Best CRM for Freelancers: 6 Top Options in 2023

Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM system for freelancers who want to develop customer relationships and grow their client base. It offers contact, lead, and deal management features, including one-page complete overviews of CRM records that indicate activity history, contact data, pipeline stage, and prior communications. Users can schedule meetings with prospects through phone calls or video conferencing and send emails from the CRM.

This CRM offers an AI sales assistant that monitors user behaviors and lead and deal activity. It’ll then use data to notify users of events and make recommendations such as tasks to focus on next and tips to improve performance. Additionally, freelancers can use Pipedrive to streamline data and document management activities. SmartDocs is a feature that populates information on a sales document, like a quote or proposal, using stored CRM data, so that they can easily be sent for signatures. The Smart Contact Data also auto-updates records using online and LinkedIn sources.

Though sophisticated in sales capabilities, the biggest issue with Pipedrive, specifically for freelancers getting started on a budget, is that no free-forever plan is available. Luckily, every other CRM system on this list offers a free-forever plan for those who want a no-cost, risk-free solution to manage customers.

Rather than using a traditional CRM system, freelancers can turn to monday.com, a highly customizable work management system, for their CRM needs. The product is free to access and operates using a system of boards and items that act as the equivalent of modules and records in a CRM. Because it’s a work and project management system, solopreneurs can use premade board templates or tailor their monday.com boards for activity in all business functions, like sales, marketing campaigns, billing, client projects, and other operational areas.

monday.com is highly intuitive to operate because all data, such as CRM records or client projects, can be added and edited on a simple spreadsheet-style board. Once the information is there, freelancers can monitor progress and activate their data through multiple board options, including timelines, Gantt, Kanban, charts, and dashboard views. It’s also easy for users to create automations in the system, as monday.com uses low-code workflow designing tools.

monday.com’s product simplicity causes users to miss out on more advanced features, like capabilities such as AI for analytics and performance suggestions and built-in communication capabilities through phone, chat, email, or text. Freelancers seeking a CRM for more than data management should look to Freshsales as an alternative. It has a built-in telephone, email and chat channels, and an AI tool to help users automate tasks and receive helpful insights.

Freshsales is one of the best CRMs for individuals, primarily because of its costs and built-in features. The free plan includes account, deal, and contact management, a built-in phone system, and live chat channels to engage leads browsing your website. The paid plans are also highly accessible, starting at just $15 per user, monthly for email options, visual pipeline management, and sales activity tracking.

The Freshsales system is one of the more intuitive CRMs for self-employed individuals in terms of customizing the product, operating the features, and navigating the interface. The platform is a great end-to-end sales solution as it acts as a lead and client management software for freelancers, thanks to its deal and account management capabilities. Finally, this CRM offers advanced AI features, such as a chatbot for auto-lead engagement, and Freddy AI insights for lead scoring, data deduplication, deal insights, and next-best-action recommendations.

Leveraging AI features as a digital assistant or analytics tool can give freelancers additional productivity and capabilities without needing a full-time employee. Freshsales, unfortunately, does not begin offering its AI capabilities until the Pro plan for $39 per user, monthly. Pipedrive has the best AI value—starting on its Essentials plan for just $14.90 per user, monthly.

Zoho CRM is a sales management product that gives solo-operated businesses the ability to manage leads, accounts, contacts, deals, customer support cases, and email marketing campaigns. The system is highly customizable, where freelancers can design CRM components like modules, data fields, CRM automations, and tabs to meet their unique requirements. Advanced features, such as the artificial intelligence (AI) Zia tool for suggestions, predictions, and reminders, are also available on the higher-tiered plans.

As for features most relevant to freelancers, Zoho CRM’s best attribute is the inventory management module, which is available on the Professional plan starting at $23 per user, monthly. Within that module is an array of features for generating and sending sales documents and tracking inventory. Users can create products and price books, generate quotes, sales orders, and invoices, and manage a vendor database. On top of that, invoicing allows users to manage both recurring and retainer-based invoices.

Though it has a free basic CRM plan, Zoho does not allow users to integrate with third-party applications until the Standard plan—starting at $14 per user, monthly. HubSpot CRM is a great freelancer CRM alternative that allows for outside integrations on its free-forever plan.

HubSpot CRM is a popular product, well known as a free CRM tool for freelancers with a clean interface—letting users with minimal technical knowledge extract value from the features. Regarding sales capabilities, HubSpot offers features for freelance client management to store account data and documents, generate quotes, obtain signatures, and schedule meetings. Users can even process payments through automated clearing house (ACH) transactions or Stripe integration.

HubSpot is by far the best for its marketing capabilities—many of which come at no cost. The free marketing features include creating and deploying email campaigns, designing landing pages, segmenting contact lists, and managing digital ads on Google or Facebook. Users can oversee a blog and receive SEO recommendations for free. For more advanced marketing capabilities, freelancers can upgrade to a paid plan to publish social media content, deploy automated omnichannel campaigns, run A/B campaign tests, and host on-demand videos.

HubSpot is not a great option for when a freelancer is ready to scale, add more employees, and needs additional CRM features like automated sales sequences, forecasting, and team management. The paid plans are expensive whether you choose to bundle or subscribe to an individual product. Freshsales and Zoho CRM are the best options that offer a free plan and have cost-friendly, scalable paid plans.

Agile CRM is a low-cost, highly customizable CRM with sales, marketing, and customer service features for all-in-one functionality. Freelancers have access to a wide range of task management features, such as scoring leads, storing documents, and organizing contact and lead data. There are also appointment scheduling tools and the ability to send direct and mass emails from the CRM. Additionally, users can utilize the two-way phone system to place and receive calls and track social media activity from the interface.

Many technology consultants, such as IT firms, virtual chief information security officers (vCISOs), and software developers operate in a solopreneur capacity. Those freelancers often need case management features to assist clients with system issues, technical challenges, and other inquiries. Agile CRM includes a simplified ticketing collection, grouping, automation, and viewing system in the help desk module of the platform. Users not only can ensure they effectively assist clients, but they can also manage service-level agreements (SLAs) and store prepackaged replies for fast resolutions.

The email campaign features of Agile CRM, unfortunately, are not available for free—something critical for solopreneurs who need to market their brand on a slim budget. HubSpot is the best CRM alternative for users who need free email marketing features, also providing ads, blogs, and search engine optimization (SEO) management for free.