its customer support, ease of use and lead management features, but others have complained about limited general features and its overall cost.

Learn more: Read our full noCRM review.

Pros & Cons
  • Streamlined lead management
  • User-friendly interface
  • Highly customizable
  • Onboarding is a premium expense
  • Price plans only for up to 30 users

Best for Customization

monday.com

monday.com
4.0
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$15 per seat

(three-seat minimum)

Free Trial

14 days

Number of Pipelines

Unlimited

monday.com
Learn More Arrow

On monday.com's Website

$15 per seat

(three-seat minimum)

14 days

Unlimited

Expert Take

Features

As one of the most flexible platforms of any on our list, we picked monday.com for businesses that need a simple and customizable CRM tool.

You’ll be able to use monday.com to manage an unlimited number of highly customizable sales pipelines, track client communication and collaborate across teams using tailored boards and a plethora of automation features. Its flexibility makes it an excellent choice for businesses that want to tailor the CRM to fit their unique business processes—and its adjoining project management features offer similar benefits.

Pricing

While monday.com offers one of the cheapest ‘per seat’ rates of any provider we’ve reviewed, with its lowest Basic CRM plan costing $15 per user per month, its minimum of three seats on all plans might put it beyond the initial reach of startups.

However we still think it offers good value, especially as it offers unlimited customizable pipelines, contacts and boards, although for more integrations and automations it’s worth upgrading to its Standard plan at $20 per seat per month.

Customer Service

We appreciate that monday.com offers 24/7 customer support on all subscription tiers alongside daily live webinars and access to its self-serve knowledge base. You’ll be able to reach the team by live chat, email and phone, which is ideal and makes monday.com’s customer support among the best on our list.

Reputation

On Trustpilot, monday.com’s rating is a Poor 2.7, but it’s worth remembering that this covers all of monday.com’s services rather than just its CRM. Its profiles on G2 and Capterra are more closely tied to just monday.com’s CRM offering and give it a score of 4.6 and 4.7, respectively, from over 1,000 combined reviews.

Users praise the platform’s customization, ease of use and automation features, although some complain that it’s on the expensive side and missing a few other features.

Learn more: Read our full monday.com review.

Pros & Cons
  • Highly customizable
  • Strong mobile functionality
  • Unlimited, visually appealing pipelines
  • Minimum of three users for all plans
  • Relatively expensive compared to others
  • Learning curve to master plethora of features

Best for Sales Pipelines

Pipedrive

Pipedrive
3.8
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$24 per user

Free Trial

14 days

Number of Pipelines

Unlimited

Pipedrive
Learn More Arrow

On Pipedrive's Website

$24 per user

14 days

Unlimited

Expert Take

Features

Out of all the providers we’ve reviewed, we think Pipedrive offers the best overall features designed for pipeline management, making it our best pick for businesses that need a clear, visual and customizable way to track deals from start to finish.

Pipedrive’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface, powerful automation and advanced pipeline features make it easier for sales teams to manage and update deals. It offers detailed activity tracking and useful sales metrics, which is ideal if you want to focus on deal progression and sales efficiency.

Pricing

Pipedrive has five plans to choose from. Its base plan monthly pricing is middle-of-the-road at $24 per user and gets you immediate access to its excellent pipeline features—ideal for smaller sales teams. Upgrading to its Advanced plan at $44 per user per month offers more automation and meeting tools. However, we think the best value and functionality comes on its Professional plan.

The Professional plan is more expensive at $64 per user per month, but with powerful AI tools, streamlined lead routing and revenue forecasts, we think it’s a solid choice for bigger teams that want to focus on sales and pipeline management.

Beyond that, Pipedrive also offers the Power and Enterprise plans that cost $79 and $129 per user per month, respectively.

Customer Service

All Pipedrive subscribers have access to its online help center and chatbot support; however, we’re disappointed in the fact that 24/7 and phone support is only available for Power and Enterprise users. Live chat support is available during business hours for Advanced plan holders, 24/5 for Professional plan holders and 24/7 for Power and Enterprise.

Reviews of its support team are very positive, with plenty of praise for quick response times and its helpful onboarding process.

Reputation

Pipedrive is rated highly by its customers online, with a 4.5 score on Trustpilot and Capterra as well as a 4.3 score on G2—from over 7,000 combined reviews, giving us a robust sample size. Customers are particularly fond of Pipedrive’s customer support and onboarding, customization features and general ease of use.

Learn more: Read our full Pipedrive review.

Pros & Cons
  • Unlimited customizable pipelines
  • Intuitive visual pipeline management
  • API access available on all plans
  • Lower plans are limited in features
  • 24/7 chat and phone support only on two highest plans
  • Monthly pricing is relatively expensive

Most Affordable CRM

Less Annoying CRM

Less Annoying CRM
3.5
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$15 per user

Free Trial

30 days

Number of Pipelines

Unlimited

Less Annoying CRM
Learn More Arrow

On Less Annoying CRM's Website

$15 per user

30 days

Unlimited

Expert Take

Features

Less Annoying CRM is our pick for businesses looking for a budget-friendly CRM option, but that doesn’t mean it’s light on features. We think it’s a solid simple CRM solution for businesses of all sizes, but we’d recommend it for beginners and small sales teams that need the basic core functionality to get started without making a huge dent in the overall budget.

With unlimited contacts and companies as well as custom fields and pipelines, and an impressive 25 GB of file storage per user, it’s a strong starting point.

Pricing

While Less Annoying CRM isn’t actually the cheapest provider on our list, actually coming second to Freshsales, we think it offers the most overall value and exceptional usability with generous limits for $15 per user per month.

Less Annoying CRM only offers one price plan. However, businesses with over 10 users can contact them directly for a more customized solution. What we also like about the provider is its 30-day free trial, which is one of the most generous of any service—ideal for businesses that want minimal financial risk.

Customer Service

You can reach the Less Annoying CRM customer support team by phone and email, but there is no live chat function, which isn’t ideal. Its support team is accessible between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, which is fairly standard.

Online reviews of its customer support are very positive—it’s the second-highest-rated factor on G2 just behind ease of use, and many users have praised its quick responses and helpfulness.

Reputation

Less Annoying CRM only has six reviews on Trustpilot, but with over 1,000 on Capterra and G2 combined, it has scores of 4.8 and 4.9, respectively—indicating customers are very happy with the service offered. Users highly rate its ease of use, customer service and overall value for money, though its overall feature set has drawn a little criticism.

Learn more: Read our full Less Annoying CRM review.

Pros & Cons
  • Affordable flat-rate pricing
  • Custom pricing available for 10-plus users
  • Unlimited contacts, companies, pipelines and custom fields
  • Limited advanced functionality
  • No mobile app
  • Not suited for bigger organizations

Best for Customer Support Integration

Zendesk

Zendesk
3.4
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$25 per user

Free Trial

14 days

Number of Pipelines

Up to unlimited

Zendesk
Learn More Arrow

On Zendesk Sell's Website

$25 per user

14 days

Up to unlimited

Expert Take

Features

As one of the most well-known providers of customer support services, it’s no mystery that Zendesk’s CRM software is an ideal option for businesses that want to focus on the customer relationship side of its CRM.

It isn’t as generous as other providers when it comes to pipelines, with limits on all but its Enterprise plan and only two pipelines on its base Team plan. However, it does offer calendar integration, email tracking, SMS, calls and computer telephony integration. In addition, its integration with Zendesk for Service ensures both services work in tandem to maximize sales opportunities.

Pricing

Zendesk isn’t extremely expensive, but it is the fourth-highest-costing service on our list, and that’s just for its stand-alone Sell service base plan at $25 per user per month. Its Growth plan costs $69 per user per month, so we wouldn’t recommend it for smaller teams with limited budgets.

However, we think it offers good value for businesses that prioritize their customer support network and functionality—and is likely worth an investment if the cost isn’t a major issue.

Customer Service

You can contact the customer support team at Zendesk by phone, contact form and live chat 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. UTC, Monday to Friday. The lack of 24/7 support isn’t ideal, but having all channels available is good for those who want a quick response for any issues that arise.

Online feedback for its customer support team is mixed, with Trustpilot reviews being particularly negative. There are complaints about lack of response, long wait times and poor quality of service. The irony of this is not lost on many.

Reputation

As discussed above, Zendesk’s reputation online is a mixed bag, with a Bad rating of 1.5 on Trustpilot from over 500 reviews. Most criticism is directed at its customer support. It fairs a little better on G2 with a score of 4.2 from just under 500 reviews, with praise for its ease of use but criticism for its overall price. The story is similar on Capterra, where it has a score of 4.3 from just over 150 ratings.

Learn more: Read our full Zendesk Sell review.

Pros & Cons
  • Integrates seamlessly with Zendesk Service
  • Unlimited paid users on all plans
  • Centralized communication platform
  • Expensive, especially on higher tiers
  • 24/7 support is a paid extra
  • Unlimited pipelines only on Enterprise plan

Best AI-Powered CRM

Freshsales

Freshsales
3.4
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$11 per user

Free Trial

14 days

Number of Pipelines

Up to 10

Freshsales
Learn More Arrow

Via partner site

$11 per user

14 days

Up to 10

Expert Take

Features

With how far artificial intelligence has progressed in the last few years, it’s no wonder the technology is being leveraged to increase productivity in businesses around the world. While many providers offer AI technology as part of their CRM, we think Freshworks’ Freshsales software offers the best overall AI companion in Freddy.

Freshsales’ AI-powered Freddy offers useful sales intelligence features including deal insights and sales forecasting and reports, alongside contact scoring and automated data cleaning. It also offers content writing services for sales campaigns, making it a versatile AI-powered tool for teams that want to maximize the potential of this technology.

Pricing

Freshsales actually offers the lowest-priced base plan out of any provider we’ve included on this list at $11 per user per month, as well as a free forever plan for up to three users. However, we didn’t rate it as our best budget plan as most of its best features, including Freddy AI insights, are only available on its Pro plan and up, and this costs at least $47 per user per month.

It’s quite a high price overall, but its AI features are powerful and worth a try for businesses that can capitalize on its versatility.

Customer Service

All plans offer live chat, email and phone support 24 hours Monday to Friday, which is excellent as far as availability goes. However, feedback on its support team is mixed, with reviews on Trustpilot criticizing inconsistent answers, long wait times and lack of response.

Reviews on G2 are friendlier, with more users praising its customer support than criticizing it, while on Capterra it seems to have more positive feedback overall.

Reputation

Freshsales’ Trustpilot rating seems to be an anomaly, with a 1.9 score from just 89 reviews compared to much higher and robust scores on G2 (4.5 from over 1,000) and Capterra (4.5 from over 600). Its scores for ease of use, customer service, features and value are even across the board on Capterra, while users on G2 are particularly fond of the company’s usability and customer management features.

Learn more: Read our full Freshsales review.

Pros & Cons
  • Powerful AI features
  • Integrated marketing
  • Affordable pricing with free trial and free plan
  • Limited customization, especially on lower tiers
  • Maximum of 10 sales pipelines
  • No AI sessions on free plan

Best for Built-In Communication

Close

Close
3.0
Our ratings take into account a product's cost, features, ease of use, customer service and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Monthly Price

$59 per user

Free Trial

14 days

Number of Pipelines

Up to 10

Close

$59 per user

14 days

Up to 10

Expert Take

Features

Close stands out for its excellent integrated communication features that allow businesses to reach out by phone, SMS, email and Zoom—all within one user-friendly interface that functions well on both desktop and mobile.

The Close Inbox synchronizes your email and calendar and centralizes all other communication. You’ll also get access to useful automation features to bolster your sales comms such as a call assistant, power dialer, predictive dialer and call coaching. With all this on offer, Close is our recommendation for sales teams that rely on personal communication to make sales.

Pricing

Starting at $59 per user per month, it’s far and away the most expensive base plan on our list. Given that it has limited marketing and project management features outside of its sales and communication functions, we think it’s likely most valuable for sales-focused teams only.

Customer Service

All plans have access to the Close customer support team by email. However, the response time goes from two days on its base plan to six hours on its highest Enterprise plan.

Enterprise plan customers also have access to a dedicated account manager, screen share support and a service-level agreement. The lack of phone and chat support is a significant concern, especially given that even the highest plan subscribers will still face a potential six-hour wait for help.

Reputation

With scores of 4.7 on both G2 (from over 1,300 reviews) and Capterra (from over 150 reviews), Close is very popular among its users. Customers have left positive feedback for its ease of use and customer service on both platforms, although there has also been some criticism of its lack of wider features.

Pros & Cons
  • Built-in calling and SMS
  • Simple and easy to use
  • Strong automation features
  • Limited marketing features
  • Expensive plans with a short trial of 14 days

Forbes Advisor Ratings


Methodology

At Forbes Advisor, we approach our best-of articles with a critical eye and with small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in mind. Given that this particular topic is focused on the best simple CRM, we evaluated 12 different providers to determine the 10 easiest-to-use options. From there, we looked at the various ways that a CRM makes it simple for users to learn and use. We also gave more credit to the CRMs that are affordable, functional, offer great support and let you connect the apps you already use.

Here’s a breakdown of how we scored our 23 criteria across four weighted categories.

Decision Factor Scoring Weight Description
Features
36%
The only apps that made our list of the easiest-to-use CRMs include at least the basic tools a sales team would need in a CRM. Those that offer more functionality got more credit, but we were careful to not cross the line into feature sets that were too complex.
Value
30%
We gave higher scores to CRMs that offer affordable plans, free trials and free plans. Value is more about the functionality for the cost than the actual fee you pay, which we also considered. As far as affordability, we rated plans as being cheap, moderate and expensive and gave higher points for plans on the lower end of the cost scale.
Expert Score
25%
A CRM is easy to use when it offers an intuitive dashboard with features named and explained. Ease of use was one of the key factors our experts looked for in a CRM as was its popularity, standout features and value for the price.
Customer Reviews
9%
We researched reviews from real users on third-party review sites Trustpilot, Capterra and G2 to get honest opinions about each CRM software. This entailed ranking the overall score from customers―focusing on those that were 3.5 out of 5 or higher on each site.

Read more: How we test customer relationship management software


What Is a Simple CRM?

A simple CRM is a streamlined customer relationship management software solution that offers the essential core functionalities without more complex features—ideally for a lower price. Simple CRM software is designed to help businesses organize and manage client interactions, as well as leads and prospects.

It’s ideal for smaller businesses and startups as well as bigger companies with a limited CRM function who need basic features such as contact management, sales tracking, task automation and communication. This can help sales teams track deals, service-based businesses ensure consistent follow-ups and communication and freelancers who need to manage multiple clients.


How To Choose the Best Simple CRM

When looking for the best simple CRM software for your business, keep in mind that while providers may differ in their exact specifications, you should still be on the lookout for basic and core functionality.

Essential CRM Features

Here’s what we recommend looking for in a simple CRM.

  • Contact management: A centralized database with all client information that makes it easy to access and update data
  • Sales pipeline tracking: Track leads through different stages to visualize deal progress
  • Task automation: Automate repetitive tasks to save time and increase productivity
  • Integrated communication: Integrated emails at the very least, though standout providers also offer integrated phone and SMS features
  • Reporting and analytics: Reporting features that allow you to measure sales performance and track various key metrics

Ease of Use

One of the main benefits of a simple CRM software is that it should be streamlined and easy to use, with a user-friendly interface, clear navigation and easy data entry. There should ideally also be some automation features to help save time and simplify everyday tasks.

Customer Support

You should look for reliable customer support even for a simple CRM service. Ideally, your provider’s support team is available 24/7 by phone, live chat and email, though not all will have such a wide range of availability.

Reputation

Consider looking at online reviews to see what kind of real-life experiences customers have, as they can offer crucial insight into what it’s actually like to use the CRM software. Keep an eye out for historic outages or common themes with customer support experiences.


How Much Does a Simple CRM Cost?

Company Starting Monthly Price Highest Monthly Price Custom Pricing Free Trial
OnePageCRM
$15.00 per user
$29.00 per user
Yes
21 days
Zoho CRM
$20.00 per user
$65.00 per user
No
15 days
Nimble
$29.90 per user
None
No
14 days
noCRM
$27.00 per user
$43.00 per user
Yes
15 or 30 days
monday.com
$15.00 per seat (three-seat minimum)
$33.00 per seat (three-seat minimum)
Yes
14 days
Pipedrive
$24.00 per user
$129.00 per user
No
14 days
Less Annoying CRM
$15.00 per user
None
Yes
30 days
Zendesk
$25.00 per user
$169.00 per user
No
14 days
Freshsales
$11.00 per user
$71.00 per user
No
14 days
Close
$59.00 per user
$149.00 per user
No
14 days

The cost of a simple CRM software can range from $11 per user per month to almost $60 when looking at base plans—and some providers even have a minimum number of seats you must buy in order to use the software at all. Highest-tier plans can cost anywhere from $29 per user per month to almost $170.

While Nimble and Less Annoying CRM both offer flat pricing models, Less Annoying CRM also offers a custom pricing option—one of four providers to do so. All of our providers offer free trials, ranging from 14 days to 30 days.

Amy Nichol Smith and Cassie Bottorff contributed to this article.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the benefits of a CRM?

CRM benefits include the ability to segment customers, personalize outreach, centralize and organize leads, manage customer and partner data, forecast sales trends, scale internal and external communication, automate tasks and data entry and discover actionable trends in customer data. All of these benefits come together to help companies offer better lead and customer experiences, ultimately boosting lead conversion rates and customer lifetime values.

What is the most basic CRM?

The most basic CRM is one that offers core CRM features, such as lead and deal management. Consider Forbes Advisor’s list of the best simple CRMs, including monday.com, Less Annoying CRM and Close.

Is there a truly free CRM?

There are several truly free CRMs. With each one, you’ll have to compromise on features or limits to users or storage. For example. Zoho CRM, monday.com and EngageBay are Forbes Advisor’s picks for the best free CRM plans.

Can small businesses use CRM?

Absolutely. There are many types of CRM for different teams or needs, even though it’s traditionally used by sales teams. Look for the best marketing CRM software, which should include tools to automate marketing campaigns, or real estate CRM, which focuses on communication tools, such as click-to-call and text messaging within the app.


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