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.
It’s something that’s important for all businesses, yes – but it’s the smaller, newer businesses who stand to benefit the most. When you’re a new player in the industry, you need to prove your worth, and every potential lead needs to be carefully nurtured.
However, we get that every shiny loonie is precious, especially for younger businesses. All the CRM systems reviewed on this page are affordable, but they also work – plain and simple. And the best part? Lots of them have a free trial, or free version, so you can check the fit’s right for your business before committing.
Best Cheap CRM Systems
The best cheap CRM systems on the market are: Zoho CRM, Copper, Pipedrive, Freshsales and Salesforce.
| Zoho CRM | Best for unbeatable value for money | Read Review | ||
| Copper | Best for sales | Read Review | ||
| Pipedrive | Best for detailed lead management | Read Review | ||
| Freshsales | Best for small businesses | Read Review | ||
| Salesforce | Best for medium-large businesses | Read Review |
1. Zoho CRM
Best for unbeatable value for money
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 $16/user/month.
Pros:
- Free for up to three users
- Easy to use and to set up
- Great email marketing tools, plus web forms for collecting lead info
Cons:
- Mobile app has quite limited functionality
- Reduced customer support
2. Copper
Best for sales
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.
Pros:
- Good scope for customization
- Great features for sales-focused use
- Free trial available
Cons:
- Only works with Google programs, including Gmail
3. Pipedrive
Best for detailed lead management
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 $21/user/month.
Pros:
- 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
Cons:
- 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
4. Freshsales
Best for small businesses
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. Plans start at $20/user/month.
Pros:
- 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
Cons:
- Offers fewer third party integrations than competitors such as Zoho and Salesforce
5. Salesforce
Best for medium-large businesses
Last but not least, it’s CRM giant Salesforce. 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 $33/user/month.
Pros:
- 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
Cons:
- 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
FAQs
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
