5 Best Customer Database Software Options for 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 database software for small business helps teams organize client data and manage interactions. There are standalone database solutions, but they can also be incorporated as a feature of customer relationship management (CRM) software. This second option allows you to access customers’ sales and marketing data from a single place. We’ve compared several options to narrow it down to the six best client database software, including the best overall.
The top solutions and their best use cases include:
- Freshsales: Best overall customer database software for sales teams
- HubSpot: Great option for growing teams looking for a free customer database solution
- monday.com: Ideal for teams that want multiple ways to visualize data, including Kanban views, charts, and calendar views
- Airtable: Excellent choice for creative agencies or project-based firms that need to organize data into customizable spreadsheets
- Zendesk Sell: Solid choice for companies looking for a customer database software with support suite options
Best Customer Database Management Software Compared
Provider | Free Plan | Free Trial for Paid Plans | Starting Price for Paid Plans | Special Features | Help & Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Yes, unlimited users | 21 days | $15 per user, per month | Multiple customer communication channels | Tier-based support via email, phone, and live chat |
 | Yes, unlimited users | 14 days | $45 per month for 2 users | Robust lead generation tools included | Tier-based support via email, chat, and phone |
 | Yes, for up to 2 users | 14 days | $8 per user, per month | Custom workflow automation | 24/5 phone and email support |
 | Yes, for up to 5 users | 14 days | $10 per seat, per month | Adjustable data views and 3D modeler | Email support on all plans |
 | No free plan | 14 days | $19 per user, per month | Robust reporting and analytics | 24/5 email, live chat, and phone support |
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Freshsales: Best Overall Customer Database Software
Freshsales
Overall Score: 4.49 OUT OF 5 iOur score is based on a weighted evaluation of dozens of similar products and services conducted by our experts.
What We Like
- Simple to import and export data in and out of the system
- Multi-channel communication via email, phone, and chat
- Free option available
What's Missing
- Cannot support unlimited contacts
- Third-party integrations are limited
- Add-ons require an additional cost
Freshsales Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Unlimited users (limited features)
- Growth: $15 per user, per month
- Pro: $39 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $69 per user, per month
- Free Trial: 21 days
Add-ons for paid plans:
- Workflows: $5
- Phone credits: Starts at $25
- CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote): $19 per user, per month
*Pricing is based on an annual subscription. Monthly billing is also available at slightly higher rates.
Freshsales streamlines your customer data management needs by organizing your client information and interactions in a single access point. Its event tracking feature keeps you informed about your customers’ activities, helping you decide on your next step and ensuring that no deal falls through the cracks. This CRM system also allows you to collaborate with your teams on tasks using its appointment scheduling, calendar sync, and notes features.
Some of Freshsales’ weak points are its limited email integration options and cap on per-user file storage. While it offers a free tier, it has limited features, such as a visual sales pipeline. If you’re looking for a free CRM with robust features, consider HubSpot.
Freshsales Key Features
- Has a user-friendly interface
- Contact and account management features include customizable lifecycle stages, marketing lists, basic segmentation, and auto-profile enrichment
- Customizable workflows, fields, and product catalog
- Email marketing campaign and tracking tools
- Create desktop and mobile responsive landing pages with a drag-and-drop builder
- Sales pipeline management and sales forecasting capabilities
- Built-in phone has inbound caller ID, call masking, call recording, conference calling, holiday routing, and voicemail features
- Freddy, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered assistant, provides insights, predictive contact scoring, and sales forecasts
- Engage with website visitors in real time using embedded chat widget
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS
- 24/5 customer support via phone, chat, and email, plus a dedicated account manager for Enterprise users
Freshsales contact list(Source: Freshsales CRM)
Freddy AI feature(Source: Freshsales)
Freshsales built-in telephony features(Source: Freshsales)
Learn more about how this CRM software helps sales teams’ organize contacts, and customers to ensure no deals fall through the cracks in our Freshsales review.
HubSpot: Best Free Sales Database Software
HubSpot
Overall Score: 4.19 OUT OF 5 iOur score is based on a weighted evaluation of dozens of similar products and services conducted by our experts.
What We Like
- Free plan for unlimited users for up to one million contacts
- Intuitive, easy-to-learn interface
- Includes lead generation tools, such as smart forms and chat
What's Missing
- Limited support options on the free tier
- No advanced project management and operational CRM features
- Plan upgrades can add up quickly
HubSpot Sales Hub Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Supports unlimited users
- Starter: $45 per month for two users
- Professional: $450 per month for five users
- Enterprise: $1,200 per month for 10 users
- Free trial: 14 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at slightly higher rates.
HubSpot is an all-in-one CRM, offering modules for sales, marketing, customer service, content management, and operations for an unlimited number of users. It is an excellent choice for teams looking for a free customer database solution because it has a free CRM with robust contact management, website activity tracking, deal management, and task management capabilities.
While HubSpot offers a free plan, its main drawback lies in its costly pricing model. Plan upgrades, such as adding sales automation and multiple deal pipelines get expensive. Freshsales offers more features in one plan for a lower price.
HubSpot Features
- Easy to set up and operate
- Contact management, website activity tracking, deal management, tasks, and meeting scheduling features
- Deal pipelines, simple automation, custom properties, and quotes
- Landing pages, live chat, conversational bots, forms, contact website activity, list segmentation, and email marketing
- Marketing features include optimized content, social media tools, A/B testing, website traffic analytics, and campaign reporting
- Bulk email sending, email tracking, and templates
- Track and improve customer experience using ticketing, canned responses, surveys, and insights
- Help center includes community support, a knowledge base, and video training; paid tiers offer email, chat, and phone support
- Integrated payment features built-into the CRM platform
HubSpot Contacts tab(Source: HubSpot)
HubSpot task management feature(Source: HubSpot)
HubSpot email marketing templates(Source: HubSpot)
HubSpot’s integrated payment processor(Source: HubSpot)
Check out our HubSpot review to learn more and find out if it is the right fit for your team.
monday.com: Best Customer Database With Multiple Data Views
monday.com
Overall Score: 4.14 OUT OF 5 iOur score is based on a weighted evaluation of dozens of similar products and services conducted by our experts.
What We Like
- Free plan for up to two seats
- Custom workflow automation
- High-quality customer support
What's Missing
- Limited third-party integrations
- Lacks social media posting or scheduling
- Contact views limited to a board view
monday.com Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Unlimited users for up to two users
- Basic: $8 per user, per month
- Standard: $10 per user, per month
- Pro: $16 per user, per month
- Enterprise: Must contact sales team for pricing
- Free trial: 14 days
*Pricing is based on an annual subscription. Monthly billing is also available at slightly higher rates.
monday.com is a customizable collaboration and internal project management tool that allows team members to work on tasks and projects together even when working remotely. It organizes data and displays them using Gantt charts, calendars, Kanban views, maps, and calendars. This software is recommended for teams—like those in the service, retail, IT, and small manufacturing industries—that want to visualize data.
In contrast to Airtable, monday.com does not have a 3D model option and only offers board views of organized data. It also has simpler project management tools and fewer third-party app integrations. However, it gains an edge with its customizable task automations, 24/7 customer support on paid plans, and in-app walk-throughs.
monday.com Features
- Intuitive user interface, simple setup, and easy navigation
- Unlimited number of seats and data rows for paid plans
- Essential features include file storage, activity log, unlimited data boards, and more than 200 templates
- Collaboration tools include embedded documents, collaborative whiteboard, updates section, Zoom integration, and guest access
- Productivity tools include shareable forms, automations, time tracking, and formula column
- Kanban, timeline, calendar, map, and chart views of tasks and projects
- Enterprise plan features work performance insights, dashboard email notifications, and pivot analysis and reports
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS
- Self-serve knowledge base, daily live webinars, and dedicated customer success manager (Enterprise plan)
- 24/7 customer support via email and phone on paid plans, 245 on the free plan
Gantt view of tasks on Monday.com(Source: monday.com)
monday.com mobile apps(Source: monday.com)
monday.com Kanban board view(Source: monday.com)
Read our in-depth monday.com review to learn more about how this software helps small businesses grow.
Airtable: Best Customer Database for Organizing Data by Spreadsheet
Airtable
Overall Score: 3.98 OUT OF 5 iOur score is based on a weighted evaluation of dozens of similar products and services conducted by our experts.
What We Like
- Extensive data tracking system
- Excellent visual interface
- Adjustable data views and 3D modeler
What's Missing
- Limited collaboration features and third-party integrations
- Can be costly for larger teams
- Lacks advanced reporting and customizable automations
Airtable Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Includes unlimited bases
- Plus: $10 per seat, per month
- Pro: $20 per seat, per month
- Enterprise: Must contact the sales team for pricing
- Free trial: 14 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at slightly higher rates.
Airtable is a collaboration and project management software with a spreadsheet-based user interface—helping users define relationships between sets of data. Its centralized database serves as a unified location for your team’s records, projects, and ideas. You can transform your spreadsheet data into a Kanban board or a calendar. It also has an extensive tracking system that lets you follow all the edits done to your records.
However, Airtable lacks the customizable automation features monday.com has. The software could also be more costly on a per-user basis. The platform’s most standout feature is its Blocks function, offering powerful collaboration tools that you can use to design webpages, invoices, organization charts, documents, and even 3D representations.
Airtable Features
- Visually appealing interface makes it easy to use and implement
- Rich field types include attachments, checkboxes, and drop-downs
- Grid, calendar, form, Kanban, and gallery views
- Native apps include tools for chart visualization, pivot table, CSV (comma-separated values) file import, page designer, time tracker, SMS and email sending, and organizational chart
- Customized formatting, calendar, and forms
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS
- Email support, self-serve knowledge base, priority support response, dedicated success manager, and individualized onboarding and training
Airtable customized fields(Source: Airtable)
Airtable mobile app(Source: Airtable)
Learn more about how to use Airtable as a customer relationship management platform in our step-by-step guide.
Zendesk Sell: Best Client Database Software for Customer Service Options
Zendesk Sell
Overall Score: 3.94 OUT OF 5 iOur score is based on a weighted evaluation of dozens of similar products and services conducted by our experts.
What We Like
- Includes a built-in dialer
- Robust reporting and analytics features
- Omnichannel support suite options
What's Missing
- No free plan
- Lead generation tools cost extra
- Steep learning curve
Zendesk Sell Pricing at a Glance*
- Team: $19 per user, per month
- Growth: $49 per user, per month
- Professional: $99 per user, per month
- Enterprise: Starts at $150 per user, per month
- Free trial: 14 days
*Based on annual billing. Monthly subscriptions are also available at slightly higher rates.
Zendesk Sell offers lead management, productivity, sales automation, and deal management tools. It provides a ticketing system that integrates with all your communication channels, making it a great choice for companies looking for customer database software with support suite options.
One of Zendesk Sell’s disadvantages is its steep learning curve, making it inferior to Freshsales in terms of ease of use. Its pricing scheme is also complicated and can get expensive for those who want to add more capabilities like lead generation or customer support.
Zendesk Sell Features
- User interface is suited for intermediate-level users
- Account management features include document storage, data imports, duplicate entry detection, and automated lead distribution
- Sales tracking functionalities include customizable sales pipelines, custom data fields and filters, lead and deal scoring, and product and price books
- Task automation, appointment setting, and calendar integrations
- Email tracking, bulk email, and unlimited email templates
- Built-in dialer, call tracking and recording, and text messaging
- Customizable sales dashboards, sales forecasting, activity reports, goal tracking, performance dashboard, and advanced sales insights
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS
Zendesk Sell lead management tab(Source: Zendesk Sell)
Zendesk Sell mobile app(Source: Zendesk)
Zendesk Sell sales dashboards(Souce: Datapine)
Find out more about what this platform can do for your organization by reading our Zendesk Sell review.
How We Evaluated the Best Customer Database Systems
Excellent customer database software must be able to streamline data recording, track customer interactions, and import and export data. The best solutions include additional features like behavior analysis, lead and pipeline management, email marketing, and reporting.
We found Freshsales is the best overall choice for businesses looking for customer database software because it offers the best value considering the combination of its pricing, data storage and management features, and reliable customer service. It also comes with excellent data storage, file storage, data import and export, and data migration capabilities.
We selected the best software by considering the following factors:
40%
Pricing
20%
General Features
15%
Ease of Use
15%
Help & Support
10%
User Reviews
40% of Overall Score
The costs per user and any upfront costs like software customizations, onboarding, and maintenance fees were considered. We also factored in the availability of a free plan and monthly billing option to determine the best value for your money.
20% of Overall Score
We evaluated the overall set of features, including access to real-time data, workflow automation, customization options, reporting, analytics, mobile apps, and third-party integrations. The quality of its contact and account management capabilities were among our main deciding factors.
15% of Overall Score
The best client database software should not require technical skills to understand and use, and it should also have an intuitive interface. Each solution in this list was evaluated on how easy it is to set up and operate.
15% of Overall Score
Business owners looking for customer database solutions prefer those that come with 24/7 customer service via phone, live chat, and email. We assessed each provider in this article to see the quality of help and support they offer to their users.
10% of Overall Score
We checked customer reviews on reputable sites to evaluate how satisfied their customers are. We also noted common issues users have reported. Apart from online reviews, we weighed the core CRM features that stood out, their value for money, and their popularity to narrow down the best contact management software.
*Percentages of overall score
