Best CRM for Small Business: Which One to Choose in 2025

According to a Freshworks study, 71% of small businesses use CRM. Implementing a CRM is one of the smartest investments you can make for your business in 2025. It boosts revenue, cuts costs, and helps you retain customers for the long term.

However, there’s one challenge. With so many CRM options available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming—everything seems the same until you try it out yourself.

In this article, I’ll review the 4 best CRMs for small business owners in 2025, highlighting their pros and cons to help you make an informed decision.

Prefer watching? Check out this video overview of the best CRM software for small businesses.

Salesforce for Small Business

Let’s start with the first option – the CRM legend, Salesforce. There’s a common myth that Salesforce is too expensive and only for large companies. But that’s not the case anymore. While Salesforce still offers separate solutions like Marketing Cloud or Service Cloud (which can be pricey), they’ve revamped their product lineup to better serve smaller businesses.

In 2023, Salesforce launched the Starter plan, and in 2024, they introduced the Pro Suite Plan, specifically designed for small businesses and startups. These plans combine marketing, sales, service, and commerce into one easy-to-use suite, making it simple to manage everything in one place.

With the Starter Suite, at just $25 per month, you get the basics covered—things like Account, Contact, Lead, and Opportunity Management, plus customizable Reports and Dashboards. You’ll also have marketing features like email campaigns and segmentation at your fingertips. On top of that, the built-in AI, Einstein Activity Capture, automatically syncs your emails and calendar to Salesforce—saving you time.

Then there’s the Pro Suite, priced at $100 per month. It has everything from the Starter plan but with more flexibility. You’ll get extra customization options, like the ability to create custom objects and set up process automation with up to 5 Flows. Perfect if you’re looking to take things to the next level!

Salesforce Starter Suite and Pro Suite Editions

With over 10 years of experience in Salesforce consulting, I strongly recommend considering the Enterprise plan, even if you’re a small, growing company. At $165 per user/month, the Enterprise Edition gives you advanced customization tools, plus all the features of the Pro Suite. It also includes access to Salesforce APIs, making it easier to integrate with third-party systems. One more reason to go for the Enterprise plan is Salesforce Foundations. This free add-on gives you access to a tier of every Salesforce cloud you don’t already have. For example, with Foundations, you’ll get access to Agentforce, which lets you build and customize autonomous AI agents – some of the latest innovations from Salesforce.

Explore More: Read our article on the Salesforce editions comparison.

Salesforce CRM Pros

• Scalability: Grows with your business, from a startup to handling hundreds of employees, with no need to switch systems.
• Customization: Fully customizable, including sales processes, lead stages, reports, workflows, and task automation.
• Frequent Updates: Three free platform updates yearly, with user-driven feature suggestions. 
• QuickStart Option: ENWAY offers QuickStart bundles to help you set up and start using Salesforce within 3-4 weeks. Learn more about the details.

Salesforce CRM Cons

• Complexity: An abundance of features can overwhelm new users without proper training.
• Setup Time: Customization takes longer compared to simpler CRMs like HubSpot or Zoho.
• Additional Costs: Implementation partners and advanced features can increase expenses.
• Pricing: Starter plan is $25 per user/month, but advanced needs can strain smaller budgets.

Hubspot CRM for Small Business

Now, let’s move on to HubSpot CRM, one of the most popular options out there.

For small businesses, HubSpot CRM is often seen as the gateway to modern customer relationship management without breaking the bank. Its free version is feature-rich, making it a popular choice for startups and small teams that want to test the waters before committing to a paid plan. 

Hubspot Pricing & Features

Hubspot Pros

• Free Plan The free plan, available for up to 2 users, includes tools like basic deal and user management, simple reporting, email marketing, and the ability to manage up to 1,000 contacts and 1 million records for standard objects. You can also create up to 30 website pages and start capturing leads.
• Ease of Use: Designed with beginners and marketers in mind, featuring drag-and-drop tools and intuitive navigation.
• HubSpot Academy: Offers free courses and certifications to help users maximize the platform.
• Marketing Automation: Built-in tools integrate seamlessly with the CRM for a smooth marketing experience.

Hubspot Cons

• Scaling Costs: Upgrading to Professional or Enterprise plans can quickly become expensive, reaching hundreds or thousands of dollars monthly.
• Onboarding Fees: Professional and Enterprise plans require a mandatory one-time onboarding fee, starting at $1,500.
• Limited Customization: Free and lower-tier plans offer restricted customization options, which may not suit businesses with unique processes.
• Customer Service: Paid plans include customer service, but the free version only provides access to community forums and guides, which some users may find frustrating.

Zoho for Small Business

Next up is Zoho CRM. Small businesses love Zoho CRM for its balance of affordability and functionality. If you’re running a growing business that needs custom workflows and specialized features, Zoho is a flexible toolkit that adapts to what you need.

Zoho Pricing & Features

Zoho CRM Pros

• Affordable Pricing: Plans start at $20 per user/month (monthly billing) or $14 per user/month (annual billing). There’s also a free plan for up to 3 users, covering basic lead and deal management.
• Customization: Highly customizable with options to tweak fields, reports, and workflows to suit your business needs.
• Valuable Features: Even lower-tier plans include valuable features like lead management, scoring rules, and workflow automation.

Zoho CRM Cons

• Overwhelming Interface: The large number of features can make the platform feel overwhelming, especially for new users. Training may be needed to navigate it effectively.
• Limited Integrations: Unlike Salesforce and HubSpot, Zoho limits app integrations from its marketplace—just 5 integrations on lower plans, maxing out at 50 even on the highest plan.
• Storage Limitations: Most plans come with only 1GB of file storage, which may become restrictive as your business grows.

Pipedrive for Small Business

Last but not least, let’s talk about Pipedrive—a go-to CRM for sales-focused small businesses. If you’re a small team looking for a simple, sales-driven approach, Pipedrive is often the way to go. It’s built for businesses that want a clear visual of their sales pipeline and need to keep things easy to manage.

Pipedrive Pricing & Features

Pipedrive CRM Pros

• Sales-Focused Design: Ideal for small teams looking for a simple, sales-driven approach with a clear visual of the sales pipeline.
• User-Friendly Interface: Pipedrive’s visual sales pipeline makes deal management easy, perfect for small sales teams.
• Affordable: Starts at just $14 per user/month (if billed annually), making it a budget-friendly option.
• Scalable Features: The basic plan includes lead, calendar, and pipeline management, while the Professional plan adds advanced features like lead routing, team management, and contract proposals with e-signatures.

Pipedrive CRM Cons

• Limited Marketing Automation: Lacks strong marketing automation tools, requiring integration with other tools for advanced marketing needs.
• Basic Reporting: Reporting features are limited compared to larger CRMs like Salesforce, which might disappoint businesses needing detailed analytics.
• Limited CRM Functions: More focused on sales, so it lacks broader CRM functions like customer support tools.
• Entry-Level Plan Limitations: The basic plan doesn’t include workflow automation, email sync, email tracking, or a meeting scheduler.
• Customization & Support: Customization options are limited, and customer support may not always meet expectations.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, each CRM has its strengths and challenges.

No matter if you’re looking for the best CRM for real estate, insurance, manufacturing, or a startup, consider your specific needs, budget, and growth plans when making your choice. Choose wisely!