The 7 Best CRM Tools That Are Always Free for Small Businesses

Joanne Thompson

• 14 min read
The 7 Best CRM Tools That Are Always Free for Small Businesses

It takes a lot more than just remembering a customer's birthday and the products they've bought in the past to successfully manage a relationship with a client. If you choose the right CRM software, it will be able to handle all of the specifics and dates, freeing up your sales agents to concentrate on generating leads and closing deals. This article discusses the most useful free customer relationship management software currently available for small businesses.

Quick View

  • HubSpot CRM — Best for Email Marketing.
  • Freshsales — Outstanding Customer Service.
  • Zoho Free CRM — Best for Automation.
  • Agile CRM — Best for Ecommerce.
  • Insightly — Best for Small Businesses.
  • Engagebay — Best for Ease of Use.
  • Bitrix24 — Ideal for Sales Teams.

The Most Effective Free CRM Software for Small Businesses

There are a number of free CRM software options available, but not all of them are built the same. Here is a list of the seven best customer relationship management (CRM) software programs that stand out to us the most for their free plan options.

HubSpot CRM — Best Free CRM Overall

With HubSpot, establishing a CRM with an unlimited number of users and up to one million contacts is a breeze for businesses of any size. One of its many features is a chat builder, which allows you to personalize your initial point of contact. The free version of this software does not include any capabilities for automating work processes, and the community forum is the only source of customer support available to you. You should be prepared to pay a significant sum of money if you decide to upgrade to a paid version of the software.

Why we chose it: HubSpot CRM provides you with the tools necessary to construct a functional user interface for an unlimited number of customers without charging you a single dime.

Pros:

  • Users are not limited in number.
  • 1 million contacts are possible.
  • Chatbot creator.

Cons:

  • There is no workflow automation.
  • Tiers of expensive pricing.
  • Customer service is limited to a community forum.

Number of users

The free version of HubSpot CRM does not impose any restrictions on the number of users that can access it. It is not necessary to pick and choose who to grant access to, which is a common issue with services like Zoho or Insightly.

The monthly cost of the lowest paid tier begins at $45 and increases from there depending on the tools and the number of contacts that are desired. Paid plans take away a significant amount of HubSpot branding and include additional helpful tools such as automation.

Lead Management

Landing pages, web forms, email templates, and even more can be created with the help of the lead management tools provided by HubSpot. Your group can even take advantage of a few restricted calling options that are available to them. These offerings are quite comparable to those provided by Zoho; however, Insightly also includes powerful kanban charting.

Tools for Automation

The free version of HubSpot does not include the capability to automate any workflows in any way. Nevertheless, you can set up automated responses to contacts and even a chatbot to interact with customers who are visiting your website. These features are nothing special in comparison to the automation tools offered by Zoho.

Support

The free version of HubSpot provides very little assistance or support of any kind. In point of fact, you can only consult the community forum for guidance if you find yourself in a position where you are unable to proceed further. Even though Insightly offers something comparable, Freshsales goes above and beyond by providing its free users with support via phone, chat, and email.

Freshsales — Best Free CRM for Customers

Built-in phone and chat support for interacting with your customers is one of Freshsales' many free features. You don't have to limit access to your team or pick and choose which customers to focus on with an unlimited number of users and contacts. The best part is that you can resolve any issues on your end by contacting Freshsales 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will not have access to automated processes, reporting tools, or document storage, among other features.

Why we chose it: Freshsales is a CRM worth considering because it offers unlimited users, contacts, and 24/5 customer support.

Pros:

  • 24 hour customer service.
  • Built-in chat and phone for client communication.
  • Users and contacts are not limited.

Cons:

  • There are no reporting tools.
  • There are no automated processes.
  • There is no document storage.

Number of users

Using Freshsales, you won't have to stress about the size of your customer relationship management (CRM) team. You can have an unlimited number of users access your account at any given time, just like you can with HubSpot and Bitrix24.

Access to the premium features of Freshsales will set you back $15 per user per month, and the price per feature will go up from there. When one is not careful, fees can quickly get out of hand, which is especially problematic considering that HubSpot charges a flat rate per account.

Lead Management

Freshsales has built-in call capabilities as well as chatbots that can be customized to engage customers who are interested. You can also monitor the contact interest over time to figure out who your most valuable customers are.

Tools for Automation

Freshsales doesn't offer much in the way of automation aside from the chatbots that are available on their website. This seems like a missed opportunity given how much Zoho's automation tools can do.

Support

The customer support team at Freshsales is like taking a deep breath of crisp, clean air. You are able to contact the group via phone, email, or chat at any time during the work week, even if you are only using the free version of the service. When compared to what HubSpot and Insightly provide, which is nothing more than help documents or a community forum, this is a tremendous blessing.

Zoho Free CRM — The Best Free CRM for Automation

The free customer relationship management software offered by Zoho contains a number of workflow tools that automate mundane tasks. You can also customize web pages to some degree in the hope of attracting new customers, and this can be done in a number of different ways. The multipurpose digital contact book that is included in your account is ideal for logging both existing customers and potential new customers.

It might be difficult to choose just three users who will have access to the CRM software, and each day they will only be able to send a maximum of 150 automated email notifications. In addition, there is no way to send multiple emails at once using the free version.

Why we chose it: Those who have an understanding of automation can differentiate themselves from the competition by utilizing the customization and automation features offered by Zoho. Its free plan can do wonders for new online businesses because it is among the best CRM software available specifically designed for ecommerce.

Pros:

  • Workflow rules and email notifications that are sent automatically.
  • Page personalization options.
  • Digital contact book with multiple functions.

Cons:

  • Only three users are permitted.
  • Every day, 150 automated email notifications are sent.
  • It is not possible to send mass emails.

Number of users

In spite of all the features it offers, Zoho's free account is limited to a maximum of three users. This is a significant shortcoming. Make it so that those three users can fully benefit from the automation software offered by Zoho. Both HubSpot and Bitrix24 do not impose a limit on the total number of users that can be managed by the platform.

Paid plans begin at $14 per user per month and go up from there, making them affordable to some extent. The sum is not significantly different from what is provided by Freshsales or Engagebay in any significant way.

Lead Management

You are able to monitor the traffic to your website and examine the statistics of your sales over a range of time periods using Zoho. You will also have the ability to create web forms and templates for emails that you send out. It is essential to emphasize the fact that this CRM is the most effective one available for the real estate industry.

Tools for Automation

You are able to construct up to five distinct workflow automations with just the free version, which will allow you to perform mundane tasks and reduce the workload for your team. The automation tools provided by Zoho are unparalleled, particularly when compared to CRMs such as Bitrix24, which do not provide any.

Support

If you sign up for Zoho, you'll gain access to a sizable community support team in addition to a large number of support documents. You are able to send the company questions via email; however, the response times are typically quite slow. Whether or not you are paying for the service, Freshsales provides support via phone, email, and live chat around the clock.

Agile CRM — The Best Free Email Marketing CRM

With Agile CRM, you have the ability to entice customers by sending up to 5,000 emails bearing your company's branding. On your website, you have the ability to generate an unlimited number of tasks, documents, and deals to use in marketing yourself. In connection with websites, Agile enables you to create your very own, along with online forms and email. Your account can only have up to ten users at a time, and the free version has a maximum of one thousand contacts. Although there is a great deal of personalization available, Agile CRM does not offer a large number of automation tools.

Why we chose it: Through branded emailing and customization tools for emails, forms, and websites, Agile CRM provides teams with the opportunity to express themselves and their unique identities.

Pros:

  • 5,000 branded emails sent each month.
  • Deals, tasks, and documents are unlimited.
  • Form, email, and website creator.

Cons:

  • Users are limited to ten.
  • There are only 1,000 contacts.
  • Tools for minimal automation.

Number of users

The free version of Agile CRM allows for the addition of up to ten users, which is not a bad number for CRM software that is offered for no cost. After all, the free account for Insightly only allows two users to have access to the platform. On the other hand, HubSpot and Freshsales do not impose any limits on the number of users.

The Starter plan of Agile CRM costs as little as $8.99 per user each month. With this plan, you gain access to several additional features and your contact pool is increased to 10,000. When compared to other user-based plans, such as Zoho and Freshsales, which have prices of $14 and $15, respectively, this one has one of the best prices.

Lead Management

With Agile CRM, you can generate leads through the use of a variety of features that can be customized, such as branded emails and a website builder. You can also create contact profiles and track the results of emails that you send out to various recipients.

Tools for Automation

The free version of Agile CRM comes with support for the construction of one API trigger, but access to any of the other automation tools requires payment. One trigger is not terrible, but in comparison to Zoho's five, it doesn't seem like much.

Support

If you need support, the service will direct you to its website, where you can access training tools and documentation of how to use the service. The customer service provided by Freshsales is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is an email support team available in case you have any further questions.

Insightly — Best Free Lead Generation CRM

Kanban charts and other client tracking tools are utilized by Insightly in order to gain knowledge regarding the requirements of online shoppers and their preferences. These tools also cover social media, enabling businesses to maximize potential customers from any and all available channels. The software is able to connect without any problems with more than 250 different programs, transferring contact information and simplifying data entry. In the free version, you are limited to just two users and have very few automation tools at your disposal to help you divide and conquer this task. The only form of support available is in the form of email support or insight from the community.

Why we chose it: Insightly provides the most effective tools for generating leads, which can ultimately result in customers and increased revenue for your company.

Pros:

  • Several lead generation tools are available.
  • There are over 250 business integrations.
  • Automatic social profile augmentation.

Cons:

  • Only for two people.
  • Tools for minimal automation.
  • Customer service is difficult to reach.

Number of users

It is frustrating to consider that only two users have access to the majority of the features that Insightly has to offer. You will be required to make a payment in order to add more team members to your account, whereas Freshsales and HubSpot both provide an unlimited number of users right out of the gate.

Starting at $29 per user on a monthly basis, Insightly's pricing plan is one of the more expensive options. This seems like a significant increase, particularly considering that Agile CRM's first paid tier begins at $8.99 per month.

Lead Management

You'll have access to a wide variety of lead management tools, including mass emailing with customizable templates, detection of duplicate leads, lead visualization, and kanban charting, among many others. A long list of integrations is provided by the software as a supplement to the lead management functionality.

Tools for Automation

You have the ability to control read/write permissions and set granular roles for each of your two users from within the dashboard of Insightly. At the Professional level, you have access to a variety of additional tools.

Support

Email support and community forums are available to users of the free version of Insightly who are looking for answers as quickly as possible. In this respect, Freshsales continues to set the standard by providing unlimited support during the week.

Engagebay — Best Free CRM for Usability

Engagebay takes great pride in its user-friendly interface and marketing editors, which enable virtually anyone to achieve maximum CRM output. The software gives you the ability to personalize outgoing messages by attaching your company's logo to emails that you send. You won't have much success with third-party integrations, and some of the templates don't even come close to meeting the bar for modernity. The free version of Engagebay does not provide a customer service phone number in the event that you run into any difficulties.

Why we chose it: Engagebay provides a high limit for the number of users in addition to a large number of useful features that are packaged in an intuitive layout.

Pros:

  • User-friendly interface.
  • Personalized emails.
  • Marketing editors that are simple to use.

Cons:

  • There are few third-party integrations.
  • Templates that are outdated.
  • There is no phone support.

Number of users

Apps such as HubSpot and Freshsales do not place a limit on the number of users, but Engagebay's cap of 15 users is still more than enough for smaller companies. Those who are getting close to the limit will either need to upgrade their plan.

The beginning price for a paid plan is $11.99 per user on a monthly basis. Other leading free CRMs, such as HubSpot, immediately upgrade to a significantly more expensive $45 per month plan after users sign up for the free service. Engagebay gives you the ability to choose from three different levels of service depending on the specific requirements of your business.

Lead Management

Building landing pages and performing predictive lead scoring is possible with Engagebay even in the free version of the software. To better manage your workload, you can break up large deals into more manageable milestones. In the event that things start to get forgotten, the app is also able to send out reminders of responsibilities.

Tools for Automation

Engagebay does not offer a great deal in the way of automation; however, users are given the ability to construct forms and divide customers into groups for more straightforward tracking. When you need your team to focus on other areas, you can rely on auto-responders to step in and save the day. When compared to Zoho, these tools are nothing more than a speck in the sand.

Support

Engagebay does provide online assistance in the form of help documents and videos, but if you find yourself in over your head, there is also email and live chat support available to assist you. This support is better than most, but it is still not on par with Freshsales and the service that they provide at the highest level.

Bitrix24 — The Best Free Sales CRM

Bitrix24 distinguishes itself by providing highly effective collaborative tools, which enable teams to operate as cohesively as is humanly possible. Both traditional means of communication and social media can be utilized effectively by sales teams in order to facilitate connections with an unlimited number of contacts. If you use the free version, you won't have access to any analytics tools or customer support to assist you in an emergency situation. It is common for newer users to have difficulty navigating a complicated user interface.

Why we chose it: Bitrix24 is an excellent choice for a busy sales team due to its integration with social media and its collection of collaborative tools.

Pros:

  • Tools for collaboration.
  • Free access to social media.
  • Users and contacts are not limited.

Cons:

  • There are no analytics tools.
  • The user interface is somewhat difficult to navigate.
  • There is no customer service.

Number of users

There is no limit to the number of users that can be added to a Bitrix24 account; the number of users added can range anywhere from one to one thousand. HubSpot provides a service that is analogous to this one, but CRMs such as Insightly and Zoho restrict you to only a few users at a time.

The first paid tier of service offered by Bitrix24 costs $39 per month and allows for up to five users. To unlock all of the features and return to having unlimited users, you will need to spend $159 on this. This peculiar arrangement is somewhat comparable to the pricing structure of HubSpot's various plans.

Lead Management

Bitrix24 provides a central location for the management and interaction of social media, ensuring that you will not lose out on potential customers originating from those regions. You can build and host your own website, as well as keep track of an unlimited number of contacts, using the other tools that are included.

Tools for Automation

The customer relationship management software is lacking in the area of automation because it does not contain the tools necessary to build software-based workflow automation or software-based communications with customers. On the other hand, the free CRM software offered by Zoho enables five different kinds of custom automations.

Support

In the event that you run into an issue, you will have no choice but to seek support from the community or the help documents provided by Bitrix24. You are free to direct inquiries to the Bitrix24 team, but you shouldn't anticipate an immediate response to your question.

Best Always-free CRM — FAQ

It is not surprising that there is a great deal of misunderstanding concerning customer relationship management software and everything that is contained within it. The following responses ought to provide some illumination with regard to the questions that have garnered the most interest concerning the subject.

Is There a CRM That Is Truly Free?

Free customer relationship management software that includes features such as contact management and lead generation is not impossible to find. However, free CRM tools typically come with restrictions on the number of users or contacts that can be managed. Free tools have the potential to meet the requirements of some smaller businesses.

Which CRM is the most user-friendly?

The functionality of free customer relationship management software is typically restricted, and as a result, the interface may be overly straightforward. It can also depend on how you intend to use the CRM; for example, the best CRM for real estate may be ideal for a real estate agent who strives to cultivate positive relationships with clients, but it may be less suitable for B2B sales.

What Is the Most Economical CRM?

Free is the lowest possible cost, but certain free CRM plans are better suited for certain markets or types of interactions than others are. We found that HubSpot was the best option because it provides features to aid in the management of customer retention and additional tools that are necessary for small businesses.

Conclusion

Free customer relationship management software is an excellent starting point for companies that want to better understand their customer relationships and increase customer retention. The disadvantage is that you will need to be able to work within certain constraints, and you might not have instant access to all of the features that you require. Every app that we've included on this list provides outstanding tools that can assist you in bringing your business to the next level of development, and many of them also provide ample opportunities for growth in the future.