The best CRM software of 2025: Expert tested

Salesforce Starter CRM is our top option for businesses looking to adopt a CRM platform. 

The Salesforce Starter CRM package comes with almost everything you could want to kickstart your journey in CRM. Features available from the outset include account, contact, task, and lead management; Salesforce Meetings; marketing and email templates; campaign assistance; data analytics; e-commerce website design; onboarding; and payments. 

We also like the simple nature of Salesforce plans — one is for small and midsize businesses, whereas the other is best suited for the enterprise, at $25/user/month and $100/user/month, respectively. However, some features, including advanced automation and access to AppExchange (the Salesforce app marketplace), are limited to premium subscribers.

Many Salesforce Starter CRM customers are impressed with the services on offer, although some note the high price point for enterprise users. 

Salesforce Starter CRM features: Range of management tools | Online payments | Web design help | Data analytics | Automation | AI | Customizable | Starter and Pro plans | Free trial

Used by over 200,000 businesses worldwide, Apptivo CRM is a top choice for organizations that prioritize seamless third-party integrations, customization, and an extensive feature catalog.

Apptivo’s platform can merge with a variety of popular software suites used by the enterprise, including QuickBooks, PayPal, Stripe, Google tools, Microsoft Office 365, Sign.co, Slack, and RingCentral — allowing users to create a productivity pipeline on one platform. 

You can also expect Apptivo to provide business-ready CRM functionality, such as contact and leads management; workflow automation; sales dashboards; report generation; e-signatures; and payment gateways.

Many Apptivo CRM customers say this CRM provides value for money and is very flexible and customizable, although some users report that the user interface could be streamlined and made more efficient.

Apptivo CRM plans begin at $20/seat/month.

Apptivo CRM features: Workflow automation | Sales pipeline management | Third-party integrations | Contacts | Invoicing | Data analytics | Reporting | Free trial

Pipedrive is our top CRM option for businesses focused on sales management and lead generation.

The name may give it away somewhat, as the Pipedrive CRM platform has been developed to streamline and improve sales processes. 

To name but a few features available to help organizations reach their sales goals, you can manage sales leads, contacts, pipelines, and email marketing yourself, and you can also automate sales-related tasks such as follow-up emails and call scheduling.  

There’s also an AI-based sales assistant worth exploring, as well as report generation and task scheduling. Another interesting feature is a system that rates how “hot” a lead is, based on publicly available data. 

Pipedrive customers like that there isn’t a steep learning curve, and they say the service is backed by solid customer support.

You can take advantage of a 14-day trial. Paid plans start at $14/seat/month for the Essentials package, but to experience the full benefit of this CRM for sales, we’d recommend the Professional plan at $49/seat/month.

Pipedrive features: Sales functions, automation | Contract management | Video calling | AI sales assistant | Project planning | Free trial

HubSpot is an excellent option for small businesses and projects, and it’s a great way to learn how CRM software can benefit your business. 

You can take advantage of the HubSpot free plan, which requires only an email address sign-up and a short verification process. 

While testing out this CRM, I found the walk-through and guides to different parts of the platform very useful. If you’re unsure how to use a CRM platform, HubSpot will point you in the right direction, and its tutorials will help you learn about each section without too much stress. 

You can use HubSpot for a variety of tasks, such as organizing and managing marketing, customer contact records, website development, and customer support, among many other use cases.  

Though you’ll find that the basic, free CRM can be used for tasks such as contact management and email marketing, some things are limited to paid plans, including features like automation, sales lead generation, and helpdesk functions, as well as some reporting options.

Paid plans begin at $15/seat/month for starter plans. However, a subscription to the next level costs $90/seat/month if you want to upgrade to Service Hub Professional. HubSpot’s enterprise plan, Service Hub Enterprise, is $150/seat/month.

This is a fair solution (with a free tier) if you’re just entering the CRM world, with many smaller outfits reporting they’re happy with the system. However, some also note that the costs can quickly escalate if you want advanced features.

HubSpot features: Different workspaces | Website help | Dashboards | Contact sync | Tutorials | App marketplace | Free plan, 14-day Pro trial

Fans of the Microsoft ecosystem may prefer to adopt a CRM solution directly from the Microsoft marketplace. 

It isn’t a typical CRM in the sense of its structure — unlike other options on this list — but it’s worth mentioning that the Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications portfolio includes a range of CRM and sales-related apps that merit consideration.

For example, you could sign up for Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Sales and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to drive forward leads, implement sales automation, unify customer data, and manage customer journeys. Or you could use the Dynamics 365 Customer Service platform for customer case management and to launch an AI-backed customer support center.

Customers like the flexibility of the Microsoft Dynamics platform with its range of add-ons and services. Pricing varies depending on the software licenses you want to adopt, and you can take advantage of the trials on offer before commitment. 

Microsoft Dynamics CRM features: Range of sales and CRM solutions | Flexible | Modular | Scalable | Various plans available | Free trials