- \n
- Does it work for your use case and business?<\/li>\n
- Does it fit with the rest of your sales toolset?<\/li>\n
- Is it a good customer database software?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
To answer question 1, start from your exact use case <\/strong>and your type of business:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Are you a small or medium-sized business (SMB) actively selling B2B? Salesflare<\/a><\/u> will probably be best for you.<\/li>\n
- Are you in real estate instead? Check out our review of Propertybase in this article<\/a><\/u>.<\/li>\n
- Are you in another type of B2C business and need something for sales? Have a look at Pipedrive<\/a><\/u> or Freshworks CRM<\/a><\/u>. (Or you can also check out these full lists of the best sales CRMs<\/a><\/u> and best lead tracking software<\/a><\/u>.)<\/li>\n
- Are you an SMB but more focused on marketing automation? Have a look at HubSpot<\/a><\/u> or ActiveCampaign<\/a><\/u>.<\/li>\n
- You want something that can do literally everything and is not built for anything in particular? Sounds like Zoho CRM Plus<\/a><\/u>.<\/li>\n
- Are you working for a company with 200+ employees? You\u2019ll probably need an enterprise software like Salesforce<\/a><\/u>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
To answer question 2, consider whether the customer databases \/ CRMs you are looking at are a great fit for your sales toolset<\/strong>. I have written dedicated breakdowns for the following:<\/p>\n
- \n
- For Outlook<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- For Gmail<\/a><\/u> \/ For Google Workspace<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- For LinkedIn<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- For your mobile phone<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And finally, for question 3, you can look for platforms that are well rated<\/strong> by their users across platforms. For this, check out the customer database software in this list<\/strong> and their global review ratings.<\/p>\n
These global review ratings<\/strong> are obtained by combining three ratings into one:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Product rating, from the #1 B2B software review site (G2)<\/li>\n
- Mobile app rating, from the #1 mobile app store (Google Play)<\/li>\n
- Email plugin rating, from the #1 email plugin marketplace (Google Workspace Marketplace)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
That way you know you get a customer database that performs on all fronts. \u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50<\/p>\n
\nThe 7 best customer database software ranked<\/h2>\n
To compile this ranking, I went through a list of around 700 possible platforms to make a pre-selection. Then I tested every one of the 7 selected customer database software platforms first hand and researched them in detail for you below.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t want to read the whole comparison? \ud83e\udd13<\/p>\n
The top 7 best customer database software in 2026 are:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Salesflare: 9.7\/10<\/a><\/u> \ud83c\udfc6<\/li>\n
- Salesforce: 8.7\/10<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- HubSpot CRM & Sales Hub: 8.6\/10<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- ActiveCampaign: 8.5\/10<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- Freshworks CRM: 8.3\/10<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- Zoho CRM Plus: 7.7\/10<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- Pipedrive: 6.6\/10<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Want to dig into the details? Read on! \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n
\n1. Salesflare [9.7\/10]<\/a><\/u> \ud83c\udfc6<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Salesflare](\"https:\/\/blog.salesflare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/salesflare-homepage-new-1024x538.jpg\")
Manage your leads like a pro through a visual pipeline \u2728<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Salesflare is a dedicated sales CRM that was built from the ground up to help your sales team build better relationships and sell more, while requiring very little of that dreaded data input<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s made to pull all the data together from where it already is (your Office 365<\/a><\/u> or Google email<\/a><\/u>, calendar, phone, social media, company databases, email signatures, email & web tracking<\/a>, \u2026) and uses that to help you follow up your leads in a better way<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
The flip side is that some companies are not used to sharing this much information<\/strong> within the team, although this has been changing dramatically in recent years, and Salesflare has introduced a new permissions system for companies who want to limit some of that newly created transparency.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have examined several CRMs. Signed up for Hubspot. Seemed good, but many limitations, and much less automation. Actually purchased a subscription for Salesforce. Seemed so cool, but a difficult integration with my Outlook for Mac<\/a> Office 365, and a very large learning curve. Labor intensive data entry, compared to Salesflare. Salesflare seems much more intuitive and taking advantage of AI at tremendously affordable costs.\u201d writes Rocco D.<\/a>, business developer at a building product company, about Salesflare.<\/p>\n
Testing it out<\/h4>\n
When you start using Salesflare, the first thing you\u2019ll notice is how little manual input is required. You connect your email, calendar, and social media accounts, and the customer database starts pulling in data automatically. Customer profiles are populated without you lifting a finger, from contact details to company information, and even social media insights.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll appreciate how all your emails, meetings, and interactions are logged effortlessly. Every time you send an email or schedule a meeting, Salesflare tracks it, giving you a clear timeline of all communications. You can even see when leads open emails and click links, so you always know who\u2019s engaging and when.<\/p>\n
The interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy to see what\u2019s happening with each lead. The automated follow-ups and reminders help keep you on top of your tasks without the usual clutter. Salesflare\u2019s ability to automate repetitive tasks lets you focus on building relationships and closing deals, not data entry.<\/p>\n
Scoring<\/h4>\n
Salesflare\u2019s G2 review scoring:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Ease of Use: 9.5<\/li>\n
- Ease of Setup: 9.5<\/li>\n
- Meets Requirements: 9.3<\/li>\n
- Quality of Support: 9.7<\/li>\n
- Ease of Doing Business With: 9.9<\/li>\n
- Ease of Admin: 9.5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Salesflare\u2019s review ratings:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Product (G2): 9.6\/10<\/li>\n
- Mobile app (Google Play): 4.8\/5 \u2192 9.6\/10<\/li>\n
- Email plugin (Google Workspace): 5\/5 \u2192 10\/10<\/li>\n
- FINAL REVIEW SCORE: 9.7\/10<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Pricing<\/h4>\n
Price of the Pro plan:<\/p>\n
- \n
- $49\/user\/month<\/strong> (billed annually)<\/li>\n
- $64\/user\/month<\/strong> (billed monthly)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Try Salesflare<\/h4>\n
If you don\u2019t sell B2B (aka to other businesses) and don\u2019t do active sales, one of the below customer databases might then be a better fit for you. But, if you do actively sell B2B, give Salesflare a try<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n
It only takes a few minutes to start a Salesflare trial<\/a><\/u><\/strong> and follow up your leads in a better way.\ud83d\udc48<\/strong><\/p>\n
I guarantee you won\u2019t find any better customer database software! \ud83d\udc4c
\n\n\n \n \n \n \n ![\"Salesflare](\"https:\/\/lib.salesflare.com\/images\/salesflare-awards-transparent-2024-800.png\")
\n <\/picture>\n <\/a>\n \n Some of the awards Salesflare has received for its ease of use, ease of implementation, and quality of support.\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure><\/p>\n \n \n \n\n
\n2. Salesforce [8.7\/10]<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_481\/salesforce-homepage_0586060f20e1d412c2ad40568ebdc4ce_800.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nSalesforce is the biggest CRM company<\/strong> in the world, controlling about 20% of the market. Its stock ticker is even \u201cCRM\u201d and it was the pioneer in bringing CRM and customer databases to the cloud<\/a>, so I definitely can\u2019t compile a list of customer database software without mentioning it.<\/p>\n
While, in the first few years of its existence, Salesforce was focused on small businesses, it has since shifted its focus on enterprises<\/strong>. This also immediately explains why it\u2019s forte is extreme customizability (provided you pay a team of consultants to do that) and why it has positioned itself to be the one business software vendor that offers a solution to all your business needs.<\/p>\n
Salesforce does still offer a solution to small businesses today, called Salesforce Essentials, a limited version of the full customer platform. Compared to other customer database software in this list however, it lacks in user friendliness<\/strong> and is not really customized for sales teams<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
This frustration with Salesforce is actually one of the reasons why we started building Salesflare<\/strong>, and \u2013 perhaps not surprisingly \u2013 why many of our customers find Salesflare<\/a><\/u> while looking for a better alternative.<\/p>\n
If extreme customizability is however your thing, or you\u2019re working at a corporate, Salesforce might still be the best choice for you. But before signing any contract, read this guide to the small print<\/a><\/u> first.<\/p>\n
\u201c[I like the] simple and effective way of using Sales Cloud to manage our new business opportunities all in one place. Being able to link this to our Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud apps as well provides a full, 360 view of our customers, regardless of how and when they want to contact us.\u201d writes Michael B.<\/a>, implementation manager at a national postal company, about Salesforce Sales Cloud.<\/p>\n
Testing it out<\/h4>\n
When I tested Salesforce, I was immediately struck by its breadth of customization options. Setting it up, however, took some time. There were several steps involved, from selecting modules to customizing fields, and I had to rely on documentation and support resources to navigate it all. It felt powerful but a bit overwhelming.<\/p>\n
Once everything was configured, though, the flexibility became apparent. I was able to tailor the pipeline and reporting features specifically to my team\u2019s needs, linking it to other apps like Marketing Cloud and Service Cloud to create a complete picture of customer interactions in a central database. The level of integration between systems was impressive, but I also felt like I needed a dedicated admin to manage it.<\/p>\n
Despite the learning curve, the reporting and automation tools made a real impact on our processes. The dashboards were fully customizable, and I could pull in data from different sources, making it easier to get a full view of our performance. That said, it\u2019s clear that Salesforce is designed for larger teams with complex needs.<\/p>\n
Scoring<\/h4>\n
Salesforce\u2019s G2 review scoring:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Ease of Use: 8.1<\/li>\n
- Ease of Setup: 7.5<\/li>\n
- Meets Requirements: 8.8<\/li>\n
- Quality of Support: 8.2<\/li>\n
- Ease of Doing Business With: 8.3<\/li>\n
- Ease of Admin: 8.0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Salesforce\u2019s review ratings:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Product (G2): 8.2\/10<\/li>\n
- Mobile app (Google Play): 4.2\/5 \u2192 8.4\/10<\/li>\n
- Email plugin (Google Workspace): 4.7\/5 \u2192 9.4\/10<\/li>\n
- FINAL REVIEW SCORE: 8.7\/10<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Pricing<\/h4>\n
Price of the Pro plan (Salesforce Sales Cloud Pro Suite):<\/p>\n
- \n
- $100\/user\/month<\/strong> (only billed annually)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n3. HubSpot CRM & Sales Hub [8.6\/10]<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_481\/hubspot-homepage_450f2f65f5db7068e478c3ff854499a7_800.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nHubSpot is a marketing automation platform <\/strong>turned everything<\/em> platform. It was founded in 2005 to make marketing automation easier.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, HubSpot\u2019s main selling point is offering an all-in-one solution<\/strong>, including marketing, sales, service and operations. If you don\u2019t like using different apps and integrating them (using tools like Zapier and native integrations), then HubSpot might be the customer database software you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best thing is [the] option to view all the domains under one roof. Be it quotations, deals, payment links, support tickets, subscriptions, invoices etc.
\nSetting up tasks and meetings directly from HubSpot makes it very efficient to use.\u201d writes Shalini V.<\/a>, business developer at an IT services company, about HubSpot Sales Hub.<\/p>\nThe flip side of the coin is that HubSpot\u2019s software is extremely expensive<\/strong>. Yes, it\u2019s customer database is free, but it\u2019s only practically comparable to the others in this list if you buy it together with the Sales Hub. And if you want to actually reap the benefits<\/a> of the all-in-one platform, you need to pay up for the other Hubs too.<\/p>\n
On top of that, you\u2019ll find that the different tools in the platform do not compare<\/strong> to their more polished, feature-rich and usually cheaper HubSpot competitors<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Actually, if you have some ideas of what functionality you need (a customer database, lead forms, landing pages, automated emails or maybe newsletters, \u2026), hit us up on the chat and we\u2019ll help you come up with the perfect sales-marketing stack<\/strong>. I guarantee that it\u2019ll be better and cheaper\u2026 and easy to integrate.<\/p>\n
Testing it out<\/h4>\n
When I tried HubSpot CRM & Sales Hub, the setup process was relatively straightforward, especially compared to more complex customer database software. I appreciated the clean interface and how quickly I could start tracking leads. HubSpot has a lot of different tools under one roof, from CRM to marketing automation, and they were all neatly connected from the start.<\/p>\n
The CRM itself felt more or less intuitive, and I particularly enjoyed the task and meeting management features, which made it easy to plan follow-ups and set reminders. It was nice to have all of my sales tools in one place, without needing to switch between different apps.<\/p>\n
However, as I dug deeper, I noticed that many of the more advanced features required purchasing additional hubs, which can quickly add up. If you want to go beyond basic CRM functionality<\/a>, HubSpot can get expensive fast. Plus it can become quite hard to navigate.<\/p>\n
Scoring<\/h4>\n
HubSpot\u2019s G2 review scoring:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Ease of Use: 8.6<\/li>\n
- Ease of Setup: 8.3<\/li>\n
- Meets Requirements: 8.5<\/li>\n
- Quality of Support: 8.5<\/li>\n
- Ease of Doing Business With: 8.7<\/li>\n
- Ease of Admin: 8.6<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
HubSpot\u2019s review ratings:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Product (G2): 8.5\/10<\/li>\n
- Mobile app (Google Play): 4.6\/5 \u2192 9.2\/10<\/li>\n
- Email plugin (Google Workspace): 4.0\/5 \u2192 8.0\/10<\/li>\n
- FINAL REVIEW SCORE: 8.6\/10<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Pricing<\/h4>\n
Price of the Pro plan (HubSpot Sales Hub Professional):<\/p>\n
- \n
- $90\/seat\/month<\/strong> (billed annually)<\/li>\n
- $100\/seat\/month<\/strong> (billed monthly, but with annual commitment)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
+ an extra required fee of $1500 for onboarding<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n4. ActiveCampaign [8.5\/10]<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_481\/activecampaign-homepage_38cf5e3c7d96e490139efcb2c22281b4_800.PNG\")
<\/figure>\nActiveCampaign is an email marketing\/automation platform, founded in 2003. It now brands itself as a customer experience automation (CXA)<\/strong> platform, to cover its expanding range of functionality.<\/p>\n
ActiveCampaign added a sales-focused customer database to its offering in 2014, as a sales focused add-on to the rest of the platform. This integration<\/strong> between email automation and CRM is probably its main forte.<\/p>\n
Setting up ActiveCampaign is not a light task and its software may become overwhelming<\/strong>, while the CRM aspect itself on the other hand will not be as feature rich<\/strong> compared to the other customer database software in this list.<\/p>\n
When people compare ActiveCampaign to Salesflare, which also offers automated emails and email sequences, my advice is usually simple: if you\u2019re an ecommerce company or B2C company, or you need very complex or very high volume email automation, ActiveCampaign is probably what you\u2019re looking for. If you\u2019re a B2B company with an active sales team and the need to automate more personal emails, then go with Salesflare<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n
Testing it out<\/h4>\n
Testing ActiveCampaign, I found that its strength lies in email marketing and automation. The customer database \/ CRM aspect, while decent, clearly felt like a secondary focus. Setting it up required some effort, especially when customizing the automation flows and integrating them with the CRM.<\/p>\n
What stood out to me was the deep integration between the email marketing and CRM features. I was able to build complex workflows that automatically assigned tasks and leads based on how recipients interacted with our emails. This made it easy to nurture leads and move them through the sales funnel without much manual input.<\/p>\n
However, the sales pipeline and contact management tools felt a bit basic compared to dedicated customer database software. If you\u2019re primarily focused on email campaigns and automation, ActiveCampaign excels, but for deeper sales tracking and reporting, it lacks the level of sophistication some teams might need.<\/p>\n
Scoring<\/h4>\n
ActiveCampaign\u2019s G2 review scoring:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Ease of Use: 8.7<\/li>\n
- Ease of Setup: 8.5<\/li>\n
- Meets Requirements: 9.1<\/li>\n
- Quality of Support: 9.1<\/li>\n
- Ease of Doing Business With: 9.2<\/li>\n
- Ease of Admin: 8.7<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
ActiveCampaign\u2019s review ratings:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Product (G2): 8.9\/10<\/li>\n
- Mobile app (Google Play): 4.3\/5 \u2192 8.6\/10<\/li>\n
- Email plugin (Google Workspace): 4.0\/5 \u2192 8.0\/10<\/li>\n
- FINAL REVIEW SCORE: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Pricing<\/h4>\n
Price of the Pro plan (ActiveCampaign Pro plan with the \u201cEnhanced CRM\u201d add-in that includes \u201cPipelines & sales engagement\u201d):<\/p>\n
- \n
- $260\/month<\/strong> (billed annually, with max. 2500 contacts & 6 users included)<\/li>\n
- $294\/month<\/strong> (billed monthly with annual commitment, with max. 2500 contacts & 6 users included)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n5. Freshworks CRM [8.3\/10]<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_481\/freshsales-homepage_cbe124bee54757803f8a7a5b10ee2a52_800.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nFreshworks CRM is a sales CRM<\/a><\/u> from Freshworks, the company behind \/ initially called Freshdesk. Freshworks was founded in 2010 to provide a better, cheaper solution for customer service<\/strong> teams.<\/p>\n
Freshworks\u2019 main selling point is its feature depth<\/strong>. It has also managed to offer this range of functionality through an easier to use interface than its competitors\/predecessors from the same city (Chennai, India), Zoho.<\/p>\n
The flip side here is that the customer database software does feel quite bulky<\/strong> and that the functionality feels like its built too fast to be really well thought through. If complex<\/strong> software frustrates you, it probably isn\u2019t for you.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re in for its most basic plan, the price-functionality ratio is comparable to the more normally priced customer databases in this list. The pricing however ramps up very quickly<\/strong> from there as you need more functionality (or more than 1 pipeline, 5 sequences, \u2026).<\/p>\n
Salesflare<\/a><\/u> doesn\u2019t often get compared to Freshworks CRM, but when it happens, it\u2019s people weighing getting something that their team will love to use, against something that checks off a few more of the boxes on their specs list.<\/p>\n
Testing it out<\/h4>\n
My experience with Freshworks CRM was a bit of a mixed bag. The interface was simple and clean, and getting started was easy enough. The software had a lot of depth in terms of features\u2014almost too much at times. I found myself navigating through many layers of functionality, some of which felt unnecessary for my needs.<\/p>\n
What I did enjoy was how customizable the sales pipeline was. I could easily adjust the stages to match my sales process and automate reminders and notifications, which helped keep everything on track. However, as I added more features, the system started to feel a bit bulky.<\/p>\n
The software\u2019s strength really lies in its ability to offer a lot of tools in one place, but it can also feel overwhelming if you don\u2019t need all the extra functionality. For teams that want a versatile solution and don\u2019t mind the occasional complexity, it\u2019s a solid option.<\/p>\n
Scoring<\/h4>\n
Freshworks CRM\u2019s G2 review scoring:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Ease of Use: 9.1<\/li>\n
- Ease of Setup: 8.9<\/li>\n
- Meets Requirements: 8.9<\/li>\n
- Quality of Support: 9.0<\/li>\n
- Ease of Doing Business With: 9.1<\/li>\n
- Ease of Admin: 9.4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Freshworks CRM\u2019s review ratings:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Product (G2): 9.0\/10<\/li>\n
- Mobile app (Google Play): 3.8\/5 \u2192 7.6\/10<\/li>\n
- Email plugin (Google Workspace): 4.2\/5 \u2192 8.4\/10<\/li>\n
- FINAL REVIEW SCORE: 8.3\/10<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Pricing<\/h4>\n
Price of the Pro plan (Freshsales Pro):<\/p>\n
- \n
- $39\/user\/month<\/strong> (billed annually)<\/li>\n
- $47\/user\/month<\/strong> (billed monthly)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n6. Zoho CRM Plus [7.7\/10]<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_481\/zoho-homepage_4912880cf89f3fccb59863650c808225_800.PNG\")
<\/figure>\nZoho Corporation is a software development company, founded in 1996 (coincidentally in the same city as Freshworks above), which is behind an extremely wide range of software products<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
It launched a customer database software product in 2005, which has historically been positioning itself as a cheaper alternative<\/strong> to Salesforce. And that\u2019s immediately its biggest strength.<\/p>\n
The pinnacle of its offering is Zoho One, which gives you access to 40+ of its \u201cbusiness apps\u201d for $105\/user\/month (or $45 if you get it for ALL your employees). Talk about cheap!<\/p>\n
The flip side is that Zoho\u2019s products don\u2019t feel user friendly<\/strong>. While the engineering team does churn out a lot features for a low price, the user experience is generally lacking.<\/p>\n
Still, if you can\u2019t resist a good deal, Zoho has a whole lot to offer you. Or, if you\u2019ve already tried Zoho and didn\u2019t love it<\/strong>,
- $47\/user\/month<\/strong> (billed monthly)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- $39\/user\/month<\/strong> (billed annually)<\/li>\n
- $294\/month<\/strong> (billed monthly with annual commitment, with max. 2500 contacts & 6 users included)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- $260\/month<\/strong> (billed annually, with max. 2500 contacts & 6 users included)<\/li>\n
- $100\/seat\/month<\/strong> (billed monthly, but with annual commitment)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- $90\/seat\/month<\/strong> (billed annually)<\/li>\n
- $100\/user\/month<\/strong> (only billed annually)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- $64\/user\/month<\/strong> (billed monthly)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- $49\/user\/month<\/strong> (billed annually)<\/li>\n
- Salesforce: 8.7\/10<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- Salesflare: 9.7\/10<\/a><\/u> \ud83c\udfc6<\/li>\n
- For Gmail<\/a><\/u> \/ For Google Workspace<\/a><\/u><\/li>\n
- Are you in real estate instead? Check out our review of Propertybase in this article<\/a><\/u>.<\/li>\n
- Are you a small or medium-sized business (SMB) actively selling B2B? Salesflare<\/a><\/u> will probably be best for you.<\/li>\n
![\"Salesflare](\"https:\/\/lib.salesflare.com\/images\/salesflare-awards-transparent-2024-800.avif)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/a>\n