CRM software is a must-have for organizations, particularly B2B and SMB organizations, to be successful in today’s market. As per a report, more than 91% of businesses with more than 10 workers utilize CRM software.
As the need for customer relationship management has increased over the last decade, the field of CRM software has grown increasingly complex to navigate through. That is why we at SaaSworthy have compiled a list of the top 7 best free CRM software for you to select from in 2021.
Table of Contents
What is CRM Software?
Customer relationship management software (CRM software) enable organizations to track and organize customer interactions in a centralized database. A CRM keeps track of interactions between a company, its prospects, and its current customers. It also simplifies such interactions by consolidating all the important customer data, including contact details, history, and transaction overviews in a single, brief live record.
These software allow you to track the status of leads and guarantee appropriate relationship management. They prioritize prospects based on their position in the sales funnel and their inclination to buy.
7 best free CRM software to use in 2021
Given below in detail, along with their various features and limitations, are the top 7 best free CRM software that you can use in 2021. These free choices offer an excellent opportunity to test out a software without incurring the risk of investing in the wrong CRM software.
1. Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a CRM software from Zoho Corporation.Zoho CRM helps a company’s sales team to operate more productively and close more contracts. Zoho CRM is used by more than 150,000 organizations in 180 countries to cultivate long-term customer relations and boost team efficiency.
It is appropriate for businesses in any industry but it is most beneficial in the retail, real estate, financial services, and life sciences industries.
The various features of Zoho CRM include –
- Users can track and respond to conversations throughout all stages of the customer lifecycle by having access to the phone, email, social media, etc., in a single application.
- Advanced analytics solutions make it simple to manage KPIs throughout the sales cycle, with transparency for everyone from the C-suite to sales representatives.
- A set of widgets, REST API, and online and mobile SDKs unifies data across corporate systems, enables app development, and expands the functionalities of the CRM interface.
- You can use Zia, the conversational AI assistant, to enhance data accuracy, optimize email and phone timeliness, etc.
The limitations of Zoho CRM are –
- The software can be slow at times while loading.
- The free version offers limited features compared to other free CRM software.
2. Insightly
Insightly is a cloud-based unified CRM software that includes features to help with every stage of the customer lifecycle. Insightly is the preferred CRM software for Google and Office 365 customers, with over 1.5 million users globally.
It caters to all major industries, including construction, manufacturing, education, finance, retail, and technology. Insightly is the best-suited free CRM software for small businesses.
The various features of Insightly include –
- With Insightly, you can utilize your CRM data to apply business logic and arithmetic operations within the software.
- Customizable pipelines with Kanban views categorize leads that can be dragged and dropped to each subsequent stage. Sales representatives can examine a lead’s call and email history, proposals, notes, and agreements by digging deeper.
- Whenever a fresh lead joins the system, the software automatically assigns leads and tasks to salespeople based on the mentioned specifications.
- Project management tools such as a board view, cards, task lists, goals, notifications, email updates to customers, and project expenditure data are available.
The limitations of Insightly are –
- It does not update the changes made to tasks in real-time.
- Some of the features are not as user-friendly and can be challenging to navigate through.
3. Freshsales
Freshsales is a free CRM software with comprehensive sales force automation for sales teams. With over 150,000 clients, Freshsales serves small and medium scale businesses in various sectors. They include SaaS business, education, manufacturing, travel, finance, logistics, hospitality, insurance, retail, health care, agency, real estate, law firm, and e-commerce.
It has everything a salesperson needs to generate quality leads, drive sales with AI-powered insights, engage in relevant conversations, and cultivate customer relationships.
The various features of Freshsales include –
- It quickly populates leads, contacts, and accounts with social and publicly available information such as pictures, corporate information, and social profiles.
- Using bespoke reports with tables and charts, you can track sales managers’ performance and sales numbers.
- You can see how long it takes to turn qualified leads into customers and at which phases sales staff get stuck. It provides real-time email notifications to enable swift responses and to enhance marketing activities.
- It can generate fresh leads automatically once visitors sign up on a web form, using information from social network profiles, pictures, and website activity.
The limitations of Freshsales are –
- You cannot export/migrate data from Freshsales to another CRM.
- Sometimes the notifications are delayed, and you must reload the page to see the progress.
4. HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM offers a comprehensive set of features that facilitate smarter coordination and enable businesses to track, coordinate, and complete sales efficiently. It serves more than 73,400 customers in over 120 countries.
HubSpot CRM is the most feature-loaded free CRM software with support for unlimited users in an account in this list. It is, therefore, SaaSworthy’s top choice as the best free CRM software in 2021.
The various features of HubSpot CRM include –
- It improves customer experiences and decreases the odds of a prospect loss by allowing the support team and sales professionals to answer existing and prospective customers’ questions in real-time.
- It keeps track of the sites, offers, and traffic sources that power communications. You can obtain insights into consumer intent by using mass emailing.
- It facilitates the sorting and filtering of prospect information depending on region, company size, and the number of visits.
- It attracts visitors by providing a free form filling tool and automatically organizes, enhances, and monitors contacts in an organized timeline to allow simple interactions.
The limitations of HubSpot CRM are –
- A few third-party integrations are not optimized and can be cumbersome at times.
- There is no feed forum for creating groups and sharing information.
5. Capsule
Zestia’s Capsule is a configurable cloud-hosted CRM software with an emphasis on organization. It is the most straightforward CRM software in the market, capable of handling sales pipeline management, contact management, task management, reporting, and analytics.
Capsule is one of the best free CRM software for small businesses as it is designed for solopreneurs, newcomers, and startups. The software is best suited for users concentrating on B2B sales.
The various features of Capsule include –
- It tracks every part of the sales cycle, from sales data to pipeline analytics and activity statistics, to help make data-driven choices.
- With an easy-to-read, real-time graphical interface, you can access information on the current state and previous trends of KPIs such as sales prospects and achievements.
- It allows for the publication, storage, modification, and exchange of documents such as agreements, proposals, and others through a centralized platform.
- It is compatible with over 50 pre-built NHS integrations, including systems for customer support, email marketing, accountancy, etc. An open API enables the creation of add-on services and the integration of other apps.
The limitations of Capsule are –
- The integrations with Google-based services are inconsistent.
- The contacts list sorting does not support the arrangement of contacts in alphabetical order.
6. Agile CRM
Agile CRM is an all-in-one cloud-based free CRM software that helps businesses manage all activities and tasks throughout the customer lifecycle. It has a clean, modern UI with sales tracking, web analytics, marketing automation, contact management, phone, 2-way emails, and helpdesk.
Agile CRM is utilized by over 15,000 customers across many sectors and specializes in call centers, real estate firms, and e-commerce businesses.
The various features of Agile CRM include –
- Integrations with Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, and Tower Data allow sales, marketing, and support teams to effortlessly integrate social media platforms into their operations.
- It assists you in gathering leads from social media and importing them into the CRM database, either individually or in bulk transfers.
- It facilitates the creation of data-rich profiles, the sharing of information between teams, the tracking of interactions through timelines, and the preservation of data integrity throughout the customer’s lifetime.
- It reduces manual chores by automating workflows, and thereby, it enables agents to provide more customized experiences and achieve more uniformity.
The limitations of Agile CRM are –
- The customer support team is inexperienced and takes time to resolve your queries.
- The user interface is poorly designed and experiences lag at times.
7. Bitrix24
Bitrix24, although the last on this list, is still one of the best free CRM software. Deployment options include both cloud and on-premise deployment.It is suitable for both small firms and larger corporations with up to 50,000 employees.
All tools are neatly bundled in a single web application, flawlessly integrated with one another, and accessible via a browser version, desktop app, or mobile app.
The various features of Bitrix24 include –
- With a live support widget available after office hours, you can send scripted responses, route and transfer discussions, and see client and supervisor ratings.
- It allows you to create dynamic or static audience segmentation, execute social media advertising campaigns, and set up campaigns across several channels, including bulk mail and instant messaging.
- The analytics and reporting tools offer a comprehensive picture of performance for indicators like transactions, activity, leads, and sales.
- It gives a complete picture of all contacts, prospects, interactions, and customers. A central dashboard allows you to comment, make calls, send messages, assign tasks, etc.
The limitations of Bitrix24 are –
- The software is not user-friendly, and beginners can find it quite challenging to navigate through.
- Some integrations are not optimized and take time to load.
Conclusion
We hope that we were able to throw some light on the various free CRM software available in the market. You should also note that all of the software mentioned above have paid versions as well. You can pay as per your needs to unlock the additional features in case you require them. You should now be able to choose a free CRM software best tailored to your needs.
For more informative articles like this one detailing the features and limitations of the top software in each category, visit SaaSworthy blog.
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