CRMReviews
CRMReviews
11 products tested & ranked

Best CRM Software for Startups

We tested and compared the leading CRM platforms so you can focus on growing your startup. Find the perfect CRM for your team, budget, and sales process.

Helping 12,000+ professionals choose the right tools

Why Every Startup Needs a CRM in 2026

If you are still tracking leads in spreadsheets, you are leaving money on the table. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform centralizes your contacts, automates follow-ups, and gives your team visibility into every deal in your pipeline. For startups, where every lead counts and resources are tight, the right CRM can be the difference between chaotic growth and scalable success.

The CRM market has evolved dramatically, with many platforms now offering free tiers that are genuinely useful, AI-powered features that save hours of manual work, and integrations that connect your entire tech stack.

How We Evaluate CRM Software for Startups

Our team evaluates each CRM platform based on criteria that matter most to startup teams:

  • Ease of use: How quickly can a small team get up and running without dedicated IT support?
  • Pricing fairness: Does the pricing scale reasonably as your team grows, or do costs spiral?
  • Feature depth: Does it cover the essentials (pipeline, contacts, automation) without overwhelming complexity?
  • Integration ecosystem: Can it connect with the tools startups already use (Gmail, Slack, Zapier)?
  • Scalability: Will you outgrow it in 6 months, or can it grow with you to Series A and beyond?

What to Look For in a Startup CRM

Not every CRM is built for startups. Enterprise tools like Salesforce offer incredible power but come with complexity and cost that can overwhelm small teams. On the other hand, overly simple tools might not support your needs as you scale past 10 employees.

The sweet spot for most startups is a CRM that offers a clean interface, solid automation, good reporting, and a pricing model that does not punish growth. Look for platforms with free tiers or affordable starter plans, and pay attention to what features are locked behind premium tiers.

0Products Tested
0+Hours of Testing
0+Years Experience
0Expert Reviewers

Disclosure: We may earn affiliate commissions when you purchase through links on this site. This never influences our ratings or recommendations. Our reviews are based on independent testing.

Our Top Picks

#1 Top Pick
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HubSpot CRM

Best Overall

8.8
Very Good
Try HubSpot Free
#2 Recommended
S
Salesforce

Best Enterprise

8.3
Very Good
Try Salesforce Free
#3 Recommended
S
Salesflare

Best for Small Teams

8.7
Very Good
Try Salesflare Free
#1 Our Top Pick
Editor's Choice
Free plan available. Paid plans from $15/user/month (Starter) to $150/user/month (Enterprise).
8.8/ 10Very Good
H

HubSpot CRM

Startups seeking an all-in-one CRM with a generous free plan and seamless scaling path.

Read Full Review →

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature
H
HubSpot CRM8.8/10
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ActiveCampaign8.3/10
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Salesforce8.3/10
S
Salesflare8.7/10
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Close8.6/10
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Pipedrive8.5/10
A
Attio8.5/10
F
Freshsales8.4/10
Z
Zoho CRM8.2/10
M
Monday CRM8.1/10
F
Folk CRM8.0/10
Starting PriceFree plan available. Paid plans from $15/user/month (Starter) to $150/user/month (Enterprise).Email marketing from $15/month (contact-based pricing). CRM add-on from $49/month extra. 14-day free trial.Free Suite for up to 2 users. Paid plans from $25/user/month (Starter) to $550/user/month (Agentforce).Plans from $29 to $99/user/month (billed annually). 30-day free trial. No free plan.Plans from $9 to $139/user/month (billed annually). 14-day free trial. No free plan.No free plan. Plans from $14/user/month (Lite) to $79/user/month (Ultimate). 14-day free trial.Free for up to 3 users; paid plans from $29/user/monthFree plan for up to 3 users. Paid plans from $9 to $59/user/month (billed annually). 21-day free trial on all paid plans.Free plan for 3 users. Paid plans from $14/user/month (Standard) to $52/user/month (Ultimate).From $12/seat/month (3-seat minimum); no permanent free planFrom $20/user/month; 14-day free trial, no free plan
Free Plan
Starting Price$15/user/month$15/month + CRM from $49/month$25/user/month$29/user/month$49/user/month$14/user/month$29/user/mo$9/user/month$14/user/month$12/seat/mo$20/user/mo
Ease of Use9.27.86.59.59.09.59.08.77.89.09.2
Automation8.59.59.58.88.57.58.58.58.58.57.5
Integrations9.09.09.87.57.08.07.57.58.08.57.0
Mobile App
AI Features
Reporting8.58.59.58.08.27.58.57.88.08.07.0
Try HubSpot FreeTry ActiveCampaign FreeStart Free TrialTry Salesflare FreeTry Close FreeTry Pipedrive FreeTry Attio FreeTry Freshsales FreeStart Free PlanTry Monday CRM FreeTry Folk CRM Free

Detailed Reviews

Top Pick
#1
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8.3/ 10Very Good

ActiveCampaign

Marketing-savvy SMBs and e-commerce businesses that need best-in-class automation workflows with integrated CRM capabilities.

Pros

  • Industry-leading automation builder with conditional branching, split testing, and goal tracking — the most powerful in the SMB market
  • Deep integration of email marketing and CRM creates seamless handoff between marketing and sales teams
  • 900+ native integrations including major e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce
  • Predictive sending and AI-powered optimization features help maximize email engagement automatically

Cons

  • CRM is a separate paid add-on starting at $49/month extra — not included in base email marketing plans
  • Pricing scales aggressively with contact count — costs can double or triple as your list grows beyond 10K contacts
  • Steeper learning curve for advanced automation features — beginners may find the workflow builder overwhelming initially
  • SMS credits not included by default and must be purchased separately as an add-on

Pricing: Email marketing from $15/month (contact-based pricing). CRM add-on from $49/month extra. 14-day free trial.

ActiveCampaign is a customer experience automation platform that unifies email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM in a single solution. Known for its best-in-class automation builder, it helps businesses create multi-step, multi-channel customer journeys. The CRM add-on turns it into a powerful sales and marketing hub for SMBs.

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#2
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8.3/ 10Very Good

Salesforce

Best EnterpriseFunded startups with complex sales processes that need the most customizable and scalable CRM available.

Pros

  • Unmatched customization with custom objects, workflows, and Apex code support
  • Industry-leading AI with Einstein analytics and the new Agentforce assistant
  • Largest app marketplace with 7,000+ integrations on AppExchange
  • Scales seamlessly from startup to enterprise without needing to switch platforms

Cons

  • Steepest learning curve of any major CRM -- often requires a dedicated admin
  • Implementation can take weeks or months compared to days for simpler CRMs
  • Enterprise and Unlimited pricing increased 6% in August 2025
  • Most expensive option with costs escalating quickly as features are added

Pricing: Free Suite for up to 2 users. Paid plans from $25/user/month (Starter) to $550/user/month (Agentforce).

Salesforce is the world's most powerful CRM platform, offering unmatched customization, enterprise-grade features, and the new AI-powered Agentforce. Best for ambitious startups planning to scale rapidly and needing a CRM that can handle complexity.

Read Full Review →
#3
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8.7/ 10Very Good

Salesflare

Best for Small TeamsSmall B2B sales teams at startups that want an intelligent, self-filling CRM with minimal manual data entry and automatic contact enrichment.

Pros

  • Best-in-class automatic data enrichment — gathers contact info from emails, signatures, social profiles, and public sources without manual entry
  • Exceptionally easy to use with a 9.5/10 ease-of-use rating on G2 — setup takes minutes, not days
  • Outstanding customer support rated 9.7/10 on G2 — responsive, personal, and genuinely helpful
  • Intelligent follow-up reminders automatically alert you when leads go inactive, preventing deals from slipping through cracks
  • Deep Gmail and Outlook sidebar integration lets you manage your entire CRM without leaving your inbox

Cons

  • No free plan — Growth plan starts at $29/user/month which may be steep for very early-stage solopreneurs
  • Smaller integration ecosystem compared to HubSpot or Salesforce — relies more on Zapier for non-native connections
  • Designed primarily for B2B sales — not ideal for B2C, e-commerce, or marketing-heavy use cases

Pricing: Plans from $29 to $99/user/month (billed annually). 30-day free trial. No free plan.

Salesflare is an intelligent CRM built for small B2B sales teams that automates data entry, contact enrichment, and follow-up reminders. It automatically gathers contact and company info from emails, calendars, and social profiles, keeping your CRM up to date with minimal manual work. Rated 4.8/5 on G2 with 300+ reviews.

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#4
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8.6/ 10Very Good

Close

Best for Sales TeamsInside sales teams and SDR organizations that rely on high-volume phone and email outreach to close B2B deals.

Pros

  • Built-in Power Dialer and Predictive Dialer eliminate the need for separate calling software
  • Lightning-fast, intuitive UX designed for high-velocity sales reps who value speed
  • Unlimited leads and contacts on all paid plans — no hidden limits on database size
  • Integrated communication history keeps every call, email, and SMS in one timeline per contact
  • Excellent email syncing that retroactively imports past conversations from Gmail and Outlook

Cons

  • No free plan — Solo plan at $9/month is very limited (1 user, 10K leads, no workflows)
  • Significant price jump from Essentials ($49) to Growth ($109) to access Power Dialer and workflows
  • No native marketing automation — purely sales-focused, so marketing teams need separate tools
  • Smaller support team than HubSpot or Salesforce, which can mean longer response times

Pricing: Plans from $9 to $139/user/month (billed annually). 14-day free trial. No free plan.

Close is a sales-first CRM purpose-built for inside sales teams and B2B outreach. It combines a powerful CRM with built-in calling (including Power Dialer and Predictive Dialer), email, and SMS in one platform. Designed for speed and efficiency, Close helps high-velocity sales teams close more deals with less friction.

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#5
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8.5/ 10Very Good

Pipedrive

Best Pipeline ManagementSales-driven startups that need an intuitive pipeline CRM their team will actually use.

Pros

  • AI-powered Sales Assistant provides actionable next-step recommendations
  • Activity-based selling methodology keeps reps focused on revenue-driving actions
  • Best-in-class visual pipeline with intuitive drag-and-drop deal management
  • Excellent mobile app for managing deals and activities on the go
  • Fastest setup and onboarding time of any CRM -- productive within minutes

Cons

  • Email sync and automation require the $39/month Growth plan
  • No free plan -- only a 14-day trial is available
  • Limited marketing automation compared to HubSpot or Salesforce

Pricing: No free plan. Plans from $14/user/month (Lite) to $79/user/month (Ultimate). 14-day free trial.

Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM built by salespeople, for salespeople. Its visual kanban pipeline, intuitive drag-and-drop interface, and activity-based selling approach make it the best CRM for startups that prioritize closing deals fast.

Read Full Review →
#6
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8.5/ 10Very Good

Attio

Most InnovativeStartups and scaling teams that need a flexible, customizable CRM that adapts to evolving workflows

Pros

  • Extremely flexible custom objects and data model — build the CRM around your exact workflow rather than adapting to rigid structures
  • One of the most generous free plans available: 3 users, 50,000 records, and real-time data enrichment at no cost
  • Intuitive, Notion-like interface with modern design that teams actually enjoy using — G2 users rate ease of use 4.7/5
  • AI-powered automatic data enrichment saves hours of manual contact research and keeps records up to date
  • Real-time collaboration with shared timelines, notes, and activity feeds — excellent for distributed teams

Cons

  • Native integrations are limited compared to HubSpot or Salesforce — often requires Zapier for common tools, adding extra cost
  • Mobile app is less polished than the desktop experience and lacks some features available on web
  • Workflow automations have a learning curve — expect 2+ hours to master the automation builder
  • Significant price jump from Plus ($29) to Pro ($59) plan, and key features like custom objects are locked behind Pro

Pricing: Free for up to 3 users; paid plans from $29/user/month

Attio is a modern, object-based CRM built for fast-moving teams. With a Notion-like interface, AI-powered data enrichment, custom objects, and flexible pipelines, it adapts to any workflow. Generous free plan for up to 3 users with real-time syncing. Ideal for startups and scaling companies that want a CRM that evolves with their processes.

Read Full Review →
#8
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8.4/ 10Very Good

Freshsales

Best AI FeaturesStartups and SMBs looking for an affordable, AI-powered CRM with built-in communication tools and a generous free plan.

Pros

  • Generous free plan with built-in phone, email, and chat for up to 3 users
  • Freddy AI Copilot delivers genuinely useful lead scoring, deal insights, and next-best-action recommendations
  • Very affordable Growth plan at $9/user/month with AI contact scoring and sales sequences
  • Built-in multichannel communication (phone, email, chat, WhatsApp, SMS) eliminates need for separate tools
  • Clean, intuitive interface that new users can learn quickly without extensive training

Cons

  • Steep price jump from Growth ($9) to Pro ($39) — many essential features like multiple pipelines and custom reports locked behind Pro
  • Limited third-party integrations compared to HubSpot or Salesforce — relies heavily on Freshworks ecosystem
  • Advanced reporting and sales forecasting only available on expensive Enterprise plan
  • Customer support limited to 24/5 with no weekend coverage

Pricing: Free plan for up to 3 users. Paid plans from $9 to $59/user/month (billed annually). 21-day free trial on all paid plans.

Freshsales by Freshworks is an AI-powered CRM built for high-velocity sales teams. It combines contact management, built-in phone, email, and chat with Freddy AI for lead scoring, deal insights, and forecasting. A generous free plan and competitive pricing make it ideal for startups and SMBs looking to scale without enterprise complexity.

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#9
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8.2/ 10Very Good

Zoho CRM

Best All-in-OneBudget-conscious startups that want enterprise CRM features at SMB-friendly prices.

Pros

  • Blueprint process management for standardizing and scaling sales workflows
  • Seamless integration with 50+ Zoho apps for a complete business suite
  • Best value CRM with paid plans 50-75% cheaper than HubSpot and Salesforce
  • Generous free plan for up to 3 users with genuine CRM functionality

Cons

  • Advanced AI features (Zia) only available on Enterprise plan at $40/user/month
  • Free plan limited to 3 users, making it unsuitable for growing teams
  • User interface is functional but less polished than HubSpot or Pipedrive
  • Customer support response times can be slower on lower-tier plans

Pricing: Free plan for 3 users. Paid plans from $14/user/month (Standard) to $52/user/month (Ultimate).

Zoho CRM delivers exceptional value with a robust free plan for 3 users and paid plans starting at just $14/user/month. Part of the 50+ app Zoho ecosystem, it offers enterprise-grade features at a fraction of competitor pricing.

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#10
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8.1/ 10Very Good

Monday CRM

Best for Project TeamsSmall-to-medium teams that want a visual, customizable CRM with built-in project management integration

Pros

  • One of the most visually intuitive CRMs available — colorful Kanban boards, timeline views, and customizable dashboards make pipeline management effortless
  • Seamlessly combines CRM with project management, allowing sales, marketing, and operations teams to work on one platform
  • 200+ pre-built templates and 20+ column types offer deep customization without needing technical expertise
  • Competitive pricing at $12/seat/month for Basic plan with unlimited contacts and pipelines included
  • Strong integration ecosystem with native connections to Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Zoom, HubSpot, and Zapier

Cons

  • Requires minimum 3 seats on all paid plans — not suitable for solopreneurs or one-person sales teams
  • No permanent free plan for CRM (discontinued in 2022) — only a 14-day free trial is available
  • Basic plan lacks automations, integrations, and advanced reporting — meaningful CRM usage requires Standard ($17) or Pro ($28) tier
  • Can feel overwhelming with too many features and customization options — some teams report analysis paralysis during setup

Pricing: From $12/seat/month (3-seat minimum); no permanent free plan

Monday CRM is a highly visual, customizable CRM built on the monday.com work management platform. With drag-and-drop pipelines, 200+ templates, powerful automations, and seamless project management integration, it transforms how sales teams manage deals. Affordable starting at $12/seat/month with unlimited contacts and pipelines.

Read Full Review →
#11
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8.0/ 10Very Good

Folk CRM

Best for RelationshipsAgencies, startups, and small teams that prioritize relationship management with a simple, spreadsheet-like CRM

Pros

  • Easiest CRM to learn and adopt — spreadsheet-like interface means teams can get started in minutes, not days
  • Best-in-class LinkedIn integration with Chrome extension that imports contacts and logs social interactions automatically
  • AI-powered contact enrichment automatically finds emails, phone numbers, and company details — 500 enrichments/month on Standard
  • Smart deduplication automatically merges duplicate contacts, keeping your database clean without manual effort

Cons

  • No free plan available — only a 14-day trial, which makes it harder to test before committing to $20/user/month
  • No native mobile app — users must rely on the mobile web interface, which lacks offline capabilities
  • Deals module, dashboards, and email sequences are only available on Premium ($40/user/month) — Standard plan feels limited for growing teams
  • Limited native integrations (only ~23 apps on marketplace) — heavily reliant on Zapier for connecting other tools

Pricing: From $20/user/month; 14-day free trial, no free plan

Folk CRM is a lightweight, relationship-focused CRM with a spreadsheet-like interface. Designed for agencies, startups, and deal-flow teams, it offers contact enrichment, LinkedIn integration, email campaigns, and intuitive pipeline management. No free plan, but the Standard tier at $20/user/month delivers excellent core CRM functionality.

Read Full Review →

Our Testing Methodology

Our team of CRM experts tests each platform hands-on for a minimum of two weeks, simulating real startup sales workflows. We evaluate ease of setup, daily usability, automation capabilities, reporting depth, integration options, and pricing transparency. Scores are based on a weighted rubric covering 6 key criteria, supplemented by analysis of verified user reviews from G2 and Capterra.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on our testing, HubSpot CRM is the best overall CRM for startups thanks to its generous free plan, intuitive interface, and scalability. For sales-focused teams, Pipedrive and Close offer excellent pipeline management. Budget-conscious startups should consider Zoho CRM or Freshsales for their feature-rich free tiers.

CRM pricing for startups ranges from free to $75+ per user per month. Several CRMs offer genuinely useful free plans (HubSpot, Zoho, Freshsales). Budget options like Pipedrive start at $14/user/month, mid-range tools like Close run $29-49/user/month, and enterprise platforms like Salesforce start at $25/user/month but typically cost more with add-ons.

Essential startup CRM features include contact management, deal/pipeline tracking, email integration, task management, and basic reporting. As you grow, look for automation capabilities, lead scoring, multi-pipeline support, and integrations with your existing tools (email, calendar, accounting software).

Most startups should adopt a CRM once they have more than 20-30 active leads or customers. Signs you need a CRM include losing track of follow-ups, having customer data scattered across spreadsheets and email, difficulty answering pipeline questions, and hiring your first dedicated sales person.

Yes, most CRMs support data export and many offer migration tools. However, switching costs time and risks data loss, so it is worth choosing a CRM that can scale with you. Start with a free plan from a platform like HubSpot or Zoho that offers paid tiers for when you need more features.

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Written by

Alex ThompsonSenior SaaS Reviewer

Alex has spent 8+ years testing and reviewing B2B SaaS tools. Former Head of Growth at a Series B startup, he brings hands-on experience with lead generation, CRM, and marketing automation platforms.

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Best CRM Software for Startups (2026) | Reviewed & Ranked