Join TbfyReviewer’s newsletter to receive every new article.
12 Best CRM for Startups in 2024: Ranked and Reviewed
Hossam jamjama
- June 27, 2024
Are you a startup owner who is struggling to manage customer relationships? Do you need an efficient platform that can help you streamline your sales, marketing, and customer service processes? If yes, then a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system may just be what you need.
CRM software helps businesses to keep track of their customer interactions and manage their sales pipeline effectively.
However, with many CRM software options available in the market, it can be overwhelming for startups to choose the right one. So to help you make an informed decision, we have ranked and reviewed the 12 best CRM for startups.
What Are the Best CRMs for Startups?
After extensive research and consideration, we have come up with the following list of the best CRM software options for startups:
- Keap CRM – Best CRM for Startups Overall.
- Nextiva – Best CRM for communication and collaboration, particularly for voice, video, and messaging.
- Close – Best CRM for sales teams, offering lead management, communication tracking, and deal closing features.
- Bitrix24 – Best CRM for all-in-one business management, including project management, communication, and customer relationship management.
- Monday – Best CRM for startups prioritizing project management alongside customer relationship management.
- HubSpot CRM – Best CRM for startups of all sizes due to its user-friendly interface and extensive free plan.
- OnePageCRM – Best CRM for streamlined lead management and efficient customer relationship management.
- ClickUp – Best free and affordable CRM for startups seeking a combination of project management and basic CRM functionality.
- FreeAgent – Best CRM for integrating accounting and customer management processes.
- Pipedrive – Best CRM for sales teams, providing a visual sales pipeline and sales performance analysis.
- Streak – Best CRM for Gmail and Google Workspace users, managing customer relationships within the inbox.
- Freshsales – Best CRM for lead generation, contact management, and sales automation.
Let’s Dive into each one!
1| Keap CRM Review
Best CRM for Startups Overall.
Formerly known as Infusionsoft, Keap CRM is a comprehensive platform designed specifically for small businesses. It offers features such as lead and contact management, appointment scheduling, invoicing, and email marketing automation.
Keap CRM helps streamline sales and marketing processes to increase productivity and improve customer engagement.
Check out our in-depth review for Keap CRM.
Key features of Keap CRM:
- Automated Email Marketing
- Contact Management
- Invoicing and Payment Management
- Scheduling
- Lead Capture Forms
Keap CRM Pricing:
Keap CRM offers three pricing plans:
- Pro plan – $159/month
- Max plan – $229/month
- Ultimate plan – $229/month, For advanced marketing and sales team needs.
✔ Pros of Keap CRM:
- Offers a wide range of features that are tailored to small businesses.
- Has an easy to use interface.
- Provides excellent customer support.
❌ Cons of Keap CRM:
- The pricing plans may be expensive for some startups
- There is no learning curve when it comes to setting up some of the more advanced features.
Keap CRM Is Ideal For Whom?
Keap CRM is best for small businesses that need an all-in-one solution for managing their customer relationships, sales pipeline, and email marketing campaigns.
They also provide a 14 day free trial, so you can test it out before committing to a plan. Overall, Keap CRM is a great option for startups looking to streamline their sales and marketing processes.
2| Nextiva CRM review
Best CRM for communication and collaboration, particularly for voice, video, and messaging.
Nextiva CRM is a cloud-based software that provides companies with a range of sales-focused tools like pipeline management, reporting, automatic scoring, custom pipelines & fields, integrations, lead capture forms, and others.
It provides businesses with the flexibility to manage their sales pipeline seamlessly from anywhere.
Key Features of Nextiva CRM:
- Pipeline Management
- Sales Reporting Tools
- Automatic Scoring
- Custom Pipelines & Fields
- Integrations and Contact Management
Nextiva CRM Pricing:
Nextiva CRM has three pricing plans:
- Essential Plan for $21.95/user/mo
- Professional Plan for $25.95/user/mo
- Enterprise Plan for $35.95/user/mo
✔ Pros of Nextiva CRM:
- Nextiva CRM provides a user-friendly interface that’s easy to navigate.
- The platform offers robust sales tools such as custom fields, pipelines, and reporting features.
- Customer support is reliable and available 24/7.
❌ Cons of Nextiva CRM:
- The mobile app is basic compared to the desktop functionality.
- Nextiva does not offer more advanced features such as automation, marketing, and customer service tools.
Who Are Nextiva CRM Suitable For?
Nextiva CRM is best for small businesses with a sales focus that need an affordable, straightforward CRM solution.
It’s perfect for startups looking for an easy way to manage their sales pipelines, create custom fields, and track reporting.
Sign up today and enjoy the 7 day free trial.
3| Close CRM review
Best CRM for sales teams, offering lead management, communication tracking, and deal closing features.
Close CRM is an all in one sales platform that combines lead management, email automation, calling, and SMS messaging into one easy to use software.
It gives you complete control over your sales pipeline in order to improve efficiency in managing contacts across multiple stages while automating mundane tasks to save time.
key features of Close CRM:
- Lead Management
- Email Automation
- Calling & SMS Messaging
- Reporting Features
- Sales forecasting
Close CRM Pricing:
Close CRM offers three pricing plans:
- Startup plan for $99/month, Including 3 users.
- Professional plan for $299/month, Including 3 users.
- Enterprise plan for $699/month, Including 5 users.
All plans come with a 14 day free trial period for you to test-run Close CRM.
✔ Pros of Close CRM:
- Automatic lead creation and management
- Customizable sales stages
- A wide range of integrations
❌ Cons of Close CRM:
- Sales forecasting feature isn’t available in the Basic plan.
- The software can be a bit overwhelming for beginners.
Who is Close CRM best for?
Close CRM is best suited for startups that have already established a sizable pipeline with a few sales reps and require heavy automation to keep track of it all. It’s powerful, easy to use, and very effective in managing leads, email campaigns, and call scheduling.
Give Close CRM’s 14 day free trial a shot today and see your startup skyrocket to success!
4| Bitrix24 CRM review
Best CRM for all-in-one business management, including project management and communication.
Bitrix24 is a cloud based CRM for small and medium sized businesses that provides tools for lead management, customer support, project management, and task automation.
It comes with several features like team collaboration tools, email marketing tools, social media integration, sales automation, and more.
Key Features of Bitrix24 CRM:
- Social Network Integration
- Customizable dashboards
- Sales reports
- Unlimited Tasks and Projects
- Activity Stream
- Integrated Telephony
Bitrix24 CRM Pricing:
Bitrix24 offers a free plan and three plans:
- Basic plan costs $49/month.
- Standard plan costs $99/month.
- Professional plan costs $199/month.
✔ Pros of Bitrix24 CRM:
- In-Depth functionalities offering high value for money.
- Smooth integrations with various other business applications.
- Can handle complex projects.
- Easy creation of team chats/groups for internal communications.
- Capabilities in terms of project management offered are huge.
❌ Cons of Bitrix24 CRM:
- Steep learning curve.
- Overwhelming with too many features.
- Too much customization can lead to data inconsistencies.
Who Are Bitrix24 CRM Suitable For?
Considering the value provided given its cost, Bitrix24 is best for small and medium-sized businesses looking forward to implementing collaborative project workflow within their departments.
The product is most suitable for businesses that offer online customer interactions. It offers great functionality against its cost with a plethora of features for handling large-scale projects assigned to a large number of employees.
So if you are ready to handle the steep learning curve that comes with using it, Bitrix24 would be a great choice.
5| Monday CRM review
Best CRM for startups prioritizing project management alongside customer relationship management.
Monday acts as an all in one customizable solution designed explicitly for project management needs.
It provides users with an easy to use interface where they can create dashboards customized to their preferences and which fit their workflows, effectively managing tasks to keep everyone on the same page.
Key features of Monday CRM:
- Customizable Dashboards and Views
- Status Updates
- Project Planning Tools
- Tracking Features
- Team Collaboration Tools
Monday CRM Pricing
Monday CRM offers flexible pricing starting at $10/month/user up as you add extra number of features, including unlimited automation and integrations.
The Standard plan is $14 per seat /month, and the Pro plan costs $24 per seat /month.
✔ Pros of Monday CRM:
- User friendly Interface
- Efficient Project Management
- Collaborative Task Management
- Suitable for all industries
❌ Cons of Monday CRM:
- Highly priced compared to its competitors
- Limited customization options
- Authentication loop through emails gets people confused occasionally
Monday CRM Is Ideal For Whom?
If your team is looking for complete project management functionalities that can integrate with various other applications, Monday CRM would be a wise investment.
It is suitable for small, medium, or large teams across different industries as it’s easily customizable to suit their specific needs.
With each plan purchased comes a set of features that are lacking in its closest competitors’ products. It provides an overview of your tasks’ performance using clear data analytics.
However, if its cost seems to be a little high compared to its closest competitor products, you may consider other options available in the market.
6| HubSpot CRM review
Best CRM for startups of all sizes due to its user-friendly interface and extensive free plan.
Hubspot CRM serves as a cloud-based solution designed for marketing and sales targeted at helping teams track interactions accurately while managing customer data effectively.
It offers email tracking tools to manage customers’ relationships and data-driven insights that enable better decision-making.
Key features of HubSpot CRM:
- Sales automation
- Customizable Dashboard
- Lead management
- Marketing automation
- Task management
HubSpot CRM Pricing
HubSpot CRM offers Free Plan which includes features like contact insights, and deal and task management, with variety of plans offering more amenities start $30/month/user.
✔ Pros of HubSpot CRM:
- Straightforward to implement.
- Hubspot sales and marketing have integrations with many business applications.
- Intuitive interface.
- Free version available for small businesses.
❌ Cons of HubSpot CRM:
- Limited ability to customize compared to its competitors (think Monday).
- Offers limited functionality in terms of Project Management.
- Steep learning curve during the first few days before completely mastering the platform.
Who Are HubSpot CRM Suitable For?
Hubspot’s free CRM version is a perfect choice for startups which provides them with an economical way of managing leads and customer relations, mainly if they are mainly concerned about contact management and email tracking.
It comes with excellent marketing automation functionalities, making it very suitable for small businesses. Those who want more advanced tools geared towards operations like project management should choose other alternatives.
If you are searching for a straight forward implementation to manage your sales team, HubSpot would be an ideal fit.
7| OnePageCRM review
Best CRM for streamlined lead management and efficient customer relationship management.
OnePageCRM is a user-friendly CRM system that allows startup companies to manage their sales efficiently.
It is designed with various features that help businesses streamline their sales processes, including sales forecasting, lead tracking, and deal management.
Key features of OnePageCRM:
- Easy Collaboration
- Automated Sales
- Email Integration
- Reporting and Insights
- Mobility
OnePageCRM Pricing:
OnePageCRM offers three pricing plans:
- Professional Plan- $9.95/user/mo
- Business Plan – $19.95/user/mo
- Enterprise Plan – Custom Pricing
✔ Pros of OnePageCRM:
- User-Friendly Interface.
- Allows for easy collaboration between team members.
- Provides Automated Sales function helps reduce time spent on data entry.
- Integrates easily with email, making communication hassle-free.
- Provides meaningful insights into sales performance with Reporting and Insights feature.
❌ Cons of OnePageCRM:
- Lacks some advanced features like more customizable fields than some competitors.
- Cannot customize the task manager according to personal preference.
Who Are OnePageCRM Suitable For?
OnePageCRM is an excellent CRM for small businesses with sales teams looking to streamline their sales process and workflow.
Its user-friendly interface allows startups to get started quickly, while its reporting features provide meaningful insights into their business’ performance.
With a low monthly price point for its Plus plan, this CRM is an ideal option for budget-conscious startups that require a reliable CRM at an affordable price.
Try OnePageCRM today by going for a free trial!
8| ClickUp CRM review
Best free and affordable CRM for startups.
ClickUp CRM is an all in one tool designed to help startups optimize their workflows by integrating multiple tools within one platform.
From project management to team collaboration, ClickUp CRM has something for every type of business.
Key features of ClickUp CRM:
- Customizable Dashboards
- Time Tracking
- Project Management
- Task Management
- Mind mapping
ClickUp CRM Pricing:
ClickUp CRM offers one of the best Free CRM and four pricing plans:
- Unlimited plan – $5/user/mo billed annually for unlimited features
- Business plan – $9/user/mo billed annually for custom reporting
- Business plus plan- $19/user/mo billed annually for custom reporting
- Enterprise plan – Custom Pricing
✔ Pros of ClickUp CRM:
- Can integrate many types of tools within one platform.
- Customized dashboards allow easy tracking of significant events or data.
- Mind Mapping function aims to organize ideas and tasks more efficiently.
- Provides robust project management capabilities.
- Offers reliable time tracking features.
❌ Cons of ClickUp CRM:
- Steep learning curve, especially for beginners.
- Integrating external tools can be tedious.
- Some reports can only be accessed via paid plans.
Who Is the Best Fit for ClickUp CRM?
ClickUp CRM is ideal for startups that seek to optimize their various workflows by including multiple tools in one platform.
With customized dashboards and mind mapping functions, businesses can easily track events and task fulfillment while having robust project management capabilities to keep their work running smoothly.
Although there might be a steep learning curve at first, ClickUp CRM has an intuitive interface to get started with quickly.
If this sounds like what you’re looking for, consider trying ClickUp CRM out by going for a free trial!
9| FreeAgent CRM review
Best CRM for integrating accounting and customer management processes.
FreeAgent CRM is focused on providing sales, marketing, and customer service solutions in one place. It helps optimize sales processes in small businesses with its various features such as lead scoring, email automation, and close tracking.
Key features of FreeAgent CRM:
- Sales Pipeline Management
- Email Marketing Automation
- Lead Scoring
- Contact Management
- Integrated Telephony
FreeAgent CRM Pricing
FreeAgent CRM offers four pricing plans:
- Starter – $35/user/mo
- Professional – $75/user/mo
- Enterprise – $100/user/mo
- Ultimate – Custom Pricing
✔ Pros of FreeAgent CRM:
- User-Friendly and straightforward interface.
- Provides integrated telephony to keep interactions organized.
- Offers robust sales pipeline management functionalities.
- Easy-to-use email automation features to save time on sending emails.
- Allows for efficient lead scoring and contact management.
❌ Cons of FreeAgent CRM:
- Can be expensive compared to other CRMs in the market.
- Integrations outside of the native ones may not work correctly.
- Limited customizability in reporting features.
FreeAgent CRM Is Ideal For Whom?
FreeAgent CRM is an excellent choice for small businesses looking for a comprehensive platform to handle their sales, marketing, and customer service needs.
With its robust sales pipeline management tools, integrated telephony, and email automation features, it can help streamline many aspects of any small business’s workflow.
However, it may not be ideal for larger businesses due to its potentially high costs.
With that said, FreeAgent CRM offers a free demo with no credit card required, so give it a try!
10| Pipedrive CRM review
Best CRM for sales teams, providing a visual sales pipeline and sales performance analysis.
Pipedrive is a CRM tool designed to help small and medium-sized businesses manage their sales process. It is a highly intuitive and visual tool that enables businesses to track their sales pipeline in real time and stay on top of opportunities, leads, and deals throughout the sales cycle.
Key features of Pipedrive CRM:
- Customizable Sales Pipeline
- Advanced Contact Management
- Deal Tracking and Management
- Reporting and Analytics
- Email Integration
- Sales Forecasting
Pipedrive CRM Pricing:
Pipedrive offers four pricing plans:
- The Essential plan costs $9.90 Per user per month and provides basic features
- Advanced plan costs $19.90 Per user per month and comes with email templates, workflow automation, and activity reminders.
- Professional plan costs $39.90 Per user per month and offers additional advanced features such as a product catalog and sales goals management.
- Finally, the Enterprise plan costs $59.90 Per user per month and includes advanced customization options, priority support, and dedicated account management.
They offer a Free 14 day trial with No credit card required on all plans.
✔ Pros of Pipedrive CRM:
- Intuitive Interface
- User-friendly Design
- Visual Sales Pipeline Management
- Great Mobile App
- Excellent Customer Support
❌ Cons of Pipedrive CRM:
- Limited Marketing Automation Features
- Limited Integrations Available
Pipedrive CRM Is Ideal For Whom?
Overall, Pipedrive’s CRM is an excellent fit for small to medium-sized businesses, particularly those with complex sales cycles that require a more visual approach.
It’s ideal for sales teams looking for a tool with deep customization options that can be tailored to meet specific needs.
Additionally, Pipedrive’s excellent customer support makes it an attractive choice for businesses looking for expert guidance every step of the way.
11| Streak CRM Review
Best CRM for Gmail and Google Workspace users, managing customer relationships within the inbox.
Streak CRM is an email-based CRM tool designed especially for Gmail users.
It is an intuitive collaboration platform that allows businesses to manage their sales pipeline directly within their inbox.
Key features Of Streak CRM:
- Email Tracking & Management
- Sales Pipeline Management
- Customizable Reporting
- Workflow Automation
- Task Management
Streak CRM Pricing:
Streak offers a free plan and four pricing plans:
- SOLO plan $15 per user/month
- PRO plan $49 per user/month
- PRO+ plan for $69 per user/month
- ENTERPRISE plan for $129 per user/month
✔ Pros of Streak CRM:
- Seamless Gmail Integration
- Visual Sales Pipeline Views
- Email Tracking and Management
- Good Collaboration Features
❌ Cons of Streak CRM:
- Limited Integrations with Other Tools
- Limited Customization Options
Who Are Streak CRM Suitable For?
Streak CRM is a suitable option for small businesses and freelancers looking for a cost-effective solution that integrates well with Gmail.
Its collaborative features are particularly appealing to teams that rely on heavy email collaboration to manage their sales activities.
12| Freshsales Review
Best CRM for lead generation, contact management, and sales automation.
Freshsales is an AI-driven sales CRM designed to help businesses engage more effectively with their customers throughout the sales cycle.
It offers several features that assist businesses in managing their end-to-end customer journey.
Key features Of Freshsales:
- Intuitive Sales Pipeline Management
- Customizable Dashboards
- Email and Phone Integration
- Intelligent Lead Scoring
- Multichannel Campaign Management
Freshsales Pricing:
Freshsales offers three pricing plans:
- The growth plan is free for 3 users max and $15 for additional user/month, billed annually.
- Pro plan costs $39/user/month, billed annually.
- Enterprise plan costs $69/user/month, billed annually.
✔ Pros of Freshsales:
- Great User Experience
- Robust Feature Set
- Powerful Automation
- Highly Scalable
- Excellent Customer Support
❌ Cons of Freshsales:
- Learning Curve Can Be Steep.
- Advanced AI Features Are Only Available on the Most Expensive Plan.
Who Are Freshsales Suitable For?
Freshsales offers a powerful all in one solution for businesses of all sizes. It’s ideal for companies looking to scale their sales processes and engagement strategies while streamlining workflow automation.
Freshsales’s extensive feature set provides everything business owners need to stay on top of their sales game while keeping customers happy throughout the funnel.
You didn’t find what you look for?
Well, if you are in the Real Estate Industry, here is our list of the Best CRM for Real Estate Investors and our list of the Best Real Estate Wholesaling Software.
Check out also our picks for the Best free and paid CRM Software.
What is the Definition and Purpose of CRM in a Startup Context?
CRM refers to the practices, strategies, and technologies used by businesses to manage customer interactions throughout the customer lifecycle.
In a startup context, it helps businesses establish meaningful relationships with potential customers while keeping existing customers engaged and satisfied.
A CRM system provides an organized approach to managing interactions with customers by collecting and analyzing customer data.
The ultimate goal is to improve customer retention rates and increase revenue through streamlined sales processes.
* Learn about the role a CRM can play in an effective martech stack. And if you are in the real estate industry, you may need to know what CRM is in real estate.
What are the Benefits of Using CRM for Startups?
Using CRM software has numerous benefits for startups; these include:
- Improved customer experience: By having data easily accessible in one place, you can personalize communications that improve customer engagement.
- Efficient workflows: Automating repetitive procedures saves time, increasing efficiency in team collaboration.
- Accurate sales forecasting: Gathering all information in one location will allow businesses to identify trends and forecast sales accurately.
- Improved communication: Cross-collaborating is made easier by having all the information in one place and automated processes.
- Improved lead generation.
- Increased customer satisfaction.
- Streamlined sales processes.
- Better analytics and reporting
- Improved marketing campaigns
- More efficient data management
Key Features to Look for in When choosing a CRM for Startup
When selecting a CRM system, there are several features you should look for:
- User-Friendliness: A user-friendly interface ensures easy navigation across pages. You can customize the software to suit your business while integrating with your existing tech stack.
- Scalability: The software should be scalable to accommodate an estimated increase in customers as your startup grows.
- Accessibility: CRM software should be cloud-based enabling access from anywhere.
- Automation: The ability to automate repetitive tasks will save time and improve efficiency toward achieving business objectives.
- Analytics: Analytics is mandatory to collect data continuously that helps create accurate forecasting and informed business decisions.
- Customization options.
- Integration with other tools.
- Mobile Accessibility.
- Security and compliance measures.
conclusion
Choosing the best CRM for startup businesses may seem daunting at first, but with the wide array of options, it need not be.
Picking the right CRM software will help automate processes, aid workflows, provide deeper insights into customer interactions and ensure this process is both seamless and efficient.
We hope our list of the top 12 best CRM solutions for startups guides you towards making a more informed choice for your startup, in turn helping you manage your customer relationships better.
Choose the right CRM system and take your startup’s customer engagement efforts to new heights!
- Last Update OnJune 27, 2024
Hossam Jamjama
Hey, it’s Hossam. I am a full time digital marketer & an online business owner. I write guides and in-depth reviews of the best SaaS products available. To help businesses make informed decisions about picking the right one for them.
Disclosure: TbfyReviewer is a participant in various affiliate programs, which means we may earn a commission when you buy something through links on our site at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. You can read our affiliate disclosure.
Table Of Content