Top 7 Free CRM Software Providers

Whether you’re navigating budget constraints or testing the waters before committing to a paid plan, the best free CRM software can be an appealing starting point for small businesses.

However, navigating the zero-cost CRM market can be a challenge, with many free plans limiting user numbers, integration possibilities, or the feature options many cheap CRM systems offer, like automation or analytics.

Our team has rigorously tested the best free CRM solutions and identified seven providers that deliver true value. In this guide, we detail each free plan’s features, benefits, and potential drawbacks so you can accurately compare the best option for your specific business needs.

*Per user, per month

The best free CRM systems for UK businesses

The best free CRM system comes from HubSpot. Freshworks is a close second, while Zoho is our third pick for UK teams.

The remaining four free CRM systems worth their salt are Capsule, Bitrix24, Insightly, and RAYNET CRM.

1. HubSpot (best for high email send limits)
2. Freshworks (best for lack of restrictions)
3. Zoho (easiest to use)
4. Capsule (best for integrations)
5. Bitrix24 (cheapest to upgrade)
6. Insightly (best for data visualisation and reporting)
7. RAYNET CRM (best customer support)

How did we decide? Well, we undertook research into all things CRM, rating and ranking eight of the industry’s most prominent suppliers. Only three – HubSpot, Freshworks, and Zoho – made it onto this list, on account of their excellent free versions. Three suppliers is okay… but it’s not quite enough.

So, we did some more research, focussing only on free CRM suppliers with the most generous contact, storage, and user limits, and with sufficient customer support.

You can jump to our methodology for information about how we undertook the research, or read on to start reviewing the best free CRM suppliers in the UK.

HubSpot

Best free CRM software for high daily email send limit

Of course, on the free plan, you won’t be privy to HubSpot’s more developed features for businesses – that’s a given. But as contact management software with a few marketing features thrown in – including webforms, list segmentation, and basic ad management – HubSpot’s free version excels.

Sales teams too can benefit from live chat and conversational bots, while HubSpot’s drag-and-drop ticketing feature will make life easier for your customer service agents.

To upgrade, HubSpot’s offerings for sales, marketing, or customer service teams each cost £33.60 per month for up to two users, based on the ‘Starter’ plan.

Our only word of warning re HubSpot is to take care with the contact limit. Though you’re privy to up to one million contacts with the free version, if you choose to upgrade to HubSpot’s Marketing Hub, your contacts will automatically appear in both places. 

And guess what? HubSpot’s rates are determined by none other than your contact limit – so, if you’re not careful, you could end up paying through the nose to store a heap of contacts that used to be free.

What business is HubSpot best for?

We believe HubSpot’s free CRM is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses that rely heavily on email marketing and customer outreach.

The platform’s 2,000 daily bulk email sends are generous in our view, and its extensive contact management features make it ideal for businesses with large customer databases or those that need to engage in frequent email campaigns.

Marketing teams that need basic automation and segmentation tools without an upfront investment will find HubSpot particularly beneficial. Additionally, businesses that anticipate scaling up their CRM usage in the future will appreciate HubSpot’s ability to handle a high volume of contacts and users.

Freshworks

Best free CRM software for its lack of limitations

Well, Freshsales (Freshworks’ offering for sales teams) offers all the basics in terms of lead, account, and deal management, as well as a visual pipeline builder. Crucially, it also adds lead scoring into the mix – a feature usually reserved for CRM software’s premium plans.

Freshmarketer offers marketing teams a free solution for building emails, with web forms and limited CRO (conversion rate optimisation) tools thrown in. Likewise, Freshdesk offers customer service teams a free ticketing system for dealing with issues (plus a few basic reporting features), but not too much else.

You can also lump for Freshworks ‘Freshsales Suite’. It’s a package that includes sales and marketing automation features, as well as chat and telephony, for an affordable price.

Upgrading scores you a wealth of benefits – most notably for marketing teams, who’ll get list segmentation and a drag-and-drop email builder to play with. Purchasing one of Freshsales’ paid plans also allows you to integrate the CRM with a range of third-party applications – something the free version lacks.

What business is Freshworks best for?

Businesses of any size will find Freshworks an excellent choice should they require a flexible and unrestricted CRM solution. Namely, businesses with diverse teams which require unlimited users and contacts will ensure everyone in the organisation can access and utilise the CRM without hitting usage caps.

It could also suit companies working across multiple time zones or require 24/7 customer support. The lack of restrictions on records and the inclusion of lead scoring even in the free plan make it a good fit for sales-oriented businesses looking to optimise their lead management processes.

Zoho

Best free CRM software for user-friendliness

Zoho’s free CRM software includes all the lead and contact management stuff you’d expect. You’ll also get rudimentary filtering features and some level of customisation, plus workflow rules and standard reporting functionality.

The bad news is, that’s about all there is to Zoho’s free CRM. The good news is, it won’t cost you much to unlock the meaty features needed to grow your business.

What business is Zoho best for?

Zoho’s free CRM is best for very small businesses or startups that need an easy-to-use CRM solution without a steep learning curve.

Businesses that are new to CRM software and need a simple, no-frills system to manage their contacts and leads. Zoho’s user-friendly interface and basic features make it an excellent choice for solo entrepreneurs or small teams who need to stay organised but don’t require advanced functionality. It’s also a good option for businesses already using other Zoho products, as the CRM integrates seamlessly with Zoho’s broader suite of tools.

Capsule

Best free CRM software for third-party integrations

That said, there aren’t any limits on the number of sales opportunities, cases, or custom fields you can create. Capsule’s free CRM also integrates with up to 1,000 third-party applications – a far cry from the free plans offered by providers such as Freshworks, which only works with its own products!

What business is Capsule best for?

Capsule is best suited to businesses that rely on a variety of third-party applications to manage their operations, such as tools like Google Workspace, Xero, and MailChimp. Service-based businesses, consultancies, and agencies that use a range of software for accounting, email marketing, and project management will find Capsule’s integration capabilities especially useful.

Additionally, companies that prioritise a streamlined, straightforward CRM with a focus on pipeline management and contact organisation will appreciate Capsule’s approach.

Bitrix24

Cheapest free CRM software to upgrade

Sure, Bitrix24 isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel when it comes to features – but what free CRM system is? Plus, you’ll still benefit from flexible access rights, while its savvy mobile app will support your field workers. Oh, and did we mention unlimited records?

Plus, with Bitrix24’s plans starting at such a reasonable rate, you may end up upgrading sooner than you’d intended.

What business is Bitrix24 best for?

Cost-conscious businesses that anticipate the need to scale their CRM capabilities as they grow will find Bitrix24 appealing. It’s particularly beneficial for businesses that need a CRM that can support a larger team at a lower cost, making it ideal for startups and growing businesses that are planning for expansion.

Companies that operate in industries requiring both cloud and on-premise solutions, such as IT services or consultancy firms, will find Bitrix24’s flexibility advantageous. The platform’s strong visualisation tools also make it a good choice for businesses that need to manage complex sales pipelines.

Insightly

Best free CRM software for reporting and data visualisation

Aesthetics aside, Insightly’s free CRM does, of course, come with its limitations.

While not stingy per se, Insightly’s contact and storage limits aren’t exactly generous, either. Insightly measures how much you can store in your CRM by ‘records’. This is defined not only as contacts, leads, and organisations, but as opportunities, projects, tasks, emails, comments, and reports, too. 

And as you can imagine, when you’ve got a limit of just 2,500, you’re going to hit it pretty quickly. That’s why – if you’re set on Insightly, that is – we recommend shelling out for a paid plan.

What business is Insightly best for?

Insightly’s free CRM has prioritised data visualisation and robust reporting features. In our eyes, that should appeal to industries such as consulting, project management, or sales, where visualising data and tracking progress through intuitive dashboards is crucial.

Businesses that need to translate complex data into easily understandable insights for decision-making will find Insightly’s emphasis on visualisation highly beneficial. The CRM’s integration with Google Workspace also makes it a strong choice for businesses already using Google’s productivity tools.

RAYNET CRM

Best free CRM software for customer support

RAYNET CRM also comes with a GPS-equipped app that’ll benefit travelling sales teams. The only sticking point is its limited reporting features, which aren’t as strong as those of other free CRM systems.

One thing RAYNET CRM does offer in spades, though, is affordability. If you’re not satisfied with the free version, you can purchase its singular paid plan for just £14.60 per user, per month.

What business is RAYNET CRM best for?

RAYNET CRM’s excellent customer support paired with a user-friendly interface make it beneficial for just about any industry. However, we believe that service-oriented businesses that require responsive support and guidance to maximise their CRM usage will find RAYNET’s customer service particularly valuable.

Additionally, businesses that need a reliable and straightforward CRM without overwhelming features will appreciate RAYNET’s focus on simplicity.

The limitations of free CRM software

Free CRM is all well and good, but it does come with some frustrating restrictions. Free CRM is basically like the meat and potatoes of the business software menu – it’ll satiate your basic hunger pang, but it’s not exactly going to set your tastebuds alight… and it’ll always leave you wanting more.

But what can you expect? Suppliers provide free CRM plans as a way to get you using – and reliant upon – their services. Their true motivation is to get you upgrading to a paid package. So, while free software is handy, it’ll never provide you with the core features you’ll need to grow your business.

Let’s take a look at what you’ll be settling for with a free CRM.

X Lack of scalability

One of the major selling points of paid CRM software is that it’s scalable, designed to grow alongside your business. CRM systems are typically priced per user, per month – so you’ll only pay access for team members who’ll actually be using the software.

Free CRM systems typically impose strict limits on the maximum number of users you’re allowed – it’s usually around two or three. This, of course, is fine if you’re a sole trader, or have just branched out into business.

But as you add more and more fresh-faced new staff to your books, you’ll need to make sure your CRM solution is scaling with your team’s ambitions.

X Fewer features

Features. The good news is that most CRM systems come packed full of them – and they’ll make your life a whole lot easier. The bad news, though, is that free plans will seriously limit the amount of features you’ll actually get to use. 

Free CRM system suppliers are notorious for stripping back most of the functionality that makes the software so great. Automation, analytics, and email template builders are all examples of important features that you won’t get unless you open your wallet.

X Fewer email sends

CRM systems don’t just store your client and contact data – they allow you to utilise it through targeted email marketing, too. CRM systems let you create engaging emails, and send them in bulk to your customer database. It’s a quick, direct approach that simplifies how you manage your client communications.

The catch? Well, free CRM systems limit the number of emails you can send per day. Some don’t let you send any! 

Again, this shouldn’t be an issue if you’re a small operation with a more modest client base. But as your business grows, your contact list will, too – and you’ll need to be prepared to adapt your approach to CRM accordingly.

X Limited contacts and storage

Speaking of growing your contact list, what happens when your CRM runs out of room for them? With free CRM, this is a real possibility, with some plans capping contact limits at as few as 150 contacts.

And, by restricting the total amount of data you can store in your CRM system, free plans also limit the amount of deal, lead, and opportunity information you can store – not great for growing businesses!

Upgrading to a paid plan not only lets you store more contacts – it adds storage for lead and deal info too, plus more room for inspiring email templates and designs.

Our Methodology: How We Ranked the Best Free CRM Software

Next steps

We won’t belabour the point, but it’s important – free CRM software isn’t the answer for most businesses. It’s restrictive, self-defeating, and ultimately unsuitable for growing companies. Still, if it’s the way you want to go, you can’t do better than the providers above.

Whether it’s HubSpot’s drag-and-drop ticket and pipeline builder, Zoho’s workflows, or Freshworks’ 24/5 support, there’s something for every small business – providing your contact, feature, and data storage requirements are suitably modest.

So what’s next? Well, if you’re set on a provider, the way forward is simple – just head to their website, and sign up. In most cases, you won’t need to provide a credit card – just an email address and a few details about you and your business.

However, if you’re not set on a provider just yet – and we’d definitely advise against jumping straight in – then there’s another way to get the best value for your business. 

Simply provide us with a few details about your team’s requirements. That includes the amount of users your CRM will need to support (which we imagine is probably more than most free suppliers offer), plus the features you’ll require, and what (if any) contact management software you’re already using.

It takes 30 seconds to do, and when you’re finished, we’ll match you with one or more CRM suppliers that fit your requirements. They’ll then be in touch with you over the phone to learn more about the solution your business needs, and provide quotes tailored to your answers to our form. 

Oh, and we forgot to mention – like the CRM software on this page, the whole process is free for UK-based businesses.

FAQs

What’s the best free CRM for a Mac?

Which is the easiest CRM to use?

The prices here are the cheapest these providers have to offer. Come on… how much does CRM really cost?

To find out, head to our comprehensive guide to CRM software costs, updated for 2021.