As a small business, every data point you have on a customer is important. But with a small team, efficiently managing leads, tracking customer interactions and improving sales without falling into the trap of high customer acquisition costs, can be tough.
This is where we’re seeing businesses actively adopt free sales CRM into their processes.
But with so many options available and the limitations that come with anything that is ‘free’, how do you pick a solution that works for you?
In this guide, we’ll make this simple for you.
Top free sales CRM tools to consider
While there are several free sales CRM out there, here are 5 that we recommend:
1. Interakt
Best for WhatsApp-first sales engagement and lead management, Interakt CRM enables small businesses to manage conversations, track leads and close deals – all from one dashboard within the app. Its key features include:
-WhatsApp Business API access for automated messaging
-Unified inbox to manage customer conversations across teams
-Lead management tools with tags, labels and notes
-Automated follow-ups, order notifications and reminders
-Integration with Shopify, WooCommerce and other eCommerce platforms
-No-code AI chatbot builder
2. HubSpot CRM
An all-in-one growth platform for marketing, sales and service, HubSpot CRM is another go-to choice for startups and SMBs. It offers a unified platform that helps track customer interaction from first touch to closing a deal. Some of its features include:
-Contact and deal management with timeline views
-Email tracking and templates
-Sales pipeline and task automation
-Live chat and chatbot integration
-Integration with Gmail, Outlook, Slack and other tools
3. Zoho CRM
Best for small teams that need multi-channel lead management, Zoho CRM helps businesses capture leads, track email communication and set up automated workflows. Some of the features included in its free version include:
-Lead, contact and account management
-Workflow rules and basic automation
-Sales forecasting and analytics
-Email integration with templates and scheduling
-Integration with other Zoho apps and third-party tools
4. Freshsales CRM
A CRM built by Freshworks, Freshsales is suited for businesses that prioritize phone and email communication. Its free plan includes core sales CRM features, marketing email capabilities and productivity tools like:
-Built-in phone and email system
-Contact, account and deal management
-AI-powered contact scoring
-Activity timeline and engagement tracking
-Mobile app for remote sales teams
5. Bitrix24
More of a business suite for project management, collaboration and customer service, Bitrix24 CRM gives you the ability to add unlimited users to manage conversations. Some of its key features include:
-CRM with pipelines, automation and lead scoring
-Task, project and document management
-Email marketing and customer communication tools
-Social media integrations
-Free website builder and contact forms
Key features to consider in a free sales CRM
When evaluating the free sales CRM above, look for the following features:
-Contact and lead management – The CRM should make it easy to track and organize customer details, conversations as well as history.
-Sales pipeline visibility – You should be able to visually track deal stages and progress to gather quick overviews of progress.
-Task and activity management – From assigning conversations to managing deals, the CRM should ease it all from one dashboard.
-Channel integration – Based on the primary channel you use for customer conversations, look for WhatsApp, SMS, email and social media integrations.
-Custom fields and workflows – The CRM should be able to adapt to your specific sales processes and automation requirements.
-Reporting and analytics – Look for a tool that gives you insights into how the sales processes are performing and highlights opportunities.
What are the benefits of using a free sales CRM
Here are some benefits of using free sales CRM:
-Cost efficiency – You get to start managing sales better without adding to your spending of subscribing to a tool.
-Scalable – Free CRMs always offer a way to scale the workflows you set up as your requirements increase.
-Improved productivity – Centralized customer data helps teams work faster and more effectively across all stages.
-Easy collaboration – Tracking shared tasks, auto-assign and other features help manage customer interactions without manual handovers.
-Higher engagement – Timely and consistent follow-ups improve trust and increase close rates.
Potential limitations of using a free sales CRM
But here are some limitations you may experience:
User and feature restrictions – Most free CRMs will limit the number of users or features you can access.
Limited support – Free plans typically lack priority or real-time customer support.
Limited integrations – The CRM may not sync with all the tools unless you subscribe for a paid version.
Data storage limit – Free sales CRM usually set restrictions on file uploads, contacts or emails logged.
Conclusion
A free sales CRM definitely provides the foundation you need as a small business to get your customer data and processes in place. But it is important to pick a solution that is designed to scale with ease as your business grows.
If you’re looking for the best free sales CRM, get started with Interakt today.
