Selling Signals content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
CRMs for startups are CRM software that help early-stage companies attract and manage leads to grow their customer base and revenue. The best options typically provide workflow automation tools and third-party integrations to save time and reduce menial work so startup employees can focus on other crucial tasks to grow the business. To help you choose the right CRM, we’ve evaluated the top six that provide robust but affordable functionality for startups.
Here are the six best CRMs for startups:
- Freshsales: Best CRM for features, price, and usability (free starting price)
- HubSpot CRM: Best free startup CRM software option (free starting price)
- Pipedrive: Best startup CRM option with add-on upgrades (14-day free trial)
- Zoho CRM: Best startup CRM for multichannel marketing (free starting price)
- Insightly: Best startup CRM option for project management (free starting price)
- Salesforce Essentials: Best for long or complex sales cyles (30-day free trial)
How We Evaluated the Best CRMs for Startups
Startups are typically budget-conscious but want their CRM software to provide a rich set of easy-to-use features. When determining the best startup CRM, We based our scoring criteria on six weighted categories, each of which contained subcriteria. After assigning scores for each subcriteria, we totaled the categories and gave each CRM a final score out of five to rank the top six and primary use cases for each.
Evaluation Criteria
We first evaluated cost, core features, and ease of use. Next, we looked at integrations and customization so startups can modify it to meet their unique needs. Finally, we measured the level of support provided, as most startups have a small, busy team that rely on the CRM’s customer service.
Cost Overview
We looked at each option’s pricing transparency, subscription tiers and supported users, and free trials.
Criteria Winner: Freshsales
Core Features Overview
This evaluates the functions startups need to work effectively, such as contact management, workflow automation, and email marketing.
Criteria Winner: Freshsales
Ease of Use Overview
We evaluated whether the options are fast, intuitive, and easy to use.
Criteria Winner: Multiple Winners
Integrations Overview
Does each option offer third-party applications with other contact management and sales platforms, as well as with productivity and mobile apps?
Criteria Winner: Multiple Winners
Customization Overview
We reviewed whether the CRMs offer custom dashboards, reports, pipelines, workflows, and/or pages.
Criteria Winner: Zoho CRM
Customer Support Overview
Does each option offer support via phone, email, and/or live chat?
Criteria Winner: Multiple Winners
Note: All per-user prices are with a one-year commitment unless noted.
All of the startup CRMs we evaluated are worthy options, and most scored well in one category or another. However, we found that the best CRM for startups is Freshsales, which tied or earned the top spot for cost, core features, ease of use, and integrations. Read on to see how each CRM performed in each category.
Bottom Line: Best CRM for Startups
Startups need to stay nimble and fast, so they need a cost-effective, industry-specific CRM that can adapt and change quickly in a competitive environment, always offering the features they need to grow. The top six CRMs we featured here are great options for startups, so choose the one that feels right for your new business’s focus.