Best CRM Software for Small Business in 2025

CRM software for small business abound in the market. It can be overwhelming if you are unfamiliar with this type of software, and you may have a difficult time deciding which one is the best for your organization. You can read or watch as many software reviews as you want but, ultimately, you are the one who knows what will work for you.

So, when you are listing and considering the best CRM for small business, make sure that the vendor meets your needs.

Before you dive into a CRM tool and seal the deal, arm yourself with some information about what is CRM software first. This will give you an in-depth backgrounder on the software type, as well as what you should expect when it comes to its features and benefits.

Of course, the most prudent thing to do before closing a contract with a vendor is to sign up for free trials or demos from software providers. By doing this, you and your team will be able to test-drive the solutions’ tools and see whether they meet your requirements.

But there are plenty of software to go through. For you not to be overwhelmed, you can start by evaluating the software solutions that have the highest SmartScore and Customer Satisfaction Rating in our CRM software for small business reviews. These are HubSpot CRM, Pipedrive, Salesforce CRM, NetSuite CRM, and monday.com Sales CRM.

Additionally, you can acquire additional information on the leading apps in our top 10 CRM software article. Another thing that can help you is checking free CRM tools. These are either completely free or there are freemium versions available.

Any organization can benefit from the best CRM software for small business. But there are certain types of businesses to which CRM solutions are essential:

• Businesses with sales teams. Any sales team would require a CRM tool to identify changes and trends in customer behavior. Armed with data, they can upsell or cross-sell products or services with a high rate of success. On top of that, a CRM application can help them pick out among the crowd the leads that are most likely to purchase.
• Businesses with marketing teams. Enterprises have to engage in marketing to attract customers and stay on top of the minds of consumers. Thus, any organization that has robust marketing practices can make full use of a CRM platform. They can utilize CRM records to funnel campaigns while including as many customers as possible without the accompanying high cost.
• Businesses that need to be more efficient. The best CRM for small business can help boost conversion rates. This is because they are timesavers owing to their automation capabilities. In this way, you can focus on more business-critical tasks.

• HubSpot CRM. This powerful and dynamic marketing solution is a favorite of marketers and even of sales and customer support teams. This is because you can adapt it to your workflow or use it to refine your existing processes. Additionally, it has the tools to let you organize your customers’ data so that you can create a full profile.
• Pipedrive. This CRM platform was built by salespeople. Thus, you can expect its interface, tools, and workflows to be tailored to the needs of sales team members. There are segmentation and categorization features to make follow-ups easier. Plus, there are activity reminders so that sales professionals do not miss critical opportunities.
• Salesforce CRM. Sales teams around the world are aware of this software, as it is an award-winning solution. It helps align customer information and interactions, making them easily accessible to the sales and marketing teams alike. Plus, it gives you real-time data on the performance of your teams so that you can adapt on the go.
• NetSuite CRM. This CRM software offers a full view of a business’s customers. This is because information streams from every possible touch point throughout a customer’s journey. Apart from key CRM features, this platform also has marketing automation, salesforce automation, and customer service management tools.
• monday.com Sales CRM. Considered one of the best CRM for small business, the platform comes from a hugely popular project management tool. Because of its versatility, you can customize it to transform it into a customer relationship management tool. It centralizes information so that team members can make decisions independently or together. On top of that, it can accelerate sales because of complete visibility.

A CRM system small business teams can use can typically be categorized under one of three separate groups:

• Analytical CRM. This can work with an operational CRM because it analyzes data. As such, it can provide actionable insights. This platform can generate reports and even let you create custom reports. It makes these possible by using powerful techniques such as data mining, correlation, and pattern recognition, among others.
• Operational CRM. This is also known as basic CRM. It consolidates sales, marketing, and support under one umbrella. Together, these provide an operational dashboard where every prospect is assessed. Once this process is done, the application provides a summary and assists in developing a strategy. There are several sub-categories of operational CRM: sales force automation (analyzing prospect lifecycle), marketing automation (automates marketing processes for multi-channel campaigns with fine segments), and service automation (customer service tools and integrations)
• Collaborative CRM. CRM does not have to be purely an internal affair. With a collaborative CRM, vendors and other external stakeholders can work with the organization, too. With this, communication is more open and the sharing of information is made seamless.

Most top-notch solutions would have features that enable you to perform basic relationship management tasks. However, they also vary in some features. For example, they might have industry-specific relationship management tools. Nevertheless, they do share common functionalities.

• Contact manager. This feature lets you store and organize your contacts, from customers to suppliers. There is a sorting feature by category for easier and faster retrieval as well. Many small businesses that are on a tight budget can go for a CRM solution that has this robust module. It can either be a standalone or integrated into a full suite with other features.
• Sales automation. You can take your mind off redundant tasks because the main component of the best CRM software for small business is automating the sales process. This covers the whole workflow, from prospecting to replying to customer inquiries and order taking. This module helps to track leads through inquiries, previous purchases, and web visits. It should have a web form feature that allows you to capture leads in landing pages and collect feedback.
• Sales tracking. There are CRM solution vendors that include this in the sales automation or have it as a separate module. This helps you analyze your sales data. You can find out how many of an item you sold, where, and to whom. As well, your CRM must have a basic reporting suite and dashboard for sales reports and an overview of your sales performance, respectively.
• Communication channels. CRM applications usually have communication features integrated with other modules. Many solutions boast multiple communication channels, ranging from email and phone to IM or live chat. Other software may integrate social networks and forums. Although it is great to have social tools and live chat, these may not make any sense if you do not have anyone to manage your SNS and live chat solution.

Adopting a powerful CRM is now a requisite in a competitive and ever-changing business horizon. If you are still on the fence about acquiring a CRM software for small business, take a gander at these benefits you will gain:

• Operational efficiency. A CRM platform fully implemented can assist you in streamlining your processes, thus helping you get rid of operational inefficiencies. This is most likely because you are able to discover more data and integrate it with other software in our toolbox.
• Data availability. Data is a strategic and valuable asset. Your CRM application can gather data in one place and analyze it, too. Plus, it has features that would aid you in understanding the information you have. Thus, you can use it in strategic decision-making.
• Improved accountability. If your relationship with customers is not smooth-sailing, this might be an indicator of problems elsewhere. With a CRM tool on hand, you can streamline customer communications and pave the way for your business to become more trustworthy. This is because this solution can aid employees in understanding their tasks. But most importantly, it can help them in understanding their errors.
• Smoother collaboration. If you have been relying on spreadsheets, you know that they are lacking in certain aspects. Having a CRM, on the other hand, would plug inconsistencies that affect collaboration. Specifically, it will allows you to share information easily.
• Better communication with customers. With the best CRM software small business teams can use, you can identify areas where you are lacking in terms of customer communication. Once you have ascertained these, you can implement solutions. This would lead to better communication, customer retention, and higher sales.
• Security. You can rely on top-shelf CRM for your small business because of its myriad layers of security. As such, you can free yourself of the worry that your company and customer data will be easily compromised.

A CRM system for small business, especially ones from well-known vendors, tend to be packed with features. But this does not mean they have stopped innovating. After all, there are always new technologies or industry changes that can be a part of or direct the recent developments of a CRM platform.

Channel-less CRM

You have heard of omnichannel CRM. But now it is going a step further with channel-less CRM. This means that instead of a business and its sales and marketing teams focusing on meeting customers on various communication channels, they will be shifting their efforts toward a streamlined customer experience. Customers will also be expecting relevant and highly personalized experiences from the organization.

Social CRM

Social CRM is not just a buzzword. It is something that is continuing to be a relevant part of CRM and CRM software solutions. That is why integrations with popular social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are becoming more streamlined. But updating posts and engaging followers are not the only boon of social CRM. The innovation can provide a treasure trove of data as well as customer feedback and consumer purchasing habits.

Voice Recognition

Voice technology has become ubiquitous since the advent of voice assistants, such as Siri, Alexa, and others. This tech is commonly used for searches, making shopping lists, and turning appliances on and off. But this may become a staple in CRM applications. With a speech recognition software embedded in CRM platforms, users can record meetings and notes with ease for documentation purposes. Plus, it can help speed up data entry.

CRM for All Teams

CRM used to be exclusive to marketing, customer support, and sales teams. Now, though, other organization units can benefit from it. For example, finance and accounting teams can take advantage of the invoicing features included in the best CRM software for small businesses. Once sales professionals close deals, the number gurus can take over and send invoices to customers. In this way, organizations can get paid sooner and they can track their revenue easily.

Apart from looking at the features and benefits of a CRM system for small business, it is critical to know what potential issues you may encounter.

Data Security

CRM software are designed to have multiple layers of security. These should block attacks and prevent potential threats from disrupting your operations. However, with a SaaS CRM, you are putting your data in the hands of the vendor. This increases security risks. Thus, you have to determine whether the vendor is reliable and trustworthy. You should also be diligent in doing research about how they handle security risks and if they had previous breaches.

Integration

No software is an island. The same applies to CRM solutions. Interfacing your CRM tool with other applications will help you streamline your overall operational workflow. Before you close the deal, make sure that it can integrate with your existing tools. It may be native integrations, via API, or through a third-party platform like Zapier.

Scalability

A solution that is scalable will adapt to your needs as you grow. Check with the vendor if its app has that feature so that you do not have to change to another solution when your current needs outgrow the basic application you have.

Vendor Support and Credibility

There are plenty of CRM vendors that claim to be trustworthy and have plenty of clients. To make sure you are signing up with the right one, check forums or reviews. You can also speak with other customers to truly understand their experiences. Plus, a good vendor would provide quick and consistent support when you encounter issues.

CRM software is an essential addition to any organization’s tech stack. Indeed, 56.55% of companies in one survey expressed that it is the most valuable tool in their tech stack. It has come to the point that even freelance professionals utilize it to manage their relationships with clients. They also take advantage of it to reach out to potential customers. Of course, small businesses can significantly benefit from this technology, too.

After all, businesses that use their CRM systems well can enjoy as much as 74% improvement in their relationships with customers. They have also been proven to boost organizations in meeting their sales quotas by 65%. Not only that, it has been shown that it led to an increase of 50% in productivity.

CRM applications are no stranger to innovation. Their development is also dictated by trends. For instance, social CRM is a continuing trend. Thus, vendors are integrating social media platforms and providing the necessary tools for managing them.

One of the foremost considerations in choosing the best CRM software for small business is payment schemes or pricing plans. Below are the most common payment schemes offered by CRM application vendors:

• Free. There is such a thing as a free CRM platform. But only a handful of CRM software companies offer this. And when they do, they only provide the most basic tools. Nevertheless, these are essential tools that can help you grow. In most cases, you can scale up to a paid tier when you are ready.
• Monthly Subscription. This is a popular payment plan that you will find among the majority of CRM software providers. The good thing about this is that it is easy on the pocket because you do not have to fork out a huge amount to start using it. Plus, it is not a complicated affair to opt out if you decide that you need to change your solution or stop using one altogether.
• Annual Subscription. An annual payment scheme is suitable for businesses that have enough in their budget to pay for a year’s worth of software service. This is also beneficial because yearly payments are discounted. You can save at least two months’ worth of subscriptions when you sign up for an annual plan.

The right product is crucial to the growth of your business, no matter how small it is. You do not want to spend an inordinate amount of time learning the ins and outs of a platform that may end up not being right for you. There are numerous factors to consider in the process. However, it is more of an art than a science.

Nevertheless, there is one thing that is sure: the bottom line. Take into account whether the price fits your budget. And if it does, will it be difficult or easy to meet that amount per month? Next, investigate the ROI it will offer and determine how you will measure it. These make up the science part of the selection.

For the art side, you will be dealing with people, workflows, and the right mix of policies to properly implement a suitable software. You have to consult the people who will actually use the solution. Then, you have to find out whether the solution is the right fit for the organizational culture.

Having a good mix of these is challenging. Indeed, the whole processes of digital transformation and software transformation are difficult. This is especially true for large business and non-business organizations. And it is similarly formidable for small enterprises.

Just keep in mind that whichever software you choose, you will be dealing with things beyond the software.