Quick answer: Our top pick is HubSpot CRM (Sales Hub), followed by Zoho CRM and Close. Entry prices start near $9/mo. All 5 are compared below on price, strengths and the key trade-off of each, so you can match one to your needs.
We compared the field so you can skip the trial-and-error. This guide rounds up the 5 tools we'd actually recommend for this job, with what each does best, what it costs, and who should pick it.
We weighted picks on output quality, value for money, learning curve and how well each tool fits the specific workflow in this guide. Pricing is summarised from public plans at the time of writing.
Basic from ~$12/seat/mo; Standard ~$17; Pro ~$28; Enterprise custom (3-seat minimum, billed annually).
Teams already on monday.com
The picks, ranked
1. HubSpot CRM (Sales Hub) all-in-one CRM
Free-to-start CRM with Sales Hub layered on top, part of HubSpot's unified marketing-sales-service platform. It stands out for free crm to start without a heavy setup cost.
Why it's on this list: Start free, then scale into a unified marketing-sales-service platform. Built for scaling SMBs wanting a free CRM that grows into an all-in-one platform.
Standout features:
Free CRM for unlimited users and up to 1M contacts (contact/deal records, pipeline tracking)
Email tracking/scheduling, live chat, forms and meeting scheduling on free tier
Standout strength: Large app marketplace and strong UX.
Worth knowing: Free unlimited view-only seats in paid portals.
Pricing: Free CRM; Sales Hub Starter from ~$20/seat/mo; Professional ~$100/seat; Enterprise higher (billed annually).
Full-featured CRM at aggressive pricing, deeply integrated into the wider Zoho One business suite. Best suited to teams that care most about budget-conscious smbs.
Why it's on this list: Enterprise-grade customization and AI at SMB pricing, unbeatable inside the Zoho One ecosystem. Built for budget-conscious SMBs and teams standardizing on the Zoho suite.
Standout features:
Full sales-cycle CRM: lead/contact/deal management, multiple pipelines, custom modules
Inside-sales CRM with built-in calling, SMS and email, designed for high-velocity remote sales teams. Best suited to teams that care most about inside/remote sales teams.
Why it's on this list: An inside-sales CRM with a real phone system and dialers built in, made for call-heavy remote teams. Made for high-velocity inside/remote sales teams and startups doing heavy call/SMS outreach.
Standout features:
Multi-channel automated sequences and pipeline/opportunity tracking
Built-in calling with Power Dialer and (higher tiers) Predictive Dialer
Standout strength: Purpose-built for outbound/inside sales speed.
Worth knowing: Calling/SMS usage billed separately from the seat fee.
Pricing: Base from ~$19/user/mo; Startup, Professional and Enterprise tiers scaling up (historically ~$49-$139/user/mo, billed annually). 14-day trial.
AI-assisted sales CRM (Freddy AI) with built-in phone, email and lead scoring, part of the Freshworks suite. It stands out for smbs wanting ai + phone in crm without a heavy setup cost.
Why it's on this list: A sales CRM that ships with a phone system and Freddy AI, strong value inside the Freshworks suite. A natural fit for sMBs wanting AI plus built-in phone in one affordable CRM, especially Freshworks users.
Standout features:
Sales sequences and workflow automation
Territory management and custom modules on Enterprise
Standout strength: Free plan for up to 3 users with built-in phone and chat.
Worth knowing: Built-in telephony is a core differentiator vs most CRMs.
Pricing: Free plan; Growth from ~$11/user/mo; Pro ~$47; Enterprise ~$71 (billed annually).
Flexible, highly visual CRM built on the monday.com work-OS, easy to customize for any sales process. Picked here for how cleanly it handles teams already on monday.com.
Why it's on this list: A work-OS CRM you build like a spreadsheet on steroids, ideal when sales and projects live together. Aimed squarely at teams already on monday.com or wanting one flexible tool for sales plus project/ops work.
Standout features:
No-code automations to assign leads, update stages and trigger follow-ups
Two-way email sync (Gmail/Outlook), mass email and sequences
Standout strength: Cross-team visibility when already using monday.com.
Worth knowing: Basic plan has no automation or integration actions.
Pricing: Basic from ~$12/seat/mo; Standard ~$17; Pro ~$28; Enterprise custom (3-seat minimum, billed annually).
Don't over-think the ranking: the gap between adjacent picks is small. Decide what you can't compromise on — price, a specific strength, or learning curve — and let that pick for you. Free tiers and trials mean a 30-minute hands-on test beats another hour of reading.
FAQ
What is the best option in this list?
HubSpot CRM (Sales Hub) is our default recommendation here; that said, a lower pick can be the smarter buy if its strengths map more closely to your job.
Are there free options?
Yes — HubSpot CRM (Sales Hub), Zoho CRM and Freshsales (Freshworks) offer a free plan or tier, so you can validate fit before paying. Check each entry's pricing line above.
How were these tools chosen?
Each pick is judged on fit for the specific job in this guide — its real strengths, pricing and who it suits — using features and facts drawn from independent reviews and the vendors' own documentation, cited in Sources below.
How often is this guide updated?
We revisit pricing and rankings regularly as vendors change plans and ship features.
Sources
The features, strengths and facts cited for each pick above are drawn from these independent reviews and vendor pages: