Best CRM Software of 2021

In an age where customers can find someone else to do business with just a quick internet search away, building strong customer relationships is a must. Customer relationship management (CRM) software is designed to do just that.

By organizing information from various customer-facing teams (marketing, sales, customer service, etc.) into one place, CRM software makes sure a company’s employees have access to the same efficiently organized, real-time information. Organizing all your company’s customer data and storing it in one place allows your teams to operate more effectively, minimizes miscommunications, and ensures everyone on your team has up-to-date information.

Typically, CRM systems fall into the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. You pay a licensing fee (usually called a subscription) on an ongoing basis to access the service instead of paying a one-time software fee. Companies typically quote prices as a fee per user, per month. For example, Less Annoying CRM costs $15 per user, per month.

With all the different CRM software companies offering a wide variety of features and prices, it can be challenging to narrow down your search and decide which CRM software is best for your business. We highlight the Best CRMs of 2021 and the Best Free CRMs of 2021, and also provide information and insights on how to choose the best CRM for your business.

The Best CRMs of 2021

To help you find the best CRM for your business we’ve compiled a list of the Best CRM Companies of 2021. We also compare the prices, features, third-party integrations, ease-of-use, and access to customer support for each CRM. Below are summaries of each of the top CRM companies along with links to their profile pages for more information.

Less Annoying CRM: Our No. 1 rated CRM of 2021, with a score of 4.3 out of 5, is designed specifically for small businesses and charges a flat fee of $15 per user, per month. There are no different tiers of service. All subscribers gain access to all of Less Annoying’s features.

Read more about Less Annoying CRM here.

HubSpot: HubSpot is our No. 2 rated CRM of 2021 and our No. 1 Free CRM of 2021 with a score of 4. The basic HubSpot CRM is free for an unlimited number of users. From there you can upgrade into HubSpot’s more specialized products that focus on either sales, marketing, customer service, or content management.

Read more about HubSpot here.

Pipedrive: This CRM ties for No. 2 in our ratings with a score of 4. Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM that boasts support for up to 16 languages, access to its App marketplace, and an artificial intelligence (AI) “Sales Assistant” with even its entry-level CRM solution.

Read more about Pipedrive here.

Salesforce: Arguably the most recognizable name in CRMs, Salesforce earns the No. 4 spot on our list of Best CRMs with a score of 3.9. Salesforce stands out with its sheer number of third-party apps and integrations, an active community of users, and the ability to scale its products to accommodate even the largest of corporations.

Read more about Salesforce here.

Apptivo: Also earning the No. 4 position in our Best CRMs of 2021 rating, Apptivo secures a score of 3.9. Apptivo also places No. 2 on our list of the Best Free CRMs of 2021. While Apptivo caps its free plan at three users and supports a limited number of third-party integrations, its least expensive paid plan starts at only $8 per user, per month. The CRM’s paid plans grant you access to their marketing tools and integrate with several popular programs from companies like Google, Microsoft, and Intuit.

Read more about Apptivo here.

Agile CRM: Agile places at No. 4 on our list of Best CRMs and No. 2 on our list of Best Free CRMs with a score of 3.9. Its free CRM accommodates up to 10 users and includes access to sales, marketing, and service features. Agile’s most expensive plan adds features such as unlimited campaign workflows, automation triggers, and a personalized onboarding coach.

Read more about Agile CRM here.

Zoho: With a score of 3.8, Zoho earns the No. 7 position on the Best CRMs of 2021 list and ties for No. 4 on the Best Free CRMs list. Its free version is good for up to three users. Zoho also offers a variety of CRM tiers and services with higher-priced plans, which grant users access to Zoho’s Zia AI and enhanced analytics.

Read more about Zoho here.

Freshsales: Freshsales ties for No. 7 on our Best CRMs list and No. 4 on our Best Free CRMs list with a score of 3.8. It’s part of the Freshworks series of products, so if your company wishes to stay within that ecosystem, you can complement your Freshsales system with marketing, customer service, project management, and other products.

Read more about Freshsales here.

Insightly: Earning a score of 3.8, Insightly ties for the No. 7 position on our Best CRMs list and ties for No. 4 on our Best Free CRMs list. Insightly’s free CRM is limited to two users and is a no-frills system. While the least expensive plan starts at $29 per user, per month, it includes integrations with Google and Microsoft products, as well as project management and collaboration features.

Read more about Insightly here.

SugarCRM: Rounding out our Best CRMs of 2021 is SugarCRM with a score of 3.1. SugarCRM offers sales, marketing, customer service, and customer-experience (CX) specific products. SugarCRM offers both on-premise and cloud-based CRM options allowing greater flexibility in CRM security and maintenance.

Read more about SugarCRM here.

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The Best Free CRMs of 2021

With some CRM solutions, you can easily spend several thousand dollars a month to allow access for every user, all your different teams, and to get a wealth of features and add-ons. For smaller businesses and startups, free CRM software might make more sense.

Our list of the Best Free CRMs of 2021 highlights six different free plans. As with most free things, there are some downsides. The drawbacks of free CRMs are usually a limited number of users, features, and integrations.

For example, HubSpot, our No. 1 rated Best Free CRM, while it offers an unlimited number of users reserves its most advanced features for its paid tiers. Apptivo, No. 2 in our rating of free CRMs, limits the number of users to three. You have to upgrade to a paid subscription to get access to its marketing features and to enable integrations with other software.

While at first this may sound like you are missing out on a lot, remember that these are free products. If you’re just starting out or you have a small business, you may not need many advanced features. Plus, if the free CRM is working well for you, your company can always upgrade to a paid plan when it needs to.

The least expensive paid tiers for Apptivo and Agile are $8 and $8.99 per user, per month (respectively), while HubSpot’s lowest-priced tier is $40 per user, per month for Sales Hub (its sales-focused CRM). If you’re thinking of upgrading to a paid version, check the added features and weigh whether or not they are worth the increase in price.

For more information on free CRMs, visit our Best Free CRMs of 2021 page.

How to Choose the Best CRM

There are many things to consider when choosing customer relationship management software. Below is a list of questions to consider as you search. For more information on how to select a CRM, see our page How to Choose a CRM.

1. What will you use a CRM for? Will you be using it for sales-focused purposes, marketing, customer service, or some combination of all of these? For example, if your goal is to improve customer service, then you may want to focus your search on companies that offer specific customer service plans, as those will likely include more of the features you’re looking for than a generic CRM.

2. If different departments are using the CRM software, will it work well for all of them? What works well for your sales team may not work as well for marketing or customer support teams. Make sure that the CRM solution you choose will work equally well for all the teams using it.

3. How many people will be using the CRM? Many CRM companies charge on a per-user basis, so knowing how many people will be using the software will help you estimate your total cost.

4. Does it integrate smoothly with other programs you are already using? Do a quick inventory of what programs your team is currently using and check to see if the CRM you are considering will integrate with them. If it doesn’t, find out if there are any add-ons that facilitate integration between them.

5. Will it scale up effectively as your company grows? Company size can be a big determining factor in what CRM you choose. A CRM that works well for a massive multinational corporation may not work as well for a small business and vice versa. Choose a CRM that can grow with you.

6. Is the training sufficient for your employees? Not all CRM software is easy to use out of the box. Check to see what sort of training the CRM company offers. For some, this may be a series of online articles, videos, or FAQ pages. Others have more formal training involving online courses or even in-person training. For these more extensive options, see if they are included in your CRM package or require an additional fee.

7. What sort of customer support is available? Once you have subscribed to a CRM, what sort of after-sales care does it offer? Does it have 24/7 support via chat, email, or phone? Free or lower-priced plans may limit customer support to information available on the CRM’s website, whether it is videos and articles or a community section where other users may be able to help you. Determine what level of support you are comfortable with and whether or not you will need to pay extra for it.

8. How much does it cost? Several factors can contribute to cost. The two main ones are the number of users and product tier. Other factors to consider are whether your business will require any customizations or third-party apps.

9. What security measures does the CRM company provide? Take a hard look at the measures the CRM company takes to secure your data, protect it from breaches, and how it backs up your data.

Other factors to consider are whether or not the CRM provides a free demo or free trial. A demo might give you a better sense of how that particular CRM works, while a trial typically gives you extra time to see if it’s the right fit for your company.

What Should I Look For In a CRM?

After deciding to purchase CRM software the next step is to decide which CRM tools are most useful for your business. Here is a list of some of the top features and CRM tools:

Given the increasing flexibility of CRMs, these features may be just a starting point. What features you end up needing will entirely depend on what you want a CRM to do for your company. Other features worth looking at are search engine optimization (SEO) and A/B testing for marketing campaigns, content management features for integration into social media platforms and your website, the ability to customize reports, and AI-enhanced analyses and chatbots.

How Does a CRM Work?

A CRM platform works by taking client leads and customer data, which it then organizes and analyzes in ways designed to strengthen existing customer relationships and bring in new ones.

Some basic functions of CRM software include lead and contact management as well as various automation features. These range from simple tasks, such as reminding you to contact a potential client or send out emails, to more complex tasks like customizing reports and creating marketing forecasts. Some CRMs can automatically add information from your teams’ emails and phone calls with clients into the CRM, allowing your employees to spend more time working on leads or helping customers instead of entering sales calls.

Marketing-focused features may allow you to do A/B testing for potential marketing campaigns or use SEO to update your current marketing materials. Marketing automation can schedule the release of emails or posts to social media accounts at specific times. The results of these campaigns can then be analyzed and potential leads funneled to your sales team.

Sales-oriented features keep lead information organized with information such as the days and times your team contacted a lead and what was discussed. The CRM can then analyze this information and show where in the sales pipeline each lead is and when they might be ready to move forward to the next step of the sales process.

All the information gathered about leads stays in the CRM even after they become customers so it can be used by your customer service teams for added context. Customer service features may also include chatbots on your corporate website that can answer frequently asked questions or gather information before a customer speaks to an actual service representative. Saving each connection a customer makes with your company in the CRM means that if a customer has an ongoing problem, any service representative will have access to the full history of the issue and can see what has already been done or is currently being done to solve it.

Directory to Other U.S. News CRM Software Guides

For more information on CRM software, please see our pages:

Our 360 Methodology for Evaluating CRM Software

The following describes our 360 approach to researching and analyzing CRM Softwares to guide prospective businesses.

1. We researched the companies and products people care most about.

U.S. News analyzed and compared a variety of publicly available data, including internet search data, to determine which CRM software businesses are most interested in. We found 15 companies that stood out for further evaluation using the volume of searches and consumer research. After conducting a thorough analysis, we were able to condense the initial list to the 10 overall Best CRM software.

We evaluated the various plans, along with their monthly costs. The plans highlighted on features such as integrations, automation, data reporting & analytics, customizations, scalability, and security. With these factors in mind, we created a thorough set of guides that provides a 360 overview of what businesses should consider.

2. We created objective 360 Overall Ratings based on an analysis of third-party reviews.

Our scoring methodology is based on a composite analysis of the ratings and reviews published by credible third-party professional and consumer review sources. The ratings are not based on the personal opinions, tests, or experiences of U.S. News. To calculate the ratings:

(a) We compiled two types of third-party ratings and reviews:

***Please note that not all professional and consumer rating sources met our criteria for objectivity. Therefore, some sources were excluded from our model.

(b) We standardized the inputs to create a common scale.

The third-party review source data were collected in a variety of forms, including ratings, recommendations, and accolades. Before including each third-party data point into our scoring equation, we standardized it so that it could be compared accurately with data points from other review sources. We used the scoring methodology described below to convert these systems to a comparable scale.

The 360 scoring process first converted each third-party rating into a common 0 to 5 scale. To balance the distribution of scores within each source’s scale, we used a standard deviation (or Z-Score) calculation to determine how each company that a source rated was scored in comparison to the source’s mean score. We then used the Z-Score to create a standardized U.S. News score using the method outlined below:

(c) We calculated the 360 Overall Score based on a weighted average model.

We assigned “source weights” to each source used in the consensus scoring model based on our assessment of how much the source is trusted and recognized by consumers and how much its published review process indicates that it is both comprehensive and editorially independent. The source weights are assigned on a 1-5 scale. Any source with an assigned weight less than 2 was excluded from the consensus scoring model.

Finally, we combined the converted third-party data points using a weighted average formula based on source weight. This formula calculated the consensus score for each product, which we call the 360 Overall Rating.