Customer relationship management (CRM) software for commercial real estate (CRE) provides tools for commercial agents and brokerages to manage properties, contracts, and sales leads. The best ones offer practical, integrated solutions for sales, marketing, and services for residential and office tenants at competitive rates. I evaluated dozens of options to identify the seven best commercial real estate CRM platforms based on key attributes like pricing, features, and support.
- Apptivo: (Overall) Best low-cost customizable CRE software
- Salesforce: Best mobile CRE CRM
- AscendixRE: Best for brokers representing CRE investors
- LionDesk: Best for lead management and follow-up
- Buildout CRM: Best AI-powered CRE CRM
- ClientLook by Lightbox: Best for sale and lease comps
- Propertybase: Best for listing management
Best Commercial Real Estate CRM Platforms at a Glance
Provider | Free Plan | Free Trial | My Rating Out of 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ✕ | ✓ 30 days | $15 | 4.98 |
 | ✕ | ✓ 30 days | $25 | 4.83 |
 | ✕ | ✓ 30 days | $79 | 4.64 |
 | ✕ | ✓ 14 days | $39 | 4.62 |
 | ✕ | ✓ Free demo only | $85 | 4.46 |
 | ✓ 4 months ($99 per month thereafter) | ✓ 10 days | $89 | 4.23 |
 | ✕ | ✓ Free demo only | $79 | 4.13 |
To ensure that we provide readers with the best answers, the Fit Small Business editorial process adheres to strict standards, including rigorous research, assessment, and scoring of providers.
In this review, I examined the essential aspects of commercial real estate CRM software for small businesses. These criteria included their general and niche features, ease of use, pricing, and range of support services. My full methodology also involved firsthand experience testing software intuitiveness and reviewing real product users. Furthermore, I leverage the following work experiences when carrying out software reviews:
- Over 13 years of editorial research and writing
- Over six years of writing expert reviews about sales and business technologies
- Almost four years in combined sales territory and team management
Apptivo: Best Low-cost Customizable CRE Software
Pros
- All-in-one business management system for managing commercial real estate operations
- Affordable and scalable plans with customizable modules
- Robust customization options with white labeling
Cons
- No free plan; only 30-day free trial
- Marketing channel limited to emails
- System customizations require technical expertise
My Expert Opinion
Apptivo is an excellent CRM for commercial real estate thanks to its affordability, customizability, and robust features. These include contract management, sales tracking, and property task organization. Its white-labeling capabilities allow you to create a fully branded portal where property owners can monitor lease terms and receive updates for a seamless and professional experience.
Plans | Lite | Premium | Ultimate | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Pricing (per User Monthly) | $15 | $25 | $40 | Custom pricing |
Monthly Pricing (per User Monthly) | $20 | $30 | $50 | Custom pricing |
Lead List, Contact, and Opportunity Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Campaigns and Marketing Automation | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Properties App, Territory Management, and Custom Branding | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Dedicated Account Manager and White Labeling | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
- Business management system: Apptivo is a CRM system and business management platform rolled into one program, making it particularly valuable for commercial real estate professionals. It offers customizable modules for managing sales, finance, customer support, marketing, projects, supply chains, and properties.
- Properties app: Property administrators can use this modular app to gather and store information on their purchased properties. Streamline transaction elements, such as follow-ups or payments for property sales or rent.
- Contracts management: Create contracts directly from different apps and functions in Apptivo to save time and integrate with third-party tools like Google Workspace, Office 365, and Slack.
The Apptivo Properties app lists properties by type and status. (Source: Apptivo)
Salesforce: Best Mobile Commercial Real Estate CRM
Pros
- Mobile app has all of Salesforce's features like emailing, records management, and generative AI assistant
- Contract management module
- Robust features for lead assignment, routing, and scoring
Cons
- No free plan; only 30-day free trial
- Marketing features are limited to email promotion and campaign tracking
- Quoting and forecasting not available until in the Pro Suite ($100 per user monthly)
My Expert Opinion
Salesforce is the best mobile sales CRM for commercial real estate because it gives you complete access to all of its web features from the mobile app. These include the Einstein Generative AI feature for property management and unified analytics for revenue monitoring. Field real estate agents and brokerages can easily manage client relationships, track sales opportunities, and close deals on the go.
Salesforce Sales Cloud Plans | Starter Suite | Pro Suite | Enterprise | Unlimited | Einstein 1 Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Pricing (per User Monthly) | $25 | $100 | $165 | $330 | $500 |
Monthly Pricing (per User Monthly) | $35 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Account, Contact, Lead, and Opportunity Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Forecasting and Full Offline Mobile Functionality | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Contracts and Deal Teams | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Built-in AI | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Knowledge Base and Sales Planning | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
- Full mobile feature access: Salesforce is known for its excellent mobile app, where agents can access all of its web features. You can even use the Einstein Generative AI tool to streamline property record management, deal tracking, and brokerage activity reporting from anywhere.
- Contracts: With Salesforce’s Contracts module, users can manage the end-to-end lifecycle of their CRE contracts—from contract draft to activation. You can also link contracts with opportunities and quotes.
- Einstein AI: With Salesforce’s built-in AI tool Einstein, you can automatically capture and log sales activities, qualify leads, and track conversation insights. This tool also provides smart suggestions for forecasts and deals.
Salesforce mobile app’s opportunities report, task lists, deal pipeline, and app launcher (Source: App Store – Salesforce)
AscendixRE: Best CRM for Commercial Real Estate Brokers Representing Investors
Pros
- Deal pipeline and AI-powered predictive analytics powered by Salesforce
- CRE Composer tool for building brochures and documents
- Commission calculations
Cons
- No power dialer
- Requires a learning curve to familiarize with CRM tools
- Document composer and public listing portal are not available in basic plan
My Expert Opinion
AscendixRE is an industry-specific CRM system for commercial real estate brokers that comes with a Salesforce license. It streamlines managing assets, buyers, sellers, and pricing, specifically notable for its brochure and document composition tool. Moreover, its mobile accessibility, AI predictive analytics, integrations, and customizable workflows help CRE brokers improve investor relations and streamline overall CRE operations.
Plans | xRE Foundations | xRE Enterprise | xRE Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly Pricing (per User Monthly) | $79 | $99 | $129 |
Salesforce License and Traditional CRM Functionality | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Pre-built CRE Fields and Reports | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Document Composer and Commission Calculator | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Virtual Deal Rooms and Public Listing Portal | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
- Salesforce License: AscendixRE is built on top of Salesforce, giving it the familiar feel of a traditional CRM. You can access all of Salesforce’s CRM functionalities, including account and deal management, workflow automation, and mobile app.
- Composer: Use AscendixRE’s advanced document generation software Composer to generate custom real estate brochures, landing pages, and marketing materials. It pulls photos and data from its library and automatically creates files that you can send to prospects and property owners.
- Properties Module: AscendixRE’s CRE tools include stacking plans and a map for displaying properties and searching for properties within an area. You can also automate commission calculations and manage real estate databases from this module.
AscendixRE’s Composer tool for generating branded reports and real estate flyers (Source: AscendixRE)
LionDesk: Best Commercial Real Estate CRM for Lead Management & Follow-up
Pros
- Advanced call management and handling features
- Lead import capabilities through integrations with real estate sites
- Robust marketing tools like automated drip campaigns, mass emailing, and pre-built marketing campaigns
Cons
- No free plan
- Limited native integrations; most integrations require third-party software
- Customer service only available during standard business hours
My Expert Opinion
LionDesk stands out for its robust lead generation and management capabilities, which include Facebook advertising, automatic nurture campaigns, and team lead distribution. This top commercial real estate CRM also comes with phone calling features that include a click-to-call function and power dialer. Aside from that, this platform offers a wide range of marketing tools, such as pre-built email and text campaigns, drip campaigns, and direct mail.
Cost: $39 per month
Features:
- Facebook Lead integration
- Automated drip campaigns
- Mass emailing
- Pre-built marketing campaigns
- Transaction pipelines
- Lead generation and management: LionDesk lets you import and track leads from multiple sources, with automated follow-up sequences via email, text, and video messaging. It integrates with related apps like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Facebook to streamline lead generation.
- Transaction management: Streamline your transaction process with LionDesk’s tool for tracking the entire real estate sales cycle, from prospecting to deal closing. You can also create seamless transactions by scheduling emails, text messages, and task reminders for each sales cycle stage.
- Marketing automation: Nurture cold leads by sending email newsletters and scheduled text messages to segmented audiences. You can also advertise listings. You can also use LionDesks’ Ad Portal to create ads from pre-built templates and automate follow-up campaigns.
LionDesk lead generation through Facebook advertising (Source: LionDesk)
Buildout CRM: Best CRE CRM With AI-Powered Tools
Pros
- AI-powered prospecting tool for real estate
- Predictive analytics and built-in commercial property data
- Robust research map and powerful mobile app AI assistant
Cons
- No free trial and pricing can be expensive
- No SMS marketing
- No phone number or live chat for customer support
My Expert Opinion
Buildout CRM is a commercial real estate platform offering CRM, marketing, and AI capabilities like its prospecting tool. CRE brokers can leverage AI-powered predictive analytics and built-in, real-time property data to find the next opportunities and make informed decisions. The robust research map and mobile app’s AI assistant let you access property info and manage transactions anywhere.
Plans | Rethink CRM | Prospect by Buildout | Manage & Close | Showcase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly Pricing (Per Month) | $129 per user | $149 per user | $85 per broker + $275 platform fee | $199-$249 per broker + $275 platform fee |
CRM, Dashboard, and Automation | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Property Data and AI Insights | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
Transaction and Deal Management | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Marketing Automation | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
- CRM and transaction management: Buildout’s Rethink CRM enables your team to manage their pipeline and generate reports. It also offers a separate module for CRE brokerage and transaction management for a full view of your team’s sales, lease pipelines, and projected commissions.
- Mobile prospecting: Buildout offers an AI-powered research and outreach mobile app called Prospect. This gives you access to a database with property owner, transaction, loan, and multiple listing service (MLS) information from all properties in the U.S.
- Marketing automation: The Showcase module includes commercial real estate marketing tools that help you build materials for showcasing your properties. It has an AI-powered assistant called AL that reviews property details in your database to generate descriptions, location details, and property highlights.
The Buildout CRM AI-powered virtual assistant, AL, for marketing content generation. (Source: Buildout)
ClientLook: Best for Tracking Sale & Lease Comps for Property Valuation
Pros
- Track sales and lease comps to determine a property’s current market value
- Includes property database and listing management
- Offers back-office assistance
Cons
- No tiered plans; free plan is available for only four months
- No client collaboration tools
- Marketing features are limited to sharing emails; no drip campaigns
My Expert Opinion
ClientLook by LightBox helps brokers easily monitor sale and lease comparables to determine a property’s market value accurately. It also allows brokers to track their sales pipelines in real time and create a robust property database for CRE transactions. Moreover, it offers back-office assistance, which includes remote data entry and listing updates with just a phone call to the company’s team.
Plans | Free | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
Pricing (per User Monthly) | $0 for four months, then $99 | $129 | $89 |
Contact and Deal Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Property Data and Comps Tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Listing Administration and Online Lead Capture | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
- Contact and deal management: All ClientLook plans include tools for managing contacts, deal activities, and pipeline stages. Its email integration allows you to attach deal activity and documents to email messages.
- Property data and comps tracking: ClientLook provides brokers with a proprietary database to import or add property records. You can also manage all your listings and track completed leases and deals from the same platform.
- Remote data entry: Give the ClientLook team a phone call to request remote entry of business cards, activity scheduling, listing updates, and listing publications. You can also ask the team to have your leads automatically directed to your website.
ClientLook lease comps tracking (Source: LightBox)
Propertybase: Best CRM for Commercial Real Estate Listing Management
Pros
- Transaction management with e-signature and document tools
- Automated email and drip campaigns
- Built-in website design tools
Cons
- Expensive pricing on a per-user basis (exact pricing not disclosed on the website)
- No free plan or free trial; free demo only
- No live support channel
My Expert Opinion
Propertybase is a powerful listing management system with centralized storage, MLS syndication, customizable marketing templates, and CRM integration. It helps brokers manage listings efficiently, boost collaboration, and maximize property visibility to attract buyers. Plus, I like how brokerages can use Propertybase to launch social media, email marketing, and other CRE campaigns.
Cost:
- Starting at $79 per user, per month
- Minimum of 10 users
Features:
- Salesforce license
- Contact, lead, and transaction management
- Luxury Internet Data Exchange (IDX) websites
- Marketing automation
- Back office support
- Listing management system: Propertybase is equipped with centralized listing storage and syndication to multiple MLS and marketing channels. With this, brokers can manage listings efficiently, improve collaboration, and maximize visibility to attract buyers.
- Luxury IDX websites: Drive leads with Propertybase’s lead generation tools and custom IDX websites. It’s easy to showcase your brokerage and build beautiful websites using pre-built templates.
- Transaction management: Propertybase makes the transaction closing process smoother. It comes with integrated forms, e-signatures, and an intranet for your brokerage.
The Propertybase Agent Dashboard with reports on offers, commissions, and listings. (Source: Salesforce AppExchange)
How I Evaluated the Best Commercial Real Estate CRM Software
To determine the best CRM for for commercial real estate, I evaluated the relevant features for managing sales, marketing, and operations. These include tools for tenant work orders, contracts, and transaction opportunities.
I also looked at other critical CRM software attributes, such as price, product ease of use, customer support, and general features like reporting dashboards, integrations, and system customizations. Explore my evaluation process of the best commercial real estate CRM software.
25% of Overall Score
I reviewed features that are staples to most real estate CRMs, like customizable pipelines, reporting and analytics, contact management, task assignments, and integrations.
20% of Overall Score
Features like a mobile app, client collaboration tools, property maps, listing management, marketing tools, and deal tracking were considered highly beneficial for commercial real estate businesses.
20% of Overall Score
When evaluating the cost of each CRM, I considered access to free account options, varying subscription plans, and the availability of monthly billing plans.
15% of Overall Score
The functions of any application are only as beneficial as they are usable. These criteria were analyzed by the knowledge required to set up the software, the skill needed to operate the platform, and the intuitiveness of the user interface.
10% of Overall Score
Extensive support and service can prevent issues a user might encounter. These were evaluated in terms of customer service hours and availability of support through various channels like phone, live chat, and email.
10% of Overall Score
In addition to my firsthand experiences with the providers, I evaluated what other users say about each platform. These criteria consider how other experts rate each CRM and how customers feel based on their reviews to gauge features, ease of use, and overall value for money.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A CRM in commercial real estate help brokers, agents, and property managers manage client relationships, streamline workflows, and track deals. Key features include contact and lead management, property tracking, pipeline monitoring, marketing automation, and reporting tools. With mobile access and customization options, CRE professionals can save time, strengthen client relationships, and close deals more efficiently.
Yes, Salesforce can be a good CRM for real estate, especially for larger teams or those needing a highly customizable solution. It offers robust features like contact and deal management, marketing automation, and analytics. Plus, Salesforce’s AppExchange provides industry-specific integrations, such as property management and listing tools, making it adaptable to commercial real estate needs.
LionDesk is the easiest-to-use industry-specific CRM for commercial real estate. It has a clean interface, allowing you to quickly see and operate the features you need. Moreover, HubSpot CRM, Pipedrive, and Zoho CRM are our top picks for user-friendly general-use CRMs.
Yes, real estate agents widely use CRMs to manage client relationships and streamline operations. A CRM helps agents organize leads, manage property listings, and automate follow-ups to ensure timely response and attract more potential investors, property owners, and tenants. It also enables agents to segment clients and personalize communication for successful real estate transactions.
Bottom Line
The best commercial real estate CRM depends on the brokerage’s needs and goals and the solution’s pricing, features, ease of use, and scalability. That said, it’s important to choose a provider that offers the strongest features you need, like property maps, listing management, marketing, and deal tracking. While Apptivo is my top pick for affordability and customizability, other CRE CRMs like LionDesk and Ascendix can be suitable for your brokerage needs.