Best Free CRM Systems in 2023

Customer relationship management (CRM) software helps sales teams manage customer relationships. CRM stores customer contact information like names, addresses, mobile numbers, etc. It enables salespeople to keep track of all their customer activity, like website visits, phone calls, emails, messages, and more. CRMs also provide features for managing deals and opportunities. Although it may seem expensive, various affordable and free choices are available.

To help you make the best decision for your business, we’ve compiled a list of the best free CRM systems of 2023. However, before we get into that, let's look at why you need a CRM system for your business.

Benefits of CRM System

CRM is expected to surpass all other corporate software spending categories regarding revenue soon. In addition, CRM will be suitable for small businesses, freelancers, and independent entrepreneurs, as well as for established organizations.

We can discuss why CRM software is necessary by looking at the overall implementation of CRM software.

Improve customer service

Using CRM software, you can create profiles for each person you connect with by having a clear overview of all your contacts and client information. In addition, thanks to this, you get quick access to essential customer data (transaction history, order status, previous issues, etc.) and several communication channels (live chat, social media, email, etc.).

Increase in sales

By establishing a repeatable and proven sales process and sending the right message on the correct channel at the right time, CRM software enables you to close more deals. Also, you may create a sales pipeline, automate processes, and evaluate your sales data in addition to streamlining and improving the sales process. Your sales and sales productivity will consequently rise.

Gain better analytics

Your data is made accessible, pertinent, and understandable for your business needs by analytics CRM technologies. Data warehousing and data mining are available to make sense of all your mountains of sales, marketing, and financial data as they flood into CRM software to become observable KPIs.

Retain more customers

An important factor in determining a company's success is its retention rate. CRM features like automated ticketing, sentiment analysis, customer service automation, and customer support can significantly increase your retention rate by allowing human agents to handle difficult situations. In addition, to quickly identify and address pain areas, several analytics systems tracking client life cycles can show you when the churn rate occurs and why.

Achieve higher efficiency

A smoother workflow, more straightforward team collaboration, and better project management result from having all your essential daily business duties in one location. Automating tedious and manual procedures frees up staff time for more thought-provoking activities. In addition, you will be able to understand your job better and optimize various business processes with analytics and dashboards.

Enhance transparency

By assigning tasks, showcasing work, and highlighting each team member's accountability, CRM software enables you to foster better openness in your company. As a result, everyone in your organization can see how your business processes work, promoting better communication and teamwork.

The Best Free CRM System for 2023

A free CRM system allows you to test out a platform with your team and determine whether you can benefit from it without making the first investment; this is especially true if you are a small business or a startup with a tight budget. There's no excuse not to test it out since it's free! Here are some of the best free CRM software platforms with enticing free plans:

Zoho CRM

Best Zoho Users

Zoho CRM is a cloud-based application that helps sales teams manage customer relationships, convert leads, and grow revenue. In addition, it interfaces with a number of those companies' other business systems, making it a good option for companies who already use Zoho products.

With the help of its omnichannel solution, sales teams can control client interactions on various platforms, including live chat, social media, email, and phone. In addition, a sales pipeline, forecasting, and reporting are among Zoho CRM's capabilities for managing prospects and opportunities.

Pros:

• Integrates well with the full Zoho suite of products
• Paid plans have multiple pipelines
• Omnichannel solutions

Cons:

• May be too robust for smaller organizations that only need a few features
• Workflows not available with the free version

monday.com

Best for Flexibility

Monday.com is a flexible CRM that can be tailored to meet the requirements of any company. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it simple to design unique workflows and keep track of client interactions across several channels. A sales pipeline, forecasting, and reporting are tools it provides for managing prospects and opportunities. In addition, businesses that employ several applications can use Monday.com because of its strong integration capabilities.

Pros:

• Built-in marketing solutions
• Easy to use thanks to its drag-and-drop interface
• Visualize your pipelines

Cons:

• Must pay for each seat rather than a flat-rate monthly price; minimum of three seats
• Need the Standard plan for integrations and automation, which isn’t free

EngageBay

Best for Live Chat

An entirely free CRM alternative is available from EngageBay. It features appointment scheduling, tasks, contact management, and a transaction pipeline. Create landing sites, manage up to 500 contacts and businesses, and send up to 1,000 branded emails monthly. Its free plan supports up to two lists, five pop-ups, five forms, and one landing page. Although its pricier plans give additional landing pages, this is excellent for businesses with a small selection of products. Live chat, a part of EngageBay's free plan, is what makes it unique.

Pros:

• Free migration from other companies
• Integrates with Google Workspace
• Includes live chat

Cons:

• Not as well-known as some of the others on this list
• Predictive lead score not available with a free plan

Insightly

Best for the Basics

All the essentials you need to get started with a CRM, such as contact management, sales, and projects, are included in Insightly's free subscription. In addition, to track data that is significant to your company, you can also build custom fields.

Whether in the field or at a trade event, its mobile app makes it simple to manage your contacts while you're on the road. Also, it's simple to sync data between Insightly and other programs you use, like Gmail, Calendar, and Drive, thanks to its interaction with Google Workspace.

Pros:

• Has a mobile app
• Free for two users

Cons:

• Requires you to provide a phone number and business information at sign up
• Limited info about its free plan available—it makes you take a trial first and upgrade to keep all the features

FreshSales

Best for Robust Features

The free CRM plan from Freshsales includes all the essentials and more. Features include unlimited users, unlimited assistance, calling within the CRM, lead and contact management, and marketing email journeys. It's a terrific option for companies expanding their sales staff because of its user-friendly visual pipeline, making it easy to track your deals. In addition, users may continue to be productive wherever they are, thanks to its mobile app.

Pros:

• Unlimited users
• Users can set up chatbots
• Unify sales, marketing, and data under one platform

Cons:

• Support not available on weekends

HubSpot

Best for Sales Automation

Sales automation, email tracking, contact management, and prospect tracking are just a few of the features that HubSpot's free CRM is brimming with to aid sales teams in closing more deals. For example, using its Meeting Scheduler app, you can schedule more meetings with fewer back-and-forth emails, and its leaderboard encourages friendly rivalry among sales representatives. There are free features for each division, regardless of whether you require a CRM for your sales, marketing, customer support, operations, or all of the above.

Pros:

• Includes live chat
• Ad management
• Team email

Cons:

• Limited to 100 contacts for each engagement

Bitrix24

Best for Team Collaboration

Users, contacts, and deals are all unlimited under Bitrix24's free CRM service. Include your product catalog with the total number of products inside its CRM. It also offers inventory management, allowing you to monitor your supply levels. It's an excellent collaboration tool for sales teams because it connects all sources of communication and lets users manage interactions from a single dashboard. For example, when you schedule a meeting directly from the CRM, it adds it to your calendar and sends you a reminder when the prospect is available.

Pros:

• Unlimited users
• Automatic dialer
• Omnichannel messaging

Cons:

• Limited to 5 GB
• Free plan only allows one pipeline

How to Choose the Best Free CRM

There are several factors to consider when selecting a free CRM for your company.
Take into account the nature of your company and your unique requirements. For example, you might only require some of the features offered by a more feature-rich CRM if your company is tiny with a small sales crew. On the other hand, if you need sales automation or email tracking, ensure the CRM you’re considering has those features.

The CRM's ease of use is another factor to take into account. Your sales crew shouldn't have to spend time learning how to utilize the program, in your opinion. Choose a CRM that has a user-friendly, simple-to-navigate interface. Finally, think about the CRM's integrations. Ensure the CRM you select can interface with any other software applications you may utilize. Avoiding double data entry will make it simpler to maintain your connections and business dealings.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, thanks to free CRM software, small businesses may manage sales and revenue operations without spending money. Even though HubSpot is our top recommendation for the best free CRM system overall, other systems might be a better fit depending on the most common use cases.  OtheIn addition, otherducts exist, such as Mailchimp, which boasts a unique function, like providing various mass digital marketing tools.