5 Affordable CRM Tools for Businesses (2023)

Here's a list of budget-friendly CRM tools for your business that won't break the bank.

By Eoin Wiley. in Startups. Updated on September 19, 2023.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools are crucial for any business striving to create efficient operations and strong customer bonds. Yet with so many options to choose from, identifying a CRM solution that is both effective and budget-friendly can present a real challenge.

This guide zeros in on five affordable CRM solutions that deliver solid features without breaking the bank.

Each of these economical CRM tools provides a unique combination of features and benefits, meeting the diverse needs of businesses. Whether you’re a small business owner seeking a simple setup or a larger enterprise in search of robust capabilities, this article is designed to help you make an informed decision.

Overview:

#1	Zendesk	Zendesk offers a free 14-day trial. Price starts at $19 per user per month. Qualified startups may use it for free, for 6 months.
#2	Zoho CRM	Zoho CRM offers a free plan for up to 3 users. They also offer a 15-day free trial for their paid plans. Paid plans starts at $24 per user per month.
#3	Salesforce	Salesforce offers a free trial for 30 days. Price starts at $25 per user per month.
#4	Insightly CRM	Insightly offers a free 14-day trial. Price starts at $29 per user per month.
#5	Vtiger CRM	Its "Vtiger Free Cloud CRM" is free forever. Vtiger offers a 15-day free trial. Paid plan starts at $30 per user per month.

1. Zendesk

A Top Pick for Data Visualization

Zendesk stands out for its user-friendly data visualization features, making it a popular choice among budget-conscious CRM solutions. Below are the key features and pricing details:

Main Features:

Data Visualization: Zendesk’s Team Plan offers an array of data reporting tools, including preset and customizable dashboards, as well as reports for deals, leads, and recurring revenue. This feature set allows businesses to effectively analyze and interpret their data.
Contact Management: This platform provides efficient options for managing contacts, including capabilities for data import and export.
Marketing Tools: Zendesk includes helpful marketing features such as an email design editor, automated workflows, and visitor tracking capabilities.

Cost Information:

For eligible startups, Zendesk offers a six-month free trial.
The Team Plan comes at a cost of $19 per user per month.
The plan includes no user limit and provides 2GB of file storage per user.

Though the Team Plan from Zendesk provides a wide variety of features, it does fall short in some areas, including advanced marketing and customer service functionalities.

Learn more about Zendesk

2. Zoho CRM

A Comprehensive Solution for Businesses

Zoho CRM distinguishes itself as part of Zoho’s wide-ranging suite of SaaS business tools. It’s noted for offering a rich array of features that can go toe-to-toe with large-scale CRM solutions like Salesforce.

Key Features:

AI-Powered Analytics: Zoho CRM comes equipped with Zia, an AI-driven analytics engine that identifies sales trends and anomalies, offering valuable insights for your business.
Customizable Interface: With Canvas, a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, you can tailor the CRM interface to meet your specific needs.
Smooth Integration: If you are already a user of Zoho’s other products, incorporating Zoho CRM into your existing workflow is hassle-free.
Gamification: The platform also includes gamification features to motivate your sales team and enhance performance.

Cost Overview:

The pricing for Zoho CRM starts at $24 per user per month, when billed annually.

While Zoho CRM offers an impressive range of features, there is a learning curve to fully utilize them. Note that the more advanced tools are only available in the higher-tier packages.

Learn more about Zoho CRM

3. Salesforce

A Leader in Comprehensive CRM Solutions

Salesforce is renowned as a global frontrunner in the CRM software arena. It’s especially favored by medium to large enterprises for its extensive suite of customer relationship tools, seamless integration options, and deep customization capabilities.

Key Features:

All-in-One Functionality: Salesforce provides a holistic CRM solution, featuring a user-friendly design, customizable options, and robust reporting tools.
Smooth Integration: Its core offering, the Sales Cloud, can easily integrate with other Salesforce modules like Marketing Cloud for email automation and Einstein Analytics for AI-driven business insights.
Customization Flexibility: Salesforce enables advanced workflow automations and approvals, allowing businesses to fine-tune their operational processes. Sales teams can assign specific members to individual deals.
Data Reporting and Forecasting: The enterprise plans offer sophisticated reporting and predictive analytics, app development, full sandbox environments, and external system integrations through web services APIs.

Cost Overview:

The pricing for Salesforce starts at $25 per user per month.
Be aware that Salesforce’s upper-tier plans can become costly, especially as pricing is per user.

Salesforce doesn’t offer a free plan, but they do provide a 30-day free trial that doesn’t require a credit card or any software downloads.

Learn more about Salesforce

4. Insightly

Streamlined CRM for Growing Businesses

Insightly CRM is engineered to assist businesses in building and maintaining customer relationships, automating manual tasks, enhancing operational efficiency, and ultimately increasing revenue and profitability.

Key Features:

Optimized Customer Pipeline: Insightly specializes in creating a robust customer relationship pipeline for your business.
Flexible Selling: With Insightly, you can manage sales activities from any location and on any device, offering unparalleled flexibility.
Data-Driven Sales: The CRM tool offers real-time insights into your sales processes, enabling informed decision-making.
Project Management: Insightly ensures timely and seamless project delivery through its effective project management tools.
Smooth Integration: Insightly integrates smoothly with the applications you use daily, boosting productivity and operational efficiency.
Automated Workflows: The platform enables you to model and automate various business processes, reducing manual workload and increasing overall efficiency.

Cost Overview:

Plus Plan: Priced at $29 per user per month.
Professional Plan: Priced at $40 per user per month.
Enterprise Plan: Priced at $99 per user per month.

Insightly’s plans come with varying features and limits on records, file storage, and mass emails. For more specific pricing details, it’s advisable to visit their official website.

Learn more about Insightly

5. Vtiger

All-in-One CRM for Comprehensive Business Management

Vtiger CRM offers an all-encompassing platform that merges contact management, calendar functionalities, email marketing, internal chat, and marketing automation.

Key Features:

Comprehensive Contact Management: Features like engagement scoring, custom lists, tagging, and optimal times for contact are included.
End-to-End Sales Management: Vtiger supports multiple pipelines and currencies, and offers features such as sales forecasting, sentiment tracking, and automated lead assignment.
Streamlined Support Operations: Includes functionalities like knowledge base, case assignments, and a dedicated customer portal.
Automated Marketing: Includes capabilities for email campaigns, auto-responders, and robust tracking metrics.
Vast Integration Options: Compatible with numerous platforms like Google Suite, Office 365, QuickBooks, and various digital signing and payment systems.

Cost Overview:

Free Tier: Allows up to 10 users and 3000 records. Includes basic features for contact and sales management.
Professional Plan: Priced at $30 per user/month (annual billing) or $42 per user/month (monthly billing). No user or record limits. Includes advanced features.
Enterprise Plan: Priced at $42 per user/month (annual billing) or $58 per user/month (monthly billing). No user or record limits. Includes all features of Professional plus additional advanced features.

Learn more about Vtiger

Conclusion

Choosing the right CRM tool is more than just a matter of cost-it’s about finding the platform that will effectively bolster your business’s growth. The options presented, including Zendesk, Zoho, Salesforce, Insightly, and Vtiger, all offer unique features tailored to a range of needs and budgets.

Whether your focus is on deep customization, AI-based analytics, or simplified project management, there’s a cost-effective CRM solution ready to meet your specific business requirements.

Overview:

1. Zendesk

Main Features:

Cost Information:

2. Zoho CRM

Key Features:

Cost Overview:

3. Salesforce

Key Features:

Cost Overview:

4. Insightly

Key Features:

Cost Overview:

5. Vtiger

Key Features:

Cost Overview:

More on CRM Tools

Conclusion