Free customer relationship management (CRM) software provides small businesses with an excellent tool for streamlining sales processes when they start growing. However, not all free solutions include all the features you need to engage with prospects better, nurture customer relationships, and close more deals. Here, we take a closer look at the best free CRM systems and discuss the reasons why you might want to upgrade to paid options later on.
Our top picks, and their best uses cases, are:
- Freshsales: Best overall free CRM with unlimited support
- Agile CRM: Ideal for businesses that want to integrate sales, marketing, and customer service systems
- HubSpot CRM: Recommended for teams that need a free CRM that offers sales, marketing, and service tools for unlimited users
- Zoho CRM: Great choice for businesses wanting a free CRM with sales workflow automation
- Bitrix24: Good option for organizations looking for multichannel contact management tools
- Apptivo: Excellent option for companies that require supplier and distributor tracking solutions
It is important to note that not all free solutions could handle large numbers of contacts and deals. Some providers also place limits on the number of users. If you’re looking for more comprehensive solutions, there are several other alternatives that remove these restrictions with entry-level plans designed to fit smaller budgets. To learn more about these alternatives, check out our top picks for the best CRM systems for small businesses. To find out which free CRM you should sign up for to streamline your sales operations, take our quiz below.
Which Free CRM Suits Your Needs?
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How We Evaluated the Best Free CRMs
The best free CRM software makes it easier for businesses to nurture customer relationships by organizing contact databases, communications, and tasks. They should also be customizable and provide access to customer support.
With an overall score of 4.08, Freshsales is our best choice for businesses needing a free CRM. Thanks to its extensive free plan inclusions―like account and contact management―ease of use, quality of support, and user feedback, Freshsales ranks the highest. It supports unlimited users and offers access to 24/5 customer support via phone, chat, and email. It also includes sales pipeline automation tools, built-in dialer, web integration, and mobile app.
The tabs below offer more insight into our evaluation process for selecting the best free CRM systems for small businesses:
30% of Overall Score
While we’re primarily looking for CRM solutions that offer a free plan with unlimited users, we also factored in the cost of upgrading to a paid subscription. We considered the pricing of plans, CRM customizations, onboarding, and maintenance fees.
20% of Overall Score
We evaluated the availability of CRM features that many small business owners are looking for. They typically prefer a solution with reporting and analytics tools, customizable pipelines, third-party integrations, and mobile app access.
20% of Overall Score
The best free CRM solutions for small businesses do not require technical skills to understand and use. Moreover, they should have an intuitive interface. Each solution in this list was evaluated on how easy it is to set up and operate as well as to integrate with other apps.
20% of Overall Score
We assessed the solutions to see the quality of help and support they offer to their users. Small business owners favor CRMs that come with 24/7 customer service, but most free solutions provide access only to self-help resources. Some include customer support via phone, live chat, and email during business hours. There are a few that stand out by offering support 24/7.
10% of Overall Score
We checked customer reviews on reputable sites to know how satisfied their customers are. We also noted common issues that the users had. Apart from reviews, we weighed the features that stood out, their value for money, and their popularity to narrow down the best free CRM recommendations.
Freshsales: Best Overall Free CRM Provider
Freshsales
What We Like
- Supports an unlimited number of users
- Built-in phone is included in the free tier
- 24/5 customer support through phone, email, and chat
What's Missing
- Does not include workflows and basic segmentation
- Free plan does not allow document management and file attachments
- No free reporting tools
Freshsales Plans at a Glance*
- Free: Unlimited number of users
- Growth: $15 per user, per month
- Pro: $39 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $69 per user, per month
- Freshsales Suite (Sales + Marketing): Ranges from $0 to $69 per user, per month
- Free trial of paid plans: 21 days
Add-ons:
- CPQ (Configure, Price, & Quote): $19 per user, per month
- Workflows: $5
- Phone credits: Starts at $25
*Based on annual pricing. Monthly pricing is also available at slightly higher rates.
Freshsales made it to the top of our free CRM providers list because it offers the best free plan inclusions, an intuitive interface that is easy to learn and use, and has no user cap. It helps you streamline your sales processes with its tools for managing contacts, accounts, deals, and activities. It also adds a chat widget, an in-app dialer, and website integration to its list of free features.
When it comes to customer service, it also stands out from the rest of the CRMs in this list by offering 24/5 support via phone, live chat, and email. It is rare for a free CRM plan to include these three support channels, let alone 24-hour access to customer service. Like HubSpot CRM, most providers only offer self-help resources and community support in the free tier.
What’s missing from Freshsales are workflow automation and file attachment capabilities, which Zoho CRM offers. Aside from that, its free tier doesn’t include segmentation and reporting tools. If you’re looking for a free solution with these capabilities, you might want to consider Agile CRM.
Freshsales Free Plan Features
Freshsales’ built-in phone dialer (Source: Freshsales)
- Contact management, account management, contact lifecycle stages, and activity timeline
- Tasks, appointments, and notes
- CRM renaming modules
- Deal management
- Data import and export, and data migration
- Built-in phone dialer, buy local and toll-free numbers, and inbound caller ID
- Chat widget and conversation threads
- Website integration tools include classic forms, smart forms, and website tracking
- Role-based access
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Access to 24/5 customer support via phone, chat, and email
Why You Might Want to Upgrade
Freshsales’ free plan offers limited capabilities for sales activity management, customization, pipeline management, and calling. Upgrading to higher tiers gives you access to more features like behavioral segmentation, workflow automation, sales forecasting, bulk emails, and reporting. It also has an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered assistant for lead generation and deal insights as well as advanced phone capabilities, such as call recording, conference calls, and virtual hold.
Read our Freshsales review for a closer look at the features and benefits of this CRM solution.
Agile CRM: Best for Integrating Sales, Marketing & Service
Agile CRM
What We Like
- Extensive free sales, marketing, and customer service features
- Unlimited deals, tasks, and documents
- Offers free contact-level analytics
What's Missing
- Free plan is limited to one third-party software integration only
- Two-way email synchronization is not available in the free plan
- Stores only up to 1,000 contacts
Agile CRM Plans 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 pricing. Monthly pricing is also available at slightly higher rates.
Agile CRM integrates sales, marketing, and customer service in a single platform, making it easier for different teams to collaborate on deals and customer information. In addition, it is capable of managing unlimited tasks and deals. It also comes with a wide range of features, including lead scoring, email tracking, web engagement, landing page builder, and help desk tools.
Among the setbacks of Agile CRM’s free plan are its 10-user limit and 1,000-cap on saved contacts and companies. It also allows only one third-party integration, limiting your options to extend its capabilities. HubSpot CRM, on the other hand, allows you to integrate it with other apps from its Marketplace, supports an unlimited number of users, and can store up to a million contacts and companies. Bitrix24 also does the same and includes unlimited contacts.
Agile CRM Free Plan Features
Agile CRM’s sales dashboard (Source: Agile CRM)
- Sales automation features include custom data fields, lead scoring, appointment scheduling, custom deal milestones, and email tracking
- Unlimited deals, tasks, and documents
- Marketing features include email campaigns, website visitor tracking, contact level analytics, form builder, email templates, landing pages, and web-to-lead forms
- One campaign workflow and one automation rule
- Service tools include help desk, ticket labels, canned responses, and next recommended activities
- Basic reports on activities and performance
- One plugin or integration
- Access to email support
Why You Might Want to Upgrade
Agile CRM’s paid plans include more extensive sales, marketing, and customer service tools like in-app calling, marketing automation, social monitoring, and a knowledge base. Aside from that, they have higher limits on campaign workflows, automation rules, and third-party integrations. Upgrading also gives you access to 24/5 phone support, a dedicated account manager, and onboarding services.
To further understand how this CRM provider can help improve your business, visit our Agile CRM review page.
HubSpot CRM: Best Free CRM for Sales, Marketing & Service
HubSpot CRM
What We Like
- Unlimited users and data allocation
- Includes webforms and landing pages
- Offers chatbots
What's Missing
- Free customer support is limited to community support
- Charges for most third-party integrations
- No workflow automation in the free plan
HubSpot CRM Plans at a Glance*
- Free: Supports an unlimited number of users
- HubSpot for Startups: Ranges from $40 to $89 per month
- Marketing Hub: Starts at $45 per month
- Sales Hub: Starts at $45 per month
- Service Hub: Starts at $45 per month
- CMS Hub: Starts at $23 per month
- Operations Hub: Free plan for data-syncing HubSpot with third-party apps; plans start at $45 per month
- CRM Suite: Starts at $45 per month
- Free trial for paid plans: 14 days
*Based on annual pricing. Monthly pricing is also available at slightly higher rates.
HubSpot CRM offers a robust set of sales, marketing, and service features not usually found in similar free CRM solutions. These include unlimited users, one million saved contacts, chatbots, landing pages, ad managers, and customizable dashboards. You can also call prospects directly from the app via voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP), send bulk emails, see productivity reports, and build a library of sales documents.
Unlike Zoho CRM, HubSpot CRM doesn’t have workflow automation in its free plan. Its customer service is also limited to community support and self-help resources. Freshsales also has in-app calling and it supports unlimited users. However, Freshsales is superior in terms of quality of customer service because it offers 24/5 support via phone, chat, and email.
HubSpot CRM Free Plan Features
HubSpot CRM’s sales pipeline dashboard (Source: HubSpot)
- CRM tools: contact management, contact website activity, companies, deals, tasks, activities, and company insights
- Marketing tools: forms, email marketing, ad management, landing pages, shared inbox, and list segmentation
- Service tools: ticketing, email scheduling, and ticket closed reports
- Integrations include Gmail, Outlook, Messenger, and App Marketplace
- Reporting dashboard for activity and performance metrics
- Email tools include shared inbox, email tracking, email templates, and canned snippets
- Sales documents
- In-app calling via VoIP
- Access to community support, knowledge base, and HubSpot Academy
Why You Might Want to Upgrade
HubSpot CRM offers a robust set of sales, marketing, and service tools. However, it puts a cap on several features like quotes, calling hours, documents, reporting dashboards, and pipelines. Its limited capabilities might not be enough once your business starts scaling up. The HubSpot umbrella company offers paid solutions that give you access to additional features like workflow automation, sales forecasting, customized reports, and advanced support.
To learn more about how HubSpot CRM can streamline your business processes, visit our HubSpot CRM review page.
Zoho CRM: Best Overall Free CRM With Sales Workflow Automation
Zoho CRM
What We Like
- Provides email marketing tools
- Extensive team collaboration and file-sharing tool
- Customizable CRM interface
What's Missing
- Free plan is limited to three users
- Analytics tools are not for free
- Limited free third-party software integrations
Zoho CRM Plans at a Glance*
- Free: Supports up to 3 users
- Bigin: $7 per user, per month
- Standard: $14 per user, per month
- Professional: $23 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $40 per user, per month
- Ultimate: $52 per user, per month
- Plus: Starts at $57 per user, per month
- Free trial of paid plans: 15 days
*Based on annual pricing. Monthly pricing is also available at slightly higher rates.
Zoho CRM offers sales force and marketing automation features, basic customization options, and standard reporting tools. This solution enables you to set workflow automation triggers and includes collaboration tools like team messaging, follow-up rules, status updates, and file sharing. You also get access to customer support via email during business hours.
While Zoho CRM is a good starting point for small businesses because it supports up to three users, other providers allow more users. Aside from that, you can only integrate it with other apps in the Zoho ecosystem. Try HubSpot CRM or Bitrix24 if you want a free CRM that supports an unlimited number of users and third-party app integrations.
Zoho CRM Free Plan Features
Zoho CRM’s lead management tab (Source: Zoho CRM)
- Lead, contact, account, and deal management
- CRM views, advanced filters, tasks, events, logs, and notes
- Page customization and tab renaming options
- Workflow rules automation
- Standard reports
- Marketing automation features include 10 email templates, email opt-out, and email authentication
- Web-to-lead and web-to-contact forms
- Collaboration tools include calendars, status updates, direct messaging, file attachments to feeds, and follow-up rules
- Website visitor tracking
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Access to knowledge base, community forum, 24/5 support via email and phone (for critical requests only)
Why You Might Want to Upgrade
Zoho CRM’s paid plans offer a wider range of features that include sales forecasting, multiple pipelines, custom reports, social data enrichment, marketing campaigns, and inventory management. Higher pricing tiers provide you with access to its AI-powered sales assistant. It also offers you access to paid priority support, starting at $114 per month.
To know more about Zoho CRM and its capabilities, check out our Zoho CRM review page.
Bitrix24: Best Free CRM With Multichannel Contact Management
Bitrix24
What We Like
- Unlimited users, leads, and contacts
- Has invoicing and quotation management tools
- Offers ecommerce solutions
What's Missing
- Free plan has no reporting tools
- Limited customer support for free plan holders
- No document creator
Bitrix24 Plans at a Glance
- Free: Basic features for unlimited users
- Basic: $35 per month for up to 5 users
- Standard: $70 per month for up to 50 users
- Professional: $140 per month for unlimited users
*Based on annual pricing. Monthly pricing is also available at slightly higher rates.
Bitrix24 is a free CRM that provides you with an unlimited customer database, making it a great option for teams that manage a high volume of contacts. It also lets you create and manage an unlimited number of tasks, projects, web pages, orders, and team calls. Its contact center consolidates communication channels, such as live chat, email, and social media messaging, into a single platform.
Despite its unlimited capacity for contacts and tasks, Bitrix24 lacks lead management features, an in-app caller, and reporting tools. It also doesn’t allow you to create sales documents, such as invoices and contracts. If you need lead management and reporting features, try Zoho CRM. For a free CRM with telephony and document management capabilities, we recommend HubSpot CRM.
Bitrix24 Free Plan Features
Bitrix24’s Kanban view of workgroup tasks (Source: Bitrix24)
- Unlimited deals, contacts, companies, tasks, projects, and web pages
- Kanban view of CRM records, custom stages, activity timeline, sales, and marketing automated rules
- Data import, data migration, and contacts import
- Contact center features include a live chat widget, website widget, and 100 contact forms
- Calendar and email integration
- Contact center integration with Facebook and Instagram
- Automated replies, sales intelligence, and automated ad management
- Ecommerce store features include products, revenue, orders, discount templates, coupons, payment processing, shipping costs calculator, and inventory management
- Communication tools include video announcements, chat, video and voice calls, videoconferencing, and screen sharing
- Access to a knowledge base, webinars, how-to videos, and Bitrix24 partner assistance
Why You Might Want to Upgrade
When you upgrade to a paid Bitrix24 subscription, you get access to a vast set of tools for invoicing, quotes, lead generation, document creation, telephony, and team collaboration. Higher tiers also include advanced analytics, workflows, marketing automation, order management, payment processing, and live chat support. Moreover, you get more allowances for online storage, custom sales pipelines, and emails sent per month.
Read our Bitrix24 review for more details about this CRM and to see if this is the right solution for your business.
Apptivo: Best Free CRM With Supplier & Distributor Tracking
Apptivo
What We Like
- Offers supply chain and distributor tracking features
- Supports product and inventory management
- Includes human resource (HR) management solutions
What's Missing
- Free plan does not allow third-party integrations
- No mobile app for the free tier
- No workflow automation and deal management features in the free tier
Apptivo Plans at a Glance*
- Starter: $0; supports one user
- Lite: $8 per user, per month
- Premium: $12 per user, per month
- Ultimate: $20 per user, per month
- Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing
- Free trial of paid plans: 30 days
Add-ons:
- E-signature: Starts at $10 per month
- Training & onboarding: Starts at $125 per session
- Email campaigns: Starts at $10
- Professional implementation and data migration: Contact sales for pricing
*Based on annual pricing. Monthly pricing is also available at slightly higher rates.
Apptivo’s free cloud-based CRM system offers lead, contact, and task management features. It also offers customer support via email. Furthermore, it provides you access to other apps within the Apptivo ecosystem, such as supply chain and tracking and HR management.
The downsides of Apptivo’s free plan include its one-user limit and lack of workflow automation, deal management features, and third-party integrations. It is also the only provider in this list that doesn’t offer mobile app access in the free tier. However, Freshsales has no user cap and offers basic deal management features. For a free solution that allows third-party integrations and unlimited users, try HubSpot CRM.
Apptivo Free Plan Features
Apptivo’s product and inventory management tracking feature (Source: Apptivo)
- Sales automation tools for management of leads, contacts, tasks, appointments, and notes
- Data management capabilities include 500MB of file storage per account, data backup, and data export
- Standard reports on activities and performance
- Supply chain management features include distributor and supplier tracking
- Product and project management
- HR management
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
- Access to email support, knowledge base, how-to videos, and webinars
Why You Might Want to Upgrade
Apptivo’s free plan offers only the most basic contact management capabilities and does not include access to its mobile app. Upgrading to a paid plan gives you access to more features like deal management, lead generation, workflow automation, email marketing tools, and custom reporting. It also offers additional apps for billing, sales and order management, and inventory.
