6 Best Free CRM Software for Salespeople in 2022

Check out our detailed guide on the best free CRM software options for price-conscious sellers or those who want to test before they invest.

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:

  • HubSpot CRM: Best overall free CRM software for features and usability (unlimited users)
  • Bitrix24: best free CRM software option for sales team collaboration (unlimited users)
  • Freshsales: Best for those needing a free CRM that can scale with them (unlimited users)
  • Zoho CRM: Best free CRM software option for advanced customization (up to 3 users)
  • EngageBay: Best free CRM for sales & marketing workflow automation (unlimited users)
  • Insightly CRM: Best free CRM software for project management & sales (up to 2 users)

How We Evaluated the Best Free CRMs

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:

Evaluation Criteria

The best free CRM software options are scalable, easy to learn, and have a solid range of features. Thus, those three criteria hold the most weight in our final rankings. We also took into consideration customer support accessibility, level of customization, and an expert score that factors into the overall scoring.

Free Plans + Trials:
25%
Key Features:
20%
Ease-of-Use:
20%
Expert Score:
15%
Customer Support:
10%
Customization:
10%

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:

HubSpot CRM: Best Free CRM for Features & Use

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

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Free Plans + Trials star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Key Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Expert Score star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Accessible, easy-to-use interface
  • Unlimited users & one million contacts
  • Solid suite of key features for a free CRM

Cons:

  • No free trial for paid CRM tiers
  • Premium upgrades are pricey
  • Customer support limited with free plan

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.

HubSpot CRM Pricing Upgrades

  • Sales Hub Starter: $45 per month for 2+ users
  • Sales Hub Professional: $450 per month for 5+ users
  • Sales Hub Enterprise: $1,200 per month for 10+ users
  • Free tiers of HubSpot's marketing and service platforms integrate at no cost

HubSpot CRM Key Features

  • Unlimited Users: Support for unlimited users plus up to one million non-marketing contacts and deals.
  • Contact Management & Deal Features: Activity tracking, email notifications, sales pipeline, and more.
  • Communication Tools: Interact with leads via live chat, Facebook Messenger, phone, and other communication options.
  • Marketing & Service Features: Create lead forms or landing pages for lead capture as well as customer support tickets.

Hubspot free crm dashboard example

Visit Hubspot CRM

Bitrix24: Best Free CRM for Team Collaboration

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)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Free Plans + Trials star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Key Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Expert Score star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • No cap on users, contacts, and more
  • Team collaboration features
  • Task management tools available

Cons:

  • No automation included with free CRM
  • Customer support can be lacking
  • Learning curve can be steep

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.

Bitrix24 Pricing Upgrades

  • Basic: $39 per user, per month; 5-seat max
  • Standard: $79 per user, per month; 50-seat max
  • Professional: $159 per user, per month
  • Free Trial: 30 days

Bitrix24 Key Features

  • Team Collaboration Features: Video calls, shared calendars, internal communication feeds, workgroups, team knowledge base, and more.
  • Task & Project Management: Free personal or team task tracking as well as a Scrum project management feature.
  • Customer Engagement Tools: Communicate with leads via Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and live chat.
  • Website Builder: Create your own lead generation website for sales and marketing and host it for free using Bitrix24.

bitrix free crm dashboard example

Visit Bitrix24

Freshsales: Best Free CRM for Scalability

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)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Free Plans + Trials star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Key Features star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Expert Score star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Lead capture capabilities
  • Built-in phone and chat
  • Intuitive and easy user-experience

Cons:

  • Some core features unavailable for free
  • Marketing features lacking
  • Higher tiers can get pricey

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.

Freshsales Pricing Upgrades

  • Growth: $15 per user, per month (free for 3 users)
  • Pro: $39 per user, per month
  • Enterprise: $69 per user, per month
  • Free Trial: 21 days

Freshsales Key Features

  • Contact Management Capabilities: Scalable free CRM with support for unlimited users and contacts.
  • Lead Communication Features: Built-in phone system with caller ID and personalized welcome messages along with live chat.
  • Clean and intuitive User Interface: Manage data for and interactions with leads, deals, and contacts in one place.
  • Affordable Premium Sales Tiers: Offers the best mix of paid features, usability, and price for sales and lead generation.

freshsales free crm dashboard example

Visit Freshsales

Zoho CRM: Best Free CRM for Customization

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)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Free Plans + Trials star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Key Features star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Expert Score star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full

Pros:

  • Visual reports & deal pipelines
  • Web forms & chat widgets available
  • Streamline processes with workflow rules

Cons:

  • Free tier only supports three users
  • Social media tools missing on free plan
  • Can take time to learn or use

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.

Zoho CRM Pricing Upgrades

  • Standard: $14 per user, per month
  • Professional: $23 per user, per month
  • Enterprise: $40 per user, per month
  • Ultimate: $52 per user, per month
  • Free trial: 15 to 30 days for all paid plans

Zoho CRM Key Features

  • Custom Data Filters, Views & Layouts: Customize CRM views, data filters, and more to uncover insights that help you better manage your pipeline.
  • Lead Generation Tools: Take advantage of lead activity tracking and web forms to capture online leads you can add to your pipeline.
  • Team Collaboration Features: Use a shared calendar, status updates, direct messaging, and follow up rules to manage your team.
  • Workflow Rules: Basic workflow automations that can help with email notifications, tasks, field updates, and more.

zoho free crm dashboard example

Visit Zoho CRM

EngageBay: Best for Workflow Automation

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

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Free Plans + Trials star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Key Features star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customer Support star-fullstar-full star-fullstar-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Expert Score star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full

Pros:

  • Sales and service features
  • Robust workflow automation sequences
  • Task, pipeline, and contact management

Cons:

  • Paid tiers can require long commitments
  • Free plan has limited marketing features
  • Third-party integrations limited

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.

EngageBay Pricing Upgrades

  • Basic: $11.99 per user, per month
  • Growth: $39.99 per user, per month
  • Pro: $79.99 per user, per month

Prices for all monthly plans listed for all-in-one plan with a two-year commitment.

EngageBay Key Features

  • Workflow Automation Rules: Robust free tier offers with workflow automation sequences for sales, marketing, and service.
  • Communication & Service Features: Communicate with prospects using chat as well as help desk ticketing.
  • Marketing & Lead Gen Features: Create email sequences, autoresponders, landing pages, lead grabbers, and more.
  • Intuitive UI: Easy-to-use user interface and overall experience with a visual pipeline and integrations with marketing and service.

engagebay free crm dashboard example

Visit EngageBay

Insightly: Best Free CRM for Project Management

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)

Overall Rating star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Free Plans + Trials star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-full Key Features star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customer Support star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Customization star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Ease of Use star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full Expert Score star-fullstar-fullstar-full star-full

Pros:

  • Project management pipeline
  • Personal or team task management
  • Sales and project reporting

Cons:

  • Free tier is basic & hard to find
  • Paid tiers can be pricey
  • User interface is rigid

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.

Insightly CRM Pricing Upgrades

  • Plus: $29 per user, per month
  • Professional: $49 per user, per month
  • Enterprise: $99 per user, per month

Insightly CRM Key Features

  • Project Management Pipeline: Manage your deals and projects separately in two different pipeline sections.
  • Task Management: Manage individual or team tasks as well as import your tasks to Google Calendar.
  • Email & Calendar Sync: Connect Insightly CRM with your email and calendar client for efficient follow-up.
  • Project & Sales Reporting Dashboards: Stay on top of sales and project performance with its individual project and sales reports.

Insightly CRM dashboard

Visit Insightly CRM

The Bottom Line: Best Free CRM Software

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.

Selling Signals
Actionable advice for sales professionals
Address
355 Lexington Ave,
18th Floor,
New York, NY, 10017
COPYRIGHT SELLING SIGNALS, LLC – 2023