Serving as the central nervous system for client communications and information, the right CRM can turn basic client information into a comprehensive hub that ensures customers can be accounted for throughout every step of their relationship with a company. Whether it’s tracking leads or building marketing campaigns, CRM software ensures that businesses have the right tools to connect, grow and solidify their client base.
Just as no 2 businesses are alike, different CRM tools are built for different purposes. Many solutions exist as an all-in-one hub, making it possible to conduct all customer-related functions from a single platform. More complex CRM tools offer specialized outreach tools, industry-specific functionality, or wide integrations with popular third-party systems. As such, choosing the right CRM for a business requires a close analysis of the most necessary tools and functions required to properly engage customers.
Why do I need customer relationship management software?
Customer relationship management software enables businesses to oversee and manage contact information and relationship details for clients and customers. Unlike a simple address book, CRM software is laser-focused on helping organizations paint complete pictures of their customers, leading to better customer engagement, a rich history of communications, and improved lead generation.
How much should a CRM cost?
The price of CRM software can vary widely based on the number of users, the extent of the software’s functionality and the specific needs of a company. Many CRM subscriptions are offered in 3 tiers: a basic tier, an advanced tier, and an enterprise tier. Each tier may include access for more users, better software integrations and automation capabilities, and enhanced security.
Because of the number of different factors playing into each subscription package, the average cost of a CRM depends entirely on your business needs. Fortunately, nearly all available CRMs offer trial software periods to let businesses try out CRM features and functionalities.
Here’s a breakdown of what many of today’s popular CRM subscriptions currently cost.
Zoho
Zoho CRM is an intelligent CRM system featuring highly customizable, collaborative, and secure customer communications. Offering comprehensive developer tools and a full marketplace for software integrations, Zoho CRM is highly adaptable for any organization’s ever-changing business needs. Zoho CRM also offers unique artificial intelligence and automation tools, including an AI-powered sales assistant that can highlight customer information and automatically generate charts at a moment’s notice.
After a 15-day free trial, Zoho CRM offers 3 tiers of service: standard, professional, and enterprise. The free Zoho CRM grants access to 3 users to automate leads, contacts and account information, plus basic workflow management. Standard users earn additional access to 100,000 customer records, custom reports and dashboards and powerful email insights for $12/month per user. Professional users, for $20/month per user, get access to real-time sales notifications, powerful process management, and an unlimited number of customer records. Enterprise users enjoy access to all of Zoho CRM features, including the Zia Voice Conversational AI, autoresponders and multi-user portals, for $35/month per user.
Monday.com
Monday.com is a flexible, web-based visual tool that can function as a powerful CRM, making it easy to track prospects and clients, while simplifying the workflow. Monday.com offers a 14-day free trial with access to an unlimited number of users and boards. After the trial, Monday.com offers 4 subscription tiers: basic, standard, pro and enterprise. Pricing varies widely based on the number of users and the plan type: As an example, for 25 users, a basic subscription costs $125/month, a standard subscription costs $195/month, and a pro subscription costs $289/month.
Basic subscriptions include access to all Monday.com essentials, including free viewers and boards, iOS and Android apps and file storage. Standard subscriptions include access to advanced features, including the ability to share boards with guests, a calendar and timeline view, and advanced search capabilities. Pro subscriptions add powerful functions for custom charts, tagging and more powerful software integrations and automation. Enterprise subscriptions offer enterprise-ready security features, including single sign-on, audit logs, and 99.9% uptime SLA.
Quick Base
Quick Base is a fully-customizable cloud-based CRM ready to be custom built for any company’s unique CRM needs. Highly flexible and configurable, Quick Base makes it easy to tweak the CRM through Quick Base University, an online training portal that helps users get the most out of the platform.
Quick Base begins with a 30-day free trial, followed by 3 pricing tiers: premier, platform and enterprise. Quick Base Premier costs $500/month for 50 custom business apps, including automation, mobile-ready applications and software integrations. Quick Base Platform costs $1,600/month for 100 custom business apps, adding integration with IAM systems, audit logs and premier support. Quick Base Enterprise can be customized to meet any business need and has flexible payment and licensing plans.
HubSpot
HubSpot CRM is a 100% free CRM with no time limit, including full functionality for contact management, email tracking and scheduling, and a comprehensive reporting dashboard. For up to one million contacts, HubSpot CRM offers unlimited users and is offered for free, forever.
While the core functionality of HubSpot is free, integrations with HubSpot marketing, sales and services require additional subscriptions. Individual subscriptions for each individual hub can cost $50/month, professional subscriptions for up to 5 users cost $400/month and enterprise subscriptions for up to 10 users start at $1,200/month.
SugarCRM
SugarCRM is one of the highest-rated CRMs available for an intuitive customer experience. Focused on ease-of-use and flexibility, SugarCRM is trusted by leading organizations looking for a powerful CRM that highlights the most-used, most useful features.
Following a 7-day free trial, SugarCRM offers 3 subscription levels: Sugar Professional, Sugar Enterprise and Sugar Ultimate. Sugar Professional, $40/month per user, includes sales automation and forecasting, lead management and sales campaigns, and customer service and case management capabilities. Sugar Enterprise, $65/month per user, adds product-level quotes and forecasting, team-based role permissions, and enhanced email and phone support. Sugar Ultimate, $150/month per user, adds a dedicated technical account manager, 24/7 support and 250GB of storage.
GetResponse
GetResponse CRM offers deep insights into customers throughout every stage of the funnel. From marketing automation to enterprise solutions, GetResponse CRM helps organizations keep track of their sales, leads, deals, and marketing efforts.
After a 30-day free trial, GetResponse CRM is available in 3 tiers: essential, professional and enterprise. GetResponse Essential includes email marketing, CRM and marketing automation features. GetResponse Professional adds additional automation functions and basic enterprise functionality. GetResponse Enterprise adds full enterprise capabilities, including single sign-on, a dedicated IP address, and a full-time account manager. Pricing varies depending on the size of an organization’s list. For 1,000 contacts, the Essential plan costs $49/month, the Professional plan costs $99/month and the Enterprise plan cots $1,199/month.
NetSuite
Oracle’s NetSuite CRM offers users a 360-degree view of customers in real-time, providing seamless insights throughout the entire customer lifecycle. NetSuite is trusted by large organizations to help manage global sales through powerful forecasting, upselling, and commission management tools developed by Oracle, an industry leader in enterprise software.
NetSuite product demos and pricing are available directly through Oracle.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a user-friendly CRM built around an activity-based sales methodology. Focused on maximum efficiency, Pipedrive automates common administrative tasks like email, call, and progress tracking, to help users stay focused on selling. Organizations choose Pipedrive for its ease of setting up, intuitive interface, and marketplace of comprehensive app integrations.
Following an immediate, credit card-free trial period, Pipedrive is available in Silver, Gold, and Platinum pricing configurations. Silver users receive full access to sales management features like multiple configurable pipelines, advanced reporting tools, and personal revenue goals for $15/month per user. Gold users gain additional access to workflow automation, smart contact data, and scheduling capabilities for $29/month per user. Platinum users experience additional capabilities for teams, revenue forecasting, and enhanced security for $59/user per month. A 17% discount is available for all plans purchased annually.
The Right CRM for Your Business
With a wide range of CRMs built to meet business needs across any industry, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. To find the ideal CRM for your business, take full advantage of the demo and trial periods offered by most CRM developers. Using and understanding the capabilities, interfaces, and expandability offered by each CRM can help you identify the ideal solution for your company.
