Top CRMs for freelancers in 2021
There are many CRMs out there, but not a lot of them work well for Freelancers. Most are meant for small businesses, or teams of freelancers, however, there are also options that work for solo freelancers as well. We’re going to take a look at some options that work for both solo freelancers as well as freelance teams and agencies. We’re only going to be looking at a few, as these are the most recommended for freelancers.
Hello Bonsai has everything a freelancer CRM should have. It’s great for both solo freelancers and teams, however, solo freelancers would find it a little better for them. It lets you handle all client interactions from outbound marketing to invoicing. With Bonsai, you get an email template creator, an email marketing tool, a contract tool, a time management tool, and reports wrapped up in a sleek package. It also lets you handle payments in more than 180 currencies and file tax returns.
The price is only $19 a month, which is a bargain for the features Hello Bonsai offers.
2. HoneyBook
HoneyBook is a great time-management CRM that has some limited email automation features. It’s best for Teams and Agencies. You can send proposals with sleek-looking templates and automate what happens next. If a client doesn’t respond, you send a follow-up. If they do, HoneyBook sends a contract and creates a task for you or your partners. This CRM really shines when it comes to project management and invoices.
The pricing is lenient at $34 a month with 60 days money-back guarantee.
3. 17hats
17hats offers amazing CRM features but comes at the price of mediocre email automation. If you already have an email automation solution and need your freelance business to handle multiple leads, choose 17hats. It offers more templates than any other CRM for freelancers out there. For the monthly price of $45, you’ll get access to a template builder that lets you create branded emails, invoices, quotes, and contracts. You also get advanced CRM features that allow you to store all the information on the contact and related documents in one place. On top of that, 17hats offers workflow and time-management management features and bookkeeping.
It’s a great solution for teams and freelancers who want to upgrade their game, but at $45 a month, this can be an overkill for individuals.
4. ECFreelance
This may not be a name you’ve heard of, but it’s been making a scene without needing any advertising. It’s meant for solo freelancers only, as it has no team collaboration tools. It’s a very simple CRM that gets features added every week. With it, you can manage you clients with just one click, and project management hasn’t been easier. You can even manage tasks for your projects with 2 clicks as well. It’s in beta however, meaning that it isn’t finished yet. Don’t let that discourage you from trying it out, as it still has the main features you’d want. It will also have invoicing and payment proccessing soon.
It’s a really great solution for solo freelancers who want to try something new. It’s completely free during it’s beta, which is expected to last until at least May or June 2021, and after the beta is over, all beta users will get 6 months extra for free.
There are much more CRMs out there, but these are the top ones for freelancers.
