12 Best Method CRM Alternatives for 2026

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Method CRM works well if your business lives inside QuickBooks or Xero, but its tight focus on accounting can feel limiting.

You might find your team struggling when a process doesn’t fit neatly into that accounting-centric world. This is especially true when a deal closes and the real work begins, forcing you to switch to another tool and repeat the same updates across multiple platforms.

This guide breaks down 12 Method CRM alternatives that solve this handoff problem, comparing their CRM capabilities, automation power, project management features, and ability to keep customer context intact from first contact through final delivery.

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Why Go For Method CRM Alternatives?

When your sales data is in one place, and your project execution is elsewhere, you lose momentum. Your team wastes time manually transferring information, and the full customer story gets lost in the shuffle. If you’re feeling constrained by limited customization options or a lack of robust project management features, it’s time to consider an alternative.

Here are the key reasons you might be looking for a change:

  • Limited integration ecosystem: Beyond its core accounting integrations, your options are sparse, making it hard to connect your other essential tools
  • No built-in project management: You can track leads, but once a deal is won, you have to move to a separate system to manage the actual work, creating a disconnect
  • Basic automation capabilities: The workflow automation lacks the power and flexibility needed to handle complex, multi-step processes as your team grows
  • Scalability concerns: Many growing teams find they quickly hit the ceiling of what Method CRM can do, forcing a difficult migration later on
  • Siloed customer data: Your customer information is trapped in the sales phase and doesn’t flow naturally to the teams responsible for delivery and support

Modern alternatives solve these issues by providing converged workspaces. They bring your CRM, projects, documents, and team communication into one place, eliminating the tool sprawl that slows you down.

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Method CRM Alternatives at a Glance

Here’s a quick summary:

Tool NameKey FeaturesTeam InformationPricing
ClickUpAI Super Agents; Unified CRM & Projects; Automated deal-to-project conversionAll Sizes (Teams bridging the gap between sales and delivery)Free Forever; Custom plans available
Salesforce Sales CloudEinstein AI; Massive AppExchange; Limitless customizationEnterprise (Large organizations with complex, global sales cycles)Paid plans from $25/user/month
HubSpot CRMInbound marketing tools; Free core CRM; Email sequencesSMB to Mid-Market (Marketing-focused teams scaling lead gen)Free; Paid plans from $15/seat/month
Zoho CRMZia AI; Canvas UI Studio; Part of 50+ app Zoho One suiteSmall Business (Teams seeking deep features on a budget)Paid plans from $14/user/month
PipedriveVisual Kanban pipeline; Activity-based prompts; Smart DocsSmall to Mid-Sized (Sales-driven teams focused on momentum)Paid plans from $19/user/month
monday CRMNo-code visual boards; Cross-board dashboards; High flexibilityAll Sizes (Teams wanting highly visual, custom workflows)Paid plans from $12/seat/month
Dynamics 365Microsoft 365 native; Power BI analytics; LinkedIn syncEnterprise (Organizations already deep in the Microsoft stack)Paid plans from $65/user/month
NutshellBuilt-in email marketing; Simple pipelines; Pipeline automationSmall Teams (Sales teams handling their own marketing outreach)Paid plans from $19/user/month
Bigin by ZohoPipeline-centric; Built-in telephony; Web formsMicro-Teams/Solo (New users who find standard CRMs overwhelming)Free; Paid plans from $9/month
ActiveCampaignAdvanced automation builder; Site tracking; Lead scoringMarketing-Heavy (Teams focused on sophisticated email nurturing)Paid plans from $15/month
InsightlyRelationship linking; Integrated project handoff; Custom objectsSMB Service Providers (Teams managing post-sale project delivery)Paid plans from $29/user/month
FreshsalesFreddy AI; Built-in phone/email; Sales sequencesMid-Market (Fast-growing teams using AI to score leads)Free; Paid plans from $11/user/month

How we review software at ClickUp

Our editorial team follows a transparent, research-backed, and vendor-neutral process, so you can trust that our recommendations are based on real product value.

Here’s a detailed rundown of how we review software at ClickUp.

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The Best Method CRM Alternatives to Use

We looked at each tool through the lens of a Method CRM user’s biggest challenges. Our evaluation focused on CRM capabilities, ease of integration with other tools, project management features, and the ability to automate workflows. Eliminate tool sprawl by using the only true converged workspace—ClickUp—while other tools excel in specific areas. ✨

1. ClickUp (Best for AI-powered work management with built-in CRM capabilities)

ClickUp 4.0 UI project management
Manage all your documents, projects, conversations, and more on one comprehensive platform with ClickUp

Method CRM works well when your focus is on tracking deals inside an accounting-led system. The friction starts the moment a deal closes. Customer details reside in the CRM, while the actual work takes place elsewhere. Projects begin without context, delivery teams have to reconstruct expectations, and sales promises live in emails instead of the system of record.

ClickUp is built for teams that want to manage the entire customer lifecycle in one place. Instead of treating CRM and project execution as separate phases, ClickUp connects them inside a single workflow. Leads, deals, delivery work, documentation, and communication all live in the same workspace, so context doesn’t disappear when ownership shifts.

During the sales phase, teams use ClickUp’s CRM structure to track leads, accounts, and opportunities in pipelines that reflect how they actually sell. Customer details, deal value, timelines, and notes stay attached to each record via Custom Fields, giving sales and delivery teams a shared view of the relationship as it evolves. This eliminates the need to recreate or reinterpret information later.

When a deal is marked as won, automation takes over. ClickUp Automations can instantly convert the deal into a delivery project, assign owners, set timelines, and notify the right teams without manual coordination. Instead of relying on handoffs or follow-up messages, the system ensures work starts immediately with clear ownership and expectations.

ClickUp Super Agents extend this hands-off approach even further. They can help triage incoming requests, generate task updates, handle routine follow-ups, and move work forward based on predefined rules or context. This reduces the need for constant check-ins and status updates, allowing teams to focus on execution rather than orchestration.

Super Agents in ClickUp can handle workflows end-to-end, without human intervention

As work progresses, ClickUp remains the operational hub. Tasks, dependencies, and milestones live alongside customer information, while ClickUp Brain helps teams quickly understand what’s happening across deals and projects. It can summarize activity, surface risks, and provide instant context without digging through records or dashboards.

Collaboration and knowledge retention happen where the work already lives. Contracts, proposals, runbooks, and delivery notes are documented in ClickUp Docs and linked directly to tasks and customers. Conversations happen in ClickUp Chat, tied to the work they reference instead of scattered across tools. It’s your CRM plus an AI-powered execution layer, supported by deep context!

ClickUp best features

  • ClickUp CRM Template: Get a ready-to-use framework for managing your sales pipeline, complete with customizable stages for leads, accounts, and deals, so you can start tracking progress immediately
  • ClickUp Brain: Use the built-in AI assistant to draft customer communications, summarize deal history, and get intelligent suggestions based on your CRM data—all within ClickUp
  • ClickUp Automations: Build custom, no-code workflows to automatically move deals between stages, assign follow-up tasks, or send notifications when a deal status changes
  • ClickUp Dashboards: Create visual sales dashboards to track key metrics like pipeline value, conversion rates, and team performance using real-time data from your workspace
  • ClickUp Custom Fields: Adapt your CRM to your exact process by adding flexible fields to track any data point you need, such as deal value, lead source, or contract renewal dates

ClickUp pros and cons

Pros:

  • Ensure customer context flows seamlessly from sales to delivery by bringing CRM, project management, docs, and team communication into one platform.
  • Native AI capabilities with ClickUp Brain: The AI understands your workspace context to automate tasks, draft communications, and surface insights without needing third-party tools
  • Highly customizable without code: You can build a CRM that matches your exact workflow using Custom Fields, statuses, and Automations, with no developer help required

Cons:

  • Learning curve for teams new to highly customizable platforms
  • Mobile app has fewer features than the desktop version
  • Advanced, multi-step automations require initial setup time

ClickUp pricing

free forever
Best for individual users
Free Free
Key Features:
60MB Storage
Unlimited Tasks
Unlimited Free Plan Members
unlimited
Best for small teams
$7 $10
per user per month
Everything in Free +
Unlimited Storage
Unlimited Folders and Spaces
Unlimited Integrations
business
Best for mid-sized teams
$12 $19
per user per month
Everything in Unlimited +
Google SSO
Unlimited Message History
Unlimited Mind Maps
enterprise
Best for many large teams
Get a custom demo and see how ClickUp aligns with your goals.
Everything in Business +
White Labeling
Conditional Logic in Forms
Subtasks in Multiple Lists
* Prices when billed annually
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ClickUp ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.7/5 (9,000+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,000+ reviews)

What are real-life users saying about ClickUp?

A user review says:

ClickUp is extremely versatile and allows me to create solutions for practically any business case or process. The automations and AI agents are also super powerful! I can setup automatic actions via logic or via AI prompts to run do just about any action in ClickUp I can imagine. Lastly, just the pace of product updates. There are truly significant feature updates every month and the company is heavily invested in its growth.

2. Salesforce Sales Cloud (Best for enterprise-level CRM with extensive customization)

via Salesforce

If you feel like your business has outgrown Method CRM’s simpler structure and you’re hitting a wall with its customization limits, Salesforce is the enterprise-grade alternative. Your complex sales process is being forced into a rigid system, and you can’t build the specific workflows your organization needs to scale effectively. This is a common growing pain for businesses that need more power.

Salesforce Sales Cloud is designed to solve this by offering nearly limitless customization. Unlike Method CRM, which is built around QuickBooks, Salesforce is a platform you can build on. With its Lightning Platform and AppExchange marketplace, you can create a CRM that perfectly mirrors your unique and complex sales operations, integrating with almost any other business system you use.

The AI, called Einstein, helps with predictive lead scoring and forecasting, while its reporting tools give you deep visibility into every aspect of your sales cycle. However, this power comes with significant complexity. Implementing Salesforce typically requires dedicated administrators or external consultants, making it a better fit for large organizations with the resources to invest in setup and ongoing maintenance.

Salesforce Sales Cloud best features

  • Einstein AI: Helps sales teams focus on the highest-value prospects with predictive lead scoring, opportunity insights, and automated activity capture
  • AppExchange ecosystem: Extends functionality far beyond core CRM with thousands of pre-built integrations and third-party apps
  • Lightning Platform: Allows you to build custom applications, workflows, and automations tailored to complex enterprise sales processes
  • Advanced reporting and forecasting: Provides deep visibility into pipeline health and revenue predictions with highly customizable dashboards and AI-powered forecasting

Salesforce Sales Cloud pros and cons

Pros:

  • Extensive customization and scalability for complex enterprise needs
  • An extensive integration ecosystem through its AppExchange
  • Industry-leading AI capabilities with its Einstein feature

Cons:

  • A steep learning curve that requires dedicated admin resources
  • Implementation is complex and often necessitates hiring a consultant
  • Can be overwhelming and overly expensive for smaller teams

Salesforce Sales Cloud pricing

  • Starter Suite: $25 per user per month
  • Pro Suite: $100 per user per month
  • Enterprise: $175 per user per month

Salesforce Sales Cloud ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.4/5 (23,000+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.4/5 (18,000+ reviews)

What are real-life users saying about Salesforce Sales Cloud?

A user review says:

My favorite aspect of Salesforce Sales Cloud is the seamless integration it provides for both the AI agent and the human SDR. Its ability to centralize data is key. This high frequency of use lets the AI pinpoint genuinely hot leads, which the human SDR can act on instantly.
The system’s ease of use and smooth ease of implementation mean we hit the ground running. Furthermore, reliable customer support ensures any issues are quickly resolved. This seamless collaboration is what truly drives efficiency and maximizes conversions.

3. HubSpot CRM (Best for free CRM with marketing automation)

via Hubspot

Is the cost of a full-featured CRM a barrier for your team? You might feel stuck, either paying for a tool with more features than you need or missing out on crucial marketing automation because it’s too expensive. This is a common frustration for small businesses and startups looking for a powerful yet accessible solution.

HubSpot CRM addresses this directly with its popular freemium model. The core CRM is completely free with no user limits, making it an attractive option for teams leaving Method CRM who want to try a platform before committing financially.

The tool comes with integrated marketing tools, including email sequences, landing pages, and lead nurturing workflows, that connect your campaigns directly to your CRM records. The interface is clean and intuitive, allowing for quick adoption. Keep in mind that while the free CRM is generous, accessing more advanced sales and marketing features requires upgrading to paid “Hubs,” which can become costly as your team scales.

HubSpot CRM best features

  • Free core CRM: Get contact management, deal tracking, and basic reporting at no cost for unlimited users
  • Marketing Hub integration: Achieve full-funnel visibility with a seamless connection between your marketing campaigns and sales pipeline
  • Email sequences and workflows: Build automated follow-up sequences and lead nurturing workflows directly inside the CRM
  • Meeting scheduler: Use the built-in scheduling tool that syncs with your calendar and automatically logs meetings to contact records

HubSpot CRM pros and cons

Pros:

  • A generous free plan with no user limits for core CRM functionality
  • Excellent marketing automation features for inbound-focused teams
  • An intuitive interface that requires minimal training

Cons:

  • Accessing advanced features requires expensive upgrades to different Hubs
  • Customization options are more limited compared to enterprise-level alternatives
  • The platform can feel restrictive as your sales processes become more complex

HubSpot CRM pricing

  • Free
  • Starter Customer Platform: From $16 per month
  • Professional Customer Platform: From $1,300 per month
  • Enterprise Customer Platform: From $4,300 per month

HubSpot CRM ratings and reviews:

  • G2: 4.4/5 (29,000+ reviews) 
  • Capterra: 4.5/5 (4,000+ reviews) 

What are real-life users saying about HubSpot CRM?

A user review says:

It was easy to set up even though I had never used HubSpot before. It provides a lot of helpful features from managing our sales pipeline to workflow automations. It’s our customer database too. I like that it has a lot of easy integrations so we can communicate with other platforms we use. The customer support is pretty fast and helpful.

4. Zoho CRM (Best for small businesses seeking affordable CRM)

Zoho CRM
via Zoho CRM

If you’re looking for more power than Method CRM offers but are wary of the high costs of enterprise solutions, you might feel caught in the middle. This is a frequent challenge for small to mid-sized businesses aiming to compete with larger players.

Zoho CRM is a value leader in this space, offering a comprehensive suite of CRM features at price points that are significantly more accessible. For teams leaving Method CRM due to cost or feature limitations, Zoho provides more functionality for every dollar spent. Its AI assistant, Zia, helps with lead scoring and deal predictions, while its Blueprint feature allows you to build visual workflows to standardize your sales process.

Furthermore, Zoho CRM is part of the broader Zoho One ecosystem, which bundles the CRM with dozens of other business applications. This creates a deeply integrated suite for teams looking to consolidate their software stack beyond just CRM, covering everything from finance to HR in a single subscription.

Zoho CRM best features

  • Zia AI assistant: Get help with lead scoring, deal predictions, and anomaly detection to help your team prioritize its efforts effectively
  • Blueprint process automation: Use the visual workflow builder to standardize your sales processes and ensure team-wide consistency
  • Canvas design studio: Customize the look and feel of the CRM interface to match your team’s preferences without needing to write any code
  • Zoho ecosystem integration: Connect seamlessly with Zoho Books, Projects, Desk, and dozens of other applications in the Zoho suite

Zoho CRM pros and cons

Pros:

  • Excellent value, with comprehensive features at highly competitive prices
  • Strong AI capabilities with Zia are available across all paid plans
  • An extensive ecosystem for teams that want fully integrated business apps

Cons:

  • The user interface can feel dated compared to more modern CRM platforms
  • Some of the most advanced features are reserved for higher-tier plans
  • Customer support response times can vary depending on your plan level

Zoho CRM pricing

  • Standard: $20/month per user
  • Professional: $35/month per user
  • Enterprise: $50/month per user
  • Ultimate: $65/month per user

Zoho CRM ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.1/5 (2,700+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.3/5 (6,800+ reviews)

What are real-life users saying about Zoho CRM?

A user review says:

Zoho CRM stands out as a reliable and affordable option, especially for small to mid-sized businesses. Its intuitive interface makes navigation simple, though mastering some of the more advanced features may require a bit more time. The setup process is easy to follow, aided by clear instructions and ready-made templates that help streamline the experience. Zoho CRM is designed for daily use and excels at managing ongoing sales activities and customer relationships. The platform offers a robust suite of features, including automation, analytics, and AI-powered insights, all of which contribute substantial value. Customer support is generally responsive, but the quality of assistance can differ based on your subscription level. Integration with other Zoho products and third-party services is smooth and flexible, making Zoho CRM a versatile solution for diverse business requirements.

5. Pipedrive (Best for sales-focused teams with visual pipeline management)

via Pipedrive

When your CRM doesn’t guide you on what to do next, reps can lose focus, and opportunities can stall. Pipedrive was built by salespeople to solve this exact problem.

Its philosophy is centered on activity-based selling, which means it prompts your team to focus on the tangible actions—calls, emails, and meetings—that move deals forward. The centerpiece of the platform is its visual Kanban pipeline, which makes deal progression intuitive and satisfying to manage.

The tool helps you see exactly what needs to be done for every deal, ensuring no follow-ups are missed. It’s intentionally designed to be a pure sales tool. This means that while it excels at pipeline management, you’ll need to integrate other tools for more robust project management or marketing automation.

Pipedrive best features

  • Visual pipeline management: A drag-and-drop Kanban interface makes it easy to see where every deal stands and what needs to happen next
  • Activity-based selling: The platform encourages you to schedule activities for every deal, ensuring your reps take consistent action
  • Smart Docs: Streamline your proposal workflow with trackable documents that have e-signatures and can be auto-filled with CRM data
  • AI Sales Assistant: Get proactive suggestions for your next steps, performance tips, and insights into your deals

Pipedrive pros and cons

Pros:

  • An exceptionally intuitive visual pipeline that requires minimal training
  • The activity-focused approach keeps sales teams action-oriented and accountable
  • A clean, uncluttered interface that doesn’t overwhelm users with unnecessary features

Cons:

  • Limited project management capabilities after the sale is closed
  • Marketing automation features require add-ons or third-party integrations
  • Reporting is less customizable than what you’d find in enterprise-level alternatives

Pipedrive pricing

  • Essential: $24/month per user
  • Advanced: $44/month per user
  • Professional: $64/month per user
  • Power: $79/month per user
  • Enterprise: $129/month per use

Pipedrive ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.3/5 (2,100+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.5/5 (3,000+ reviews)

What are real-life users saying about Pipedrive?

A user review says:

Very focused on the right activities, and not on burdensome forms or tick-boxes. The integrations between computer and phone access are instantaneous and really helpful. I use it every day, whereever I am. Having used a few other CRMs over many years, I firmly believe Pipedrive is the best for my needs, which are sales-focused with a lot of service follow through.

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6. monday CRM (Best for customizable workflows and team collaboration)

via Monday

If you’re frustrated by the rigid structure of Method CRM and wish you could build a sales workflow that looks and feels exactly the way you want, you’re not alone. Many teams find that off-the-shelf CRMs force them into a box, rather than adapting to their unique processes.

monday CRM is built on the highly flexible monday.com Work OS, offering a solution for teams that crave visual and structural freedom. If you’re already using monday.com for project management, the CRM will feel like a natural extension. Its no-code, drag-and-drop interface allows you to build a custom CRM with boards, columns, and dashboards without needing any technical expertise.

This visual approach makes it easy to see your entire sales process at a glance and collaborate with your team in real-time. However, because it’s a newer product built on a general work platform, some of the deep, sales-specific features found in dedicated CRMs might be less mature or require creative configuration.

monday CRM best features

  • Visual board-based CRM: Use highly customizable boards with over 25 column types to track any sales data point you can imagine
  • No-code automations: Build powerful workflow automations using simple “if-then” logic, without needing a developer
  • Cross-board dashboards: Pull data from multiple sales and project boards into unified dashboards for complete visibility across the customer lifecycle
  • monday.com ecosystem: Integrate seamlessly with monday work management for smooth handoffs from sales to post-sale project teams

monday CRM pros and cons

Pros:

  • A highly visual and intuitive interface that requires very little training
  • Exceptional customization flexibility without needing to write any code
  • Strong collaboration features that are great for team-based selling

Cons:

  • As a newer CRM product, its feature set is less mature than established competitors
  • Some CRM-specific functionalities may require creative workarounds to implement
  • The bucketed seat pricing can lead to unexpected cost increases as your team grows

Monday CRM pricing

  • Basic: $12/month per user 
  • Standard: $17/month per user 
  • Pro: $28/month per user 
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

monday CRM ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.6/5 (800+ reviews) 
  • Capterra: 4.7/5 (300+ reviews) 

What are real-life users saying about monday CRM?

A user review says:

I absolutely love the emails and activities feature of monday CRM, which automatically tags emails to clients and leads, making tracking incredibly efficient. This automation, combined with the AI features, helps me extract crucial information like follow-up dates and important details effortlessly. The Workflow Center is another standout feature, offering enhanced automation akin to having if-this-then-that statements that propel my work forward and prevent stagnation, ultimately saving both time and money.

7. Dynamics 365 (Best for Microsoft ecosystem integration)

via Dynamics 365

Is your organization already running on Microsoft? If so, you’ve likely felt the friction of using a tool like Method CRM that doesn’t natively connect with Outlook, Teams, or SharePoint.

Dynamics 365 Sales is a solid solution for this pain point. It’s the natural CRM choice for any organization deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, offering seamless, native integration that other platforms can’t match. The tool integrates with the entire Microsoft business stack, providing a unified experience for your team.

However, the real value comes from its integration with the Power Platform. You can use Power BI for advanced analytics, Power Automate for complex workflow automation, and Power Apps to build custom business applications. This makes it an enterprise-focused solution with corresponding complexity, best suited for companies with the expertise to manage the Microsoft environment.

Dynamics 365 best features

  • Native Microsoft integration: Experience deep, out-of-the-box integration with Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and Excel
  • Power Platform connectivity: Extend your CRM’s capabilities with Power BI dashboards, Power Automate workflows, and custom Power Apps
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration: Get a built-in connection to LinkedIn for powerful social selling and prospect research
  • AI-powered insights: Use relationship analytics, predictive scoring, and conversation intelligence to guide your sales efforts

Dynamics 365 pros and cons

Pros:

  • Unmatched, seamless integration for Microsoft-centric organizations
  • The Power Platform extends capabilities significantly without needing custom development
  • Strong AI and analytics features are built into the platform

Cons:

  • Implementation is complex and typically requires specialized Microsoft expertise
  • The user interface can feel less intuitive than more modern CRM alternatives
  • The licensing model, with its multiple modules, can be confusing to navigate

Dynamics 365 pricing

  • Sales Professional: From $65/month
  • Sales Enterprise: From $105/month
  • Sales Premium: From $150/month
  • Microsoft Relationship Sales: From $162/month

Dynamics 365 ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.0/5 (1,800+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.4/5 (5,700+ reviews)

What are real-life users saying about Dynamics 365?

A user review says:

I primarily use Dynamics 365 CRM for managing our partner accreditations and reviewing their history with us as customers. It’s incredibly helpful to have all of that information in one place, making it easy to track interactions, keep records up to date, and ensure we’re supporting our partners effectively. The reporting tools and integration with Microsoft apps are a real plus, and they make collaboration much smoother.

8. Nutshell (Best for simple CRM with email marketing)

via Nutshell

Nutshell combines a straightforward CRM with built-in email marketing capabilities. It’s built for small teams that want simplicity without sacrificing the essential tools needed for growth. You can create and send email campaigns, automated drip sequences, and newsletters directly from the CRM, with all your contacts automatically synced.

This all-in-one approach saves you both time and money.

Nutshell’s focus on simplicity means it may lack some of the advanced customization or reporting features that larger organizations require. However, for small teams, it provides a clean and effective solution to manage both sales and marketing outreach in one place.

Nutshell best features

  • Built-in email marketing: Create and send email campaigns and newsletters directly from your CRM, eliminating the need for a separate tool
  • Pipeline automation: Set up automatic lead assignment, task creation, and stage progression based on your defined triggers
  • Personal email sequences: Send automated one-to-one email sequences for personalized outreach that scales
  • Google Workspace integration: Benefit from deep integration with Gmail and Google Calendar for seamless email sync and scheduling

Nutshell pros and cons

Pros:

  • The combined CRM and email marketing functionality eliminates the need for separate tools
  • A clean, intuitive interface designed for quick adoption by small teams
  • Excellent customer support with a highly responsive team

Cons:

  • Limited options for advanced customization
  • Reporting capabilities are less robust than those found in enterprise alternatives
  • Fewer third-party integrations compared to larger platforms

Nutshell pricing

  • Foundation: $19/month per user
  • Growth: $32/month per user
  • Pro: $49/month per user
  • Business: $67/month per user
  • Enterprise: $89/month per user

Nutshell ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.3/5 (1,100+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.3/5 (500+ reviews)

What are real-life users saying about Nutshell?

A user review says:

Nutshell is easy for sales teams to adopt and actually use on a daily basis. The interface is clean, pipelines are flexible, and it supports a structured sales process without feeling heavy or overbuilt. It provides solid visibility into deals and activity, which makes managing and coaching the team more straightforward.

9. Bigin by Zoho CRM (Best for small teams new to CRM)

via Bigin

Are you a very small team or a solo entrepreneur who finds even “simple” CRMs like Method CRM to be overwhelming? The complexity, cost, and feature overload of most CRM platforms can be a major barrier for those who are just starting out.

Bigin by Zoho CRM can help. It’s an entry-level, pipeline-centric CRM designed specifically for small teams and individuals who are new to CRM. It strips away all the complex features and focuses on the absolute essentials: managing contacts and visualizing your sales process. This makes it an ideal first step for those leaving Method CRM in search of something far simpler.

With Bigin, you can set up multiple pipelines for different processes, use built-in telephony to make and log calls, and create web forms to capture leads. It’s designed for quick setup and immediate use.

Bigin by Zoho CRM best features

  • Multiple pipelines: Manage different sales processes, like new business and renewals, in separate, easy-to-understand visual pipelines
  • Built-in telephony: Make and receive calls directly within the CRM, with all activities automatically logged
  • Web forms: Create simple lead capture forms for your website that feed new contacts directly into your pipeline
  • Zoho CRM upgrade path: Easily migrate all your data to the full Zoho CRM platform when your team outgrows Bigin’s capabilities

Bigin by Zoho CRM pros and cons

Pros:

  • An extremely simple and clean interface designed for CRM newcomers
  • Quick setup that requires minimal configuration to get started
  • An affordable entry point for very small teams and solo users

Cons:

  • Customization options are very limited compared to full-featured CRMs
  • Teams will likely outgrow its capabilities within a year or two
  • Fewer integrations are available than with the full Zoho CRM

Bigin by Zoho CRM pricing

  • Free
  • Express: From $9/month
  • Premier: From $15/month
  • Bigin 360: From $21/month

Bigin by Zoho CRM ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.5/5 (400+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.6/5 (500+ reviews)

What are real-life users saying about Bigin by Zoho CRM?

A user review says:

What I like most about Bigin is its simplicity and clarity. It allows you to design custom pipelines and organize the business process without the complexity of larger CRMs, making it easier for the team to adopt. It is very useful for SMEs that need to organize their sales pipeline, centralize information, and improve opportunity tracking. The customization of stages and fields allows it to be adapted to real processes without overwhelming users.

10. ActiveCampaign (Best for email marketing with CRM features)

ActiveCampaign
via ActiveCampaign

Is your primary challenge nurturing leads through sophisticated, behavior-driven email campaigns? If you’re using Method CRM, you’re likely frustrated by its lack of marketing automation.

ActiveCampaign solves for this by flipping the traditional CRM model on its head. It’s a marketing automation powerhouse that includes a capable CRM, making it perfect for teams whose sales process is heavily reliant on email nurturing. Its visual automation builder is best-in-class, allowing you to create complex workflows that respond to email opens, link clicks, and website visits.

The tool automatically scores leads based on their engagement, segments your audience with precision, and triggers tasks for your sales team when a lead becomes hot. While its CRM features are solid, they are secondary to its marketing automation capabilities. Teams that need deep, complex sales pipeline management might find it limiting compared to a dedicated sales CRM.

ActiveCampaign best features

  • Advanced automation builder: Use a visual workflow builder to create complex, behavior-triggered automation sequences
  • Site tracking: Monitor your website visitors’ behavior and trigger automations based on which pages they visit
  • Lead scoring: Automatically score your leads based on their engagement and demographic data to help your sales team prioritize their outreach
  • Email deliverability: Benefit from a strong reputation and powerful deliverability tools to ensure your emails reach the inbox

ActiveCampaign pros and cons

Pros:

  • Industry-leading marketing automation capabilities
  • Sophisticated lead scoring and audience segmentation features
  • Strong email deliverability rates and reputation

Cons:

  • CRM features are less robust than what you’ll find in dedicated CRM platforms
  • The interface can feel complex for users who are only focused on CRM tasks
  • There is a learning curve to mastering the advanced automation features

ActiveCampaign pricing

  • Starting at $15/month per user

ActiveCampaign ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.5/5 (13,000+ reviews)
  • Capterra: 4.6/5 (2,400+ reviews)

What are real-life users saying about ActiveCampaign?

A user review says:

ActiveCampaign is the lifeblood of my business. Without it, my marketing efforts would not be nearly as successful and I would not be able to message my program prospects with relevant information on a timely basis. And Active Intelligence is like having a market researcher, copywrite, graphic designer, and consultant on my marketing team.

11. Insightly (Best for project management with CRM integration)

via Insightly

Does your work begin only after a deal is won? For many service-based businesses, the sales process is just the prelude to a complex project. Using a tool like Method CRM creates a major disconnect—the moment a deal is marked “closed-won,” all the valuable customer context is left behind, and your project team has to start from scratch in a separate system.

Insightly bridges this exact gap. It’s a CRM that includes integrated project management, allowing you to convert a won opportunity directly into a project with a single click. All the contacts, emails, and notes from the sales process are carried over, eliminating the painful handoff and ensuring your delivery team has the full story.

Its relationship-linking feature allows you to connect contacts, organizations, opportunities, and projects, giving you a complete, 360-degree view of your customer relationships. While Insightly successfully bridges the gap between sales and projects, it’s worth noting that neither its CRM nor its project management features are as deep as what you’d find in specialized, best-in-class tools for each category.

Insightly best features

  • Integrated project management: Convert won opportunities directly into projects, preserving all customer context and eliminating manual data transfer
  • Relationship linking: Connect contacts, organizations, opportunities, and projects to visualize the complete history and network of your customer relationships
  • Gmail and Outlook sidebar: Access your CRM data and log emails directly from your inbox without having to switch applications
  • Custom objects: Build custom data structures to accommodate industry-specific information or unique business requirements

Insightly pros and cons

Pros:

  • The unique CRM-to-project handoff eliminates context loss when a deal closes
  • Strong relationship visualization provides a complete picture of the customer
  • Good value for teams that need both CRM and basic project management

Cons:

  • Neither the CRM nor the project management features are as deep as specialized tools
  • The user interface can feel dated compared to more modern alternatives
  • Automation capabilities are more limited than many of its competitors

Insightly pricing

  • CRM Plus: $29/month per user 
  • Professional: $49/month per user 
  • Enterprise: $99/month per user

Insightly ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.2/5 (900+ reviews) 
  • Capterra: 4/5 (600+ reviews) 

What are real-life users saying about Insightly?

A user review says:

What I like best about Insightly is how it combines CRM and project management in one platform, so you can track a customer from first lead all the way through delivery. It’s also very easy to use, with clean workflows and strong email and calendar integration.

12. Freshsales (Best for AI-powered lead scoring and sales automation)

Are your salespeople spending too much time chasing cold leads and not enough time with prospects who are ready to buy?

Freshsales, part of the Freshworks ecosystem, addresses this with its AI assistant, Freddy. It’s a modern CRM designed to help sales teams work smarter, not harder. Freddy AI provides predictive lead scoring, deal insights, and next-best-action recommendations, allowing your team to focus its energy on the opportunities that are most likely to close.

In addition to its AI capabilities, Freshsales includes built-in phone and email tools, allowing you to communicate with prospects and log all activities without leaving the CRM. It also integrates natively with other Freshworks products, such as Freshdesk, making it a strong choice for teams already using the Freshworks suite for customer support or marketing.

Freshsales best features

  • Freddy AI: Get predictive lead scoring, deal insights, and intelligent recommendations throughout the entire sales process
  • Built-in phone and email: Use native calling and email capabilities with automatic logging and tracking of all communications
  • Sales sequences: Create multi-channel automated sequences that combine email, phone calls, and tasks to ensure consistent follow-up
  • Freshworks ecosystem: Benefit from native integration with Freshdesk, Freshmarketer, and other products in the Freshworks suite

Freshsales pros and cons

Pros:

  • Strong AI capabilities are accessible at affordable, mid-market price points
  • Built-in communication tools reduce the need for separate dialers or email clients
  • A clean, modern interface with intuitive navigation

Cons:

  • The depth of Freddy AI’s capabilities varies significantly depending on your plan tier
  • It has fewer third-party integrations than some of the larger CRM platforms
  • Reporting customization is more limited than what you’ll find in enterprise-level alternatives

Freshsales pricing

  • Growth: $11/month per user
  • Pro: $47/month per user
  • Enterprise: $71/month per user

Freshsales ratings and reviews

  • G2: 4.5/5 (1,000+ reviews) 
  • Capterra: 4.5/5 (600+ reviews) 

What are real-life users saying about Freshsales?

A user review says:

I like how cost-effective Freshsales is; for the cost, you’re getting an entire suite with many features like sequences and email bulk facility. It was really easy to set up everything as it provides step-by-step guidance. We created accounts fields and company, and Freshsales provides templates for other things. We tested email health without connecting the inboxes, then tested it with DKIM, SPF & DMARC setup on Freshsales. You can use Sequences for sending emails using certain logic, like sending follow-ups to clients who opened emails. It allows you to send automated email campaigns, and with bulk email, we can send a single email as a campaign and personalize every aspect of each email.

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Upgrade Your Methods With ClickUp

Method CRM works best when accounting is the center of your operations. But for teams where the real work begins after the deal is signed, that model quickly breaks down. Context gets fragmented, delivery slows, and teams end up stitching together tools just to keep customers moving forward.

The best Method CRM alternatives solve this by keeping sales, execution, and collaboration connected. Some excel at pipeline management. Others focus on marketing automation or enterprise customization. The right choice depends on where your business creates the most friction today.

If your biggest challenge is the handoff from sales to delivery, ClickUp stands out by design. It doesn’t just track customer relationships. It turns them into structured work, automates the transitions, and keeps context intact from the first conversation through final delivery.

Ultimately, the goal isn’t to replace Method CRM with another silo. It’s to choose a system that supports how work actually gets done. Give ClickUp a shot and see how it pulls things into focus!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a Method CRM alternative without QuickBooks or Xero integration?

Yes, most alternatives on this list function independently of accounting software. Platforms like ClickUp, HubSpot, and Pipedrive offer robust CRM capabilities without requiring QuickBooks or Xero, though many offer accounting integrations as optional add-ons.

How does Method CRM compare to Salesforce for small business teams?

Method CRM is built for small businesses that use QuickBooks, making it very niche. Salesforce is an enterprise platform with deep customization that is often too complex and expensive for small teams. For small businesses not tied to QuickBooks, alternatives like ClickUp or Zoho CRM often provide a better balance of power and affordability.

What features should I prioritize when switching from Method CRM?

Focus on pipeline visualization, workflow automation, and integration flexibility, as these are common areas where Method CRM can be limiting. Most importantly, look for a platform that connects your CRM data to your project management workflows to eliminate the context gap between closing a deal and delivering the work.

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