Compare CRM Pricing and Costs 2024

Graph demonstrating CRM cost and pricing by provider

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Microsoft Dynamics 365

SugarCRM

Best for

Email campaign features

Best for

Organization features

Best for

Customization

Best for

Wide selection of features

Best for

Contact management features

Best for

Ease of use

Best for

Value for money

Best for

Integration with Microsoft software

Best for

Wide choice of integrations

Starting Price
Starting Price
Starting Price
Starting Price
Starting Price
Starting Price
Starting Price

$0 per month

Starting Price

Microsoft Copilot for Sales (not a full CRM)
$50 per user, per month

Sales Professional
$65 per user, per month

Starting Price

$49 per user, per month (billed annually)

Mid-Tier Price

$80 per user per month

Mid-Tier Price

$99 per user per month

Mid-Tier Price

$17 per user per month

Mid-Tier Price

$40 per user per month

Mid-Tier Price

$49 per user, per month

Mid-Tier Price

$39 per user, per month

Mid-Tier Price

$1,781 per month

Mid-Tier Price

$95 per user, per month

Mid-Tier Price

$85 per user, per month (billed annually)

Top Price

$500 per user per month

Top Price

$149 per user per month

Top Price

$28 per user per month

Top Price

$52 per user per month

Top Price

$99 per user, per month

Top Price

$59 per user, per month

Top Price

$5,000 per month  (10 paid users)

Top Price

$162 per user, per month

Top Price

$135 per user, per month (billed annually)

Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan
Free Plan
Try Salesforce Try Zendesk Try monday.com Try Zoho Try Pipedrive Try Freshsales Try HubSpot Competitors Get Quotes

Prices correct as of March 2024

With so many CRM systems available, each offering diverse pricing plans, packages, and feature tiers, comparing the best CRM providers can quickly become an overwhelming task, requiring a significant amount of time and patience.

To make your search easier, we’ve created a comprehensive guide to CRM pricing where you’ll find thorough reviews of nine suppliers, including their product offerings and price ranges.

This CRM pricing guide will help you identify the ideal provider for your business quickly and easily, but to save even more time, you can use our free quote-finding tool to request quotes so you can compare the best suppliers for your needs.

But before we delve into the details of CRM pricing, let’s quickly confirm what we’re talking about.

Why Can You Trust Expert Market for CRM Recommendations?

At Expert Market, we are dedicated to helping our readers make informed purchases to make their businesses thrive. Our publishing team is completely separate from our sales team, so our research-backed opinions are independent of financial persuasion.

We conduct an unbiased, user-led testing process to evaluate the best CRM on the market, ensuring that you are well-equipped to settle on the provider that is the best value for money. Refer to our methodology section for a more detailed breakdown of how we arrived at our top five.

How Much Should My Business Pay for CRM?

As with most software subscriptions, the amount you pay for a CRM solution is based mainly on your business size, complexity and the type of CRM needed. Be really careful in evaluating each CRM option on the market.

The best on the market may be packed with loads of features you actually don’t need for a price that’s way out of your budget so don’t go for the most well known name. If your business needs are simple, go for a simple CRM. Here are some typical CRM price ranges.

  • Small business:  Minimal features that get the job done, plans usually starting at around $0-$30 per user, per month. Salesforce’s Starter plan, for example, has standard features such as lead management, email integration and the ability to schedule meetings.
  • Mid-tier: More users, advanced features for mid size businesses, plans usually starting at around $60-$100 per user, per month. Zendesk’s Sell Growth is a good example of mid tier plan, with multiple sales pipelines, sales forecasting, bulk emailing and goal tracking.
  • Advanced/Enterprise: Lots of features and users, powerful functionality, plans usually start at $150 per user, per month but can increase to $1000+ per user, per month for some solutions. Monday’s Enterprise plan is a typical top tier plan, with enterprise scale automation, detailed lead scoring and advanced analytics.

Zendesk Costs: $19 to $149 per user, per month

Zendesk logo
Zendesk
3.3
Pricing $19 - $149 per user, per month
Who it's best for

Sales managers and client success leaders who are looking for an easy way to track deal progression will benefit from Zendesk Sell. Email and calendar integrations at every price plan provide an easy way to marry your schedule with time-critical client relationship tasks.

Pricing
PlanPricing (annually)Pricing (monthly)
Support Team $19 $25
Support Professional $55 $69
Support Enterprise $115 $149
Suite Team $55 $69
Suite Growth $89 $115
Suite Professional $115 $149
Suite Enterprise Tailored Tailored

Prices correct as of March 2024

Zendesk specializes in affordable, effective solutions for sales and service teams. ‘Sell’ and ‘Support’ plans both start from just $19 per user, per month. There used to be a $5 per user, per month Essentials Support plan, but this was retired in 2021. You may still see it mentioned – along with the Elite plan, which is also retired – but you can no longer sign up to these.

You can see a summary of the main features you’ll get in each pricing tier in the table below. Enterprise pricing is also available, but we haven’t listed those as they’re not recommended for SMBs.

In our testing, we found that Zendesk’s all-in-one system would suit growing businesses. It’s not for nothing that Zendesk one of the most popular CRM providers. This platform is ideal for managers, marketing teams, customer care, and sales teams looking for customizable pipelines and data tracking.

You can make use of a free Zendesk trial to help you test the waters. If you’re a startup, you can even apply for a six-month free trial.

Zendesk CRM Pricing

If you don’t need the full sweep of capabilities of the Zendesk Suite packages, you can choose from these lower-priced options.

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Sell Team

Sell Growth

Sell Professional

Support Team

Support Professional

Price

$19 per user, per month (annual billing)

$25 per user, per month (monthly billing)

Price

$55 per user, per month (annual billing)

$69 per user, per month (monthly billing)

Price

$115 per user, per month (annual billing)

$149 per user, per month (monthly billing)

Price

$19 per user, per month (annual billing)

$25 per user, per month (monthly billing)

Price

$55 per user, per month (billing annually)

$69 per user, per month (billing monthly)

Key Features
  • Unlimited users
  • Two sales pipelines
  • Custom data fields, filters, tags
  • Task and appointment setting
  • Calendar integration
Key Features
  • 10 sales pipelines
  • Automated distribution
  • Bulk emailing
  • Custom sales reports and dashboards
  • Sales forecasting
  • Goal tracking
Key Features
  • Advanced user permissions
  • 20 sales pipelines
  • Lead scoring
  • Task automation
  • Power dialing
Key Features
  • Unlimited email contacts
  • Interaction history
  • Conversations routed to agents based on agent capacity
  • Canned responses
  • Data exports
Key Features
  • CSAT and survey
  • Automated ticket sharing
  • Conversations routed based on agent capacity and ticket priority
  • SLA creation and management

For more detail on these packages – and to see the Zendesk Suite options – head to the Zendesk site now.


monday.com Costs: $8 to $20 per user, per month

monday.com Logo
monday.com
4.2
Pricing $12 - $33 per user, per month
Who it's best for

monday.com is suited to multi-tasking managers and service agents thanks to its mobile apps that let you perform tasks on the go. If your business uses lots of codewords, you'll benefit from its wide-ranging customization.

Strengths

Unlimited sales pipelines

Plenty of customization

Weaknesses

No mass email on cheaper plans

No lead scoring

More sales-focused than marketing-focused

Pricing
PlanPrice
Basic Templates for lead management, smartphone app use, unlimited contacts $12 per user, per month (annual billing) $15 per user, per month (monthly billing)
Standard Email integration, create invoices, merge duplicate data $17 per user, per month $20 per user, per month
Pro Sales forecasting, mass emails, email automations $28 per user, per month $33 per user, per month
Enterprise Lead scoring, advanced analytics, enterprise-scale automations Bespoke Bespoke

Prices correct as of March 2024

In our analysis, we judge monday.com as ideal for managers who need lots of customization. We particularly liked the separate dashboards for leads, contacts, deals, and accounts, all of which you can customize. monday.com is better than Zendesk in this respect because you get unlimited customizable pipelines at every price point. It’s a lower-priced product that reliably tracks deal progression and client communications.

At $8-$10 per user per month, the ‘Basic’ plan offers an app for iOS and Android, 5GB of storage, and whiteboard collaboration. That’s really convenient and rather rare in the scope of CRM software.

Yet if your organization relies heavily on email, you’re better off going for monday.com’s ‘Standard’ plan, because of its email integration with Gmail or Outlook.


Zoho Costs: $14 to $65 per user, per month

Zoho Logo
Zoho CRM
4.7
Pricing $14 – $65 per user, per month
Who it's best for

Currency conversion at all price plans and translation at premium tiers make Zoho CRM best suited to international businesses.

Strengths

Free for up to three users

Easy to use and to set up

Lead scoring on all price plans

Weaknesses

Mobile app has limited functionality

Premium support costs 20% extra

Pricing
PlanPrice
Standard Sales forecasting, calendar booking, 10 custom dashboards $14 per user, per month (annual billing) $20 per user, per month (monthly billing)
Professional Automate follow-ups, leads assigned to available reps, unlimited custom reports $23 per user, per month (annual billing) $35 per user, per month (monthly billing)
Enterprise Advanced data visualization, customize modules, personalized customer journeys $40 per user, per month (annual billing) $50 per user, per month (monthly billing)
Ultimate Business intelligence analytics $52 per user, per month $65 per user, per month

Prices correct as of March 2024

Zoho is a powerful platform offering lots of features across sales, email, customer support, and more. Sure, the interface isn’t as jazzy, but it gets the job done. If you want to dive in and add lots of data to customize your database of accounts, contacts, and deals, Zoho will really come into its own. Free for up to three users, with paid plans starting at $14/user/month (billed monthly).

In our testing, Zoho impressed us with its ‘Set Up Your CRM’ checklist, and customizable layouts for accounts, leads, and contacts. This platform is great value for money and offers the strongest selection of features of any CRM system we tested.

As you may already know, Zoho has as many software offerings as a millipede has legs. If you’re looking for more powerful business tools, you should take a look at our Zoho One pricing review. You may be able to score better value for money with extra functionality compared with Zoho CRM products.


Pipedrive Costs: $14 to $129 per user, per month

Pipedrive
4.2
Pricing US$14 – US$99 per user, per month
Who it's best for

Ideal for SMEs looking for capable contact management features like list segmentation and automated workflows.

Strengths

App for on the move management

Comprehensive lead management – clearly see where each contact is in the sales funnel

User-friendly interface

Weaknesses

Automatic lead assignment available at mid-tier upwards

No phone support in lower price tiers

Pricing
PlanPrice
Essential Custom data fields, notifications on stagnant deals, visual dashboards US$14 per user, per month (billed annually) US$24 per user, per month (billed monthly)
Advanced Two-way email sync, meeting scheduler, automations US$29 per user, per month (billed annually) US$39 per user, per month (billed monthly)
Professional Automatic lead assignment, required data fields, digital document signatures US$49 per user, per month (billed annually) US$64 per user, per month (billed monthly)
Power Custom to-do lists with subtasks, phone support, personalized onboarding US$64 per user, per month (billed annually) US$79 per user, per month (billed monthly)
Enterprise Stronger security features, unlimited deals per company and unlimited insights US$99 per user, per month (billed annually) US$129 per user, per month (billed monthly)

Prices correct as of March 2024

Pipedrive is the perfect affordable CRM solution for businesses with several stages in their sales funnel. It’s the perfect way to guide each consumer from prospect to regular customer, especially for high-value products. Easily integrate with third party applications to maximize efficiency. Plans start at $14/user/month.

During our testing, we found Pipedrive had one of the easiest interfaces of any system we tested, including pre-made email campaign templates. Overall, Pipedrive is good value for money.

You should be aware that you’ll only get access to phone support at the Power tier which costs $64 per user, per month (billed annually). This makes Pipedrive support more expensive than Zoho CRM, as the latter has phone support available at all price plan levels (excluding the free plan).

Can’t decide if you need Pipedrive? We’ve gone under the hood with Pipedrive vs monday.com comparing their features, pricing, scalability, and weaknesses head-to-head.


Freshsales Costs – $0 to $59 per user, per month

Freshsales Logo
Freshsales
4.7
Pricing $0 - $59
Who it's best for

Small businesses who are becoming overwhelmed by lead volumes will benefit from the automated sales sequences. Deals are easily visualized in kanban, timeline or funnel view to aid different psychological styles.

Strengths

Phone support from free plan upwards

AI-powered contact scoring

Lots of visualization options

Weaknesses

Limited numbers of workflow automations

Very few custom modules

Pricing
PlanPrice
Free Built-in chat, email and calls with Kanban organization for up to 3 team members. Free Free
Growth Visual sales pipeline, custom text fields, automated emails $9 per user, per month (billed annually) $11 per user, per month (billed monthly)
Pro Multiple sales pipelines, timed workflow automations, advanced customization $39 per user, per month (billed annually) $47 per user, per month (billed monthly)
Enterprise AI forecasting, 10 custom modules, offer customer callbacks $59 per user, per month (billed annually) $71 per user, per month (billed monthly)

Prices correct as of March 2024

If you’re a small business looking for a good, affordable CRM system without all the bells and whistles, Freshsales will be right up your street. Get up and running in next to no time with an easy, useful dashboard, packed full of features you’ll actually use. Freshsales is popular across the board, but it’s the small businesses that sing its praises the loudest. Paid plans start at $9 per user, per month.

Freshsales is one of the best value for money CRM systems we tested, after Hubspot, offering a powerful platform that’s easy to use. In our testing, we found it easy to set up email campaigns, and to import contact information from a variety of sources including CSV/Excel, Google Contact, or Outlook Contact


Salesforce Costs – $25 to $500 per user, per month

Salesforce Logo
Salesforce
3.7
Pricing $25 – $500 per user per month
Who it's best for

Growing businesses that need in-depth campaign revenue figures. We recommend smaller businesses steer clear of Salesforce as it's a powerful tool with a premium price tag.

Strengths

Good range of features

Huge number of integrations

Free trial available

Weaknesses

Customer support costs extra

Tricky to use

No monthly pricing option

Pricing
PlanPrice
Starter Lead management, email integration, schedule meetings $25 per user, per month
Professional Forecast management, offline app $80 per user, per month
Enterprise Process automation, advanced pipeline insights $165 per user, per month
Unlimited AI lead scoring and deal health, premium support $330 per user, per month
Unlimited+ Performance management and integration with Slack $500 per user, per month

Prices correct as of March 2024

Salesforce is the big name in CRM software – holding 23% market share, which is greater than its four nearest competitors’ combined. If you’re part of a medium-to-large business, you’re ready to upgrade to the sharpest tools in the CRM shed.

Get advanced deal management and highly customized sales pipeline monitoring with Salesforce CRM. One of its many highlights is the huge range of integrations you can connect. With over 4,000 apps, Salesforce CRM is superior to Zoho CRM, which offers just five, 10, 15, 20 or 50 at each paid price plan.

While its lower-priced tiers seem reasonable in cost (considering how big a brand it is), you’ll miss out on some key features if you pay anything beneath $300 a month, per user.

Customer service is in short supply on the Starter Plan ($25 per user, per month) – you can expect a response within two days. For response within an hour, you’ll need to pay for the “Premier Success Plan” which is an extra 30% of your net license fee (or included at the Unlimited Plan at $300 per user, per month).


HubSpot Costs – $0 to $1,781 per month

HubSpot logo
HubSpot
4.3
Pricing $0 - $1,781 per month
Who it's best for

HubSpot offers a free plan that is a worthy rival to many of its paid competitors, making it a top contender for marketing teams seeking CRM software with minimal financial investment.

Strengths

Bots collect leads

Take payments

Make and receive calls

Weaknesses

Limited number of pipelines

No analytics or custom reports (Standard tier)

Permissions editing only at Enterprise tier

Pricing
PlanPricing
Free Tools Free
Starter $240 (billed annually) $20 (billed monthly) no user limit stated
Professional $19,201 (billed annually) $1,781 (billed monthly) no user limit stated
Enterprise $60,000 (billed annually) $5,000 (billed monthly) no user limit stated

Prices correct as of March 2024

You can buy Sales Hub tools from HubSpot, with packages priced at $0, $20, $500 or $1,200 per month. If you’re looking for a wider range of tools, you can sign up for the CRM Suite, a platform with subscriptions costing $0, $30 or $1,781 per month. There’s an enterprise option for $5,000 a month, but we wouldn’t recommend that for SMBs.

HubSpot sales software pricing is a little different from typical CRM packages. Each tier includes a certain number of users, and you pay to add more.

  • Sales Hub Starter includes two users ($10 per extra user, per month)
  • Sales Hub Professional includes five users ($100 per extra user, per month)
  • Sales Hub Enterprise includes 10 paid users ($120 per extra user, per month)

However, it’s good to note that everyone in your team can access the features of the Free HubSpot plan.

You’ll save money if you pay for the entire year’s bill upfront. This gets you a 10% discount, including a reduction in the cost of each additional user per month.

You should note that Starter customers only get email and app support, while phone support becomes available in the Professional tier.

HubSpot Onboarding Fees

You will have to pay additional “onboarding” fees when you sign up to certain premium HubSpot plans. This pays for a HubSpot professional to help you:

  • Set goals specific to your company
  • Start projects, and advise on prioritization
  • Access resources to understand the software
  • Integrate your existing tools with HubSpot

HubSpot Sales Hub Onboarding costs $1,000 for the Professional package or $3,000 for the Enterprise package.

You can benefit from a free demo if you want to see how the premium features look in practice.


Microsoft Dynamics 365 Costs – $40 to $162 per user, per month

Microsoft Dynamics 365 logo
Microsoft Dynamics 365
3.7
Pricing $40 - $162 per user, per month
Who it's best for

Diverse teams with multiple stakeholders will benefit from the collaborative nature of Microsoft Dynamics 365. Integrations with Microsoft Teams, email and Excel make it easier to work together with a single source of truth.

Strengths

Phone support on all plans

Decent customization

Intelligent data capture

Weaknesses

High price

Smart features unnecessary for smaller businesses

Pricing
PlanPrice
Microsoft Copilot for Sales AI-assisted content creation, sales accelerator, conversation intelligence $50 per user, per month
Sales Professional Lead management, mobile app, invoices $65 per user, per month
Sales Enterprise Sales forecasting, workflow automation, call transcription $95 per user, per month
Sales Premium Contextual insights, embedded email and phone dialer, $135 per user, per month
Microsoft Relationship Sales LinkedIn Sales Navigator $162 per user, per month

Prices correct as of March 2024

Since our last update Microsoft Sales Viva became Microsoft Sales Copilot. Its features are still included on Sale Enterprise and Sales Premium. However, Microsoft have now announced the launch of a new AI product called Microsoft Copilot for Sales. Premium customers can unlock Copilot for Sales with an additional purchase of Copilot for Microsoft 365. All other Dynamic 365 users need to purchase a Copilot for Sales subscription which is $50 per user, per month. 

Copilot for Sales is a more powerful iteration of Viva Sales and Microsoft Sales Copilot. It uses AI to leverage data from its CRM, large language models and the internet. It optimizes meeting creation and post meeting actions. With its Copilot Studio feature you can create AI assisted Sales processes.

In contrast to other CRM pricing packages like HubSpot and Freshsales, the Enterprise package of Microsoft Dynamics 365 ($95 per user, per month) is not its top-priced tier. Instead, it’s a great mid-range option for business leaders looking for useful context-based sales insights. It comes with much better customization opportunities compared with the Professional package ($65 per user, per month).

The free trial is 30 days.


SugarCRM Costs – $49 per user, per month to $1,000 per month

sugarcrm logo
SugarCRM
3.6
Pricing $49 - $1000 per user, per month
Who it's best for

SugarCRM is an ideal entry-level CRM system for any SMB. It's got all the robot intelligence basics you'd expect: including account management, analytics, and forecasting. It's suitable for busy teams thanks to its mobile management app.

Strengths

Analytics identify risks

Accurate forecasting

Weaknesses

Less support on cheaper plans

Limited file storage

Pricing
PlanPrice
Sell $49 per user, per month
Serve $80 per user, per month
Market $1,000 per user, per month
Enterprise $85 per user, per month

Prices correct as of March 2024

What you’ll get from SugarCRM depends on whether you’d prefer cloud hosting or on-premises software. Enterprise options are available for on-premises use, which will suit businesses with a well-resourced IT infrastructure. Learn more in our guide to the best cloud-based CRMs.

All price plans support third-party add-ons and code customizations except for Sell Essentials ($49 per user, per month).

It’s also essential you’re aware of the user limits per price plan:

  • Sell Essentials: Minimum three users (maximum five)
  • Sell Advanced: Minimum three users
  • Sell Premier: Minimum 10 users
  • Enterprise On Premises: Minimum three users
  • Enterprise+ On Premises: Minimum 10 users

SugarCRM’s short free trial of seven days can help you decide whether it’s the right system for you.

Types of CRM Pricing Plan

Each CRM provider typically offers three different plan types, with different features (and pricing) for each one. Here’s an outline of each one:

Starter/Basic Plan: Ideal for small businesses or startups with limited budgets. It offers essential CRM features and basic functionality, suitable for businesses with a small customer base or simple sales processes.

Mid-Tier Plan: Suitable for growing businesses that need more advanced features and customization options. These plans typically offer additional features such as sales automation (which are becoming more readily available due to the rise of AI), reporting, and integration with other tools, targeted at businesses with moderate customer volumes and sales activities.

Enterprise/Advanced Plan: Designed for large enterprises or businesses with complex sales and marketing needs. These plans provide extensive customization, advanced analytics, integrations with multiple platforms, and comprehensive support services. These high-end plans suit businesses with a large customer base, multiple sales teams, and intricate sales processes.

How Much Does an Industry-Specific CRM Cost?

The variation in pricing for CRM systems depends not only on plan size and features but also on the industry. CRM is typically split into three typings, and pricing varies wildly whether the CRM system is intended for sales, marketing or customer service teams. The reason for this is that different teams require different levels of complexity in their processes.

Below we’ll break down how much you can expect to pay for your CRM system based on whether you’re a sales, marketing or customer service professional.

CRM for Sales

CRM for sales teams is mainly used for lead capture, communication and conversion and tends to be priced between $12 and $300 per month. There are also many totally free plans for sales teams, which is fantastic for sole entrepreneurship but can be limiting once you require multiple users or higher data capacity.

If you upgrade to a middle-tier sales CRM, you may have the added benefit of more advanced features such as lead scoring, and deal and quote management which helps to gain a fuller picture of the prospects in your sales pipeline.

The highest-priced plans are intended for enterprise-level teams and instead of adding more features, will enhance the operational functionality of your system with higher data, user and contact limits.

CRM for Customer Service

CRM systems for customer service teams are mainly used for managing customer queries and complaints and for maintaining relationships with existing customers vs. sales and marketing CRM systems are used at an earlier stage in the sales funnel. That being said, customer service CRM systems are rather similarly priced to sales systems at $14-$300 per month, making them a feasible investment for teams of all sizes.

CRM for Marketing

CRM systems for marketing teams are where we see the biggest increase in pricing. They can range from $19-$15,000 per month, a marked price increase from sales and customer service systems. Marketing CRM systems offer more advanced capabilities than that of sales or customer service systems. These features include email marketing, multi-channel lead communication and capture.

With higher-paid plans, you’ll also benefit from analytics features and automation, which are particularly useful when it comes to reallocating your team’s time and resources to more valuable activities.

Free CRM Plans vs Paid CRM Plans

Free CRM plans typically offer limited features and functionalities with potential usage restrictions, making it suitable for small businesses or startups with budget constraints or for those wanting to test the CRM’s suitability. That being said, we love HubSpot’s Free plan for companies looking to streamline their contact management processes without the investment of paid software.

On the other hand, a paid plan such as Freshsales or Salesforce provides comprehensive features, advanced functionalities, and dedicated support, making it ideal for businesses with complex sales processes, larger customer bases, and the need for ongoing support, customization options, and scalability. When it comes to CRM pricing, paid plans offer a more robust and tailored CRM experience, while free plans serve as a starting point for businesses with simpler needs.

Everything to Know About CRM Free Trials

If you aren’t sure you want to commit to a lengthy paid contract for a CRM solution, it’s possible to try before you buy. Most CRM providers offer a short free trial so that you can be sure that you’ve made the right choice.

During the free trial period, CRM providers typically offer access to all features so you can evaluate whether it meets your requirements. In the table below, you’ll learn how long each CRM provider’s free trial period is and whether or not a credit card is required.

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Microsoft Dynamics 365

SugarCRM

Free Trial

14 days

Free Trial

14 days

Free Trial

30 days

Free Trial

14 days

Free Trial

21 days

Free Trial

30 days

Free Trial

30 days

Free Trial

30 days

Free Trial

7 days

Credit Card Required?
Credit Card Required?
Credit Card Required?
Credit Card Required?
Credit Card Required?
Credit Card Required?
Credit Card Required?
Credit Card Required?
Credit Card Required?
Try Zendesk Try monday.com Try Zoho Try Pipedrive Try Freshsales Try Salesforce Try HubSpot Competitors Get Quotes

Can you extend a free trial?

Unfortunately, often it’s not possible to extend a free trial. Sometimes it may be possible on a case-by-case basis if you run into an issue that requires a longer trial period.

How to unsubscribe to a free trial?

Many service providers offer free trials without requiring you to provide your credit card information. This means that you will not be automatically charged after the trial period ends unless you explicitly sign up for a paid plan. While you may continue to receive emails from the provider after the trial period, you don’t have to worry about unexpected charges unless otherwise stated.

How to Get the Best CRM Deals

We understand that CRM systems are more complex than most business software you’ll be looking to invest in. Because it can do so many things, there are more moving parts to keep track of than, say, a video editing tool. To take some stress off your shoulders, we wanted to provide you with a clear structure for making your decision.

Step one: Identify your business use case

We mentioned that it’s best to hone in on the features you really need from a CRM. That means you should take time to identify business inefficiencies and workflow bottlenecks which could be resolved with a CRM. You want to make sure your investment is really going to save you money by freeing up staff hours, improving customer satisfaction, and hitting targets.

This allows you to create a realistic budget; your CRM is not simply a business cost, but a money-saving investment and revenue driver.

Step two: Factor in training time

As part of deciding on the level of complexity your system should have, take time to reflect on the skillset and working culture of your business. Staff will need to train on the new CRM, so you need to factor in that downtime. If staff turnover is high, you may want to buy a simpler CRM.

Jan Chapman, Managing Director of managed IT services provider MSP Blueshift, shares: “Most people believe they can’t handle the technology, but you don’t have to be an expert in every area. Understanding your options is a crucial first step in overcoming this alleged technological barrier.”

CRM providers offer training and support (though this may come at an extra cost), so take comfort in the fact you can outsource some of this process. “Don’t waste any more time thinking you have to learn everything on your own,” adds Chapman.

Step three: Laser focus on CRM solutions that match your needs

Now you’re ready to approach CRM providers with a clear vision of the features you’ll need. For instance, if you know you need email marketing automation, ensure the plan you’re considering comes with that included (or added on for an affordable price).

Don’t settle for a pricey solution that misses functions you’re going to have to buy another tool for. To ensure you’re getting the best deal with the right functionalities for your business needs, it’s important to shop around. You may benefit from using our free comparison tool to make this process run smoothly.

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Verdict

CRM pricing can start from around $9 per user, per month for small businesses, going up to $50 to $150 per user, per month for growing businesses, while the most expensive CRM systems can charge $1,500+ per month. For example, HubSpot offers a free plan and paid plans up to $1,781 per month, while Zendesk has no free plan but paid plans from $19 per user, per month.

The price you pay depends on choosing the right system for your business needs. For example, Freshsales is the easiest system to use (scoring 4.7/5 in our ease of use testing), making it a favorable option for businesses looking for seamless experiences. However, Zoho isn’t as intuitive as Freshsales, but offers a wider selection of features to give you a more comprehensive view of your customer behavior.

How We Test CRM Systems for Businesses

We tested 13 market-leading CRM systems to evaluate them in terms of functionality, usability, cost, scalability, and more so we can make the most useful recommendations to US businesses.

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 – and that's our product testing algorithm in a nutshell!

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.

Customization: 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.

 

Frequently asked questions

What are the key factors that can affect CRM pricing?
Most CRM systems base their pricing on the number of users, the level of features and functionalities needed, and any additional services or integrations required. CRM pricing also depends on the actual pricing model, i.e. whether they charge per user or in a lump sum per month.
Can I customize the pricing plan based on my business needs?
Some CRM providers, such as Hubspot, offer customizable pricing plans to cater to your specific business needs, allowing you to select the desired features and user licenses that align with your requirements.
Are there any hidden costs or additional fees to consider?
To avoid nasty surprises, it’s essential to carefully review the CRM provider’s terms and conditions to ensure there are no hidden costs or unexpected fees, such as implementation fees, data storage fees, or additional charges for advanced support.
Can I add or remove users from my CRM subscription easily?
Most CRM systems allow for easy user management, allowing you to add or remove users as needed when your business needs change. However, we recommend confirming this capability with the CRM provider before making a decision.
Are there any discounts or promotions available?
CRM providers may offer discounts or promotions from time to time, especially for annual or long-term subscriptions. It’s worth inquiring about any current discounts or special offers that may be available.
Written by:
Rob Binns
Rob writes mainly about the payments industry, but also brings to the table industry-specific knowledge of CRM software, business loans, fulfilment, and invoice finance. When not exasperating his editor with bad puns, he can be found relaxing in a sunny (socially-distanced) corner, with a beer and a battered copy of Dostoevsky.
Reviewed by:
James thinks all businesses can improve if they use the right technology. At Expert Market, he utilises his 4+ years experience as a researcher to offer specialised advice on a wide range of categories from CRM to Fleet Management.