Implementing a successful system of customer relationships is essential for businesses focused on scaling. In fact, 91% of companies with more than 10 employees now use a CRM system, and a growing majority are choosing cloud-based solutions to power their sales and marketing operations. As a result, cloud-based CRM software has become a popular solution for businesses that don’t want their teams to manage customer data, automate processes, and collaborate in real-time as part of an onsite infrastructure. In this guide, we explain what cloud-based CRM software is, the best cloud-based CRM software platforms, the best features, the pros and cons, the pricing, the key advantages of cloud-based software, and must-have features for cloud-based CRM, and finally determining how to pick the best cloud-based CRM for your business.
What is a Cloud Based CRM?
A cloud-based CRM is a customer relationship management system hosted on remote servers, accessed via the internet. Unlike traditional CRMs that require onsite installation, cloud CRMs are subscription-based paid plans, automatically updated, and accessed anytime online as a web or mobile app. This makes them the ideal CRM systems for businesses of all sizes who want to improve customer engagement and the efficiency of sales without heavy IT burdens.
11 Best Cloud-Based CRM Solutions
Below is a curated list of the top cloud CRM solutions. Each tool is evaluated based on its core features, pricing, ideal use cases, pros, and cons.
1. Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is an all-in-one and cost-effective CRM platform that assists organizations of all sizes in enhancing sales, marketing, and customer support. It combines lead management, workflow automation, omnichannel communication, and a robust predictive AI, Zia. It has a modular design which allows teams to begin with basic features and then add any features they want to suit their needs as they expand. It is well designed with strong customization options and integrations for the Zoho ecosystem with a clean dashboard. This makes Zoho a dependable option for small to medium-sized businesses that are seeking efficiencies and growth for their organization.
Features:
- Sales force automation
- Workflow rules and Blueprints
- Multichannel (email, chat, telephony, social)
- Zia AI assistant for predictions
Pros:
- Highly affordable pricing
- Excellent customization
- Smooth integrations with Zoho ecosystem
Cons:
- Advanced features require higher-tier plans
- UI can feel overwhelming for beginners
Pricing: Starts at $14/user/month (Standard)
Best For: Small and mid-sized businesses wanting a budget-friendly, scalable CRM.
You May Also Read: Zoho CRM Pricing Guide
2. Pipedrive CRM
Pipedrive is a CRM platform designed for salespeople so teams can spend more time closing deals instead of managing software. Pipedrive’s simple, intuitive interface has a drag-and-drop board to visualize pipelines, making it easy to manage the process at every stage. Automated deal updates, email tracking, and forecasting all help teams manage who-does-what and when. Lightweight while powerful, Pipedrive keeps the just the right amount of usability and functionality real and relevant for small to mid-sized sales teams needing a fast implementation approach.
Features:
- Drag-and-drop pipeline
- Email tracking and templates
- Revenue forecasting
- Deal automation
Pros:
- Easy to set up and use
- Excellent for visual sales tracking
- Affordable entry-level plan
Cons:
- Limited marketing automation
- Customization options are basic
Pricing: Starts at $14/user/month
Best For: Sales teams needing a clean, visual pipeline tool.
3. Salesforce
Salesforce is the leading provider of cloud CRM in the world, with unparalleled scalability, customization and enterprise features. It facilitates a complete customer view to 360°, advanced analytics powered by Einstein AI, and deep integrations enabled through its extensive AppExchange marketplace. Salesforce can manage complex processes in industries ranging from marketing automation to customer service workflows. Although it may have a learning curve, it allows organizations to consolidate operations, scale globally and integrate practically any tool, which is the main reason it is frequently chosen by large organizations.
Features:
- 360° customer view
- AI-powered Einstein insights
- Extensive third-party app marketplace
- Workflow automation and analytics
Pros:
- Extremely powerful and customizable
- Ideal for complex sales workflows
- Enterprise-grade security
Cons:
- Expensive compared to SMB tools
- Steep learning curve
Pricing: Starts at $25/user/month (Essentials)
Best For: Enterprises and growing teams needing a highly customizable CRM.
4. HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM is an extremely popular platform with powerful sales, marketing, and service capabilities, starting with a very generous free plan. It offers straightforward contact management, email tracking, deal pipelines, and reporting dashboards, all through an attractive, clean, and modern interface. HubSpot is especially attractive for its native integration with HubSpot Marketing Hub, which allows you to track the customer journey from start to finish. HubSpot’s ease of scaling into paid plans as startup teams and SMBs grow is especially valuable.
Features:
- Contact and deal management
- Marketing automation
- Sales pipeline visualization
- Reporting dashboards
Pros:
- Generous free plan
- Clean UI and fast onboarding
- Integrates deeply with HubSpot ecosystem
Cons:
- Paid tiers can get expensive quickly
- Some advanced features gated behind higher plans
Pricing: Free plan available; paid starts at $18/user/month
Best For: Startups and SMBs wanting a free-to-start, all-in-one CRM.
5. Freshsales
Freshsales is a modern, AI-based CRM system by Freshworks for growing businesses wanting to simplify their sales operations. You can use built-in telephony and email with intuitive deal management and features of Freddy AI to help score leads and suggest actions to take. The clean and clear UI means onboarding is quick and it can automate workflows to make the repetitive manual tasks easy for your team. Reporting is solid, which is made even better by integrating with all of the Freshworks tools. Advanced features like AI, without the complexity of traditional enterprise CRMs are all the reasons why Freshsales is an intelligent buy for you and your team.
Features:
- Built-in telephony and email
- Freddy AI for lead scoring and insights
- Workflow automation
- Visual deal pipelines
Pros:
- Simple interface
- Powerful AI capabilities
- Native Freshworks integrations
Cons:
- Reporting could be more flexible
- Limited third-party ecosystem compared to Salesforce
Pricing: Starts at $9/user/month
Best For: SMBs seeking an AI-powered, easy-to-use CRM.
6. ClickUp
ClickUp began as a project management software but has become a full work platform with strong CRM capabilities. ClickUp now serves over 20 million users worldwide, a significant increase from the over 10 million users cited in previous reporting periods. The company has also achieved $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and is experiencing rapid growth, largely driven by demand for its AI features. Companies can build pipelines, relate deals with tasks, automate workflows, and visualize data with dashboards. This is ideal for teams that want to consolidate sales and operational tasks in one work platform. While ClickUp’s CRM features are not as user-friendly as the most dedicated systems, flexibility and cost allow teams to build what they need without being stuck in a box.
Features:
- Customizable pipelines
- Task and CRM integration
- Automation rules
- Dashboards and reporting
Pros:
- Extremely flexible
- Ideal for teams already using ClickUp
- Affordable
Cons:
- CRM features are not as mature as dedicated tools
- Requires customization
Pricing: Free plan available; paid starts at $7/user/month
Best For: Teams wanting to blend CRM with task/project management.
7. Monday CRM
Monday CRM utilizes Monday.com’s highly functional Work Operating System to offer a customizable and visual CRM experience with intuitive boards. Users build their sales pipelines, automated follow-ups, activity tracking, and integration with popular applications using boards. With a modular framework, companies can build different CRM workflows for various teams, including sales and marketing. The software’s bright and visual user interface makes it easy for users to engage quickly and is a great choice for teams that value customization and clarity.
Features:
- Customizable sales pipelines
- Automations and integrations
- Reporting dashboards
- Email and activity tracking
Pros:
- Highly visual and intuitive
- Flexible templates
- Good integrations
Cons:
- Can require time to configure
- Pricing can scale quickly
Pricing: Starts at $10/user/month
Best For: Teams seeking a customizable, visual CRM system.
8. CiuisCRM
CiuisCRM is an affordable, cloud-based solution created for small and medium-sized businesses wanting basic but useful CRM features. CiuisCRM is a combo of contact and deal management capabilities with invoicing, estimates, task management, and sales pipelines in one solution. CiuisCRM does that and is especially useful for service-based businesses. While it does not have advanced AI features and access to a variety of integrations like larger entities, it is affordable and practical for soon-to-be automated and sophisticated operations.
Features:
- Invoicing and estimates
- Task management
- Sales pipeline tracking
- Simple dashboards
Pros:
- Affordable
- Includes invoicing and accounting features
Cons:
- Limited integrations
- Less polished UI
Pricing: From $10/user/month
Best For: SMEs needing a simple CRM + invoicing tool.
9. Agile CRM
Agile CRM is an all-inclusive system built to combine sales, marketing, and service altogether affordably. The system has telephony, sales tracking, email marketing, appointment scheduling, and web engagement tools that make it particularly appealing for startups that want a single system. It has an easy-to-use interface and automation features, which makes it simple to start campaigns and track deals without changing between too many apps. Its pricing is what’s valuable about Agile CRM, as it strives to offer a full-featured service at a low price.
Features:
- Sales tracking and telephony
- Marketing automation and email campaigns
- Appointment scheduling
- Web engagement tools
Pros:
- All-in-one approach
- Affordable pricing
- Good for startups
Cons:
- UI feels dated
- Limited scalability
Pricing: Free plan available; paid starts at $8.99/user/month
Best For: Startups and SMBs looking for a budget-friendly all-in-one tool.
10. Attio
Attio is a new kind of CRM that is collaborative and designed for data and flexibility. Rather than a tightly controlled structure, it allows your team to create their own customizable databases with team collaboration and filtering tools. It is API-first, which means you can work it into your existing workflows as well as scale it as your company grows. The modern design and focus on teams make it different from usual CRMs. Attio may be fairly new, but it continues to grow in popularity amongst startups and businesses in the tech space that want a customizable CRM.
Features:
- Real-time collaborative database
- Custom views and templates
- Automation workflows
- API-first design
Pros:
- Modern UX
- Highly customizable
- Ideal for tech-savvy teams
Cons:
- Still maturing feature-wise
- May need developer support for advanced setups
Pricing: Free plan; paid starts at $29/user/month
Best For: Startups and teams wanting a flexible, collaborative CRM.
11. Insightly
Insightly integrates CRM capabilities with project management, making it a useful option for teams that must also keep track of workflows after the sale is complete. Customers receive a solid contact management solution, deal tracking, workflow automation, and email capabilities while having the ability to manage pre-qualified related projects on the same solution. This functionality allows businesses to provide continuity between sales and delivery teams. Although Insightly’s UI may present itself as a little outdated, in comparison to the newer tools, the flexibility of Insightly and its ability to focus on target mid-market users will still provide reliability as an option.
Features:
- Contact and pipeline management
- Project tracking
- Email tracking and templates
- Workflow automation
Pros:
- Combines CRM and PM well
- Flexible workflows
- Good mid-market option
Cons:
- Interface can feel dated
- Limited AI features
Pricing: Starts at $29/user/month
Best For: Mid-sized teams needing CRM + project workflows.
7 Key Benefits of Cloud Based CRM
1. Cost-Effective
No hardware or installation costs; subscription-based pricing lowers upfront investment.
2. Accessibility & Efficiency
Access CRM from anywhere using browsers or mobile apps.
3. Ease of Use
Most cloud CRMs have intuitive UIs and require minimal IT support.
4. Flexibility & Scalability
Scale users and features up or down as your business grows.
5. Seamless Integrations with Business Apps
Connect easily with tools like Slack, Google Workspace, email, marketing platforms, and more.
6. Advanced Data Security
Top CRMs offer encryption, multi-factor authentication, and compliance certifications.
7. Reduced Upfront Investment
Pay-as-you-go pricing lets even small businesses adopt powerful CRM capabilities without large capital expenses.
10 Must-Have Features in a Cloud Based CRM
Who Should Use Cloud-Based CRM?
1. Small Businesses
Affordable plans and easy setup make cloud CRMs ideal for SMBs.
2. Growing Sales Teams
Helps organize pipelines, track leads, and boost conversions.
3. Enterprises
Highly scalable CRMs like Salesforce offer advanced customization and integrations.
4. E-commerce / Non-profits / Remote Teams
Access from anywhere enables collaboration and centralized data management.
How to Choose the Best Cloud-Based CRM for Your Business
- Define your business goals and use cases.
- Evaluate must-have features vs. nice-to-have.
- Check scalability and integration capabilities.
- Consider onboarding complexity and support.
- Test free trials to assess user experience.
- Factor in pricing for future team size.
FAQs
1. How is cloud CRM different from on-premise CRM?
Cloud CRMs are hosted online, require no hardware, and offer automatic updates, unlike on-premise CRMs.
2. How secure is a cloud-based CRM?
Most reputable CRMs use encryption, MFA, and comply with security standards like GDPR and SOC 2.
3. Can a cloud CRM integrate with other business tools?
Yes, most CRMs integrate seamlessly with email, marketing, project management, and finance tools.
4. How customizable are cloud-based CRMs?
Top CRMs offer extensive customization fields, workflows, automations, and APIs.
5. Will my data be backed up and recoverable?
Yes, data is typically backed up automatically with disaster recovery measures.
6. How fast can I set up a cloud-based CRM?
Many can be set up within hours or days depending on complexity.
7. Is a cloud CRM suitable for small businesses?
Yes, many offer free or low-cost tiers ideal for startups and SMBs.
8. Does Google offer a free CRM?
Google doesn’t offer a standalone CRM, but integrates well with third-party CRMs.
9. What are the 4 types of CRM?
Operational, Analytical, Collaborative, and Strategic CRM.
