6 Best CRM Software for Freelancers in 2022
Jess served on the founding team of a successful B2B startup and has used a wide range of sales and marketing tools over the course of her 15-year career. She uses her industry knowledge to deliver the best answers to your questions about sales tools and sales management.
This article is part of a larger series on CRM.
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems for freelancers are designed to centralize customer interactions, transactions, and projects, as well as monitor various revenue sources in a single platform. It also has to have affordable pricing options for self-employed freelancers and solopreneurs on a tight budget. To find the best CRM for freelancers, we evaluated several top providers and considered critical attributes according to their needs.
Here are our top six picks for personal CRMs and their best use cases:
- Freshsales: Best overall CRM for freelancers with omnichannel communication tools, including phone, email, and chat
- Zendesk Sell: Ideal for freelancers needing a CRM system with robust email integration
- Zoho CRM: Best for freelancers who need to track their work using time sheet management tools
- Agile CRM: Ideal for freelancers who need excellent social media management tools
- HubSpot CRM: Best free CRM for freelancers with robust analytics tools
- Dubsado: Great for users who need invoicing and payment plan features in their CRM
Best CRMs for Freelancers Compared
Provider | Free Plan | Free Trial for Paid Plans | Starting Price for Paid Plans | Special Features | Help & Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Yes, for unlimited users | 21 days | $15 per user, per month | Built-in pricing tools | Support via email (24/7), phone, & live chat (24/5) |
 | No | 30 days | $19 per user, per month | Ability to call and SMS clients in the platform | 24/7 live chat, phone, & email support |
 | Yes, up to 3 users | 15 days | $14 per user, per month | Advanced analytics and AI tools | 24/5 email & phone support on paid plans |
 | Yes, up to 10 users | 7 days | $9.99 per user, per month | In-app phone in free version | 24/5 email support, phone support for paid plans |
 | Yes, unlimited users | 14 days | $45 per month for 2 users | Robust sales automation tools | HubSpot Academy + tier-based support via email, chat, & phone |
 | Yes, for 1 user with up to three clients | N/A (free until 4 users) | $25 for 4-10 users | Integrations with payment processing tools | Email & chat support + free courses, 1:1 training calls & webinars |
To check out other providers, consider other options from our list of the top CRM solutions for small businesses. If you’re looking for specialized solutions, check out our article on industry-specific CRMs.
How We Evaluated the Best CRM for Freelancers
The best CRM software for freelancers should have fundamental tools to help self-employed individuals track their client communications, tasks, and projects. It should have essential tools, such as invoicing and billing, as well as time tracking. An ideal CRM software for freelancers should also have a range of affordable pricing plans or a free version.
We found that Freshsales is the overall top CRM software for freelancers. It offers essential CRM features helpful to side hustlers, such as omnichannel communications and invoicing tools. It also has an excellent in-app phone, making it easy for freelancers to reach out to their customers and prospects anytime, anywhere.
The tabs below offer more insight into our evaluation process for selecting the best CRM for freelancers.
40%
Pricing
20%
General Features
15%
Ease of Use
15%
Help & Support
10%
Expert Score
40% of Overall Score
Pricing is typically the most important factor for freelancers, so it was the most heavily weighed when reviewing the best CRM for them. We considered the availability of a free plan, the pricing of entry-level options, and whether or not there are monthly billing plans available.
20% of Overall Score
The purpose of any CRM is to provide functional solutions associated with sales, marketing, and task management. We looked at the options and evaluated which ones offer the essential and fundamental features useful for freelancers.
15% of Overall Score
User-friendliness and intuitiveness are two of our key considerations when looking into a software’s ease of use. We evaluated whether the software is beginner-friendly or requires some level of experience to get users up to speed with the system.
15% of Overall Score
Support is a critical part of running a CRM system, especially for freelancers who may not have a technical background. We analyzed the types of support offered by these providers through live chat, email, and phone, as well as determined the hours when these support channels are available.
10% of Overall Score
We looked through existing customer reviews on credible sites to measure the level of satisfaction current users have, as well as any problems that they typically encounter. We also added our thoughts and expert opinion on key features, value for money, and popularity.
*Percentages of overall score
Freshsales: Best Overall CRM for Freelancers With Omnichannel Communication Tools
Freshsales
Overall Score: 4.46
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Lets users communicate through various touchpoints, including phone, email, and chat
- Has CPQ (configure, price, quote) features
- Integrates with Slack, which is commonly used by employers engaging remote workers or freelancers
What's Missing
- Free plan lacks essential features, such as multiple sales pipelines and updates notifications
- Free plan doesn’t have online storage allocation
Pricing Summary*
- Free Plan: Supports unlimited users
- Growth: $15 per user, per month
- Pro: $39 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $69 per user, per month
- Free trial: 21 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at higher rates.
Freshsales offers essential features, helping freelancers manage multiple clients and contacts through contact, project, and task management. It helps them stay connected and accessible to their clients through various communication channels, such as phone, email, chat, SMS, social media, WhatsApp, and Slack. Freshsales also offers configure, price, quote (CPQ) tools, allowing users to create and send quotes, invoices, contracts, and non-disclosure agreements.
However, Freshsales’ free plan lacks essential features such as multiple sales pipelines and basic update notifications. It also doesn’t offer online storage for free. Users who want a feature-rich free plan can consider Zoho CRM, while those who want online storage across all plans can consider HubSpot CRM.
Freshsales Features
Freshsales provides tools for easy project management and monitoring of various income sources. Below are features we find most beneficial for users:
- Organization features: Allows users to create follow-up tasks, schedule and track appointments, and record notes for every lead, contact, account, and deal.
- Communication features: Lets users make calls from within the app with its in-app phone system, as well as send messages using email, SMS, chat, social media, and other messaging channels, such as WhatsApp and Slack.
- Website stats analysis: Allows users to get insights about their visitors’ interest or engagement levels by analyzing their page visits, resources downloads, and other activities on your website.
- Quotes and document management: Lets users create quotes, proposals, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), master services agreements (MSAs), contracts, and other official business documents.
Freshsales allows users to access various communication touchpoints so they are constantly accessible to their clients. (Source: Freshsales)
Check out our Freshsales review to explore other features that this platform offers.
Zendesk Sell: Best CRM for Freelancers Needing Robust Email Integration
Zendesk Sell
Overall Score: 4.36
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Has excellent email integration functionality
- Offers SMS and call capabilities
- Has offline mobile access
What's Missing
- No free plan
- Lacks invoicing and billing features
Pricing Summary*
- Sell Team: $19 per user, per month
- Sell Professional: $49 per user, per month
- Sell Enterprise: $99 per user, per month
- Free trial: 30 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at higher rates.
Zendesk Sell helps freelancers manage various clients and projects through task and appointment setting, sales pipelines monitoring, calendar integration, and document storage. It has robust email integration capabilities that let users connect email accounts to manage emails from within the platform, track their email campaigns, and send emails in bulk. It also allows users to communicate to their clients using SMS and call directly from the software.
However, Zendesk Sell has no free plan, and no invoicing and billing functionalities. Users who want access to both can consider subscribing to Freshsales instead.
Zendesk Sell Features
Zendesk Sell offers users essential project and task management tools as well as great email integration capabilities. Below are features we find most beneficial for users:
- Contact log features: Lets users track all their communications by logging and recording lead and contact-related emails on the platform.
- Notification and update features: Sends real-time push notifications and alerts when a prospect reads or clicks on an email.
- Communication features: Offers a click-to-call feature that lets users make calls using their Zendesk sell account, as well as send SMS messages straight from their dashboard.
- Lead profile enrichment: Lets users enrich their lead and contact profiles by allowing them to build targeted lead lists using industry, company size, and role.
Zendesk Sell allows users to integrate their email accounts, such as Gmail, to run campaigns and send bulk emails straight from the platform. (Source: Zendesk Sell)
Check out our Zendesk Sell review to explore other features that this platform offers.
Zoho CRM: Best CRM for Freelancers With Time Sheet Management Tools
Zoho CRM
Overall Score: 4.34
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Has time tracking features that help freelancers charge their work accurately
- Offers varied customer communication platforms, such as email, phone, and live chat
- Advanced analytics and predictive tools
What's Missing
- Limited storage capacity; requires add-on for additional monthly storage
- Mass emailing is only available in paid plans
Pricing Summary*
- Free plan: Up to 3 users
- Standard: $14 per user, per month
- Professional: $23 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $40 per user, per month
- Ultimate: $52 per user, per month
- Free trial: 15 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at higher rates.
Zoho CRM offers freelancers essential features to manage their various projects, including contact, project, and account management. It allows users to generate leads and enrich their customer profiles through social media integration with Twitter and Facebook. Zoho CRM also helps users manage their client billings through time tracking tools, which they can integrate with the creation of invoices for accurate tracking of time spent on completing projects.
However, Zoho CRM has limited storage allocation, and its mass emailing feature only comes with paid plans. Users who need ample data storage can consider Freshsales, while those who need bulk emailing features even with free plans can consider HubSpot CRM.
Zoho CRM Features
Zoho CRM lets users easily manage contacts and projects. It also allows them to monitor the hours they spend doing client work through time sheet management. Below are features we find most beneficial for users:
- Time tracking: Allows users to record and keep track of the time they spend working on various jobs, using daily, weekly, and monthly time logs.
- Billing features: Lets users generate bills and pull customized, accurate reports for time sheets and payment quotes.
- Omnichannel communications: Provides users with omnichannel customer communications through email, phone, and social media.
- Sales reporting: Offers real-time reports that give insights into a variety of metrics such as sales trends, marketing campaigns, and activity reports.
Zoho CRM allows users to record time spent on projects, so they can bill their clients more accurately. (Source: Zoho CRM)
Check out our Zoho CRM review to explore other features that this platform offers.
Agile CRM: Best CRM With Social Media Management Tools
Agile CRM
Overall Score: 4.16
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Has robust social media functionalities, including social media management, social listening, and social marketing
- Free plan includes essential features, such as unlimited deals and tasks, appointment scheduling, and in-app phone
- Offers a landing page builder
What's Missing
- Free plan doesn’t offer email campaign management
- Free plan only offers email technical support
Pricing Summary*
- Free plan: Up to 10 users
- Starter: $9.99 per user, per month
- Regular: $39.99 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $64 per user, per month
- Free trial: 7-day free trial for Regular and Enterprise plans only
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at higher rates.
Agile CRM enables freelancers who frequently use social media to provide services to their clients with helpful features. These include social listening to monitor brand mentions across various social channels, tracking contacts’ social activities, and interacting with leads through Facebook and Twitter. It also offers other fundamental features, such as lead and project management, calendar and appointments, email integration, document signing, and quotation drafting.
Agile CRM doesn’t have phone and chat support or email campaign management features in its free plan. Freelancers who want phone, chat, and email support for their free plan can consider Freshsales. Those who want to have access to email campaign management features for free should consider HubSpot CRM.
Agile CRM Features
Agile CRM lets freelancers easily manage social media activities in relation to managing their projects, as well as monitor and track their leads and projects. Below are features we find most beneficial for users:
- Social media integration: Enables users to perform key social media activities straight from their CRM dashboard, including posting to social media channels, monitoring brand mentions, messaging followers, and capturing leads.
- Lead behavior tracking: Helps users maximize return on investment (ROI) on their marketing automation campaigns by tracking the social behavior of leads and customers.
- Document management: Lets users and their clients sign electronic documents, including contracts and NDAs. It also allows users to send, receive, reply, and attach documents to emails right from their Agile CRM dashboard.
Agile CRM’s social media management makes it easy for freelancers to manage their clients’ social media pages by tracking brand mentions. (Source: Agile CRM)
Explore this platform’s rich feature set and learn if it’s right for your small business in our comprehensive Agile CRM review.
HubSpot CRM: Best Free CRM With Robust Sales Automation Tools
HubSpot CRM
Overall Score: 3.96
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- Free plan supports 1 million contacts and companies
- Has essential sales automation tools, including pipeline automation and task queueing
What's Missing
- Free plan lacks access to customer support and is limited to forums
- Plans have huge pricing differences, making it difficult for users to upgrade to higher tiers
Pricing Summary*
- Free: Supports an unlimited number of users
- Starter Sales Plan: $45 per month for 2 paid users
- Professional Sales Plan: $450 per month for 5 paid users
- Enterprise Sales Plan: $1,200 per month for 10 paid users
- Free trial: 14 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at higher rates.
HubSpot CRM offers a wide range of features freelancers need to nurture their relationships with their clients, including customizable dashboards, chatbots, and landing pages. It also offers robust sales automation tools, such as simple automations that trigger tasks and notifications in a user’s sales pipeline, as well as task queueing to help automate to-do lists and collaborate with others working on the same client.
However, HubSpot CRM’s free plan lacks customer support. Furthermore, its paid plans have big discrepancies—which is a disadvantage for freelancers on a tight budget who want to access advanced tools, such as sales analytics. Users who need support for free plans can consider Freshsales, while those who want to access advanced features for less can consider Zoho CRM.
HubSpot CRM Features
HubSpot CRM lets freelancers access sales automation tools for free. It also provides robust email marketing features. Below are features we find most beneficial for users:
- Task management: Lets users set up a series of follow-up tasks to help them stay on top of multiple clients and projects.
- Email marketing: Provides excellent email marketing tools for users who need to send professional-looking marketing emails to expand their customer base.
- Billing and invoicing features: Allows users to generate quotes and invoices to their clients.
- Live chat: Offers a live chat function that lets users communicate with their website visitors in real time.
HubSpot CRM lets users automate various tasks, such as calling prospects and sending emails. (Source: HubSpot CRM)
Check out our HubSpot CRM review to explore other features that this platform offers.
Dubsado: Best CRM With Invoicing & Payment Processing Features
Dubsado
Overall Score: 3.54
OUT OF 5
Pricing Summary*
- Free: Supports 1 user with maximum of 3 clients
- 4-10 users: $25 per month
- 11-20 users: $45 per month
- 21-30 users: $60 per month
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at higher rates.
Dubsado offers freelancers excellent payment processing features to help them manage various income sources. These include a time tracker that monitors the value of their work and an invoicing system that lets them send quotes and invoices to get paid for completed projects. It supports payment processing through PayPal, Stripe, and Square, and offers clients the option to include a tip when making a payment.
However, Dubsado lacks a mobile app, and it has no cloud storage allocation. Users who need a mobile app for their CRM can consider either Agile CRM or HubSpot CRM, while those who need online storage can consider either Freshsales or Zendesk Sell.
Dubsado Features
Dubsado lets users track their time and bill their completed work accurately, as well as create and send invoices. Below are features we find most beneficial for users:
- Invoicing features: Allows users to send one-time or recurring invoices, as well as send payment reminders.
- Billing and payment scheduling: Enables users to set up custom payment plans for clients with installments, due dates, and auto-reminders.
- Project management: Lets users create projects for their clients and stay on top of upcoming tasks.
- Time tracking: Enables users to keep track of the time spent on a project and apply their billable hours to invoices.
Dubsado helps freelancers manage client payments through its reliable invoicing and payment processing features. (Source: Dubsado)
