Compare CRM Software: Top 5 Products, Factors To Consider and More

Trying to pick the best CRM software in a sea of vendors and features can seem like an uphill battle. How can you know what to prioritize with your CRM comparison? We get it. It’s a challenging process. Understanding which CRM platforms will best meet your needs and fit all of your company’s requirements is no small task.

If you’re feeling lost, we wrote this article – complete with a handy chart and a breakdown of five leading CRM products – for you.

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CRM Comparison Overview

	Analyst Verified
SelectHub Award	Best Overall	Best for Account and Contact Management	N/A	Best for Integrations & Extensibility	Best for Partner Relationship Management
Analyst ScoreSelectHub’s Analyst Rating is based on data from our 400+ point analysis of CRM Tools, user reviews, and our own crowd-sourced data from our free software selection platform. Scores are periodically updated via ongoing selection projects and user activity within our platform.	88	87	87	83	81
Company Size	S M L	S M L	M L	S M L	M L

Account & Contact Management	82Score taken from our software selection platform and calculated based on how comprehensive the feature set is for the module.	100	96	95	98
Dashboards & Reports	83	93	100	100	100
Lead Management	86	100	96	87	88
Sales Performance Management	100	91	96	63	85
Mobile Capabilities	86	84	91	79	86

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Comparison of Leading Systems

For this CRM comparison article, we’ll focus on core CRM capabilities so we can compare apples to apples. I’ve tested several CRM apps to provide a detailed analysis that can help you choose the best CRM software for your needs. By comparing key features, ease of use and overall performance, I aim to give you a clear picture of what each product offers.

Whether it’s Zoho’s intuitive interface, Salesforce’s robust customization options, HubSpot’s seamless integrations or Pipeliner’s unique visualizations, I’ll break down what makes each CRM unique. My goal is to help you decide which system will best support your business processes and help you achieve your goals efficiently. Stay tuned for the comprehensive reviews!

While testing CRM apps, here are the factors that I prioritized:

• Contact and Sales Management: When looking for a CRM, make sure it can track contacts, activities and deals visually through a pipeline. This ability is key to managing interactions, tasks and follow-ups smoothly, clearing the way for smarter decisions.
• Ease of Use: Another key factor to consider when comparing CRM software is the interface. See how many clicks it takes to conduct basic tasks and how easy it is to find the most needed features. It should manage user errors and be easy to train others to use.
• Customizability: How are your salespeople planning to tailor the CRM platform? What exactly are they looking to customize — reports, dashboards, layout, workflows, tasks or templates? This feature helps mold the solution to fit the unique needs of different teams.
• Reporting: Understanding your business’s performance is crucial for growth. Reports play a vital role here — they provide the data you need to see how your decisions impact outcomes.
• Integrations: Take note of all business apps your company uses daily. Which collaboration and social media apps do your employees prefer? What about third-party integrations to manage workflows and data? Top vendors that offer your preferred integrations can help you streamline communication.
• Mobile App: Connecting with your customers is crucial for running a business successfully. CRM systems you can access via multiple devices like mobile, laptop and desktop are a must. Bonus points if the app provides offline access and a mobile responsive design for optimal viewing.

Pipeliner CRM: Best Overall

The next on our list is Pipeliner CRM. According to our research, 94% of users recommend this product, highlighting its popularity and user satisfaction.

In comparison, Zoho has a user sentiment score of 82; Salesforce and HubSpot each have 86%, while Oracle stands at 81%. This data underscores the high level of user approval for Pipeliner CRM, positioning it ahead of its competitors in terms of user recommendations.

During testing, I found the visual pipeline representation really impressive. You can easily track each deal’s progress and move it across stages with a simple drag-and-drop. The customizable sales steps and milestones can fit specific sales processes perfectly, and sales forecasting tools provide accurate predictions based on pipeline data.

I also loved the flexibility it provides in how you view data. For example, on the opportunity screen, you can choose from pipeline views like bubble chart, compact, list or map view. On the activity screen, options include list, calendar and task board view.

The Buying Center feature is amazing! It shows the connections between contacts, accounts and opportunities in interactive graphs, making it easy to identify key decision-makers and their relationships. The Org Chart is another interesting feature that can automatically build an organizational chart for each account, showing the hierarchy and decision-making structure.

View connections between contacts, accounts and opportunities to identify key decision-makers.

I’m particularly impressed with the dashboards and reporting capabilities. The interactive dashboards offer real-time data visualization, providing valuable insights into sales performance. Custom reports allow you to analyze specific metrics and trends, helping you make informed decisions.

What’s really handy is how Pipeliner lets you request new reports right from your screen. It quickly gathered all the data on opportunities and created a report for me. I could easily tweak these reports using the power panel to fit what I need. You can group reports by owner, add graphs, pick specific columns and remove any info you don’t want.

Easily customize reports with the power panel to meet your needs.

The Automatizer tool helps you automate repetitive tasks. For instance, you can automate email or notification sending when a deal hits a certain stage. It can update fields or statuses and sync data with other systems by itself. You can even create custom workflows that perfectly match your sales process. The best part? You don’t need to know how to code! Its user-friendly interface lets you build automation workflows with just a few clicks.

Platform Analysis

Source: SelectHub Technology Selection Platform

Pros and Cons According to User Reviews

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Zoho CRM: Best for Account and Contact Management

With an analyst rating of 87, Zoho is one of the top CRM products in the market according to our research, right alongside industry heavyweights like Salesforce and ahead of CRM giants like HubSpot and Oracle Sales Cloud.

In our analysis, Zoho scored exceptionally well for features that help users manage contacts and accounts. All the basics are available out of the box — from contact and account creation to appointment scheduling and account hierarchy.

Gain real-time customer insights, engage with them on various channels and build strong relationships.

You can even use Zoho’s AI assistant, Zia, to recommend product matches for users based on the behavioral patterns of all your customers. You control the AI’s recommendation model. Set one up from scratch or use a predefined option.

This tool is great for functions like accounting, invoicing, project management and cloud storage. It’s especially helpful for contact and sales pipeline management since it stores all your customer information in one centralized database. You can track interactions, set reminders for follow-ups and segment your contacts based on specific criteria.

Additionally, it has in-depth reporting capabilities, which can help identify improvement areas. However, I found that these reports, while extensive, might not be as visually appealing as the graphs and infographics you’d find on other platforms like HubSpot.

I have to commend Zoho for not compromising on integration. It works seamlessly with popular tools like Google Workspace, Mailchimp, Slack, Zoom and many more. Plus, its mobile app is just as powerful as the desktop version, giving you access to all its features on the go.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one CRM that does pretty much everything, you can’t go wrong with Zoho CRM. According to our data, it fully supports 86% of key CRM requirements out of the box. And only 5% aren’t supported at all. In fact, it fully supports more features out of the box than CRM juggernauts Salesforce (81%) and HubSpot (80%).

Despite delivering a ton of helpful features, Zoho CRM does lack a few tools, according to our research. Mobile push notifications aren’t offered. If you need a system to manage contracts and quotes, you’ll need to connect with other platforms, such as Zoho Contracts and Zoho Subscriptions, each of which costs extra. Zoho CRM also doesn’t integrate with CPQ solutions.

Platform Analysis

Source: SelectHub Technology Selection Platform

Pros and Cons According to User Reviews

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Salesforce Sales Cloud

Salesforce has the largest market share and best brand recognition in the CRM landscape. In 2023, Salesforce’s market share in the CRM sector reached 21.7%, making it the top revenue-generating CRM vendor. Its popularity is undeniable, but is it the right choice for you?

This CRM provider is suitable for businesses of all sizes and industries. But it’s best for enterprises working on a large scale with complex CRM requirements. It can handle enterprise use cases like managing order flows for international procurement, generating executive reports and addressing the complex demands of CPQ processes. It’s also a great choice for companies who’ve outgrown previous CRM and leadership teams with Salesforce experience.

Salesforce provides one of the most configurable platforms. In addition to customizing its standard programs, you can run, develop and optimize your own apps. Salesforce App Cloud exists as a single ecosystem and helps you create and run all the personalized apps your organization needs.

Also, it keeps everything organized — business prospects, customer contacts, leads, opportunities and even purchase history — so you can better understand your customers and tailor your sales strategy. However, setting up this CRM can be a bit tricky if you’re not familiar with how they work. You might even need to hire an expert or freelancer to get it up and running smoothly.

You can easily create new reports once you have all the details on leads, accounts, contacts and opportunities. The reports are straightforward and look like what you see in Excel sheets, making it easy to understand and use them for tracking sales and customer interactions.

Easily create reports with details on leads, accounts, contacts and opportunities.

Its AI-powered tool, Einstein Analytics, is a game-changer. It’s actually intelligent. It analyzes your sales data and provides insights and recommendations. For example, it can suggest which leads are most likely to convert, helping you focus on high-impact activities.

Salesforce stands out with over 3,000 integrations, connecting you to a wide range of platforms, from marketing automation to scheduling software. This means it can seamlessly work with most of the leading platforms you’re already using.

In our analysis, Salesforce came out on top for sales performance management. It allows you to utilize AI-based coaching, set up campaign hierarchies, configure territories, create targeted sales campaigns, forecast sales, configure sales goals and establish territory hierarchies — all right out of the box. However, while Salesforce supports gamification with additional modules, Zoho and Pipeliner offer full gamification support.

Platform Analysis

Source: SelectHub Technology Selection Platform

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HubSpot Sales Hub: Best for Integrations & Extensibility

First off, HubSpot Sales Hub is incredibly user-friendly when compared to other CRMs on our list. The interface is clean and intuitive, which makes it easy to navigate. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, you’ll find it simple to get started. Everything is laid out logically, so you’re not wasting time trying to figure out where things are.

The contact management feature is one of my favorites. It allows you to store and manage all your customer information in one place. You can easily organize and segment contacts, track their interactions with your business, and gain insights into their behavior and preferences. One of the standout capabilities is its ability to automatically capture and track website visitors and turn them into leads.

You can automatically capture and convert website visitors into leads.

Besides managing contacts and sales pipelines, HubSpot Sales Hub offers many tools tailored for marketing agencies. For instance, you get advanced options for opt-in forms, email marketing and customer service features that go beyond what many other CRMs offer. Its free website builder is a powerful tool for small businesses, as it allows you to create and manage a professional-looking website with advanced marketing features.

The email marketing capabilities are truly second to none. You can set up automated email campaigns that nurture leads through the sales funnel. Also, you can create targeted content and messages that are sent based on a lead’s behavior, interests and stage in the buying journey. It may seem complex initially, but you’ll see that HubSpot’s email marketing engine operates as effectively as dedicated email marketing platforms.

I highly appreciate HubSpot’s reporting capabilities. You can choose from a variety of ready-made reports and organize them into separate dashboards. Even the free plan includes multiple dashboards and up to 30 reports. Compared to other email and contact management tools, the data is really easy to read.

Plus, given HubSpot’s popularity, it can integrate seamlessly with nearly all major software brands. In our analysis, HubSpot ranked the best for integrations and extensibility. You can easily integrate with accounting platforms, BI tools, CPQ software, project management systems, Microsoft 365 and more.

Platform Analysis

Source: SelectHub Technology Selection Platform

Pros and Cons According to User Reviews

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Oracle Sales Cloud: Best for Partner Relationship Management

Oracle Sales Cloud is a leader in partner relationship management, according to our analysis. It fully supports multiple critical areas out of the box, including deal registration, marketing development fund tracking, partner onboarding, partner portals and partner scorecards. This capability demonstrates Oracle’s commitment to providing a comprehensive and efficient platform for managing partner relationships.

Oracle Sales Cloud, along with Pipeliner CRM, nailed it with a perfect 100 for the ability to build partner scorecards — a feature notably absent in Salesforce, Zoho and HubSpot. You can assess every angle of a partner’s activities and contributions to your overall business goals. This feature allows you to identify areas of improvement and measure the performance of your company’s channel partners.

Monitor partner activities directly within your CRM to manage them with ease.

Its intuitive interface and user-friendly design make it accessible for both tech-savvy users and those less familiar with CRM systems. Features like the Oracle Sales Assistant help you perform tasks through natural language commands, reducing the learning curve and increasing efficiency.

This CRM provider offers robust and advanced reporting capabilities. What really sets it apart is the combination of prebuilt and customizable analytics, allowing businesses to quickly gain insights while tailoring reports to their unique needs.

You can use AI-driven predictive analytics for more accurate forecasting and integrate seamlessly with other Oracle apps for a unified data view. Additionally, its mobile capabilities ensure that sales teams can access and update critical data on the go, making it a versatile and powerful tool for sales management.

Oracle Sales Cloud didn’t score as high as other CRM providers in our communication channels analysis, with a rating of 66. In comparison, HubSpot scored 96, Zoho 92, Salesforce 86 and Pipeliner 88. However, it still offers robust support for essential features, providing handy tools like email templates, email communication, email aliases and call logging out of the box.

Platform Analysis

Source: SelectHub Technology Selection Platform

Pros and Cons According to User Reviews

Compare CRM Pricing & Costs with our Pricing Guide

How We Choose Products

Our team of writers and analysts at SelectHub is committed to giving you the best recommendations based on our data. To make our list, products had to meet two criteria:

1. Closely match the topic
2. Earn a top-5 analyst score in our selection platform

Our analyst scores are based on an in-depth research process using primary and secondary sources. This includes SelectHub Analyst Briefings, direct communication with vendors, and reviewing materials such as user reviews, product brochures, specification sheets, case studies, user manuals, and technical documentation.

Our platform’s Scoring Engine processes the research and computes the analyst score. The score also factors in platform settings such as industry and company size.

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How To Compare CRM Software

We’ve looked at the best CRM solutions you should watch for, but why stop there? In this section, we’ll quickly cover where to go next.

Before you begin researching the market, we recommend defining your requirements.

Using our free CRM system requirements template, you can rank your top options and compare CRM software to narrow down the one that’s best for your business. Start with the CRM comparison guide above, and then ask your organization to see what other requirements you need.

A common method that many companies turn to is the RFP (request for proposal). Check out our CRM RFP template and guide if you’re unfamiliar with this process or want to ensure you get the most bang for your RFP buck.

In the initial phase, you’ll compare CRM features and requirements. Defining the most pertinent to your organization will help you create a list of matching CRM software vendors.

The next step of the process includes conducting follow-ups by assessing vendor capabilities, negotiating prices and, finally, making a selection.

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FAQs

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Next Steps

You made it! And now you have a better understanding of the most critical considerations when comparing CRM features as well as a good idea about the industry-leading CRM platforms. From here, finding the right solution for customer relationship management doesn’t have to be the business version of piñata.

However, navigating the massive CRM market can still be tricky. That’s why we offer you our free CRM comparison report . It will take you on a deep dive into the top vendors, helping you compare them based on features, pricing and other custom criteria.

What products from our CRM comparison stood out to you the most? Which features are your must-haves when looking for a CRM? Leave a comment to let us know!