CRMReviews
CRMReviews
6 products tested & ranked

Best Sales CRM for Startups

Your sales team needs more than a contact list. These CRM platforms are built for pipeline management, deal tracking, and closing revenue faster.

Helping 12,000+ professionals choose the right tools

What Makes a Sales CRM Different

While general-purpose CRMs try to do everything, sales CRMs are laser-focused on helping your team move deals through the pipeline. They prioritize features like visual deal stages, email sequences, call logging, and activity tracking over marketing automation or customer support tickets.

For startup sales teams, especially those with 2-10 reps doing outbound, the right sales CRM eliminates manual data entry, surfaces the deals most likely to close, and keeps follow-ups from falling through the cracks.

Key Features in a Sales CRM

When evaluating a sales CRM for your startup, prioritize these capabilities:

  • Visual pipeline: Drag-and-drop deal stages with clear revenue visibility
  • Email sequences: Automated multi-step outreach with personalization
  • Activity tracking: Automatic logging of calls, emails, and meetings
  • Lead scoring: AI or rule-based prioritization of your hottest prospects
  • Forecasting: Revenue projections based on pipeline data
  • Mobile access: Update deals and log calls on the go
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
C
Close

Best for Closing Deals

8.8
Very Good
Try Close Free
#2 Recommended
P
Pipedrive

Best Visual Pipeline

9.0
Excellent
Try Pipedrive Free
#3 Recommended
S
Salesforce

Most Powerful

8.7
Very Good
Try Salesforce Free
#1 Our Top PickPlans from $9 to $139/user/month (billed annually). 14-day free trial. No free plan.
8.8/ 10Very Good
C

Close

Inside sales teams and SDR organizations that rely on high-volume phone and email outreach to close B2B deals.

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Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature
C
Close8.8/10
P
Pipedrive9.0/10
S
Salesforce8.7/10
F
Freshsales8.3/10
S
Salesflare8.8/10
H
HubSpot CRM8.5/10
Starting PricePlans 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 Suite for up to 2 users. Paid plans from $25/user/month (Starter) to $550/user/month (Agentforce).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.Plans from $29 to $99/user/month (billed annually). 30-day free trial. No free plan.Free plan available. Paid plans from $15/user/month (Starter) to $150/user/month (Enterprise).
Visual Pipeline
Email Sequences
Starting Price$49/user/month$14/user/month$25/user/month$9/user/month$29/user/month$15/user/month
Built-in Calling
Lead Scoring
Forecasting
Activity Tracking9.09.59.08.39.29.0
Try Close FreeTry Pipedrive FreeStart Free TrialTry Freshsales FreeTry Salesflare FreeTry HubSpot Free

Detailed Reviews

#2
P
9.0/ 10Excellent

Pipedrive

Best Visual PipelineSales-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.

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#3
S
8.7/ 10Very Good

Salesforce

Most PowerfulFunded 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.

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#4
F
8.3/ 10Very Good

Freshsales

Best AI Sales AssistantStartups 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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#5
S
8.8/ 10Very Good

Salesflare

Best Auto-EnrichmentSmall 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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#6
H
8.5/ 10Very Good

HubSpot CRM

Editor's Choice
Best Free Sales CRMStartups seeking an all-in-one CRM with a generous free plan and seamless scaling path.

Pros

  • Industry-leading free plan with unlimited users and up to 1 million contacts
  • Excellent onboarding resources including HubSpot Academy and certifications
  • Over 1,500 integrations available through the HubSpot marketplace
  • Unified platform combining sales, marketing, and service in one ecosystem
  • Exceptionally intuitive interface with minimal learning curve for new teams

Cons

  • Steep price jump from Starter ($20/user) to Professional ($100/seat) tier
  • Annual contracts required for Professional and Enterprise plans
  • Advanced reporting and automation features locked behind expensive tiers
  • Mandatory onboarding fees for Professional ($750) and Enterprise ($3,000) plans

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans from $15/user/month (Starter) to $150/user/month (Enterprise).

HubSpot CRM is a powerful all-in-one platform offering a generous free tier with unlimited users, making it the top choice for startups. It combines sales, marketing, and service tools in a single ecosystem with intuitive design and robust automation.

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Our Testing Methodology

We test each sales CRM by simulating a startup sales workflow: importing a lead list, building a pipeline, running email sequences, and tracking activities over two weeks. We evaluate how much manual data entry is required, how intuitive the pipeline view is, and how well the platform supports a small sales team doing 50+ outreach activities per day.

Frequently Asked Questions

A sales CRM is specifically designed for managing the sales process. Key differentiators include visual pipeline management with drag-and-drop deals, built-in calling and email sequences, sales-specific automation (auto follow-ups, lead rotation), forecasting and quota tracking, and activity-based selling features. While general CRMs handle contacts, sales CRMs focus on converting leads into revenue.

For small startup sales teams (2-5 reps), Close and Pipedrive are top choices. Close excels at high-volume outbound with built-in calling, SMS, and email sequences. Pipedrive offers the best visual pipeline experience with intuitive deal management. For larger teams needing enterprise features, Salesforce provides unmatched customization.

It depends on your sales process. If your team does active outbound selling with calls, emails, and pipeline-driven deals, a dedicated sales CRM like Pipedrive or Close will be more effective. If your startup is more inbound-focused or needs marketing and service features alongside sales, a general CRM like HubSpot may be a better fit.

Essential startup sales metrics include pipeline value (total potential revenue), win rate (deals won vs total), average deal size, sales cycle length, lead-to-opportunity conversion rate, and activity metrics (calls made, emails sent, meetings booked). Most sales CRMs provide dashboards for these metrics out of the box.

Many modern sales CRMs include built-in email capabilities. Close offers native email with sequences and templates. Pipedrive and Salesflare sync with Gmail and Outlook for two-way email tracking. However, these are designed for sales communication, not marketing emails. You will likely still need a separate tool for newsletters and marketing campaigns.

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A

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.

Lead GenerationCRMMarketing AutomationSales Tech
Best Sales CRM for Startups (2026) | Pipeline & Deal Tracking