Salesforce brings customer records, sales opportunities and team activity into a configurable CRM platform. Australian businesses can begin with simpler suite options and consider broader Sales Cloud capabilities as their processes become more complex. Its extensive ecosystem can support growth, but careful setup helps avoid unnecessary administration.

• Manage accounts, contacts and opportunities, with reports and dashboards helping managers understand sales activity. Feature depth, forecasting and permissions depend on the edition selected.
• Connect other business applications through available integrations and AppExchange. Workflow automation and AI can extend the system, although some capabilities require higher editions or additional purchases.
• Compare licence charges alongside migration, implementation, training and ongoing administration. Ask for a demonstration using your actual sales stages, follow-up tasks and reporting needs before committing to a configuration.

Our view: A strong candidate for teams wanting a CRM that can adapt to detailed sales processes.

HubSpot combines CRM records with connected sales, marketing and customer service tools. Australian businesses can use its limited free tools to organise contacts and deals, then add paid capabilities when their requirements grow. The shared customer database helps teams keep conversations and activity together rather than maintaining separate lists.

• Manage contacts, companies and sales opportunities, with email tools and activity records supporting follow-up. Free allowances and paid feature limits should be checked against your team’s needs.
• Add marketing, sales or service subscriptions for more advanced workflows. Automation, reporting and AI availability vary, and choosing several products can change the total cost substantially.
• Estimate paid seats, marketing contacts, onboarding and any usage-based charges. Test data imports, website forms and the handover between marketing and sales before deciding which subscription combination offers sufficient value.

Our view: An accessible starting point when customer management and inbound marketing need to work together.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales provides customer and opportunity management within Microsoft’s broader business software ecosystem. Australian organisations already using Microsoft tools may find its connected approach useful for coordinating sales records, communication and reporting. Its flexibility makes planning the implementation and choosing appropriate licences particularly important.

• Organise accounts, contacts, leads and opportunities, with sales reports and dashboards supporting oversight. Compare editions against your forecasting, customisation and team management requirements.
• Microsoft 365 connections can bring customer information closer to everyday work. Copilot capabilities and integrations differ by licence, so confirm what is included across Dynamics 365, Outlook and Teams.
• Allow for migration, configuration, training and any Power Platform or additional application costs. Use a trial or demonstration to test real sales activities and check support arrangements, permissions and ongoing administration with your proposed implementation provider.

Our view: Worth shortlisting when CRM needs to fit closely with an existing Microsoft environment.

Zoho CRM helps Australian businesses manage leads, customer records and sales opportunities in one system. A limited free edition offers an entry point for very small teams, while paid editions add capabilities for more structured sales operations. Connections with other Zoho applications can simplify an expanding software stack.

• Keep leads, contacts, accounts and deals organised, with activities and reminders supporting follow-up. Reports and dashboards help teams review progress, subject to edition limits.
• Workflow rules, email connections and Zia AI features vary across subscriptions. Identify the automation and integration requirements you actually need before choosing a more expensive edition.
• Compare per-user charges, additional applications and any implementation assistance. During the trial, test imports, duplicate handling, sales stages and email connections and confirm the selected edition supports your preferred workflow.

Our view: A flexible option for SMEs wanting adaptable CRM tools and access to the wider Zoho ecosystem.

Pipedrive focuses on helping sales teams organise opportunities and keep the next action visible. Australian businesses can track deals through a visual pipeline, schedule activities and maintain customer information without starting with a marketing suite. Its sales-focused approach can suit teams moving beyond spreadsheets and scattered follow-up reminders.

• Create deal stages that reflect your sales process and assign activities to team members. Contact and organisation records help keep conversations connected to the relevant opportunity.
• Email synchronisation, automation, reporting and AI capabilities vary by plan. Explore available integrations if you need connections with accounting, marketing or other customer-facing software.
• Compare paid seats and optional add-ons, rather than the headline subscription alone. Use the trial to test importing records, updating deals and managing activities, and demonstrate any handover or reporting requirements that matter to your team.

Our view: A practical choice when clear pipelines and consistent sales follow-up are the main priorities.

monday CRM uses a visual, configurable approach to managing contacts, leads and deals. Australian teams can adapt boards and workflows around their sales process, helping colleagues see ownership and progress clearly. It may be appealing when the business already uses monday.com for other team activities.

• Organise customer information and opportunities through connected boards, with dashboards offering visibility across sales work. Check which reporting and forecasting capabilities your selected plan includes.
• Email connections, automations and integrations can reduce repetitive updates and support follow-up. Their availability and usage allowances differ by subscription; AI features may also have separate limits.
• Confirm minimum seat purchases and the distinction between monday CRM and other monday products. Trial sales stages, permissions and integrations before subscribing, and estimate the total team cost rather than relying on a single-seat headline price.

Our view: Useful for teams wanting visual CRM workflows they can adapt to their working style.

Freshsales, from Freshworks, combines customer records, deal pipelines and sales engagement tools. Australian businesses can use it to organise opportunities and follow-up activity while exploring communication features within the same environment. A limited free option and paid subscriptions provide different starting points, depending on team requirements.

• Manage contacts, accounts and deals, with pipeline views helping staff monitor sales progress. Reports and activity records can support reviews of opportunities and next steps.
• Email, phone features, workflows and Freddy AI capabilities depend on the plan and configuration. Confirm Australian calling availability, usage charges and which communication tools are included.
• Distinguish Freshsales from Freshsales Suite and other Freshworks products when comparing proposals. Test customer imports, email connections, task automation and your preferred integrations, then calculate seats and any additional communication, marketing or AI costs before selecting a subscription.

Our view: A useful shortlist option for SMEs seeking sales management with connected communication features.

Insightly combines customer relationship management with project tools, helping businesses connect sales opportunities to the work that follows. Australian service firms can keep customer information and delivery activity closer together, reducing gaps when sales and project teams maintain separate records.

• Manage leads, contacts, organisations and opportunities, with activity tracking and pipelines supporting sales follow-up. Relationship information helps staff understand the people and businesses involved in each engagement.
• Project capabilities can support post-sale tasks and handovers. Reporting, automation and customisation differ by edition, so confirm the workflow you need is available in the proposed subscription.
• AppConnect can link Insightly with other applications, but integration and additional product costs should be assessed separately. Use the trial to follow an opportunity through to delivery, checking permissions, record imports and the reports required by both sales and project staff.

Our view: Worth considering when the customer journey continues into project delivery after the sale.