Start with the job, not the tool
Most people choose a CRM by comparing feature lists. That is backward. Features are cheap to add and hard to use. Start with one sentence describing the job:
- “Every web lead is saved in one place and answered the same day.”
- “Our two office staff can see who called and what was promised.”
- “I can see which source brings customers that actually book.”
If you do not yet know what a CRM is for, read what is a CRM first. If you want help with the decision itself, our CRM setup page explains how we recommend a tool, including when we say “you do not need one”.
The four types of CRM
| Type | Fits | Example | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet | A few leads a week, one person | Google Sheets or Excel | Missed rows, two people overwriting each other |
| Free or low-cost CRM | One to a few users who need a pipeline and reminders | HubSpot free CRM, Zoho free edition, Less Annoying CRM | User and contact limits, upsells |
| CRM inside your industry software | Businesses that quote, schedule or book jobs | Jobber, Housecall Pro, a booking tool | It may track jobs better than leads |
| All-in-one platform | Teams that want texting, booking, forms and automation together | GoHighLevel | Learning curve, usage fees |
A fifth category exists, the large sales CRMs built for teams of dozens. A small service business rarely needs one, so this guide skips them.
What the vendors list (October 2026)
These are figures from each vendor’s own pricing page. We have not tested every feature, and pages change, so confirm before you buy.
| Tool | What the page lists |
|---|---|
| HubSpot | Free CRM for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts. Starter seats at $7 to $20 a month per seat. The page offers monthly, commit-monthly and annual billing but does not say which price goes with which |
| Zoho CRM | Free edition for up to 3 users. Paid plans are per user per month, with monthly or annual billing |
| Less Annoying CRM | $15 per user per month, one plan, 30-day free trial, no contact cap but a suggested ceiling of about 50,000 |
| GoHighLevel | $97, $297 and $497 a month, 14-day trial, unlimited users and contacts, usage-based fees for texts, calls, email and AI |
| Jobber | Core $49 a month for one user, the list price on monthly billing with no commitment (lower with a 1-year commitment or annual prepayment, and introductory rates for new customers). Higher plans add reminders, follow-ups and two-way texting |
| Housecall Pro | Basic $59 a month billed annually, or $79 monthly, for 1 user (list prices; a first-month promotional rate is also shown). Essentials and Max cost more and include more users. Pipeline is a separate add-on |
For the field-service tools, we cover what the customer list can and cannot do in CRM for contractors and home services.
Five questions that decide it
- How many people will use it? Per-seat pricing grows with the team. A flat-price platform with unlimited users may cost less once you have five or more.
- How many leads and where from? A few leads from one place need a list. Leads from forms, calls, texts, ads and referrals need one place that catches all of them.
- Do you need texting inside it? If yes, price it. Texting costs more than the subscription: messages need the customer’s consent (TCPA), business texting numbers need carrier registration (A2P 10DLC), and the platform bills per message. Automated texts need prior express consent, and marketing texts need prior express written consent under the FCC rules (47 CFR 64.1200). This is not legal advice.
- What do you already pay for? Booking, invoicing, accounting and field-service tools often have a customer list. Keep what works and connect it.
- Do you hold health or legal information? Then the vendor must be able to sign the right agreement before you enter anything. A clinic needs a HIPAA business associate agreement; a feature called “HIPAA compliance” is not the same as a signed one. See CRM for dental and medical practices.
What it really costs
The subscription is the smallest line for many businesses. Add up:
- Seats at your real headcount, not the headline price.
- Usage fees for texts, calls, email and AI. GoHighLevel’s page says usage-based charges apply on top of the plan.
- Add-ons. Jobber lists its lead pipeline as a $49-a-month add-on on every plan below Plus, and Housecall Pro lists Pipeline as an add-on without showing a price.
- Promotions ending. Introductory rates run for a set number of months. Price the plan at its list price.
- Setup and clean-up, either your hours or a one-time fee.
- Integration work if your website form, booking tool and CRM do not talk to each other. See website to CRM integration.
Ask each vendor for the all-in monthly figure at your expected volume.
A test you can run in one afternoon
- Pick two candidates, no more.
- Import twenty real contacts, including a messy one with a missing email.
- Connect your website form and send yourself a test lead.
- Add three stages that match how you work, such as New, Quoted, Booked.
- Ask the person who will use it daily to log a call and set a reminder, without help.
- Export the contacts to a file. If you cannot, walk away.
Whichever tool makes the daily user say “that was easy” usually wins, whatever its feature list says.
Mistakes that cost money
- Buying for the business you hope to be. Choose for the next twelve months. You can move later if you can export.
- Skipping the owner. A tool without a named owner turns into a list nobody trusts.
- Paying for an agency platform to use one feature. If you only need review requests or a form-to-sheet link, a single-purpose tool or a small automation costs less. Our GoHighLevel review lists those alternatives.
- Ignoring consent rules. Set up opt-in and STOP handling before you send the first text.
How long it takes to switch later
Choosing is less risky than it feels, because a small CRM is easy to leave if you can export. A list of a few hundred contacts moves in an hour. What takes time is the habit: retraining the people who use it and rebuilding any form connections. That is why the export test above matters more than any feature, and why starting with the simpler tool is usually safe. If the free or low-cost tool runs out of room, you will know exactly what you need from the next one, because you will have used a real pipeline for six months.
A one-page checklist
- I wrote the job in one sentence.
- I counted users and monthly leads.
- I checked the customer list in software I already use.
- I priced texting, calls and add-ons, not just the plan.
- I confirmed I can export my data.
- I know who owns it day to day.
- I tested it with twenty real contacts.
- If I handle health or legal information, I asked about the signed agreement.
If you want the pipeline, fields and website form set up for you, or a second opinion on which tool fits, ask for a free demo.
Published . Updated .