CRM software: The ultimate guide and top solutions for 2025

The key to successfully closing more deals is to really know your customer. You have to understand what they want before they even know it, and the only way to do that is through organizing the right data.

CRM software helps organizations do just that. With a CRM, sales teams can organize new prospects, keep tabs on leads, and get actionable insights on customers so that building relationships isn’t done in the dark. With a CRM to store and analyze information and interactions, your team can tailor products and services to every client’s preferences.

Whether you’re looking for a CRM for the first time or wish to upgrade your current platform, adding a new tool to your tech stack can be challenging. You’ll want to know you’re investing in the top CRM software available for your business. In this guide, we’ll go over 10 of the leading CRM platforms and look at why AI-powered solutions like monday CRM make for a solid choice for any team.

What is a CRM? 

Customer relationship management software, or a CRM for short, is a platform that helps organizations manage relationships and interactions with customers and prospects. The concept dates back to the 1950s when sales reps used a Rolodex to store and organize customer contact information. We’ve come a long way since then.

Nowadays, CRMs allow businesses to store and manage interactions such as conversations, contact details, and sales activity all under one roof for the purpose of improving customer relationships and driving sales growth.

A CRM acts as a hub for different teams, not only sales. It can also help marketing and customer service teams collaborate better with sales departments while giving everyone transparent access to customer data.

By tracking the entire customer journey on one platform, businesses can rely on CRMs to identify patterns, optimize processes, and deliver more personalized experiences that boost customer satisfaction and retention rates.

What is CRM software used for?

CRMs have a lot of different uses, and not all companies will use them the same way. CRM platforms are used to create comprehensive customer profiles that give businesses a complete overview of their customers. With this key intel stored in one place, it becomes easier to:

• Track customer interactions across touchpoints like emails, phone calls, meetings, and social media
• Manage sales pipelines by tracking leads through stages from initial contact to closed deals
• Store customer data such as contact information, purchase history, preferences, and communication records
• Automate personalized communications like email sequences, appointment reminders, and nurture campaigns
• Generate sales reports and analytics to monitor team performance, revenue trends, and conversion rates
• Coordinate marketing campaigns by segmenting customers and tracking campaign effectiveness
• Provide customer support by maintaining service tickets, tracking resolution times, and managing support workflows
• Forecast sales by analyzing historical data and pipeline metrics to predict future revenue
• Monitor customer satisfaction through surveys, feedback collection, and retention metrics

What is cloud-based CRM software?

Most CRMs these days are hosted in the cloud, which means that employees and stakeholders can access CRM data from anywhere and at any time. This makes it a lot simpler for businesses to onboard new CRM software as they don’t need to worry about having the computing power and storage space to install on-premise hardware. With cloud-based CRMs, the software is hosted on an external network, and businesses usually purchase access to it on a subscription model. This also means that organizations don’t need to worry about ongoing maintenance or long installation periods.

How do CRM platforms use AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become commonplace in CRM platforms. According to monday.com’s State of sales technology 2025 report, 82% of respondents are using AI to boost productivity and work more efficiently. AI-powered CRMs are making it easier than ever for businesses to nurture customer relationships with deep analytics and workflow automations.

Organizations are using AI CRMs to get real-time insights that can help them build winning sales strategies and make smarter business decisions. Sales AI tools open the door to predictive analytics so that teams can analyze customer behavior and access sales forecasts that are more accurate than ever.

Not only that, but AI is making teams work more productively by automating routine tasks. Businesses can create instant automations for data entry and follow-ups to make it quicker to stay in touch with leads and customers. It’s also helpful to create personalized content like emails and sales material thanks to generative AI.

The benefits of using CRM software

CRM software can significantly improve operational efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and drive business growth. Here’s a look at some of the key benefits:

Centralize customer data and contact management

CRM systems consolidate all customer information in one place, making it easily accessible to all team members. This centralization helps maintain accurate and up-to-date customer records, facilitating better communication and coordination across departments as well as simplified contact management for your entire organization.

Improve customer relationships and retention

CRMs help businesses understand their customers better by tracking interactions and preferences. These insights enable personalized communication and service, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. It also acts to keep existing customers engaged, reduce churn rates, and foster long-term relationships.

Increase efficiency through automation

By automating routine tasks such as data entry, follow-ups, and reporting, sales teams can free up time to focus on strategic activities. Thanks to smart automations, often backed by AI, businesses can ultimately increase productivity without relying on additional resources.

Enhance collaboration

CRMs promote collaboration among team members by providing shared access to customer data and communication tools. This collaboration ensures that everyone is aligned and working towards common goals.

Scale as necessary

When hosted on the cloud, CRM systems can scale as businesses grow to accommodate increased data and user demands. This adaptability ensures that businesses can continue to leverage their CRM without having to migrate to new systems over the years.

What features should CRM software have?

What features should CRM software have?

Here are the essential features that CRM software should have to help businesses effectively manage customer relationships, streamline sales and marketing processes, and improve overall efficiency and productivity.

• Contact management: Allows businesses to store and organize detailed customer information, interactions (like calls, emails, and meetings), and communication history in a centralized database.
• Lead management: Helps track and nurture sales leads through the pipeline, prioritizing opportunities and optimizing the sales process.
• Email integration: Connects email inboxes to track communications and sync messages in one place.
• Pipeline management: Offers visual pipeline views with drag-and-drop functionality to track deals through stages and identify bottlenecks.
• AI sales tools: Includes artificial intelligence capabilities like lead scoring, predictive analytics, and smart automations to enhance sales performance.
• Collaboration tools: Includes built-in messaging, meeting, and calling capabilities to improve team communication.
• Workflow automation: Automates repetitive tasks and processes based on triggers or events to improve operational efficiency.
• Marketing automation: Helps reach potential customers with personalized messaging and tracks marketing campaign ROI.
• Analytics and reporting: Provides insights into sales performance, customer data, and trends to inform business decisions.
• Sales forecasting: Uses historical data to predict future sales trends and inform decision-making.
• Customization: Allows businesses to tailor the CRM to their specific needs, including custom fields, dashboard elements, and reports.
• Third-party app integrations: Enables connection with other essential business tools like email, calendars, and accounting software.
• Document management: Centralizes storage and access to essential files and documents.
• Mobile access: Provides iOS and Android apps for accessing key features and customer data on the go.

What are the different types of CRM software?

There are three main types of CRM software: operational, collaborative, and analytical. However, in practice, many organizations use CRM systems that combine elements of all three types to provide a comprehensive customer relationship management solution across the entire business.

• Operational CRM: Focuses on automating and improving business processes related to sales, marketing, and customer service by streamlining activities such as lead generation, sales tracking, and customer support.
• Analytical CRM: Helps businesses make informed decisions by using data mining and reporting tools to understand customer behavior, preferences, and trends for strategic planning and targeted marketing efforts.
• Collaborative CRM: Emphasizes sharing customer information across departments like sales, marketing, and customer service to enhance team communication and improve customer satisfaction through unified access to customer data and insights.

10 leading CRM software solutions to streamline operations 

With so many different CRM software options available, choosing the best one for your business can be challenging. To help narrow down you’re options, here’s a quick breakdown of the top 10 CRMs at a glance that are suitable for everyone from small businesses to enterprises. For a more detailed view of each, keep scrolling.

1. monday CRM

Best for: AI-powered sales automation

monday CRM is a fully customizable, no-code sales platform powered by AI that lets you centralize your entire sales cycle. You can organize and manage your pipeline, automate your sales processes, streamline communication, and gain valuable insights into your entire sales cycle and forecasting. The platform’s AI gives users access to custom automations, predictive analytics, and intelligent workflows.

Key features

• Contact management: Automatically keep track of customer interactions and log sent emails in one central location. Save time with personalized email templates and AI-powered suggestions.
• Pipeline management: See all your customer and prospect information at a glance and get a 360-degree view of your opportunities to clearly understand where each stands in your pipeline.
• AI automation: Save valuable time and close more deals by using AI to automatically score, qualify, and route leads to consultants, set reminders for deadlines, send instant follow-ups, and more.
• AI-powered analytics: Get meaningful insights into your sales pipeline with predictive analytics, forecasting, and AI-generated reports so you can make important decisions in real-time.

Pricing

• Starting from $12/seat/month
• Plan tiers: Basic, Standard, Pro, and Enterprise
• 14-day free trial
• Find out more about monday CRM plans and pricing here
  

What users are saying

G2 score: 4.6/5

“It is incredibly user-friendly, even for teams with no prior CRM experience. The visual layout, automations and dashboards make it easy to keep track of leads and internal communication without micromanaging. It helped us streamline our entire sales process and we are now preparing to roll it out to our operations team as well.” – Robyn P.

2. Zoho CRM

Best for: Startups and small businesses

Zoho CRM helps businesses manage their sales, marketing, and customer service operations from a single platform. It’s ideal for small to mid-sized teams and offers a variety of integrated options and customizable CRM solutions for growing companies. The built-in AI-powered assistant, Zia, assists in predicting leads and deals, spotting potential customers for conversion, and guiding large sales teams in their efforts.

Key features

• Lead management: Capture leads from various sources and nurture them through the sales pipeline and prioritize efforts with lead scoring and lead assignment.
• Integrations: Connect third-party applications such as Google Workspace, Office 365, MailChimp, and Zendesk to provide a seamless user experience.
• Communication: Converse in real-time with customers and prospects from one platform via emails, live chat messages, phone conversations, and social media interactions.

Pricing

• Starting from $14/user/month for Zoho CRM
• Free forever plan with basic features
• Plans tiers: Standard, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate
• 15-day free trial

What users are saying

G2 score: 4.1/5

“Zoho CRM offers a comprehensive, customizable, and cost-effective platform with strong automation, workflow management, and integration capabilities, making it ideal for scaling businesses. It’s intuitive dashboard, AI-powered assistant (Zia), and seamless integration with other Zoho apps and third-party tools add significant value.” – Ram Chandra K.

3. HubSpot CRM

Best for: Small businesses looking to scale

HubSpot Smart CRM is designed to improve all aspects of a business by incorporating sales, marketing, and customer service processes into one comprehensive platform. It uses AI workflows to empower businesses to manage customer relationships, streamline sales processes, and integrate marketing efforts effectively.

Key features

• Marketing automation: Two-way data sync enables businesses to align their sales and marketing campaigns for a complete view of each prospect and client.
• AI email writing: Users can write personalized emails using generative AI to stay connected with leads and send quick follow-ups.
• Reporting and analytics: Offers insights into sales performance, customer interactions, and marketing campaigns.

Pricing

• Free forever plan with basic features
• Paid plans starting at $9/seat/month
• Choose from plans for individuals, small teams, businesses, and enterprises

What users are saying

G2 rating: 4.4/5

“The CRM is top-notch—it keeps all of our customer interactions in one place, making follow-ups seamless. The automation tools have saved us so much time, and the analytics provide deep insights into what’s working and what’s not.” – Margaret J.

4. Salesforce Sales Cloud

Best for: Enterprise-grade users

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a comprehensive CRM platform designed to support sales, marketing, and customer service in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) contexts. It combines all customer information in an integrated platform incorporating marketing, lead generation, sales, customer service, and business analytics.

Key features

• AI assistant: The platform’s Einstein AI offers teams deep insights, workflow automations, and generative AI to nurture relationships
• Robust integrations: Access thousands of applications via the AppExchange to tailor the platform to your specific needs.
• Omnichannel lead routing: Automatically assign leads from different channels like calls, chats, email, or social, to the best agent based on skills, capacity, and priority

Pricing

• Starting at $25/user/month
• Multiple plans available as well as additional paid add-ons
• 30-day free trial

What users are saying

G2 rating: 4.4/5

“Salesforce Sales Cloud makes it really easy for me to manage my leads, contacts, and deals all in one place. I like how I can see where each deal is in the pipeline, get reminders for follow-ups, and track my tasks and activities. The dashboards and reports are also super helpful.” – Viran K.

5. Freshsales CRM

Best for: Simple lead management

Freshsales CRM is an affordable way for businesses to manage leads, customer engagement, and sales automation. It offers sales pipeline management, AI-powered insights (via Freddy), automation, and a unified CRM for sales, marketing, and support teams.

Key features

• Sales pipeline management: Includes tools to build and manage sales pipelines, helping you score leads, track deals, and close sales more efficiently.
• AI-powered insights: Freddy AI, the platform’s assistant, provides deal insights, smart recommendations, and predictions by analyzing historical sales data, activities, and engagement.
• Automation: Automate tasks such as lead assignment, email follow-ups and campaigns, task creation, and field updates for more efficient and scalable outreach.

Pricing

• Free plan for up to 3 users
• Starting from $9/user/month for Freshsales
• Plan tiers: Free, Growth, Pro, and Enterprise
• 21-day free trial

What users are saying

G2 score: 4.5/5

“I’ve enjoyed using Freshsales. It has an intuitive interface and essential features that make it easy to use. The platform’s pipeline and contact management have improved the way we manage our client relationships. Most of all, I like that Freshsales gives me the tools I need without overwhelming me with too much.” – Chris F.

6. Zendesk Sell

Best for: Customer service-focused CRM

As part of the Zendesk suite of products, Zendesk Sell connects seamlessly with other products in the ecosystem, making it a great solution for service-focused teams. The platform enhances productivity, streamlines processes, and provides pipeline visibility for sales teams. Its unified platform, real-time pipeline management, and mobile accessibility make it a valuable tool for businesses looking to optimize their sales processes and improve sales performance.

Key features

• Pipeline management: Provides real-time visibility into the sales pipeline, enabling accurate forecasting and control.
• AI agents: Deploy a team of AI agents for quick customer service resolutions that don’t require human intervention
• App Marketplace integrations: Customize Zendesk to fit business requirements and integrate it with hundreds of apps for seamless data and workflow syncing.

Pricing

• Starting from $19/agent/month
• Plan tiers: Suite Team, Suite Growth, Suite Professional, and Suite Enterprise
• 14-day free trial

What users are saying

G2 score: 4.3/5

“The user experience is really simple; it consolidates all communications with customers in one place, whether through email, live chat or phone conversations. The ability to automate workflow tasks such as ticket assignment, response sending and interaction tracking is quite remarkable. As a result, we have been able to devote more time and energy to the conclusion of agreements.” – Careletta C.

7. Less Annoying CRM

Best for: Small businesses and solo entrepreneurs

Less Annoying CRM is a simple, affordable, and user-friendly solution designed specifically for small businesses. True to its name, Less Annoying CRM removes the clutter found in larger CRM platforms, offering a clean interface that focuses on the core features small businesses need without being overwhelming.

Key features

• Lead tracking: Track leads from initial contact to closing a deal to get better insights into their journey
• Automated email tracking: BCC your CRM in any customer communications to manage all your conversations without any extra work.
• Contact management: View all notes, files, tasks, events, and pipeline information related to a contact on one screen.

Pricing

• $15/month/user
• One plan only
• 30-day free trial

What users are saying

G2 score: 4.9/5

“I like the simplistic design. So many CRM software systems contain way too much fluff and do not concentrate enough on what is important, which is customer data. Very easy to input details and can even be connected to email systems to help with email marketing.” – Andrew H.

8. Pipedrive CRM

Best for: Simple and visual pipeline management

Pipedrive CRM is a pipeline-focused platform designed by salespeople to streamline the sales and relationship-building process. It’s best known for its ease of use, customization, and comprehensive customer support. Built-in AI supports simple automations, sales funnel suggestions, and deal insights.

Key features

• Pipeline management: Track leads, spot opportunities, and measure critical activities by customizing visual pipelines with stages and fields to match your sales cycle.
• Reporting and dashboard: Get detailed reporting on sales and key activities and track progress against goals in the dashboard.
• AI email generator: Instantly draft personalized emails from simple prompts to improve response rates and close deals sooner.

Pricing

• Starting at $14/user/month
• Plans: Essential, Advanced, Professional, Power, and Enterprise
• 14-day free trial

What users are saying

G2 rating: 4.3/5

“I like how user-friendly Pipedrive is, even for people who aren’t tech experts. The visual sales pipeline helps me see exactly where each deal stands at a glance, and the customizable stages mean I can adapt it to fit different workflows. The built-in reminders and activity tracking make it easy to stay on top of follow-ups, so nothing slips through the cracks.” – Ikae E.

9. Insightly CRM

Best for: Manufacturing, professional services, and finance startups

Insightly is a CRM designed for small to mid-sized businesses, offering customization options that are perfect for sales teams. It combines CRM functionality with project management capabilities, making it ideal for service-based businesses that need to track both.

Key features

• Opportunity management: Track pipeline data to gain insights into how to move your business forward.
• Customer journey personalization: A/B and multivariate testing enable you to convert visitors to prospects.
• Workflow and process automation: Create custom automations for seamless workflows so that you’re less prone to error and work more efficiently.

Pricing

• Starting at $29/user/month
• Plans: Plus, Professional, and Enterprise
• 14-day free trial

What users are saying

G2 rating: 4.2/5

“It is an excellent tool for archiving customers’ information, potential leads, and opportunities, as well as tracking sales related processes. It is easy to master and very flexible in utility, which has helped it fit smoothly into the usage patterns of our entire sales team.” – Jose Luis P.

10. SugarCRM

Best for: Customizable CRM solution for B2B growth

SugarCRM is a versatile CRM platform that helps businesses efficiently manage customer interactions, sales processes, and marketing efforts. It offers extensive customization options, robust automation features, and seamless integration capabilities, making it suitable for organizations of various sizes and industries.

Key features

• Customization: Create custom modules, configure core functionality, and develop unique mobile layouts using Sugar Studio.
• AI-powered automation: Enhance decision-making and automate tasks with predictive analytics and generative AI.
• Marketing automation: Manage campaigns across multiple channels, generate leads, and track ROI.

Pricing

• Starting at $19/user/month
• Plans: Essentials, Standard, Advanced, and Premier
• Free demo available

What users are saying

G2 rating: 4.0/5

“We’re impressed by SugarCRM’s powerful automations, which have significantly reduced repetitive tasks for our team and streamlined our workflows, boosting overall efficiency. The platform’s customizable and flexible design allows us to tailor solutions to our needs without requiring technical expertise.” – Pearl D.

How to choose the right CRM software for your business

With hundreds of CRM systems available, deciding on the right option can be challenging. The best CRM software for your organization will depend on your specific needs and goals. Follow these six steps to help you choose the right CRM software for your business:

Step 1: Define your needs

Start by determining your current challenges and where you need help, such as improving customer support, increasing sales, or enhancing marketing efforts. Consider factors like team size, must-have features, budget constraints, integration requirements, training needs, and scalability for future growth.

Step 2: Research your options

Consult your professional network and industry peers for recommendations based on their real-world experiences. Read user reviews and comparisons from reputable sources like G2 and Capterra to get unbiased insights into different CRM platforms.

Step 3: Evaluate key features

Review the essential CRM features that align with your defined needs and participate in vendor demo sessions to get hands-on experience. Use these sessions to ask specific questions about functionality and create a shortlist of software options that warrant further testing.

Step 4: Test different software

Take advantage of free trials offered by CRM vendors to experience the platforms firsthand. Involve your team members in the testing process and systematically mark each software option against your predetermined criteria.

Step 5: Gather feedback

Collect detailed input from all team members who participated in testing the software, focusing on their user experience and concerns. Consider important factors like ease of use, learning curve, and the platform’s potential to support your business growth.

Step 6: Make your decision

Compare your final options based on features, cost, team feedback, and how well each platform meets both your current needs and future requirements. Factor in intangibles like quality of customer support, company reputation, and long-term viability when making your final selection.

Streamline your sales activities with monday CRM software 

A CRM platform will undoubtedly boost business growth, but choosing the right one takes careful consideration. That said, if you’re looking for a visual, intuitive, and fully customizable CRM platform to handle your leads, prospects, and customers, then monday CRM can manage your pipeline, automate your sales processes, streamline communication, and provide valuable insights into your entire sales cycle.

Backed by powerful AI capabilities, monday CRM makes it easier for teams to automate workflows and work more productively. Impacting every aspect of the platform, monday CRM’s built-in AI eliminates the need for manual workflows like data entry, lead scoring, and following up with prospects, allowing sales reps to focus on closing more deals and nurturing relationships.

Here’s a closer look at some of monday CRM’s most popular features.

Advanced lead management

Never let a lead slip away with monday CRM’s robust lead management features. With monday CRM’s AI, you can create automations so that all incoming leads are qualified according to custom parameters and assigned a score based on likelihood to convert. The AI can also assign leads to specific agents and work on engaging them with drip campaigns and follow-ups entirely independently.

No-code AI automations

Use our simple no-code automation recipes to eliminate grunt work and win back time to plunge into sales-generating activities. With AI, you can take your automations even further. Using AI-powered CRM automations, you can take care of tasks like categorizing incoming leads, summarizing meetings, or extracting key data from documents and text.

Integrated email management

Track all your communications in one location to eliminate the guesswork associated with email engagement and open rates. You can also integrate email management and different inboxes with integrations for apps like MailChimp and Gmail. Additionally, the platform’s AI writer helps you craft personalized sales messages and campaigns that you can send in bulk to save time on manually writing each one out.

AI predictive analytics and sales forecasting

AI detailed insights into your sales pipeline so you know exactly what’s coming up, where to deploy resources, and how much revenue you can expect to make from each of your sales and customer interactions. Thanks to AI, you can use monday CRM to analyze historical data, past performance, market trends, and deal progress to accurately predict which deals will likely close.

Successful sales start with the right CRM

Choosing the right CRM solution is the first step in building stronger customer relationships, streamlining sales processes, and driving business growth. Understanding your organization’s needs and considering key features your team needs, you can find a CRM that fits your workflows. That said, any team can benefit from a flexible, scalable, and customizable solution like monday CRM, which offers both simplicity and sophistication wrapped up in one user-friendly platform.