HubSpot CRM is ideal for contact-focused businesses that don’t require Complex CRM capabilities. It centralises contact lists, interactions logs, and scrapes data from the web to collect information about your prospects.

That being said, the complex pricing, steep leaning curve and limited features (in the FREE version) have pushed small businesses to look for a better alternative to Hubspot.

The free version of HubSpot CRM has too many *deliberate* limitations and you’d eventually need to upgrade to their rather *expensive* paid plans to unlock high-value features – in marketing, sales, and service hub.

The complicated pricing is not the only reason people want an alternative to HubSpot. We used Trustradius to find verified reviews by users who’re currently using (or have used) HubSpot as a CRM solution and these are the most common complaints:

• Confusing Workflow creation
• Lack of Email marketing features
• Limited reporting features
• No option to A/B test automated emails
• Complicated interface
• Annoyingly Slow CRM integration

While there is no shortage of CRM solutions in the market, the tricky part is finding one that meets your business requirements, something that your employees are comfortable using and fits your budget.

We have a compiled a list of CRM vendors that we think are a good alternative to Hubspot CRM. So, Let’s get right into it!

#1 HubSpot CRM Alternative —TeamWave

An integrated suite of business apps including: CRM, project management & HRMS software. A better way to manage sales, contacts, projects & your team.

Standout Features:  

• Visual sales pipeline
• Contact Management 
• Project Management 
• Time off management
• Team calendar
• Sales forecasting
• Sales reports

TeamWave is very intuitive – you’ll need only 5-minutes to learn the ropes. It has all essential features like Sales, Contact, Project, and HR management. You can also integrate it with QuickBooks, Xero, MailChimp, Gmail & G Suite, and more. 

And the best part? It does not charge a per-user fee. TeamWave pricing is $39 / Month for UNLIMITED users.

#2 HubSpot CRM Alternative – EngageBay CRM

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and service platform with free CRM. The software is designed with startups and SMBs in mind, thus providing a comprehensive set of tools at affordable pricing. Its pricing plan is perfectly tiered to cater to businesses of all kinds.

Standout Features:

• Drag-and-drop form and landing page builder
• Intelligent lead scoring
• Powerful A/B testing tools
• Built-in social suite
• Robust set of automation tools
• Two-way calendar sync
• Smart data analytics

Though EngageBay is hands down one of the best platforms for startups and SMBs, it could do away with more pre-built templates.

#3 HubSpot CRM Alternative —Bitrix24

Bitrix24, as a centralised workspace offers services like CRM, project management, team communication and collaboration.

Standout Features:  

• Unlimited CRM records
• Automatic Lead Distribution 
• API and marketplace
• CRM migration apps

Although Bitrix24 leads as a HubSpot CRM alternative, one of the major drawbacks of this tool is its the clunky interface. Moreover, the presence of too many options is daunting for non-tech users – it only adds to the learning curve. 

#4 HubSpot CRM Alternative —Agile CRM

Agile CRM is as easy and affordable CRM with sales and marketing automation for SMBs.

Standout Features:

• Dynamic web form
• Email marketing
• Lead scoring
• Advanced marketing metrics 

For all that, Agile CRM could still use some major improvement. The reporting is kludgy. You need to upgrade to review the activity reports since you cannot get them all easily on the screen. Given the lack of features, Agile CRM is pricier than most of its competitors.

#5 HubSpot CRM Alternative —Salesforce CRM

Salesforce, as a full-fledged CRM platform, brings companies and customers together to help organizations run profitably and efficiently. 

Standout Features:

• Partner & Channel Management.
• Comprehensive Sales Forecasting
• Workflow and Approvals
• Territory Management  

Despite these efficient features, Salesforce lags behind in terms of visualization or mapping of Data. Apart from this, the new lightning experience is not as good to use as the classic version. It needs improvement.

#6 HubSpot CRM Alternative —Nimble

Nimble’s USP is its simplicity— It does an impressive job at providing a quick visual snapshot of contacts, customers, and leads. Nimble is all about the intelligent gathering of customer data at one place; making it highly valuable for users.

Standout Features:

• Easy integration with Google Apps and Office 365
• Two-way sync between Nimble and popular business apps
• Easy-to-use sales pipeline features

Despite that, Nimble can be a pain if your business needs multiple third-party apps access – almost all integrations require the use of a ‘sync’ tool. Moreover, using email within Nimble is not a pleasant experience – you can’t access any of your folders without switching the app.

#7 HubSpot CRM Alternative —Pipedrive

Pipedrive, as a user-friendly CRM tool, helps teams get qualified leads and expand their business.

Standout Features:

• Full Customization.
• Goal Setting & Reporting
• Email Integration and Tracking 

Though Pipedrive is good for small businesses. It gives you a hard time managing organizations and data sharing – it requires you to do plenty of manual work. Both Email management and Workflow automation have amateur set up.

#8 HubSpot CRM Alternative — Keap

Keap (previously InfusionSoft) helps business grow, get leads, improve customer service & boost sales.

Standout Features:

• Email marketing, Automated Campaigns
• Multimedia marketing management
• Marketing reports and Activity monitoring
• Referral program management

Having said that, Keep’s lead source tracking is too spotty. The form builder needs improvement – it’s easy and useful but looks like they belong to 1990s. Keap users often complain about its plan that gets pricier every few months. 

#9 HubSpot CRM Alternative —Freshsales

Freshsales, as an intuitive CRM, helps business attract the right leads and take the guesswork out of sales.

Standout Features:

• Contact and Lead Management 
• Email Tracking
• Campaign Management
• Billing & Invoicing

On one hand, Freshsales excels as a CRM and on the other hand, it lacks flexibility in lead score customization, and it could use more integration options to enhance scalability.

So, Who Wins?

All of my picks in the running for best HubSpot CRM alternative in 2021. Needless to say, all of these CRM software are worth giving a shot.

FreshSales seems like an easier choice since orientation is less-intensive. Salesforce also has good pricing to attract teams. Bitrix24 isn’t a bad pick either.

But, the question should’nt really be; What is the best Hubspot alternative. Instead, the questions should be: Which CRM tool is the best fit for your business.

You’d need to remember all the pros and cons of each of these alternatives, and find what may or may not work for you.

Let me make it a little easier:

How to Choose the Right CRM Software for Your Business?

When you’re choosing a CRM solution for your business, keep these ground rules in mind:

• Simple means better  – Choose a CRM that is user-friendly & has a simple navigation menu
• Analytics is important – Your ideal CRM should generate detailed reports
• Conversation Enhancement is a must – it should contain sales-friendly features 
• Integrations are Essential – Smooth linking with third-party software
• Time-Saving Programs are best  – A great CRM should help you track time 
•  No Hidden Costs – An ideal CRM will not shadow any hidden cost

So, these are some important points. Hope they helped! Here’s one last thing.

TeamWave checks on all these essentials and more: 

✓ User-friendly dashboard

✓ Visually-appealing tasks/to-do lists

✓ Estimate and track time spent on projects

✓ Visual Sales Pipeline

✓ See all sales activity for each member of your team

✓ Includes CRM, PM, and HRMS in one app

✓ Competitively priced even for small businesses

✓ Lead Capturing Tools

✓ Powerful integrations. Flexible API.

Alright. We’ve established TeamWave has all the essential CRM features. But, if you’re still not sure about its competency as a HubSpot CRM alternative, here’s more:

7 Reasons to Use TeamWave instead of HubSpot CRM?

In all, if you want to try out a really simple, affordable, and feature-rich CRM software, TeamWave is a great one to check out. 

Why don’t you take a free TeamWave trial and see for yourself?

Did I miss a tool?

Is there a better HubSpot CRM alternative I missed adding in this list? If so, feel free to share in the comments below.

And Hey, if you end up using one of the HubSpot CRM Alternatives mentioned in this article then pay the help forward by sharing it with others. Who knows, they might meet their search for a CRM solution through it as well.