# Best CRM Software for Small Businesses in 2026: 8 Tools Compared

> Widely used CRM tools for small businesses include HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, monday CRM, Freshsales and HighLevel. HubSpot is the only one here with a free-forever plan we could confirm; the rest offer free trials. Commerce Media Group, which publishes this list, is not a CRM vendor: we help businesses choose, set up and connect the CRM that fits.

Category: Comparisons | Published: October 29, 2026 | By [Brendan Scott](https://commercemediagroup.com/team), President

A CRM gives a small business one place to track leads, customers, deals and follow-up. Most of the well-known tools can handle the basics; the differences show up in marketing features, built-in phone and text, automation, AI, and how well the CRM connects to the rest of your tools. Below are eight CRM tools worth knowing, with what each vendor says about its own product.

> **How this list works**
>
> Commerce Media Group publishes this list and appears first, labeled as our agency. We are not a CRM vendor and this is not a ranking: we help businesses choose, set up and connect a CRM. The tools follow in alphabetical order. Facts about each tool come from the vendor's own website, checked on October 28, 2026, and every source is listed at the end. We list no prices; check each vendor's site for current plans. Disclosure: Commerce Media Group has a referral relationship with HighLevel as an agency, noted in its entry.

## CRM tools at a glance

| Option | Vendor based in | Free plan or trial | Built for, in the vendor's words | Notable features | Best for (our view) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Commerce Media Group (our agency, not a CRM) | Toronto, serving the US and Canada | Not applicable | Setup and integration partner | Helps choose a CRM, then sets up pipelines, lead capture, automated follow-up and reporting, and trains the team | Businesses that want the CRM connected to their website and ads |
| Freshsales | San Mateo, California | 21-day free trial | "AI-powered CRM to boost your sales efficiency" | Built-in phone, chat, SMS and WhatsApp, web forms, Freddy AI contact scoring | Sales teams that want calling and messaging built in |
| HighLevel (we have a referral relationship) | Dallas, Texas | 14-day free trial | "Agencies, marketers and small businesses" | CRM, funnels and websites, email, SMS and WhatsApp, call tracking, reputation management, voice AI | Agencies serving many small-business clients |
| HubSpot Smart CRM | Boston, Massachusetts | Free CRM "with no expiration date"; Sales Hub trial | "Startups & small businesses" | Email marketing, forms and landing pages, live chat, call tracking, Breeze AI, "over 2,000" app integrations | Small businesses that want to start free and add marketing tools |
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales | Redmond, Washington | Free trial | "An agentic CRM that helps teams close deals faster" | Lead and opportunity management, predictive scoring, Copilot, Microsoft 365 and LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration | Teams already working in Microsoft 365 |
| monday CRM | Not stated on the pages we checked | 14-day free trial | "Small teams" through "enterprise organizations" | Web forms, sequences, mass email, calling, AI lead sourcing, "200+ integrations" | Teams that want a visual, configurable workspace |
| Pipedrive | New York, New York | 14-day free trial | "Sales teams in small businesses" | Visual pipelines, AI sales assistant, email campaigns and lead tools as add-ons, "500+ integrations" | Small sales teams focused on pipeline |
| Salesforce Starter Suite and Sales Cloud | San Francisco, California | 30-day free trial for Starter | "Lean businesses that need a turnkey CRM" | Email nurture campaigns, lead scoring and routing, Slack, AI agents | Small businesses that expect to grow into a larger platform |
| Zoho CRM | Not stated on the pages we checked | 15-day free trial | "Serving 350K businesses" | Lead capture, multiple pipelines, mass email, forms, Zia AI, "1,200+ integrations" | Growing teams that want deep customization |

*Facts from each vendor's own website, checked October 28, 2026. "Best for" is our opinion. Plans change, so confirm details with the vendor.*

## The tools

### Commerce Media Group (our agency, not a CRM)

We do not sell CRM software. We help businesses choose a CRM that fits rather than push one fixed platform, or audit and improve the one they have. Then we set up pipelines, lead capture, automated follow-up and reporting so marketing and sales work from the same data, connect the CRM to the website and ad platforms, and train the team on the workflow. See our [CRM solutions](https://commercemediagroup.com/crm-solutions).

### Freshsales

Freshsales, from Freshworks in San Mateo, California, describes itself as an AI-powered CRM to boost sales efficiency. It lists built-in phone, chat, SMS through a provider and WhatsApp, web forms, an email builder and Freddy AI contact scoring, with some marketing features in the Freshsales Suite. Worth knowing: its pricing page offers a 21-day trial of the full CRM.

### HighLevel

HighLevel, based in Dallas, describes itself as an all-in-one sales and marketing platform that agencies can white-label and resell, for agencies, marketers and small businesses. It combines a CRM with pipelines, automations, lead scoring, forms, websites and funnels, email, SMS and WhatsApp, call tracking, reputation management and AI tools. Worth knowing: it offers a 14-day free trial, and its design centers on agencies running many client accounts. Disclosure: Commerce Media Group has a referral relationship with HighLevel as an agency.

### HubSpot Smart CRM

HubSpot, headquartered in Boston, describes its free CRM as built for startups and small businesses and as "100% free with no expiration date." It adds email marketing, forms, landing pages, live chat, call tracking and Breeze AI features, and says it integrates with over 2,000 business apps. Worth knowing: more advanced sales, marketing and service tools are paid hubs, and Sales Hub offers a 14-day trial.

### Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, from Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, describes itself as an agentic CRM that helps teams close deals faster. It covers lead, opportunity and account management, predictive lead and opportunity scoring, forecasting and Copilot features, and connects with Microsoft 365, Power Platform and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Worth knowing: it offers a free trial and suits teams already working in Microsoft tools.

### monday CRM

monday CRM says it is built both for small teams that need simplicity and for enterprise organizations that need scale. It lists web forms, sequences, mass email, calling from the CRM, dashboards and AI agents that find, enrich and score leads, with more than 200 integrations. Worth knowing: it offers a 14-day free trial rather than a free plan.

### Pipedrive

Pipedrive, based in New York, says it enables sales teams in small businesses. It is known for visual pipeline management and adds an AI sales assistant, AI email writing and reporting, with email campaigns and lead generation tools available as add-ons and more than 500 integrations. Worth knowing: it offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

### Salesforce Starter Suite and Sales Cloud

Salesforce, headquartered in San Francisco, positions Starter Suite for lean businesses that need a turnkey CRM to get started quickly, and Sales Cloud as designed to scale as you grow. Starter includes email nurture campaigns, lead scoring, sales flows, lead routing and Slack, and the platform adds AI sales agents. Worth knowing: Starter offers a free 30-day trial.

### Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM says it serves 350,000 businesses, with plans that run from small teams getting started to growing teams that need automation. It covers lead capture and nurturing, multiple pipelines, mass email, forms, reporting and the Zia AI assistant, and lists more than 1,200 integrations. Worth knowing: it offers a 15-day free trial with no credit card required.

## How to choose a CRM for a small business

- **Start with how you sell.** Map how a lead becomes a customer today, then pick the tool that fits that process.
- **Check the channels you need.** If you live on the phone or text, built-in calling and SMS matter more than advanced reporting.
- **Look at marketing features.** Email, forms and landing pages in the CRM can save you a separate tool, or duplicate one you already pay for.
- **Confirm the integrations.** Your website forms, booking tool, ad platforms and accounting software should connect without manual exports.
- **Plan the setup.** A CRM only works if pipelines, fields, automations and reports are set up for your business and your team uses them.
- Our [CRM solutions](https://commercemediagroup.com/crm-solutions) team helps with the choice and the setup.

## How we chose these tools

We included widely used CRM platforms that small businesses commonly consider, that operate under their own name in 2026, and that publish their features on their own websites. We did not score or rank anyone, and we list no prices because plans change often. If a fact about a tool changes, tell us through our [contact page](https://commercemediagroup.com/contact-us) and we will correct it. See our [editorial standards](https://commercemediagroup.com/editorial-standards).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best CRM for a small business?

There is no single best CRM. The right one depends on how you sell, the channels you use, the tools you already have and how much setup help you need. HubSpot suits businesses that want to start free, Pipedrive suits pipeline-focused sales teams, Microsoft Dynamics 365 suits Microsoft-based teams, and HighLevel suits agencies. Shortlist two or three and test them.

### Is there a free CRM for small businesses?

Of the tools on this list, HubSpot is the one whose site we confirmed offers a free CRM with no expiration date. The others offer free trials, from 14 to 30 days depending on the vendor. Free plans can limit features or users, so check what you would need to pay for as you grow before you commit.

### Is Commerce Media Group a CRM?

No. We are a marketing agency, and we list ourselves first on this page and label it as our agency. We do not sell CRM software. We help businesses choose a CRM that fits, set up pipelines, lead capture, automated follow-up and reporting, connect it to the website and ad platforms, and train the team to use it.

### Do I need help setting up a CRM?

Not always. A small team with a simple sales process can often set up a CRM on its own. Help is worth it when you need to connect the CRM to your website forms, booking tool and ad platforms, move data from spreadsheets or an old system, build automated follow-up, or get reporting that shows which marketing turns into revenue.

## Sources
- [Freshsales](https://www.freshworks.com/crm/sales/), Freshworks
- [Freshsales features](https://www.freshworks.com/crm/features/), Freshworks
- [Freshsales pricing](https://www.freshworks.com/crm/pricing/), Freshworks
- [HighLevel](https://www.gohighlevel.com/), HighLevel
- [About us](https://www.gohighlevel.com/about-us), HighLevel
- [Free CRM software](https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm), HubSpot
- [Sales Hub](https://www.hubspot.com/products/sales), HubSpot
- [Dynamics 365 Sales](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics-365/products/sales), Microsoft
- [monday CRM](https://monday.com/crm), monday.com
- [monday CRM pricing](https://monday.com/crm/pricing), monday.com
- [Pipedrive](https://www.pipedrive.com/en), Pipedrive
- [Starter Suite](https://www.salesforce.com/small-business/starter/), Salesforce
- [Sales Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/sales/), Salesforce
- [Zoho CRM](https://www.zoho.com/crm/), Zoho
- [Zoho CRM features](https://www.zoho.com/crm/features.html), Zoho

## See whether we are the right fit

Tell us about your business and goals. We review your market and come back with a plan for your website, ads, follow-up and CRM. Get a campaign plan: https://commercemediagroup.com/contact-us

## Related services

- [CRM Solutions](https://commercemediagroup.com/crm-solutions.md)
- [Lead Generation](https://commercemediagroup.com/lead-generation.md)

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Source page: https://commercemediagroup.com/blog/best-crm-software-for-small-business
Published by Commerce Media Group (https://commercemediagroup.com).
Start a project: https://commercemediagroup.com/contact-us