In need of affordable, full-featured CRM software to help manage your side hustle? Fortunately, there are several amazing options for you in 2024. For this in-depth article, we reviewed 12 of the best CRM solutions designed for solopreneurs, focusing on their free and entry-level plans. We'll break down the pros, cons and features so that you can make an informed decision on your next big software purchase.


Solopreneurs are, more often than not, fledgling business owners with small businesses and even smaller capital. Yet, they need CRMs to help them manage their customers and maintain lasting relationships. These CRMs cost money and require time commitments. How, then, can they obtain this software without breaking the bank?

The solution is to look for Free CRMs or ones with low-cost starter plans, as they provide all the features needed for the successful running of a small business. Ultimately, an affordable CRM is an indispensable tool for a solopreneur.

What is Important to Look for in a CRM for Solopreneurs?

As a solopreneur, your business is quite different from multi-personnel companies. You're a one-man army directly involved in all operations and often handle all your tasks single-handedly. Consequently, you need a unique set of CRM requirements that most software may not be able to satisfy. To avoid making (often expensive) mistakes when choosing the best CRM to use as a solopreneur, you should consider the following factors:

  1. Low cost
    Your solo enterprise may be hard-pressed for cash, prompting you to make smart financial decisions and cut costs when possible. As such, the first thing you should consider when deciding is the software's cost. You should look for simple CRM systems with free plans or low-cost entry plans.
  2. Full feature set
    Not only should you consider the cost of the software, but you should also examine the features available on your chosen subscription. These features should be able to satisfy all your CRM needs. If you do need to upgrade to access more features, the cost of upgrading should not break the bank.
  3. Easy to use
    A good CRM for solopreneurs must be easy and intuitive to use without requiring the services of a software developer. It must be easy to set up, and customer support should provide adequate help navigating difficult areas.
  4. Plenty of integrations
    CRM software is not the only tool in your arsenal. You need quotation software, website builders, accounting software, project management and other tools to run your business. Therefore, any CRM you choose must be able to integrate seamlessly with other software and even other CRMs. This helps you save the costs of using developers to provide these functionalities.

Examples of how solopreneurs use CRM

There are many ways solopreneurs leverage CRM tools to grow their businesses. They take advantage of all the features CRMs offer, including email campaigns, live chat services, sales pipelines, and many more. Here are the five most common ways sole business owners use CRM software.

  1. Solopreneurs use the deal pipeline to gather, track, and onboard leads and potential clients. They nurture their leads through constant communication and email campaigns.
  2. CRMs help boost sales through the digital marketing tools they provide. Solopreneurs use CRMs to design and send emails, SMS, and newsletter campaigns.
  3. Most CRMs include web form builders that solopreneurs can use to create sign-up, subscription, and purchase order forms. Using the underlying technology of these form builders, solopreneurs can create beautiful landing pages for their websites.
  4. Solopreneurs have to manage their time wisely to retain control over their business. Therefore, they use the automation tools present in most CRM platforms to automate common business operations like SMS notifications, welcome messages, and client onboarding. Solopreneurs use the customer relationship management tools like voice calls, live chat, and video calls to maintain a constant communication stream with their customers.

Quick Comparison of CRM Software for Solopreneurs:

Software Intro Price Differentiator
ActiveCampaign $19 The best CRM for Solopreneurs and freelancers
Hubspot Free Fully featured and scales well
Less Annoying CRM $15 Simple CRM system with unlimited customization options
Pipedrive $9.90 Sales-focused CRM
EngageBay $12 All-in-one & low cost
Klaviyo $45 Best for E-commerce
Zoho CRM Plus $12 Great for budget-conscious business owners
Campaign Monitor $9 Email analytics tool and flexible pricing model
Apptivo $8 Suitable for all business types
Agile CRM $8.99 Tools for sales, marketing, and customer service
Sendinblue $25 Supports transactional email
GIST $29 Affordable, full-featured CRM

The Top 12 Best CRM Software For Solopreneurs Are

  1. Active Campaign
  2. Gist
  3. Hubspot
  4. Less Annoying CRM
  5. Pipedrive
  6. Engagebay
  7. Klaviyo
  8. Zoho CRM Plus
  9. Campaign Monitor
  10. Apptivo
  11. Agile CRM
  12. Sendinblue

1. Active Campaign

Founded: 2003
HQ: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Key info Free plan: No Trial Length: 14 days
Support: 24/7(phone + email)
Best for Solopreneurs looking for a low-cost, all-in-one solution
Pros + Easy for segmentation and tracking customer behavior
+ Great for email sign-ups and pop-up windows
+ Built-in marketing email templates and email campaign tools
Cons - Some terminology may be confusing to new users
- You have to wait about 5-10 minutes to send an email after creating a new email list
- Image management for email campaigns could use some work
Integrations Zapier, Salesforce, WordPress, GA and 870+ more

Active Campaign is one of the most affordable CRM systems, with a starting price of just $19 per month for the sales package. It has become a top choice for solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and solo founders in 2024. Our evaluations at Toksta have shown that it's not just the rich set of features that sets it apart, but also its superior usability and user experience compared to other CRMs in the same category.

Entrepreneurs often grapple with managing multiple business operations simultaneously. Active Campaign's intelligent automation system is a game-changer in this regard. It simplifies the process of setting up automated email campaigns and tracking customer engagement, making it an invaluable tool for solo founders.

The marketing plus plan of Active Campaign is particularly beneficial for solopreneurs who rely on email marketing to reach their customers. The intuitive email builder, offering over 150 templates, enables entrepreneurs to craft professional emails effortlessly. For solo founders with coding skills, Active Campaign provides the flexibility to customize the code of your forms and emails, adding a personal touch to their communications.

The client dashboard is another standout feature, allowing for the effective organization of leads and clients through segmentation. It also provides access to customer reports and analytics, offering valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs make informed business decisions.

While Active Campaign offers advanced features on higher subscription plans, the entry-level plan provides a comprehensive suite of tools that are more than sufficient for most solo founders. The emphasis, however, is not just on the number of features but on their usability. The user-friendly interface, intuitive design, and smooth user experience make Active Campaign a pleasure to use, even for those who are new to CRMs.

Active Campaign is often compared with other CRMs on platforms like G2, underscoring its industry-standard status. Despite a somewhat steep learning curve, the majority of customers have found the software to be highly effective. As one satisfied user stated, "I absolutely love the automations in Active Campaign. The options are so powerful, and it's a very good tool to visualize the customer journeys…."

In conclusion, Active Campaign is a robust tool that offers a comprehensive solution for businesses, particularly for solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and solo founders. It's an affordable, feature-rich, and user-friendly solution that stands out for its superior usability and user experience, making it a top CRM for solo founders.

Active Campaign scores 4.6/5 on G2, 4.6/5 on Capterra, and 4/5 on Trustpilot.  

2. Gist

Founded: 2020
HQ: Newark, Delaware, United States

Key info Free plan: Yes
Support: Email, & chat
Best for Solopreneurs looking for an affordable, full-featured CRM to acquire maximum customers effectively
Pros + Intuitive interface and flat learning curve
+ Advanced marketing and automation tools make onboarding, and customer success flows incredibly simple and intuitive
+ Easy to edit chats even after they are sent or reopen them after they are closed
+ Easy to integrate into a WordPress website
Cons - Plans are not tailored for solopreneurs, small businesses, and startups
- Has many features which are not needed for solopreneurs
- Lacks reporting and analytics in free and professional plans
Integrations Zapier, WordPress, Stripe, Better Proposals, and many more

Gist has quickly made a name for itself as one of the top CRMs, despite being a newer entrant. It has managed to stand out with an impressive array of features in its free plan, all designed to help solo founders acquire, engage, and support their customers and leads. We found Gist to be a product that is constantly evolving, learning from the industry's successes and failures, and outperforming many of its competitors. This is reflected in its high rating of 4.6/5 stars on G2.

One of the key strengths of Gist is its ability to help entrepreneurs acquire new clients using forms, chatbots, and meetings. The software allows you to create visually appealing forms with a customized look and feel. The form builder is intuitive, eliminating the need for an external developer, and it's free to use on any website of your choice. Gist also enables you to run automation when people interact with your forms, adding a layer of efficiency to your customer acquisition process.

Gist's free no-code chatbot builder is another standout feature. This tool can automatically qualify incoming leads and ask critical questions. Operating 24/7, the chatbot engages with customers on your behalf, routing the most promising conversations to your sales reps. This chatbot acts as a personal assistant, scheduling meetings and guiding customers in booking appointments.

Gist also offers tools to engage customers, allowing you to send automated broadcasts and drip email campaigns. The platform provides a simple drag-and-drop email builder with hundreds of templates. You can customize emails for personalized campaigns and modify colors and logos to match your brand. In addition to the email builder, Gist allows you to create automation workflows using a visual builder, executing even complex actions as per your business requirements.

From a pricing perspective, Gist is a very affordable and cost-effective CRM for solopreneurs. Its free plan contains many features a small business or solo founder needs for successful customer engagement. However, some may find Gist a bit bloated with features that may not be useful to a solopreneur. Advanced features like Zoom integration and webhooks are only available in paid subscriptions.

Gist is currently offering a price subsidy for small businesses, reducing the Premium cost from $499 to $99 per month. If this new price is still too steep, there's a $29 plan that offers five additional support seats.

In conclusion, Gist offers a robust suite of features at an affordable price, making it a compelling choice for solopreneurs, especially those seeking a comprehensive, user-friendly CRM solution. The interface is clean and easy to use, and if you're familiar with Intercom, you'll feel right at home with Gist. It's perfect for smaller businesses needing a fully featured CRM on a budget. We loved it so much we use it at Toksta.

GIST scores 4.6/5 on G2 and 4.7/5 on Capterra.

3. Hubspot CRM

Founded: 2006
HQ: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Key info Free plan: Yes
Support: phone, email, & chat
Best for Solo founders with larger budgets looking for a scaleable CRM
Pros + Great for companies that need extensive features
+ Abundant online tutorials to learn the software
+ Excellent email tracking capabilities
Cons - Workflows are often confusing and hard to understand
- Can get expensive when adding features
Integrations WordPress, MailChimp, GA, Adwords & 500+ more

HubSpot stands out in the CRM landscape with its comprehensive suite of marketing, sales, CRM, and CMS tools. Its extensive range of free tools makes it a compelling choice for solopreneurs, its full range of features far surpassing what's typically offered by other software in this category.

💡
While the allure of Hubspot's free CRM is undeniable, it's very basic and lacks many of the most important features. It's important to remember that such strategies are often used to attract customers.

HubSpot's pricing model allows entrepreneurs to add features as needed, creating a tailored user experience. However, costs will quickly accumulate as you inevitably need more features, potentially reaching up to $5000 per month for the full HubSpot experience.

HubSpot's Marketing Hub plans, come equipped with an array of superior email marketing tools that are particularly beneficial for solopreneurs. The email templates provided will allow you to craft engaging marketing campaigns effortlessly - a boon for solo founders who often have to manage marketing efforts single-handedly.

The platform also enables tracking of replies and client interactions for each email, which are conveniently displayed on the contact timeline. This feature allows the user to monitor customer engagement and response rates, providing valuable insights to refine their marketing strategies.

Additionally, HubSpot CRM offers the ability to schedule emails for optimal sending and receipt times, a feature that adds to user convenience. It also provides email or SMS notifications about these emails. All of these little "nice to have" features ensure that as an entrepreneur, you'll stay on top of communication and never miss any important interactions.

While more advanced email tools are available in Enterprise and Professional CRM Suite Plans, the Starter CRM Suite plan, which is more affordable, offers a comprehensive suite of email marketing tools that are more than sufficient for most solopreneurs. This plan provides a balance between cost and functionality, making it the best choice for solopreneurs who need a robust, yet affordable, email marketing solution.

In conclusion, HubSpot CRM is a comprehensive CRM system that offers a wide range of tools, making it a top choice for solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and solo founders. Its user-friendly interface and superior usability make it a pleasure to use, even for those new to CRMs. Just be careful of being sucked in by the free plan, if you need advanced features - HubSpot will be expensive!

Hubspot scores 4.4/5 on G2, 4.5/5 on Capterra, and 3.8/5 on Trustpilot.

4. Less Annoying CRM

Founded: 2009
HQ: St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Key info Free plan: No Trial Length: 30 days

Support: phone & email
Best for Solopreneurs looking for a simple CRM
Pros + Excellent customer support services
+ Easy to learn and use
+ Ability to create your subsections, making the database personal and extra functional
Cons - No email integration and somewhat limited reporting customization options
- Fewer CRM tools than competing products
Integrations Google Calander, Agile Forms, Invoco, LeadsBridge, and more.

Less Annoying CRM lives up to its name by offering a user-friendly and straightforward approach to customer relationship management. Recognized by G2 as the easiest-to-use CRM in 2024, it's particularly popular among small businesses and solopreneurs. Its single subscription plan provides access to all its features, contributing to its near-perfect customer rating of 4.9/5 stars.

While Less Annoying CRM offers fewer tools and features compared to other software, this is by design. The minimalist feature set is appreciated by many customers who value simplicity and ease of use over a plethora of functionalities. However, it's worth noting that some users have expressed a desire for additional features. Despite this, at a price point of $15 per user per month, this software offers excellent value, especially for single users looking for personal CRM software.

The features that Less Annoying CRM does offer can handle a significant portion of business operations, making it a powerful CRM. The Workspace tool, an advanced contact manager, organizes all tasks, contracts, and events in one place, enabling entrepreneurs to complete pending tasks quickly and efficiently. It also provides a visual representation of leads, reviews, and onboardings, offering valuable performance metrics. The CRM system can be accessed from any device.

One of the unique aspects of Less Annoying CRM is its team collaboration platform. It allows you to add multiple users to your account at the same base price per user, with separate logins and passwords, and control over their access level. While this feature may not seem essential for a solopreneur, it becomes invaluable as your business expands.

Less Annoying CRM has received positive reviews across all categories on G2, scoring highly on ease of use, quality of support, and ease of setup, making it one of the best personal CRMS. We found this to be true in our own experience of testing the platform. We particularly appreciated its flexibility and the ability to create custom fields and pipelines.

In conclusion, the low monthly cost and minimal feature set make it an excellent CRM for solo entrepreneurs and small businesses looking for a personal CRM app. Its strengths reside in its simplicity, affordability, and user-friendliness, qualities that more than compensate for its lack of aesthetic appeal and flashy design.

Less Annoying CRM scores 4.9/5 on G2, and  4.8/5 on Capterra.

5. Pipedrive

Founded: 2010
HQ: New York, United States

Key info Free plan: No Trial Length: 30 days

Support: phone, email & chat
Best for Entrepreneurs that want to increase sales in their business
Pros + Sophisticated sales pipeline
+ Integrates multiple caller apps
+ Automatically tracks all calls and emails
Cons - Repetitive data entry can get boring
- Highly dependent on Zapier integration
- Some users report the tool occasionally crashes
Integrations Zapier, Google Meet, WhatsApp and 300+ more

Pipedrive shines in the CRM landscape with its sales pipeline feature, the heart of any CRM. This feature is designed to manage leads and deals, providing an overview of progress, ownership, and communication. It's particularly beneficial for solopreneurs, who often juggle multiple tasks and need to manage their time effectively. With the ability to handle up to 3000 open deals in the entry-level plan, Pipedrive enables entrepreneurs to close more deals in less time, freeing up resources for other aspects of their business.

While Pipedrive is primarily a sales CRM, it offers other features that are useful for solo founders. One such feature is workflow automation, which allows actions to be executed based on dynamic triggers and conditions. The automated pipeline is highly customizable and can contain an unlimited number of stages. Although this feature is not as robust in the basic plan as in the more expensive plans, the sales assistant provided in the basic plan compensates for this limitation.

Pipedrive places a high priority on the privacy and security of your business data. It offers a top-tier data storage system with single sign-on login, two-factor authentication, and 256-bit encryption. This feature allows solopreneurs to categorize users into groups and control which client information each group can access, ensuring data privacy and security.

While Pipedrive is a robust sales management software loved by sales teams, some customers have reported technical bugs and glitches in the UI. It's worth noting these potential issues, although they were not encountered during our evaluation.

In terms of usability and UX, Pipedrive stands out with its intuitive interface and straightforward design. It's easy to navigate, making it a user-friendly choice for solopreneurs who may not have extensive experience with CRM systems.

In conclusion, Pipedrive is one of the best Solopreneur CRMs offering a comprehensive suite of features at a starting price of $9.90. Its focus on sales pipeline management, coupled with its commitment to data security and user-friendly design, makes it a top choice for those seeking an effective, affordable CRM solution.

Pipedrive scores 4.2/5 on G2, 4.5/5 on Capterra, and 3.8/5 on Trustpilot.

6. EngageBay

Founded: 2018
HQ: Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Key info Free plan: Yes
Support: phone, email, & chat
Best for Solopreneurs looking for an easy-to-learn, affordable, all-in-one solution
Pros + Great CRM to use for Marketing, Sales, and Lead Generation
+ Excellent funnel builder
+ Automatic data entry
Cons - Very few drag-and-drop options in templates
- No SMS Function
- The workflow editor can be simpler and easier to understand
Integrations Zapier, Sendgrid, Mailgun & 450+ more

EngageBay has quickly become a go-to solution for startups worldwide, with its comprehensive platform for marketing, CRM, sales, and customer service activities. Supporting over 29,000 businesses, we found EngageBay to be a compelling choice for solopreneurs, offering a wide range of features at an incredibly affordable price.

The CRM platform offers three software packages: Marketing, CRM & Sales Bay, and Service Bay. These can be obtained individually or as an all-in-one bundle at a discounted rate. For solo founders working within a tight budget, the free plan, which allows management of up to 500 contacts and companies, could be an ideal starting point.

One of the standout features we noticed in EngageBay is its 360-degree view of contacts and leads. It automatically scores leads and tracks customer behavior in a single interface, a feature that many entrepreneurs have found beneficial for keeping a close eye on customer interactions and preferences. The client dashboard offers powerful filters for sorting clients based on specific parameters and allows bulk operations like email campaigns and notifications.

EngageBay has quickly become a go-to solution for startups worldwide, with its comprehensive platform for marketing, CRM, sales, and customer service activities. Supporting over 29,000 businesses, we found EngageBay to be a compelling choice for solopreneurs, offering a wide range of features at an incredibly affordable price.

The CRM platform offers three software packages: Marketing, CRM & Sales Bay, and Service Bay. These can be obtained individually or as an all-in-one bundle at a discounted rate. For solo founders working within a tight budget, the free plan, which allows management of up to 500 contacts and companies, could be an ideal starting point.

One of the standout features we noticed in EngageBay is its 360-degree view of contacts and leads. It automatically scores leads and tracks customer behavior in a single interface, a feature that many entrepreneurs have found beneficial for keeping a close eye on customer interactions and preferences. The client dashboard offers powerful filters for sorting clients based on specific parameters and allows bulk operations like email campaigns and notifications.

Engage Bay scores 4.8/5 on G2, and 4.6/5 on Capterra.

7. Klaviyo

Founded: 2012 
HQ: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Key info Free plan: Yes
Support: phone & email
Best for Solopreneurs seeking to increase profits and ROI
Pros + The ease of setting up and the ability to see results against the campaigns
+ Ability to create and import user-generated content into emails for aesthetically pleasing designs
+ Good customer support
Cons - Email templates are difficult to use
- API functions are not robust
- Email builder lacks key design features like an image editor
Integrations Shopify, Facebook, Recharge and many more

Klaviyo, with its unique pricing model that's primarily based on the number of clients, offers an intriguing proposition in the CRM market. This approach allows businesses with fewer than 250 customers to access the full range of Klaviyo's features at no cost. Considering its advanced functionalities, it's understandable why Klaviyo has attracted over 100,000 paying customers.

Designed to deliver personalized experiences and foster deeper customer relationships, Klaviyo proves to be a valuable asset for solopreneurs in the eCommerce sector. Its SMS tool automatically captures phone numbers from contact lists, sign-up forms, and third-party forms, enabling entrepreneurs to reach even the most elusive clients. The platform also supports email marketing campaigns and offers an extensive template library for designing sign-up forms.

Klaviyo integrates seamlessly with more than 300 other software solutions, providing real-time customer segmentation and behavior tracking. Its smart automation system sends personalized messages that respect customer behaviors and preferences. Additionally, it collects reports on client interaction, allowing solo founders to accurately assess their business performance.

While Klaviyo relies on integrations to provide some functionalities, which has drawn criticism from some customers, we found that its easy-to-customize templates and marketing automation system more than makeup for this. Many users have reported increased profit margins, with one stating, "Klaviyo has been very helpful in getting our business to make a very positive ROI on the cost. Our email campaigns continue to be successful, but the segmented and targeted flows are the moneymaker for us!”

In terms of usability and UX, Klaviyo offers an intuitive interface that's easy to navigate, even for those new to CRM systems. Its seamless integrations with major eCommerce platforms make setting up email and SMS funnels a breeze.

In conclusion, Klaviyo is a robust, affordable solopreneur CRM, particularly for those in the eCommerce sector. Its comprehensive feature set, user-friendly design, and focus on personalization make it a top choice for those seeking a cost-effective CRM solution.

Klaviyo scores 4.6/5 on G2, and 4.7/5 on Capterra, and 3.8/5 on Trustpilot.

8. Zoho CRM Plus

Founded: 2005
HQ: Austin, Texas, United States

Key info Free plan: Yes
Support: Phone, email, & chat
Best for Beginners in CRM and CRM software
Pros + Beginner-friendly for CRM first timers
+ Easy deployment
+ Point and click automation and workflows
+ The reporting system is very good
Cons - Getting custom coding and Blueprint is a little difficult TODO
- Limitation integrations with other software
- Bad experience with customer support
Integrations Google Workspace, Shopify, PandaDoc, and over 500 more

Zoho, a veteran in the SaaS industry, has been serving entrepreneurs and small businesses for over 25 years. With a customer base of over 80 million users across its 50 applications, including Zoho CRM Plus, it's clear that Zoho has made a significant impact. What sets Zoho CRM Plus apart is its ability to offer advanced features at no cost, making it one of the best CRMs for freelancers.

For solo founders seeking a virtual assistant to manage leads, clients, and deals, Zoho CRM Plus offers the Sales Force Automation feature. This tool not only saves time but also eliminates the need for additional hiring costs. It allows you to manage client relationships with easy by automatically capturing leads, scoring them based on win probability, and following up using their contact information. Additionally, this tool provides workflow management services that automate common operations.

Zoho CRM Plus offers several other features in its free plan. The Omnichannel tool enables real-time communication with clients, while the process management tool allows you to create blueprints for your sales pipeline. The analytics and performance management tools provide valuable insights and forecasts on performance reports.

One of the standout features we found in Zoho CRM Plus is its mobile app, which allows entrepreneurs to manage their businesses on the go. The app includes a card scanner for scanning business cards and QR codes of new contacts, a feature that many users have found particularly useful. However, some users have criticized its dated UI and subpar customer support.

In terms of pricing, Zoho CRM Plus is designed to grow with your business. All the basic features needed to run a business are available in the free plan. However, for those needing higher cloud storage capacity or AI insights, professional or enterprise plans are available at affordable rates.

In conclusion, Zoho CRM Plus is a robust, cost-effective CRM solution that caters to the unique needs of solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, freelancers and solo founders. Its comprehensive feature set, user-friendly design, and focus on personalization make it a top choice for those seeking a cost-effective CRM solution. Despite some criticisms, its strengths in automation and mobility make it a compelling choice in the CRM market.

Zoho CRM scores 4/5 on G2, and 4.3/5 on Capterra.

9. Campaign Monitor

Founded: 20o4
HQ: Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Key info Free plan: Yes
Support: Email
Best for Solopreneurs looking for a dedicated email marketing CRM with an analytics tool and flexible pricing model
Pros + Very easy to setup campaigns
+ Can upload custom-coded emails. Easy to upload, preview and edit custom emails
+Mobile-friendly layouts
Cons - The free plan with just five subscribers is very limited and is to familiarize users with features
- Pricing tiers jump significantly for modest increases in subscribers. It can get expensive very quickly
- Takes time to learn how to use all the features
- Limited integrations with other software
Integrations Salesforce, Shopify, WordPress, Lexer

Campaign Monitor, with its emphasis on beautiful email design and marketing, is a popular CRM for solopreneurs, particularly those in the eCommerce sector. Its free email template builder, powered by HTML and CSS, enables entrepreneurs to craft highly customizable email campaigns in mere minutes. It can automatically extract your company’s colors, logos, and brand name from the website URL you provide, ensuring brand consistency across your communications.

For solo founders looking to send targeted emails to specific customer groups, Campaign Monitor's segmentation tools are a game-changer. These tools not only streamline the process but also lay the groundwork for personalization by collecting customer data such as location, gender, and interests. The data collection process is secure, with customers having the option to choose the kind of information they want to share via the preference center.

One feature of Campaign Monitor that we found particularly useful is the email analytics tool. This tool provides real-time insights and reports on email campaigns, automated journeys, transactional emails, and more. It tracks actions like email opens, button clicks, and shares, providing valuable data for informed decision-making. The tool also offers A/B testing on email campaigns, a feature that solo founders will find invaluable.

In terms of pricing, Campaign Monitor's model is based on the monthly number of emails, making it an affordable choice for solopreneurs. All the subscription tiers offer an unlimited number of users and collaborators. Another benefit to this pricing model is that nearly all features are available across all the subscription plans. Unless you want time zone sending, third-party link tracking, and phone customer support, you can stick to the $9 basic plan.

In conclusion, Campaign Monitor is a robust, cost-effective CRM solution that caters to the unique needs of solo founders, particularly those in the eCommerce sector. Its comprehensive feature set, user-friendly design, and focus on personalization make it a top choice for those seeking a cost-effective CRM solution. Despite some criticisms, its strengths in automation and mobility make it a compelling choice in the CRM market.

Campaign Monitor scores 4.1/5 on G2 and 4.6/5 on Capterra

10. Apptivo

Founded: 2009
HQ: Fremont, California, United States

Key info Free plan: Yes
Support: Phone, email, & chat
Best for Small businesses with a specific set of CRM requirements
Pros + Customizable fields
+ very flexible and user friendly
+ Good customer service
Cons - Some of the templates are hard to customize
- Some of the fields do not display consistently
- Creating email templates is confusing
Integrations Paypal, Quickbooks, Xero, Slack, and more

Apptivo, as the name implies, is a comprehensive suite of web applications that caters to a wide range of business operations including sales, email marketing, billing, and customer service. This makes it a compelling choice for solopreneurs who require a versatile toolset. The unique aspect of Apptivo is its flexibility; the number of apps you can install scales with your subscription plan, ensuring you only pay for what you need.

For solo founders just starting out, Apptivo offers a free plan that provides basic functionalities like calendar appointments, tasks, and email integration. While these features may not cover all business activities, they provide a solid foundation. The next tier, the Lite plan, expands on this with additional features like email tracking, third-party integrations, and custom dashboards.

Apptivo's CRM apps, available from the $12 premium plan, include case management, contact regulatory notifications, work orders, and customer service tools. For those requiring advanced automation tools, the $20 Ultimate plan offers up to 57 apps and the ability to create 150 different automation workflows.

In terms of user experience, we found Apptivo to be intuitive and user-friendly, even when compared to other CRMs in the same category. Its versatility and customization options have earned it a respectable rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on G2. The customer support is also commendable, ready to guide users through any complexities.

In conclusion, Apptivo stands out as a flexible, cost-effective CRM solution that grows with your business. Its wide range of features and ability to support business at scale makes it an ideal choice for entrepreneurs, particularly those who prefer to tailor their CRM experience to their specific needs. Despite some limitations in the free plan, Apptivo's strengths in customization and user-friendly design make it a strong contender in the CRM landscape.

Apptivo scores 4.3/5 on G2, and 4.4/5 on Capterra.

11. Agile CRM

Founded: 2013
HQ: Dallas, Texas, United States

Key info Free plan: Yes
Support: Phone, email, & chat
Best for Solopreneurs requiring an affordable CRM with Advanced features
Pros + Clean UI, interconnected functions, detailed statistics
+ Allows all team members to catch up on client progress and interactions quickly
Cons - Complaints about free plan limitations
- Too many features, but none are implemented well
-Bad experience with customer service
Integrations Zendesk, Tido Chat, Google Apps, and more

Agile CRM is a cloud-based platform for sales, marketing, and service. With a free plan for the first ten users in your account, this software provides an affordable, all-in-one CRM solution. This free plan does not require your credit card information, so you can be sure there are no hidden charges when using this software.

Agile CRM is used and trusted by more than 15,000 customers for its speed, automation features, and integrations. Its free plan allows you to manage up to 1000 clients and contacts. Using the contact management tool, you can track milestones for an unlimited number of deals and automatically schedule appointments. Furthermore, the Gamification tool helps to increase sales by promoting healthy competition among your team members.

Agile CRM is a cloud-based platform for sales, marketing, and service. With a free plan for the first ten users in your account, this software provides an affordable, all-in-one CRM solution. This free plan does not require your credit card information, so you can be sure there are no hidden charges when using this software.

Agile CRM is used and trusted by more than 15,000 customers for its speed, automation features, and integrations. Its free plan allows you to manage up to 1000 clients and contacts. Using the contact management tool, you can track milestones for an unlimited number of deals and automatically schedule appointments. Furthermore, the Gamification tool helps to increase sales by promoting healthy competition among your team members.

Agile CRM scores 4/5 on G2, 4.1/5 on Capterra, and 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.

12. Sendinblue

Founded: 2012
HQ: Paris, France

Key info Free plan: Yes
Support: Phone, email, & chat
Best for Solopreneurs looking for an alternate pricing model
Pros + Fantastic contact management/filtering/segmentation
+ Modern web-tracking/lead-scoring capabilities
+The templates are easy to use and adapt to all kinds of display
Cons - The transition between drag&drop and raw HTML is not very intuitive
- The email templates are very limited
Integrations Elementor, Shopify, Zenkit, and more

Sendinblue, a modular suite of ten different applications, offers a blend of CRM and sales and marketing tools. This flexibility allows solo founders to opt in and out of services as their needs evolve, without incurring additional costs. The majority of Sendinblue's features are designed with digital marketing and client onboarding in mind, making it particularly suitable for freelancers launching their online presence.

In our experience with Sendinblue, we found its pricing model to be particularly advantageous for solo founders and freelancers. Unlike many CRMs that charge based on the number of contacts, Sendinblue offers unlimited contacts and bases it's pricing on monthly email volume. This is especially beneficial for those in the early stages of business growth. Starting with a free plan that allows up to 300 emails daily, Sendinblue offers an affordable path to scale as your business expands.

We were impressed by Sendinblue's email and SMS marketing features. The tool assists in designing and sending personalized emails to contacts. While the email templates may be few, they are professional-looking and highly customizable. Plus, the ability to track if clients have received, opened, or clicked on your emails provides valuable insights.

The free plan of Sendinblue shares many features with the paid subscription, including workflow automation. This advanced tool allows you to create automated pipelines that send emails, notifications, and payment requests or launch entirely new pipelines. Using workflow automation, you can define triggers that start the pipeline or conditionally execute actions through flow control logic.

In terms of user experience, Sendinblue is praised for its affordability and its ability to consolidate all contacts into a single platform. Many users have reported that this software played a significant role in growing their businesses. Additionally, customer support has been commended for its response speed, friendliness, and helpfulness.

In conclusion, we found Sendinblue to be a flexible, cost-effective CRM solution that grows with your business. Its strengths in email marketing, affordability, and user-friendly design make it the best freelancer CRM.

Sendinblue scores 4.5/5 on G2, 4.6/5 on Capterra, and 4.4/5 on Trustpilot.

How to pick the right CRM for your enterprise

As discussed in this article, choosing the right CRM to meet your needs is not as straightforward as it may initially seem. Luckily, we have given you guidelines on what to look for in a CRM and how to assess your CRM needs. Each software discussed in this article is an equally viable option, but with subtle and not-so-subtle differences that may serve to sway you. It's up to you to choose the right software to help grow your business.

Our Pick - Active Campaign

Active Campaign’s advanced automation system, ease of use, and extensive integration with other accounting software make it Toksta's top CRM software for solopreneurs in 2024.

Try Active Campaign Free

Meet the author - Sam Cassman

Sam is the co-founder and growth marketer at Toksta. He specializes in a diverse skill set including email marketing/CRM, content creation, SEO, PR, programmatic/search advertising, and social media. His 360 skill set allows him to confidently manage the entire customer life-cycle from generation/acquisition, through to lead nurturing, customer conversion and brand loyalty.

An analytical and creative thinker that lives and breathes data but knows thinking outside the box and going against the grain is sometimes necessary to stand out in a saturated online environment.

Learn more about Sam