Customer relationship management, or CRM, software enables small businesses to handle customer interactions in a way that is comfortable for a growing enterprise. CRM provides a scalable, centralized platform for managing customers — both new and current — alongside tools for communication management and tracking, marketing assistance, lead and deal tracking, and financial analysis.
Investing in CRM software is an excellent idea if you run a small business that needs a platform for managing or automating sales leads and growth. CRM suites also provide a central platform for monitoring customer interactions, sales, and deals. They can automate some time-consuming processes, freeing you up to focus on other business tasks. Options include HubSpot, Zoho CRM, and Salesmate CRM.
What is the best small business CRM software right now?
The best CRM software for small businesses is HubSpot. HubSpot, available from $9 per seat per month, is also an excellent way to enter the CRM market without spending a single dollar. Although the free plan is limited, you can still unlock sales, lead generation, and customer support packages with a paid upgrade once you’re comfortable.
Another option I like for emerging businesses is Monday.com, which is excellent if workflow management is your top priority. A free plan provides users with two seats; basic plans start at $9 per seat per month.
Also: The best remote access software: Expert tested
ZDNET has kept an eye on the customer relationship management market for years, and we extensively research and compare vendors when we compile our recommendation lists. Read on to discover the best CRM software solutions for small businesses in 2025.
The best small business CRM software of 2025
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If you’re looking for a way to implement a CRM as the next stage of your growing business, many people will recommend HubSpot.
Why we like it: This CRM starts you off with a free plan — no payment card details required. Just enter an email address, complete the verification process, and let HubSpot know if you’re new to CRM software, and away you go.
What I particularly like about this CRM is that it’ll tailor your learning experience based on your priorities — whether you want to automate marketing schemes, generate sales leads, build a website, or improve your customer support system.
You’ll find that the basic, free CRM can be used for tasks such as contact management and email marketing.
The company is also moving quickly in exploring how AI and AI agents can benefit small businesses. Recently, HubSpot launched a deep research connector with ChatGPT for business predictions and analytics, alongside a connector for Anthropic’s Claude, a chatbot AI assistant designed to assist customers and staff.
Who it’s for: HubSpot is a good option if you’re just entering the CRM world, with many smaller outfits reporting that they’re happy with the system. However, some also note that the costs can quickly escalate if you want advanced features.
Who should look elsewhere: You’ll need to pay to access the sales dashboard, help desk suite, surveys, or customer portal. If you need these features, the free option won’t be suitable for you. In that case, consider upgrading, or check out our other recommendations.
Paid plans begin at $15 per user per month for starter plans. However, subscription to the next level can leap to more than $800 per month, depending on what bolt-ons you want, such as marketing, sales, or service.
HubSpot features: Different workspaces | Website help | Dashboards | Contact sync | Tutorials | App marketplace | Free plan, 14-day Pro trial
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Zoho is another excellent option for small organizations and startups. It offers affordable plans for small businesses looking to explore the benefits of CRM software.
Why we like it: Zoho not only provides users with an extensive range of functions and customization options but also places automation and orchestration at the heart of its software.
Users can easily capture leads and automate sales and support tasks, and also benefit from predictive analytics.
Prices start at $14 per seat per month. The entry-level Zoho CRM plan includes email campaigns, forecasting, and workflow management features.
Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate subscriptions — priced at $23, $40, and $52 per seat per month, respectively — offer advanced tools including the Zia AI assistant, orchestration, custom functions, analytics, and business insights. There’s also a limited free plan available.
Who it’s for: Zoho CRM reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with many small-business owners considering it a game-changer.
If you want a sales-focused option for your small business, you should consider Zoho CRM. By using CommandCenter, you can track customer journeys and sales processes, giving you insight into any issues or sticking points and allowing you to improve customer experiences and outcomes.
Who should look elsewhere: Though a free plan is available, this option is best if you’re willing to subscribe. Furthermore, if you’re completely new to the CRM world, you might want to explore a solution that’s focused on being user-friendly, such as Less Annoying CRM.
Zoho CRM features: Sales automation | Orchestration | User portals | Customization | Microsoft 365 integration | Analytics | Forecasting | AI assistant | Free plan, 15-day trial
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Monday.com could be the right CRM software for you if your focus is on workflow organization and management.
Why we like it: I’ve used Monday previously as a contractor and found it’s very easy to learn and useful for daily task organization. The platform uses “boards” to manage tasks and assignments, making tracking of employee activities easy.
I like this option because small businesses can start with workflows and then adopt the full CRM if they choose. They can expand board usage and dive into sales and lead generation, customer onboarding, marketing activities, outreach programs, and sales forecasting.
You can also purchase AI “credits” that let you assign AI to complete tasks for you, including assigning employee projects, analyzing risks, creating summaries, and performing data capture.
Who it’s for: Individuals who want a free, limited option for workflow management, or emerging businesses that want a starter CRM.
If you’re interested, you can use Monday.com’s workflow management setup for free, as long as you don’t need more than two seats. If you’d like to use it to handle team collaboration and assignments, prices start at $9 per seat per month if you just want boards. The full CRM costs $12 and up per user per month.
Who should look elsewhere: Customers say Monday.com provides excellent management features but that customer support is lackluster. If you think you’ll need ongoing support, consider Salesmate instead.
Monday.com features: Workflow dashboards | Task assignment | AI | Automation | Sales forecasting | Lead capture | Free plan
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Yes, the name is a bit strange at first glance — but Less Annoying CRM is a product that’s exactly what it says on the tin.
Why we like it: It’s clean and clutter-free, and as the name says, some customers find it “less annoying” than other CRM solutions, especially when it’s used on a daily basis. Less Annoying CRM doesn’t limit its customers based on plan. Thus, from the beginning, you’ll have access to unlimited contact and sales pipeline field entry, task assignments, agendas, calendars, event handling, lead data, and more.
The CRM supports third-party integrations with popular software, including Google Calendar, Mailchimp, JustCall, and Xapp.ai. Recent updates include form customization and enhanced email logging functionality, alongside improvements to accessibility.
Who it’s for: Less Annoying CRM is best suited for small businesses that need a clean CRM experience for daily tasks and sales management.
This vendor has adopted an interesting pricing structure, and one many small businesses will appreciate. You pay a fixed $15 per user per month plus tax for unlimited pipelines, 25GB of storage per user, and full access to the software suite. However, once you need more than 10 seats, you’ll need to contact the company to discuss an upgrade.
Who should look elsewhere: Customers of Less Annoying CRM say it’s an excellent platform for simplifying management, but some note that businesses may outgrow it rather quickly. If you predict that your business will scale rapidly, check out our other recommendations, including Salesmate or Zoho CRM.
Less Annoying CRM features: Daily task management | Pipeline entry | Team management | Mobile support | 2FA | Third-party integration | Free trial
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Salesmate CRM is another of my top choices for small businesses, especially if you’re focused on analytics and data analysis.
Why we like it: Used by more than 8,500 organizations worldwide, Salesmate CRM offers a range of CRM services, but it shines when it comes to data management and analysis.
Teams can create their own custom dashboards and use hundreds of widgets to display information relevant to their projects. Custom modules can also be implemented to generate reports based on business datasets.
You have three tiers to choose from: Basic, Pro, and Business. Although the Basic plan — $23 per seat per month — comes with features such as deal pipeline management, email sync, and contact management, the Pro plan is a better choice for emerging businesses. It’s more expensive at $39 per seat per month, but you’ll have access to quote management, tickets, team inboxes, management functions, and custom dashboards.
Who it’s for: Anyone focused on data and analytics. Salesmate CRM customers like the platform for small and medium-sized businesses, but some say formatting functions could be improved. It might not be the best option for larger organizations or companies that want to focus on business aspects outside of data analysis.
Who should look elsewhere: The Business plan, priced at $63 per user per month, offers advanced features such as service level agreement creation, SSO, and advanced goal management. If this is beyond your current budget, consider one of our less expensive recommendations.
Salesmate CRM features: Advanced analytics | Team management | Third-party integrations | Mobile support | Sales, marketing automation | Sandy AI | Free trial
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While you’re deciding on the right CRM for your business, you should focus on the cost, third-party integrations, or other features. To help you choose, we’ve listed some of the most important factors:
Small-business CRM provider
Cost
User friendly?
Third-party integration?
AI?
HubSpot
Free; $15 and up per user per month
Yes
Yes
Yes, Breeze Copilot, on some plans
Zoho CRM
Free; $14 and up per user per month
Learning curve
Yes
Yes, Zia, on some plans
Monday.com
Free; $12 and up per user per month
Yes
Yes, custom apps
Yes, credits, on some plans
Less Annoying CRM
Free; $15 and up per user per month
Yes
Yes
Third-party integration
Salesmate CRM
$23 and up per user per month
Learning curve
Yes
Sandy AI (Pro and Business plans)
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Choose this CRM software for small businesses…
If you want or need…
HubSpot
The best small-business CRM software overall. You can learn the basics with a free plan before exploring sales, customer support tools, reporting, and more.
Zoho CRM
A CRM with a focus on sales. Zoho provides a vast suite of tools to improve customer experiences and outcomes.
Monday.com
A CRM for workflow management. You can use this CRM to easily or automatically assign employee tasks and boost workforce productivity.
Less Annoying CRM
A fixed-fee CRM for daily tasks. At $15 per user per month, Less Annoying CRM is perfect for teams of 10 or fewer for sales and employee management.
Salesmate CRM
A data analytics-focused CRM. If you want data insights and detailed reporting, Salesmate CRM could be your best option.
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Choosing the right CRM software provider can be a challenging prospect for small businesses, and an investment of time and money. So while deciding on the best CRM software providers of 2025 for SMBs, I looked at the following factors:
- Usability: It’s important for small businesses that may be new to the world of CRM or may previously have relied only on limited free options, that their next investment has a clean, uncluttered interface and isn’t too complicated to learn.
- Scalability: It’s also crucial that CRM providers allow small businesses to scale up their CRM over time to meet changing needs and demands. Therefore, each option on our recommended list is scalable.
- Customization: It’s useful if CRM solutions allow for a high level of customization. It might not be that important for small businesses at the start, but it’s still a feature I want to see.
- Features: Speaking of features, modern CRM providers must also have an extensive portfolio of features and services. These may include analytics, mobile app support, automation, and orchestration tools.
- Support: When setting up a new business, or when you’re on the way to expansion, investing in new tools can be daunting. It’s important that CRM providers have a range of channels that customers can use for support.
- Customer experiences: I’ve extensively researched the customer experiences and feedback associated with each of the CRM software providers I recommend for small businesses.
- Cost: Small businesses often need to maintain a tight leash on their spending, at least in the first few years. Though CRM software can be a valuable tool for growth, it must also be an investment that represents good value for money, and so I’ve included a range of solutions suitable for different budgets.
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Latest information on small business CRM software
- Salesforce predicts that AI agents will prompt one in four human job role changes.
- A new survey suggests that remote work — despite pushback and efforts to return people to the office — is still the secret to small business success.
- Anthropic’s Claude AI ran a small shop for a month, and the results were interesting to say the least.
- Some experts consider AI applications to be the catalyst for radical change in the CRM industry. Many businesses, large and small, are trying out AI in pilot projects.
- In Salesmate’s latest product release notes, the company revealed improved permissions and control over data sharing.
- Zoho has added AI capabilities to its business app creation platform.
The answer is typically yes.
CRM software can help kick-start business growth by centralizing and organizing sales leads, marketing, analytics, and customer communications. When your business is growing, you’ll want to focus on promoting that growth in a sustainable way, and CRM is not only invaluable in managing leads but it can also be used to automate otherwise time-consuming processes.
However, if you’re just starting out and you’re new to CRM software, you might want to opt for a free or budget-friendly option to begin with, and then scale up over time.
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There are plenty of excellent free CRM options out there, though you should manage expectations and accept certain limitations. Some of the best free CRM solutions to consider are HubSpot and Zoho CRM.
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No, QuickBooks isn’t customer relationship management software. QuickBooks is used by countless organizations worldwide, but for a very different purpose: It’s accounting software that your tax manager or accountant will be thankful you use. You can, however, integrate QuickBooks with a variety of dedicated CRM platforms.
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Google doesn’t have a native CRM platform, but the company does provide valuable business tools used by countless organizations across the globe. The Google Workspace suite includes productivity-boosting apps and collaborative tools including Docs and Sheets, and many software solutions provided by CRM vendors are integrable. You can check out the Google Marketplace to research sales and CRM apps.
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Latest updates
- In ZDNET’s latest July update, we performed editorial and structural changes, and noted news concerning the CRM market.
- In ZDNET’s May update, we made substantial changes to the article’s content and organization.
Other CRM software worth considering
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Salesforce Starter CRM is an excellent alternative if you want access to top-tier CRM functions and the ability to scale as a smaller business. You can try it for free for 30 days, and if you like it, sign up to retain access to out-of-the-box sales automation, email marketing, storefront assistance, and more.
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Microsoft Dynamics 365 includes a suite of useful CRM and sales tools available for use and integration within the Microsoft ecosystem. While it’s not a standalone platform and may take some getting used to, if you want to select your own setup and modules, browse the marketplace for ideas.
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Capsule CRM is a platform with simplicity at its core and is best suited for managing small-team workflows. There’s a reasonably-priced entry-level option with features including an AI assistant, email marketing help, basic reports, and templates. However, you will need to go up a tier or two for advanced CRM functions.
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If you want a CRM already stocked with marketing templates and other resources, Insightly is for you. Consider this alternative as a way to boost your sales and customer base as a new business, rather than a CRM specializing in advanced analtyics and predictions.
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ZDNET has also provided a guide on our favorite free CRM software recommendations. Alternatively, if you’re interested in the state of AI in the corporate world, find out about the power struggles between CTOs and CMOs today.
Looking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.
