The best CRM solution enhances business processes from contact management to marketing campaigns. It stores customer data and provides reporting tools, allowing leaders to personalize messaging and generate insights. Free or low-cost CRM software has fewer features than a comprehensive CRM platform.
Still, you can use it to build business relationships and solve marketing challenges. Most free CRMs offer paid versions, which are perfect for adding deal management and sales forecasting capabilities as your company grows. Explore these 10 inexpensive CRM systems for small businesses.
Monday Sales CRM: best for marketing automation features
With no-code workflow automation, sales teams can focus on building customer relationships rather than pipeline management. Monday Sales CRM can automatically notify sales reps when an email is opened or assign newly qualified leads to a team member. The CRM software boasts over 100 app integrations, including e-signature tools and business phone systems.
Monday Sales CRM costs $10 per user per month, with a minimum of three users and yearly billing. Automation features require the Standard CRM package, which is priced at $14 per seat. All packages include mobile apps.
Agile CRM: good choice for solopreneurs and freelancers
Agile CRM helps small business owners manage multiple aspects of their company from a single platform. The free CRM plan supports up to 10 users and 1,000 contacts. It provides email tracking, help desk, and appointment scheduling tools.
Paid subscriptions start at $9.99 per user monthly with annual prepayment. Agile CRM plans include advanced lead management and sales features, like social monitoring and marketing automation.
Mailchimp: an affordable CRM for email marketing
Mailchimp is a marketing CRM that lets you sort, segment, and grow your audience. Unlike other cheap CRM software programs, Mailchimp focuses on email marketing tools. Many small businesses use Mailchimp alongside more powerful multichannel email tools, as it integrates with over 300 platforms. The pricing is based on how many contacts you have, and it’s free until you reach 130,000 contacts.
Free or low-cost CRM software has fewer features than a comprehensive CRM platform.
Britix24: free CRM, communication, and collaboration tools
Britix24 is an all-in-one platform with built-in CRM, team collaboration, sales intelligence, and project management tools. It's free for unlimited users, and paid plans start at $49 for five users with annual prepayment. Unlike other small business CRMs, Britix24 offers cloud or on-premises deployment options.
All plans include hundreds of features, such as:
- Unlimited contacts and deals.
- CRM analytics reports.
- Product catalogs with unlimited items.
- Visual sales pipeline.
- CRM forms.
- Sales and email marketing automation.
- Inventory management.
- Live chat and social media integrations.
Freshsales: excellent customer service options
Freshsales (formerly Freshworks CRM) offers a free growth plan for up to three users. It has a sales pipeline, contact management tools, and a dashboard for visualizing the sales process. Unlike competing CRM solutions, even the free version offers 24/5 (24 hours, five days a week) phone, chat, and email support.
Paid plans start at $15 per user per month with annual prepayment. Your sales teams can make phone calls or instant message leads. Freshsales also provides free chatbot sessions and email marketing features.
HubSpot: unlimited users and 1 million contacts
HubSpot is a marketing CRM packed with features for managing customers and sales. HubSpot's free plan supports unlimited users and up to 1 million contacts. Individuals and small teams receive foundational tools for ad retargeting and meeting scheduling.
This free CRM platform offers marketing tools like email templates and automation. Also, it serves as a document repository. The Starter CRM suite costs $30 monthly when you commit to an annual contract.
[Read more: 12 Common CRM Questions Answered]
Streak: recommended for Gmail users
Streak's free version includes essential CRM functions like private pipelines, email tracking, and unlimited contacts. It integrates with Google, allowing access to CRM data in Gmail, Sheets, Chat, Drive, and Calendar. Paid plans start at $15 per user per month with annual billing.
The CRM features of the free plan consist of the following:
- A single view for tasks and reminders.
- File attachments.
- Custom columns and fields.
- Meeting notes and call logs.
Bigin by Zoho CRM: best CRM for add-on tools
Bigin by Zoho CRM is a customizable platform. It offers a free plan and cheap CRM software subscriptions for small businesses. One person can use the free version, which includes a single pipeline and 500 records. Bigin by Zoho CRM paid plans start at $7 per user when paid yearly. With these packages, you can choose from several add-ons that range from $1 to $5 monthly.
A small business may increase its file storage, add workflows, or get more email templates. Of course, you can still access Zoho CRM Free, a separate CRM system from Bigin. You can compare products on the Zoho website.
Really Simple Systems: great for B2B customer data management
Really Simple Systems is built for business-to-business marketing and sales. You can forecast sales based on probability, see where leads are in your sales funnel, and assign tasks to team members. Really Simple Systems is free for up to two users, and paid plans start at $17 per user with annual billing.
The free CRM plan tracks 100 company accounts with unlimited contacts. But you’ll need to upgrade for marketing features, integrations, and automations. [Learn how to compare plans in our guide to choosing the best CRM software.]
EngageBay: all-in-one marketing, sales, and service
Check out EngageBay if you want one CRM for marketing, sales, and customer service teams. It’s a more affordable CRM for companies wanting one tool for several departments. It has a sales hub for managing leads, assigning sales tasks, and increasing visibility into your process. The service bay gives a 360-degree view of your customer and ticketing options. And EngageBay’s marketing tools include a social suite and email templates.
The free version supports 250 marketing contacts, predictive lead scoring, and ticketing management. Paid subscriptions start at $12.74 per user per month.
[Read more: How to Make the Most of Your CRM Software]
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