Best CRM and Project Management Software for Small Teams in 2025

Why Combine CRM and Project Management

Small teams don’t lose deals from bad demos. They lose them in the handoff.

One tool tracks leads. Another runs delivery. Data drifts. Owners change. Deadlines slip. Clients repeat themselves.

Consolidating CRM and projects creates a single source of truth. Sales closes. Delivery executes. Reporting spans both.

You ship faster. Accountability gets visible. Clients feel the continuity.

What CRM Plus Project Management Really Means

You need both sides of the revenue engine. On the sales side: pipelines, contacts and companies, email and calling, and proposals.

On the delivery side: projects, task dependencies, time tracking, docs, and client updates.

Light task tracking is not a project system. Projects need templates, milestones, budgets, and ownership. Mixing pre‑sale and delivery on one cluttered board hides risk and breaks reporting.

CRM and Project Software Buying Checklist

Sales essentials

• Visual pipelines with custom stages and fields
• Integrated email and VOIP logging
• Quotes or proposal generation

Project essentials

• Templates, milestones, and task dependencies
• Time and budget tracking
• File sharing and client updates

Shared record and reporting

• One client record across sales and delivery
• Deal-to-project handoff that preserves context
• Cross-pipeline and project reporting

Permissions and governance

• Role-based access for sales, delivery, and clients
• Field-level visibility where needed
• Audit trails on sensitive data

Integrations and platform

• Calendar, billing, and support integrations
• Mobile apps and usable APIs
• SSO, backups, and export

Onboarding and security

• Migration help and guided setup
• Data residency and compliance options
• Transparent SLAs and support

Pricing clarity

• Flat, predictable per-seat
• Clear limits on automations and storage
• Add-ons that are optional, not required

Best CRM and Project Tools by Use Case

Monday.com CRM and Projects gives customizable boards and automations. Great when you want flexible workflows and visual dashboards. Expect setup time to dial in fields, automations, and permissions.

ClickUp is an all‑in‑one for docs, tasks, dashboards, and CRM templates. It’s powerful and inexpensive, but setup-heavy. Teams must invest in taxonomy, statuses, and views.

Zoho One combines Zoho CRM, Projects, and Books. Strong suite value if you are okay with breadth over polish. Finance integration is a plus for agencies and services.

Insightly blends CRM with built‑in projects. It’s a smooth sales‑to‑delivery handoff for milestone-driven work. Good fit for consulting and implementation teams.

Bitrix24 offers broad CRM, tasks, chat, and telephony. It’s feature-rich with a busy UI. Useful if you want everything under one umbrella and can handle complexity.

Pipedrive with the Projects add‑on fits sales‑first teams needing basic post‑sale tasks. The ecosystem is strong, but you’ll assemble add‑ons for VOIP, reporting, or projects.

Notion or Airtable can be your build‑your‑own CRM/PM. This works if you can design schema, permissions, and automations. Expect iteration to reach reliability.

HubSpot CRM paired with Asana gives best‑of‑breed via integrations. Marketing teams love HubSpot. Asana nails delivery and approvals. Great if you want mature apps that play well together.

Salesforce with PSA or marketplace apps handles complex enterprises. It’s overkill for most small teams, but unmatched for compliance and intricate processes.

Top CRM Project Picks for Small Teams

Need simple pipeline plus post‑sale tasks? Choose Pipedrive with Projects or Leadchee.

Want deep project management with decent CRM? Choose Monday CRM or ClickUp.

Want suite value including finance? Choose Zoho One.

Consulting with milestone delivery? Choose Insightly.

Prefer best‑of‑breed? Use HubSpot CRM with Asana integration.

Pricing Traps with CRM Project Suites

Benchmarks help set expectations. HubSpot offers a free CRM tier with core contact and pipeline management, plus integrations, which is compelling for early teams. See this overview of free features and benefits: HubSpot free CRM.

Entry pricing can be misleading. Pipedrive’s entry plan begins around $14/month, but important features often live on higher tiers or as add‑ons. Source: Pipedrive pricing.

Project tools are inexpensive on paper. ClickUp’s Unlimited plan is about $7/user/month annually, and Zoho Projects Premium is roughly $4/user/month annually. See comparisons here: ClickUp and Zoho Projects pricing.

Vendors gate value at higher tiers. Automations, advanced reporting, integrations, and permissions often require upgrades in tools like Pipedrive or ClickUp. Check limits on actions, storage, and guests.

Watch for three hidden costs:

• Paid add‑ons for projects, VOIP, or resource planning
• Required tiers for time tracking and permissions
• Per‑seat creep from contractors and clients

Model 12–24 months of total cost with real users and expected automation volume. Add implementation fees and expected add‑ons. Then compare to a flat per‑seat model.

Leadchee CRM for Sales Led Teams

Leadchee is a modern sales CRM that covers the daily loop without tool bloat. Visual pipelines. Lead and company tracking. Integrated calling and VOIP. Proposal generation. Tasks and calendar. Fast onboarding and multilingual support.

It’s flat $29 per seat with everything included. No hunting through tiers for automations, calling, or proposals. Predictable cost matters when you’re adding reps and contractors.

Compared to Pipedrive, Leadchee trades ecosystem complexity for speed and simplicity. Pipedrive’s marketplace is extensive, but projects and calling often become add‑ons. Leadchee focuses on out‑of‑the‑box selling and light delivery.

Use Leadchee when you need to close deals fast and keep post‑sale tasks organized. Pair with ClickUp or Asana if you require deep dependencies, resource planning, or portfolio reporting.

CRM Project Decision Framework

1. Write your must‑have workflows across sales and delivery. Include handoffs, SLAs, and approvals.

2. Choose your stance: all‑in‑one vs best‑of‑breed. Decide where you accept trade‑offs.

3. Score candidates against the checklist using real data. Validate email, VOIP, proposals, and project templates.

4. Pilot a real deal‑to‑delivery journey. Track time to handoff, missed steps, and client experience.

5. Confirm reporting and permissions. Ensure leaders see pipeline, forecast, time, and margin in one view.

6. Model total cost for 24 months. Include automations, storage, guests, and likely add‑ons.

7. Plan migration and training. Assign owners and deadlines.

If your priority is faster deal cycles with simple tasking, trial Leadchee. If delivery complexity is high, shortlist Monday, ClickUp, or Insightly. Either way, make the handoff the hero and your clients will feel it.