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Nutshell CRM is made for small outbound teams. It has a steeper entry point than most CRMs at $20/user per month with no free or low-cost option available to start-ups. Nutshell has a few key integrations with email apps and productivity tools, but the number of integrations is limited. They recently added a marketing automation function that is priced per user. There is a limit to how much users can customize the front-end look and feel, which could be a benefit for small companies looking for an out-of-the-box solution.

Pipedrive is a CRM with useful features for small businesses. It scores well on the essential functions of a CRM, but you’ll need to choose another vendor for marketing automation and service management. Look through the pricing carefully – some functions you may consider essential can be part of their flexible ‘add-on’ model. The interface can be complex until you’ve mastered it, so allow time for adoption.

Copper is a CRM with useful features for small businesses. It scores well on the essential functions of a CRM. Keep in mind that lower-priced plans don’t allow for integrations to essential business apps like Slack, MailChimp, and Docusign, so you’ll miss out on the benefits of having your CRM talk to other apps.

Monday is not built to be a CRM, but has some features that make it work in that capacity. It is designed as a project management tool. For instance, you’ll use columns designed to manage projects and instead put leads and contacts in them for action. The mission of Monday is to help you to better organize your tasks among your team – not to manage customer relationships. You can find many CRMs on the market designed specifically for a sales leader vs. being designed for a project manager.

HubSpot started as a marketing automation platform, and it uses its CRM as an entry point to move customers into marketing software contracts. This is evident in that its best features are related to email. It is robust out of the box, but advanced customizations can be limited. HubSpot is described as a closed system where you’ll get the most out of it when you use all of its components rather than the tools you may already have in place. The small number of integrations that are available are easy to use. Building reports can be a challenge, so you may need to have some expertise on your team or hire an external integrator to get the most from the system. Expect all users to spend some time in their online Academy for training.

SugarCRM is a customer relationship management platform that provides sales, marketing, and customer service tools. It includes features like lead scoring, forecasting, and workflow automation. The platform allows for some customization and integrates with third-party systems. It has a mobile-friendly design and offline capabilities. While SugarCRM supports multiple languages, its user experience and ease of setup may vary depending on business needs and technical expertise.

Salesforce is an investment suited for large-scale enterprises like Fortune 500 companies. It requires expensive third-party partners to implement and will often require multiple dedicated team members to operate it day to day. Prepare for a lengthy time-to-value period and extensive training for your team. Salesforce is a series of apps that have been bolted on via acquisition, so expect integrations that have to be built and maintained, and slow page loads as processes run behind the scenes. Out-of-pocket expenses for integrations and day-to-day maintenance can add up quickly for mid-sized businesses.

Zoho is a cloud-based CRM. Rather than focus on mid-market companies, Zoho caters to the needs of businesses of all sizes. Zoho has the key features of most CRMs even though out-of-the-box customizations are limited. Once you learn the interface, the tool is powerful. No direct support is available, so one person in your organization will likely need to become an expert quickly or you’ll need an outside consultant. Although the integration process is complex, once integrated, it is a good tool for cross-company communication.