Updated: January 2026
CRM and sales enablement tools
Revenue intelligence platform with conversation analytics
Gong records and analyzes revenue conversations. Understand what happens in sales calls, what top performers do differently, and how to coach reps to improve. The AI extracts insights from conversations. Pattern recognition finds what works. The data drives coaching. Revenue teams wanting visibility into customer conversations choose Gong for conversation intelligence that improves sales.
Visual sales pipeline management built for salespeople
Pipedrive is CRM built for salespeople. Visual pipeline, activity tracking, and deal management—CRM that sales teams actually use. The pipeline is visual. The activities drive follow-up. The interface is sales-focused. Sales teams wanting CRM they'll actually use choose Pipedrive for practical sales management.
B2B sales intelligence and engagement platform
Apollo.io provides B2B sales teams with data and tools to find and engage prospects. Search millions of contacts and companies, build targeted lists, and reach out through automated email sequences. The data includes direct emails and phone numbers verified against real-world signals. Chrome extensions enrich LinkedIn profiles with contact info. CRM integrations keep everything synchronized. Sales teams use Apollo.io to fill pipelines without manual research. The combination of data and engagement tools in one platform eliminates bouncing between prospecting and outreach tools.
Sales engagement and intelligence platform
Outreach automates sales engagement at scale. Email sequences, call scheduling, and analytics—sales engagement platform for high-volume teams. The automation handles volume. The analytics show performance. The enterprise features are complete. Sales organizations doing outreach at scale use Outreach for automated engagement.
CRM built for inside sales teams who live on the phone
Close is CRM for sales teams that spend their days on calls and emails. Built-in calling, SMS, email sequences—outbound tools native to the CRM instead of bolted on through integrations. Power dialer accelerates call volume. Email sequences automate follow-up. Pipeline views show where deals stand. Inside sales teams who live in their CRM choose Close because it includes the communication tools others require separate subscriptions for.
CRM for sales and marketing teams
Zoho CRM manages customer relationships affordably. Sales and customer management from Zoho—CRM for cost-conscious organizations. The pricing is competitive. The features are comprehensive. The Zoho integration adds value. Organizations wanting affordable CRM choose Zoho CRM for cost-effective sales management.
B2B contact database and intelligence
ZoomInfo provides B2B contact data for sales. Company and contact information—intelligence for sales prospecting. The data is extensive. The accuracy matters. The sales use cases are clear. Sales teams prospecting B2B use ZoomInfo for contact and company data.
Business intelligence data for sales and marketing
Clearbit enriches contact and company data for sales and marketing. Feed in an email, get back company info, job titles, and dozens of other attributes that help personalize outreach and qualify leads. Real-time enrichment fills out forms. Prospecting data helps identify targets. Intent signals show which companies are in-market. B2B teams wanting data that makes every interaction more informed use Clearbit to understand who they're talking to before conversations start.
Sales engagement platform
SalesLoft provides sales engagement for enterprise teams. Cadences, analytics, and coaching—sales engagement at scale. The engagement is comprehensive. The analytics help optimization. The enterprise features exist. Enterprise sales teams wanting engagement platform use SalesLoft for scaled outreach.
Revenue intelligence platform for forecasting
Clari predicts revenue by analyzing signals across the entire sales process. Deal activity, rep behavior, pipeline changes—AI that forecasts with accuracy CFOs trust for planning. The platform replaces spreadsheet forecasting with data-driven predictions. Deal health indicators highlight risks. Historical accuracy builds confidence in projections. Sales and finance leaders wanting forecasting accuracy they can rely on choose Clari for revenue intelligence that eliminates guesswork.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is the backbone of modern sales operations. It's where you track leads, manage deals, store customer data, and gain insights into your pipeline. A good CRM turns chaos into a repeatable sales process.
But CRMs have evolved far beyond simple contact databases. Today's platforms include email automation, call tracking, sales forecasting, territory management, and AI-powered insights. Some have grown into full 'revenue platforms' that span marketing, sales, and customer success.
The CRM you choose will shape how your sales team works every day. Pick wrong, and you'll fight adoption issues and data quality problems. Pick right, and you'll have a single source of truth that actually helps close deals.
Visual deal stages, drag-and-drop interfaces, and pipeline health metrics. You need to see your entire sales process at a glance and spot stuck deals fast.
Complete customer profiles with interaction history, deal associations, and custom fields. Every touchpoint should be automatically logged.
Two-way sync with Gmail/Outlook, email tracking, templates, and sequences. Your CRM should work where your reps already work—their inbox.
Automate lead assignment, follow-up reminders, stage changes, and data entry. Reps should sell, not do admin work.
Pipeline reports, win/loss analysis, rep performance dashboards, and revenue forecasting. Leadership needs data to make decisions.
Field sales teams need full CRM access on their phones. Look for mobile apps that don't feel like afterthoughts.
CRM software is essential for any business with a sales process:
Picking a CRM is a multi-year commitment. Here's how to get it right:
AI is reshaping CRM—expect automated data entry, deal scoring, next-best-action recommendations, and conversation intelligence. The line between CRM and sales engagement continues to blur. HubSpot's growth has pressured Salesforce to improve SMB offerings. Privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) make data governance features increasingly important.
Usually not. Salesforce's power comes with significant complexity and cost ($75-300/user/month). For most SMBs with under 50 reps, HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Close offer better value and faster time-to-value. Consider Salesforce when you need enterprise-grade customization or have specific compliance requirements.
HubSpot's free CRM is the go-to for early-stage startups—it's genuinely free with no user limits and has a great growth path. Pipedrive is excellent if you want something simpler and sales-focused. Close is popular with inside sales teams for its built-in calling features.
CRM is your system of record for customer data and pipeline. Sales engagement tools (Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo) handle multi-channel outreach sequences. Most teams need both—the CRM stores data, engagement tools automate prospecting. HubSpot and Close blur this line with built-in sequences.
Yes, but it's painful. Budget 4-8 weeks for a proper migration. Export everything (contacts, companies, deals, activities, notes). Clean your data during migration—it's the perfect opportunity. Most CRMs have import tools; complex migrations benefit from consultants.
HubSpot wins here—its CRM is built alongside marketing tools for seamless lead handoff. Salesforce + Pardot is the enterprise equivalent. For specific marketing tools, check native integration depth. Surface-level integrations that only sync contacts aren't enough.
At Toolradar, we combine editorial expertise with community insights:
Rankings are updated regularly. Last updated: January 2026.
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