Free CRM Software Benefits & Limitations

As businesses are shopping around for CRM software, they’ll often notice that many of the biggest brands offer free versions of their regular software.

These free versions are usually limited in their features, making them viable only for small businesses with limited contacts.

While most organisations will have difficult time finding free CRM software that fits their current infrastructure, it can be a viable solution for some environments.

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What Do Free CRM Versions Limit?

Limits on free software can vary drastically from one solution to the next. In general, however, a free CRM may limit its features in some or all of the following ways:

• Contacts: Often the free version caps the number of contacts a user can add to the database. Once a business reaches that cap, it will usually have the option to upgrade to a paid version to add more.
• Users: As with many free versions of commercially-available software, CRM solutions limit the number of users each business can add. This cap can be as low as one or two, making free versions accessible only to the smallest businesses.
• Storage: Even if the limit on contacts is high, some businesses may be stymied by the storage limits attached to free CRM software.
• Support: Many software providers require you to upgrade to a paid version before support is offered. For businesses that lack access to technical expertise, this could be an issue.

Best Free CRM Software and Upgrade Costs

There are numerous free CRM solutions on the market. Here are some of the most popular:

Insightly

Insightly's free version is limited to two users and includes five email templates and the ability to send up to ten mass emails per day. For features such as lead management, business card scanning, or integration with additional software (like MailChimp), users must upgrade to a paid version.

Supplier Rating: ★★★★★Read Review

Capsule

Free for up to two users, Capsule offers lead management, proposal and opportunity tracking, and more. The free version includes unlimited opportunities and cases but only 10MB of storage and 250 contacts.

Supplier Rating: ★★★★★ Read Review

FreeCRM

Free accounts with FreeCRM allow as many as 100 users and 100,000 contacts. However, this free version only lasts for one year. After your first year, users will have to pay a monthly fee of at least £16 per user per month to continue to use the platform.

Supplier Rating: ★★★★★

Hubspot

There is no charge to store contacts, track leads, and integrate outside systems with HubSpot. However, to take advantage of HubSpot's marketing platform, there is a charge and that charge is based on the number of contacts you have in your database. The cost for access to HubSpot's basic marketing tools starts at £129 per month for up to three users.

Supplier Rating: ★★★★★

Bitrix24

Bitrix24 has a free cloud version available for up to 12 users, with the ability to add up to 12 more users for £16.10 per month. The free plan includes up to 5GB of storage and has the option to pay for more storage as needed. Many of the features of Bitrix24's paid plans are included in the free version, but businesses won’t have the ability to access reports or add external users.

Supplier Rating: ★★★★★

Raynet CRM

Raynet is a relatively new CRM supplier, founded in the Czech Republic and now has its sights set on international expansion. Its free version allows you to add two users working on 150 accounts. It offers full customer support and you can upgrade to the full offering from £12.25 a month.

Supplier Rating: ★★★★★

Verdict on Free CRM

CRM has become an essential part of doing business. While free solutions offer a great introduction, their limits often become problematic for growing businesses.

To be able to grow in the number of customers you serve, as well as the number of team members you have on board, you’ll likely need the advanced functionality only a full-featured version can offer.