If you're a startup founder or small business owner, you've probably experienced the chaos of trying to manage leads, deals, and customer info across spreadsheets, inboxes, and sticky notes. That’s where CRMs come in.
But with so many choices—HubSpot, Go High Level, Pipedrive—how do you know which one actually fits your business?
This guide keeps it simple and helps you figure out which CRM makes the most sense for your setup in 2025. We’ll focus on the three tools most relevant to founders and small teams: HubSpot, Go High Level, and Pipedrive.
A CRM isn’t just a digital address book. It’s where your sales, marketing, and customer service all come together. Get it right, and you’ll:
Stay on top of every customer interaction
Automate your follow-ups and admin
Close more deals and grow faster
Get it wrong, and you’ll waste time, miss opportunities, and probably want to rip your hair out.
Why it's great:
Free plan with plenty of useful tools to get started
Super easy to use, even if you’re not techy
Combines sales, marketing, and customer service in one place
Tons of templates and automation workflows
Connects with tools like Gmail, Slack, Stripe, and Make.com
Watch out for:
Paid plans can add up as your team grows, but the value holds up if you're scaling
Who it's for: Founders and small teams who want a system that can grow with them and won’t become a headache later.
Bottom line: HubSpot is more than a CRM—it’s a full-on growth system. If you want something you won’t outgrow anytime soon, this is it.
Why it's great:
Built-in funnels, marketing automation, and calendars
Perfect if you’re managing multiple clients
You can white-label it and resell it
Watch out for:
Bit of a steep learning curve
Interface can feel clunky compared to others
Who it's for: Agencies or consultants who want to resell CRM services or manage multiple accounts under one roof.
Bottom line: If you’re building a service business or agency, Go High Level gives you serious power. But for most small businesses, it’s probably more than you need.
Why it's great:
Clean, visual sales pipeline
Easy to get started
Budget-friendly
Watch out for:
Doesn’t include marketing tools or deeper automation
Limited integrations compared to HubSpot
Who it's for: Businesses with a clear outbound sales process and a small team focused mainly on deals.
Bottom line: Pipedrive is great if you're just looking for a simple way to manage leads and deals. But if you want more than just sales tracking, it has its limits.
If you're just starting out or cleaning up your messy CRM setup, HubSpot is hands-down the best choice for most startups and small businesses in 2025. It’s flexible, powerful, and won’t box you in later.
And the best part? You can start using it for free.
If you’re not sure where to start—or your current CRM is kind of a mess—I help small businesses set up HubSpot to save time, automate follow-up, and scale cleanly.
Get in touch!