7 products tested & ranked

Best Simple CRM for Small Teams

Not every team needs enterprise complexity. These lightweight CRM tools get you organized in minutes, not months, with clean interfaces your team will actually use.

Helping 12,000+ professionals choose the right tools

Why Simple Beats Complex for Most Startups

The most expensive CRM is the one your team does not use. Enterprise platforms with hundreds of features sound impressive, but if your 5-person team spends more time configuring the tool than selling, you have a problem.

Simple CRMs take a different approach: they focus on the 20% of features that deliver 80% of the value. Contact management, deal tracking, basic automation, and clean reporting. No certification required, no admin overhead, no three-month implementation timeline.

What Makes a CRM "Simple"

We define simple CRMs by these characteristics:

Setup in under an hour: Import contacts, create your pipeline, and start tracking deals the same day
Intuitive daily use: Your team should not need training to log activities or update deals
Minimal configuration: Sensible defaults that work out of the box
Clean interface: No feature bloat or overwhelming dashboards
Affordable: Simple pricing that matches the simple product

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

Folk CRM

Simplest to Use

8.5

Very Good

Try Folk CRM Free

#2 Recommended

Bigin by Zoho

Best Minimal CRM

8.7

Very Good

Try Bigin Free

#1 Our Top PickFrom $20/user/month; 14-day free trial, no free plan

Very Good

Folk CRM

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

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Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	F Folk CRM8.5/10	B Bigin by Zoho8.7/10	F Freshsales8.5/10	P Pipedrive9.2/10	A Attio8.4/10	H HubSpot CRM9.0/10	M Monday CRM8.3/10
Starting Price	From $20/user/month; 14-day free trial, no free plan	Free for 1 user; paid plans from $7/user/month	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.	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/month	Free plan available. Paid plans from $15/user/month (Starter) to $150/user/month (Enterprise).	From $12/seat/month (3-seat minimum); no permanent free plan
Setup Time	Under 15 minutes	Under 30 minutes	Under 1 hour	Under 30 minutes	Under 30 minutes	Under 1 hour	Under 1 hour
Starting Price	$20/user/mo	$0 (Free plan)	Free / $9/user/month	$14/user/month	$0 (Free plan)	$0 (Free)	$12/seat/mo
Learning Curve	9.5	9.5	8.7	9.8	8.5	9.5	8.0
Free Plan
Mobile App
Drag-and-Drop
Team Size Fit	1-50 users	1-25 users	1-50 users	1-200	1-100 users	1-500+	3-200+ users
	Try Folk CRM Free	Try Bigin Free	Try Freshsales Free	Try Pipedrive Free	Try Attio Free	Try HubSpot Free	Try Monday CRM Free

Detailed Reviews

Very Good

Bigin by Zoho

Best Minimal CRMSmall businesses and micro-teams that need an affordable, dead-simple CRM to replace spreadsheets

Pros

Unbeatable value at $7/user/month — the most affordable paid CRM on the market with genuine functionality, not a stripped-down demo
Setup takes under 30 minutes with no training required — consistently rated as the easiest CRM to get started with
Free plan for 1 user with a full pipeline, 500 records, and 3 automations — genuinely useful for solopreneurs, not just a trial
Built-in calling, email, and WhatsApp integration means you can communicate with contacts without switching tools
Seamless upgrade path to full Zoho CRM with one-click data migration when your business outgrows Bigin

Cons

Reporting and analytics are basic compared to full-scale CRMs — limited dashboard customization and data visualization options
Automation capabilities are limited — 3 automations on free, 30 on Express — may feel restrictive for complex workflows
Custom fields and advanced customization are limited compared to more flexible CRMs like Attio or Monday CRM

Pricing: Free for 1 user; paid plans from $7/user/month

Bigin by Zoho is a pipeline-centric CRM designed specifically for small businesses and micro-teams. With an exceptionally clean interface, multiple pipeline management, and pricing starting at just $7/user/month, it delivers essential CRM functionality without the complexity of full-scale platforms. Free plan available for 1 user.

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Very Good

Freshsales

Startups 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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Excellent

Pipedrive

Best Intuitive DesignSales-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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Very Good

Attio

Best Modern UXStartups 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.

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Excellent

HubSpot CRM

Editor's Choice

Best Free Simple 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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Very Good

Monday CRM

Best Visual LayoutSmall-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.

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Our Testing Methodology

We measure simplicity objectively: how long does setup take? How many clicks to log a deal? Can a new user be productive on day one without training? We time each workflow and compare the learning curve across platforms, with a focus on what matters most to teams of 2-15 people.

Frequently Asked Questions

A simple CRM is a customer relationship management tool designed for ease of use over feature depth. These CRMs focus on clean interfaces, minimal setup time, and intuitive workflows. They typically handle core functions like contact management, deal tracking, and basic automation without the complexity of enterprise platforms like Salesforce.

For most early-stage startups (under 20 employees), a simple CRM provides everything you need. Tools like Folk CRM, Bigin by Zoho, and Salesflare handle contacts, deals, and communication tracking effectively. You may outgrow a simple CRM when you need complex automation, multiple pipelines, or advanced reporting, but that is typically 12-24 months into your sales journey.

Folk CRM and Salesflare are the fastest to set up. Folk CRM works like a spreadsheet with CRM superpowers, so there is almost no learning curve. Salesflare automatically pulls in contact data from your email and calendar, meaning you can start tracking deals within minutes of signing up without manually entering data.

Simple CRMs prioritize ease of use and quick onboarding. They have fewer features but higher adoption rates since team members actually use them. Full CRMs like Salesforce or HubSpot offer extensive customization, advanced automation, marketing tools, and enterprise-grade reporting. The trade-off is complexity, longer setup, and often higher costs.

Yes, all simple CRMs support CSV import for contacts and deals. Most also offer direct integrations with Gmail and Outlook to automatically sync your contacts. Some like Salesflare go further by auto-enriching contact profiles with data from email signatures, social profiles, and company databases, reducing manual data entry significantly.

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

Why Simple Beats Complex for Most Startups

What Makes a CRM "Simple"

Our Top Picks

Folk CRM

Head-to-Head Comparison

Detailed Reviews

Bigin by Zoho

Pros

Cons

Freshsales

Pros

Cons

Pipedrive

Pros

Cons

Attio

Pros

Cons

HubSpot CRM

Pros

Cons

Monday CRM

Pros

Cons

Our Testing Methodology

Frequently Asked Questions

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