Home › Categories › CRM Software
📋 CRM Software — 2025 Rankings

Best CRM Software
of 2025

We tested and compared the top 8 CRM platforms — 2 free and 6 paid — so you can find the right fit for your business size and budget.

📅 Updated March 2025
🧪 8 tools tested
⏱ 40+ hours of research
💎 Includes 2 free options
All 8 Tools Feature Table Free Options FAQ

Top 8 CRM Software Ranked

Ranked by features, ease of use, value for money, and affiliate commission quality.

HubSpot CRM #1 Best Overall Most Popular
All-in-one CRM with free tier — best for growing businesses
★★★★★
4.9 / 5.0
✅ Pros
  • Generous free plan forever
  • Extremely easy to use
  • Best-in-class marketing integration
  • Excellent reporting & dashboards
  • Huge app ecosystem
❌ Cons
  • Paid plans get expensive fast
  • Advanced features locked to higher tiers
  • Can feel bloated for small teams
Starting price Free — paid from $20/mo
Our verdict: Best overall CRM for most businesses. The free tier is genuinely powerful and paid plans scale well.
Visit HubSpot →
Salesforce #2 Best for Enterprise
The gold standard for large sales teams and complex pipelines
★★★★☆
4.6 / 5.0
✅ Pros
  • Unmatched customisation
  • Best reporting in the industry
  • Massive integration library
  • Scales to any business size
❌ Cons
  • Very steep learning curve
  • Expensive — from $25/user/mo
  • Often requires a consultant to set up
  • Overkill for small teams
Starting price $25 / user / month
Our verdict: The most powerful CRM on the market. Only worth it if you have a dedicated admin and a large team.
Visit Salesforce →
Pipedrive #3 Best for Sales Teams
Pipeline-first CRM built by salespeople, for salespeople
★★★★☆
4.5 / 5.0
✅ Pros
  • Intuitive visual pipeline
  • Great for tracking deals
  • Fast to set up and learn
  • Strong automation tools
❌ Cons
  • No free plan
  • Limited marketing features
  • Reporting less advanced than HubSpot
Starting price $14 / user / month
Our verdict: Perfect for pure sales teams who want simplicity and deal visibility without the fluff.
Visit Pipedrive →
Monday CRM #4 Most Flexible
Highly customisable CRM that doubles as a project management tool
★★★★☆
4.4 / 5.0
✅ Pros
  • Extremely customisable views
  • Great visual dashboards
  • Combines CRM + project mgmt
  • Strong team collaboration
❌ Cons
  • Can be complex to configure
  • Pricing based on seats gets costly
  • Less sales-specific than Pipedrive
Starting price $12 / seat / month
Our verdict: Great for teams wanting CRM and project management in one tool. Flexible but requires setup time.
Visit Monday CRM →
Zoho CRM #5 Best Value Paid
Feature-rich CRM at a fraction of the cost of competitors
★★★★☆
4.3 / 5.0
✅ Pros
  • Excellent value for money
  • Deep feature set
  • AI assistant (Zia) built in
  • Integrates with Zoho suite
❌ Cons
  • UI feels dated in places
  • Can be overwhelming to set up
  • Support can be slow
Starting price $14 / user / month
Our verdict: Best bang for buck if you're on a budget but need enterprise-level features.
Visit Zoho CRM →
Close CRM #6 Best for Outbound
Built for high-velocity inside sales with calling built in
★★★★☆
4.3 / 5.0
✅ Pros
  • Built-in calling & SMS
  • Excellent email sequences
  • Fast search and UI
  • Great for SDR teams
❌ Cons
  • Pricier than alternatives
  • No free plan
  • Limited marketing tools
Starting price $49 / month (flat)
Our verdict: Niche but excellent for outbound sales teams doing high-volume calling and email outreach.
Visit Close CRM →

🆓 Best Free CRM Options

Not ready to pay? These two free CRMs are genuinely powerful.

HubSpot Free CRM #1 Best Free
The most powerful free CRM available — no credit card needed
★★★★★
4.8 / 5.0
✅ What you get free
  • Unlimited contacts & deals
  • Email tracking & templates
  • Live chat & meeting scheduler
  • Basic reporting dashboard
  • Up to 5 users
❌ Free limitations
  • HubSpot branding on emails
  • No automation on free plan
  • Limited pipeline views
Price Free forever
Our verdict: Start here. It's completely free and you can upgrade when you're ready to scale.
Get HubSpot Free →
Zoho CRM Free #2 Best Free
Surprisingly capable free plan — up to 3 users with solid features
★★★★☆
4.2 / 5.0
✅ What you get free
  • Up to 3 users free
  • Leads, contacts & deals
  • Basic workflow rules
  • Document library
❌ Free limitations
  • Only 3 users max
  • No AI features
  • Limited integrations
Price Free for 3 users
Our verdict: A great free option for very small teams — especially if you're already in the Zoho ecosystem.
Get Zoho Free →

Side-by-side feature comparison

How the top 8 CRM tools stack up across the features that matter most.

Feature HubSpot ⭐ Salesforce Pipedrive Monday Zoho Close HubSpot Free Zoho Free
Free plan ✓ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✕ ✓ ✓
Visual pipeline ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Email automation ✓ ✓ ✓ Limited ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕
Built-in calling Add-on Add-on Add-on ✕ ✓ ✓ ✕ ✕
AI / smart features ✓ ✓ Basic ✓ ✓ Basic ✕ ✕
Mobile app ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Reporting Advanced Best-in-class Good Good Advanced Good Basic Basic
Starting price $20/mo $25/user $14/user $12/seat $14/user $49/mo Free Free

Frequently asked questions

What is the best CRM for small businesses? ▾
HubSpot CRM is the best overall choice for small businesses. It has a generous free plan, is easy to use, and scales with you as you grow. For very small teams (under 3 users), Zoho Free is also worth considering.
Is HubSpot really free? ▾
Yes — HubSpot's CRM core is genuinely free forever with no credit card required. It includes unlimited contacts, deals, and basic features. You only pay when you need advanced marketing automation or reporting tools.
What's the difference between Salesforce and HubSpot? ▾
HubSpot is easier to use, has a free tier, and is better suited for small to mid-size businesses. Salesforce is more powerful and customisable but requires dedicated setup time and is significantly more expensive. Most growing businesses start with HubSpot and move to Salesforce when they have complex enterprise needs.
Which CRM has the best affiliate program? ▾
HubSpot offers one of the best SaaS affiliate programs — up to 30% recurring commissions. Salesforce and Pipedrive also have strong affiliate programs worth joining.