7 Best Personal CRM Software for Single Users in 2023
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.
Bianca is a staff writer at Fit Small Business who specializes in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
This article is part of a larger series on CRM.
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are useful for solo users and entrepreneurs, helping them keep track of their contacts, leads, projects, and revenue. CRM platforms help individuals organize customer communications, monitor to-do lists and appointments, and automate repetitive tasks in a single platform. To find the best personal CRM app, we analyzed dozens of providers featuring plans designed to meet the needs of a single user.
Here are our top seven picks for personal CRMs and their best use cases:
- Best CRM for single users (overall): HubSpot CRM
- Ideal for omnichannel communications: Zoho CRM
- Great visual sales pipelines: Pipedrive
- Best solution for Gmail users: Streak CRM
- Solid option for project management: monday sales CRM
- Excellent simple contact management tool: Dex
- Most cost-effective, all-in-one CRM platform: EngageBay
Best Personal CRM Software Compared
Provider | Starting Monthly Price per User* | Free Plan? | Our CRM Rating out of 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | $18 (up to two users) | âś“ | 4.69 |
 | $14 | âś“ | 4.61 |
 | $14.90 | âś• | 4.58 |
 | $15 | âś“ | 4.58 |
 | $10 | âś“ | 4.58 |
 | $12** | âś“ | 4.49 |
 | $11.95 | âś“ | 4.44 |
*Based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for slightly higher rates.
**Annual billing only
HubSpot CRM: Best CRM for Single Users (Overall)
Overall Score:
4.69 / 5
Pros
- Has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- Free plan supports 1 million contacts and companies
- Offers robust email marketing tools, including email health and link click tracking
Cons
- Free plan lacks access to customer support and is limited to forums
- Workflow automation tools are not included in the free plan
- Additional cost for added marketing, sales, and customer service tools
When to Use HubSpot CRM
- You need a CRM that connects with social media: HubSpot CRM ranks #1 in our guide for the best social CRM. It offers advanced social media marketing tools starting with its Professional plan.
- You’re looking for an easy-to-use and free personal CRM: HubSpot CRM ranked #1 in our guide for the best free CRMs because of its robust features under its Free plan. There are no limits to the number of users, and you get access to no-cost tools for sales, marketing, service, and content management.
- You want a CRM with Outlook integration capabilities: HubSpot CRM earned the top spot for the best CRM for Outlook integration, which you can access even on the Free plan.
When to Use an Alternative
- You need a CRM that integrates with QuickBooks for accounting and billing: You can integrate HubSpot CRM with QuickBooks for invoicing. However, you cannot access accounting and billing functions:
- Alternative: Method CRM offers two-way data syncing, financial management tools, lead tagging, vendor management, and an online customer portal. These are available starting with the CRM Pro plan.
- You’re looking for an ecommerce CRM to manage your online business: While you can integrate HubSpot CRM with shipping and inventory management software, it does not have built-in tools for these.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM Plus offers an all-in-one solution with various tools for online selling, including inventory management, customer support, marketing, and analytics.
HubSpot CRM Pricing Plan & Overview*
HubSpot Sales Hub offers a free plan that supports unlimited users. It also offers four paid plans that start at $18 per month for up to two users, billed annually. The main differences between the plans include the user allocation limit as well as access to features such as task automation, estimates for revenue and sales, and predictive lead scoring.
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown; monthly billing is also available at a slightly higher rate.
Our Expert Opinion
HubSpot CRM performs well as a traditional CRM and is popular for its ease of use and intuitive interface. This platform is the best CRM for individual sales because of its relationship management capabilities and powerful yet user-friendly marketing automations. While its mid-tier and higher-tier plans are expensive, its free plan is sufficient for single users who need basic contact and relationship management features.
Get the full details and see if this provider is the right solution for your business in our comprehensive HubSpot CRM review.
Zoho CRM: Best for Omnichannel Communications
Overall Score:
4.61 / 5
Pros
- Beginner-friendly interface
- Offers varied customer communication platforms, such as email, phone, and live chat
- Offers analytics and predictive tools
Cons
- Limited storage capacity; requires add-on for additional monthly storage
- 24/7 support is only available upon purchase of an Enterprise support plan
- Platform requires lots of technical skill to set up and customize
When to Use Zoho CRM
- You need a CRM with invoicing and billing management features: Zoho CRM is our top recommended CRM for accounting and finance. Its Professional plan includes inventory management tools and Zoho Finance integration.
- You’re looking for a CRM with social media management features: Zoho CRM ranks #2 in our guide to the best social CRM platforms. You can access its social integrations using any paid plans.
- You’re a small business owner needing an all-inclusive CRM with workflow automation: You can access Zoho CRM’s workflow automation capabilities for tasks and email notifications even with its free plan.
When to Use an Alternative
- You need simple CRM software to manage your customers: Zoho CRM offers advanced features like workflow automation for free. However, its product usability poses a problem because of the technical skill required for its setup and customization.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM is well-suited for beginner-level users because its interface makes it easy to learn and use. It offers a free plan that supports unlimited users and includes marketing automation features.
- You’re a small team looking for a sales-focused CRM: Zoho CRM is an all-in-one CRM platform with comprehensive tools for sales, marketing, and service functions. It also offers deep customization options and a wide array of integrations, including dozens of apps within the Zoho ecosystem.
- Alternative: Pipedrive offers specialized tools for sales, including visual pipelines and time-saving workflows. These are included in all of its plans.
Zoho CRM Pricing Plan & Overview*
Zoho CRM offers a 15-day free trial to test the paid plans. The differences between the plans include limits to the number of reports, dashboards, and bulk emails, as well as access to advanced features like forecasts, auto-responders, and inventory management. Optional add-ons include additional file storage at $4 per month for 5GB and additional data storage starting at $2 for 100MB per month.
Add-ons:
- Additional file storage: $4 per month for 5GB
- Additional data storage: $2 to $4 for 100MB per month
- Data backup: $12 per request
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per user, per month breakdown; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost.
Our Expert Opinion
Zoho CRM is a great all-in-one solution for personal relationship management as well as for startups and small businesses. Its Free and Standard plans offer a robust set of features and integrations useful for managing contacts, leads, deals, and tasks. It is great for scaling your business because you can upgrade your plan or connect your CRM with other apps once your business needs to expand.
Read our comprehensive Zoho CRM review to learn more about this platform’s capabilities and if this is the right choice for you.
Pipedrive: Best for Sales Pipeline Visualization
Overall Score:
4.58 / 5
Pros
- Simple visual representation of sales pipelines
- Offers revenue forecast reports
- 24/7 customer support via live chat and email
Cons
- No free plan
- In-app phone feature is limited to the two most expensive plans
- Lead generation tools cost extra
When to Use Pipedrive
- Your team uses Slack for collaboration: Pipedrive is our #2 pick for Slack-integratable CRMs. Your team members can send and receive updates on deals through the Dealbot for Slack.
- Your company uses Outlook for emails: Pipedrive also ranks #2 among our choices for CRMs that can be integrated with Outlook. Its Advanced plan allows you to keep your data consistent between your email and CRM.
- Your agents require robust sales automation tools: Pipedrive is included in our list of the best sales automation tools. Its entry-level plan provides a smart Sales Assistant that gives automated suggestions on performance improvement and deal prioritization.
When to Use an Alternative
- You need an ecommerce CRM to manage your online store: Pipedrive lacks tools for managing websites, inventory, and online transactions.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM’s Professional plan includes inventory management tools and Zoho Finance integration.
- Your team needs a free CRM: Pipedrive does not offer free subscription plans.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM offers a free plan that comes with a robust set of tools for sales, marketing, and customer service. Streak CRM also has a free option that includes basic CRM and productivity tools.
Pipedrive Pricing Plan & Overview*
Pipedrive offers a 14-day free trial to test its four plans. The main differences between the plans include the limits to the number of deals, custom fields, workflows, and reports, as well as access to advanced features like email templates and workflow automation. There are optional add-ons like the LeadBooster tool set, Web Visitors tracking feature, Email Campaigns, Smart Docs, and Projects.
Add-ons (Priced per company, per month):
- LeadBooster (lead generation tool set): Starting at $32.50
- Web Visitors Tracking: Starting at $41.00
- Campaigns: Starting at $13.33
- Smart Docs (trackable documents): Starting at $32.50
- Projects: Starting at $6.70
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per user, per month breakdown; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost.
Deal management (Source: Freshsales)
Our Expert Opinion
Pipedrive performs well as a CRM for a solo user because of its customizable, visual pipelines, dashboards, and reports. These tools help you see the overall health of their deals and opportunities on one page, and download them into simple reports. Moreover, its smart Sales Assistant provides users with actionable insights and recommended steps, such as sending follow-up emails.
Find out if this provider is the right fit for you by reading about its full benefits in our Pipedrive review.
Streak CRM: Best for Gmail Users
Overall Score:
4.58 / 5
Pros
- Has a free plan with basic CRM features
- Offers a free Chrome extension
- Direct integration with Gmail and Google Workspace apps
- Excellent productivity tools, like email tracking, mail merge, and templates
- Team collaboration features include team creation, role assignment, permissions, and pipeline sharing
Cons
- No product catalog
- Training is limited to Streak University video tutorials and help articles
- Third-party software integrations are mostly available only in higher tiers
- In-app phone is not available in lower-priced plans
- Lower-tier plans do not include reporting and built-in phone features
When to Use Streak CRM
- Your organization uses Google Workspace: Streak CRM integrates directly within Gmail and works alongside other Google Workspace apps, allowing you to easily access your CRM tools from your inbox. You can access this integration on the Free plan.
- You are a solopreneur looking for a personal CRM: Streak’s Free and Solo plans have basic CRM functionalities that let you manage your workflows within Gmail.
- You are a startup that needs a simple, low-budget CRM: Aside from its Free plan, Streak offers affordable paid plans that include core CRM, bulk email sending, and email tracking features. It also has a Pro plan that provides businesses with advanced CRM features such as enriched contact data, reports, and a native mobile dialer.
When to Use an Alternative
- Your business requires a CRM with built-in call center features: While Streak’s mobile version allows you to make calls from your CRM contacts, it does not have the interactive voice features required in a CRM solution for call centers.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM’s Free plan integrates with voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services like Aircall, allowing you to access conversational intelligence features. This is why it is among our top picks for the best CRM call center software.
- Your company needs a CRM with billing and invoicing capabilities: Streak’s features do not include billing, invoicing, product catalogs, sales quotes, and customer payment management.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM is our top recommended CRM for accountants and bookkeepers. Its Professional plan includes inventory management tools and Zoho Finance integration.
- Your sales team wants a CRM with social integrations: This platform integrates with social media sites via Zapier, but that option is limited to higher-tier plans. Moreover, it lacks the social engagement, listening, monitoring, and publishing tools that social CRMs have.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM offers advanced social media marketing tools starting with its Professional plan, which costs $450 monthly for 2,000 contacts. Alternatively, you can use Dex for quick contact data importation from Facebook and LinkedIn.
Streak CRM Pricing Plan & Overview*
Streak CRM offers a free plan and three paid plans. The main differences between the plans include the limits to the number of users, pipeline data, and daily mass email, as well as access to special features like contact enrichment, reports, and integrations. You can opt for additional professional services for pipeline automation and third-party integrations for $250 per hour.
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per user, per month breakdown; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost.
Streak CRM’s automatic email sharing function (Source: Streak CRM)
Our Expert Opinion
Streak is ideal for solo CRM users who utilize Gmail as their business email and is a great option for personal contact management software. It provides a browser extension that lets users access the CRM directly within their Gmail account, eliminating the need to go back and forth between their Inbox and CRM dashboard. It also offers robust email management tools, such as mass email and automatic email categorization.
Learn more about how this platform works and how it helps improve your business processes by reading our comprehensive Streak CRM review.
monday sales CRM: Best for Project Management
Overall Score:
4.58 / 5
Pros
- All plans offer unlimited boards for organizing contacts, projects, and sales processes
- Automations are easy to use and deploy
- Highly customizable with capabilities to manage sales, marketing, information technology (IT), operations, and human resources (HR) activities as well as projects
Cons
- Paid plans have a three-seat minimum requirement
- Performance insights and analysis only available on Pro and Enterprise plans
- Directly contacting contacts through email, phone, or live chat requires integrations
When to Use monday.com
- You are a solopreneur or freelancer: monday sales CRM offers free and low-cost options that include basic features for storing and managing contacts. It also boasts a simple yet intuitive interface, making it one of our top picks for the best CRM software for freelancers.
- Your marketing team needs a CRM for internal collaboration and campaigns: monday sales CRM’s board templates let you manage things like editorial calendars, email marketing campaigns, social media campaigns, content calendars, events, and brand management initiatives.
- You are part of a distributed or remote-hybrid workforce: Your team can work anywhere with monday sales CRM’s cloud-based features and dashboards that give a high-level view of your team activities. It also features interactive whiteboards for brainstorming and collaborating on projects, project visualization capabilities, and automated workflows for task assignments and notifications.
When to Use an Alternative
- Your sales team needs to communicate with contacts through a CRM: While monday sales CRM can organize and store contact information, there are no built-in tools to communicate directly with them through email or phone.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM is one of our top picks for CRM software for email marketing and stands out for its free email templates. You can also access conversational intelligence features on the Free plan.
- You are an organization that wants to use artificial intelligence (AI) for analytics and automation: Unfortunately, monday sales CRM does not have AI features without integrating the system with a third-party application.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM has an AI-powered conversational assistant called Zia that can fetch data like records and metrics, predict outcomes of sales activities, and automate tasks. This feature is available starting with the Professional plan.
- Your customer support team requires a CRM with ticket management and live chat tools: monday sales CRM does not have any of these features and only has limited access to those types of functions through integrations.
- Alternative: EngageBay offers tools for live chat support and help desk management via its Service Bay plan. You can also access limited customer support features from the Free options of its All-in-One, Marketing, and CRM & Sales plans.
monday sales CRM Pricing Plan & Overview*
monday sales CRM, by monday.com, offers a 14-day free trial for its Pro CRM plan. Its pricing consists of a free-forever plan and four paid options with a three-seat minimum requirement. The primary differences between the plans include the limits to the number of boards, activity log time frame, and file storage allocation, as well as access to advanced features like lead management, email templates, and automations.
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per user, per month breakdown; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost.
Our Expert Opinion
monday sales CRM combines free plan availability and low-cost pricing with project management features and collaboration tools. These make it an ideal CRM solution for solo users and project-based businesses. It is also an excellent tool for contact management and calendar integrations, and it is highly rated for its usability. Moreover, its versatility allows users to customize it according to their business needs.
Read our comprehensive monday.com review to get the full details about this provider’s features and to determine if this is the right solution for you.
Dex: Best Simple Contact Management Tool
Overall Score:
4.49 / 5
Pros
- Quick contact importation from Facebook and LinkedIn
- Offers a free Chrome extension
- User-friendly and clean design make it easy to navigate
Cons
- Manual data syncing needed to update contact details
- Lacks features for sales and marketing management
- No account analytics and insights
When to Use Dex
- You are a freelancer or solopreneur needing a versatile contact management app: Dex offers a Free plan that lets you organize your contacts and import others from Facebook, LinkedIn, iCloud, and Gmail. Its simple design makes it easy to use and navigate, even for beginners.
- You are a student or startup business looking for a CRM with networking features: Dex integrates seamlessly with networks like Facebook, Twitter, and iCloud. Its Premium plan allows you to add new contacts with a single click.
- You are a content creator who needs a tool for team collaboration: Dex lets you create reminders to keep in touch with your network of collaborators, peers, and partners. You can access this feature for free.
When to Use an Alternative
- You need a CRM with sales and marketing automation features: Dex does not offer advanced features for streamlining sales and marketing processes.
- Alternative: Pipedrive’s Essentials plan provides a smart Sales Assistant with automated suggestions on performance improvement and deal prioritization.
- You are looking for a CRM with account analytics and insightful stats: Unfortunately, Dex does not offer reporting and analytics features.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM’s Standard Plan allows you to generate custom reports, dashboards, and charts to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs). Higher-cost plans offer anomaly detection and conversion prediction capabilities.
Dex Pricing Plan & Overview*
Dex offers a freemium plan for a single user and a paid plan that costs $12 per user, per month, billed annually. The main differences between the plans include the limits to the number of contacts and contact views, as well as the availability of special features like calendar integration, contact sync, and custom fields.
*Annual billing only
Dex keep-in-touch reminders (Source: Dex)
Our Expert Opinion
Dex is a versatile contact management app that has a desktop version, Chrome extension, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. You can import contacts from various sources—including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and iCloud. While it lacks sales and marketing automation tools, it is a reliable CRM for solo users who want a simple app to remind them to keep in touch with their contacts.
EngageBay: Most Cost-effective, All-in-one Solution
Overall Score:
4.44 / 5
Pros
- Integrated marketing and service tools
- Offers free and affordable pricing plans
- Simple yet intuitive interface is ideal for beginner-level users
Cons
- Limited landing page templates
- Offers few customization options for email templates
- Has no SMS (short message service) function
When to Use EngageBay
- You are a startup or small business looking for a free or low-cost all-in-one CRM: EngageBay offers free plans for sales, marketing, and service teams. It also has an All-in-One option with a combination of features for all three functions.
- You need free customer service software for your small business: EngageBay offers tools for live chat support and help desk management via its Service Bay plan. You can also access limited customer support features from the Free options of its All-in-One, Marketing, and CRM and Sales plans.
When to Use an Alternative
- You’re looking for a scalable solution for enterprises: EngageBay offers a broad range of features for sales, marketing, and service. However, it is ideal for businesses with less than 100 employees, and its higher-tier options do not offer support after business hours.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM offers comprehensive sales software for larger businesses and enterprises. These plans include advanced features like forecasting, sales playbooks, and tools for account-based marketing.
EngageBay Pricing Plan & Overview*
EngageBay offers a CRM & Sales Bay plan divided into a free option and three paid tiers. The main differences between the tiers include the limits on the number of contacts and emails, as well as the availability of advanced features, such as deal milestones and automations. It also offers a Marketing plan that starts at $11.95 per user, per month, a free Service Bay (help desk) plan, and an All-in-One plan that starts at $13.79 per user, monthly.
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per user, per month breakdown; a six-month payment option is also available at lower rates and monthly billing at a slightly higher cost.
Our Expert Opinion
EngageBay stands out as an all-in-one CRM for business and personal use because of its robust set of free sales, marketing, and service tools. It has a communication timeline that offers easy access to emails, contacts, meeting notes, and social media interactions. Moreover, its telephony integrations allow you to access context and customer data from phone calls you make to your contacts.
How We Evaluated the Best CRM for One Person
The best personal contact management software should have fundamental tools that help solo users manage their professional relationships with their contacts and clients, keep track of their communications, and monitor their tasks. It must also have a range of affordable pricing plans or a free version.
The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process for selecting the best CRM for a one-person business:
20%
Pricing
20%
General Features
35%
Specialized Features
10%
Help & Support
15%
Expert Score
20% of Overall Score
Total costs and various pricing options are typically the most important criteria for solo users, so it was carefully considered when reviewing the best CRM for individual use. In addition, we looked at 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, customer service, and task management. We looked at the best CRMs for small businesses overall and the options designed for individuals. From this, we evaluated which options offer the essential and fundamental features useful for solo users.
35% of Overall Score
We examined the availability and quality of advanced or niche features in every provider to determine the best CRM for individuals. These features include contact management, email templates, social media integrations, and calendar management. We further determined if these features are included in the plan or if they come at an additional cost.
10% of Overall Score
Support is a critical part of running a CRM system, especially for single users 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 assessed the hours these support channels are available.
15% 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
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a personal CRM?
A personal contact relationship manager is a tool that helps solo users manage their personal contacts, including friends, family, and service professionals. You can use this platform as a virtual address book, contact database, event manager, and appointment calendar.
What should be in a personal CRM?
A CRM for individuals typically should include the following features:
- Contact management: For importing and organizing contact data
- Customizable dashboards: For tracking metrics, values, and milestones important to you
- CRM integrations and automations: For connecting with social networks and streamlining repetitive or tedious tasks
Bottom Line
The best personal CRM tools typically combine the functions of a virtual address book, a daily planner with reminders, calendar integration, and communication management. They also provide free or affordable tools for automating workflows and nurturing relationships. HubSpot CRM is our top choice because of its free and scalable solutions for maintaining personal and business relationships for solo users.
