Check out our independent editorial review of the best crm software for sales professionals, including use cases for each option.
CRMs for freelancers are software that help solopreneurs and independent contractors keep track of clients and manage their projects effectively. The top CRMs for freelancers incorporate time tracking, appointment scheduling, and automation for tasks and invoicing. To help freelancers choose the right one, we evaluated the best options and their use cases.
Here are the six best CRMs for freelancers:
Because freelancers often need an affordable way to manage clients and projects, we began our evaluation by looking at each CRM software’s core features and cost. Freelancers often work alone, so we researched each CRM’s ease of use and customer service to ensure the platform would be simple enough to use and provide support when needed. Finally, we evaluated the integrations and customization offered so freelancers can adjust the CRM according to their niche.
Note: All per-user prices are with a one-year commitment unless noted.
The CRMs we evaluated are all good options for freelancers, but HubSpot CRM emerged as the overall best CRM for freelancers. Below, read about each option’s primary use case and its score in each category.
A leading CRM with a free plan and upgrades that offer even more robust functionality as freelancers grow their client base.
Price Range: Free to $1,200 per month (Sales Hub)
HubSpot CRM is a free marketing and sales software with available upgrades. The robust free plan helps freelancers manage their leads and clients, schedule client meetings, and monitor project tasks from their desktop or via HubSpot CRM’s free app. As their client base grows, freelancers can upgrade to a Sales Hub plan for automation to cut down on manual tasks. This makes HubSpot CRM a great choice for those who want a CRM that will grow with them.
A classic full-stack CRM with a free plan and features that help freelancers handle customer billing cycles effectively.
Price Range: Free to $52 per user, per month (30-day free trial)
Zoho CRM is a cloud-based CRM with affordable functionality for customer invoicing and billing. It allows freelancers to automate recurring billing by setting up billing frequencies and payment reminders, and it makes creating and sending tax-compliant, professional-looking invoices easy through forms. For this reason, Zoho CRM is great for freelancers who need help managing timesheets, invoices, and quotes for a high number of clients or ongoing projects.
An easy-to-use CRM equipped with a visual sales pipeline to track leads through the sales process.
Price Range: $12.50 to $99 per user, per month (14-day free trial)
Pipedrive is a CRM with an easy-to-use pipeline to track leads and clients. Its clear, visual interface helps freelancers stay in control of their sales process and monitor emails, calls, and projects. Pipedrive’s drag and drop feature makes it easy to move potential clients through different stages of the pipeline and see all contacts at once. It’s great for visual freelancers who prefer to stay organized by easily seeing their sales cycle and current projects.
A CRM that helps forge stronger relationships with customers by capturing and giving context to client communications.
Price Range: $19 to $99 per user, per month (14-day free trial)
Zendesk Sell is a CRM designed to reduce friction in updating information regarding client communication and projects. Through Zendesk Sell, freelancers can call and email their clients, schedule meetings, and view project details from one place, logging everything automatically. It’s a great choice for busy freelancers who communicate with their clients often and want to stay on top of their workload and refer back to conversations as needed.
A simple CRM built for freelancers with task and calendar features to manage meetings and to-dos.
Price Range: Free to $54 per user, per month (30-day free trial)
Capsule is an easy-to-use, cloud-based CRM great for freelancers and small business. Users can create tasks to remind them about upcoming meetings and project deadlines, client calls they need to make, and more. Then, they can receive occasional notifications or a task reminder email every morning, or integrate their calendar (Capsule supports certain calendars), making it a good fit for freelancers who have lengthy to-do lists or strict deadlines.
A simple CRM that seamlessly integrates with Google Workspace, with no coding required.
Price Range: $25 to $119 per user, per month (14-day free trial)
Copper is essentially a Google Workspace CRM. It integrates with Workspace apps and helps freelancers add leads, track emails, and manage tasks. You can attach Docs and Sheets to contact records and have clients book meetings with you directly through Calendar, and Copper also finds and updates contact information automatically. It’s ideal for Google-driven freelancers looking for simplicity along with the look and familiarity of Google products.
Freelancers often only have themselves to lean on, so they need a CRM that helps them effectively handle client relationships and administrative tasks. Their CRM should help free them from repetitive work through workflow automation and third-party app integration. The top six CRMs we evaluated provide industry-specific lead generation and customer management functionality to allow freelancers to stay on top of their work and find and nurture new clients.
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