I’m Kayla. I’ve worked sales and marketing in small shops and bigger teams. I test a lot of tools. I keep the ones that help me close deals and keep my head clear. You know what? A good CRM feels like a calm inbox after a long day. Let me explain.
For the continuously updated version of this breakdown—with fresh screenshots, user-submitted tips, and price changes—check out my complete CRM tools guide.
Below are the CRMs I’ve used on real teams, with real money on the line. I’ll tell you what worked, what bugged me, and a little story from each one.
HubSpot CRM — my “easy start” that still felt pro
I used HubSpot with a 6-person marketing studio in 2023. We began on the free plan, then moved to Starter when our reports hit paywalls. We tracked about 180 leads a quarter. The Gmail add-in logged email without much fuss. The deal board felt like sticky notes on a wall. Simple.
What I liked:
- Email tools saved me about 3 hours a week with templates and simple sequences.
- Meeting links bumped bookings by roughly 20% for us. Fewer back-and-forths.
If your main priority is building email campaigns that plug right into a CRM like HubSpot, you might like my candid rundown of the best email-marketing platforms I tested.
What bugged me:
- Once we grew, key reports sat behind a pay tier. That stung.
- Pages felt slow on Mondays when the team piled in.
Best for: small teams and agencies who want an easy start, and a path to grow.
A real win: I set a “5-day no reply” task rule. Our stale leads dropped by a third in two months.
Pipedrive — my “move deals fast” tool
I ran Pipedrive at a 3-person video agency. The pipeline view kept us honest. We set clear stages and touched every deal, every week. Our win rate jumped from 21% to 29% after we cleaned stages and added next steps.
What I liked:
- The board view felt like a game. Move card, get closer to cash.
- Mobile app was handy after shoots. I added notes in the parking lot.
What bugged me:
- Built-in web forms were a bit plain.
- Email tracking worked, but it wasn’t rich like bigger tools.
Best for: small sales teams who live in the pipeline and want speed.
A real tip: I color-tagged “stuck over 10 days.” Those got a call, not an email. It worked.
Salesforce Sales Cloud — heavy, but a machine for big teams
At a 40-seat sales org in 2021, we ran Salesforce. We had a full-time admin. That tells you a lot. It can do almost anything if you set it up right. Reports were deep. Handoffs from SDR to AE were clean once we fixed fields.
What I liked:
- Custom fields for each team. No one felt left out.
- Dashboards showed quota, pipeline, and slip risk in one glance.
For teams that need analytics that go even deeper—think company-wide KPIs and mash-ups across multiple data sources—see my hands-on review of the top business-intelligence tools.
What bugged me:
- It takes time. Set up, training, and upkeep need a real owner.
- The price adds up fast per seat.
Best for: larger teams that need control, rules, and heavy reports.
A real note: We cut lead response from 22 hours to under 2 hours by routing leads by region and product. But it took two sprints and admin help. For a peek at where enterprise-grade platforms are heading next, I found this analysis of the top 5 CRM contenders for 2025 useful when planning long-term stack choices.
Monday Sales CRM — colorful, clear, and a bit noisy
I used Monday Sales CRM at a design studio with 8 folks. The boards looked great. We built “When email reply, move to Next Step” rules. It kept work flowing.
What I liked:
- Clean views. Easy for non-sales folks to see status.
- Light automations saved follow-up time.
What bugged me:
- Email sync pulled junk and made the feed messy.
- Big boards (1,000+ items) felt slow for us.
Best for: teams that like visual boards and simple flows.
A real tweak: We split one huge board into three smaller ones by region. Speed came back.
Zoho CRM — lots of power, low price, clunky in spots
I used Zoho for a small e-commerce side gig. Money was tight, so the price helped. The duplicate cleanup tool saved us from a messy import. The mobile app was fine on the go.
What I liked:
- Many features for the cost. Tasks, deals, email, all there.
- Good for folks who like to tinker with fields.
What bugged me:
- The look and menus felt dated. New staff got lost.
- Email templates were fussy to format.
Best for: budget teams that don’t mind a little setup time.
A real save: I set a rule to tag “repeat buyers” and send them a gentle check-in. Repeat orders rose that quarter.
Streak CRM for Gmail — the solo freelancer’s friend
When I freelanced alone, I ran Streak right inside Gmail. I didn’t want another tab. I used boxes as deals and columns as fields. I sent a 50-person mail merge and tracked replies.
What I liked:
- It lives in Gmail. Zero context switch.
- Fast for simple pipelines and follow-ups.
What bugged me:
- Reports were thin for me.
- Sharing only worked well if the team lived in Gmail too.
Best for: solo sellers, consultants, and very small teams in Google land.
A real habit: I made a “3-line pitch” template. Short, warm, and to the point. Replies went up.
If your outreach ever involves sharing images—whether that’s product mock-ups, design proofs, or the occasional cheeky snap—you’ll want a quick way to send them without clogging your CRM or email threads. A lightweight option is this dedicated image-sharing service that lets you pass private photos securely and discreetly, keeping large files and sensitive visuals out of your deal records while still getting them to the right person fast.
Similarly, teams that prospect in location-based personal-service niches—think massage studios, nightlife entertainment, or independent companions—often need an up-to-date list of who’s advertising in a specific city. A quick way to build that initial contact list is to scan a specialized directory like Listcrawler Germantown where you’ll find current profiles, numbers, and ad details you can drop straight into your CRM for timely outreach and follow-up.
Freshsales (Freshworks) — phone built in, handy for call-heavy teams
I used Freshsales at a support-heavy sales desk. The dialer was the star. Calls, notes, and recordings lived with the deal. Call lists kept reps moving.
What I liked:
- One click to call. Notes auto-logged. So clean.
- Lead scoring helped new reps focus.
What bugged me:
- Call quality dipped for us mid-day sometimes.
- The web app felt heavy in Chrome with lots of tabs.
Best for: teams that live on the phone and need fast call logs.
A real outcome: With call queues, our “first touch” time dropped from 6 hours to under 1 hour most days.
Airtable (DIY CRM) — flexible, but you’ll babysit it
For a small nonprofit, I built a CRM in Airtable. We tracked donors, notes, and pledge dates. We used forms for event signups. It worked, but I had to keep it tidy.
What I liked:
- Fields exactly how we wanted them.
- Simple views for board reports.
What bugged me:
- No deep sales reports.
- Email and tasks needed extra setup and checks.
Best for: custom needs, light sales, or donor lists when funds are tight.
A real lesson: I set a view for “pledge due in 14 days.” That kept reminders human and timely.
So… which one should you pick?
- Solo or very small team: Streak or Pipedrive. Fast and simple.
- Small agency or startup: HubSpot. Easy now, grows later.
- Call-heavy sales: Freshsales for the built-in dialer.
- Tight budget, more features: Zoho CRM.
- Visual project + sales mix: Monday Sales CRM.
- Big, complex team with rules: Salesforce.
To see how these options stack up line-by-line, I keep an updated comparison sheet on PTools that you can explore for free.
Here’s the thing: the “best” CRM is the one your team will open every day. Start small, set clear stages, and add rules only after you feel the pain. I’ve learned this the hard way. More fields don’t mean more wins. Better habits do. If you need another data point before you decide, skim [Forbes Advisor’s yearly roundup of the best CRM software](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/best-cr
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