Startups need customer relationship management (CRM) software to organize and manage contacts, nurture leads, and provide superior customer service. As a growing business, you need to look for the right CRM to support your current needs and simplify complex workflows. To find the best CRM for startups, we looked at the most popular options and narrowed it down to the six best software based on startup companies’ specific requirements.
Our top picks, and their best uses cases, are:
- Zoho CRM: Best overall CRM for startups
- Agile CRM: Great for startups wanting a CRM solution with built-in phone features
- Insightly: Ideal for growing businesses that need a customizable CRM with project management tools
- Streak: Excellent choice for young companies with operations that require tight integration with Google Workspace and Gmail
- HubSpot CRM: Best for startups looking for an all-in-one CRM solution that fits their budget and is easily scalable
- Pipedrive: Great option for teams that want collaboration tools, including goal setting and tracking
How We Evaluated the Best CRMs for Startups
The best CRM software for startups considers that budgets are particularly small for young businesses and offer a variety of service plans at a range of prices. They should also be customizable and have the ability to scale as a company grows.
Based on our research, Zoho CRM is the best choice for startups needing a CRM solution. It scored as the top CRM for its affordable pricing tiers, a free plan that supports three users, and its wide range of customer support and services. Zoho CRM also offers support tier options that every type of business owner can choose from.
The tabs below offer more insight into our evaluation process for selecting the best CRMs for startups:
30% of Overall Score
CRM costs range from free to $100 or more, depending on the size of your team and the features you need. I assessed the pricing of each solution’s service plans as well as the CRM’s overall value for the money.
20% of Overall Score
Small business startups have enough on their plates without worrying about how to install and maintain their CRM software. Each solution was evaluated on how easy it is to set up and use.
30% of Overall Score
I evaluated the availability of CRM features that many startups rely on to maximize their time and sales efforts, including an integrated phone system, team collaboration tools, and multichannel customer support.
10% of Overall Score
I assessed all CRMs for the availability of common business app integrations, such as accounting and invoicing platforms and email marketing tools.
5% of Overall Score
Customizing your CRM helps you fine-tune the system to your startup’s current needs and accommodates changes you may need to make in the future. Common customization options include contact fields, dashboards, and reports.
5% of Overall Score
Automating repetitive tasks and sales processes like email drips and pipeline management frees up time for startups to focus on building relationships and growing their business.
Zoho CRM: Best Overall CRM for Startups
Zoho CRM
What We Like
- Customer support available across multiple channels
- Customizable product catalog
- Extensive team collaboration through feeds, chat, groups, and product management features
What's Missing
- Team and individual goal tracking options
- Free plan limited to three users
- Prediction and artificial intelligence (AI) tools are only available in top-tier plans
Zoho CRM Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Supports three users
- Bigin for Small Business: $7 per user, per month
- Standard: $12 per user, per month
- Professional: $20 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $35 per user, per month
- Ultimate: $45 per user, per month
- Zoho CRM Plus: $50 per user, per month
- Free trial of paid plans: 15 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at slightly higher rates.
Zoho CRM is a powerful software solution for startups that offers team collaboration tools, customizable billing and payment options, and tools to generate product catalogs and quotes. It is an excellent choice for startups because of its free plan, affordable paid options, ease of use, numerous system integrations, and excellent deal and opportunity management features. Moreover, Zoho CRM has a Customer Support and Service management feature, which includes a help desk, ticketing, case routing and escalation, and web-to-case forms.
Zoho CRM Features
Zoho CRM feeds dashboard. (Source: Zoho CRM)
- Customizable invoices and quotes
- Offers online and onsite training program
- Customer support through calls, live chat, and email
- Project management and team collaboration tools
- Built-in phone system and video conferencing
- Customizable pricing pages, product information, and customer database
Agile CRM: Best CRM With Built-in Phone Features
Agile CRM
What We Like
- Built-in, feature-filled phone
- Help desk workflows to manage incoming tickets and ensure resolution
- Drag-and-drop project management tool
What's Missing
- Limited customer support options
- Basic training available through online resources and webinars only
- Limited reporting and analytics
Agile CRM Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Supports up to 10 users
- Starter: $9.99 per user, per month
- Regular: $39.99 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $64.99 per user, per month
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at slightly higher rates.
Agile CRM has advanced telephony capabilities, such as outbound and inbound calling, call automation, call recording, and call logs. System integrations support various existing marketing, social, and ecommerce tools that you may already be using. Unfortunately, Agile CRM’s lack of advanced customer support options and in-depth user training kept it from nabbing the top spot on our list.
Agile CRM Features
Agile CRM telephony feature set. (Source: Agile CRM)
- Built-in two-way telephony with auto-dialer, voicemail drops, call recording, scripts, post-call automation, and conferencing features
- Marketing automations with email marketing, customizable newsletters, email tracking, multichannel campaigns, and video email capabilities
- Training through webinars and educational resources
- Customizable customer contact fields and product catalog
- Support for client billing and invoicing
Insightly: Best Customizable CRM With Project Management Tools
Insightly
What We Like
- Milestone tracker
- Workflow automation
- Third-party integration with Google Workspace, Gmail, Xero, and QuickBooks
What's Missing
- Free plan is limited to two users
- Sharp learning curve
- Phone integration and advanced support entail additional cost
Insightly Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Supports up to two users
- Plus: $29 per user, per month
- Professional: $49 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $99 per user, per month
- Free trial of paid plans: 14 days
*Based on annual billing.
Insightly is a type of CRM that offers a variety of project management tools to manage post-sale customer relationships. Startups can easily onboard team members and scale thanks to its reliable help center with in-depth tutorials and seek advice from the Insightly community hub. While Insightly is a convenient CRM for startups, it does lack social media integration. Its free plan is also limited to only two users and does not include customer support.
Insightly Features
Insightly’s Projects Kanban view. (Source: Insightly)
- Manage bills and invoices
- Enterprise plan includes products and services catalog
- Option to integrate phone dialer and call logging
- Help center with in-depth tutorials and community with like-minded professionals
- Track milestones, streamline business processes, and utilize real-time data dashboards
Learn more about Insightly’s combination of CRM and project management tools on our Insightly reviews page.
Streak: Best for Tight Integration With Gmail & Google Workspace
Streak
What We Like
- Direct integration with Gmail
- Team-accessible asset storage
- Accessible from any desktop or mobile browser
What's Missing
- Upgrades can be expensive
- Training is limited to the Streak University channel on YouTube
- Lacks product catalog
Streak Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: basic features
- Solo: $15 per user, per month
- Pro: $49 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $129 per user, per month
- Free trial of paid plans: 14 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at slightly higher rates.
Streak is ideal for startups that rely on Gmail and Google Workspace for managing leads, support tickets, and projects. Users can power up their Gmail inbox with additional features like email tracking, mail merge, and multiple pipelines. However, it lacks a product catalog, and its available training is limited to Streak University videos on YouTube.
Streak Features
Streak support dashboard. (Source: Streak)
- Core CRM for tasks, reminders, call logs, and storing meeting notes
- Generate and manage quotes and invoices
- Chrome extension for Gmail integration
- Knowledge-base with in-depth tutorials
- Multiple custom pipelines for sales, hiring, support, partnerships
- Enables Gmail to automate responses, view customer history, and leverage mail merge
HubSpot CRM: Best Scalable, Free CRM for Unlimited Users
HubSpot CRM
What We Like
- Free plan supports one million contacts and companies
- Live chat includes conversational bots
- Offers huge discounts to qualified startups
What's Missing
- Community support only with the free plan
- Limited data import options
- No social media tools on the free plan
HubSpot CRM Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Unlimited users
- HubSpot for Startups: Starts at $40 to $89 per month
- Starter: Starts at $45 per month, minimum of two users
- Professional: Starts at $450 per month, minimum of five users
- Enterprise: Starts at $1,200 per month, minimum of 10 users
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at slightly higher rates.
HubSpot CRM is an all-in-one solution for inbound marketing, content management, sales, and customer service. It offers a free CRM for an unlimited number of users that scales as a business grows. HubSpot CRM is also included in our list of the best CRMs for small businesses. However, some of its major setbacks include the lack of advanced support and social media tools in the lower-tier plans.
What sets HubSpot CRM apart from the other software on this list is its special program for startups. Under HubSpot for Startups, more than 2,000 eligible startups that have raised less than $2 million in Series A funding have qualified for up to a 90% discount in their first year, 50% in their second, and 25% in the following year. For startups with over $2 million in funding, discounts start at 50%.
HubSpot CRM Features
HubSpot CRM’s Marketing Team Dashboard. (Source: HubSpot CRM)
- The free plan includes CRM, sales, marketing, and service tools
- Bulk email sending, email tracking, and templates
- Organize your sales process using deal pipelines, simple automation, and custom properties
- Connect with prospects with call tracking, meeting scheduling, and live chat software
- Track goals with period-based quotas and view performance metrics on the reporting dashboard
- Configure, price, and quote tools include a products library, commission and split calculations, and e-signatures.
Read our HubSpot CRM review page to know more or to find out if it is the right CRM for your startup business.
Pipedrive: Best Startup CRM for Team Collaboration
Pipedrive
What We Like
- Robust contact management features
- Third-party integration with customer support and invoicing apps
- Automate repetitive tasks with artificial assistant (AI) sales assistant
What's Missing
- No free service plan
- Phone support limited to top-tier plan
- Lead generation tools are an additional cost
Pipedrive Pricing at a Glance*
- Essential: $12.50 per user, per month
- Advanced: $24.90 per user, per month
- Professional: $49.90 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $99 per user, per month
- Free trial of paid plans: 14 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at slightly higher rates.
Pipedrive is the ideal CRM for teams that want to set objectives, track team performance, and adjust their course of action. Furthermore, it offers a built-in phone system to track and record calls, as well as third-party integrations with popular team tools such as Slack and QuickBooks. Pipedrive’s biggest drawback is that it has no free plan, unlike all the other CRMs on this list.
Pipedrive Features
Pipedrive pipeline view. (Source: Pipedrive)
- Customizable product catalog
- Workflow automation and detailed visual sales pipeline
- Outbound calling, call logging, call recording, and insights
- Third-party integration with Xero and QuickBooks for invoicing and quotes
- Extensive tutorials, training videos, online knowledge base and community hub
- Customer support via 24/7 phone and live chat
Check out our Pipedrive review page to discover other features that might be beneficial to your growing business.
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