In our independent editorial review of retail CRM solutions, learn about the top options along with their primary use cases.
Free CRM software refers to CRM tools that offer a free-for-life option and paid tiers you can upgrade into, but don't include CRMs with free trials only. While many free options are limited compared to paid alternatives, there are good free CRMs that provide pipeline tools, contact management capabilities, reporting dashboards, marketing features, and more. To identify the most robust and usable free CRMs, we evaluated the top CRM software to determine the best options.
Here are the six best free CRM software options and their primary use-cases:
While many CRMs offer a free trial for their paid services, we only considered CRMs with truly free-for-life tiers and paid upgrade options. To determine the best free CRM software, we identified six weighted scoring categories and scored each software in every category to determine an overall score out of five. Also identified were primary use-cases for each top option. Check out our specific evaluation criteria and weights below:
Note: All per-user pricing upgrades are with a one-year commitment unless noted.
While some may score high in one category, we found that the overall best free CRM option is HubSpot CRM with an overall score of 4.1 stars. Take a look below to see how each of our top CRM software scored across all six categories, including a summary of features, pricing, and more:
Intuitive free CRM software with up to one million contacts and a robust mix of sales and marketing features for free.
Price Range: Free to $1,200 per user, per month
HubSpot CRM is a robust free CRM option with a highly visual pipeline, communication tools such as a built-in phone and live chat, as well as the ability to manage up to one million contacts. Also included with the CRM are native integrations with HubSpot's Marketing and Service Hubs, which give you features such as web forms and landing pages as well as the ability to create help desk tickets. This makes it the most robust and usable free CRM available.
While HubSpot CRM is a great free option, its upgrades can be pricey and its CRM upgrades lack many marketing features. If you need an alternative option that can scale with you, check out Freshsales for affordable sales upgrades or Zoho CRM for a mix of marketing and sales.
Solid free CRM with robust free sales and task management features, including team collaboration functionality.
Price Range: Free to $159 per user, per month (30-day free trial)
Bitrix24 is a sales, marketing, and team collaboration CRM offering unlimited users, contacts, and leads in its free tier. While you need to upgrade for its advanced features like social media ad management, its free option does offer a visual pipeline and team collaboration features such as a company workspace and knowledge base as well as basic task and project management. You can also build and host a website for free, among other features.
Bitrix24 offers a solid free option, but the interface is hard to use and most of its premium marketing and sales features are locked behind a paywall. If you need a robust free version with a better user experience, check out HubSpot CRM.
Freshsales offers chat, email, phone, and contact management with affordable and robust paid tiers to scale into later.
Price Range: Free to $69 per user, per month (21-day free trial)
Freshsales is our top-rated overall CRM offering a clean and intuitive Growth tier with three free users and an in-app phone system, data management, live chat, and more. Its free option is great as a contact manager and prospect communication device that's easy to navigate. However, what really makes it stand out are its premium paid tiers that are some of the most affordable and robust for sales, service, and lead generation — making it best if you plan on scaling later.
Even though Freshsales is great for scalability, its Growth tier only includes a few free users. If you need a robust and unlimited free option, try HubSpot CRM. Additionally, it lacks some advanced marketing features found in Zoho CRM's premium plans.
Basic free CRM option with a visual deal pipeline and custom data filters, list views, page layouts, and more.
Price Range: Free to $52 per user, per month (15- to 30-day free trial)
Zoho CRM is a robust sales and marketing CRM offering a basic free tier with a visual pipeline as well as activity tracking, web forms, live chat widgets, and basic team collaboration. One of its defining free features, however, is its advanced customization for data filters, list views, page layouts, and more. These customizations can help you discover things like idle leads as well as create your own deal fields for different opportunities.
That said, while its free tier is solid, its missing many of the social media marketing and advanced sales features that Zoho CRM is known for. If you don't want to pay for these extra marketing features, check out HubSpot CRM.
EngageBay offers robust workflow automation with its free tier, along with pipeline and contact management
Price Range: Free to $79.99 per user, per month
EngageBay is a newer CRM on the market that offers a robust free option as well as well-priced premium tiers. It's free option offers basic sales, marketing, and service features but shines with its workflow automation sequences usually available only in paid CRM options. Upgrade into one of its premium tiers for advanced sales and marketing features, and receive a hefty discount if you commit for one or two years.
EngageBay offers a solid mix of free sales, marketing, and service features. However, its paid tiers require a two-year commitment for their largest discount. If you only need need basic workflow automation and the option of scaling later, try Zoho CRM instead.
Prices for all monthly plans listed for all-in-one plan with a two-year commitment.
Free CRM offering basic pipeline management as well as a seperate project management pipeline.
Price Range: Free to $99 per user, per month (14-day free trial)
Insightly CRM offers basic contact and pipeline management as well as a separate pipeline for ongoing project management. This makes it a solid option for businesses offering ongoing services or needing client management features, as well as those managing internal projects. However, their free tier is hard to find on their website and denoted as their "original plan" with limited features, making it harder to assess.
The best free CRM software provides salespeople with the essentials they need to help grow their client base — and in some cases can even scale along with a business. The six free CRM options on our list will suit the needs of small businesses seeking access to reliable sales or marketing software without breaking the bank.
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