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Best CRM Software 2026

Turn contacts into customers. We compared the top CRM platforms for sales, marketing and support.

ByBusiness & Software DeskBusiness, software and AI

Updated October 5, 2026How We Rate

Best CRM Software 2026 — Photo: renaissancechambara / Flickr, CC BY 2.0

A CRM keeps every lead, deal and customer conversation in one place so nothing slips through the cracks. We compared the leading platforms on usability, automation and value for small businesses through to enterprises.

Our top picks

HubSpot: Best Overall
Salesforce: Best for Enterprise
Pipedrive: Best for Sales Teams
Zoho CRM: Best Value
Freshsales: Best for Startups

Compare at a glance

Compare at a glance
Product	#1 HubSpot	#2 Salesforce	#3 Pipedrive	#4 Zoho CRM	#5 Freshsales
Score	9.6/10Outstanding	9.3/10Excellent	9.1/10Very Good	8.9/10Very Good	8.7/10Good
Best for	Best Overall	Best for Enterprise	Best for Sales Teams	Best Value	Best for Startups
Free plan	Yes	Yes (2 users)	No (14-day trial)	Yes (3 users)	No (21-day trial)
Price	$20.00	$25.00	$14.00	$14.00	$9.00
	Visit Site HubSpot	Visit Site Salesforce	Visit Site Pipedrive	Visit Site Zoho CRM	Visit Site Freshsales

CRM Software: our picks in detail

1. HubSpot: Best Overall

Our score: 9.6/10 · Outstanding
Free plan: Yes
Price: $20.00

Why we picked it

HubSpot earns its top place by offering the most useful free CRM we know of and a clear path to paid marketing, sales and service tools on the same data. Its weakness is the price of that path, which rises with every seat, contact and tier. Start free, learn what you actually use, and upgrade deliberately.

Pros

Excellent free tier
Easy to learn
Marketing, sales and service in one
Huge app marketplace

Cons

Costs rise quickly at scale
Add-ons can get expensive

Visit HubSpot Read our full HubSpot review →

2. Salesforce: Best for Enterprise

Our score: 9.3/10 · Excellent
Free plan: Yes (2 users)
Price: $25.00

Why we picked it

Salesforce is the most capable and customisable CRM platform available, with the biggest ecosystem of apps, excellent reporting, an increasingly capable AI layer and free training that few rivals match. It is worth it for organisations whose sales process is complex enough to benefit from that power and who can invest in setting it up properly. Smaller teams should start with the Free Suite or a 30-day trial and be honest about whether they will use what they pay for.

Pros

Endlessly customisable
Deep reporting and AI
Massive ecosystem
Scales to any size

Cons

Complex to set up
Expensive with add-ons

Visit Salesforce Read our full Salesforce review →

3. Pipedrive: Best for Sales Teams

Our score: 9.1/10 · Very Good
Free plan: No (14-day trial)
Price: $14.00

Why we picked it

It is quick to learn, encourages good follow-up habits and gives managers a clear view of the pipeline. Choose Growth if you want automations and email sync, and only move to Premium when lead routing, scoring or e-signatures will clearly pay for themselves.

Pros

Clear visual pipeline
Quick to set up
Good automation
Affordable

Cons

Light on marketing tools
Reporting less advanced

Visit Pipedrive Read our full Pipedrive review →

4. Zoho CRM: Best Value

Our score: 8.9/10 · Very Good
Free plan: Yes (3 users)
Price: $14.00

Why we picked it

Zoho CRM gives small and mid-sized businesses more capability per seat than most rivals, starting with a free edition that is genuinely usable for a small team. Its automation, forecasting, quoting and AI tools scale with you, and its privacy stance is clearer than most. The price of that depth is complexity: you should plan for a setup period, and decide early whether you need the premium support plan. For a team that will invest a little time up front, it is excellent value.

Pros

Excellent value
Strong automation
Free plan available
Part of a wide suite

Cons

Interface can feel busy
Best value needs the ecosystem

Visit Zoho CRM Read our full Zoho CRM review →

5. Freshsales: Best for Startups

Our score: 8.7/10 · Good
Free plan: No (21-day trial)
Price: $9.00

Why we picked it

Freshsales is one of the easiest proper CRMs for a new sales team to adopt. Built-in calling and messaging, a tidy interface and useful AI scoring make it productive quickly, and the Freshdesk connection is a genuine advantage for teams that also run support. Budget for the Pro plan if you want the AI and sequencing tools that make it stand out, and check the current pricing page rather than relying on older articles about a free tier.

Pros

Simple and modern
Built-in phone and email
Helpful AI scoring
Visual sales pipelines

Cons

Fewer integrations
Advanced features up-tier

Visit Freshsales Read our full Freshsales review →

How we rate CRM software

Features (30%): pipelines, automation, reporting.
Ease of use (30%), setup and daily workflow.
Integrations (20%): email, marketing, apps.
Value (20%), pricing and free plan.

How to choose a CRM

Start with your sales process, not the feature list. Small teams want fast setup and clear pipelines; larger teams need automation, reporting and integrations. Beware per-user costs and paid add-ons that add up.

Buyer's guide

Check the free-plan limits, how much automation each tier includes, email and calendar sync, and whether marketing or support modules are bundled or sold separately.

What users rate them

Checked October 5, 2026

User ratings show how customers feel about a company after they have paid, which often comes down to billing, cancellation and support rather than the software itself. Trustpilot scores the company as a whole, so one profile can cover many products, and its TrustScore weights recent reviews more heavily than old ones. App Store ratings cover only the vendor's own iPhone and iPad app, which is often a companion to the main desktop product. Neither source checks accuracy, features or price, and businesses can invite their own customers to review them, so read the numbers as a signal about service, not as a measure of the product.

User ratings for the products on this page, read on 5 October 2026
Product	Trustpilot (TrustScore, reviews)	Apple App Store, US (rating, ratings count)
HubSpot	1.5 out of 5, 1,173 reviews	4.7 out of 5, 15,681 ratings (HubSpot, by HubSpot)
Salesforce	1.3 out of 5, 657 reviews	4.8 out of 5, 353,415 ratings (Salesforce, by salesforce.com)
Pipedrive	4.4 out of 5, 3,457 reviews	3.7 out of 5, 675 ratings (Pipedrive, Sales CRM, by Pipedrive Inc)
Zoho CRM	3.8 out of 5, 6,143 reviews (one profile for all of Zoho)	4.4 out of 5, 2,691 ratings (Zoho CRM, Sales and Marketing, by Zoho Corporation)
Freshsales	1.3 out of 5, 120 reviews (profile titled Freshsales)	4.5 out of 5, 523 ratings (Freshsales, by Freshworks)

Trustpilot figures were read on each company's Trustpilot profile and App Store figures from Apple's US store listing, both on 5 October 2026. Only apps published by the vendor itself are shown. "Not listed" means no matching profile or vendor app was found on that date. The two columns use different scales and audiences and are not combined.

Sources (10)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best CRM for small business?

HubSpot and Pipedrive are popular with small teams for their ease of use and strong free or low-cost plans.

Is there a free CRM?

Yes. HubSpot and Zoho offer genuinely useful free tiers, with paid plans adding automation and reporting.

How much does a CRM cost?

Plans typically range from free to around $50 to $150 per user per month for advanced sales and marketing features.

Can a CRM do email marketing?

Many do. HubSpot and Zoho include marketing tools; others integrate with dedicated email platforms.

How long does CRM setup take?

Simple CRMs can be live in a day. Complex, customised deployments such as Salesforce can take weeks.

In-depth reviews of every pick

HubSpot 9.6/10 A polished CRM with a genuinely useful free plan and room to grow.
Salesforce 9.3/10 The most powerful and customisable CRM for larger organisations.
Pipedrive 9.1/10 A focused, visual CRM built around closing deals.
Zoho CRM 8.9/10 Feature-rich and affordable, especially within the Zoho suite.
Freshsales 8.7/10 A clean, AI-assisted CRM that is easy for new teams to adopt.

All CRM Software reviews →

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