Monday.com is a well-known name in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) world — you’ve probably seen their YouTube ads more times than you can count, and we wouldn’t blame you for thinking it’s the ultimate solution for teams wanting to build customer relationships. With its catchy name (which, we’ll admit, we’ve spent way too many hours coming up with puns about), simple design, drag-and-drop functionality, and solid automation, it’s easy to see why so many businesses give it a go.
But once you dig a little deeper, read a few reviews, and check out the competition — you might start to wonder if Monday is really the best way to start your workweek. (Okay, we’re done with the puns... for now.)
No matter which day of the week you’re reading this, let’s take a look at the top 10 Monday CRM alternatives for 2025. Whether you’re a sales rep, CEO, or small business owner, we’ll break down the key features and pricing of each option, so you can make a smarter decision.
About Monday.com
Monday.com originally made its mark as a work management platform, but it quickly expanded into the CRM space. Designed to help businesses track leads, manage sales pipelines, and automate workflows, Monday.com offers a flexible and customizable solution. Its intuitive interface and powerful drag-and-drop features make it appealing to teams seeking a dynamic CRM.
However, while it shines in ease of use and customization, Monday.com falls short in a few areas. Businesses needing advanced reporting or native integrations may find themselves hitting limitations. Despite these drawbacks, it remains a solid choice for teams looking for an entry-level CRM with the flexibility to adapt to their unique workflows.
Monday CRM review
Having tested dozen of CRM tools, we know what makes a CRM effective—and where some fall short. Monday.com CRM has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface and customization options, making it an attractive choice for sales teams. However, it also comes with some drawbacks that may leave your sales reps frustrated.
Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of Monday.com CRM, followed by insights from real users on independent review sites like Capterra and G2.
Pros
✅ User-friendly interface – Monday CRM is known for its clean, intuitive design. Its drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to customize pipelines, update deal statuses, and rearrange tasks without technical expertise. Sales teams can quickly adapt to the system with minimal training, making onboarding a breeze.
✅ Highly customizable – One of Monday’s biggest strengths is its flexibility. Users can create custom dashboards, automated workflows, and tailored sales pipelines to fit their business processes. This is great for teams that want a CRM they can mold to their specific needs rather than a rigid, one-size-fits-all tool.
✅ Collaboration features – Monday CRM isn’t just about tracking sales—it’s also built for team collaboration. Sales reps and managers can leave comments, tag colleagues, and update tasks in real-time, ensuring that everyone stays in sync. Unlike traditional CRMs that rely heavily on email updates, Monday brings a more interactive approach to managing deals and tasks.
✅ Automation capabilities – Monday CRM offers powerful automation tools that can eliminate repetitive tasks. Sales teams can automate follow-ups, deal status changes, and notifications, saving time and reducing manual effort. However, while its automation features are strong, they are not as advanced as competitors like HubSpot CRM or Salesforce, which offer more complex workflows and AI-driven automation.
Cons
❌ Limited native integrations – While Monday CRM integrates with popular apps like Slack, Gmail, and Zoom, many essential integrations—such as advanced email marketing tools or accounting software—require third-party connectors like Zapier. This can add extra costs and complexity, especially for businesses looking for an all-in-one solution.
❌ Pricing can be expensive – While Monday.com offers an affordable entry-level plan, many essential CRM features—including advanced reporting, automation, and lead scoring—are locked behind higher-tier plans. Businesses looking for cost-effective alternatives may find that platforms like Zoho CRM or Lark offer similar (or better) features at a lower price.
❌ Reporting limitations – Monday CRM provides basic sales analytics and reporting, but it lacks advanced data visualization, AI-powered insights, and custom reporting tools found in competitors like Salesforce or Pipedrive. This can be a dealbreaker for sales teams that rely heavily on in-depth performance tracking and forecasting.
❌ Not ideal for large sales teams – While Monday CRM works well for small and mid-sized teams, it may struggle with scalability. Larger organizations often require role-based permissions, territory management, and complex workflow automations—features that Monday CRM lacks or charges extra for. Enterprise sales teams might be better served by Salesforce, HubSpot, or Freshsales.
What users are saying
Real user feedback provides a clear picture of how Monday CRM performs in day-to-day operations. Here’s what people are saying on Capterra and G2:
⭐ Positive reviews:
"Monday makes it easy to track everything about the projects I manage. It allows me to make notes of conversations and keep track of follow-ups while also letting me see which court the balls are in. It has proven to be paramount to my position as a Project Manager." - G2
“I love it! Has kept me organized and on top of all of my work as a commercial real estate agent.” - Capterra
⭐ Negative reviews:
"The pricing is a bit high, especially if you need access to advanced tools, which can be challenging for small teams.” - Capterra
“They changed their pricing structure. We started with CRM. Added workspace. Then we wanted to use just CRM again and were told we can't. So while you can see the CRM is very reasonably priced, we cannot just use that and have to pay for everything every month. So we are migrating off the platform. Also, there are times that the automations are so slow that it is painful.” - G2
As you can see, Monday CRM has a lot going for it. At the same time, it’s clear there is room for improvement to make it the ultimate CRM for sales teams. Seeing as it’s clear the grass may be greener elsewhere, now it’s time to take a look at our compiled list of the best Monday CRM alternatives for 2025 that offer similar features and in some cases lack any of the limitations of Monday.com.
Monday CRM alternatives at a glance
To save you time if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at the top 12 alternatives for 2025.
Top 12 Monday CRM alternatives
1. Lark - Best all-in-one CRM & collaboration software
Lark combines data and project management, document creation, email, chat, and calendar functionalities to enable you to build a fully customized CRM system that meets your business needs. With Lark Base, you can create anything from a simple contact database to a comprehensive sales pipeline or lead management system.
Key Features:
Customizable Fields: Track leads’ statuses with flow fields or assign leads to sales reps using person fields, tailoring your CRM complexity as needed.
Seamless Integration: All Lark apps—Messenger, Calendar, Base, and Docs—work together, allowing sales reps to receive updates in real time, follow up via messenger, draft emails, and schedule meetings without switching apps.
Accessibility: Use Lark on mobile, web, or desktop for on-the-go access.
Extensive Integrations: Connect with your favorite tools to enhance functionality.
User Permissions: Tailor access levels for different team members for better collaboration.
Data Visualization: Utilize powerful tools for multiple views and dashboards.
Automations: Create customizable automations to handle various tasks efficiently.
Pricing: Free, with paid plans starting at $12 per user/month.
2. HubSpot CRM - Best overall alternative
While Monday CRM is built around project workflows, HubSpot CRM is designed specifically for sales teams, offering better lead nurturing, email marketing, and automation. If you’re looking for a completely free solution with robust sales tools, HubSpot CRM offers more value than Monday’s limited free plan.
Image source: getapp.co.uk
Key Features:
Lead and contact management
Email tracking and marketing tools
Customizable pipelines and workflows
Pricing: Free, with paid plans starting at $50/month
3. Zoho CRM - Best for budget-conscious businesses
Compared to Monday CRM, Zoho CRM offers more customization and AI-driven sales insights at a lower price. If you need affordable automation, lead scoring, and advanced analytics, Zoho CRM is a more cost-effective option without sacrificing functionality.
Image source: capterra.com
Key Features:
Sales pipeline management
AI-powered sales insights
Customizable automation and integrations
Pricing: $14/user/month
4. Salesforce - Best for enterprise sales teams
Salesforce is the go-to choice for large enterprise sales teams that need a highly customizable and scalable CRM solution. It provides powerful automation, detailed analytics, and seamless integration with other business systems—making it ideal for companies that require enterprise-level capabilities to manage complex sales processes.
Image source: financesonline.com
Key Features:
Customizable CRM with advanced automation
Robust reporting and analytics tools
Enterprise-level integrations and security
Pricing: $25/user/month
5. Pipedrive - Best for sales-focused teams
Pipedrive is a CRM designed with sales teams in mind, providing a clear and visual sales pipeline to track every deal. It offers customizable workflows, automated reminders, and seamless email integration to keep the sales process moving efficiently—making it an excellent choice for teams that prioritize sales performance.
Image source: capterra.com
Key Features:
Visual sales pipeline management
Customizable workflows and automation
Email integration and reporting tools
Pricing: $14.90/user/month
6. Nimble - Best for social media-driven sales
Nimble is perfect for businesses that rely on social media to build relationships and drive sales. It pulls in contact information from various social platforms, allowing sales teams to stay connected and engaged with leads in a more personalized way. With its intuitive interface, Nimble makes managing social relationships simple and effective.
Image source: nimble.com
Key Features:
Social media integration
Relationship management tools
Automated workflows and contact organization
Pricing: $24.90/user/month
7. Freshsales - Best for AI-driven CRM automation
Freshsales uses artificial intelligence to supercharge sales efforts, providing features like automated lead scoring and intelligent follow-up reminders. With customizable sales pipelines, reporting tools, and integrations with other software, Freshsales makes it easier for teams to close deals faster and more efficiently.
Image source: g2.com
Key Features:
AI-powered lead scoring
Sales automation and pipeline management
Customizable reporting and integrations
Pricing: $15/user/month
8. Insightly - Best for project-based businesses
Insightly combines CRM capabilities with project management tools, making it a great choice for businesses that need to track both customer relationships and project progress. With its customizable workflows and robust reporting features, Insightly ensures teams stay organized and productive, no matter how complex the projects may be.
Image source: g2.com
Key Features:
CRM integrated with project management tools
Customizable workflows and task management
Detailed reporting and pipeline tracking
Pricing: $29/user/month
9. Freshworks - Best for essential customer relationship features
Freshworks CRM offers a strong free plan with the essential tools needed to manage customer relationships, automate tasks, and track sales performance. Its intuitive interface and integrations with other popular software make it an excellent choice for small businesses that want to get started with CRM without breaking the bank.
Image source: freshworks.com
Key Features:
Lead and contact management
Sales automation and reporting tools
Integrations with popular apps and services
Pricing: Free, with paid plans starting at $12/user/month
10. Copper - Best for Google Workspace users
Copper is built to work perfectly with Google Workspace, making it an excellent choice for businesses already using Google tools. It offers seamless integration with Gmail, Google Calendar, and other Google apps, so teams can manage emails, contacts, and tasks all within one platform. Copper streamlines CRM workflows, enabling teams to work smarter.
Image source: betterbuys.com
Key Features:
Seamless Google Workspace integration
Customizable CRM workflows
Advanced reporting and sales insights
Pricing: $23/user/month
11. ActiveCampaign - Best for email marketing and automation
Image source: btw.so
ActiveCampaign combines CRM and email marketing into one powerful tool. Its advanced automation features allow businesses to send targeted emails, score leads, and track customer interactions. With its deep segmentation and reporting tools, ActiveCampaign is ideal for businesses that want to boost sales through personalized email campaigns.
Key Features:
Advanced email marketing automation
Lead scoring and segmentation
CRM and sales automation tools
Pricing: $15/user/month
12. Zendesk - Best for customer service-focused teams
Zendesk is perfect for customer service teams that need a robust ticketing system and tools to handle customer support requests. With omnichannel messaging and AI automation, Zendesk helps businesses streamline their support processes, reduce response times, and improve customer satisfaction across multiple channels.
Image source: zendesk.com
Key Features:
Support ticketing system and knowledge base
Omnichannel messaging and AI automation
Customizable workflows and analytics
Pricing: $19/user/month
Choose the best CRM software for your business
Choosing the right CRM software is a critical decision for any business. With 73% of businesses adopting CRM tools in 2024, it’s clear that CRM systems are essential for staying competitive and delivering exceptional customer experiences. To ensure you select the best CRM for your business, here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the key factors to consider:
Scalability – Can the CRM grow with your business?
Why it matters: Your business will evolve over time, and your CRM should be able to handle increased data, users, and complexity without requiring a complete overhaul.
What to look for:
User limits: Does the CRM allow you to add more users as your team grows?
Data capacity: Can it handle a growing volume of customer data, interactions, and transactions?
Feature expansion: Does it offer advanced features (e.g., enterprise-level reporting, custom dashboards) as your needs become more sophisticated?
Pricing tiers: Are there flexible pricing plans that align with your growth stages (e.g., small business vs. enterprise)?
Ease of use – Is the platform intuitive for your team?
Why it matters: A CRM is only effective if your team adopts and uses it consistently. A complex or unintuitive system can lead to low engagement and wasted resources.
What to look for:
User interface (UI): Is the platform visually appealing and easy to navigate?
Onboarding and training: Does the provider offer tutorials, guides, or customer support to help your team get up to speed?
Customization: Can you tailor the CRM to match your team’s workflow without requiring technical expertise?
Mobile accessibility: Is there a mobile app or responsive design for on-the-go access?
Integration options – Does it work with your existing tools?
Why it matters: Your CRM should seamlessly integrate with the tools your business already uses (e.g., email, marketing automation, accounting software) to avoid data silos and inefficiencies.
What to look for:
Native integrations: Does the CRM offer built-in integrations with popular tools like Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or HubSpot?
API access: Does it provide an open API for custom integrations with niche or proprietary software?
Data synchronization: Can it sync data in real-time across platforms to ensure consistency?
App marketplace: Does it have a library of third-party apps or plugins to extend functionality?
Automation & AI – Does it offer workflow automation and AI-driven insights?
Why it matters: Automation and AI can save time, reduce errors, and provide actionable insights to improve customer relationships and decision-making.
What to look for:
Workflow automation: Can you automate repetitive tasks like email follow-ups, lead scoring, or task assignments?
AI capabilities: Does the CRM offer predictive analytics, sentiment analysis, or AI-driven recommendations?
Reporting and analytics: Are there advanced reporting tools to track performance metrics and identify trends?
Personalization: Can the CRM use AI to tailor customer interactions (e.g., personalized email campaigns or product recommendations)?
Pricing & value – Does it provide good features for its price?
Why it matters: CRM pricing can vary widely, and you want to ensure you’re getting the best return on investment (ROI) for your budget.
What to look for:
Transparent pricing: Are the pricing plans clear, with no hidden fees?
Feature-to-cost ratio: Does the CRM offer essential features (e.g., contact management, pipeline tracking, reporting) at a reasonable price?
Free trial or demo: Can you test the platform before committing?
Scalable pricing: Are there plans that align with your current needs and future growth?
Customer support: Is support included in the pricing, or are there additional costs for premium support?
Additional considerations
Security & Compliance: Ensure the CRM complies with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and offers robust security features like encryption and access controls.
Customer Support: Look for a provider with reliable customer support (e.g., 24/7 availability, multiple contact channels) to resolve issues quickly.
Customization: Can you customize fields, workflows, and dashboards to fit your unique business processes?
Industry-Specific Features: Some CRMs cater to specific industries (e.g., real estate, healthcare) with tailored features. Ensure the CRM aligns with your industry needs.
Why sales team choose Lark over Monday CRM
While monday.com positions itself as a flexible work OS, its CRM solution comes with hidden costs, rigid tier restrictions, and missing essentials like native messaging and version history. That’s where Lark shines—offering greater transparency, inclusivity, and a fully integrated collaboration experience.
1. Transparent pricing with no hidden costs
Monday CRM’s pricing may look affordable at first glance, but as your business scales, the true costs quickly add up. Essential features such as automation, advanced reporting, and formula fields are locked behind higher-tier plans, making cost predictability a challenge.
Lark, on the other hand, offers clear and transparent pricing with well-defined tiers. Each plan explicitly outlines limits on storage, row counts, and workflow executions, ensuring businesses can plan their expenses with confidence. Whether you’re a startup or a growing enterprise, Lark’s pricing model provides greater value without surprise costs.
2. More inclusive features—No tier gating
One of Monday CRM’s biggest pain points is its restrictive feature availability. Critical CRM functionalities like custom views, formula fields, and workflow automation are either paid add-ons or locked behind expensive Enterprise plans. Even in the Pro version, managing large-scale data and automating tasks remains frustratingly limited.
Lark removes these barriers with greater inclusivity and flexibility.
All fundamental features—including views, formula fields, and automation—are available across all tiers, allowing SMBs to build efficient workflows without needing an expensive plan.
More storage and flexible seat counts mean growing businesses don’t hit roadblocks as they scale.
With Lark, you have complete control over your CRM, eliminating the need for constant app switching and unnecessary third-party subscriptions. Its mobile-friendly design ensures seamless access across all devices, keeping your team connected at all times. With Lark Base, you can streamline workflows, automate routine tasks, and set up follow-up reminders with ease. Additionally, you can customize tracking fields to fit your needs and analyze data from various perspectives using multiple views and interactive dashboards.
3. Essential features built-in—No costly add-ons
Monday CRM may be a project management powerhouse, but it lacks some mission-critical CRM functions, forcing users to integrate expensive third-party tools.
No native instant messaging: Teams relying on Monday CRM often have to integrate Slack, leading to additional costs of up to $28 per user per month—a hidden expense many businesses don’t anticipate.
Weak version history management: Mistakes happen, but Monday CRM doesn’t provide robust version history tracking, making it impossible to roll back to previous data points.
Lark solves both problems natively:
Built-in instant messaging with support for group chats (up to 5,000 users), message history, secure chats, and automatic translation—all without the need for costly third-party apps.
Full version history backups, ensuring that if an error occurs, you can easily roll back to any previous version without data loss.
With Lark, you don’t need to pay for third-party tools, this means that you can keep some of your spending budget and invest it in other ways.
For example, if you adopted monday.com, you’d also need something like Slack for chats, and Zoom for video calls. For a company of 100 employees, Lark would save you a total cost of at least $25,200 per year. Now imagine what your business could do with all that extra cash?
4. Free CRM templates—Start faster, Scale smarter
Lark goes above and beyond by offering a wide range of free templates to help businesses get up and running quickly. Whether you're a startup or a growing enterprise, Lark provides pre-built templates tailored to different business needs—no additional costs or subscriptions required.
One standout template is the Lark Base CRM Template. This comprehensive tool is designed to help you manage your customer relationships more effectively by providing a clear overview of leads, accounts, customer segments, and industries.
FAQs about Monday CRM alternatives
What is the best free alternative to Monday CRM?
HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM, and Lark offer free plans with essential CRM features.
Which Monday CRM alternative is best for small businesses?
Lark stands out as the best CRM for small businesses due to its vast array of features as part of its free plan. Small businesses don’t need to spend a single dollar to get eleven products designed for collaboration and customer relationship management. This makes it an obvious choice for startups, growing businesses, or those wanting to cut costs.
Is Monday CRM good for large enterprises?
While Monday.com CRM is customizable, larger enterprises might find Salesforce or Zoho CRM a better fit due to advanced reporting and integrations.
Final thoughts
Monday.com CRM may work for some, but if hidden costs, feature limitations, or missing essentials are holding you back, Lark is the better choice.
With transparent pricing, automation, flexible workflows, and native messaging, Lark eliminates the need for costly add-ons and endless app switching. Lark Base lets you customize your CRM, automate tasks, and visualize data effortlessly—all while ensuring seamless access on any device.
Ready to simplify your workflow and boost collaboration? Try Lark today and upgrade your CRM experience!
