Best CRM for small business in Australia
The best CRM for your small business is the one that matches your main job, whether that is closing deals, tracking relationships, or automating a lot from one place. Below are four that suit Australian small businesses, split by what each is actually good at, with real starting prices and free trials so you can test fit before you pay.
How this is ranked: it is not. These are grouped by who each suits, not scored, and no vendor can pay for placement. Some links are affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. Prices are the vendor's own published starting rates in USD and can change, so confirm current pricing before you commit.
| CRM | From | Free trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipedrive | US$14/user/mo | 14-day free trial, no card | Sales teams that live in the pipeline |
| Capsule | US$18/user/mo | Free plan for up to 250 contacts | Small teams wanting simple contact management |
| Nutshell | US$13/user/mo | 14-day free trial | Teams wanting sales plus built-in email marketing |
| Keap | US$249/user/mo | 14-day free trial | Established small businesses wanting all-in-one automation |
Pipedrive
From US$14/user/mo · 14-day free trial, no cardSales teams that live in the pipeline
Pipedrive is built around a visual sales pipeline you drag deals through, which makes it the natural pick for a small team whose main job is chasing and closing deals. It is quick to set up and hard to lose track of a deal in. If you want a CRM that is really a marketing-and-everything suite, it is narrower than that by design.
- Visual, drag-and-drop pipeline
- Fast to set up and learn
- Strong for outbound sales follow-up
Capsule
From US$18/user/mo · Free plan for up to 250 contactsSmall teams wanting simple contact management
Capsule keeps things deliberately simple: contacts, a light pipeline, and tasks, without the sprawl of a bigger platform. The free plan makes it an easy starting point for a very small business, and you step up to paid as your contact list grows. If you need deep automation or marketing, you may outgrow it.
- Genuinely free tier to start
- Clean and uncluttered
- Good for relationship tracking over heavy sales ops
Nutshell
From US$13/user/mo · 14-day free trialTeams wanting sales plus built-in email marketing
Nutshell bundles a straightforward CRM with email marketing in one subscription, which appeals to small businesses that would otherwise pay for two tools. It is priced keenly at the entry level. The trade-off is that each individual piece is less deep than a specialist tool, which is usually fine for a small team.
- Low entry price
- Sales and email marketing in one
- Simple reporting
Keap
From US$249/user/mo · 14-day free trialEstablished small businesses wanting all-in-one automation
Keap is the heaviest option here: CRM, marketing automation, and payments in one platform, aimed at small businesses that want to run a lot from a single tool. That power comes at a much higher price and a steeper setup, so it suits an established business with processes to automate rather than a team just getting organised.
- CRM plus marketing automation plus payments
- Powerful automation flows
- Best for businesses ready to systemise
How to choose
Start from your main job rather than the feature list. If it is closing deals, prioritise the pipeline and look at Pipedrive. If it is keeping track of relationships simply and cheaply, Capsule. If you want sales and email marketing in one low-cost tool, Nutshell. If you are ready to automate a lot of an established business, Keap. Every one offers a free trial, so shortlist two and test the feel, since that matters as much as the spec sheet.
Common questions
What is the best CRM for a small business in Australia?+
There is no single best CRM, because the right one depends on what you need it to do. For a visual sales pipeline, Pipedrive is the natural pick; for simple contact management with a free tier, Capsule; for sales plus built-in email marketing on a budget, Nutshell; and for all-in-one automation in an established business, Keap. Match the tool to your workflow rather than chasing a brand.
What is the cheapest CRM for small business?+
Among these, Nutshell (from US$13 per user a month) and Pipedrive (from US$14) sit at the low end, and Capsule offers a genuinely free plan for up to 250 contacts, which is the cheapest way to start. Keap is materially more expensive because it bundles marketing automation and payments. Always confirm current pricing and the AUD conversion with the vendor.
Do these CRMs work for Australian businesses?+
Yes. All four are used by Australian small businesses and run in the cloud, so there is nothing to install. They quote prices in US dollars, which is worth factoring into your budget, and each offers a free trial so you can test fit before committing. Check data residency and support hours with the vendor if those matter to you.
How do I choose between them?+
Start from your main job. If it is closing deals, prioritise the pipeline (Pipedrive). If it is keeping track of relationships simply, Capsule. If you want sales and email marketing together cheaply, Nutshell. If you want to automate a lot of an established business, Keap. Use the free trials, since the right feel matters as much as the feature list.
This page is operated by Refer Labs and contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up through one, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes how these are grouped or described. Prices are the vendors' own published starting rates and can change; confirm current pricing before you commit.