Best CRMs for 20–50-person teams: overview

For growing teams of 20-50 people, managing client relationships, projects, and communications efficiently is key to sustaining and scaling a successful business. With expanding operations and diverse team responsibilities, having a reliable Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can make all the difference in staying organized, coordinating efforts, and delivering exceptional service.

The best CRMs for teams of this size are designed to centralize client management, automate routine tasks, and provide insights that help you stay on top of your collaborative workflow. In this blog post, we'll explore the top CRM options for teams of 20-50 people, highlighting the ones that are scalable, affordable, and packed with essential features that can help streamline your team operations and enhance client interactions.

Why a team of 20-50 might need a CRM

As a growing team managing multiple projects alongside expanding client relationships, having the right CRM in your tech stack can make a huge difference to your collaborative workflow and business growth.

1. Challenges without a CRM

Life without a CRM for mid-size teams looks chaotic and inefficient. Below are some common challenges we've noticed that teams of 20-50 people tend to face.

• Disorganization: Without a CRM, keeping track of multiple team members, projects, and client touchpoints becomes chaotic and unmanageable.
• Missed opportunities: Important client interactions and follow-ups can fall through the cracks when team coordination lacks structure.
• Inefficient processes: Manual tracking and communication across 20-50 team members can severely slow down your workflow and create bottlenecks.
• Lack of insight: Without unified data analytics across your team, making informed strategic decisions becomes nearly impossible.
• Inconsistent communication: With multiple team members handling different clients, miscommunication can lead to misunderstandings, duplicated efforts, and project delays.

Benefits of a CRM

For teams of 20-50 people, the benefits of a CRM significantly outweigh the investment cost. Below are key benefits your growing team should expect from implementing a robust CRM system.

• A single source of truth: All client and project data centralized in one place for seamless team access and collaboration.
• Enhanced efficiency: Automate repetitive tasks across your team to save time, reduce errors, and increase overall productivity.
• Improved client relationships: Track all client interactions centrally, enabling any team member to provide personalized service and maintain consistent communication.
• Better decision-making: Use unified data analytics to make informed business decisions that drive team performance and growth.
• Increased revenue: Identify and act on new business opportunities more effectively across your entire team. Track which contacts haven't been engaged recently and strategically coordinate follow-up efforts.
• Consistent communication: Streamlined communication ensures all 20-50 team members stay aligned and informed.
  

Key features of a CRM for teams of 20-50

We've identified essential features your growing team should expect from a quality CRM system that can effectively support 20-50 users.

• Automation: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows across your entire team.
• Contact enrichment and contact management: Automatically finds leads and customer contact information, enhancing team efficiency without manual repetition.
• Structured pipeline: Tracks leads and customers through defined stages, ensuring process clarity and effectiveness across all team members.
• Email sequences: Increases team communication efficiency with follow-up templates and automated sequences that multiple team members can utilize.
• LinkedIn integration: Seamlessly imports leads and customers from LinkedIn and tracks conversations within the CRM for team-wide visibility.
• Analytics: Provides essential data analysis and predictive insights for better team planning and coordinated email communications.
  

How to use a CRM to boost your team's efficiency

There are several ways your team of 20-50 can leverage a CRM once you find the right solution for your tech stack. Below are high-level strategies to get your team started with implementation.

1. Map your team process

For teams of 20-50, having a clear roadmap of your collaborative workflow is essential. A CRM helps you outline each stage of your team process—from initial contact to project completion—allowing multiple team members to track progress and identify bottlenecks. Define stages such as "Lead Generation," "Initial Contact," "Proposal Sent," "Project In Progress," and "Project Completed." This structured approach ensures no team member misses a step and enables easy monitoring of client status across your entire organization.

2. Lead qualification

Not all leads are created equal, especially when managing them across a 20-50 person team. Use your CRM to score and qualify leads based on criteria such as budget, project scope, and timeline. This helps your team prioritize high-value opportunities and coordinate efforts where they matter most. Implementing lead scoring models within your CRM streamlines this process, ensuring your entire team invests time in prospects most likely to convert into paying clients.

3. Outreach and follow-up

Consistent outreach across your team is key to maintaining client relationships and securing new projects. Use your CRM to automate email and LinkedIn campaigns that multiple team members can coordinate. For example, set up automated follow-up emails for leads that haven't been contacted within a week, or create LinkedIn message templates that various team members can customize. Automation ensures no lead falls through the cracks while maintaining coordinated, timely communication across your 20-50 person team.

4. Nurture existing client relationships

Your existing clients represent significant opportunities for teams of 20-50. Use your CRM to track client history centrally and identify opportunities for upselling or cross-selling additional services across team members. For instance, if one team completed a website design, another team segment might offer ongoing maintenance or SEO services. Regularly update your CRM with client interactions and project details, enabling any team member to tailor offerings and maximize revenue potential.

How to evaluate and choose a CRM platform

From defining requirements that serve 20-50 users to budget considerations for growing teams, there are several factors to consider when creating your CRM shortlist.

1. Define your requirements

Start by identifying key features that align with your team's collaborative needs. Essential functionalities for 20-50 person teams include contact management, task and project tracking, team coordination tools, invoicing, and integration with other tools your team uses daily. Understanding your team workflow and pinpointing areas where a CRM can enhance productivity and client management will help you choose the right platform for your growing organization.

2. Budget considerations

While many CRM platforms offer various pricing plans, it's crucial to balance cost with return on investment for teams of 20-50. Look for scalable CRM solutions that offer necessary features without breaking your team budget. Consider whether the platform offers flexible pricing that can accommodate your team size and growth trajectory, with features that scale as your 20-50 person team expands.

3. Selection process

Begin your selection process by researching the top CRM tools for growing teams. Check out the CRMs suggested in this blog, review online feedback from similar-sized organizations, ask for recommendations from other team leaders managing 20-50 people, and explore comparison articles. Narrow down your options by focusing on vendors that specialize in or offer tailored solutions for mid-size teams and growing organizations.

4. Book demos

Once you've shortlisted potential CRMs, take advantage of free trials or demo versions to evaluate their usability and effectiveness for your team size. Compare features, ease of use, and customer support quality. Pay attention to how well each platform integrates with your existing team tools and processes, and how effectively it can coordinate activities across 20-50 users. By thoroughly testing and comparing, you can make an informed decision on the best CRM for your growing team. Get a demo of folk CRM to see how it can benefit your 20-50 person team here.

👉🏼 Try folk now to never miss a follow-up from clients as a freelancer

3 tips for implementing a CRM

We're excited for your team if you've made it this far - but ensure you follow these three tips to make your CRM implementation process as smooth as possible across your 20-50 person organization.

1. Import your data in your new CRM

Transitioning to a new CRM can be seamless if you start by importing your existing team data. Most CRMs allow you to export your data as CSV files from your current systems. This ensures that all client information, project details, and communication history are preserved and accessible to all relevant team members from day one.

2. Create your first pipeline

Setting up your first pipeline is essential for tracking projects across your 20-50 person team. Customize the pipeline stages to reflect your collaborative workflow, such as "Lead Generation," "Team Assignment," "Proposal Sent," "In Progress," and "Completed." This helps you visualize project statuses across team members and manage tasks efficiently, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks in your growing organization.

3. See if it has a complementary Chrome extension

Many CRMs now offer Chrome extensions designed with team workflows in mind, so your 20-50 team members don't need to constantly switch context to manually add contact information into your CRM platform. For instance, folk CRM has Chrome extensions designed to help with social listening, import contact information without leaving webpages, and turn LinkedIn interactions into warm leads that any team member can access.

The 5 best CRMs for teams of 20-50

1. folk

folk is a modern CRM platform perfect for managing contacts, workflows, and relationships across growing teams, offering customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools, and integrations designed to enhance deal management and prospecting for organizations of 20-50 people.

Key features

• Contact enrichment: Automatically enriches contact details by finding emails and LinkedIn URLs, enabling efficient team-wide outreach without manual data entry or additional costs for email services.
• LinkedIn integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, track conversations within folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication across your entire team.
• Email integration: Full email sync, templates, and tracking features, enabling teams to manage all communications directly from the CRM with complete visibility.
• AI-powered features: AI tools assist in managing contacts and relationships, automating routine tasks, and suggesting actions to improve team productivity across 20-50 users.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing teams to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry across multiple team members.

Pros

• Ease of use: folk is praised for its intuitive interface, making it accessible to all team members regardless of technical expertise, with quick onboarding that works perfectly for teams of 20-50.
• All-in-one solution: folk streamlines team workflows by allowing multiple users to import contacts from LinkedIn, automatically find emails, coordinate outreach through customizable email sequences, and track interactions in shared pipelines, eliminating the need for multiple tools and saving significant costs for growing teams.
• LinkedIn integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, track conversations within folk, and use templates that any team member can access for coordinated, streamlined communication.
• Customizability: Custom fields, pipelines, and workflows that can be tailored to your team's specific processes and scaled as your organization grows.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing teams of 20-50 to centralize their workflow and coordinate activities without manual data entry.

Cons

• Reporting and analytics: folk includes advanced pipeline and deal stage analytics, revenue forecasting with weighted probabilities, and performance breakdowns by owner, channel, industry, region, or any custom field.
  

Price and plans

You can try folk for free with a 14-day free trial, perfect for testing with your team of 20-50. After that, monthly or annual subscription plans are as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month
• Premium: $40 per user, per month
• Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month

2. HubSpot

HubSpot CRM is a comprehensive, scalable platform offering integrated tools for managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations, designed for growing teams.

Key features

• Marketing Hub: Includes email marketing, ad tracking, landing pages, and lead generation tools, essential for teams of 20-50 to attract and manage leads collaboratively.
• Sales Hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting to help growing teams manage client relationships efficiently across multiple team members.
• Service Hub: Offers customer service tools like ticketing and live chat, essential for maintaining strong client communication and support across team departments.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve team sales efficiency and focus collective efforts on high-potential clients.
• Customizable dashboard and reports: Allows teams to create customized dashboards and reports to track metrics and gain insights into business performance across departments.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: HubSpot is known for its intuitive interface, making it accessible for teams with varying levels of CRM experience.
• Comprehensive free plan: Offers a robust free version that includes essential CRM features, though limited for teams of 20-50 at scale.
• Seamless integration with marketing tools: HubSpot integrates smoothly with its marketing, sales, and service hubs, creating a unified platform for managing team operations.
• Automation capabilities: Provides powerful automation tools for tasks like email marketing and lead nurturing, helping teams save time and improve efficiency.
• Extensive learning resources: HubSpot Academy offers a wealth of free courses, certifications, and resources to help teams get the most out of the platform.

Cons

• High cost at scale: HubSpot's pricing becomes extremely expensive for teams of 20-50 users, with costs quickly escalating to prohibitive levels for growing organizations.
• Limited customization in lower tiers: The free plan and lower tiers have limited customization options, which severely restrict flexibility for teams of 20-50 people.
• Complexity in advanced features: Some advanced features have a steep learning curve and may require extensive training across team members.
• Email marketing limits: Email marketing functionality restrictions can be problematic for teams with larger client lists and higher volume needs.
• Additional costs for add-ons: Many useful features come as paid add-ons, significantly increasing the overall cost for teams of 20-50 users.
  

Price and plans

Prices and plans on the CRM suite for an annual subscription are as follows.

• Starter: $15 per user, per month.
• Professional: $450 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $1,500 per user, per month.

3. Zoho

Zoho is a CRM system with a strong sales focus, offering features such as journey orchestration, sales process management and workflow automation. It includes marketing capabilities like lead nurturing, event management and customer segmentation for growing teams.

Key features

• Lead and contact management: Manages customer information, tracks interactions, and segments contacts for targeted campaigns, making it easier for teams to coordinate client tracking across 20-50 users.
• Customizable dashboards and reports: Allows teams to create and customize dashboards and reports for in-depth analytics, helping them understand business performance across departments.
• Multi-channel communication: Integrates with email, phone, social media, and live chat to manage customer interactions, ensuring teams can communicate effectively with clients across various platforms.
• Sales pipeline management: Visualizes and manages sales pipelines with drag-and-drop functionality, helping teams track progress of projects and client deals collaboratively.
• Workflow automation: Automates routine tasks and processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort across team members, allowing focus on core business activities.

Pros

• Affordability: Zoho CRM offers competitive pricing with various tiers, making it accessible to teams of 20-50 people with growing budgets.
• Integration with Zoho Suite: Seamless integration with other Zoho products creates a comprehensive ecosystem for managing different business functions across team departments.
• Mobile accessibility: Zoho CRM offers a robust mobile app, allowing team members to manage customer relationships and access data on the go, with offline capabilities.

Cons

• Steep learning curve: The extensive customization options can be overwhelming for teams, requiring significant time investment for 20-50 users to master the platform.
• Complex setup: Initial setup and configuration can be complex, particularly for teams without dedicated IT resources or technical expertise.
• Performance issues: Occasional reports of slow performance, especially with large datasets or complex operations, can hinder team productivity.
• Limited third-party integrations: While Zoho integrates well with its own suite, integration with third-party applications can be limited, potentially restricting workflow flexibility for growing teams.
• Feature limitations in lower tiers: Lower-priced plans may lack advanced features needed by teams of 20-50, pushing organizations to upgrade to more expensive tiers.
  

Price and plans

Free plan limited to three users, insufficient for teams of 20-50. After that, an annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month
• Professional: $35 per user, per month
• Enterprise: $50 per user, per month

4. Less Annoying CRM

Less Annoying CRM is a customer relationship management software designed for simplicity. It focuses on ease of use, providing a straightforward platform for managing contacts, tracking leads, and staying organized, though with limited scalability for larger teams.

‍

Key features

• Unlimited contacts and companies: Manage as many leads and customers as needed without limits, suitable for teams handling multiple client relationships.
• Unlimited pipelines: Create multiple sales pipelines to track different projects or client workflows across team departments.
• Email logging: Automatically log emails to keep all communication with leads and clients in one place for team visibility.
• Task management: Organize and prioritize tasks to help team members stay on top of deadlines and client deliverables.
• Mobile access: Access your CRM on the go, ensuring team members can manage business operations from anywhere.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Easy to navigate, making it accessible for teams new to CRM systems.
• Affordable pricing: A flat monthly fee without contracts, budget-friendly for growing teams.
• Cloud-based access: Work from anywhere with internet access, providing flexibility for distributed teams.
• Excellent customer support: Responsive and friendly support, offering personalized assistance at no extra cost.
• Free trial: A 30-day free trial to explore all features before making a financial commitment for your team.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Lacks marketing automation and advanced analytics, which teams of 20-50 typically need for growth and coordination.
• No native mobile app: Accessible via mobile browsers but lacks a dedicated app for streamlined team access.
• Basic reporting capabilities: Simple reporting features insufficient for teams of 20-50 needing detailed analytics and performance tracking.
• Limited integrations: Fewer third-party app integrations, limiting utility for teams relying on multiple software tools.
• Customization constraints: Limited customization options may be restrictive for teams of 20-50 needing tailored CRM solutions that scale with growth.
  

Price and plans

There's only one price plan available which is $15 per user, per month.

5. Streak

Streak is a customer relationship management tool that integrates directly with Gmail, allowing users to manage their sales pipeline and customer interactions from within their email inbox. While simple for small teams, it has limitations for organizations of 20-50 people requiring more robust coordination features.

‍

Key features

• Advanced CRM: Manage leads and customers with CRM features, though with limitations for larger teams.
• Email tracking and snippets: Track email opens and use pre-written snippets to save time on team communication.
• Contacts: Manage leads and customers in one place, with basic sharing capabilities across team members.
• Google Workspace integrations: Integrate with Google Workspace for team workflow, though coordination features are limited.
• Mobile access: Access CRM on the go with mobile support, though functionality is restricted compared to desktop.

Pros

• Seamless Gmail integration: Streak integrates directly into Gmail, allowing team members to manage CRM activities without leaving their email inbox.
• User-friendly and intuitive: Because it operates within Gmail, Streak is easy to use and requires minimal training for team members familiar with Gmail.
• Customizable pipelines: Streak allows users to create and customize pipelines, offering some flexibility across different team projects.
• Email tracking and automation: Streak includes useful features like email tracking and mail merge, which help teams manage communication.
• Affordable pricing: With different pricing tiers, Streak offers a cost-effective solution, though features may be insufficient for larger teams.

Cons

• Limited advanced CRM features: Compared to standalone CRM platforms, Streak lacks advanced features like detailed analytics and reporting that teams of 20-50 typically require.
• Reliance on Gmail: As Streak is tied to Gmail, it may not be suitable for teams that use other email platforms or need centralized team coordination beyond email.
• Basic mobile experience: While Streak has a mobile app, it offers limited functionality compared to desktop, inconvenient for teams needing comprehensive mobile CRM access.
• Integration limitations: Streak has fewer integrations with other software tools compared to robust CRM systems, limiting effectiveness for teams relying on multiple applications.
• Scalability issues: Managing CRM data within Gmail can become cluttered and disorganized for teams of 20-50 handling high volumes of client interactions.
  

Price and plans

• Pro: Starts from $49 per user, per month.
• Pro +: Starts from $69 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: Starts from $129 per user, per month.

Conclusion

Choosing the best CRM for your team of 20-50 people is a critical decision that can significantly impact your efficiency, client relationships, and overall business success. Among the top contenders, platforms like folk, HubSpot, Zoho, Less Annoying CRM, and Streak each offer different features tailored to various needs and budgets. However, folk CRM stands out as the ideal choice for teams of this size, offering modern, AI-driven tools, seamless LinkedIn integration, and scalable features that grow with your organization. While HubSpot offers robust marketing and sales features, it becomes prohibitively expensive for 20-50 users. Zoho provides extensive customization but requires significant technical expertise, and Less Annoying CRM and Streak, while affordable, lack the advanced coordination features that growing teams require. For teams of 20-50, folk CRM provides the perfect balance of functionality, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Its intuitive interface ensures quick adoption across your entire team, while its comprehensive feature set supports collaboration, automation, and growth. The platform's ability to integrate with over 6,000 apps and provide centralized contact management makes it the superior choice for mid-size teams looking to streamline processes, improve client communication, and drive business growth. Try folk CRM for free here.

👉🏼 Try folk now to organize contact-based reminders and client outreach as a freelancer

Need a helping hand? Use our free tool to find your perfect CRM match.

‍

Frequently Asked Questions

What do teams of 20-50 use as a CRM?

Growing teams of 20-50 people often use CRMs like folk, Hubspot, Zoho, and Less Annoying CRM. These platforms offer varying features to manage client relationships, coordinate team activities, track projects, and streamline collaborative workflows, ensuring efficient business operations across multiple departments.

Do we need a CRM for our team?

Yes, especially for teams of 20-50 people. With multiple team members handling various clients, projects, and communications, a CRM helps you stay organized, coordinate activities, automate tasks, and improve overall team collaboration and client management.

How much does a CRM cost for teams of 20-50?

CRM costs for teams of 20-50 typically range from $15 to $1500 per user per month, depending on features and scale. For a team of this size, monthly costs can range from $300 to $75,000, making it crucial to choose a cost-effective solution like folk CRM that provides maximum value.

Does folk's CRM respond to team needs?

Yes, folk CRM is specifically designed to meet the needs of growing teams with features like contact enrichment, LinkedIn integration, customizable pipelines, AI-powered tools, and seamless collaboration features. These functionalities streamline team workflows, enhance communication coordination, and improve overall productivity for organizations of 20-50 people.

FAQ

What features should a CRM for 20–50-person teams include?

Look for contact management, pipelines, automation, email sequences, LinkedIn capture, shared reporting, role-based permissions, integrations, and analytics. Ensure ease of use and scalable pricing.

How much does a CRM cost for 20–50 users?

Entry tools start around $15–$25 per user/month; full-featured suites range $40–$150+ per user/month. For 20–50 users, monthly totals often land between $400 and $7,500 depending on features, emails, and add-ons.

How do you choose the right CRM for a 20–50-person team?

Map processes, list must-have features, set budget, check integrations, trial shortlists with real data, assess onboarding, support, and security. Favor tools the team adopts quickly and that scale without steep add-on costs.

What are the first steps to implement a CRM with 20–50 users?

Clean and import data, define stages and fields, set user roles and permissions, build one pilot pipeline, automate key follow-ups, train users, and review metrics weekly. Expand gradually across teams after validation.