Our selection of the 15 best CRM software packages for start-ups in 2024
Deploying a high-performance customer relationship management solution is an essential step if you want to develop your business with peace of mind.
An essential tool for prospecting, acquiring and retaining customers, it is a cornerstone in the success of your marketing and sales teams.
Here's a closer look at the 15 best CRM software packages for start-ups 💻.
What is CRM software?
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a customer relationship management tool. Its main aim is to improve the relationship between customers and the company.
The principle of CRM software is essentially based on the collection and interpretation of data from prospects and the customer database. What's more, CRM helps to streamline the company's internal processes and ultimately contributes to increased profitability 💵.
What are the advantages of CRM software for start-ups?
There are many advantages to deploying CRM software within your company. They include
- better customer targeting
- increased customer satisfaction
- smoother internal processes
- significant time savings;
- better management of the company;
- improved sales performance.
☝️ But for your company to benefit from all these advantages, you need to opt for a comprehensive CRM software package. So you need to pay particular attention to the key features on offer.
What features do you need in a CRM for start-ups?
To develop its commercial activity and become more attractive, a start-up needs to be able to rely on high-performance CRM software. As well as being quick and easy to use, the tool must offer the functionality needed for effective customer relationship management.
These include
- managing your contacts: centralising all your contacts in one place makes your teams' job much easier;
- managing your leads: by monitoring your prospects throughout the buying cycle, you greatly increase your chances of converting them into customers;
- supervising the sales funnel: the more information you gather about your sales funnel, the better you can target the prospects and customers you want to pass on to your sales staff, retarget, etc. ;
- create quotes and invoices: unless you already have dedicated software, this feature is a real plus for your sales teams;
- access to customised dashboards: for an overview of the actions generated by your teams, or more generally of your sales performance;
- automation of time-consuming and repetitive tasks: managing a large portfolio of customers and a large number of prospects inevitably entails a large volume of work that should be automated as far as possible;
- integration with your software: again with a view to making the work of your teams more fluid, integrating the CRM software with the applications you use on a day-to-day basis is a real plus, saving you time and improving your agility;
- access to the helpdesk: As a start-up, you generally don't have a very large IT team, so it's vital to have the support and assistance of responsive technical support in the event of software failure.
Comparison table of the 15 best CRMs for start-ups
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 monday CRM |  Agile CRM |  Close CRM |  Copper CRM |  Freshsales |  HubSpot CRM |  Odoo CRM |  Streak CRM |  SugarCRM |  Zendesk |  Zoho Bigin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with 1 to 5000 employees | For all companies | For companies with more than 250 employees | For companies with more than 50 employees | For all companies | For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For all companies | For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For all companies |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about monday CRM | Learn more about Agile CRM | Learn more about Close CRM | Learn more about Copper CRM | Learn more about Freshsales | Learn more about HubSpot CRM | Learn more about Odoo CRM | Learn more about Streak CRM | Learn more about SugarCRM | Learn more about Zendesk | Learn more about Zoho Bigin |
Agile CRM
Agile CRM is a customer relationship management software designed for VSEs and SMEs. The publisher highlights its all-in-one nature (sales, marketing and customer service), its ease of use and the simplicity of deployment as SaaS software. Agile CRM is a scalable offering, with features that can be expanded as your start-up grows.
In terms of tools, this CRM for startups offers :
- the creation of personalised marketing campaigns (e-mailing, SMS, newsletters, etc.) ;
- a host of features for improving customer service (feedback, ticketing system, etc.);
- integration with a wide range of software (social networks, e-mailing, telephony, billing, etc.);
- access to personalised reports;
- automation of numerous marketing tasks.
Generally speaking, customer feedback has been positive. Many, however, criticise the complexity of mastering the many functions on offer.
Agile CRM
Close CRM
Close CRM is a software package designed to help company directors develop their business. It has been designed to support the coaching and management of sales and marketing teams. The publisher of this CRM for start-ups promises that it will be quick to learn, use KPIs and increase revenues.
Close CRM's key features include :
- automation of marketing tasks (SMS, e-mailing, etc.) ;
- access to integrated, customisable dashboards to help you make informed decisions;
- the allocation of specific objectives and tasks to members of your teams;
- a wide range of integrated communication tools;
- integration and synchronisation with the most useful applications (Zapier, Zoom, ChatGPT, etc.).
In terms of user experience, Close CRM seems to offer a satisfactory package. However, some customers have pointed the finger at a pricing policy that is too high for small organisations.
Close CRM
Copper CRM
Copper CRM is designed for start-ups that need a tool that's quick and easy to deploy, and stands out by virtue of the fact that its offering is built around Google Workspace. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for small businesses to integrate a customer relationship management solution into their existing Google tools.
Copper CRM's key features include
- optimised management of your leads and customers (all contacts and actions taken are centralised for a complete view of the customer relationship history) ;
- automation of repetitive tasks
- help with creating targeted marketing campaigns (e-mailing, reminders, etc.);
- access to ready-to-use or customisable reports;
- integration with a wide variety of applications (Mailchimp, LinkedIn, etc.).
There is, however, a certain lack of customisation.
Copper CRM
Folk
Folk is an all-in-one CRM software for start-ups, which stands out for its ability to handle all types of relationship: prospecting and sales, of course, but also recruitment, partnerships, investment, etc. Easy to access and use, it's the ideal solution for small and medium-sized businesses looking to boost productivity and streamline processes between teams.
Folk's practical features include
- Pipeline creation and interaction tracking in just a few clicks;
- synchronisation of all your contacts in one place, exported from various sources (LinkedIn, email, etc.);
- send mass emails that can be personalised using AI;
- integration with the most popular applications and a Google Chrome extension;
- access to numerous predefined templates to help you manage your business (sales pipeline, lead tracking, etc.).
In short, Folk is a complete package that is perfectly suited to the needs of start-ups. On the other hand, it seems less suited to complex processes and organisations with more than 100 employees.
Freshsales
Published by Freshworks, the Freshsales CRM software for start-ups is the ideal tool for supporting your sales efforts. This solution, which specialises in managing the sales tunnel, relies heavily on AI and process automation to boost companies' sales activity.
In terms of functionality, Freshsales offers :
- access to a 360° view of all your leads and customers (conversation history, latest activity on your site, etc.) ;
- integration of numerous communication tools (SMS, telephone calls, e-mail, etc.);
- easier management of workflow and sales sequences thanks to automation;
- access to personalised, in-depth sales reports and dashboards thanks to AI;
- access to a comprehensive mobile application, ideal for tracking your sales and managing your teams remotely.
However, customer reviews - while very positive - are unanimous about the lack of responsiveness of the support service.
Freshsales
HubSpot
Simple and effective. That's how you could describe HubSpot and its customer relationship management solution. Designed for small and medium-sized businesses, the software is positioned as a vector for growth in your commercial activity. The functionalities of this CRM for start-ups are designed to help your sales, marketing and customer service teams.
With HubSpot, you benefit from a number of advantages:
- optimised management of your customer database (centralisation of contacts, interaction tracking, etc.) ;
- monitoring of the KPIs that are essential to the development of your business (detailed reports, segmentation by department, etc.);
- sales pipeline management (sales forecasting tool, sales team performance monitoring, etc.);
- creation of targeted, personalised marketing campaigns;
- integration with over 1,250 applications (Gmail, Zapier, Slack, etc.).
While HubSpot's free offering is ideal for getting started in customer relationship management, many users point to the high prices for subscribing to the more advanced features they need to develop their business.
HubSpot CRM
Monday Sales CRM
Monday Sales CRM is a platform that allows you to manage leads, prospects and customers all in one place. The solution stands out for its modular nature, allowing you to choose from several major fields of action (contact management, sales pipeline, customer integration, etc.). So it's a CRM that can be adapted to a start-up or a large enterprise.
Monday Sales CRM offers a comprehensive range of functions:
- optimised management of your e-mail communication (synchronisation with Gmail and Outlook, automated drafting of letters, etc.) ;
- monitoring of your sales performance (sales forecasts, team objectives, etc.);
- centralise all your contacts on a single platform (automatic transfer from Excel, your website's contact form, etc.);
- schedule automated tasks to save precious time;
- integration with a wide range of applications to streamline the work of your teams.
The software's weak points include an underdeveloped invoicing section and a pricing policy that can be a deterrent for smaller organisations.
monday CRM
Odoo CRM
Odoo is open source CRM software. It offers great flexibility in terms of customisation. It gives your sales teams the means to attract new leads and turn them into customers. As far as the interface is concerned, Odoo stands out for its card-based operation, which enables effective, easy-to-read organisation and segmentation.
The solution's main functions include
- active search for new leads and prospects (lead nurturing, predictive lead scoring, etc.) ;
- opportunity and customer management (call planning, history of conversations and sales actions, creation of sales scripts, etc.);
- effective communication tools (pre-configured templates for e-mailing, call recording, etc.);
- access to detailed reports (real-time activity monitoring, sales pipeline analysis, etc.);
- ready-to-use integrations (invoicing, social networks, etc.).
It should be noted that users point to a number of difficulties in getting to grips with Odoo, which can be an obstacle for teams that are not very comfortable with digital technology.
Odoo CRM
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is CRM software for start-ups and small businesses looking for a simple-to-deploy solution. The publisher is promoting a tool designed by salespeople, for salespeople. In other words, Pipedrive is an intuitive CRM that helps sales teams to become more efficient. It operates according to a three-stage model: pipeline configuration, progress monitoring and growth automation.
The features highlighted by Pipedrive include :
- pre-configured templates to help you build your sales pipeline;
- easy management of prospects and customers (contact history, segmentation, etc.);
- the creation of web forms to be hosted on your website to help you generate quality leads;
- real-time revenue forecasting based on changes in your business;
- the creation of personalised dashboards to guide you in adjusting your marketing and sales actions.
Despite generally positive reviews, the downside of Pipedrive's offering remains its shortcomings in terms of e-mail marketing.
Salesforce Starter
The world leader in the CRM market, Salesforce has recently launched a solution designed exclusively to meet the needs of VSEs, SMEs and start-ups. CRM Starter is a simplified, more intuitive version of its predecessor. However, the software is backed up by powerful tools that have proved their worth in acquiring new customers and boosting productivity.
In terms of functionality, Salesforce CRM Starter offers :
- acquisition of qualified leads (pre-configured marketing campaigns, effective e-mail paths with the help of AI, etc.) ;
- intelligent segmentation of your prospects and customers to send targeted content;
- optimised sales management (creation of quotations, advice on what action to take thanks to AI analysis, integrated payment solutions, etc.);
- automation of numerous customer service tasks (FAQs, escalation of problems to the relevant managers, etc.);
- access to a daily summary of your business activity (leads, contacts, opportunities, sales, etc.) to help you make strategic decisions.
Salesforce Starter is a complete all-in-one CRM (marketing, sales and customer service), but it is more limited than other Salesforce offerings when it comes to customisation.
Sellsy
Sellsy is a CRM software package that is equally suited to start-ups and large companies. The publisher emphasises the all-in-one nature of its solution, enabling you to manage your marketing, sales, cash flow and invoicing in one place. To meet its commitment to saving time, targeting customers and boosting sales, Sellsy offers a number of essential functions:
- the creation of personalised, effective marketing campaigns (e-mailing, SMS, etc.) ;
- use of marketing automation and A/B testing to boost your performance;
- centralisation of customer data and interactions on a single interface (e-mails, calls, SMS, etc.);
- access to a complete invoicing tool (quotes, invoices, reminders, integrated payment solutions, etc.);
- real-time cash-flow monitoring (budget forecasts, analytical expense tracking, etc.).
In their opinions, managers of small organisations point to the high price of the solution and the absence of an offer suited to more modest needs.
Streak
Streak is a special kind of CRM. It takes the form of an extension for Google Chrome, as well as an application for Android and iOS. This solution, which is very easy to deploy and use, is a basic CRM for start-ups. It transforms your inbox into an operational CMS tool.
In terms of functionality, Streak is comparable to most customer relationship management software. As such, the solution enables you to:
- manage your sales pipeline ;
- Segment and track your prospects and customers;
- visualise your teams' progress using integrated reporting tools;
- optimised management of your messaging (email planning, direct mail, tracking, etc.);
- integration with all Google Workspace tools.
While Streak's promise is largely based on its mobile use, many users have pointed out the presence of bugs and an English-only interface.
Streak CRM
Sugar CRM
Anticipation, automation, acceleration. These are the promises that the Sugar CRM platform has been promoting for several years now. This tool offers three solutions focused on marketing, sales and customer service, making it an ultra-complete software package. Among the many features offered by CRM are :
- creation of targeted marketing campaigns using AI ;
- predictive scoring of your most qualified leads before focusing your efforts on opportunities with the highest success rate;
- access to predefined templates to help you create your marketing materials (landing pages, e-mailing, etc.);
- the generation of dashboards and detailed analysis reports to show you the strengths and areas for improvement in your overall customer acquisition strategy;
- integration of the most powerful software on the market to facilitate the day-to-day work of your teams (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, etc.).
Despite all its advantages, Sugar CRM is considered by its users to be a particularly expensive solution.
SugarCRM
Zendesk
Zendesk is CRM software for all types of business. A highly customisable solution, it helps you boost your sales and improve your customer service on a daily basis. Zendesk has an exclusive offer for start-ups, giving free access to the product for six months.
In terms of features, the platform stands out for :
- access to a messaging service and a call centre to maintain a privileged relationship with your prospects and customers;
- centralisation of your customer data in a single interface accessible to all your teams;
- a customer ticket management system for rapid resolution of customer issues;
- the use of AI and automation to help you better target your prospects and customers, while improving the productivity and efficiency of your teams;
- access to detailed, customisable reports thanks to data harvesting.
As far as user reviews are concerned, there are a few reservations about the difficulty of deploying and getting to grips with the tool, as well as a pricing policy that is considered rather high.
Zendesk
Zoho Bigin
Zoho, a well-known player in the customer relationship management software market, offers Bigin, a solution tailored to the needs and budgets of small businesses. This CRM offering, designed for start-ups, stands out for its ease of use, affordable prices and intuitive interface.
Bigin by Zoho offers the essential features to help you optimise your customer relations:
- pipeline and customer management (pooling of customer data on a single platform, tracking of tasks assigned to different teams, etc.) ;
- multi-channel communication (social networks, e-mailing, telephone calls, messaging services, etc.);
- automation of repetitive and time-consuming tasks;
- access to detailed dashboards and reports to assess and improve your marketing and sales performance;
- integration with the applications most widely used by businesses (Zapier, Mailchimp, etc.).
However, there have been a few comments from users about the responsiveness of the Zoho helpdesk.
Zoho Bigin
How do you choose your startup CRM?
As a start-up, choosing your CRM should not be taken lightly. To start with, it's a good idea to draw up a list of your needs based on the difficulties encountered by your teams in their day-to-day work. This will enable you to target the essential functions that need to be integrated into your workflow.
Next, it's essential to establish how much your start-up can afford to invest in CRM software. Note that some solutions offer scalable packages, often preferred by smaller organisations.
The ease with which it can be deployed and used is also a key criterion when choosing a CRM for a start-up. The more quickly and efficiently your teams can use the software, the more profitable and stress-free you'll be.
Finally, don't hesitate to ask your staff for feedback. They are the first to be affected, so their opinion is crucial to the adoption and validation of high-performance CRM software. Most publishers offer trial packages that generally run for several weeks or even months. Full feedback from your teams and the first results observed is an essential step before making the final choice of CRM for your start-up.
CRM for start-ups: what you need to remember
In short, choosing a CRM for your start-up requires a great deal of thought and team involvement.
Deploying the software should make your staff's work easier and more fluid, while significantly improving your sales performance and customer satisfaction.
Article translated from French