Best CRM for Agency
This guide reviews the top CRM options tailored for agencies, highlighting features like sales pipelines, project management, time tracking, and budgeting. It covers Productive, HubSpot, Apptivo, Monday.com, and Insightly, outlining each tool's ideal use, key features, pricing where available, pros and cons, and a buying guide to help agencies select an all-in-one or modular CRM.
Ideal Customer Profile
Agency-focused CRMs for marketing, advertising, PR, and consulting firms seeking integrated CRM with project management, time tracking, and financial features.
Common Pain Points
- •Tool sprawl and data silos from using separate PM, CRM, time tracking, and billing tools
- •Need for an all-in-one platform to streamline agency operations
- •Managing quotes, invoicing, and project budgets within CRM
- •Difficulty forecasting revenue and profitability
- •Scalability and robust reporting to support growth
Top CRM Picks
5 expert-vetted recommendations
Ranked recommendations based on feature depth, pricing transparency, and adoption within the industry.
Perfect For
Agencies seeking an all-in-one platform for CRM, project management, time tracking, budgeting, and invoicing
⚡ Key Features
- Customizable pipeline
- Deal/lead management
- Sending quotes with budget data
- Creating projects from won deals
- Project management (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar)
- Time tracking and invoicing
- Budgeting, Purchase Orders
- Revenue recognition and forecasting
- Integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, HubSpot, Zapier
Pros
- ✓All-in-one platform consolidating CRM, PM, time tracking, and billing
- ✓Integrated budgeting and forecasting
- ✓Invoicing and revenue recognition
- ✓Integrations with accounting tools
"It’s a game changer to have everything in one platform for agency operations."
Perfect For
Marketing agencies needing deal tracking, analytics, and email tools; mid-sized to enterprise
⚡ Key Features
- Contact management
- Sales automation
- Analytics and forecasting
- Email marketing tools
Pros
- ✓Comprehensive feature set and scalability
- ✓Strong analytics and forecasting
- ✓Wide ecosystem of integrations
Cons
- ✗May be heavy for agencies needing built-in project management
"Robust, enterprise-ready CRM with extensive capabilities, but can be overkill for smaller teams."
Perfect For
Smaller agencies seeking affordable, all-in-one CRM
⚡ Key Features
- Task management
- Analytics dashboard
- Workflow automation
- Invoice creation
Pros
- ✓Affordable pricing
- ✓Essential features for opportunities management
Cons
- ✗Reporting lacks advanced functionality for larger agencies
"A solid choice for smaller agencies with affordable pricing, though reporting may lack advanced capabilities."
Perfect For
Agencies wanting flexible task automation and visual deal tracking
⚡ Key Features
- Task automation
- Sales funnel customization
- Customer conversations
- Visual dashboards
Pros
- ✓Versatile and highly customizable for various workflows
- ✓Good for consulting-style CRM
Cons
- ✗Might be too comprehensive for smaller teams or basic CRM needs
"Versatile and customizable, but features may be too comprehensive for smaller to mid-sized enterprises."
Perfect For
Agencies needing joint sales and project management on a single platform
⚡ Key Features
- Sales funnel management
- Collaboration features
- Process automation
- Advanced user permissions
Pros
- ✓Consolidates sales and project management on one platform
Cons
- ✗Some advanced capabilities lacking vs competitors (capacity planning, forecasting)
"A solid joint sales and project management solution, but lacks some advanced planning features."
Buying Guide
Step-by-step guide to finding your perfect CRM
Strategic considerations to shortlist the right CRM platform for your workflow, tech stack, and growth roadmap.
- 1
Consider whether you need an all-in-one platform versus best-of-breed tools, and how it fits your agency’s workflows
- 2
Evaluate customization, usability, and adoption to ensure user buy-in
- 3
Check reporting, analytics, and forecasting capabilities aligned with your growth goals
- 4
Assess pricing, trial options, and available integrations to ensure ROI
FAQ
Common questions answered
Quick answers to common questions digital teams raise when evaluating CRM platforms.
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