The best sales forecasting tools help business owners make data-backed decisions when developing sales quotas, setting business goals, or making finance-related decisions, like hiring new employees. You can also integrate forecasting tools with other apps to process customer data from various sources. In this article, we evaluated dozens of sales forecasting software tools to identify the top six options.
The best sales forecasting tools for small business teams are:
- Best sales forecasting software (overall): Zoho Analytics
- Most straightforward option for beginners: Freshsales
- Most mobile-friendly forecasting tool: Pipedrive
- Excellent program for multi-team data analysis: HubSpot CRM
- Great tool for cross-department collaboration: monday sales CRM
- Top program with built-in voice and text capabilities: Salesmate
- Best for supply chain management: GMDH Streamline
- Most robust option for data visualizations: Salesforce CRM Analytics
Grow your sales operation with top-tier CRM features from Freshsales | ||
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Grow your sales operation with top-tier CRM features from Freshsales |
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Best Forecasting Tools for Small Business Compared
Provider | Starting Monthly Price | Free Plan? | Our Rating out of 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | $24* (includes two users) | ✓ (up to two users) | 4.73 |
| $15 per user* | ✕ | 4.59 |
 | $14.90 per user* | ✕ | 4.52 |
 | $18* (includes two users) | ✓ | 4.50 |
 | $10 per user* | ✓ | 4.47 |
 | $12 per user* | ✕ | 4.06 |
 | Custom pricing | ✓ | 4.06 |
 | $75 per user** | ✕ | 3.79 |
*Based on annual billing; monthly billing also available for slightly higher rates
**Annual billing only
Take our quiz to find out which sales forecasting software works best for you.
Which sales forecasting software is best for you?
Zoho Analytics: Best Sales Forecasting Software (Overall)
Pros
- Integrates easily with Zoho CRM and other Zoho products
- Built-in AI tools for automation and advanced data insights
- Affordable pricing options
Cons
- Dashboard and reporting customization is not very intuitive
- Certain parts of the platform take a while to learn, like turning data into charts and graphs
- You are an experienced business analyst looking for robust sales forecast tools: Zoho Analytics is packed with business intelligence, data analytics, and online reporting tools. Because of its rich set of features, it has a learning curve that requires technical experience for users to operate it smoothly.
- You are a startup or small business needing free or low-cost business intelligence software: Zoho Analytics offers a free plan for two users and affordable paid plans, making it perfect for small businesses with limited budgets for sales forecast software.
- You want analytics software powered by artificial intelligence (AI): Zoho Analytics boasts intelligence capabilities in the form of Zia, its AI-powered conversational assistant. Zia provides users with insights into leads, as well as relevant information about the team and their sales activities.
- You are a beginner who prefers a simple forecasting tool: Zoho Analytics has a steep learning curve because of its robust set of features and deep customization options.
- Alternative: Freshsales is our best recommendation for a user-friendly alternative because of its simplicity and short learning curve.
Zoho Analytics Pricing Plan & Overview*
Zoho Analytics offers a 15-day free trial to test its four paid plans. The main differences between the plans are the limits to the number of users included, data records, workspaces, and data alerts. Higher-level plans allow you to access advanced features, such as third-party integrations, artificial intelligence (AI) powered insights, scheduled emails, and data encryption. There are also optional add-ons like viewers and an analytics portal.
Add-ons
- Additional users: $6.40 per user, monthly
- Additional rows: Starts at $14.41 per month for 0.25 million rows
- Additional viewers: Starts at $80 per month
- White Label BI/Embedded Analytics: Contact provider for a quote
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown; monthly billing is also available at a slightly higher rate.
Our Expert Opinion
Zoho Analytics is sales forecasting and analytics software native to Zoho, making it easy for Zoho product users to sync their business data between different apps, such as Zoho CRM and Zoho Social. This allows users to process customer data from multiple business tools, enabling them to produce well-rounded sales reports and analytics. It also helps teams understand the various aspects of their business better, such as customer behavior and social media performance.
Zoho Analytics also offers artificial intelligence (AI) through its conversational sales assistant, Zia. You can ask Zia questions about sales forecasts and data analytics by typing into a search bar on the reporting page or calling Zia using your Zoho mobile app.
Freshsales: Best User-friendly Option
Pros
- User-friendly with a straightforward dashboard
- Sales forecasting dashboard is laid out nicely with minimal buttons and summarized reports
- Sales forecasting includes AI predictive tools
Cons
- 24/7 customer support not available
- Forecasting features require a subscription to higher-cost plan
- Per-user limit on file storage
- You need a customer relationship management (CRM) system with essential calling features: Freshsales is a top pick in our guide to the best CRM call center software. Across all plans, you can access its built-in phone with call management features like inbound caller ID, queue transfer, and call recording.
- You are a sales team looking for a CRM with territory management capabilities: Freshsales is one of our top recommended territory management software tools. This feature is available on the Pro and Enterprise plans.
- You’re looking for a CRM with email automation features: Freshsales is one of our top recommendations for the best CRM email marketing platform. You can send direct emails and customize email templates in all plans.
- You need a CRM that natively integrates with Outlook for email and calendar management: You can integrate Freshsales with Outlook using an add-in, but this is only for a one-way contact sync.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM integrates with Outlook to allow you to send, receive, and track emails for free. It also has a sidebar feature that lets you access email templates and schedule meetings.
- You’re a startup or freelancer looking for a free forecasting tool: While Freshsales’ Growth tier is free for three users, this platform does not offer a free plan.
- Alternative: Zoho Analytics offers a free plan for two users. This option allows you to create an unlimited number of reports and dashboards.
Freshsales Pricing Plan & Overview*
Freshsales pricing is divided into three paid plans that start at $15 per user, monthly. The main differences between the plans are the limits to the number of workflows, auto-assignment rules, sales pipelines, sales sequences, and daily bulk emails. Higher-level plans have more advanced features, such as auto-profile enrichment, sales forecasting, deal insights, and territory management. You can try Freshsales for free for 21 days before committing to a subscription.
Add-ons
- CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote): $19 per user, monthly
- Workflows: $5 for 10 workflows
- Phone credits: Starts at $5
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown; monthly billing is also available at a slightly higher rate.
Our Expert Opinion
Freshsales’ sales forecasting feature allows users to keep track of their numbers and sales figures in a centralized dashboard, helping them plan sales operations efficiently and prioritize deals likely to convert. Freshsales offers two types of sales forecasting—the first is “committed,” which includes deals reps are confident of closing on a certain date, and the other is “best-case,” or those with lower chances of being closed.
Get the full details and see if this provider is the right solution for your business in our comprehensive Freshsales review.
Pipedrive: Best for Mobile Sales
Pros
- Customizable reporting dashboards
- Platform is easy to set up and operate
- Sales forecasting feature can be easily accessed using the mobile app
Cons
- Does not offer a free plan
- Sales forecasting features require a subscription to higher-cost plan
- Your team uses Slack for collaboration: Pipedrive ranks #2 among our top picks for Slack-integratable CRMs. Aside from allowing you to send and receive deal updates through Slack’s Dealbot, it also boasts intelligent sales tools like AI Sales Assistant and Smart Docs.
- Your company uses Outlook for emails: This platform also ranks #2 among our choices for CRMs that integrate with Outlook, which comes with two-way email, contact, and calendar sync.
- Your agents require robust sales automation tools: Pipedrive’s AI features helped propel it to rank #2 in our list of the best sales automation tools. It uses AI to analyze CRM data in order to provide automated suggestions on deal prioritization.
- You need an ecommerce CRM to manage your online business: Pipedrive does not offer the essential tools needed for managing an online business, such as those for inventory and order management.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM’s Professional plan provides inventory management tools and allows you to integrate your CRM with Zoho Finance.
- You are a startup or freelancer seeking a free sales forecasting tool: Pipedrive does not offer free subscription plans.
- Alternative: Zoho Analytics offers a free plan for two users. This option includes predictive analytics and what-if analysis capabilities.
Pipedrive Pricing Plan & Overview*
Pipedrive offers four paid plans with varying limits to the number of deals, workflows, reports, and custom fields. Higher tiers allow you to access special features like email templates and workflow automation. There are optional add-on tools for lead generation, web visitor tracking, email campaigns, trackable documents, and project management. You can sign up for a 14-day free trial before committing to a subscription.
Add-ons*
- LeadBooster (lead generation tool set): Starting at $32.50 per company
- Web Visitors Tracking: Starting at $41.00 per company
- Campaigns: Starting at $13.33 per company
- Smart Docs (trackable documents): Starting at $32.50 per company
- Projects: Starting at $6.70 per user
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown; monthly billing is also available at a slightly higher rate.
Our Expert Opinion
Pipedrive’s mobile app is designed to reflect its desktop app, making it easy for users to view customer data and use customer relationship management (CRM) features in either tool. The mobile app also includes sales forecasting functionality, available with its Professional and Enterprise plans. It bases its predictions on the number of opportunities, length of deals in a pipeline stage, and historical activities. Users can also generate visual sales forecast reports to help readers understand their business performance better.
Read our comprehensive Pipedrive review to learn more about this platform’s capabilities and how it suits your business.
HubSpot CRM: Best Tool for Multi-team Data Analysis
Pros
- Processes customer information from sales, marketing, and service teams for holistic sales forecasts
- Interface is intuitive to navigate, especially for new users
- Wide range of integration capabilities
Cons
- Sales forecasting features require a subscription to higher-cost plan
- Users reported data migration issues
- You need a CRM with advanced marketing tools: HubSpot users subscribed to the Professional plan have access to advanced marketing features like omnichannel marketing automation, campaign management, and blog content optimization.
- You’re a freelancer looking for free CRM: HubSpot CRM is our top recommended free CRM because of the robust set of features it offers even under its Free plan. It can support an unlimited number of users and includes free tools for sales, marketing, service, and content management.
- You’re looking for a CRM with Outlook integration capabilities: This platform is a top-ranking CRM for Outlook integration. It has a seamless connection with Outlook and offers a sidebar that allows you to access documents, templates, and meetings in both systems.
- You need a CRM that integrates with QuickBooks for accounting and payment notifications: While HubSpot CRM integrates with QuickBooks, this connection does not allow you to activate notifications each time a customer makes a payment.
- Alternative: Freshsales’ integration with QuickBooks lets you see invoices and payments linked to leads and contacts. It also notifies you when the customer makes a payment.
- You’re looking for a CRM with ecommerce features: You can integrate HubSpot CRM with inventory management software, but it does not offer built-in ecommerce tools.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM Plus ranks #1 in our list of the best ecommerce CRMs because of its all-in-one solutions for sales, inventory management, and analytics. It also boasts of ecommerce email marketing features that include coupon code syncs and automated email follow-up for purchases and abandoned carts.
HubSpot CRM Pricing Plan & Overview*
HubSpot Sales Hub offers a free plan for unlimited users and four paid plans that start at $18 per month for up to two users, billed annually. Each plan has different limits to the number of meeting links, reports and dashboards, deal pipelines per account, and shared inboxes. Higher tiers allow you to access special features such as sales forecasting and reporting, predictive lead scoring, and sales analytics.
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown; monthly billing is also available at a slightly higher rate.
Deal forecasting (Source: HubSpot CRM)
Our Expert Opinion
HubSpot CRM’s forecasting software is available with the Enterprise edition. It integrates and analyzes available data from various teams, such as sales, marketing, and customer service, to provide well-rounded business forecasts. It can estimate incoming revenue for the sales team, the number of conversions from marketing campaigns, and the likelihood to purchase based on customers’ sentiments from customer support.
Wondering if HubSpot is the right solution for you? Read our comprehensive HubSpot CRM to get the full details about this provider’s features and help you decide.
monday sales CRM: Best for Cross-department Collaboration
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
- Sales forecasting and analytics only available on Pro and Enterprise plans
- Offers a free Excel sales forecasting template
- You are a solopreneur or freelancer: monday sales CRM offers low-cost options that include ready-made templates for storing and managing contacts, leads, and deals. Its interface design is simple yet intuitive.
- You’re looking for a CRM with internal collaboration and campaign management features: You can use monday sales CRM’s board templates to manage email marketing campaigns, social media campaigns, and brand management initiatives.
- You are part of a distributed or remote-hybrid workforce: monday sales CRM’s cloud-based features and mobile apps allow your team to work anywhere. You can also view team activities, collaborate on projects, and automate workflows for task assignments.
- Your sales team needs a CRM with built-in communication to reach out to contacts: Unfortunately, monday sales CRM does not have built-in tools like email or phone that allow you to get in touch directly with your contacts.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM offers free templates, automated nurturing, reply tracking, and team inbox. This is why it is included in our list of the top CRM software for email marketing.
- Your organization wants to use artificial intelligence (AI) for analytics and automation: You can only use AI features with monday sales CRM when you integrate it with a third-party app.
- Alternative: Zoho Analytics is known for its AI assistant Zia, which can provide you with relevant records and metrics, automate tasks, and predict sales activity results. You can use Zia if you subscribe to its Standard plan.
- Your customer support team uses CRM for ticket management and live chat: monday sales CRM does not have built-in customer support tools and has limited access to these features even through third-party integrations.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM offers free tools for live chat support that allow you to engage with your website visitors.
monday sales CRM Pricing Plan & Overview*
monday sales CRM, by monday.com, allows you to try out the platform before you subscribe to a plan. There are four paid options with a three-seat minimum requirement. Each plan comes with varying limits to the file storage allocation, activity log time frame, third-party integrations, and automations. Higher tiers give you access to advanced features, such as quotes and invoices, lead scoring, sales forecasting, sales analytics, and goal tracking.
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown; monthly billing is also available at a slightly higher rate.
Our Expert Opinion
monday sales CRM is an excellent tool for collaboration between departments within a company. Sales managers can easily post their reps’ performance and others can see it on the platform. Its forecasting and sales analytics tools are available with its Pro and Enterprise plans. You can customize its prebuilt templates to manage, track, and adjust your predicted sales revenue. Its real-time dashboard provides insights into your pipeline and forecasts.
Read our comprehensive monday.com review to learn more about the full capabilities of this provider and to learn if it is the right fit for your business.
Salesmate: Best Option With Voice & Text Features
Pros
- Forecasting and insights are available across all plans
- Provides free Excel sales forecasting template
- Built-in calling and text messaging features
Cons
- No free version
- Maximum daily email limit of 1,500 per user
- Does not have models for lead scoring
- You are looking for a customizable CRM: Salesmate is a highly customizable CRM platform with a wide range of automation for sales and marketing processes. Even from its Starter plan, users can customize fields, views, layouts, pipelines and stages, deal win probability, and activity types.
- Your support team needs a CRM with built-in calling features: Salesmate’s basic plan includes voice and text features, like click-to-call, call recording, call forwarding, and bulk texting. You can also access its power dialer when you upgrade to the Boost plan.
- You want a CRM with email marketing tools: All of Salesmate’s plans offer tools for email marketing, including email tracking, bulk emails, email templates, and email metrics. You can schedule emails when you subscribe to its Growth plan.
- Your team needs a free sales forecasting tool: Salesmate does not offer free subscription plans, and its forecasting features are not available in the entry-level plan.
- Alternative: Zoho Analytics offers a free plan for two users that comes with predictive analytics and what-if analysis. GMDH Streamline also has a free option with demand forecasting tools.
- You want a CRM with a low learning curve: One of the common disadvantages of a robust CRM like Salesmate is the issue with usability.
- Alternative: We recommend Freshsales for beginner-level users. You can also check out our guide to the best simple CRM solutions for alternatives that are easier to learn and use.
Salesmate Pricing Plan & Overview*
Salesmate offers a 15-day free trial to test out the features of its four paid plans. The primary differences between the plans are the limits to the number of scheduled meetings, team inboxes, workflows, and emails. Higher-tier plans give you access to special features like recurring activities, product management, email scheduling, power dialer, sales funnels, and custom reports and dashboards.
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown; monthly billing is also available at a slightly higher rate.
Our Expert Opinion
Salesmate is packed with powerful features for optimizing sales processes. It has a Product Module that links products to deals in order to help you create more accurate quotes and sales forecasts. Its analytics features allow you to share reports with your team, create visual reports with charts and graphs, and schedule reports. You can also view forecast summaries to identify your team’s top performers and monitor their activities.
GMDH Streamline: Best for Supply Chain Management
Pros
- Offers a free-forever plan
- Easy to use despite advanced demand forecasting and inventory planning features
- Creates forecasts from Excel data sheets
Cons
- No mobile app
- Does not have tools for managing contacts, leads, and sales pipeline
- You are a manufacturer or distributor using a supply chain planning platform: GMDH Streamline is equipped with the tools needed to automate parts of the material requirements planning (MRP) process. These include creating forecasts for manufacturing planning, scheduled ordering of raw materials, and inventory planning.
- You need revenue forecasting software for your retail business: Retailers need to estimate future revenue and predict their sales in a given period of time to efficiently allocate resources and manage cash flow. GMDH Streamline automates demand forecasting of your products and stores, as well as reorders to your suppliers.
- You need a CRM with built-in sales forecasting tools: GMDH Streamline is a supply chain planning platform, so it does not have essential CRM features like contact management, lead management, interaction tracking, and pipeline management.
- Alternative: Freshsales is an easy-to-use CRM system that offers sales forecasting tools in a centralized dashboard. This feature is included in its Pro and Enterprise plans.
- Your hybrid/remote sales team uses forecasting software on the go: While GMDH Streamline offers on-premise and private cloud deployment options, it currently does not have a mobile version.
- Alternative: Pipedrive’s mobile app includes its sales forecasting features, which are available with the Professional and Enterprise plans.
GMDH Streamline Pricing Plan & Overview*
GMDH Streamline offers a free plan with basic features for demand forecasting, revenue planning, inventory planning, and material requirements planning (MRP). Paid plans allow you to create an unlimited number of planning items, plus provide access to special features like advanced reporting, multi-echelon supply chain planning, and priority support. You can sign up for a 14-day free trial to test out its full capabilities before committing to a paid plan.
*Pricing based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown; monthly billing is also available at a slightly higher rate.
Our Expert Opinion
GMDH Streamline is supply chain and sales planning software with a Business Forecasting module for sales and demand forecasting. It also lets you calculate and display inventory levels for a given time in the future based on your existing inventory, incoming supplies, and forecasted demand. This, in turn, allows you to determine the products to be ordered based on demand forecasts. Plus, it alerts you when your inventory levels are short or overstocked.
Salesforce CRM Analytics: Best for Data Visualization
Pros
- Solid visualization options for presenting data
- AI-driven sales forecasting tools for more accurate revenue predictions
Cons
- Lacks affordable pricing options
- Needs technical expertise to operate
- You use Salesforce products to manage your business processes: Salesforce CRM Analytics is native to Salesforce and integrates directly with other apps within this ecosystem, such as its Sales and Service Cloud apps.
- Your team uses Slack for collaboration: Salesforce has a dedicated app for Slack that allows you to sync the latter with the internal messaging platform Salesforce Chatter. You can also view Einstein insights and recommendations for leads and deals within Slack.
- You use advanced analytics to measure business performance: Salesforce CRM Analytics uses its artificial intelligence (AI) technology called Einstein to aggregate and visualize data. It also measures sales performance, deal closing rate, and individual agent performance.
- You are a startup or freelancer seeking a free sales forecasting tool: Salesforce CRM Analytics is priced on the higher side and does not offer free subscription plans.
- Alternative: Zoho Analytics offers a free plan for two users. This option allows you to automatically generate reports and dashboards based on any data with just a click. It also has affordable scalable options.
- You want a sales forecasting program that is easy to use: Salesforce’s robust reporting and analytics features make it difficult to learn for beginner-level users.
- Alternative: Freshsales has a simple, intuitive interface that makes it easy to learn and navigate, even for users with no technical background.
Salesforce CRM Analytics Pricing Plan & Overview*
Salesforce CRM Analytics offers a 30-day free trial to try out its four paid plans. The main differences between the plans involve the type of compliance to a quality management system, as well as access to special features, such as its dashboard designer, prediction builder, and revenue insights.
Add-on
- Success Plans (premium support): Starts at 30% of net license fees
*All Salesforce CRM Analytics subscriptions are paid annually.
Our Expert Opinion
Salesforce CRM Analytics is an application native to the Salesforce suite of products that creates advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics to measure businesses’ various performance metrics, including sales performance, deal closing rate, and agent performance. It allows users to deploy sales forecasts and analytics with excellent data visualizations through customizable templates, third-party apps, and custom-built dashboards, so users can present reports that are easy to understand.
Visit Salesforce CRM Analytics
How We Evaluated the Best Sales Forecasting Software
To determine the best sales forecasting software, we evaluated various aspects of dozens of providers, including features on forecasting and analytics, pricing, and level of customer support. Businesses that use sales forecasting tools need a provider to process large volumes of customer data to provide actionable insights. It should also be easy to use, can be integrated with other business tools, and generates easy-to-understand reports.
The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process for selecting the best forecasting software for small businesses:
20% of Overall Score
When evaluating the best CRM for solo users, we carefully considered total costs and pricing options. Additionally, we checked the availability of a free plan and the pricing of entry-level options. We also confirmed whether or not there are monthly billing plans available.
25% of Overall Score
CRMs provide functional solutions for sales, marketing, customer service, and task management. We examined the best CRMs for small businesses overall and the available options for individuals. We also evaluated which options include the fundamental features for sales teams, like customizable pipelines, reporting and analytics, integrations, and mobile apps.
20% of Overall Score
We looked at the availability and quality of advanced or niche features to identify the best sales forecast software. These features include sales automation, predictive analysis, data visualization, and website visitor tracking. We further determined if they are part of the plan or if you have to pay an extra fee.
20% of Overall Score
CRM systems require support, especially for users with no technical background. We analyzed the types of support these providers offer, whether via live chat, email, and/or phone. Plus, we evaluated the hours users can get responses through these support channels.
15% of Overall Score
We checked existing customer reviews from credible sites and analyzed the satisfaction level current users have. We also looked into problems they typically experience, and added our thoughts and expert opinion on value for money, key features, and popularity.
Bottom Line
The best sales forecasting software provides you with future expected revenue, compares actual sales to projected revenue, and narrows down the leads and deals that impact your forecast the most. They also offer free or affordable tools for creating forecasting reports. Zoho Analytics is our top choice because it has free and scalable solutions for forecasting, plus it has a robust set of data visualization tools and third-party integration options.
