Top 10 picks for the best CRM in 2025

In today’s competitive sales landscape, businesses need more than spreadsheets to manage their customer relationships. The right CRM solution uses automation, AI and integrations to streamline processes, drive sales growth and foster stronger customer relationships. Since many CRM platforms offer different features and different levels of ease of use, comparing them is essential when choosing the best CRM platform for your business.

1. Monday CRM

monday CRM gives growing sales teams the speed and flexibility they need without the high costs of traditional platforms. Setup takes days instead of months, and AI is built in from the start to eliminate repetitive updates and uncover the hottest opportunities. With features like communication summaries, lead prioritization and deal sentiment analysis, reps can focus on closing deals faster. Companies like Velv saw 100% adoption in just two weeks and a 60% drop in manual work, highlighting the real-world impact of the platform. Pricing is another differentiator. Compared to Salesforce and HubSpot, Monday CRM is more affordable while offering advanced features and fast time to value. The platform continues to expand with new products such as Monday Campaigns, a marketing solution launched earlier this month, cementing its evolution into a complete suite for revenue teams.

For companies already operating on Monday, CRM integrates seamlessly, keeping sales, projects and operations connected in one ecosystem. With more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue and recognition in the 2025 GartnerⓇ Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation, Monday’s CRM market momentum is undeniable.

2. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a great choice for SMBs looking for enterprise-level features without the price tag. The platform’s advanced analytics capabilities provide insight into sales performance, customer behavior and marketing trends, making Zoho a scalable solution across its wide range of products.

3. Hubspot CRM

Hobspot’s CRM is one of the most generous on the market, offering pipeline management, automation and marketing integrations that are often priced higher elsewhere. The platform’s marketing integration provides a unified view of the customer journey from the first interaction and beyond, and its paid tiers offer advanced features that include customized reporting and automation workflows.

4. Fresh sales

Freshsales’ intelligent lead scoring system uses machine learning to identify promising prospects, allowing sales teams to prioritize their efforts efficiently. Built-in tools including phone, email and chat are integrated into the platform, ensuring customer interactions don’t fall through the cracks. Advanced analytics and reporting provide real-time information to forecast performance and revenue.

5. Pipedrive

Pipedrive’s design was created with simplicity and visual clarity in mind, making it a great choice for teams that want functionality without overt complexity. Its signature visual sales pipeline provides ways to track leads through each stage of the process, and the drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to update deal stages, ensuring the system matches your unique sales process.

6. Salesforce

As one of the most established CRMs, Salesforce has an extensive ecosystem of applications that can help grow your business. Its Einstein AI feature provides predictive insights, and its customizable dashboards support businesses of all sizes.

7. Dynamics 365 from Microsoft

Perfect for companies using Microsoft tools, Dynamics 365 integrates seamlessly with Office, Teams and Power BI. With its AI-based predictions and built-in business intelligence, it is a great tool for driving growth.

8. Insightful

This CRM platform does more than just manage contacts; offers project management tools within the same platform. Insightly is a good choice for businesses that want to consolidate all of their customer interactions and task management in one place.

9. Nimble

Focused on simplicity and social media integration, Nimble is an excellent option for small businesses and entrepreneurs. It automatically updates contacts with social insights, perfect for building personalized customer relationships.

10. Buy (formerly Infusionsoft)

For small companies that want to automate their marketing and build it into their CRM, Keap is a good choice. It provides everything businesses need to grow, including email campaigns, invoicing and customer tracking.

Why These CRMs Stand Out in 2025

The way CRMs are designed and used can be determined by several trends that the above five platforms have adopted. These include:

• Automation that saves time and increases efficiency: The McKinsey Global Institute states that by 2020, 30% of employee hours could be automated by Generative AI (McKinsey Global Institute, 2013). This not only frees up valuable time but also reduces repetitive tasks in the process.

• Generative AI used in various systems: Adobe for Business states that 56% of advanced users of generative AI in marketing and CX use data and analytics to predict their customers’ needs (Adobe for Business, 2025).

• AI improves decision-making: The power behind AI-driven CRMs can increase sales and marketing ROI by up to 20%. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence for predictive analytics and customer recommendations, sales teams can focus their efforts on identifying and capitalizing on greater opportunities.

Choosing the right CRM platform for your business

Choosing and using a CRM platform or service requires careful consideration of several factors, which may include:

• Size and complexity of the business: Small businesses and startups can benefit from free offerings from large CRMs, while larger organizations may require more customized options to get full value from a CRM service.

• Industry specific needs: Some businesses may prefer an all-in-one approach, while others may require a CRM that offers plug-and-play features.

• Budget considerations: Cost can be an important factor in choosing a CRM, as business growth may require additional features or users in the future.

The CRM market offers a wide range of choices and different levels of functionality for businesses of all sizes. Whether you need basic management solutions or ones driven by sophisticated AI automations, there’s a solution that can help you grow your business in a smarter, more efficient way, while helping you build stronger customer relationships in the process.

FAQ: Choosing the Best CRM

Which CRM platform is the most affordable?
Zoho and HubSpot are among the most budget-friendly, with free or low-cost tiers available for smaller businesses that may have fewer needs.

What is the best CRM for small business?
Options like Pipedrive and Monday CRM are great for growing teams that need ease of use and automation.

Do CRMs Really Increase Sales?
yes By centralizing data, automating tasks and improving follow-up, CRM platforms can help businesses close more deals.

 

Photo by Glen Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

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