Top 5 Cheap CRM Systems in Canada in 2023

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Rob Binns

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While every CRM platform on this list is affordable and will do its job well, some shout outs are owed to both Zoho, which has the best value for money by far, and Freshsales, which has the best offering for small businesses.

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and CRM tools help you do just that; protect and develop the relationships you build with each of your clients. While all businesses can benefit from CRM, it’s the smaller, newer businesses who stand to benefit the most.

If you'd rather get it straight from the horse's mouth, it's worth trying our free, zero-commitment quote comparison tool. By entering some information about your company, you'll be given quotes from various CRM providers, helping you decide which is the best option for you.

About pricing

Some providers offer separate pricing for both US and Canadian clients, while others apply their US pricing across both territories. For simplicity's sake, we'll only use US pricing on this page. Just be conscious that the price may change slightly based on conversion rates when it's time to buy.

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4.7
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Best for

Small businesses

Best for

Value for money

Best for

Detailed lead management

Best for

Medium to large businesses

Best for

Managing big projects

Price Range

$15 – $69 per user per month

Price Range

$14 – $52 per user per month

Price Range

$14.90 –  $99 per user per month

Price Range

$25 –  $300 per user per month

Price Range
Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan

1. Zoho CRM

Best for unbeatable value for money

Zoho Logo
Zoho CRM
4.7
Pricing Free – $52 per user per month
Quick overview

Zoho is one of the most affordable CRM softwares on the market, but it more than holds its own against more expensive packages. Sure, the interface isn’t as jazzy, but it gets the job done. If email is your main use for CRM, Zoho will really come into its own. Free for up to three users, with paid plans starting at $14/user/month (billed monthly).

Strengths

Free for up to three users

Easy to use and to set up

Great email marketing tools, plus web forms for collecting lead info

Weaknesses

Mobile app has quite limited functionality

Reduced customer support

Pricing
TiersPrice
Free Free
Standard $14 per user per month
Professional $23 per user per month
Enterprise $40 per user per month
Ultimate $52 per user per month

2. Copper

Best for sales

Copper Logo
Copper
Pricing $25 – $119 per user per month
Quick overview

Copper is another slightly under-the-radar, but well-regarded CRM system. Copper users love the sleek interface, and generally seem to find it easy to use. The downside is that it only integrates with Google programs, including Gmail. It’s also quite sales-focused, so might not be the right choice for businesses looking for more marketing capabilities. Plans start at $25/user/month.

Strengths

Good scope for customization

Great features for sales-focused use

Free trial available

The ‘Basic’ plan is budget-friendly

Easy to use

Integrations galore

Weaknesses

Only works with Google programs, including Gmail

Several online reviews take issue with Copper’s customer support

It’s tough to share views and reports with individuals that don’t also have a Copper account

Cheap to begin with, but various add-ons for email sends and extra features means that costs can balloon quickly

Pricing
Copper CRM pricing
Basic $25 per user per month
Professional $59 per user per month
Business $119 per user per month

3. Pipedrive

Best for detailed lead management

Pipedrive Logo
Pipedrive
Pricing $14.90 – $99 per user per month
Quick overview

Pipedrive is the perfect affordable CRM solution for businesses with several stages in their sales funnel. It’s the perfect way to guide each consumer from prospect to regular customer, especially for high-value products. Easily integrate with third party applications to maximize efficiency. Plans start at $14.90/user/month.

Strengths

Advanced app versions for on the move management

Efficient customer service and helpful guidance

Comprehensive lead management – clearly see where each contact is in the sales funnel

User-friendly interface

Free trial available

Weaknesses

Not as much scope for customization as other platforms, so might not be suitable for more niche industries

The features might be overkill for very small businesses

Pricing
Pipedrive CRM pricing
Essential $14.90 per user per month
Advanced $24.90 per user per month
Professional $49.90 per user per month
Enterprise $99 per user per month

4. Freshsales

Best for small businesses

Freshsales Logo
Freshsales
4.5
Pricing Free – $69 per user per month
Quick overview

If you’re a small business looking for a good, affordable CRM system without all the bells and whistles, Freshsales will be right up your street. Get up and running in next to no time with an easy, useful dashboard, packed full of features you’ll actually use. Freshsales is popular across the board, but it’s the small businesses that sing its praises the loudest. Paid plans start at $15/user/month.

Strengths

Great for automating tasks such as logging phone calls

A simple software that’s easy to pick up, and won’t require much training

Free trial available

Weaknesses

Offers fewer third party integrations than competitors such as Zoho and Salesforce

Pricing
TiersPrice
Free Free
Growth $15 per user per month
Pro $39 per user per month
Enterprise $69 per user per month

5. Salesforce

Best for medium-large businesses

Salesforce Logo
Salesforce
3.8
Pricing $25 – $300 per user per month
Quick overview

There’s a reason why, when googling CRM systems, you’ll find plenty of articles with titles such as ‘7 Best Alternatives to Salesforce’; it’s really set the bar high when it comes to CRM systems, and seems to have a plan to suit everyone. But when it comes to affordability and value for money, how does it stack up? Plans start at $25/user/month.

Strengths

Good range of features that make it well-suited to medium-large businesses

Huge number of integrations available, including a number of Salesforce’s own. This makes it a really robust tool for marketing as well as sales

Free trial available

Weaknesses

One of the pricier systems around

Not the easiest to get to grips with quickly

Very small businesses should opt for a cheaper, easier product

Pricing
TiersPrice
Essentials $25 per user per month
Professional $75 per user per month
Enterprise $150 per user per month
Unlimited $300 per user per month

How Did We Find the Best CRM Software?

Our team of independent researchers looked at a selection of the best and most popular CRM software. After finding all the information we need, the researchers then compare each software against its competitors, allowing us to find the cream of the crop. The criteria we look at include:

  • Price: Simple enough – the platform with the lowest price tag scores the best
  • Customization: What does the platform allow you to toy with in order to make it suit your business?
  • Features: Again, fairly easy to assess. Whichever platforms offer the best variety of features are given a better placement than those that have a more skint collection of tools.
  • Team Infrastructure: How does the platform allow you to manage large sales teams?
  • Customer Support: Again, easy enough – look at the options available and see what each platform offers its customers when it comes to their support resources
  • Scalability: How much does each software allow your business to grow over time?

After factoring in all this information, alongside the scores they received, we were able to calculate a final overall score for each CRM platform.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the easiest CRM system to use?
All of the CRM systems featured on this list should be fairly easy to get to grips with, but Zoho and Freshsales stand out as being particularly user-friendly.
What’s a cloud-based CRM system?
With a cloud-based CRM system, your customer data is stored in ‘the cloud’. This means you can access it from anywhere, so long as you have internet, rather than having to have the software downloaded onto that particular device.
How much does a CRM system cost?
While it’s possible to find free CRM systems, paid plans will cost anywhere between $16 and $400 per user per month. How much you should be spending depends on the size of your business, and the functionality that you need. Pop your details into this short form to receive your custom quotes.
Written by:
Rob Binns
Rob Binns Services Expert

Rob writes mainly about the payments industry, but also brings to the table industry-specific knowledge of CRM software, business loans, fulfilment, and invoice finance. When not exasperating his editor with bad puns, he can be found relaxing in a sunny (socially-distanced) corner, with a beer and a battered copy of Dostoevsky.

Reviewed by:
James Macey Senior Business Software Researcher

James thinks all businesses can improve if they use the right technology. At Expert Market, he utilises his 4+ years experience as a researcher to offer specialised advice on a wide range of categories from CRM to Fleet Management.