Sales & CRM software

Common questions about sales & CRM software

Which sales & CRM tools have a free plan?

HubSpot, Salesforce Sales Cloud and Brevo have a free plan, with limits on usage, users or features. Pipedrive (14 days) and folk (14 days) offer a free trial instead. Pricing for Zoho CRM has not been checked against the vendor in the last 90 days, so it is not included.

How much does sales & CRM software cost?

The entry paid plans as each vendor lists them, checked against its pricing page: Brevo Starter at $9 a month, HubSpot Sales Hub Starter at $20 per user a month, Pipedrive Lite at $24 per user a month, Salesforce Sales Cloud Starter Suite at $25 per user a month and folk Standard at $30 per user a month. Some vendors quote the annual-billing rate, and seat minimums, higher tiers and add-ons all change the real cost, so price the plan you actually need. Pricing for Zoho CRM has not been checked against the vendor in the last 90 days, so it is not included.

Is a free CRM enough for a small business?

Often, at the start. A free tier covers contacts, deals and a basic pipeline for a small team, with limits on users and features. It stops being enough when you need automation, reporting or more users than the free tier allows, so check which tier those sit on before building your process on the free plan.

What is the difference between a CRM and a sales pipeline tool?

A pipeline tracks deals as they move through stages until they are won or lost. A CRM keeps the wider record: every contact, company, email and conversation, whether or not a deal is open. Most CRMs include a pipeline — Pipedrive leads with it — so the real question is how much of the rest you need.

Does a small team need Salesforce?

Usually not. Salesforce Sales Cloud is built for mid-sized and enterprise sales organisations with complex processes and a dedicated CRM administrator. Small teams without one generally get working faster on HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM or folk.