Our team spent over 100 hours testing customer relationship management (CRM) providers, including Salesforce, Zoho CRM and HubSpot. Each business owner seeks something unique to support their business needs and growth trajectory. Plus, each CRM has a different array of features, which makes comparing them like comparing apples to oranges. Some CRM products focus on data collection and reporting, while others push project and task management for teams.
Our Rating System for CRM Software
To create our CRM rating methodology, we reviewed each company’s website, marketing materials and platform demos/free trials where applicable to gain a better understanding of their solution. We also conducted a survey in 2024 of 200 professionals who are currently using CRM in their line of work or have used CRM within the past year. We analyzed the results of this survey to determine how to weigh the value for each of our five scoring criteria.
Important factors for CRM software include pipeline management, custom dashboards, integrated features and document sharing and storage. We also read thousands of reviews and evaluated customer support features including live chat, phone support and user forums.
Overall, our top picks for CRM software scored highest across the following criteria:
- User Experience
- Value
- Features
- Customer Support
- Reputation and Credibility
But the best CRM software for you may come down to just one of these categories. Take a closer look at our testing criteria, then dive into all of the CRM providers we’ve reviewed.
Factors We Use To Score CRM Software Companies
Throughout our research process, we scored providers out of 100 for experiences in the following areas, then later translated these into five-star ratings.
User Experience (25%)
User experience is crucial for businesses choosing a CRM, as it directly affects team efficiency and productivity. We gauge how users are interacting with each provider’s tools by evaluating tutorials, explainer videos, step-by-step instructions and the ability to start a sales campaign immediately. Additionally, our reviewers have first-hand experience working with CRM software.
Value (25%)
Cost impacts the company’s budget and ROI, potentially dictating whether the business can afford to invest in other essential areas to drive growth. To rank value, we measure the number of features a user has access to at the lowest price tier, how long the provider offers a free trial and if the provider offers a money-back guarantee.
Features (25%)
Streamlining tasks, organizing workload efficiently and enhancing productivity is pivotal for ensuring timely and effective customer interaction and service delivery. We analyze multiple features, including document and sharing storage, pipeline management, integrations and analytics.
Customer Support (15%)
Business owners must ensure quick resolution of issues and uninterrupted service, which is crucial for maintaining optimal business operations and customer relationships. We evaluate live chat functionality, phone support and user forums.
Reputation and Credibility (10%)
Trust and reliability are vital for a business to count on consistent performance and security to maintain seamless customer relations and business operations. We conduct a comprehensive review of App Store ratings and consider how long each provider has been in business and how many individuals they employ.
This rating system is intended to give readers a comprehensive overview of each CRM provider. However, our top providers may not fit all businesses best. Learn more by reading each individual provider’s CRM review.
The MarketWatch Guides team provides reviews of technology products and services to help readers make educated purchasing decisions. Our editorial team consists of seasoned editors, researchers and writers who are experts in the topics they cover. In addition, while we may earn a commission on our articles, our research, featured brands and recommendations are independent of and distinct from any financial compensation.