Written by Matt Reed Reviewed by James Macey Updated on 1 October 2024 On this page Introduction to Cloud-Based CRM Best Cloud-Based CRM for Small Business Zoho CRM Freshworks CRM Pipedrive HubSpot monday CRM Cloud-Based CRM Buying Guide Cloud-Based CRM vs On-Premise CRM The Advantages of Cloud-Based CRM The Advantages of On-Premise CRM Our Methodology Next Steps Expand Our site is reader-supported – by clicking our links, we can match you with a potential supplier, and we may earn a small commission for this referral. Our extensive research has found that Zoho CRM is the best cloud CRM for UK businesses. It has the most advanced features including custom reporting, automated workflows and over 1,000 third-party integration options (although you’ll need Zoho Payroll for any payroll services).And choosing the best cloud-based CRM is critical to driving growth in 2024’s competitive online landscape. Whether you are searching for a powerful, cheap CRM or an adaptable solution for scaling your business, your team needs a CRM that offers real-time insights, seamless automation, and secure, 24/7 access from any device.Read on for the complete list of our top five ranked cloud-powered solutions, all designed to boost productivity, improve customer relationships and simplify your sales processes in different manners. Did You Know? Zoho CRM: Best for customisationFreshsales Suite: Best for sales automationPipedrive: Best for visual pipeline managementHubspot: Best for free CRM toolsMonday: Best for project managementThese are the providers we recommend based on our research. Click any of them to use our free quote-finding tool to get exact prices for your business. Or to find out how we ranked these providers, read our research criteria. The Best Cloud-Based CRM for Small BusinessNow you’ve decided that cloud-based CRM is the best avenue for your business, it’s time to pick the right provider. And, because you’re busy running that business, we’ve made it simple to make the right choice. We looked at a range of key suppliers in the CRM space; rating, reviewing, and ranking them based on several factors crucial to small businesses. These include task tracking and scheduling, workflow management, a group calendar, and effective external communication features – essentially, anything that can improve the efficiency and ease with which your team collaborates.Here are the top cloud-based CRM providers, according to our data: 1. Zoho CRM: Best for CustomisationFor a highly affordable, clean-looking cloud-based CRM, make Zoho your top pick. We believe its Professional Plan has a comprehensive toolset, with an emphasis on customisation and workflow automation, and is Zoho’s best balance of feature and price.You have many features to play with, including sales forecasting, inventory management, and Google Ads integration. Still, it can be overwhelming due to its extensive feature set, so new starters might need a little time to get to grips with the interface. Below is a summary of how Zoho fared in our extensive research, plus the price points of its various plans. Zoho 4.7 Pricing From £12 per user, per month Try Zoho Quick overview A free plan and a free trial? Sign us up. As well as boasting one of the most user-friendly, eye-catching, and dynamic interfaces around, Zoho’s CRM is also one of the cheapest. For just £12 per user, per month, Zoho’s ‘Standard’ plan sets the standard – offering everything its free plan does, plus workflows, lead scoring, and mass email capabilities. Add in multiple pipelines and custom dashboards, and Zoho emerges as a CRM that’s equal parts style and substance. Read more + Read less - Strengths Zoho’s cheapest CRM plan includes email insights and sales forecasting Custom reporting available No contractual commitments Zoho Analytics also offers an on-premise solution Highly customisable Weaknesses Zoho (especially its cheapest CRM plans) may prove just a little too simplistic for the needs of some businesses Its mobile app can be slow to update with data, with some online reviews suggesting branding it ‘cumbersome’ Limited range of integrations, particularly when compared to some other analytical CRM software providers Pricing See more See less PlanPrice Standard £12 per user per month Professional £18 per user per month Enterprise £35 per user per month Ultimate £42 per user per month What are Zoho CRM’s best cloud CRM features?Zoho CRM excels in customisation, allowing users to tailor their interface with its Canvas tool. It also integrates well with over 1,000 third-party apps via its marketplace and includes robust workflow automation, which is powered by its AI assistant, Zia, to optimise tasks and enhance productivity.Extensive contact management: The Professional plan allows for up to 5 million contacts with robust storage options, making it ideal for businesses handling large volumes of customer data.We found Zoho's data importation process to be customizable, which gave a higher level of precision to the entire CRM - Source: Expert MarketWorkflow automation: The Professional Plan supports automated workflows and custom list views, helping teams streamline operations and improve efficiency.Advanced analytics and reporting: This plan includes sales forecasting and custom reporting, key tools for improving sales performanceWhere could Zoho CRM improve?Customer support: Zoho CRM’s Professional plan only offers standard customer support, and 24/7 support is not included. Businesses may need to purchase additional onboarding assistance or support for optimal usage.Complex interface: While Zoho offers a wealth of features, the interface can be overwhelming for new users, particularly when navigating between customisation options like Canvas and Wizards.How does Zoho CRM compare to other top cloud CRM software?We found that Zoho CRM offers more advanced customisation options than the likes of HubSpot or Pipedrive, particularly with its workflow automation and integration with over 1,000 apps.Zoho’s file storage capacities are decent too, offering 10GB of space for the whole organisation on its Professional plan. Depending on your staff numbers that could better the likes of Freshsales, which limits each user to 2GB (Growth plan) or 5GB (Pro plan), although Monday CRM offers ten times as much storage as Zoho (100GB) on its Pro plan.However, our user-testers found that platforms including HubSpot and Monday CRM are more user-friendly, due to the wealth of customisation options on Zoho, and offer better free-tier support.What businesses is Zoho CRM best for?Zoho CRM is best suited for mid-sized businesses that need extensive customisation, particularly those looking to scale their operations with automated workflows and advanced sales forecasting tools. 2. Freshsales Suite: Best for Sales AutomationOur research has concluded that the Growth Plan of Freshsales Suite should help businesses looking to streamline their sales processes with automation. It offers unlimited contact storage and user flexibility, alongside strong sales pipeline management features such as lead prioritisation tools and a handy visual representation of the whole sales pipeline.With higher-tier plans such as Pro and Enterprise, businesses gain access to additional storage and advanced capabilities like deeper sales forecasting and enhanced data management, should that be important for your business. Read our scorecard summary of what its cloud-based CRM platform can offer your business below. Freshsales 4.5 Pricing From £7 per user, per month Try Freshsales Quick overview What’s better than a CRM system that can help maximise your profits? A CRM that’s cheap. We're talking £7 per user, per month cheap. Freshsales (also known as Freshworks CRM) fits this mould – in fact, it’s our top CRM pick for sales teams, period. Here’s why.Firstly, lead scoring. You can prioritise new opportunities by their potential value to your business, and manage contacts, deals, and accounts hassle-free – all from a customisable visual pipeline. Secondly? Integrations. Whether it’s your existing email provider, your SMS marketing tool, or over 100 of the apps your small business uses every day, Freshworks CRM has you covered. Thirdly? 24/5 email, chat, and phone support, included with all plans. Need we say more? Read more + Read less - Strengths Works with ‘Freshcaller’, Freshsales' own integrated VoIP telephony product Connects to over 100 third-party business apps Lead management and scoring both available with Freshsales' cheapest CRM version Weaknesses Bulk email marketing not available with Freshsales' Sales Cloud – you'll have to opt for its Marketing Cloud plan, instead Pricing See more See less PlanPrice Growth £7 per user, per month Pro £29 per user, per month Enterprise £49 per user, per month What are Freshsales’ best cloud CRM features?Unlimited contacts: Via its Growth Plan, you’ll get unlimited contact storage, although the system does restrict the number of active contacts for email campaigns.Freddy AI: One of Freshsales’ standout tools is Freddy AI, which uses artificial intelligence for lead scoring. The system assesses how likely leads are to convert based on custom criteria you set, helping to focus efforts on the most valuable prospects. While Freddy AI is powerful, we did find there can be occasional inconsistencies in scoring, especially with contacts that have similar details, but it is still incredibly handy to use.Kanban deal management: The drag-and-drop Kanban board for deals allows you to effortlessly manage sales opportunities by moving them between stages, made popular by tools like Trello. This visual approach simplifies any deal-tracking organisation.Freshsales pipeline overview isn't the most aesthetically pleasing CRM interface we've come across, though it is highly functional and provides a birds-eye view of your project timelines - Source: Expert MarketWhere could Freshsales improve?Customer support and onboarding: Across all its plans, Freshsales lacks 24/7 support and onboarding assistance, which may limit usability for businesses that require more hands-on guidance. Instead, you’ve got a phone and email line between 9am-5pm between Monday and Friday. Its basic support extent may not be suitable for teams handling large amounts of queries.Steep price jumps: While the entry-level Growth Plan is affordable, and priced lower than Zoho CRM, the jump to the Pro Plan is a significant £22 leap per user, per month. That’s something to consider when it comes to the scalability of this product.How does Freshsales compare to other cloud CRM software?Freshsales’ focus on sales automation is clear, with it offering more contact flexibility compared to Zoho CRM at similar tiers.We also found Freshsalles to be extremely user-friendly and far easier to navigate to where we needed to be than Hubspot or huge names that just missed out on our top five, such as Salesforce.The platform’s Launchpad tool, a built-in search function that helps users quickly find features, is particularly useful in our view, especially compared to the more menu-heavy navigation of competitors.However, it may not be as scalable as Zoho CRM, especially when transitioning between pricing tiers. Similarly, its customer support lags far behind competitors like HubSpot, which provides more comprehensive assistance even on its free plan, and so onboarding new staff could be more of a challenge with Freshsales than other options (though given its usability, hopefully, that’s not the case).What businesses is Freshsales best for?As you might expect given what we’ve outlined so far, Freshsales should be appealing to businesses that prioritise sales process automation and need unlimited contacts, though don’t require the heavyweight tools of Zoho CRM.However, for customer service-centred operations, Freshsales may not be the best choice due to its limited ticketing and ranking capabilities. 3. Pipedrive: Best for Visual Sales Pipeline ManagementOur standout plan for Pipedrive CRM is its Advanced Plan, however, we found the whole software straightforward to use thanks to its visually-driven sales pipelineIt simplifies deal management, using a Kanban-style interface that lets users easily track and manage deals across different stages by simply dragging and dropping them.Each pipeline is customisable, you can create automated workflows, and its AI-driven sales assistant helps out too so you can get to work without any painful setup. Here’s what else you should know before we dive into its specific plus and minus points. Pipedrive 4.2 Pricing From £14 per user, per month Try Pipedrive Quick overview Pipedrive is a new face on the CRM scene, but that doesn't mean they should be disregarded. In fact, they're one of the stronger CRM platforms on offer, bring highly streamlined and usable, having loads of integrations, and having the best organisational functionalities of any platform we've looked at.Likely inspiring its name, Pipedrive's signature aspect is its pipeline builder. It's an easy (or even fun) to use drag-and-drop system that allows you to automate workflows and pipelines to be as efficient as possible.Pipedrive is available at four different pricing tiers. You can start with its ‘Essential’ plan (£14 per user, per month), although it’s fairly sparse when it comes to features. We recommend springing for at least Pipedrive’s ‘Advanced’ plan (£29 per user, per month), to benefit from its excellent email marketing and sales automation capabilities. Read more + Read less - Strengths Fairly affordable High-quality chatbot High quality organisation tools Weaknesses No free tier Support isn't reviewed particularly well Pricing See more See less PlanPrice Essential £14 per user, per month Advanced £34 per user, per month Professional £49 per user, per month Power £64 per user, per month Enterprise £99 per user, per month What are Pipedrive’s best cloud CRM features?Pipedrive’s visual pipeline is its standout feature, making it easy to track deals at every stage. It also offers workflow automation, email tracking, and smart sales reporting, which help streamline the sales process.Customisable pipelines: Pipedrive offers a highly customisable visual sales pipeline, allowing users to tailor their deal stages based on unique workflows. The Advanced Plan also enables integration with email, letting you contact leads with ease.Onboarding assistance and support: Unlike some competitors, Pipedrive’s Advanced and higher-tier plans offer 24/7 live support, ensuring that users can get help whenever needed, which is crucial for businesses operating across different time zones.AI sales assistant and workflow automation: Higher-tier plans come with an AI-powered sales assistant, offering recommendations on how to manage deals effectively. Pipedrive also includes 30 pre-built workflow automations, designed specifically for sales teams to set up their operations faster. It works by assigning leads to team members based on custom criteria, which isn’t as easily implemented in platforms like Zoho CRM or Freshsales.Pipedrive's automations can allow you to automatically send contracts for signing, send emails, SMS, direct messages and phone calls to follow up on leads or connect sales to third-party accounting software like Xero - Source: PipedriveWhere could Pipedrive improve?Pipedrive lacks some of the more robust features offered by competitors like Zoho, such as inventory management or comprehensive marketing tools.In fact, many of Pipedrive’s top features, such as AI assistance and advanced automations, are not available in the more affordable plans. Full access to these features requires either the Professional or Enterprise plans, which start at a higher price point.And while Pipedrive offers great customer support in the Advanced Plan, onboarding assistance is not included.How does Pipedrive compare to other cloud CRM software?Pipedrive’s strength lies in its simplicity and ease of use. Its Kanban board and deal management features make it less complex than Zoho CRM and more intuitive than Freshsales, but it may not offer enough flexibility for businesses that need extensive customisation (Zoho has more, it’s just a bit complicated to make the most of them).What businesses is Pipedrive best for?Pipedrive is perfect for sales teams that need a straightforward, visual approach to managing deals and pipelines.However, most of its strengths do lie with sales tools first and foremost rather than other areas like marketing, customer service, and project management. For marketing functionality, Zoho CRM or HubSpot are better choices, while Zendesk is a stronger option for customer service. 4. HubSpot: Best for Free CRM ToolsHubSpot’s Free Plan is one of the most popular cloud CRM software packages for small businesses due to a lack of upfront investment. It offers a solid foundation of tools for managing customer relationships, including contact management, email marketing, and deal tracking.If you do want extra features, Hubspot allows users to pick and choose what they need from its three paid tiers (Starter, Professional, Enterprise) by selecting ‘Create a Bundle’ at checkout. HubSpot 4.3 Pricing From £19 per user, per month (2 user minimum) Try HubSpot Quick overview What makes a free CRM plan generous, do you think? Is it unlimited users? Features for boosting your sales, marketing, and customer service automation efforts, perhaps? Or is it being able to store up to one million contacts? Whatever your definition of the perfect cheap CRM looks like, HubSpot is close to it. And yes, while it is one of the more expensive CRMs to upgrade, the fact is that you may not even need to – especially because HubSpot works so seamlessly with G Suite, Outlook, and most of the tools your team already uses every day.As with most free and cheap CRM software, though, there is a catch. If you use HubSpot’s free CRM product in conjunction with its Marketing Hub, any contacts you add to the free version will automatically end up in the database of your paid marketing tool. Unsurprisingly, this can lead to costs quickly ballooning (HubSpot charges you for extra contacts – go figure!), so it’s worth making a mental note of. Read more + Read less - Strengths Sports a stunning interface, and even more immaculate UX (user experience) Powered by drag-and-drop functionality Its free plan includes strong list segmentation and email marketing capabilities Live chat and conversational bots included Weaknesses When you want to upgrade from HubSpot’s cheapest CRM plans, things get expensive – fast! Pricing See more See less PlanPrice Starter £14 per user per month (minimum 2 users) Professional £1,017 per month (includes 5 users) Enterprise £3,740 per month (includes 7 users) What are HubSpot’s best cloud CRM features?HubSpot’s free plan offers plenty of functionality from features such as a contact management centre, email marketing, and sales pipeline tracking. It also integrates seamlessly with other HubSpot tools. Here are a few standout picks:Extensive contacts: HubSpot’s Free Plan allows for up to 1 million contacts, far surpassing many other free-tier CRMs.Mix-and-match premium features: HubSpot’s unique “Create a Bundle” option on the checkout page allows businesses to mix and match features from different tiers. For example, companies can select the Starter plan for marketing while opting for Professional or Enterprise for more advanced sales features, offering incredible flexibility.Bundling different packages with Hubspot CRM can be attractive to businesses that only want to spend on features they use - Source: Expert MarketComprehensive sales and customer service features: HubSpot has a variety of tools for different use cases. It enables users to call contacts directly from the CRM with a HubSpot-provided number, which is available on all paid plans, and they are recorded automatically. Meanwhile, customer service teams can switch communication channels seamlessly and create dynamic ticket routing rules to ensure customer queries reach the appropriate staff member.Marketing features: Users can also embed videos that contain CTAs and forms in emails, on your website, and social media, and track performance through Hubspot.Where could HubSpot improve?The free plan, while generous, has limitations on reporting and automation features, which are only available in the paid versions. It may not provide enough scalability for businesses needing advanced customisation and analytics.Users are also restricted to uploading five documents in the free version each, which is next to no storage in the long run.That means you may need to upgrade your package beyond a free tier. While HubSpot’s pricing structure is flexible, its paid tiers can be expensive, reaching up to £72 per user, per month (minimum 5 users) for its Professional plan and £98 per user, per month for its Enterprise plan.How does HubSpot compare to other cloud CRM software?HubSpot’s free tier has a lot going for it, including a huge contact limit, and is a more comprehensive cost-free option than Zoho’s zero-cost plan. We think the platform is pretty intuitive too, with a decent range of features considering it costs nothing.However, the platform’s file storage restrictions and the lack of advanced features in the free version mean that businesses looking for deep customisation or robust automation will need to upgrade sooner rather than later.We love its bundle package options for its pricing, but its paid tiers can become more expensive when compared to the likes of Zoho and Pipedrive. We’d recommend those options for long-term scalability.What businesses is HubSpot best for?Ideal for small businesses looking for a user-friendly CRM without initial costs, Hubspot is a great entry point to the cloud-based CRM world.It is something of an all-in-one platform, offering sales, marketing, and customer service features that can be bundled with different The bundle pricing option means businesses have the flexibility to choose the CRM functions they need, making sure they don’t overpay for features they don’t use. However, be wary of its advanced plans, as costs can spiral if you aren’t careful. 5. Monday CRM: Best for Project ManagementMonday CRM’s Pro Plan combines customer relationship management with project management, making it highly effective for teams that need to track both sales and project workflows. Its visually-driven platform simplifies task management while providing essential CRM functionalities. monday CRM 4.2 £8 - Custom per user, per month Try monday CRM Who it's best for monday CRM is a slick, drag-and-drop-powered software that is best for teams who need to customise processes to suit their workflow and gain a clear overview of their contacts in custom layouts such as Kanban board and Gantt chart formats. Read more + Read less - Strengths User-friendly interface Versatile project and CRM management Custom automations Weaknesses More limited CRM specific features around lead scoring or email marketing Limited sales and customer service tools No onboarding assistance Pricing See more See less PlanPrice Basic £10 per user, per month Standard £14 per user, per month Pro £24 per user, per month Enterprise Custom What are Monday CRM’s best cloud CRM features?Monday’s Pro Plan offers a range of useful tools for project management, team collaboration, and automation. You can manage customer relationships while also tracking project timelines, resources, and workflows from a single platform. Here are some features that stand out:Customisable workflows: Monday CRM’s main boon is that it allows businesses to tailor sales processes to their specific needs. Project-driven teams, where tasks, timelines, and resources need to be tracked and updated in real-time, will find this particularly appealing.We found using monday.com to be a breeze in terms of usability, with its aesthetic dashboard being easy to get to grips with and create items/sub-items for your planning - Source: Expert MarketUnlimited contacts: Starting from the Standard Plan, Monday CRM allows for unlimited contacts. That means no worry about capacity constraints when it comes to your customers.Flexible storage: The Pro Plan includes 20GB of file storage per user, which is ideal for teams handling extensive project documentation alongside CRM activities. The Enterprise Plan offers even more storage, up to 100GB of storage, should it be required.Where could Monday CRM improve?Monday CRM lacks some of the deeper CRM-specific features. Its sales and lead management tools are not as advanced, which may limit its effectiveness for sales-heavy teams.How does Monday CRM compare to other cloud CRM software?Compared to Zoho CRM or Freshsales, Monday’s strengths lie in its project management features rather than sales automation. It offers more visually intuitive project tracking, but it’s less focused on CRM-specific functionalities.We think that makes it a unique proposition compared to most CRM platforms, and one worth considering. Though, if your priority is for lead scoring or automated workflows, then Zoho or HubSpot may be a better fit.For businesses focused on project management with CRM capabilities as a secondary need, Monday is an ideal choice.What businesses is Monday CRM best for?Monday CRM’s Pro Plan is best for project-driven teams or businesses that need a hybrid solution for managing both sales and project workflows.Its combination of task management, CRM, and collaboration tools makes it an excellent fit for cross-functional teams that require real-time updates on both projects and customer relationships. Cloud-Based CRM Buying GuideWhen purchasing a cloud-based CRM system, we recommend weighing up your business priorities to help decide which one is for you. After all, there are plenty of options – you just need one which fits your business needs best. In our buying guide below, we’ll go through some of the things you’ll need to consider to help simply your decision-making.User experience and onboardingA CRM system should be easy to use for your team, so consider the overall user experience when making your choice. A system that’s intuitive to navigate should aid productivity and prevent frustration among staff. After all, no one wants to use troublesome software day in, day out.More advanced platforms may require more setup time but can be worth the investment if they align well with your team’s skillset, accessibility needs or even general workflow preferences.However, you’ll also want to think about new hires who are likely to need teaching on how to use software. If the software is easy enough to teach, then (hopefully) it should be easy enough for newbies to learn when your team’s staffing situations change.Costs & scalabilityA core consideration for your business will come down to the cost of any cloud-based CRM subscription. You can often save money by committing to an annual subscription, as many providers offer discounts for yearly payments. We recommend testing any software before committing to these longer terms, and you should be able to since the majority of CRM offers a free trial or demo program.Other than those core package costs, you’ll also want to be mindful of potential add-ons. Some features might only be available in higher-tier packages, while other software allows you to mix and match features of different tiers.Even if you’re opting for a basic plan to begin with, it’s worth thinking about how well the CRM will support your business as it grows. Transitioning to a new system later can be costly and time-consuming, so selecting a CRM that can expand alongside your business – with higher cost plans that would be palatable in price to your business – is essential.You’ll want to have a handle on the number of users, customers, and data each tier can handle and for what price.CRM features and functionalityThe precise number, variety and extent of tools you can use in your chosen cloud-based CRM software is arguably the most important consideration of all. Here are a few to get your mind racing if you aren’t certain about the features and functions your team requires:Contact management: Ideal for service-based businesses like consultancies or real estate firms that need to track ongoing client interactions and maintain detailed contact information.Sales pipeline tracking: Suits B2B companies such as software providers or manufacturing firms that manage long sales cycles and multiple deal stages.Lead scoring: Essential for digital marketing agencies and e-commerce businesses where you need to prioritise large volumes of leads based on conversion potential.Email and social media marketing: Perfect for a variety of businesses, from retailers to non-profits, looking to nurture customer relationships through automated newsletters and promotional campaigns or engage with customers on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.Task and activity management: Beneficial for lots of different companies that need to assign tasks to different teams and track project progress.Reporting and analytics: Detailed reports on sales performance, customer retention, and productivity can help several sectors of business that want a closer look at their tracked business metrics.Automation: Especially important for smaller businesses which need to save time, automation of repetitive tasks like follow-up emails and invoicing can save you a lot of time.Customisation: Vital for enterprises that require bespoke CRM configurations to fit their complex workflows, especially in niche industries like the legal or pharmaceutical sectors.Integration optionsFor businesses that use a variety of other tools in their day-to-day operations, integration of other software into your cloud-based CRM might be a crucial point of difference between providers.Whether it’s your email platform like Mailchimp or Moosend, accounting software like Quickbooks or Xero, or e-commerce solutions like Shopify or Woocomerce, different CRM platforms support different integrations.Some host largely internal tools built by the CRM itself, while others allow for additional API access for fully custom tools. Many have a variety of out-the-box integration options for big names like Google, Microsoft and more. The more seamless the integration and the wider the number of possible integrations, the better for most businesses.Support options and availabilityTechnical issues are inevitable at some stage. And consequently, you’ll want to know that you have the resources to fix any problems as they arise with your cloud-based CRM.Look out for online resources, ‘how-to’ guides and other self-help information for more simple issues that could arise, as well as more comprehensive customer support options. There can be some key differences here between providers, with some offering a chatbot and others a live chat with a support agent, or a slower-response email line compared to a live-response phone line.They may have different availability hours too, usually between Monday to Friday across working day hours or 24/7 support with the best equipped cloud-based CRM providers. Cloud-Based CRM vs On-Premise CRMThe key difference between on-premise CRM and cloud CRM lies in data storage and accessibility.On-premise CRM stores data locally on a company’s own servers, requiring upfront investment in hardware, installation, and maintenance of your storage system. It offers full control over data but demands internal IT resources for security and updates.Cloud CRM, by contrast, is hosted on remote servers by the CRM provider, offering easy access from any internet-connected device and requiring minimal setup.Because of its comparative affordability, flexibility, and scalability, cloud-based CRMs are far more popular today, while on-premise CRM is now mainly used by larger enterprises with specific data control and security needs. What are the advantages of cloud-based CRM?Simplicity: Opting for a cloud-based CRM eliminates the need for complex installations and hardware of on-premise alternatives, allowing easy access through an internet browser (via computer or smart device) without the need for physical servers or equipment.Collaboration: Real-time updates and centralised data allows for teamwork across multiple locations and time zones, preventing data silos and improving communication within teams.Mobility: Most cloud-based CRMs offer mobile apps which can mean real-time updates and access from anywhere in the world your team may be located.Security: Cloud CRM providers usually offer advanced security features like data encryption, automatic backups and two-factor authentication to protect your vital company information.Affordability: Cloud CRM reduces upfront costs by offering subscription-based pricing, eliminating the expenses associated with installation, maintenance, and infrastructure. What are the advantages of on-premise CRM?Cheaper in the long run: On-premise systems have a significant upfront cost, but ongoing maintenance fees are generally lower than cloud-based options, making them more cost-effective over time.Highly customisable: On-premise CRMs provide source code access, allowing extensive customisation if you have the technical expertise.Greater visibility and control: You have more control over security, data, and user rights, enabling compliance with various regulations.Less reliant on the internet: On-premise systems operate independently of internet connectivity, making them more reliable during outages. Want to learn more about on-premise CRM? Our research indicates that the best on-premise CRM software comes from SugarCRM, Maximizer, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Salesforce.To compare these systems, and explore the more advanced features that they have to offer businesses, head over to our guide to the best analytical CRM software for UK businesses. How We Analyse and Rate CRM Software ProvidersIn our latest round of CRM testing, we investigated 13 market-leading CRM systems to evaluate them in terms of functionality, usability, cost, scalability, and more to offer UK businesses the best options they can get.Our rigorous testing process means these products have been scored and rated in six main categories of investigation and 13 subcategories – in fact, we covered 84 areas of investigation in total. We then gave each category score a ‘relevance weighting’ to ensure the product’s final score perfectly reflects the needs and requirements of Expert Market readers.Our main testing categories for CRM systems are:Features: the functionalities and capabilities provided by the CRM software, such as contact management, lead and opportunity tracking, and task and activity management.Help and Support: the resources and assistance available to users when they encounter issues or require guidance while using the CRM software.Customisation: the ability to tailor the CRM software to suit the specific needs and processes of the organization, e.g. customizing fields, layouts, and workflows.Scalability: the ability of the CRM software to accommodate the growth and changing needs of the organization, such as the capacity to handle a growing customer database.Price: the cost associated with using the CRM software. It includes factors such as licensing fees, subscription plans, and additional charges for add-on modules or features.Team Structure – Sales CRM: determining if a platform makes it easier to manage large sales teams, including team dashboards, team hierarchies, and team inboxes.Usability – Small Business CRM: assessing the simplicity of the interface, the ease of navigating through menus and options, and the overall user experience. Next stepsCloud-based CRM is an essential tool for managing and engaging your client base, and nurturing those all-important customer relationships. And what’s more, 91% of businesses (and counting!) now use a cloud-based CRM solution in 2024.In other words, you don’t want to be your team to be in the 9% of businesses left behind. We recommend Zoho CRM above all other options since it has the most comprehensive and user-friendly software system we’ve researched. That’s especially true if you want to customise your pipeline for your specific business needs.The other options are still top performers though, or they wouldn’t have made this page, and each offers a unique selling point that could suit your specific operations. If you want a quick answer about the best cloud-based CRM for you, let us know some details about your team’s requirements. It’s free for UK-based businesses, and when you’re all done, we’ll match you with the cloud-based CRM providers best poised to help you scale. They’ll then be in touch with tailored, no-obligation quotes. Written by: Matt Reed Senior Writer Matt Reed is a Senior Writer at Expert Market. Adept at evaluating products, he focuses mainly on assessing fleet management and business communication software. Matt began his career in technology publishing with Expert Reviews, where he spent several years putting the latest audio-related products and releases through their paces, revealing his findings in transparent, in-depth articles and guides. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism from City, University of London, Matt is no stranger to diving into challenging topics and summarising them into practical, helpful information. Reviewed by: James Macey Senior Business Software Researcher James draws on his 4+ years experience as a researcher to offer specialized advice on a wide range of categories from CRM to Fleet Management. He believes all businesses can grow if they use the right tools and services.