Which CRM is best for large enterprises?

Salesforce is the undisputed leader for the enterprise segment. If your company has complex business processes, large data volumes, and needs maximum customization capabilities, Salesforce is the best choice. It's suitable for companies with budget for professional implementation and dedicated IT teams.

What's the best CRM for small to medium businesses?

HubSpot offers the perfect balance of functionality and usability for SMBs. It's ideal for companies that want to integrate marketing, sales, and customer service in one system. The free version allows you to start without investment, and the learning curve is manageable with proper training. Attio is another modern alternative for startups and fast-growing companies.

Which CRM is best for sales-focused teams?

Pipedrive is specifically designed for sales pipeline management. It's perfect for teams that need a straightforward, visual approach to deal tracking without unnecessary complexity. Pipedrive is ideal for small to mid-sized businesses with clear sales processes.

What's the best CRM for personal networking?

Table is an AI-first personal CRM that automates contact management. It's best for individuals who want to maintain their professional network without manual data entry, perfect for freelancers, consultants, and business professionals. Folk is another option - a simple and intuitive personal CRM focused on relationship-building.

Are there any free CRM options available?

Yes, HubSpot offers a robust free version that includes contact management, email tracking, and basic pipeline management. Table is also completely free to use with AI-powered contact aggregation. However, most other CRMs like Pipedrive, Zoho, and Monday CRM require paid subscriptions.

Which CRMs should I avoid?

Avoid Clay and Dex as both have stopped active development. Clay has a clunky interface and poor data accuracy, while Dex recently stopped development and rolled out a new tool called Rolodex. Both require manual work and have data accuracy issues.

What's the difference between HubSpot and Salesforce?

HubSpot is designed for small to medium businesses with a focus on ease of use and all-in-one functionality, offering a free version to get started. Salesforce is built for large enterprises with complex needs, offering maximum customization but requiring significant implementation resources and budget.

Which CRM has the easiest learning curve?

Table has the lowest learning curve with its AI-first approach. Pipedrive, Folk, Attio, and Monday CRM also have low learning curves. HubSpot and Zoho have medium learning curves, while Salesforce has the highest learning curve due to its complexity.

What CRM is best for startups?

Attio is specifically designed for startups and fast-growing businesses, offering a modern interface and customizable workflows. HubSpot is also excellent for startups due to its free version and scalable paid plans. Both are ideal for teams that need to grow quickly without complex implementation.

Which CRM offers the best integrations?

HubSpot offers the richest integration possibilities with numerous platforms, website builders, and other tools. Salesforce also provides extensive integration capabilities for enterprise needs. Clay and Dex offer multiple integrations but are not recommended due to discontinued development.

What should I consider when choosing a CRM?

Consider your team's technical skills, budget, specific business needs, company size, and whether you need personal networking or team collaboration features. The best CRM is the one your team will actually use consistently. Start with free versions when available to test before committing.

Is there a CRM that combines AI with contact management?

Yes, Table is built with an AI-first approach that reduces manual steps in the process. Its AI assistant helps you not miss any information and takes over tasks for you, automatically aggregating all your contacts by connecting your platforms.

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems benefit businesses by automating tasks, centralising customer data, improving collaboration, and providing insights for targeted email marketing as well as personal CRM's that are a specific subset of CRM software that is made for managing and organising your own Network. However, selecting the right CRM system from the multitude of available options can be daunting. Some CRM systems offer just the features essential for small businesses, while others are robust enough to meet the demands of large enterprises. Over the last decade I tested and used many different solution and want to share my learnings and recommendations with you. With that being said let's go ahead and look at some CRM's.

HubSpot

We kick things of with probably one that everybody have heard about at some point. HubSpot is with over 150k clients one of the most popular business CRM out there! It does everything from helping businesses track and manage leads, automate sales processes, and improve customer interactions. There is a free and multiple pro tiers that offer contact management, email tracking, pipeline management, and marketing automation. HubSpot integrates to a lot of platforms, website builders and other tools. For beginners it can be a little bit overwhelming and has a learning curve to fully leverage the full power of this CRM.

Pro

Free version to get started
Can handle complex and large data streams
Rich integration possibilities

Con

Learning curve
Restricted features for pricing tiers & can get expensive
Some features and implementation require some technical understanding

Attio

Attio CRM is a modern, customizable customer relationship management platform designed for startups and fast-growing businesses. It combines powerful data enrichment, real-time collaboration, and automated workflows to help teams manage contacts, track interactions, and streamline sales processes. I would probably compare it to the HubSpot 2.0 with a more modern interface.

Pro

Easy to get started
Ideal for sales motion for startups and SMB's
Customisable workflows

Con

Limited integration
Feature set is still growing and under development
Limited free plan – to get the most out of it need to subscribe to a paid plan

Salesforce

Salesforce is more or less the OG among all CRM's. It is used by the biggest companies in the world. Thus it is more complex and not easy to implement into your business. If you are reading this article you might be more interested in other CRM's as Salesforce because it really is made for handling at scale data and sales pipelines. It is not for nothing that there are huge consulting companies that specialise only in the implementation of Salesforce.

Pro

Highly customisable
Can handle large amount of data
Collaborative usage

Con

Learning curve and clunky UI/UX
Made for enterprise companies and thus a more expensive solution
Overwhelming to implement it on your own

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is specifically made for building your sales pipeline and helps you to push a lead through different steps in the funnel to a conversion. It features an intuitive, visual pipeline system that makes deal tracking easy, along with automation tools, email integration, and reporting features. Pipedrive is ideal for small to mid-sized businesses looking for a straightforward CRM without unnecessary complexity.

Pro

Easy to use interface
Sales centric platform
Not much of a learning curve

Con

No free plan
Manual work to track everything down and keep data up to date
Limited marketing features

table

We are building table with the goal to be the leading personal CRM that is build with an AI first approach. Meaning we reduce a lot of the manual steps in the process to make is as easy as possible for you to keep up with your network. Our AI assistant helps you to not miss any information and takes over tasks for you.

Pro

Intuitive and easy to use interface
AI assistant that does the work for you
Aggregate all your contacts automatically by connecting your platforms
Free to use

Con

New application that is at it's early stage
Not ideal for collaboration across your team or company‍

Monday

Monday CRM is a tool that build on top of the Monday work operating system. In general Monday offers more tools then just a CRM. You can track your sales and marketing activities in a collaborative way. It is easy to set up but also limited to a few core features.

Pro

Automation workflows
Easy to use interface
Productivity platform with different products

Con

No free plan
Basic functionality for a sales CRM
No email marketing features

Zoho

Zoho is a CRM that is around for while but not reached a scale like a HubSpot or so. It is still a decent alternative for building a sales pipeline. It is made for small and medium size businesses with not very complex sales processes.

Pro

Easy to set up
Collaborative

Con

No free plan
Limited features
Clunky user interface

Clay

Clay is a personal CRM that is relatively new and helps you to better organize your personal and professional relations. On the first glance it looks very promising and shiny but we found that the product itself still has does not have the best UI / UX. Therefore they offer a mobile version and try to implement some AI on top of a traditional CRM structure.

Pro

Multiple integration to different platforms
Free version requires entering credit card information
Very limited free version (only 1000 contacts)

Con

Stopped further development
Clunky interface (UI / UX)
Manual work to get information and and out of the system
Data accuracy not always the best

Dex

Dex is a personal CRM that is relatively easy to use. However it seems like they recently stopped the development of the application and rolled out a new tool called Rolodex which targets teams to organize their company wide network in a single place (no experience yet).

Pro

Multiple integration to different platforms
Free version to get started
Network visualisation (network graphs)

Con

Stopped further development
Clunky interface
Manual work to get information and and out of the system
Data accuracy not always the best

Folk

Folk is another more modern and new CRM that is designed to be very seamless to use. Unlike traditional CRMs, Folk emphasises relationship-building rather than complex sales processes, offering easy-to-use tagging, integrations, and more features.

Pro

Simple and intuitive CRM
Great for teams and networking with clients

Con

Limited free plan
Limited feature and automations

Which CRM System is Best for What

For Large Enterprises

Salesforce is undisputed leader for the enterprise segment. If your company has complex business processes, large data volumes, and needs maximum customization capabilities, Salesforce is the best choice. Suitable for companies with budget for professional implementation and dedicated IT teams.

For Small to Medium Businesses

HubSpot - perfect balance of functionality and usability. Ideal for companies that want to integrate marketing, sales, and customer service in one system. The free version allows you to start without investment, and the learning curve is manageable with proper training.
Attio - alternative for startups and fast-growing companies that value innovation and user experience. Best for teams that need customizable workflows and don't mind working with a platform that's still evolving.

For Sales-Focused Teams

Pipedrive - specifically designed for sales pipeline management. Perfect for teams that need a straightforward, visual approach to deal tracking without unnecessary complexity. Ideal for small to mid-sized businesses with clear sales processes.

For Personal Networking

Table - AI-first personal CRM that automates contact management. Best for individuals who want to maintain their professional network without manual data entry. Perfect for freelancers, consultants, and business professionals.
Folk - simple and intuitive personal CRM focused on relationship-building rather than complex sales processes. Great for teams and individuals who prioritize networking and client relationships over traditional sales metrics.

For Workflow Management

Monday CRM - built on the Monday work operating system, it's ideal for teams that need CRM functionality as part of a broader project management and productivity platform. Best for companies already using Monday's ecosystem.

For Budget-Conscious Teams

Zoho - decent alternative for small and medium businesses with straightforward sales processes. Suitable for teams that need basic CRM functionality without the complexity or cost of premium solutions.

CRM Comparison Table

CRM System	Best For	Pricing	Learning Curve	Key Strengths	Main Weaknesses
HubSpot	SMBs, All-in-one solution	Free + Paid tiers	Medium	Free version, Rich integrations, Marketing automation	Can get expensive, Learning curve
Salesforce	Large enterprises	Expensive	High	Highly customizable, Enterprise-grade, Scalable	Complex implementation, Expensive, Steep learning curve
Pipedrive	Sales-focused teams	Paid only	Low	Intuitive interface, Sales-centric, Easy to use	No free plan, Limited marketing features, Manual work required
Attio	Startups, Modern teams	Paid plans	Low	Modern interface, Customizable workflows, Easy setup	Limited integrations, Growing feature set, Limited free plan
Table	Personal networking	Free	Very Low	AI assistant, Automatic contact aggregation, Free to use	Early stage, Not for team collaboration
Monday CRM	Project management teams	Paid only	Low	Automation workflows, Easy interface, Part of broader platform	No free plan, Basic CRM functionality
Zoho	Small businesses	Paid only	Medium	Easy setup, Collaborative features	Limited features, Clunky interface, No free plan
Folk	Relationship-focused teams	Limited free	Low	Simple interface, Great for networking	Limited free plan, Limited automations
Clay	❌ Avoid	Varies	Medium	Multiple integrations	Development stopped, Clunky interface, Poor data accuracy
Dex	❌ Avoid	Free + Paid	Medium	Network visualization	Development stopped, Clunky interface

Key Recommendations

Start with HubSpot if you're unsure - the free version lets you test without commitment
Choose Salesforce only if you have enterprise needs and implementation resources
Go with Pipedrive if you need simple, effective sales pipeline management
Try Table for personal networking and AI-powered contact management
Consider Attio if you value modern design and are building a startup
Avoid Clay and Dex due to discontinued development

Remember: The best CRM is the one your team will actually use consistently. Factor in your team's technical skills, budget, and specific business needs when making your decision.