Top-Rated CRM Software: The Ultimate Guide for Small Businesses

Price: Starting at $25 a month, plus add-ons

• $75 additional for Lightning Professional

Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning Professional has been the long-term number one choice of CRM software for business owners. This platform excels in easy, interactive features, innovations, use of AI, and salesforce partners.

Salesforce takes the lead for CRM software mostly because of its functionality and back-office applications. The program is a client favorite due to engaging and helping its users in many stages of their business growth, providing assistance with any problems that may come up during usage. Salesforce also has a proprietary sales cloud, which is where their CRM product lives.

The Lightning Professional tier costs its users $75 a month. This tier contains the cloud service and also includes Salesforce lightning technology that allows for deeper customization. It also includes pipelines for sales, lead management features, instant alerts, best practice recommendation pop-ups, and interactive drag-and-drop options for dashboard functionality.

Price: Starting at $14 to $24 per month

Zoho CRM has been the leading CRM software program in the industry for years. It is a very popular brand for small to midsize businesses, especially when it comes to scaling.

Zoho has updated its analytics program with the addition of Zia, an AI-powered analytics system that you can utilize to get a better handle on customer relations, sales anomalies, and trends.

In 2022, Zoho introduced their Canvas interface editor that contains a drag-and-drop feature. This addition makes Zoho CRM highly customizable for its users without having to hire a developer. 

Price: Estimated $40 to $50 per month

HubSpot CRM is one of the more innovative CRM providers on the market in 2022. It is aimed toward small businesses. It is popular because it has a freemium model in which you can purchase add-ons.

HubSpot has proved itself as an innovator in areas like marketing automation, social media campaign management, and customer relationship management (CRM).

On the downside, HubSpot is advertised as free, but with specific and somewhat necessary add-ons, the monthly price can range from $40 onwards. If you are looking for software that can grow your business and cater to its needs, HubSpot may be the choice for you. 

Price: Starts at $12 per month

Freshsales CRM, from Freshworks, is geared toward small businesses that are looking for basic CRM needs and can upgrade from there. Freshsales can be a good choice if you are new to using CRM software and are looking to get your feet wet. It has options for very basic CRM, which is free and has an easy-to-learn interface.

If you are looking for something more, they also have it. Freshsales works well with other types of business software and offers more in-depth features for those with experience using CRM. Some of their add-on integrations include workflow automation and sales intelligence features.

Another pro is that Freshsales CRM is available in more than 30 different languages and multiple currencies. This is a great option for basic CRM needs with options to add on. 

Price: Starting at $19 per month

Zendesk first became popular for its help desk platform.

Years later, the company introduced Zendesk Sell, its CRM software. This is a good choice for small- to mid-size businesses. In 2022, Zendesk Sell released an update to its original program, which includes a section for advanced analytics. This feature has moved Zendesk Sell higher in the choice list for CRM software programs.

Although it is a good choice for small businesses, Zendesk has a downside with its pricing options. Their prices add up quickly, especially with notably fewer features than their competitors. One of the features that you have to pay extra for, but can be extremely convenient, is their CRM app. The app is especially functional when paired with other Zendesk products. 

Price: Starting at $15 per month

For one of the most affordable CRM solutions on the market, Less Annoying CRM offers a wide array of performance and flexibility features. These features can be a tremendous asset to a small business or a startup at a low cost.

Less Annoying CRM is a program that allows business owners to get their customer relations up and running quickly. It is easy to use and has modern web-based solutions and technologies. It falls just behind Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning and Zoho CRM because of their more extensive reporting options and extensive features.

If you are looking for CRM software that is more on the basic side with better features and at a decent price, Less Annoying CRM would be a good option to go with.

Price: Starts at $30 per month

Sales Creatio, formerly known as Creatio CRM, is an all-inclusive tool that is designed to handle the entire business process from initial lead to executing continuous sales for larger scaled businesses. Customization can be a bit daunting without expert assistance, but once it is set up, it will cater to difficult and specific business needs.

With this abundance of flexibility, it is not recommended for small businesses but for larger businesses that need effortless streamlining.

This software offers CRM and BPM (business process management) tools. These tools include Sales Creatio for CRM, Creatio Marketing for marketing automation, and Creatio Service for help desk operations. 

All three of these systems are included in the standard price. This wide array of options makes the Sales Creatio solution stack a good bang for your buck.