In 2025, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has become the central axis of business transformation: a tool that enables organizing contacts, tracking potential customers, and enhancing the experience at every point of interaction.
Beyond collecting data, a good CRM enables small businesses to anticipate their customers’ needs, automate repetitive tasks, and foster strong, personalized relationships. And when these platforms are combined with project management features, the impact is even greater: achieving a comprehensive view of the business, where teams collaborate better, projects progress more efficiently, and every business opportunity is maximized.
In this article, we will review the six best CRM and project management solutions for small businesses in 2025, analyzing their features, advantages, and why they have become indispensable tools for those seeking to grow with intelligence and order.
Best CRMs with project management for small businesses
Why does your company need CRM software with project management?
In an increasingly competitive business environment, small businesses cannot afford to lose opportunities due to a lack of organization or follow-up. A CRM allows centralizing all client and prospect information in one place, making it easier to identify who the most valuable contacts are, at what stage of the buying process they are, and how to offer them a more personalized experience.
This comprehensive vision is no longer optional: it is key to standing out from the competition and ensuring lasting relationships.
Additionally, the combination of CRM with project management tools offers a double benefit: while the CRM enhances the commercial area, project management ensures that teams work in an orderly and collaborative manner. This means that every closed sale can quickly become a project executed efficiently, avoiding delays, task duplication, and lack of internal communication. The synergy between the two systems saves time and resources, which is critical for budget-conscious companies. Finally, in 2025, digitalization and automation have become essential allies to scale a business without excessively increasing operational costs. Tools like these enable SMEs to compete on equal footing with larger companies, offering agile, transparent, and professional service. In other words, a CRM with project management is not just a support tool but a driver of growth and long-term sustainability.
What features should CRM tools have?
Choosing the right CRM is not just about having software to store contacts; the key is to have a tool that truly adapts to the working dynamics of contractors and enhances business efficiency.
In 2025, the best solutions extend far beyond simple customer management, integrating automation, analysis, and collaboration features that simplify daily tasks and enable orderly and sustainable growth.
General features a good CRM should have: - Centralization of information: a single place to store customer data, projects, budgets, and communications.
- Opportunity management and sales tracking: tools to monitor prospects and follow up at each negotiation stage.
- Task automation: reminders, follow-up notices, and workflows that save time and reduce errors.
- Integration with other platforms: compatibility with project management software, accounting, email, and mobile applications.
- Accessibility and mobility: cloud availability and mobile apps, so the team can access from anywhere.
- Real-time reports and analysis: clear metrics on commercial performance, active projects, and customer satisfaction.
- Ease of use: an intuitive interface that requires no complex learning curve for the team.
- Scalability: ability to adapt to business growth and the needs of larger teams.
Comparative table: The best CRMs for project management
| HubSpot CRM | Robust free plan, intuitive interface, extensive integrations, sales and marketing automation. | Free; paid plans from ~€45/month for two users | Startups with no initial cost looking to grow in a broad ecosystem. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho CRM + Zoho Projects | Highly customizable, complete suite (CRM, management, accounting), AI automation. | CRM from €14/month, Projects from €14/month | Companies seeking modular integration with high ROI. |
| Insightly | Well-integrated CRM and project management, good automations, and tracking. | Approximately €29/month | Agencies or consultancies managing clients and projects together. |
| Freshsales (Freshworks) | Lead capture, integrated communications, AI scoring. | From €15/month | Sales teams needing unified communication within the CRM. |
| Less Annoying CRM | Extremely simple, with a fixed price, ideal for users seeking uncomplicated solutions. | €15/month | SMBs or freelancers wanting the essentials without complexity. |
| monday.com (CRM + management) | Visual, highly customizable, automations, CRM + project management on one platform. | From €12/user (Basic) CRM; teams of minimum 3 users | Teams valuing visual flexibility, automation, and scalability. |
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM is a comprehensive platform, ideal for small businesses just starting out. It offers a very generous free plan that allows managing contacts, sales pipeline, scheduled emails, integrations, and much more.
It provides a solid foundation for scaling up to more advanced tools within the HubSpot ecosystem, although the transition to paid plans is significant, which can be a barrier for some SMEs.
Main Features of HubSpot CRM
- Contact and sales pipeline management.
- Call and email logging.
- Integration with popular tools (Slack, Gmail, Facebook Messenger).
- Marketing automation with pop-ups, chatbots, email campaigns.
- Custom reports and lead assignment intelligence (in paid plans).
Pros and Cons of HubSpot CRM
| Advantages of HubSpot | Disadvantages of HubSpot |
|---|---|
| Very complete and functional free plan. | Big price jump when moving to the professional plan. |
| Ease of use and integration with other hubs. | Costs can scale quickly depending on the number of users and features. |
HubSpot CRM Plans and Pricing
- Free tools: No cost. Includes free tools from Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, Content Hub, and Data Hub.
- Starter Customer Platform: (From €15/month/user) Includes Marketing Hub Starter (with 1,000 marketing contacts), Sales Hub Starter, Service Hub Starter, Content Hub Starter, and Data Hub Starter.
- Smart CRM Pro: (€45/month/user) Includes team features, custom reports, calculated properties, standard CRM interface setup, and duplicate management.
Ideal Use Case for HubSpot
Startups and small businesses looking to start without initial investment and grow gradually within a robust CRM and marketing tools ecosystem.
Zoho CRM + Zoho Projects
Zoho offers an integrated suite combining CRM and project management. It stands out for its customization, automation (including Zia, its AI assistant), and good value for money.
It is a very attractive option for companies seeking a modular and expandable platform without excessive cost.
Main Features of Zoho CRM + Projects
- CRM with lead management, communication, automation.
- Project management tools (tasks, tracking, collaboration).
- Integration with accounting, marketing, helpdesk, and other Zoho tools.
- Artificial intelligence (Zia) for forecasting, scoring, and recommendations.
Pros and Cons of Zoho CRM + Projects
| Advantages of Zoho | Disadvantages of Zoho |
|---|---|
| Complete and modular ecosystem. | Accumulated cost when adding multiple modules. |
| High customization and competent automation. | Learning curve to configure custom setups. |
Zoho CRM + Projects Plans and Pricing
- Zoho CRM: from €20/user/month, with a free plan up to 3 users.
- Zoho Projects: from €5/user/month, with a free plan up to 3 users.
Ideal Use Case for Zoho CRM + Projects
Small and medium-sized businesses looking for an integrated, flexible, and affordable solution for CRM and project management, especially if they already use other Zoho tools.
Insightly
Insightly effectively combines CRM and project management with good automation capabilities and customer tracking from lead to project delivery.
It is a modern and easy-to-integrate tool, although advanced customization can be somewhat complex.
Main Features of Insightly
- Comprehensive management of sales and project pipelines.
- Workflow automation.
- Tracking of contacts and tasks linked to projects.
- Integrations with apps like Slack, MailChimp, etc.
Pros and Cons of Insightly
| Advantages of Insightly | Disadvantages of Insightly |
|---|---|
| Well-integrated CRM and projects in a single platform. | Complex configuration for inexperienced users. |
| Good balance between features and cost. | Phone support may incur additional cost. |
Insightly Plans and Pricing
Below are the main Insightly plans and prices updated to 2025.
- Plus: ~€24.50/user/month (annual billing), includes lead management, projects, advanced reports, and pre-configured dashboards.
- Professional: ~€41.39/user/month (annual billing), adds lead routing, workflow automation, and custom page design.
- Enterprise: ~€83.62/user/month (annual billing), includes sandboxes, product and pricing management, and full audit logging.
It is essential to note that prices are indicative, as they were calculated using the current exchange rate between the dollar and the euro at the time of the article’s writing.
Also, Insightly offers a 14-day free trial (no credit card number required) on both its Plus and Professional plans. It is recommended to use them to evaluate the platform.
Ideal Use Case for Insightly
Agencies, consultancies, or companies that manage projects for clients and want to consolidate CRM and tracking into a single interface.
Freshsales (Freshworks CRM)
Freshsales offers a CRM focused on sales teams, with integration of calls, emails, and lead scoring features powered by AI. The free plan is quite comprehensive and attractive for small businesses with active sales needs.
Main features of Freshsales
- Lead capture and management.
- Automatic logging of communications (emails, calls).
- Automated scoring tools.
- Integration with Slack, Zapier, and other apps.
Pros and cons of Freshsales
| Advantages of Freshsales | Disadvantages of Freshsales |
|---|---|
| Useful free plan for sales teams. | Some advanced features only in higher tiers. |
| Built-in communication capabilities. | Cost increases if integrations or advanced AI are needed. |
Freshsales plans and pricing
Freshsales offers a free plan and three paid subscriptions tailored to meet the needs of each business. They are as follows:
- Free plan: €0 for 3 users, featuring Kanban views, email templates, integrated chat, and phone support.
- Growth: €11/user/month, adds custom fields, basic workflows, and product catalog.
- Pro: €47/user/month, includes AI contact scoring, sales sequences, territory management, and advanced workflows.
- Enterprise: €71/user/month, includes field-level permissions, custom modules, AI insights, and sandbox.
Freshsales offers a free 21-day trial period to evaluate the platform, as well as discounts on all plans when choosing annual billing over monthly.
Ideal use case for Freshsales
Small businesses and startups with sales teams that want a functional CRM from scratch, with good integrated support and the potential for gradual scaling.
Less Annoying CRM
An ultra-simple tool aimed at small businesses and freelancers who only need the essentials: contact management, tasks, and pipeline. Transparent pricing, easy to use, and highly rated support for its clarity.
Main Features of Less Annoying CRM
- Simple management of contacts, tasks, and opportunities.
- Database import and basic synchronization.
- Reminders and activity tracking.
- Customizable basic reports.
Pros and Cons of Less Annoying CRM
| Advantages of Less Annoying CRM | Disadvantages of Less Annoying CRM |
|---|---|
| Very easy to use and implement. | Limited features for growth. |
| Fixed and clear pricing. | No automation or advanced CRM. |
Plans and Pricing of Less Annoying CRM
Less Annoying CRM has a single plan with a fixed rate of ~€12.67/user/month. The price is indicative, as it was calculated based on the dollar to euro exchange rate at the time of writing.
Among the features included with this single plan are:
- Unlimited contacts and companies
- Unlimited funnels/pipelines
- Email logging
- User permissions
- Unlimited custom fields
- 25 GB of file storage per user
- Task management
- Mobile access
- All features and updates free
Ideal Use Case of Less Annoying CRM
Solepreneurs, small businesses, or teams with basic CRM needs who want simplicity, clarity, and good support without complications.
monday CRM
monday CRM offers a highly customizable visual platform that integrates CRM and project management. It highlights the importance of planning, execution, and management of milestones and tasks in projects, supporting managers and human resources in managing work and contacts. It is, ultimately, an ideal solution for collaborative teams who value visibility and scalability of their projects. It requires a minimum of 3 users.
Main Features of monday CRM
- Customizable visual boards for pipeline and projects.
- Easy integration within the Microsoft ecosystem.
- Activity and workflow management, improving productivity and progress of each project.
- Includes programming features to customize processes.
- Automations and email sequences with AI.
- Integration with website and social media to improve customer service and relationships.
- Bidirectional email integration, merging duplicate contacts.
- Reporting, forecasting, document management, and invoicing (advanced levels).
Pros and Cons of monday CRM
| Advantages of monday | Disadvantages of monday |
|---|---|
| Very visual, highly customizable and scalable. | High cost for small teams (minimum 3 seats). |
| Advanced automations and CRM-to-project features. | Some features require higher-tier plans. |
monday CRM Plans and Pricing
These are the monday CRM plans and prices, updated for 2025:
- Basic: €15/user/month (annual). Includes unlimited contacts and boards, basic workflows, and mobile app.
- Standard: €20/user/month (annual). Adds advanced account management, email integration, and automations up to 250 actions.
- Pro: €33/user/month (annual). Includes sales forecasts, email sequences, budgets, and automations up to 25,000 actions.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing. Includes advanced analytics, permission levels, compliance, and enterprise-level support.
The Basic, Standard, and Pro plans come with a free trial to evaluate their features. Additionally, monday offers discounts of up to 18% if opting for annual billing instead of monthly.
Ideal Use Case for monday CRM
Collaborative teams that value visualization, flexibility, and advanced automation, especially those working in sales, projects, and joint communication.
Which CRM tools have we ruled out? 3 don’t make the cut
When selecting the best CRM and project management tools for small businesses in 2025, we found several options that, although popular, do not reach the level of integration, scalability, or value offered by the six chosen solutions.
One example is Pipedrive, a CRM highly focused on sales that, while agile and intuitive, lacks a robust project management layer, which limits its usefulness for those seeking an all-in-one solution.
Another tool that is left off the list is Trello, which is extremely useful for visual task organization, but falls short as a CRM. Although it can integrate with third-party apps to extend its capabilities, its primary focus is on simple project management, so it doesn’t directly compete with solutions that unify sales and projects on the same platform.
Finally, Salesforce Essentials also doesn’t make the cut. Despite being one of the sector’s leading brands, its small business version presents a steep learning curve and costs that quickly surpass those of more accessible options. In practice, this leads many SMEs to perceive it as a more complex and expensive tool than they actually need, leaning toward lighter and more affordable alternatives.
Which CRM is best according to your type of company?
- If you are a startup with no initial budget: HubSpot CRM is the ideal option thanks to its very complete free plan.
- If you manage many projects besides sales: Zoho CRM + Projects or monday.com offer the best combination.
- If you work in consulting or agencies with recurring clients: Insightly ensures good control of sales and projects in one tool.
- If your focus is 100% sales with integrated communication: Freshsales is the most powerful alternative.
- If you are a freelancer or very small SME with basic needs: Less Annoying CRM is simple, economical, and sufficient.
Best CRMs with project management for small businesses
These are the CRM software to manage your SME projects
Throughout this article, we have analyzed the six most complete and accessible solutions for SMEs, each with its specific strengths and different levels of technological maturity.
The important thing is to understand that there is no perfect universal CRM, but rather the one that best adapts to the type of lead and project management your company needs. From lightweight solutions for freelancers to robust platforms that integrate sales, marketing, and operations, the key is to choose wisely, prioritizing ease of use, cost, and the ability to scale as your business requires.
Ultimately, the choice of tool will always depend on the characteristics of your company: its size, resources, and the complexity of its processes. It is not about opting for the “most complete” solution on paper, but rather the one that best fits your day-to-day and allows your team to adopt the tool smoothly.
The truth is that technology is on your side: today, there are accessible, visual, and customizable CRMs that were once reserved only for large corporations. Choosing wisely is a step toward more efficient and profitable lead management, and, above all, more aligned with the future of small businesses.