10 Alternatives to Salesforce CRM for Companies Who Need a Simpler Solution

One of the pioneers of SaaS, Salesforce CRM is also among its gold standard bearers, placing sixth on Fortune magazine’s 2020 edition of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Over the years, it has positioned itself as a one-stop-shop product for all of your relationship management needs.

Salesforce CRM, however, is often considered as an overly powerful platform for startups and developing businesses, which would rather focus on a basic portion of the system to manage the modest customer base they have. This is why we’ve prepared this article to help you search for that other CRM solution that’s suitable for your business operations.

After all, there may be situations when a business may find its hands tied from maximizing the value and potential of robust enterprise CRM software like Salesforce CRM, at least not without spending a considerable amount of money and time to explore what it can do. With this in mind, we’ve prepared this list of top alternatives to Salesforce CRM you should consider in 2025.

Business couldn’t have been any better for Salesforce in 2020. Despite the pandemic and amid a sea of stumbling businesses all around, the company remained resilient and performed beyond expectations.

Among other things, it registered a $21.25 billion revenue, a 24% YoY increase—a new record. Actual earnings per share reached $1.04, well beyond initial estimates at $0.75. It’s poised to do even better in the next two years, at $1.91 and $1.64 for 2021 and 2022. 

How are other top CRM tools going to compete with that? The whole CRM segment did pretty during the pandemic, as did the rest of SaaS in fact, so it will remain to be a healthy competitive market, presenting organizations with rich options.

Of course, experts will be looking for crucial CRM features such as ease of use, integrated schedule management, and data processing features. These functionalities allow sales agents to focus on the customers and not distracted by having to learn the CRM platform. Below are the top alternatives to Salesforce CRM.

10 Alternatives to Salesforce CRM

1. HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM is a robust, free CRM solution that allows you to better manage your pipeline and propel your sales team towards increased productivity. It is rich in smart features and functionalities beyond the common tools that sales teams need yet is easy to use, customize, and scale for your actual business needs. 

HubSpot Smart CRM

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Features to consider: Live chat, Outlook and Gmail integration, reporting dashboard, Instagram and Facebook lead ads, email templates, conversational bots, canned snippets, contact management, and ticketing.

How can HubSpot CRM improve your CRM related operations?

1. You can use it for free and has premium plans that suit any budget. HubSpot CRM is among the most widely-used because most of its advanced functionalities can be used for free. Whether you’re a start-up needing the basic CRM tools to better connect with customers or a large enterprise requiring more extensive CRM tools and coverage, you can use HubSpot CRM at no cost at all. You can also easily integrate it with your business systems, tools, and other HubSpot platforms as you see fit.
2. Always have an updated customer information database. Many CRMs still require users to conduct manual updating of customer details. With HubSpot CRM, your valuable customer information is automatically updated with every transaction and enhanced when synced with HubSpot’s rich database of more than 20 million companies worldwide.
3. In just a few seconds, you can add new business and individual contacts. With just a single click, you can readily create new contacts directly from your email. You can also have HubSpot CRM to generate and update business records automatically.
4. Quickly send optimized sales emails. HubSpot CRM does not only offer functional and elegant email templates but also allows you to schedule the best time to have your emails delivered. You will also be notified once a customer reads your email, which helps you better conduct follow-up activities.
5. No more manual entry of sales activities. Just focus on performing all your sales tasks and leave all the logging functions to HubSpot CRM.

2. Freshworks CRM

Freshworks CRM is another top-rated CRM platform that helps dynamic sales teams continually monitor customers while addressing their concerns. Considered by many as an all-in-one contact management platform, this CRM is powerful enough to help sales teams stay on top of anything sales, yet users can do all the nitty-gritty stuff using a simple, easy to use dashboard. 

Features to consider: Complete conversation history, pipeline dashboard, in-app and website tracking, behavior-based segmentation, click-to-call, team inbox, web-to-lead, deeper analytics, and bulk actions.

How can Freshworks CRM improve your CRM related operations?

1. World-class customer support. Whether you’re subscribed to their paid or free plans, you will get the same top-of-the-line reliable support from Freshworks’ technical team, no questions asked. Everyone also has direct access to its rich knowledge base written by experts in the field.
2. Optimize sales and prioritize pipeline opportunities. Freshworks allows you to prioritize appointments and tasks directly from the deal pipeline. This platform is designed to provide AI-based insights and how to use these to achieve a competitive advantage.
3. AI-powered lead management. Freshworks CRM is not only designed to attract leads but also to properly manage them via AI-powered lead scoring. This, of course, goes with proper lead nurturing practices.

3. CRM Creatio

CRM Creatio is designed to streamline projects and tasks related to CRM and business process automation. The platform accomplishes this through three main modules, namely Marketing Creatio, Sales Creatio, and Service Creatio.

Through these modules, teams get specialized tools to be more productive at CRM-related tasks. For instance, marketing and sales teams can use Marketing Creatio and Sales Creatio to manage leads and track sales more efficiently. Service Creatio, on the other hand, can be used to set up self-serve customer service options, such as knowledge bases and service catalogs, for end users.

CRM Creatio

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Features to consider: 360-degree customer view, lead and opportunity management, document flow automation, field sales management, omnichannel communications

How can CRM Creatio improve your CRM related operations?

1. More efficient lead management. The platform provides a unified interface for lead management. Users can easily idenify lead generation channels and sources while tracking the behavior of website visitors. Lead information is also displayed on dashboard analytics for faster access.
2. Improved field sales productivity. CRM Creatio can also boost the productivity of field sales teams. Schedules for each rep can be created through the interface, and each visit can be monitored through geo-tags and location check-ins. All sales data is accurately tracked for more effective analysis.
3. Advanced user interface customization. CRM Creatio’s interface can be easily customized through a built-in system designer. Aside from adding logos and modifying color schemes, the software also allows users to show or hide system sections according to user roles.

4. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is fairly similar to Salesforce CRM in terms of letting users preserve full sales control— that’s what makes it a leading alternative. Its powerful features were designed so you can create a seamless workflow and optimized pipeline. If you want to try out the software first, the vendor offers a great free trial plan that makes it possible. 

Pipedrive

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Features to consider: Sales pipeline views with focus on customer relationships, CRM goal setting, CRM reporting, Google Calendar integration, multi-language support, and multi-currency support.

How can Pipedrive improve your CRM related operations?

1. It boosts sales through the prism of effective customer relationships. This is where the correlation between Pipedrive and Salesforce CRM becomes most visible, as both systems bring in an effective sales methodology to acquire more deals focusing on the right activities. In a similar fashion, both systems give users a clear overview of their sales pipeline for both people and activities. Moreover, both can qualify leads instantly as they arrive in the system.
2. It saves time with simplified deal management. To add a deal in Pipedrive, all you have to do is to click on the intended button and open a pop-up dialogue box to arrange the details in a brand-specific manner. The system uses an advanced Activity Scheduler to prevent double entries, import data from an array of associated systems, synchronize emails, and automate qualification to save businesses valuable time.
3. Turns data into operable intelligence. Probably the most valuable tab on Pipedrive’s Dashboard is the Statistics tab, where the system reveals an incredible capacity to process and understand critical metrics. Using it, you can follow the performance of individual agents, the value of each separate deal, or the history of every lead, and export information easily in the desired format and destination.

5. NetSuite CRM

NetSuite CRM is a powerful CRM solution that gives you a complete 360-degree view of your customers in real-time. You can access various information about leads and customers at any point in their lifecycle. It is easy to take advantage of any opportunities and mitigate any potential losses. You can provide exceptional service from lead capturing to post-sales support.

NetSuite CRM

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Features to consider: Case management, knowledge management, sales force automation, sales forecasting, real-time dashboards, and campaign management.

How can NetSuite CRM improve your CRM-related operations?

1. Centralized user contact database. NetSuite CRM includes integrated contact information that outlines your team members’ roles, communication history, responsibilities, and more. You can easily assign specific staff to a customer based on their expertise and experience.
2. Effective campaign management. Keep track of all your marketing campaigns in one place. See which ones are resulting in revenue and which ones need adjustments. You can fine-tune these projects in real-time to maximize sales potential.
3. Sales automation and forecasting. That platform allows you to automate your entire marketing process, which makes it easy to align with your sales goals. Capture leads, nurture new customers, take advantage of possibilities, and more with the data-driven forecasting. 

6. monday.com CRM

monday.com makes CRM much simpler. It is a many-to-many collaboration tool for different types of business processes. Also, it is a comprehensive business solution that can connect seemingly disparate processes from HR to marketing and from advertising to CRM. Furthermore, it has one of the best interfaces out there on the market today. You can check out its full features when you sign up for a free trial. 

monday.com

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Features to consider: highly-visual shareable dashboards, workflow automations, tons of integrations, dashboard templates, collaboration tools, customizable dashboards, and robust collaboration tools. 

How can monday.com improve your CRM related operations?

1. Collaborate with customers and team members. monday.com allows you to collaborate with both your team members and customers quite effectively. It’s easy communication tools are reminiscent of your favorite social media platforms. Thus, it is easy to use for everyone. 
2. Automate your workflows. Make use of if-then rules to create your custom workflow using monday.com integrations.  For instance, you can make monday.com send CSAT survey emails automatically after every customer interaction. 
3. Be on top of your CRM processes in real-time. Thanks to its visualization and reporting modules, you can easily pull up diagnostic information from monday.com. You can use this to plot out strategies and tactics for your CRM processes and even those connected with it. 

7. vCita

vCita is a comprehensive business management and customer service for small businesses. This cloud-based all-in-one hub integrates important tools to help users run their daily tasks and processes, including email and SMS marketing, lead generation, billing and invoicing, client management, client portal, and online and calendar scheduling. Accessible from anywhere and anytime, vCita facilitates a simple, yet efficient customer interaction. 

Features to consider: Client interactions management, contact form Facebook plugin, multi-device calendar management, HTML contact form generator, custom formatting options, and integrated appointment scheduling and services menu.

How can vCita improve your CRM related operations?

1. Online scheduling and booking. This flexible platform allows your customers to schedule a service that they prefer using any device, from anywhere and at any time. vCita’s cloud-based scheduling functionality lessens appointment issues, supports better coordination, saves money and time, and ultimately increases sales potential.
2. Self-service client portal. Its customer portal empowers your clients with greater control over completing their transactions with you. It is secure, easy-to-use, and convenient for your clients. In the process, it helps lessen your team’s workload and allows them to focus on more critical tasks.
3. Robust client management. vCita is designed especially for service providers, making it a good choice for small companies wanting to expand their business. It allows you to revamp your company to become a self-managing enterprise by having greater control in customer management and interactions.

8. Zoho CRM

This customer relationship management system offers a robust platform loaded with powerful features to help businesses attract more customers and close more sales. Zoho CRM focuses on streamlining vital sales and marketing operations by automating various processes. Automations can be applied to lead generation and management, deal management, contact management, and workflow automation. Moreover, Zoho CRM is equipped with advanced features such as prediction and proprietary AI technology called Zia. Furthermore, this CRM also offers other tools for inventory management, team collaboration, data and file storage, and the capability to integrate with more than 400 applications and extensions.

Zoho CRM

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Features to consider: Sales force automation, journey orchestration, sales enablement, predictive sales, customization, marketing automation, remote work, mobile apps, analytics.

How can Zoho CRM improve your CRM related operations?

1. Complete automation of critical processes and optimization of workflows. Zoho CRM automates repetitive and time-consuming processes involved in marketing, sales, and even support. By automating these routine processes, sales teams can focus more on building relationships with the customers. Furthermore, human errors will be eliminated, which makes your CRM operations more efficient.
2. Allows businesses to maximize social media. Zoho CRM recognizes the value of customer data from social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Using Zoho CRM allows businesses to monitor the behavior of potential customers and categorize them either as leads or contacts, as well as connect with them.
3. Offers remote working capabilities. Zoho CRM’s latest feature is the Remote Sales Office, which is an add-on that comes with communication tools for the sales team to easily keep in touch with prospects and leads while working in a remote setting.

9. LeadSquared Sales + Mobile CRM

LeadSquared is a top-notch CRM solution that provides an alternative to Salesforce. Designed to help businesses manage their sales process effectively, LeadSquared offers a comprehensive set of tools for sales teams to manage their leads, campaigns, and customer interactions. With its easy-to-use interface, customizable workflows, and powerful automation features, LeadSquared is an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes looking to improve their CRM-related operations.

LeadSquared Sales + Mobile CRM

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Features to consider: Lead capture and management, marketing automation, analytics and reporting, and integrations with popular marketing platforms such as Mailchimp, Salesforce, and Google Ads.

How can LeadSquared improve your CRM-related operations?

1. Improved lead management: With LeadSquared, you can capture and manage leads more effectively, ensuring that your sales team can prioritize the most promising leads and convert them into customers.
2. Real-time analytics and reporting: LeadSquared provides real-time insights into your team’s performance, allowing you to make data-driven decisions and optimize your sales process for maximum efficiency.
3. Customizable workflows: With LeadSquared, you can create custom workflows that are tailored to your business needs, helping you manage your sales process more effectively.

10. Pipeliner

Pipeliner is a highly effective CRM software that allows you to focus on your engagement with customers. It includes a visual interface with drag-and-drop functionalities, allowing you to automate processes easily. Generating visual reports is also a few clicks away. Moreover, you can build multiple pipelines, organize leads, manage contacts all in one place. 

Features to consider: Visual-based interface, drag-and-drop functionality, visual lead management, opportunity tracking, contact management, sales task management, and sales velocity monitoring.

How can Pipeliner improve your CRM related operations?

1. Easy-to-understand interface and controls. Pipeliner ensures that you don’t spend hours just learning the platform. Its highly visual interface makes it easy to focus on tasks and enhance productivity. It also allows you to speed up your onboarding process and enhance adoption rates.
2. Organized CRM and sales process. It lets you organize your entire sales process from prospecting to closing sales. Furthermore, it enables you to create and monitor as many pipelines as you need. From here, you can attach relevant contacts, activities, and documents so your sales experts can quickly take advantage of high priority leads.
3. Easy task management. Tasks in sales cycles can be organized into boards in each pipeline. This makes it easy to see high priority tasks. Users can even share tasks with other team members for easy collaboration.

Are the Alternatives to SalesForce Worth Considering?

These 10 alternatives to Salesforce CRM are among those CRM solutions worth considering if you’re in search for platforms that offer simple yet robust CRM tools and functionalities for your business. Before you make that decision to select which CRM platform you’ll adopt for your business, consider these tips:

• Do more than just contact management. A core CRM function is for managing contacts, but it should be more than a repository of contacts and offer other key features like fostering relationships with customers, forecasting sales, closing deals, among others.
• Can synergize with marketing. Only consider CRM solutions that can manage data and marketing campaigns and enable data sharing among your teams. A CRM system should also have knowledge base functionality, which an important element in keeping your customers informed and satisfied with your services.
• Priced within your budget. It’s free to dream but running a business should always be rooted on the ground, so check out only CRM tools that fit your budget, but with the flexibility to grow with you as your business expands.
• With robust reporting capabilities. Gathering and maintaining loads of client information will all be for naught if you don’t have a CRM to help you analyze, gain valuable insights, and make appropriate actions to convert contacts into actual loyal clients.
• With email handling efficiency. Emails are fundamental in managing leads and other sales and marketing tasks, so your CRM must have easy-to-use and efficient data import and export capabilities.

Our comprehensive analysis of CRM software is filled with details and insights to help you make better and more informed decisions for your business. Take note of the application’s scalability, features beyond CRM, and more. This ensures that the platform can handle your business as it grows.

By Adam Goldberg

Adam Goldberg is a senior market research analyst and one of the key customer experience technology and CRM pioneers working for the FinancesOnline review team. He has been cooperating with FinancesOnline for over 5 years now. During that time Andrew has analyzed more than 2,000 CRM solutions and he’s well-known for his honest reviews and his unique perspective on challenges and opportunities posed by customer-centric innovation. He’s a strong believer in business process automation and the role it plays in customer data management, conversational intelligence, and customer engagement. His work has been mentioned in many major publications and media sites, including MSN, Springer, TheNextWeb, and CIO.