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For most teams, Pipedrive is the best place to start: it covers visual sales pipelines, follow-up automation and deal forecasts, with a listed starting price of $14. Attio is a strong alternative if you want a free starting point, while OnePageCRM suits teams that need daily follow-up prompts. Don’t compare CRMs on entry price alone. Some listed options have plan caps, add-on costs or undisclosed pricing, and tools built for real estate, finance or other industries may not suit a general sales team.
Quick picksThe shortlist
PipedrivePipedriveBest overall · $14/mo
AttioAttioBest free starting point · $35/mo
OnePageCRMOnePageCRMBest for follow-up · €8.95/mo
CloseCloseBest for sales outreach · $9/mo
monday CRMmonday CRMBest for simple pipelines · £8/mo
NimbleNimbleBest for contact management · $24.90/mo
InsightlyInsightlyBest for sales and projects · $29/mo
CopperCopperBest for Google Workspace · $23/mo
StreakStreakBest for Gmail · $49/mo
TwentyTwentyBest for custom CRM · $9/mo
01Compared at a glance
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PipedrivePipedrive | 7.0 | $14/mo | No | 14 days |
| AttioAttio | 7.3 | $35/mo | Yes | 14 days |
| OnePageCRMOnePageCRM | 7.0 | €8.95/mo | No | 21 days |
| CloseClose | 7.0 | $9/mo | No | — |
| monday CRMmonday CRM | 5.8 | £8/mo | Yes | — |
| NimbleNimble | 7.0 | $24.90/mo | No | 14 days |
| InsightlyInsightly | 6.8 | $29/mo | No | 14 days |
| CopperCopper | 6.5 | $23/mo | No | 14 days |
| StreakStreak | 7.2 | $49/mo | Yes | 14 days |
| TwentyTwenty | 7.3 | $9/mo | Yes | 30 days |
02The picks, in detail
- Best overallPipedrivePipedrive
Pipedrive is the strongest general pick here for teams that manage sales as a sequence of deals: it offers visual pipelines, automated email follow-ups and deal forecasts. Its listed starting price is $14. The caveat is cost clarity: add-ons and unpublished monthly rates make it harder to work out what you’ll pay as your needs grow.
What works
- Visual, customizable sales pipelines
- Lead routing and management tools
- Email follow-up automation and sequences
What doesn't
- Monthly-billing prices aren't published
- Most listed plan prices require annual billing
- Add-on billing periods aren't published
- Best free starting pointAttioAttio
Attio pairs a free plan with sales pipelines, AI-assisted prospecting and forecasts for growing revenue teams. That makes it worth considering if you want room to shape your sales process without paying from day one. The listed paid starting price is $35, and the source notes seats, objects and workspace credits as costs to account for as you grow.
What works
- Free plan includes up to 3 seats
- Free plan allows 50,000 records
- AI agents support prospecting and enrichment
What doesn't
- Plus is $44 monthly per user
- Plus caps teams at 10 seats
- Plus and Pro limit custom objects
- Best for follow-upOnePageCRMOnePageCRM
OnePageCRM is built around daily follow-up prompts, with contact and deal tracking for small teams. Its listed starting price is $8.95, making it a lower-cost option among these picks. Check the billing terms and plan caps before switching: the starting price alone doesn’t show whether the plan will cover your team’s needs.
What works
- Action Stream prioritizes follow-ups by deadline
- Focus Mode hides closed items
- Tracks deals and contact-level open-deal value
What doesn't
- No free plan is listed
- Displayed prices' billing mode is unclear
- Professional includes only one pipeline
- Best for sales outreachCloseClose
Close is a fit for sales teams that want CRM and outreach together, including built-in calling and SMS. Its listed starting price is $9, but that figure is not the whole buying decision: the source flags Growth-tier workflows and usage costs. Check which plan includes the workflows your team needs and how usage affects the bill.
What works
- Calling, email and SMS are built into the CRM
- Pipeline views include deal stage and value
- Workflows automate follow-ups and rep tasks on Growth and above
What doesn't
- No free plan; a free trial is not listed
- Workflows are not included on Solo or Essentials
- Solo is limited to one user and 10,000 leads
- Best for simple pipelinesmonday CRMmonday CRM
monday CRM is worth a look if your team needs a simple sales pipeline or already uses other monday applications. The listed starting price is $8, and a free plan is available. It is less convincing as a purpose-built CRM, so teams that need more than straightforward pipeline tracking should compare its workflow needs against dedicated sales options.
What works
- Free plan includes up to 2 seats
- Agents can find leads and send follow-ups
- Agents can update pipelines and book meetings
What doesn't
- Monthly seat prices are not published
- Listed pricing does not clarify CRM-specific plan access
- Free plan is limited to 2 seats
- Best for contact managementNimbleNimble
Nimble combines contact management, sales pipelines, email tools and contact enrichment for small teams. It is a sensible choice when relationship tracking and sales work need to sit together. The listed starting price is $24.90. Compare that cost with your actual need for enrichment and email features rather than treating a bundle as automatically better value.
What works
- Contact profiles can be enriched from LinkedIn or websites
- Customizable sales pipelines include reports and forecasting
- Email tracking and automated follow-up sequences are included
What doesn't
- No free plan is listed
- Annual billing is required for the $24.90 rate
- Business plan caps group messages at 1,000 per license/month
- Best for sales and projectsInsightlyInsightly
Insightly connects CRM with marketing and support tools, and is aimed at teams coordinating sales and projects. Its listed starting price is $29. That entry price is only part of the cost, so check which plans include the marketing follow-ups or ticketing workflows you need before comparing it with a simpler sales CRM.
What works
- Centralizes contacts, emails, calls and deal details
- Scores leads based on engagement
- Automates campaigns, follow-ups and re-engagement
What doesn't
- No free plan; the listed trial lasts 14 days
- Monthly billing prices are not published
- CRM pricing is per user; marketing pricing is per account
- Best for Google WorkspaceCopperCopper
Copper is designed for Google Workspace-focused teams and also suits businesses tracking relationships through sales and delivery. Its listed starting price is $23. Before switching, check whether its contact limits fit your database and whether the per-seat cost works for your team; both can change the value of an otherwise suitable CRM.
What works
- Combines contact management and sales pipelines
- Can turn closed deals into delivery projects
- Includes task automation and reminders
What doesn't
- No free plan is listed
- Basic is capped at 2,500 contacts
- Professional is capped at 15,000 contacts
- Best for GmailStreakStreak
Streak puts deal tracking and email logging in Gmail, which suits teams that work primarily in their inbox. A free plan is listed, while the full CRM costs $49 per user monthly on annual billing. That is a meaningful jump from a free starting point, so compare the full-plan cost with your need for Gmail-native CRM features.
What works
- CRM tools work directly inside Gmail
- Unlimited pipelines and records on Pro
- Automatically logs team email activity
What doesn't
- Full CRM starts at $49 per user monthly annually
- Monthly billing raises Pro to $59 per user
- Free plan is limited to basic email tools
- Best for custom CRMTwentyTwenty
Twenty is a better fit for technical teams that want custom data models and are prepared to self-host than for buyers seeking a ready-made sales tool. It has a free plan and a listed starting price of $9. Choose it for flexibility around your workflows; skip it if you want a plug-and-play CRM without that setup work.
What works
- Free plan is listed
- Pro starts at $9 per user/month, billed yearly
- Custom data models and layouts
What doesn't
- Monthly-billing prices are not published
- Pro AI usage is about 100 tasks weekly per member
- Organization is $39 per user/month, billed yearly
03How we chose
We weigh published pricing, stated plan limits, product documentation and Reddit sentiment when comparing CRM options. We look for details that help buyers judge fit and switching cost: what a plan includes, what caps apply, and what the vendor documents about its features. Where pricing or limits are not published in the published material, we do not fill in the gap with estimates. This is a source-based comparison, not a report of hands-on testing, trials, benchmarks or screenshots.
04Choose a CRM around the work your team needs to manage
Start with the workflow, not the vendor’s feature list. Write down how your team tracks contacts, sales stages, follow-ups and customer history; those are the core jobs in this category. Then decide which users need access and what information they must see or update. A CRM that cannot support the team’s actual process is a poor fit, even if its plan looks inexpensive.
Compare published prices alongside plan limits and documented features. Check whether the information you need is available on the plan you can afford, and note any limits the vendor does not publish. Treat product categories as a starting point, not proof that every CRM on this list works the same way. The 30 vendors covered here should be compared against your requirements, not treated as an interchangeable shortlist.
05Check the switching costs before you commit
A CRM’s price is only one part of the buying decision. Before switching, map the records and processes you would need to move: contacts, pipeline stages, follow-up history and any other customer information your team relies on. Confirm what the product documentation says about handling those needs, and ask the vendor about details the docs or pricing page leave unclear.
Build a short list of must-haves and deal-breakers, then compare each candidate’s published price, plan limits and documented features against it. Include the cost of changing team habits: users need to keep records current for a CRM to be useful. If a key limit, migration detail or price is not published, mark it as unknown rather than assuming it is included. That makes the trade-offs visible before you move your data or budget.
Questions people ask
What are the top 50 CRM software vendors?
There is no single ranking that fits every buyer: the right shortlist depends on team workflow, budget and required features. This page covers 30 vendors, including Copper, Pipedrive, Streak, Close, Attio and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales. Compare their published prices, plan limits and documentation rather than treating the list as a universal ranking.
Can ChatGPT make a CRM?
ChatGPT can help outline a CRM’s fields, workflows or code, but that does not by itself provide a secure, maintained system your team can rely on. You would still need to build, test and maintain the software, manage access to customer data, and decide how to handle backups and support.
Can I build a CRM in Excel?
You can use a spreadsheet to organize contacts and track a simple sales process. Before relying on it as a CRM, consider how your team will manage shared edits, follow-up reminders, access to customer information and a growing volume of records. If those needs become hard to manage, compare dedicated CRM options.
What are the different types of CRM software?
CRM software is often described by the work it supports: operational CRM for customer-facing workflows, analytical CRM for examining customer data, and collaborative CRM for sharing information across teams. These labels can overlap. For this category, focus on whether a product manages contacts, sales pipelines and follow-ups the way your team needs.