Customer relationship management (CRM) software products that integrate with Outlook allow users to send emails from either system while synchronizing email, contact, and calendar data. After evaluating several CRM platforms for pricing, features, and user experience, we have identified the nine best CRMs for Outlook users, including the following:
- Best for accessing free Outlook integration: HubSpot CRM
- Best for cost-scalable plan options: Zoho CRM
- Best for complete Outlook contact view: Freshsales
- Best for simple CRM Outlook integration: monday sales CRM
- Best for syncing sales meeting data: Pipedrive
- Best for automating data updates: Salesflare
- Best for free Outlook Calendar: Capsule CRM
- Best for managing all business functions: Apptivo
- Best for accessing CRM data in Outlook: Prophet CRM
- Best for Microsoft 365 integrations: Dynamics 365
Best CRM for Outlook Integration Compared
Provider | Free Plan | Our Software Rating Out of 5 | |
---|---|---|---|
$15 per user | ✓ 5 users | 4.72 | |
$14 per user | ✓ 3 users | 4.70 | |
$9 per user | ✓ 3 users | 4.69 | |
✕ | 4.45 | ||
$14 per user | ✕ | 4.42 | |
$29 per user | ✕ | 4.41 | |
$18 per user | ✓ 2 users | 4.40 | |
$15 per user | ✕ | 4.13 | |
✕ | 4.09 | ||
$65 per user | ✕ | 3.91 | |
HubSpot CRM: Best Free CRM Outlook Integration
Pros
- Offers free CRM Outlook integration that can be used in its Sales, Marketing, and Service Hubs
- Easy to navigate with a simple integration process for Outlook
- Ability to use HubSpot in Outlook for CRM data and template access, meeting scheduling, and email logging
Cons
- Huge price jump when upgrading to higher tiers
- Managing email sequences from either HubSpot or Outlook for automated outreach and follow-ups requires a Professional plan ($90 per user, monthly)
- Free plan only lets you store and sync five email templates in HubSpot or Outlook
- You need a free Outlook CRM and email tools: HubSpot tops our list of the best CRM Outlook integrations, thanks to its ease of use while connecting the products and freemium option. Starting with HubSpot’s free-forever plan, teams can use Outlook email from the CRM system for direct or mass marketing campaigns and data sync. They can also manage and sync email templates, meeting data, and contacts for free.
- You want to access CRM data in both systems: HubSpot offers a great CRM Outlook plugin that enables users to access CRM and Outlook data in either system. They can view emails sent from the CRM in Outlook and pull CRM data records in Outlook from a HubSpot window. There’s even the ability to pull or manage email templates, meetings, and automated sequences created in HubSpot from Outlook.
- You want a cost-scalable CRM for Outlook: While it offers an excellent free plan with a full range of syncable data between the CRM and Outlook, HubSpot CRM isn’t ideal for fast-growing teams. The higher-tiered plans for HubSpot CRM spike up from $15 to $90 per user, monthly when you need additional features such as email sequences, A/B testing, record duplicate detection, and e-signatures on quotes.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM is the best alternative in terms of cost-scalability. It has plans starting for free and capping out at just $52 per user, monthly.
- You need more affordable email sequence tools: The one Outlook integration feature not included in HubSpot CRM’s free plan is email sequences. Creating an automated sequence of introduction, outreach, and follow-up deployments and accessing those sequences in Outlook or the CRM requires a Professional plan for $90 per user, monthly. Each account can create 5,000 email sequences and up to 500 email sends per user daily.
- Alternative: Apptivo offers email sequences for $40 per user, monthly under its Ultimate plan.
HubSpot CRM Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per user, per month breakdown of the HubSpot Sales Hub, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. HubSpot CRM also offers a Customer Platform product with sales, marketing, service, operations, and content management modules bundled in one product. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
HubSpot CRM provides user-friendly and extensive Outlook integration. Most of its Outlook-CRM capabilities are free for five users. Users can easily send, track, and log Outlook emails within the CRM, synchronize and schedule events with the calendar, and smoothly import contact records between both systems. Furthermore, the free plug-in offers additional functionalities, such as accessing email templates, canned snippets, and CRM records directly in Outlook from a HubSpot sidebar, enhancing its versatility and convenience.
Zoho CRM: Best for Cost-scalable Plan Options
Pros
- Free, affordable, and scalable plans available
- Outlook add-in available on the free plan for accessing Zoho CRM, managing leads and deals, and adding notes in the Outlook interface
- Highly customizable CRM to meet any industry-specific need
Cons
- Poor product usability ratings for navigating the interface
- Using Outlook email features in Zoho isn’t available on the Free plan
- Meeting scheduling with calendar sync to Outlook requires a Standard plan
- You want affordable CRM data management from Outlook: Zoho CRM has a unique Microsoft Outlook add-in feature available starting from the Free plan. This enables teams to access Zoho, create leads or contacts, add record notes, and store sales activity data all from Outlook. Users can also use the add-in to monitor CRM campaigns, convert leads, and associate leads, contacts, or deals with one another in Outlook.
- You need to customize your Outlook CRM for a specific need: Zoho is the most customizable CRM with Outlook integration available for a unique sales operation. Teams can tailor data fields, automation, and pipelines all to meet their particular needs, such as specific lead fields to track insurance policy types. Zoho also offers thousands of integration options and customizable modules to create your own apps in your CRM.
- You need a free CRM to use Outlook email: While Zoho CRM has an excellent free-forever plan that offers the Outlook add-in tool, users cannot access Outlook email features in Zoho at no cost. This capability requires the Standard plan for $14 per user, per month.
- Alternative: For the best freemium CRM Outlook integration, we recommend HubSpot CRM. This provider allows you to integrate with Outlook free of charge, along with free email templates, Kanban view, and built-in communications tools.
- You want a simpler CRM for Outlook: One notable downside of Zoho CRM that’s apparent based on our evaluation and user reviews is product usability. There is a decent learning curve before users get fully comfortable with the system navigation and tools.
- Alternatives: We recommend monday sales CRM as the most simple Outlook CRM. HubSpot CRM is another good alternative if you need an easy-to-use option that’s also free. New sales team members can easily learn how to use this CRM to launch Outlook email campaigns more confidently and quickly.
Zoho CRM Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Zoho CRM comes with a 15-day free trial for the paid plans. Pricing reflects pricing info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Zoho CRM tops our list of the best CRMs for Outlook integration because of its free and affordable Outlook features. The most notable is the Outlook add-in, allowing users who primarily work within Outlook to efficiently manage CRM data without leaving their email interface. This highly customizable CRM has a plugin that enables easy creation of CRM records, note-taking, deal status updates, and record associations directly from Outlook.
Freshsales: Best for Complete Outlook Contact View
Pros
- Provides a 360-view of Outlook contacts to see all relevant prospect information, like position, lead status, and social media handles
- Simple user interface for quick creation of Outlook email reports
- Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered contact scoring
Cons
- Only three users can access the Free plan
- Limited free email marketing features
- Only has one-way data sync from Outlook to the CRM system
- You need a full view of your prospects: Users can install Freshsales add-in for Outlook to have a 360-degree view of all contacts from Outlook, including their complete sales history and other relevant information. By doing so, small businesses can easily access relevant info on various data fields to improve lead generation, marketing, and outreach campaigns.
- You need an easy-to-use platform: Adding contacts directly into Freshsales from Outlook and creating email campaign reports are seamless. This is because of its simple and intuitive user interface. That said, absolute beginners find Freshsales an ideal gateway to CRM with an Outlook integration.
- You need a contact scoring feature: Freshsales allows you to get scores on each contact based on behavior and demographics, determining lead worthiness. This CRM feature helps small businesses boost their lead-generation efforts by attaching values to leads based on their interest in their products or services.
- You need file storage without extra cost: Freshsales’ free plan doesn’t offer file storage. Instead, the maximum file storage limit per account is 2GB per user, available in the starting plan at $9 per user, monthly.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM provides 1GB of storage even in its free plan. Startup businesses can take advantage of this Zoho CRM feature, along with other free tools like email templates and built-in chat, email, and phone.
- You need free email marketing tools: Freshsales lacks email marketing and other essential features in its free plan, such as email automation, which is important in segmenting and personalizing marketing. Advanced email marketing features are only available in high-priced plans.
- Alternative: If you want more robust free email marketing tools with decent Outlook features, consider HubSpot CRM, our best free CRM for small businesses. This CRM offers one automated email action in its free version, 10 automated actions in the starter plan, and unlimited automation in its higher-priced plans.
Freshsales Pricing Plans*
Freshsales Pricing Add-ons:
- Workflows: $5 for 10 workflows
- Phone Credits: Starts at $5
- CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote): $19 per user, monthly
- Additional Bot Sessions: $75 for 1,000 bot sessions per month
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per user, per month breakdown, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Freshsales offers a 21-day free trial on paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Freshsales and Outlook integration is best for small businesses that want a 360-degree view of all contact information like email, phone number, and complete sales history. This integration allows users to seamlessly create lead generation, marketing, and sales reports using its user-friendly interface. Furthermore, Freshsales’ free CRM plan comes with a built-in phone dialer for outreach marketing campaigns and a contact scoring feature for lead generation.
monday sales CRM: Best Simple CRM Outlook Integration Process
Pros
- Excellent user experience through a simple integration process with Outlook and familiar spreadsheet-style format
- Great automation features for incorporating sales workflows into Outlook
- All-around affordable paid plans
Cons
- No free plan and has some misleading pricing; paid plans require a minimum of three users
- Calendar sync with Outlook requires Microsoft 365 Business Premium license for an additional $22 per user, monthly
- Relatively expensive to store email templates and track email engagement
- You need a highly intuitive CRM for Outlook with a simple integration process: monday sales CRM prides itself on product usability. The platform is a simple CRM system that leverages a spreadsheet-style format for data management, one-click tabs to quickly change data views, and drop-down options for creating workflow automations between the CRM and Outlook. All that said, monday sales CRM is the easiest to learn and operate thanks to its intuitive design.
- You want to create Outlook automations in your CRM: The automation in monday sales CRM is both easy to use and flexible. Users can create various workflows between the CRM and Outlook. For example, you can set it so that if a lead status changes, then Outlook will automatically send an email to that contact. Another example is if an email is received in Outlook, then that event is added as an update in the CRM.
- You want more affordable calendar sync tools: One of the downsides of monday sales CRM is for calendar data sync to Outlook. To access this feature, users must also subscribe to the Microsoft 365 Business Premium license for an additional $22 per user, monthly on top of the $14 per user, monthly required for the CRM subscription. Otherwise, users receive an error message during integration setup.
- Alternative: Apptivo works with all the Outlook and Microsoft 365 subscriptions to synchronize event and task data between both system calendars. This capability can save you time and effort, especially during the busiest email campaigns. You can access these functions starting with its Lite plan at $15 per user, monthly.
- You need a free CRM for Outlook: While a cost-friendly option for integrating with Outlook, monday sales CRM no longer offers a free-forever plan for no-cost tools. This can be a downside for small businesses with limited budgets and those wanting to try different CRMs for free before deciding what premium plans to avail.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM has the best overall Outlook integration primarily because of its robust free-forever plan. Starting businesses can use the platform’s free tools like email templates, 1GB file storage, and built-in phone, chat, and email.
monday sales CRM Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a monthly per-user breakdown, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. There is a 14-day free trial for the paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
monday sales CRM stands out as the top choice for those valuing user experience and product simplicity. Managing data records and setting up automated workflows between the CRM and Outlook is a breeze with this tool. Whether you need to send follow-up emails through Outlook, update lead records, or create new contacts from Outlook emails, monday sales CRM empowers users to seamlessly enhance the connection between their sales and email systems.
Pipedrive: Best for Syncing Sales Meeting Data With Outlook
Pros
- Offers excellent meeting and video conference scheduling with calendar sync to Outlook
- Includes built-in project management
- Data sync to Outlook expands to deals and activity in addition to contacts, calendar events, and emails
Cons
- No free plan
- Does not offer a CRM Outlook plugin; users cannot access Pipedrive from the Outlook system
- Relatively expensive CRM Outlook integration; email sync not offered until Advanced plan ($29 per user, monthly)
- You need robust calendar syncing: Pipedrive is the best Outlook CRM for monitoring sales activity and calendars in Outlook. It allows you to schedule meetings, including video conferences, and syncs these events with your Outlook calendar for easy monitoring. Users can also input deal-related data, such as calls or proposals, in Pipedrive, and it syncs seamlessly with Outlook.
- You want an Outlook CRM with project management: Among CRM options compatible with Outlook, Pipedrive stands out for its unique ability to manage the sales process and post-deal activities. It offers built-in project management features to oversee service deliverables related to a client. This versatility can be particularly beneficial for business consultants, content creators, and trade contractors.
- You need a free CRM for Outlook: Pipedrive does not provide a free-forever plan, meaning you cannot access Outlook services like email, calendar management, or contact synchronization without cost. Furthermore, the email synchronization feature for Outlook comes at a relatively high cost, starting at $29 per user, monthly.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM is the best alternative in terms of offering a free-forever plan with Outlook integrations. The free plan also offers other helpful tools like email templates, custom fields, integrations, and built-in phone, email, and chat capabilities for cost-effective outreach and marketing campaigns.
- You want to access your CRM from Outlook: Pipedrive offers a Gmail plugin that allows users to access the CRM, manage deals, and edit CRM records directly from the Gmail interface. However, it’s important to note that this functionality does not extend to Outlook.
- Alternatives: Prophet CRM (starting at $20 per user, monthly) and Dynamics 365 (starting at $65 per user, monthly) are unique platforms that are embedded within Outlook. Other providers that offer plugins that allow you to manage your CRM data from Outlook are Zoho CRM (free), Apptivo (starting at $15 per user, monthly) and Salesflare (starting at $29 per user, monthly).
Pipedrive Pricing Plans*
Pipedrive Pricing Add-ons:
- Projects Project management tools; free with Power and Enterprise plans : Starts at $6.70 per user, monthly
- Campaigns Customizable email campaigns : Starts at $13.33 per company, monthly
- LeadBooster Lead generation tool set (chatbot, live chat, prospector, web forms, and appointment scheduler) : Starts at $32.50 per company, monthly
- Smart Docs Trackable quotes, proposals, and contracts; free with Professional, Power, and Enterprise plans : Starts at $32.50 per company, monthly
- Web Visitors Web tracking and lead ranking : Starts at $41 per company, monthly
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Paid plans include a 14-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Pipedrive is a top-notch sales CRM with a user-friendly meeting scheduler and seamless Outlook integration for managing leads and closing deals. Teams can effortlessly track client appointments in Pipedrive or Outlook and keep their sales activity and deal info in sync, ensuring they stay current on opportunities, no matter which system they prefer.
Salesflare: Best for Automating Data Updates
Pros
- Auto-creates and auto-enriches profiles based on email communication
- Outlook add-in allows users to access Salesflare within the email inbox
- Real-time sync of emails and calendar meetings to the CRM
Cons
- No free plan and pricey entry-level tier at $29 per user, monthly
- Limited customization options for dashboards and user permissions
- Complex setup process requires technical assistance
- You want to automate data updates between Outlook and your CRM: Salesflare auto-creates contacts profiles for your email recipients. It also automatically updates and enriches CRM data based on your email communications.
- You need to access Salesflare from Outlook: Salesflare is one of the few unique CRMs that are made to integrate with Outlook. It has an Outlook plugin that allows you to access your CRM within your inbox and sync both email and calendar events with your CRM in real-time.
- You need a more cost-effective Outlook CRM: Salesflare’s powerful data automation features come at a high starting cost of $29 per user, monthly. This can be pricey for small teams and businesses with limited CRM budgets.
- Alternatives: Subscribe to Zoho CRM to get access to free and cost-scalable solutions that start at $14 per user, monthly. Other platforms that offer free Outlook integrations are HubSpot CRM, Freshsales, and Capsule CRM.
- You want an Outlook CRM with more customization options: Salesflare offers limited options for customizing and personalizing dashboards and user permissions.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM and Dynamics 365 are the providers in this list that offer the most robust customization options.
Salesflare Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per user, per month breakdown, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Salesflare offers a 30-day free trial on paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Salesflare is a great option for small teams and businesses wanting to automate data updates with Outlook. Its Outlook plugin ensures a seamless email integration and smooth access to CRM data directly from your inbox. This integration also offers live sync of your emails and calendar meetings to the CRM, as well as auto-creation and auto-enrichment of contact profiles based on email signatures. Plus, you can send automated email sequences from your inbox.
Capsule CRM: Best Free Outlook Add-in and Calendar
Pros
- Free Outlook add-in for booking meetings and seeing everyone’s calendar
- Automatically store all Outlook emails for lead generation, marketing, sales, and outreaching purposes
- Provides AI Content Assistant for crafting effective sales emails at no cost
Cons
- Free plan only has a total of 250 contacts with limited email tools
- Outlook email tracking and advanced marketing features only on higher-tiered plans, like Growth ($36 per user, monthly)
- No workflow automation features until Growth plan ($36 per user, monthly)
- You frequently book meetings for sales and marketing purposes: Capsule CRM enables users to book meetings easily through its helpful features. For example, the free plan includes the ‘See Everyone’s Calendar’ feature to see other Capsule users’ calendars for booking meetings easily. On the other hand, the starter plan and other paid plans have a ‘Connect to Outlook Calendar’ feature to book Outlook Calendar meetings via CRM.
- You want to do more Outlook email activities: With Capsule CRM, users can do various Outlook email activities. For instance, Microsoft 365 users can create new contacts, cases, and opportunities using Outlook Add-In. Also, users can automatically store all Outlook emails with chosen contacts in Capsule. This feature is available starting with the Growth plan at $36 per user, per month billed annually.
- You’re looking for a free CRM with more contact capacity: Capsule CRM’s free plan allows you to store only up to 250 contact records. If your small business needs to send mass emails for marketing purposes, Capsule’s starter plan provides 30,000 contacts and up to 240,000 for the highest-paid plan—Ultimate ($72 per user, monthly).
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM has a free plan for five users that allows you to store up to a million contact records in its database. Sales teams won’t need separate or external storage for more efficient data management.
- You want a CRM that offers email tracking tools: Capsule CRM offers basic email marketing features with templates, but it does not have advanced features like tools for email tracking.
- Alternatives: HubSpot CRM tops our list of the best CRM for email marketing because it offers advanced tools like mass email and performance tracking at no cost. Salesflare is another provider that has robust email tracking capabilities starting at $29 per user, monthly.
- You need to use Outlook Automatic Email Storage for free: Capsule CRM’s starter plan doesn’t allow users to automatically store all emails with chosen contacts, unless they upgrade to Growth ($36 per user, monthly) or other higher-tiered plans.
- Alternatives: HubSpot CRM is one of our top recommended options for Outlook email features. Both free and paid plan users can connect HubSpot to their Outlook inbox to send emails from their HubSpot account and access helpful, time-saving tools.
Capsule CRM Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user, monthly breakdown, though monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Capsule CRM offers a 14-day free trial on paid plans. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Capsule CRM allows users to do multiple Outlook email activities, such as creating new contacts, cases, and opportunities and automatically storing all Outlook emails with chosen contacts in Capsule in its starter plan. Users can also book meetings for sales and marketing purposes easily with its ‘See Everyone’s Calendar’ and ‘Connect to Outlook Calendar’ features. Plus, Capsule CRM integrates with other Microsoft products in the Starter plan, making it one of the best CRMs for Office 365.
Apptivo: Best for Managing All Business Functions in Outlook
Pros
- All-in-one business management system that lets you handle all functions through premade modules and robust customization
- Offers white labeling
- Solid low-cost Outlook CRM plugin for accessing the CRM modules from Outlook
Cons
- No free plan
- Limited number of available third-party integrations
- Tricky system to operate; users find the interface outdated
- You need a multifunctional Outlook plugin: While mostly marketed as a CRM system, Apptivo is a full business management platform. It offers tailorable modules for sales, finance, customer support, marketing, supply chain, project management, ecommerce, human resources, and product management functions. The plugin, which is available across all plans, allows users to access any of these modules and their data in Outlook.
- You want to white label your Outlook CRM: Some businesses using Outlook may prefer a white label CRM option to rebrand the system as their own. Apptivo is the only product on this list with white labeling capabilities. Users can custom-tailor the brand palette, modules, and domain to either resell or have access to an organization’s specific system that can sync all email, calendar, task, and contact data to Outlook.
- You want a more modern, intuitive interface: System customization isn’t necessarily a difficult process with Apptivo. However, many users find it tricky to navigate and tough to learn some of the tools as the interface is outdated compared to other providers.
- Alternative: monday sales CRM is our pick for the best simple CRM system Outlook users can use, especially those prioritizing usability. First-time use doesn’t require a steep learning curve, and the interface is user-friendly, allowing users to learn the tool and launch email marketing campaigns quickly.
- You need a free CRM for Outlook integrations: Apptivo is a cost-friendly CRM with Outlook that offers its plugin for just $8 per user, monthly. However, startups and wary users may want a free-forever plan to give them a risk-free experience with their CRM.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM comes with some of the all-in-one capabilities of Apptivo, such as sales, marketing, and service functions, but with a robust freemium plan. Sales teams in startup businesses can take advantage of these free tools to kickstart their email marketing campaigns.
Apptivo Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Paid plans include a 30-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Apptivo offers the best CRM software Outlook integration for comprehensive business use. As a cloud-based business management solution, it provides flexibility for users to customize modules to suit a wide range of data and process requirements, including sales, marketing, finance, service, projects, and supply chain management. The Outlook plugin enhances functionality, allowing users to seamlessly access and retrieve data from any CRM module directly within the Outlook system.
Prophet CRM: Best for Accessing CRM Data in Outlook
Pros
- Unique CRM embedded—not just integrated—in Outlook enables automatic data sync between the two apps
- Automatic tracking of all Outlook-based emails, tasks, and calendars
- Easy installation and fast learning curve due to simple commands and familiar Outlook layout
Cons
- No free plan
- Clunky and outdated interface
- Instant email notifications and sales pipeline automations are locked in the Enterprise plan ($50 per user, monthly)
- Your team uses Microsoft apps: Prophet CRM is a dedicated platform that is designed specifically for Microsoft users. While most Outlook CRMs integrate with this email client, Prophet CRM is embedded directly into Outlook, so data is automatically synced between the two apps.
- You want to automatically track all Outlook-based emails and tasks: Prophet CRM automatically tracks all Outlook-based emails, tasks, and calendar events on both desktop and mobile devices. It also helps your team cut time spent on administrative entry by automatically linking those emails and tasks to their corresponding sales deals.
- Your team uses Google Workspace for productivity and collaboration: Since Prophet CRM is designed to work with Microsoft products, those who use Google Workspace apps like Gmail and GDrive will have a hard time adjusting to its interface.
- Alternative: Freshsales, which tops our list of the best Google CRMs, provides free Google Workspace integrations. It also has a Gmail add-on which lets you access your CRM within your Gmail inbox.
- You’re looking for more affordable automation options: With Prophet CRM, automation features can be pricey, especially for small businesses with limited budgets. Its instant email notifications and sales pipeline automations do not come in until the Enterprise plan, which costs $50 per user, monthly.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM allows you to customize workflows with its free plan for three users. When you upgrade to the Starter plan ($14 per user, monthly) you get access to expanded automations for trigger-based workflows.
Prophet CRM Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per user, per month breakdown. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
If your team uses Microsoft apps for productivity and collaboration, Prophet CRM is the top CRM choice for you. It is specifically designed to work with Microsoft Outlook and is embedded into the email client instead of just providing integration with it. This means that the contacts, calendars, and functions of both your CRM and email client are automatically synced, eliminating the need to tailor integrations and log CRM data into a new system.
Dynamics 365: Best for Microsoft 365 Integrations
Pros
- Native Microsoft product that integrates with Outlook and other Microsoft 365 productivity tools
- Highly advanced CRM with intelligent tools for lead scoring, pipeline analysis, and forecasting
- Robust integration with LinkedIn Sales Navigator for accessing LinkedIn tools
Cons
- No free plan and expensive overall (starting at $65 per user, monthly)
- Advanced features make it difficult to operate, especially for new CRM users
- Only includes sales features; marketing, service, and project management tools; requires separate Microsoft products for an additional cost (starting at $6 per user, monthly)
- You are a full Microsoft software user: Dynamics 365 Sales is Microsoft’s native CRM system with expanded synchronization. It offers excellent integration with Outlook for email, calendar, and contact data sync and plugin capabilities. Other Microsoft 365 products you can access include Exchange, Excel, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, OneNote, PowerBI, and Power Apps.
- You want advanced sales insights: As a sophisticated CRM system, Dynamics 365 has robust analytics tools that offer insights other CRMs lack. It has predictive lead scoring, relationship analytics to find connections with leads, and detailed forecasting. There’s also pipeline analysis in this best CRM for Office 365 for analyzing sales process efficiency and customer sentiments, and conducting brand and competitor analysis.
- You need broader use cases outside of sales: Dynamics 365 Sales is one of many business software products offered by Microsoft. If you need tools for customer service, marketing, and project management, you’ll need to avail of their other products, like Marketing and Project Operations, which warrant separate purchases.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM is a great option for those who need all-in-one sales, marketing, and service capabilities in one subscription. You can also look at Pipedrive as a combined sales and project management solution. Finally, Apptivo is tailorable and has modules to support all business management needs.
- You need a more affordable CRM solution: Dynamics 365 Sales, unfortunately, is an expensive CRM option that starts at $65 per user, per month and has no freemium plan.
- Alternatives: Zoho CRM is a scalable alternative with a free option and low-cost paid plans. You can also look at HubSpot CRM and Capsule CRM if you need a specialty Outlook CRM with free and affordable subscriptions.
Dynamics 365 Monthly Pricing Plans*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown of Sales-specific products. It comes with a 30-day free trial. Microsoft Dynamics 365 also offers unique software modules for finance, marketing, supply chain, service, project management, and human resources for additional costs. Pricing reflects pricing info available at the time of publishing. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing here.
Our Expert Opinion
Dynamics 365 is the top choice for teams deeply invested in Microsoft products and equipped with a budget for advanced sales tools. This CRM can be seamlessly integrated as an Outlook plugin, allowing users to perform crucial CRM functions such as lead and deal management directly within Outlook. Moreover, sales managers can leverage the insights tools to gain valuable insights into their brand, pipeline, customers, and competitors.
How We Evaluated the Best CRM for Outlook
When choosing CRM for Outlook, it is crucial to set parameters for objectivity. We wanted to find the best Outlook CRM system, so we checked its capabilities when it’s connected to Outlook. We assessed every CRM’s ability to access emails from the CRM, sync calendar events, and import contacts between Outlook and the CRM. We also considered the price, how easy it is to use, and how good the customer support is for each product.
The tabs below will show you how we evaluated and picked the best Outlook CRMs.
25% of Overall Score
As most CRM products had standardized Outlook integration capabilities, we focused on evaluating fundamental features essential to any CRM system, irrespective of its primary application or industry. These include contact and lead management features, reporting and dashboard, pipeline customization, workflow automation, email management, and data import/export features. We also assessed its mobile capabilities and third-party integrations.
20% of Overall Score
To assess the ease of use, we checked if the provider has built-in templates or automations. We also searched reputable review sites to gauge general user sentiment regarding its learning curve and ease of setup. In addition, we considered its plan options to see if it is easily scalable.
15% of Overall Score
We took pricing and affordability into account, which involved examining subscription costs, flexibility in billing, and expenses related to accessing Outlook features. Our goal was to ensure that each provider offered a free plan and a range of scalable pricing choices suitable for growing businesses. Additionally, we assessed the availability of both monthly and annual subscriptions.
10% of Overall Score
We studied the niche features or the specific capabilities associated with the Outlook CRM integration. For example, a CRM plugin Outlook lets users access their CRM from the Outlook interface. We also examined other aspects such as the availability of quoting or invoicing features, as well as real-time notifications associated with data synchronization.
15% of Overall Score
Comprehensive support plays a vital role in preventing negative user experiences and addressing potential issues when using these Outlook CRMs. We assessed this aspect by considering the availability of various support channels, such as phone, email, live chat, and self-service resources like knowledge bases or community forums. We also examined the operating hours of their support services and the access to 24/7 assistance.
15% of Overall Score
The expert score took into account the collective feedback from other users regarding each Outlook CRM, as gathered from online reviews. We aimed to determine whether these users were satisfied with the features and if they believed the platform offered good value for their investment. Furthermore, we assessed user opinions regarding the ease of setting up the CRM, operating its tools, and navigating the interface to gauge overall user experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, there are CRMs that are specifically designed for Outlook. These are full-featured CRMs that you can access directly from Outlook, allowing you to manage your sales processes without leaving your email client. Examples of these products are Prophet CRM by Avidian, CRM for Outlook by SalesOutlook, and iCRM for Outlook by iEnterprises.
Multiple CRM systems integrate with Microsoft Outlook, including Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zoho CRM, HubSpot CRM, Pipedrive, Capsule CRM, and Apptivo. These integrations enable seamless email and calendar data syncing between CRM and Outlook, though features may vary.
Yes, Microsoft offers its Dynamic 365 Sales product, which lets you handle CRM functions such as lead management, deal tracking, quote generation, and campaign deployment. While robust, it’s not necessarily a great CRM for small businesses due to its cost and steep learning curve required to operate—and so we recommend a CRM that integrates with Outlook, like HubSpot CRM or Pipedrive.
Bottom Line
A CRM for Outlook lets you access Outlook tools in the CRM while keeping email, contact, and calendar data synchronized between both systems to improve work centralization. Depending on your budget and feature preferences, various Outlook CRMs could better suit your business than others. For example, Zoho CRM is a great customizable CRM with free and affordable Outlook integrations, while HubSpot CRM is a great general CRM with free email tools.