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Do you have a start-up or work in a small business and are you looking for the best CRM system for your needs and budget? Then you are exactly right here! We introduce you to the seven best (and best rated) CRM systems for small and medium-sized companies in sales and marketing and explain what you should pay attention to when choosing software.
What is CRM for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs)?
A CRM is software that supports companies in customer relationship management (CRM), also known as customer relationship management. CRM tools for small businesses are tailored to the needs of businesses with a small number of employees and support them in communicating with customers and leads. They offer you similar advantages as CRM systems that are used by large companies and corporations, but are usually much cheaper.
If you want to know exactly what Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is, then take a look at our blog post on the subject of CRM.
What are the main features of a CRM system for small and medium-sized businesses?
In general, it's not that easy to say! This is because every company has its own requirements for a CRM. That's why it's about choosing the CRM system that offers exactly the functions, interfaces and integrations that you need. A comparison of the software and the range of functions is therefore definitely worthwhile. It is also helpful to include ratings and experiences of other users in your decision. Our OMR Reviews platform, where you can find verified ratings and reviews of CRM software, will help you here. You can also filter by small business software and top-rated CRMs with handy filter options.
Key features and benefits of CRM software for small businesses (SMBs) include: 
Low price of CRM: Small and medium-sized companies often have limited marketing budgets. It is therefore important that CRM systems can be set up and operated as cost-effectively as possible.
The scope of the CRM can be adapted to your company needs and size: Since SMEs and start-ups often grow quickly, the CRM software should be able to keep up with the growth. Therefore, it is extremely important that the CRM system can adapt to the needs and size of the growing company.
Easy to understand: There is often no training by employees of the CRM system provider on inexpensive CRM software. It is therefore essential that the software is easy to understand and use. Ideally, there should also be plenty of free online learning resources available.
Centralized organization of customer data for optimal collaboration: The central collection and organization of customer data should be guaranteed by the CRM system so that a good data basis is created for fast-growing SMEs right from the start.
Easy integration with other tools from your company's tech stack through interfaces: Your company's tech stack is the software you already use. Ideally, the CRM has interfaces to these tools, so that a simple connection is guaranteed.
Cloud-based CRM software without the need for IT resources: Small and medium-sized companies in particular often have limited IT resources at their disposal. It is therefore advantageous to use a cloud-based SaaS CRM solution, as this also ensures that the company can grow with it.
CRM system with contact management, e-mail dispatch and tracking, lead entry, customer service module, report function and automation of workflows: A CRM system should have as many functions as possible or be expandable with them. Even if not all of them are required at the beginning, they can simply be used or booked later if required. 
Automated communication for maximum use of resources: A good CRM system offers the possibility of automating communication such as e-mails. This offers the advantage that these automations only have to be created once and then messages such as e-mails are automatically triggered at certain events such as an action on your website. This is particularly important for SMEs with small teams, as it allows employees to focus on other tasks.
Data analysis and segmentation for the targeted addressing of customers: CRM software, which has extensive functions for data analysis and segmentation, makes it possible to better understand the target groups and to address them more specifically.
Sales reporting in marketing and sales for a better overview: Since sales are often one of the most important key figures (KPIs) in marketing and sales, detailed sales reporting in the CRM system is indispensable.
Improving customer service to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty: Through targeted customer relationship management with software designed for this purpose, communication with leads and customers can be improved, which contributes to an increase in satisfaction.
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Experts will help you with the software selection
The founder and managing director of the agency Finc3, Björn Sjut, is our expert for CRM software. In the OMR Reviews briefing, he gives you helpful tips for deciding on CRM software: "The most important question when choosing CRM and marketing automation systems is: Who (team) should interact with which users/customer segments via which channels with which goals / communicate - and what triggers this and how do we have to report? If you answer these questions, for example in a mind map, then you are forced to first work out the use cases for the CRM system and then you can look at different software solutions and build lean prototypes.”
If you would like more tips from him and other experts, you can download the OMR CRM briefing for free.
These are the top 10 CRM software for small businesses:
Here are the 8 most popular CRM systems for small businesses and startups based on verified reviews and experiences from the OMR community:
Salesforce CRM
HubSpot CRM 
pipedrive
CentralStationCRM
Zoho CRM
Microsoft Dynamics 365
TecArt CRM
goTom
SuperOffice CRM 
SAP CRM
We will now tell you what distinguishes the individual CRM software and why they are particularly suitable for small companies.
1. pipedrive
The provider pipedrive offers a cloud-based CRM solution for small and medium-sized companies, which is tailored to sales.
A strong focus of the CRM software is on the sales pipeline, which visualizes the sales process. From there, you can add and track deals by their value, probability of winning, and expected close date.
pipedrive also helps you to automatically merge leads in the lead inbox from manual import, spreadsheets or other sources. There they can then be qualified by sales staff. In contact management you can manage an unlimited contact database and use this to plan e-mails, calls and other activities and record them in the activity calendar. You can automatically generate sales documents using pipedrive data and sign them with eSignatures.
pipedrive CRM also offers you everything you need to integrate a chatbot, live chats and customizable web forms for lead generation. 
An AI-driven sales assistant gives you performance tips and recommends automations. With workflow automations, you can automate recurring tasks and emails and relieve sales. You can also enrich data with one click using information from external sources.
Reports and dashboards always give you an overview of the current figures. With the native iOS and Android apps from pipedrive, you can also access the CRM software on the go. The pipedrive marketplace with over 200 integrations helps you to connect pipedrive to your existing tools.
pipedrive price
The Essential Plan from the CRM software pipedrive costs EUR 12.50 per user:in and month with annual billing. Some of the functions mentioned above are only available from the advanced version, which has a price of 24.90 euros per month and user:in. Depending on the range of functions required, an upgrade to Professional or Enterprise is possible.
pipedrive alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of the pipedrive alternatives and you can read relevant and verified reviews of them.
2. Salesforce CRM 
With Salesforce Essentials, Salesforce offers an all-in-one CRM solution for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the areas of marketing, service and sales. You can flexibly book one or more modules from the Salesforce Cloud, namely the Marketing Cloud, the Service Cloud and the Sales Cloud. This allows you to adapt the system to your needs and number of employees and upgrade it if necessary. Since medium-sized companies and corporations also use Salesforce CRM, this CRM can grow with you.
In addition, as a cloud-based system, Salesforce CRM hardly requires any IT resources, which is helpful for growing companies because the CRM can be scaled. The provision of the program as an app for tablets and smartphones is also practical. So you always have access to the cloud - no matter where you are.
With the Sales Cloud you can connect your sales team with marketing, service, commerce and other areas. It also offers you extensive analytics functions that are clearly presented and help you to gain insights and make forecasts. This allows you to convince your customers at the right time and place with the Salesforce CRM software and improve your relationships with them. Other tools for forecasting, lead management, pricing and preparing offers make it easier for you to complete orders quickly and effectively. With the onboarding and training tools included in the CRM, you can quickly train new team members and develop your team further.
The Salesforce Marketing Cloud enables you to use the Journey Builder to build personalized customer journeys that include all of your company's channels such as email, mobile apps, ads and website usage. So you can understand every touchpoint. Based on this, you can, for example, create personalized e-mail marketing campaigns, operate and automate mobile marketing using push, SMS and group messages. You can also use Salesforce CRM to access channels like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and YouTube to respond to customer inquiries and needs in real time. In the Advertising Studio you can plan and implement effective advertising campaigns for your company. Other apps like Salesforce Pardot give you the opportunity to bundle all marketing and sales processes in one place.
The Service Cloud gives you a detailed overview of all customers and helps you to react specifically to their needs. You can also add self-service options or a live chat to your website. However, you can also continue the personalized support in other digital channels such as messengers and social networks.
Salesforce CRM price
For the service and the sales cloud, 25 euros per user per month are due for each module with annual payment. This offer is valid for companies with up to 10 users. Salesforce offers company-specific cost models for the Marketing Cloud. 
Salesforce alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of the Salesforce alternatives and you can read relevant and verified reviews of them.
3. Central Station CRM
CentralStationCRM offers a CRM system for small and medium-sized companies and is specially designed to support them in marketing and sales. As a result, the CRM software is characterized by simple and intuitive operation and a clear range of functions, which is why the training period for you and your team is quite short. The CentralStation team deliberately left out complex processes and functions that are only important for larger companies.
The CRM has contact management with address and customer data, e-mails, notes, to-dos and appointments, and all team activities are displayed transparently, including notifications. This way you can be sure of keeping track of things and can collaborate really well.
You also have the option in the CentralStationCRM software to optimally prepare customer data for marketing and sales using individual filters.
The CRM solution also supports you in offer and project management with the tools provided for sales planning, reminders and task lists. 
Even if CentralStationCRM does not have a native app, you can always access the CRM software with an internet-enabled device.
CentralStationCRM price
The starter version of CentralStationCRM is permanently free and can be used by 3 users in your company. However, since you can only maintain 200 contacts and save 20MB of data in it, an upgrade to the team version is quickly necessary. For the price of 18 euros per month, this offers the possibility to manage 3000 contacts with three users and to save 1GB of data. If you choose the Small Office variant for 49 euros, you can register ten users in the company, manage 10,000 contacts and save 3GB of data in the cloud. The other packages gradually expand the number of users, contacts and the size of the storage.
All information about the CentralStationCRM software can be found on the company's website.
CentralStationCRM alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of the CentralStationCRM alternatives and you can read relevant and verified reviews of them.
4. HubSpot CRM 
Similar to Salesforce, HubSpot also offers a CRM system for small businesses and start-ups. Here, too, you have the option of putting together several modules: These include the HubSpot Marketing Hub, the Sales Hub and the Service Hub. A CMS, i.e. a content management system hub, is also available.
Hubspot CRM is characterized by its intuitive user interface and simple operation. In addition, many areas are automated in the CRM software, which eliminates manual effort: These include e-mails, calls and data that are automatically recorded and managed. This is particularly helpful in small companies and start-ups, as it frees up resources for selling products and services with a limited number of employees.
Data is recorded in the Hubspot pipeline in a clear and structured manner. This allows you to see all data at a glance with Hubspot. You can use Hubspot to quickly identify promising leads that interact the most with your website and your content. This allows you to approach these particularly exciting prospects in a targeted manner. In addition, HubSpot offers you many email templates for the different phases of the customer journey. These can easily be adapted to your needs. This saves you a lot of time and enables personal contact.
The CRM software also has a connection to social media, which centralizes contact with customers and enables fast response times. Furthermore, Hubspot also offers a live chat function with which you can respond to inquiries from your users. A blog as well as email and ad tracking are also part of the HubSpot platform.
As a cloud-based system, HubSpot offers similar benefits to Salesforce in this regard. A simple connection to e-mail clients such as Outlook, G-Mail or other software, for example from Salesforce, is easily possible thanks to the interfaces provided.
HubSpot CRM price
The HubSpot tools can be used free of charge. However, costs arise from a certain number of users or number of contacts. The Marketing Hub Starter costs 41 euros per month for 1000 marketing contacts. For Sales Hub Starter and the Service Hub Starter, Hubspot charges €41 per month for up to four users with annual payment. There is also the Starter Suite, which includes HubSpot CRM and the tools Marketing Hub Starter, Sales Hub Starter and Service Hub Starter, for €46 per month. 
HubSpot alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of the HubSpot alternatives and you can read relevant and verified reviews of them.
Check out our CRM guide
In this report you will learn how to segment your customers and use them intelligently. You will also learn how to collect and evaluate data from leads. It’s also about the channels you should use for communication. Clearly explained and simply prepared. Get the basis for your B2B and B2C marketing now!
Read now for free
5. TecArt CRM
TecArt CRM is web-based CRM software for medium-sized companies. It is flexible and individually scalable, automates communication and offers you various modules for customer and project management, groupware and ERP. The structure of the software follows a modular principle: You can combine and expand the standard software with tailor-made adjustments and add-ons. These include, for example, modules for project management, groupware or IT support. 
Other functions of TecArt CRM are comprehensive project management and budget monitoring. In addition, you can use multi-layered lead management to carry out targeted control from the first prospect to the customer. Depending on the department and task, you can use TecArt to define your own work processes and workflows. In addition, there is the possibility of clear vacation and duty planning with approval workflows.
TecArt CRM is equipped with the virtual assistant "Anna", who is at your side right from the start and accompanies you through the most important settings. This includes, for example, setting up the system and explaining all the modules. In addition, Anna can take over the installation and configuration of the invoice module including document templates.
TecArt CRM Prize
TecArt CRM offers a free entry-level version for small teams. This can be expanded at any time. Teams and companies with 10 or more employees can use TecArt CRM PRO from 29 euros per user per month. If you want to run TecArt on your own server, you can buy the TecArt software from 5,490 euros. The virtual assistant Anna is included in both paid tariffs. Only the chapters "Basic modules" and "Invoice document template" can be booked once for 99 euros and 59 euros respectively.
TecArt CRM Alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of the TecArt alternatives and you can read relevant and verified reviews of them.
6. goTom CRM 
goTom is a CRM and order management tool for digital advertising based in Switzerland. It stands for efficient order processing for marketers and publishers and offers you modern order management with highly automated workflows and intelligent reporting in a cloud solution. With goTom you should achieve higher sales and at the same time save the costs for processing campaigns. A total of six features should support you in optimizing your processes:
CRM
order management
ad serving
Finance
programmatic
reporting 
goTom's CRM supports you in maintaining customer relationships. This includes, for example, customer data, tasks and activities, which are stored in a central location. You can keep an eye on all sales in an interactive dashboard. In Order Management you can manage all your products and prices and use them to plan your campaigns.
In addition, with goTom you can automate up to 60% of your manual effort when processing campaigns. The integrated ad server takes care of inventory inquiries and the creation of line items as well as the sending of reports at the push of a button. In addition, you can offset your orders in the finance dashboard. These are sent directly to your customers and your financial data is transmitted to the connected accounting software.
goTom price
A free trial of goTom can be requested via a form on the website.
goTom alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of the goTom alternatives and you can read through relevant and verified reviews of them.
7. SuperOffice CRM 
The CRM tool SuperOffice was founded in 1990 and specializes in customers in the B2B market across Europe. SuperOffice is cloud-based and connects, digitizes and automates all marketing, sales and customer service processes.
You can conduct professional lead management with the included marketing features. This includes, for example, the creation of lead pages, a newsletter configurator with campaign tracking and follow-up activities for your sales and customer service. You can use the features in sales to monitor your sales activities and receive reports as well as offer management and forecasting.
In addition, SuperOffice offers you the possibility to optimize customer service processes and inquiries with a ticket system. You can easily expand the tool with interfaces and apps and link it to your ERP systems.
SuperOffice CRM price
SuperOffice CRM is priced at €57.50 per user per month for marketing, sales or service functions. If you want to use all three functions, the price is €67.80 per month and user.
SuperOffice CRM Alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of the SuperOffice alternatives and you can read relevant and verified reviews of them. 
8. Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers two modules as CRM systems for small businesses and start-ups: These include Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service.
Microsoft 365 Sales promises an increase in customer engagement by helping you to focus on promising new customers. In return, you get a complete overview of all customer interactions and have the opportunity to identify all important stakeholders. CRM software helps you personalize interactions with your company's customers and relate them to the sales context, which is rewarded with better customer relationships and increased conversion rates.
You can also increase the productivity of your team with the help of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales. This is possible because the CRM software enables effective collaboration with colleagues and customers: All employees have access to relevant documents for the creation of purchase offers and you can automate ongoing tasks. It is also practical that Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales can be used on the go without an internet connection.
With real-time data in the sales pipeline with dashboards and reports, you can use Microsoft CRM to make effective decisions with the latest data and gain strategic insights through customer surveys.
A big advantage of Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the easy connection to Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc.). Since the user interface is already familiar, it makes it easier for your team to get started with Microsoft's CRM software.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service supports you in optimizing your company's customer service processes. The CRM software makes it possible to personalize your service offers. You can also set up self-service portals so that customers can solve their problems themselves, which can help increase customer satisfaction. 
Thanks to a clear interface with a familiar design, you can quickly onboard new employees in customer service. You can also respond to their needs in a targeted and informed manner, since all information about the customers is available at a glance.
In addition, a performance overview of the customer service employees is available to you, which enables you to monitor and optimize their performance.
Microsoft also offers a marketing module for your CRM software, but this is not aimed at SMEs.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 price
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales costs €54.80 per user per month and the Customer Service module costs an additional €42.20 per user per month. However, there is the option of adding the second application for €16.90 per user:in per month.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 alternatives and you can read relevant and verified reviews of them. 
9. Zoho CRM
Zoho offers a complete CRM system for small businesses as well as other marketing applications such as Zoho Campaigns or Zoho Social.
Zoho CRM software features a straightforward user interface, which reduces the onboarding time for your company's employees. To further help you get started, Zoho also provides consulting, onboarding, and training programs on their CRM system. Just like the previous solutions, Zoho CRM is cloud-based and is therefore suitable for use in small businesses with low IT capacities.
In addition, Zoho's CRM software offers your company the opportunity to conduct presentations and meetings from the application and to organize webinars and thus convert leads into customers.
With dashboards and native mobile apps, you always have an overview of the most important KPIs for sales and performance. In the CRM solution, information is also shared in common feeds, questions are answered and updates on sales opportunities are communicated to all employees, so that you are always up to date.
The CRM software also scores with a connection to all channels such as telephone, e-mail, live chat and social media and sends notifications to your employees as soon as customers interact with your company.
With Zoho, you can also avoid time-consuming and repetitive tasks through automation. This enables you to react optimally to incoming leads and to carry out the necessary actions. 
Zoho CRM also provides you with real-time reports and analytics that can facilitate important business decisions of the company. You always have an optimal view of the sales performance in the sales area, as well as performance indicators to make forecasts and identify trends.
The migration wizard also makes it easy to import data from spreadsheets and other CRM systems. In addition, with the help of the fully expandable developer platform, you can optimally integrate the Zoho CRM software into your system landscape and previously used applications.
Zoho CRM price
Just like the CRM softwares discussed before, Zoho CRM comes in different versions. The standard version costs 12 euros per user:in per month with annual billing. The next larger Professional package is available for the price of 20 euros per user per month.
Want to learn more about Zoho CRM? Then take a look at the company's website.
Zoho alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of Zoho alternatives and you can read relevant and verified reviews of them. 
10.SAP CRM
The CRM module from SAP is part of the SAP Sales Cloud. It is easy to link and is relevant for sole proprietors as well as small to medium-sized companies. You get a 360-degree view of your customers in the Sales Cloud, can prioritize leads and their possibilities, and store customer data in a central location.
You can also increase your sales productivity with collaboration tools, interactive dashboards, and real-time customer analytics. You always keep an eye on how far your customers are in the sales process, you can use it to uncover potential and see which customers you should contact again next.
The CRM module consisted of sales automation, sales performance management and configuration, price and quotation.
SAP CRM price
SAP products can be tested free of charge. Prices for the individual tools and modules are available on request.
SAP CRM Alternative
On OMR Reviews you will find an overview of the SAP CRM alternatives and you can read relevant and verified reviews of them.
You can find and compare other CRM software for small businesses at OMR Reviews.
In total, we have listed over 18 CRM systems there that can support you in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). So stop by and compare the tools using the authentic and verified user reviews:
clap
Insightly CRM
team leader
Copper
CAS genesisWorld
Nimble
Zendesk Sell
TOPIX CRM
Aurea CRM
noCRM.io
