11 Best CRM Options for Small Accounting Firms (2024 Update)
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Client relationship management (CRM) systems are often geared toward helping salespeople better track their leads and prospects. Because many accounting professionals and firms don’t typically think of themselves as salespeople, you may not see the need for a CRM for your business.
If your firm is still in its early growing stages, with just one or two employees, using a CRM may not seem important. Firms in this situation might not have a structured or central location for storing client and lead data. Some owners may simply rely on their memory.
Initially, a small client list is fairly easy to wrangle. However, as you grow your book and your team, having more detailed records of all client interactions becomes essential. This is why a CRM is so valuable. Plus, the sooner you consider implementing one, the easier it can be to build and maintain.
In this guide, we compiled a list of the best CRMs for small accounting firms. Here’s a quick overview of our recommendations:
- HubSpot: Best free CRM
- Pipedrive: Best pipeline builder
- Insightly: Most customizable
- Zoho CRM: Easiest to use
- Method:CRM: Best for QuickBooks integration
- Close: Best for call tracking
- Accelo: Most comprehensive
- Keap: Best implementation support
- Liscio: Best dedicated accounting solution
- Monday.com: Best automation features
- Nimble: Best lead generation tool
What to Look for in an Ideal CRM as a Small Accounting Firm
Every firm has its own requirements, preferences, and priorities when selecting the best CRM. However, there are some general attributes to look for during the CRM selection process.
Essential Features
The exact features and capabilities of a CRM vary between providers. Overall, though, they should each offer core features to help firms track client information and interactions, including:
- A central client list your team can consistently update: This list can contain basic information, such as the client’s name, address, and email. It can also include more detailed information like billable addresses and second or third contact points for a given client.
- Adds notes and to-dos or tasks for individual clients: This feature helps your firm maintain up-to-date records of all interactions and track the work you need to do for a specific client. It becomes the “single source of truth” for your firm.
- Workflow automation for repetitive tasks: Imagine the leverage you can create by not having to enter client information, schedule meetings, or send messages manually. Many CRMs offer workflow automation features to help reduce your administrative burden and automate tedious tasks.
- Marketing features to help nurture leads: Certain CRMs offer marketing and sales features like personalized email campaigns so you stay top of mind with leads and convert more clients.
Ease of Use
A CRM should be easy to use, even for those on your team who aren’t the most tech-savvy. Prioritize CRMs with an intuitive interface, simple design, and plenty of instructional guides and resources to help you get the most out of the platform.
The CRM should also help simplify your team’s workflows and administrative tasks instead of complicating them. Try out different systems through a free trial or demo beforehand to get a good feel for the tool firsthand.
Good Value for Your Money
Especially for smaller firms with a limited budget, any CRM you implement should be cost-effective and offer good value. Firms can sometimes overpay for a solution packed with features and advanced capabilities. However, this could be a waste of money if you only use a fraction of the platform’s functions.
Before beginning the CRM selection process, set a clear budget and the must-have features you need. This way, you can avoid overspending while ensuring you get the most beneficial tools.
Integrations
Finally, a good CRM solution should seamlessly integrate with the other business applications you rely on, such as your calendar app, messaging app, and document management app. That helps you save time on manual data entry and transfers from one app to the next and access the key information you need in one location.
| Best For | Standout Feature | Starting Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Free plan | Email marketing tools | Free |
| Pipedrive | Custom pipelines | Sales pipeline manager | $14/user/month when billed annually |
| Insightly | Customizability | Mobile app | Free |
| Zoho CRM | Ease of use | Sales automation | $14/user/month when billed annually |
| Method:CRM | QuickBooks integration | DIY custom CRM builder | $25/user/month when billed annually |
| Close | Call tracking | Built-in phone dialer | $49/user/month when billed annually |
| Accelo | Comprehensive feature list | Quote creation and delivery | Request a quote |
| Keap | Hands-on implementation support | Marketing automation | $249/month when billed annually |
| Liscio | Dedicated accounting solution | Self-service client portal | $40/user/month when billed annually |
| Monday.com | Automation | AI-powered tools | $12/user/month when billed annually |
| Nimble | Lead generation | Prospector browser extension | $24.90/user/month when billed annually |
The Best CRMs for Small Accounting Firms
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot has a free CRM platform with wide-ranging features to help businesses manage contacts, capture and nurture leads, and automate sales and marketing tasks. Teams wanting to access more advanced features and any type of automation can purchase the Starter platform, which is still relatively affordable at $15 per user per month with annual billing.
Overall, HubSpot can take just minutes to learn and facilitates tracking every detail of your business relationships in one place. You can manage your entire deal pipeline, use basic forms to capture leads, communicate with clients, and store information and documents, all within the same tool.
Pros:
- Free forever plan for unlimited users
- Sales and marketing automation in all paid plans
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Limited support options for free plan
- Phone support only in the highest-tier plan
- Limited number of eSignatures per month, even in paid plans
Best for: Small to medium-sized firms looking for a free solution with the basics, such as a place to track and manage your prospects and clients, attach deals to those companies, and schedule meetings
Main Features
- Contact management database
- Customer profiles
- Reporting dashboard
- Email scheduling and tracking
- Prospect tracking
- Pipeline management
- Meeting scheduling
- Personalized email campaigns
- Document storage on customer profiles
- Basic marketing funnel management
Free Trial
Yes – 14-day free trial
Important Integrations
- Gmail/Outlook
- Google/Outlook Calendar
- Zoom
- Slack
- Zapier
- Mailchimp
- Calendly
- Microsoft Teams
Pricing
HubSpot has a free forever plan, and paid plans start at $15/user/month when paid annually.
Website
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that helps users visualize their sales process through a robust sales pipeline builder. The platform is as easy to use as putting sticky notes on a whiteboard to see where each of your deals stand, except with more smart features (and they won’t blow away in a breeze).
Along with their standout pipeline builder, they allow firms to automate outreach and campaigns, manage sales data and contact history in a central database, and let clients and leads schedule calls based on the team’s availability.
Pros:
- Affordable pricing
- Easy to use
Cons:
- No email sync or automation features in the starting plan
Best for: Teams who want to use a more sales-focused CRM that helps them track and manage their pipeline
Main Features
- Lead and deal management
- Customizable deal pipelines
- Two-way email sync
- Email scheduling and tracking
- Communications tracking
- Workflow automation
- Deal, activity, and revenue reports
Free Trial
Yes – 14-day free trial
Important Integrations
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Stripe
- Slack
- Zoom
- Gmail
- Google Drive
- Microsoft Teams
- Zapier
- PandaDoc
- Mailchimp
Pricing
Plans start at $14/user/month when billed annually.
Website
Insightly
Insightly is a customizable CRM with tools to help firms store and organize client data, manage their sales pipeline, and run campaigns to nurture potential clients. The platform offers built-in marketing tools to help firms attract more website visitors, convert leads, and build relationships with current clients.
To help firms convert more leads, Insightly offers users several features that can assign team members to leads, customize the sales process, and deploy personalized customer journeys with simple-to-use templates and dashboards. The mobile app also has unique features, such as enabling firm employees to scan business cards with their phones, which can automatically add new leads to their CRM when they’re on the go.
Pros:
- Offers a free forever plan
- Highly customizable
Cons:
- Free plan only supports 2 users
Best for: Small or medium-sized firms seeking a simple-to-use and customizable tool to help track customer and lead data and automate marketing tasks for better productivity
Main Features
- Contact management
- Lead capture and management
- Automated customized emails
- Task management
- Custom reports
- Custom sales pipeline
Free Trial
Yes. The 14-day free trial is required before starting the Free Forever plan.
Important Integrations
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Sage
- Workday
- BambooHR
- Docusign
- Slack
- Calendly
Pricing
Insightly offers a free forever plan. Paid plans start at $29/user/month when paid annually.
Website
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a platform known for being easy to use and customizable. It helps users engage with current and future clients through personalized communications, which builds loyalty and recurring business. Firms can use Zoho CRM to automate sales and marketing workflows, send mass email campaigns, and store and manage client data.
With Zoho CRM, you can mold your company into a customer-focused business. The platform even offers a pared-down free version, Bigin by Zoho CRM, which might be a good option for smaller firms that want a structured way to manage client data without all the bells and whistles.
Pros:
- Free plan available
- Easy to use
Cons:
- No AI tools in the lower-tier plans
Best for: Growing firms that want a scalable, easy-to-use CRM to help them nurture client relationships and support recurring business
Main Features
- Contact management
- Workflow automation
- Lead capture and scoring
- Deal management
- Sales and marketing automation
- Self-service client portal
- Reports and analytics
Free Trial
Yes – 15-day free trial
Important Integrations
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Slack
- Zapier
- Dropbox
- Zoom
- QuickBooks
- PayPal
- Mailchimp
Pricing
Plans start at $14/user/month when billed annually.
Website
Method:CRM
Method:CRM is a no-code customizable CRM software for small businesses. It features a drag-and-drop builder that teams can use to create a CRM solution tailored to their specific needs and workflows.
The platform aims to help teams streamline the sales process, boost client retention, and reduce manual data entry. Plus, they offer custom reports and insights that firm owners can use to assess sales performance and their client base.
Considered the top CRM for QuickBooks users, this tool features a two-way sync between the platforms for seamless data sharing. Method:CRM helps teams enjoy expanded capabilities beyond what QuickBooks offers, including lead management, comprehensive client profiles, automated interactions, email marketing, and more.
Pros:
- Highly customizable
- Robust integration with QuickBooks and Xero
Cons:
- Sales pipeline not included in the lowest tier
Best for: Firms using QuickBooks or Xero to manage client accounts who want expanded capabilities to manage client data and their sales pipeline
Main Features
- QuickBooks CRM
- Lead management
- Customer management
- Sales pipeline
- DIY customizable CRM builder
- Self-serve client portals
- Create and send estimates and invoices
- Payment processing
- Automated emails
Free Trial
Yes – 14-day free trial
Important Integrations
- QuickBooks
- Gmail/Outlook
- Google/Outlook Calendar
- Mailchimp
- PayPal
- Zapier
- Stripe
Pricing
Plans start at $25/user/month when paid annually.
Website
Close
Close is a simple and straightforward CRM built specifically for small businesses. The platform’s design helps users nurture relationships and easily track engagement, and it’s quick to set up. Their website states Close can take just a few hours to implement, much faster than the weeks or months it can sometimes take to set up other CRMs.
Firms like that Close can track and record phone calls with leads and clients, which not all CRMs support. The platform also offers automated email delivery, tracking, and follow-ups to streamline the team’s workflows.
Pros:
- Phone call tracking and management
- Designed for small businesses
Cons:
- No QuickBooks or Xero integration
- Higher pricing than comparable tools
Best for: Small firms looking for a CRM that supports phone call tracking and outreach
Main Features
- Contact management
- Leads management
- Opportunities management
- Workflow automation
- Power dialer
Free Trial
Yes – 14-day free trial
Important Integrations
- Gmail
- Google Calendar
- Microsoft 365
- Zapier
- Calendly
- Zoom
Pricing
Plans start at $49/user/month when paid annually.
Website
Accelo
Accelo is a unique platform built to help service businesses, like accounting firms, enhance their productivity and profitability. While it’s not exclusively a CRM, its platform does have similar features. Plus, firms can use Accelo to build and send quotes, track firm finances, manage client retainers, and monitor tasks and projects.
The sales module within Accelo works similarly to a CRM, with features like contact and lead management, status updates, messaging and outreach, and automation to more easily manage repetitive sales tasks.
Pros:
- Comprehensive features list
- Custom quote and proposal creation and delivery
Cons:
- May be too robust for firms just looking for a CRM
- Pricing not publicly available
Best for: Growing firms seeking an all-in-one solution for managing leads and clients, project management, invoicing and billing, and more
Main Features
- Contact management
- Client and lead communication tracking
- Create and send quotes
- File and attachment storage
- Custom workflows
- Messaging and emails
- Meetings, events, and appointments
- Opportunity management
Free Trial
No
Important Integrations
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Mailchimp
Pricing
Contact Accelo for pricing information.
Website
Keap
Keap is a CRM that helps users retain current clients and attract and convert new accounts. With Keap, firms can send automated emails and texts without spending time on follow-ups, use pre-built templates to help convert leads, and implement web forms to capture lead data. The platform also supports native quoting, invoicing, and payment processing, making it easier to manage client payments once they’ve been onboarded.
One unique aspect of Keap is that they don’t break their plans down by varying tiers of features. As a result, firms don’t have to pay more to access the platform’s advanced capabilities. Keap includes all their features in each plan, with the main difference being the contact, user, and automation limits set for each.
Pros:
- Unique plan structure, with all features included in all plans
- Easy-to-use interface
Cons:
- Potentially expensive monthly flat rate for smaller teams
Best for: Small and medium-sized firms wanting an easy-to-use platform to automate the customer journey from initial lead capture to nurturing, engagement, and invoicing
Main Features
- Lead and customer data storage
- Personalized communications
- Automated email and text campaigns
- Visual sales pipeline
- Custom landing pages
- Invoicing and payment processing
- Appointment setting
- Automated quoting
- Reporting
- Automation builder
Free Trial
Yes – 14-day free trial
Important Integrations
- Google Calendar
- Gmail
- Outlook
- Outlook Calendar
- QuickBooks
- Zoom
Pricing
Keap plans start at $249/month when billed annually.
Website
Liscio
Liscio is the only platform on this list specifically designed for accounting firms. While not a traditional CRM, it’s a sleek and intuitive client portal that offers many of the same features as a CRM, all with accounting firm workflows and client needs in mind.
The Timeline feature provides a unified and chronological look into all client communications, including all emails, texts, files, and task requests. That helps streamline client management, making it easier for teams to access relevant data when needed. Plus, firms can use Liscio to collect eSignatures, store documents, text and email clients, and standardize requests.
Pros:
- Designed specifically for accounting firms
- Timeline feature with both account and contact views
Cons:
- Pricier starting plans than other CRMs
- May be missing some key sales features
Best for: Accounting firms looking for a self-service client portal to track all client communications and requests easily
Main Features
- Two-way texting
- File transferring
- eSignature collection
- Client communications
- Email and mobile reminders for clients
- New client onboarding
- Task management
- Mobile document scanner
- Client self-service
Free Trial
No
Important Integrations
- Gmail
- Outlook
- QuickBooks
- SmartVault
- OneDrive
- Google Drive
- Zoom
- Calendly
Pricing
Liscio plans start at $40/user/month when billed annually.
Website
Monday.com
Monday.com offers a customizable CRM that firms can use to track deal statuses, manage and organize contacts, automate administrative tasks, and more.
One standout feature of the Monday.com CRM is its AI capabilities. Built into the CRM, users can leverage AI to compose and rephrase emails, derive tasks and insights from meeting notes, generate content for any stage in the sales cycle, and build advanced formulas to support custom reporting needs.
Pros:
- Advanced AI tools
- Highly customizable platform
Cons:
- Extensive customization options may be overwhelming
Best for: Growing accounting firms that want a customizable and scalable solution for managing client interactions and data with built-in task management tools
Main Features
- Communication tracking
- Email composition
- Mass email sends
- Activity management
- Pipeline management
- Custom dashboards
- Sales forecasting
- Team goal-setting
Free Trial
Yes – 14-day free trial
Important Integrations
- Slack
- Gmail
- Microsoft Teams
- Mailchimp
- Excel
- Outlook
- Docusign
Pricing
Monday.com paid plans start at $12/user/month when billed annually.
Website
Nimble
Nimble has refashioned CRM by creating the first “intelligent relationship platform.” Rather than narrowly focus on sales, the platform helps build and grow client relationships. Nimble can assist solopreneurs and small businesses by managing contact information, tracking and automating communications, enhancing prospecting, and providing in-depth reporting.
With the browser extension, users can access Nimble from within their email inbox, social media sites, or other online applications to get detailed insights on leads and clients, such as their communication history, company details, and more. With only one plan available, all Nimble users can access the platform’s features and capabilities.
Pros:
- One plan with all features and tools included
- Prospector browser extension for easy lead capture
Cons:
- Monthly group messaging limit
Best for: Small to medium-sized firms with a focus on relationship-building with clients while still enjoying key CRM features and workflow automation
Main Features
- Contact management
- Activity management
- Prospector browser extension to capture lead data
- Sales pipeline
- Workflow automation
- Automated outreach campaigns
- Advanced reporting
Free Trial
Yes – 14-day free trial
Important Integrations
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Xero
- QuickBooks via Zapier
- Stripe
- Mailchimp
- FreshBooks
- NetSuite
- PandaDoc
Pricing
Nimble offers one plan at $24.90/user/month when paid annually.
Website
Conclusion
Whether starting from scratch, upgrading from spreadsheets, or switching from another CRM, testing out new CRM applications is a critical step in helping you build a highly scalable, profitable firm. Most CRMs come with a free trial period, so we recommend starting there to see if the platform is a good fit.
Then, once you convert a prospect to a customer and want a tool to help manage client work, consider an accounting workflow management tool like Jetpack Workflow. Software like Jetpack Workflow can help you standardize repetitive tasks and projects so critical deadlines don’t slip through the cracks.
Sign up for the 14-day free trial to get started with Jetpack Workflow.
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