The best AI CRM platform is HubSpot, which combines AI chatbot assistance, generative AI capabilities, and impressive automation features to enable users to work more efficiently.
While HubSpot is our top choice for small businesses, there are several alternatives worth considering. With its flagship Einstein and Agentforce AI tools, Salesforce is a great option for larger businesses, for example.
We’ve conducted hours of research and testing to find the best AI CRM platforms on the market, evaluating features, pricing, pros, cons, and more. Here are our thoughts.
What Are the Best AI CRM Platforms?
Below, you’ll find our list of the best available AI CRM platforms. Use the links to navigate to the reviews in question, and check out how each provider compares head to head in the table below.
- HubSpot – Best overall AI CRM
- Salesforce – Best AI CRM for large businesses
- Zoho CRM – Best AI CRM for small businesses
- Zendesk – Best AI CRM for customer services teams
- Pipedrive – Best AI CRM for sales teams
| Price | Free plan | AI features | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPONSORED PROVIDER  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Creatio | HubSpot | Salesforce | Zoho CRM | ||
| $25/user/month | $9/user/month | $25/user/month | $14/user/month | ||
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Why Should You Trust Us? Our Research Methodology
We’ve spent hours researching and testing the best AI CRM platforms on the market to bring you this guide. In total, we analyzed 13 solutions and evaluated them across 84 areas of investigation.
As well as collating our research team’s thoughts, I conducted additional hands-on testing to get a feel for the platforms in question. This is my write-up.
Everything that you read on Tech.co is written by humans. We don’t believe in outsourcing our work to machines — and that’s why we never will.
HubSpot: Best Overall AI CRM
- Starting price: $9 per user, per month
- Free plan: Yes
HubSpot is the best overall AI CRM on the market. Our research found that the platform not only provides helpful AI functionality, but is also quite easy to use, even for beginners, thanks to the intuitive interface and helpful setup tips.
Check out our HubSpot review for more information.
Pros
- Sales and marketing features for growing businesses on all plans
- Tidy, easy-to-navigate interface
- Shared team inbox makes chasing leads and support tickets way less complex
- Feature-rich free plan
- Easy-to-use AI and automation tools
Cons
- Scarce customer support on the free plan
- 5 document storage limit on free plan
- Mandatory, one-time onboarding fees on premium plans
- Free plan available
- Starter: $9/user/month
- Professional: $1,300/month/includes 6 seats
- Enterprise: $4,700/month/includes 8 seats
What do we like about HubSpot?
HubSpot builds AI into the user journey from the outset. To research this article, I created a HubSpot account and I was highly impressed with the detailed onboarding process.
As a robust CRM platform, there’s a danger that first-time users can be deterred by the sheer breadth of HubSpot’s capabilities. However, AI is smartly deployed during the setup process to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
The HubSpot onboarding process is guided by Breeze, the platform’s built-in chatbot. Source: Tech.co testing
The setup process is led by Breeze, the company’s flagship AI chatbot. I did experience some momentary technical difficulties, but after refreshing the page, they were resolved.
I also found Breeze a little slow to respond to my inputs. But there’s no denying that it steered me in the right direction and ultimately built a bespoke dashboard to meet my needs. For reference, neither Zoho CRM nor Pipedrive provide this level of hands-on training.
Creditably, HubSpot does not abandon you after your dashboard is set up. Rather, its interface is populated with neat prompts to orient the user, and you can ask Breeze a question any time via a sidebar on the right-hand side of the page.
Breeze is integrated directly into the platform, so you can ask it a question at any time. Source: Tech.co testing
Once I was set up, I wanted to test out HubSpot’s email building functionality. Unfortunately, like most of its contemporaries, HubSpot doesn’t offer any AI content generation tools on its free plan.
However, I was impressed with the interface, which made it easy to put an email together using simple drag-and-drop. For this reason, while the lack of free AI content tools is frustrating, it shouldn’t deter first-time users.
HubSpot utilizes a simple modular approach for its email builder. Source: Tech.co testing
HubSpot’s AI features come to the fore on its paid plans. In addition to blog and social post generators, website builders, and email content assistants, you’ll get access to powerful workflow automation features, including omni-channel marketing automation.
This enables users to sync their interactions across email, social media, SMS, WhatsApp, and more, into one unified interface, so you can deliver consistent, personalized customer experiences at scale.
It’s reserved for patrons of the Professional ($1,300 per month for six seats) and Enterprise ($4,700 per month for eight seats) plans, but it’s a fantastic feature for large B2C businesses with a high volume of customer data.
How much does HubSpot cost?
HubSpot has four pricing plans available, including its free plan. Find out more below.
- Free – Free
- Starter – $9 per month, per seat
- Professional – $1,300 per month, includes six seats
- Enterprise – $4,700 per month, includes eight seats
Salesforce: Best AI CRM for Large Businesses
- Starting price: $25 per user, per month
- Free plan: Yes
Salesforce is the best AI CRM for large businesses. It is also the most popular CRM in the world and boasts robust functionality across multiple verticals, including sales, marketing, and customer services.
In terms of AI features, Salesforce is led by its flagship Einstein and Agentforce tools, which provide deeper insights into your customers, boost productivity by automating complex workflows, and more.
Check out our Salesforce review for more information.
Pros
- Free forever plan
- Vast data collection combined with customizable reporting tools
- Helpful customer support pop-ups throughout the platform with 24/7 live support
- Varied pricing plans and industry-specific "Clouds" make it very scalable
Cons
- More expensive than industry average of $15 per user, per month
- 24/7 support will cost extra, adding to price
- Robust analytics probably aren't necessary for smaller businesses
- Starter Suite: $25/user/month
- Pro Suite: $100/user/month
- Enterprise: $175/user/month
- Unlimited: $350/user/month
- Agentforce 1 Sales: $550/user/month
- 30-day free trial
What do we like about Salesforce?
With a vast selection of customizable reporting tools, Salesforce is great for teams that want to turn their valuable data into comprehensive dashboards.
Like HubSpot, it can be daunting for new users. So, as part of the research process for this article, I put the free plan to the test. The first thing to note is Salesforce is far less inviting and pleasurable to use than its predecessor on this list, HubSpot.
Unlike HubSpot, Salesforce doesn’t steer you through the onboarding process. Rather, you are presented with “cards,” which serve as optional suggestions on what to set up next.
There’s also no AI chatbot assistance on the free plan, so users looking for speedy, hands-on onboarding should consider alternatives.
In-platform support on the Salesforce free plan is rudimentary, with no chatbot available for resolving specific queries. Source: Tech.co testing
In fairness, Salesforce is geared towards large enterprises, and with this demographic in mind, it is an exceptional CRM platform with truly impressive AI capabilities.
For example, Einstein can automate manual data entry, so that email and calendar content is available for your entire team in under two minutes. Even better, this feature is available across all paid plans.
To access advanced AI features, including lead scoring, sales coaching, and forecasting, you will have to opt for the Einstein 1 Sales plan, which costs $550 per user, per month. Of course, this price point is unsuitable for small businesses, but large ones can gain a unique level of insight to help them nurture and convert existing leads, as well as attract new ones.
The Einstein AI chatbot from Salesforce can help you use the platform more effectively. Source: Salesforce
How much does Salesforce cost?
Salesforce pricing is complex, as the provider has different plans for different functions, including sales, marketing, and customer services. For the purposes of this guide, I’m focusing on Sales Cloud, its most popular suite of plans.
- Free Suite – Free
- Starter Suite – $25 per user, per month
- Pro Suite – $100 per user, per month
- Enterprise – $175 per user, per month
- Unlimited – $350 per user, per month
- Agentforce 1 Sales – $550 per user, per month
Zoho CRM: Best AI CRM for Small Businesses
- Starting price: $14/user/month
- Free plan: Yes
Zoho CRM is the best AI CRM for small businesses, due to its affordable pricing options, sales and marketing functionality built in to its free plan, and excellent core accounting features.
On top of that, it’s an easy-to-use platform with an intuitive interface, so your team can easily get the hang of it.
Pros
- 15-day free trial
- Sales and marketing functionality available in free plan
- Highly customizable dashboards and fields across platform
- Integrates with other Zoho services or the vast app library
Cons
- No spam prevention on web forms
- Onboarding assistance for your team costs extra
- Team management functionality lacking, with limited storage space
- Free plan available
- Standard: $14/user/month
- Professional: $23/user/month
- Enterprise: $40/user/month
- Ultimate: $52/user/month
What do we like about Zoho CRM?
On its free plan, Zoho CRM has a lot of basic AI features to streamline operations for small businesses. For example, in-built sales and marketing automation tools mean that you can manage leads, contacts, accounts, deals, and campaigns with minimal manual data input.
I tested Zoho CRM, and I was highly impressed with how easy it is to use. At a glance, the platform has a well-laid out interface that isn’t too overwhelming, unlike Salesforce.
Interestingly, on the free plan, Zoho CRM populates the dashboard with placeholder data, so you can get a feel for the platform in a more organic way. It’s a really neat touch that enables first-time users to quickly get a handle on things.
My Zoho CRM dashboard, with pre-populated data. Source: Tech.co testing
I was quite disappointed by the scarcity of AI features on the free plan. While you can build custom automations, they are rule-based, not driven by AI. This means that building complex, multi-step automations is a lengthy process.
For more advanced functionality, you will have to opt for one of its paid plans, although they are fairly priced.
Unlike Salesforce, however, you can access support via an AI chatbot on the Zoho CRM free plan. After raising my issue, I was prompted to provide my email address and told that a member of the team “would be in touch.”
This level of support is impressive for a free CRM plan, but you will have to opt for a paid plan for “Classic Support,” which includes one-to-one onboarding, as well as phone, chat, and email support.
Zoho CRM is highly customizable. The platform has custom contact fields on all plans, so you can tailor the experience to your business needs. What’s more, you can integrate with other Zoho programs, or a variety of third-party options in the Zoho Marketplace.
Because of this customizability, Zoho CRM suits businesses across different verticals, as you can adapt specific workflows to meet relevant industry requirements.
Check out our Zoho CRM versus HubSpot guide for more information.
How much does Zoho CRM cost?
Zoho CRM has five pricing plans, which you can learn about below.
- Free Edition – Free
- Standard – $14 per user, per month
- Professional – $23 per user, per month
- Enterprise – $40 per user, per month
- Ultimate – $52 per user, per month
Check out our Zoho CRM pricing guide to learn more.
Zendesk: Best AI CRM for Customer Services Teams
- Starting price: $19 per user, per month
- Free plan: No
Zendesk is the best CRM for customer services teams, with superior helpdesk features to HubSpot and Salesforce, including a customizable self-service knowledge base, dedicated AI agents, and a centralized ticketing system for managing requests.
Other standout features include a wide range of communication channels, including email, social, live chat, and SMS, so you can reach your end customers with ease.
Pros
- 14-day free trial
- Unmatched selection of customer service features
- Offers good customizability
- Robust help and support tools with 24/7 availability
Cons
- Limited team infrastructure features
- A bit on the expensive side, especially high tier plans
- Most advanced features like AI cost extra
- Support Team: $19/user/month
- Suite Team: $55/user/month
- Suite Professional: $115/user/month
- Suite Enterprise: $169/user/month
What do we like about Zendesk?
Zendesk is an excellent platform for streamlining customer service requests, which can substantially improve response times and resolution rates.
Opt for the Suite Team plan ($55 per user, per month) or above, and you’ll get access to Zendesk’s AI Agents. This is a chatbot system that enables your users to implement self-service tools, reducing the reliance on human agents.
You’ll also get a corresponding Insights dashboard, so you can review your chatbot performance. You can then optimize the system if necessary, improving the experience for your end customers.
Zendesk provides users with AI-driven advanced customer interaction analytics, so you can evaluate how your team is performing in granular detail. In this respect, Zendesk is a great option for managers of big teams.
Zendesk AI Assist suggests customer responses, including predictions as to how successful each response will be. Source: Zendesk
How much does Zendesk cost?
Zendesk has four available pricing plans. Find out more about them below.
- Support Team – $19 per agent, per month
- Suite Team – $55 per agent, per month
- Suite Professional – $115 per agent, per month
- Suite Enterprise – $169 per agent, per month
Check out our Zendesk pricing guide to learn more.
Pipedrive: Best AI CRM for Sales Teams
- Starting price: $14 per user, per month
- Free plan: No
Pipedrive is the best AI CRM for sales teams. Unlike the other vendors on this list, it’s purely a sales CRM. For this reason, it won’t suit complex businesses with varied needs, such as extensive marketing or analytics tools.
Pros
- 14-day free trial
- Unlimited contact database for larger businesses with lots of clients
- Great security tools include user permissions and multi-factor authentication
- 24/7 live support via chat and phone
Cons
- 24/7 support only available in more expensive plans
- Can't create custom task types within the platform
- Web form creation is a paid add-on
- 14-day free trial
- Lite: $14/seat/month
- Growth: $39/seat/month
- Premium: $59/seat/month
- Ultimate: $79/user/month
What do we like about Pipedrive?
Subscribe to Pipedrive’s Lite plan ($14 per seat, per month), and you’ll unlock “Sales Assistant,” which uses AI to provide suggestions on how to improve your sales. You’ll also get smart app recommendations, so you know which third-party integrations suit your business.
At higher tiers, you’ll get access to a more advanced Sales Assistant, which can advise you on which deals are closest to being closed, and how to execute them. Similarly, Pipedrive Pulse provides insights on when and how to reach out to leads.
You’ll also get AI email summarization, which can streamline communications across your business.
Pipedrive’s AI summaries can help you get a clear picture of a sale based on your email. Source: Pipedrive
Pipedrive is also a highly secure platform, owing to its multiple compliance certificates, and designated security center for centralizing outstanding problems.
Impressively, you’ll get dedicated onboarding support on the entry-level Pipedrive plan, which costs $14 per seat, per month. By comparison, HubSpot onboarding is only available via paid add-on, which has no public pricing.
How much does Pipedrive cost?
Pipedrive has four pricing plans, which you can learn about below.
- Lite – $14 per seat, per month
- Growth – $39 per seat, per month
- Premium – $59 per seat, per month
- Ultimate – $79 per seat, per month
Check out our Pipedrive pricing guide to learn more.
What to Look For in AI CRM Software
In this section, you’ll find examples of AI features that you should look for in a CRM platform.
- Generative AI: These tools generate written content or imagery for you, providing optimized subject lines, CTAs, and more, to drive sales.
- Chatbots: Chatbots are ideal for customer services teams, as they enable customers to self-serve.
- Automations: AI-powered automations establish automatic processes to save time and eliminate manual workflow building.
- AI agents: AI agents, such as Salesforce’s Einstein, can deliver advanced predictive analytics based on existing data, and autonomously handle key processes, including data input.
Beyond AI features, it’s important to consider other factors, including:
- Pricing
- Integrations
- Security
- Ease of use
Check out our guide to the best CRM for beginners to learn more.
We take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we're giving you the clearest, most useful recommendations.
After conducting an initial exploration to identify the most relevant, popular, and established CRM tools in the market, we put them through their paces to find out more about their strengths and weaknesses. In total, we analyzed 13 CRM systems, grading them across 84 areas of investigation.
Based on years of market research and CRM product testing, we've established a CRM research methodology to score products, which consists of six main assessment categories and 13 subcategories. This covers everything, from the available features and scalability capacity to the product's value for money, and much more.
Our main testing categories for CRM systems are:
- Features: The functionalities and capabilities provided by the CRM software, such as contact management, lead and opportunity tracking, and task and activity management.
- Help and support: The resources and assistance available to users when they encounter issues or require guidance while using the CRM software.
- Customization: The ability to tailor the CRM software to suit the specific needs and processes of the organization, e.g. customizing fields, layouts, and workflows.
- Scalability: The ability of the CRM software to accommodate the growth and changing needs of the organization, such as the capacity to handle a growing customer database.
- Price: The cost associated with using the CRM software. It includes factors such as licensing fees, subscription plans, and additional charges for add-on modules or features.
- Team structure — sales CRM: Determining if a platform makes it easier to manage large sales teams, including team dashboards, team hierarchies, and team inboxes.
- Usability — small business CRM: Assessing the simplicity of the interface, the ease of navigating through menus and options, and the overall user experience.
When it comes to calculating a product's final score, not all testing areas are weighted evenly, as we know some aspects matter more to our readers than others, which are merely “nice to have.” After hundreds of hours, our process is complete, and the results should ensure you can find the best solution for your needs.
At Tech.co, we have a number of full-time in-house researchers, who re-run this testing process regularly, to ensure our results remain reflective of the present day.
Verdict: What Is the Best AI CRM Software?
The best AI CRM is HubSpot, because it offers a comprehensive range of AI tools, including generative AI, chatbots, and automation features. It’s also one of the best CRM platforms across our research, due to its scalability, low starting price, and decent free plan.
However, there are several alternatives worth considering, depending on your business case. Salesforce, for instance, is a fantastic solution for large enterprises with complex needs, while Pipedrive is optimized for sales teams.
Get a customized CRM quote to see how much these platforms will cost your business.
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