A customizable CRM is used by businesses with unique sales operationsgiving users the ability to design their own CRM system. Robust custom CRMs offer a broad range of program, dashboard, and report customizations. Furthermore, they allow you to efficiently tailor data fields and adjust functionalities to match business-specific workflows. Weve reviewed and compared dozens of custom CRM software options to discover the best choices for small businesses.
Here are our picks for the six best customizable CRM systems:
- Zoho CRM : Best overall customizable CRM for comprehensive system customization capabilities
- Apptivo : Great choice for larger businesses looking for a customizable platform to manage their entire business operation
- Pipedrive : Excellent customizable CRM for small business with a unique sales pipeline process
- Nutshell : Solid custom CRM for sales managers who want customizable CRM software to manage their sales teams
- Bitrix24 : Top pick for businesses that want free, customizable CRM software
- Close : Ideal for sales teams that want customizable activity tracking tools
Not finding what youre looking for? Check out our in-depth guide on the best CRMs for small businesses .
Best Customizable CRMs Compared
| Provider | Free Plan | Free Trial for Paid Plans | Starting Price for Paid Plans* | Special Features | Help & Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, up to 3 users | 15 days | $14 per user, per month | Excellent custom list views | 24/5 email and phone support on paid plans |
| Visit Zoho CRM | |||||
| Yes, for one user | 30 days | $8 per user, per month | Custom record views | 24/7 email and live chat support on paid plans |
| Visit Apptivo | |||||
| No free plan | 14 days | $14.90 per user, per month | Customizable product catalogs | 24/7 live chat and phone support for Enterprise plan |
| Visit Pipedrive | |||||
| No free plan | 14 days | $16 per user, per month | Excellent custom reports | Live chat, phone, and email support |
| Visit Nutshell | |||||
| Yes, unllimited users | 30 days | $39/month (up to 5 users) | Ability to create custom web forms | Live chat and email during business hours |
| Visit Bitrix24 | |||||
| No free plan | 14 days | $29 per user, per month (3-user limit) | Unique sales activity customization tools | Email support and self-service help center |
| Visit Close |
*Pricing is based on annual billing. Monthly billing is also available at slightly higher rates.
| Provider | Free Plan | Free Trial for Paid Plans | Starting Price for Paid Plans* | Special Features | Help & Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Yes, up to 3 users | 15 days | $14 per user, per month | Excellent custom list views | 24/5 email and phone support on paid plans |
| Visit Zoho CRM | |||||
|
| Yes, for one user | 30 days | $8 per user, per month | Custom record views | 24/7 email and live chat support on paid plans |
| Visit Apptivo | |||||
|
| No free plan | 14 days | $14.90 per user, per month | Customizable product catalogs | 24/7 live chat and phone support for Enterprise plan |
| Visit Pipedrive | |||||
|
| No free plan | 14 days | $16 per user, per month | Excellent custom reports | Live chat, phone, and email support |
| Visit Nutshell | |||||
|
| Yes, unllimited users | 30 days | $39/month (up to 5 users) | Ability to create custom web forms | Live chat and email during business hours |
| Visit Bitrix24 | |||||
|
| No free plan | 14 days | $29 per user, per month (3-user limit) | Unique sales activity customization tools | Email support and self-service help center |
| Visit Close |
Zoho CRM: Best Overall Customizable CRM
Zoho CRM
Overall Score: 4.59 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Free plan for up to three users and relatively low cost for paid plans
- Ability to create custom list views, grouping records based on a set of criteria
- Easy-to-use features for configuring workflow automation
What’s Missing
- Data field customization not available on the free plan
- Custom catalogs and validation rules are only available on higher-priced plans
- Customer support only available during business hours
Zoho CRM Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: Up to three users
- Standard: $14 per user, per month
- Professional: $23 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $40 per user, per month
- Ultimate: $52 per user, per month
- Free trial: 15 days
Add-ons and Native Software
- Bigin: Free or $7 per user, per month
- Zoho CRM Plus: $57 per user, per month
*Pricing based on annual billing, monthly billing is also available for a higher cost
Zoho CRM offers a robust customizable CRM for small business because it offers more customization than any other CRM on this list. The capabilities range from customization of data fields, product catalogs, and dashboard design. There are even custom data validation rules within individual records that require certain fields to be within a specific numeric range to ensure the information is full and accurate.
Zoho also makes it easy for businesses to configure automation rules tailored to whatever processes they want to put on autopilot. Within the various lead or deal modules, a range of custom options can be used to trigger and execute an automated process. For instance, a user can configure their workflow to automatically notify their manager via email if a deal comes in thats over a specific value while assigning them a task to look at discount options.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the data fields customization optionsa feature heavily desired in a customizable CRMZoho does not offer it on its free plan. For a CRM that allows you to label a data field and create rules within what can be added to that field for free, we recommend Bitrix24 as an alternative.
Zoho CRM Plan Summary
| Free | Standard | Professional | Enterprise | Ultimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Contact Management | |||||
| Page Customization | |||||
| Rename Tabs | |||||
| Workflow Automation Rules | |||||
| Custom List Views | 5 per module | 50 per module | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Custom Fields | 10 fields per module | 155 fields per module | 300 fields per module | 500 fields per module | |
| Custom Products Catalog | |||||
| Custom Data Validation Rules | 5 rules per layout | 10 rules per layout | 25 rules per layout | ||
| Custom Links | |||||
| Custom Modules | 100 modules | 500 modules |
Zoho CRM Key Features
- Custom data validation tools: These tools ensure data is accurate and allowable. For example, on a deal record, you can add a discount field and create validation rules that the discount cannot go above or below a specific percentage
- Custom web links: Ability to add customizable web links inside lead or contact records to allow users to navigate to websites about the company or person
- Native software integration options: CRM system integrates with other Zoho software including Zoho Calendar, Zoho Workspace, Zoho Desk, and Zoho Social
- Customizable workflow automation: Configurable rules for process and workflow automation
- Customizable charts: Ability to create charts for the system dashboards and reports
Zoho CRM Customizable List View (Source: Zoho )
Zoho CRM Customizing a Web Link. (Source: Zoho )
Zoho CRM Custom Workflow Automation. (Source: Zoho )
Zoho CRM Workflow Automation Rules List. (Source: Zoho )
Our Zoho CRM review offers additional information on the features, plans, usability, and integrations of Zoho to help you determine if its the right fit for your business.
Visit Zoho CRM
Pro tip: Open-source CRM systems give businesses access to the CRM softwares code to be modified to the business needs. This functionality makes it similar to CRM customization. If you have the technical knowledge to operate this type of CRM, check out our picks for the best free open-source CRM system for 2022.
Apptivo: Best Customizable CRM for Managing All Business Functions
Apptivo
Overall Score: 4.41 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Custom views on records and data based on information the user wants to see
- Relatively inexpensive, even for the Ultimate plan
- Acts as a business management system that includes a CRM, contract management tools, invoicing features, a call center, and marketing and project management features
What’s Missing
- The free plan lacks any customization options
- System branding feature only available on Ultimate and Enterprise plans
- Lite plan limits the number of available charts and dashboards that can be customized
Apptivo Pricing at a Glance*
- Starter: Free for one user
- Lite: $8 per user, per month
- Premium: $12 per user, per month
- Ultimate: $20 per user, per month
- Enterprise: Contact for quotes
- Free trial: 30 days
*Pricing based on annual billing, monthly billing is also available for a higher cost
Apptivo is a CRM that extends its functionality past the needs of sales and marketing teams. Businesses who purchase an Apptivo plan get access to features for managing invoices, product orders, projects, service tickets, marketing campaigns, quotes, expenses, and even tools for ecommerce business management.
In terms of system customization, businesses can take advantage of the cost-effective options to design data fields, module applications, charts, dashboards, and reports. Theres also a custom mapping feature, so information in one record can be duplicated in another if it belongs in multiple module applications, such as when a contact is also a lead and an opportunity.
Apptivo lacks any form of customization on its free Starter plan. Businesses that want basic customization capabilities for free should consider Bitrix24 or Zoho CRM as solid options with some free customization options.
Apptivo Plan Summary
| Starter | Lite | Premium | Ultimate | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Contact Management | |||||
| Custom Fields per Application | 100 | 250 | 350 | 500 | |
| Custom Views | 25 | 100 | 200 | 400 | |
| Custom Reports | 5 | 25 | 50 | 100 | |
| Customizable Charts and Dashboards | 8 | 25 | 50 | 100 | |
| Custom Fields Mapping | |||||
| Custom Applications | |||||
| Custom System Branding | |||||
| Customization Support Services |
Apptivo Key Features
- Custom data mapping: Allows data in one module to be attributed to another. For instance, if a lead is also an opportunity, you can map the data to make sure the relevant information in the lead application is added to the opportunity application.
- Customizable charts: Ability to create charts for reports and dashboards
- Customizable system views: Allows users to observe data based on criteria of which records and types of information the user would like to see
- Integrates with popular third-party applications: Includes Google Workspace, Office 365, Dropbox, RingCentral, Paypal, Stripe, Facebook, and QuickBooks.
Apptivo Data Mapping Tool (Source: Apptivo )
Apptivo Custom Reports (Source: Apptivo )
Apptivo Data Attribute Field Customization (Source: Apptivo )
Apptivo System Branding (Source: Apptivo )
Want to find out more about this CRM and see if its right for your business? Check out our in-depth Apptivo review to learn about its features, pricing, and overall usability.
Visit Apptivo
Pipedrive: Best Customizable CRM for Sales Pipeline Customization
Pipedrive
Overall Score: 4.40 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Email customization features, including email templates and signatures
- Ability to customize sales pipelines and view each opportunity based on pipeline stage
- Customizable product catalogs
What’s Missing
- Doesnt have a free plan
- Custom team organization for comparing and monitoring team performance only available on Professional and Enterprise plans
- No workflow automation on the lowest-priced plan
Pipedrive Pricing at a Glance*
- Essentials: $14.90 per user, per month
- Advanced: $24.90 per user, per month
- Professional: $49.90 per user, per month
- Enterprise: $99 per user, per month
- Free trial: 14 days
Add-ons:
- LeadBooster: Starts at $32.50 per month
- Website Visitors: Starts at $41 per month
*Pricing based on annual billing, monthly billing is also available for a higher cost
Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM system due to its heavy emphasis on pipeline management, deal management, and tools for managing leads. Within Pipedrive is a scheduler that includes video conferencing, email scheduling features, and SmartDocs tool for sending quotes and proposals. When it comes to customization, users have the ability to alter data fields, email templates, product catalogs, and the way the dashboard is laid out.
The customizable feature that stands out the most, however, is the ability to create sales pipelines and visualizations of those pipelines. If a business needs to account for internal sales activities not typically involved in a traditional sales pipeline, they can do so with Pipedrives custom pipelines. The customizable pipelines allow users to account for the unique stages, conversion probabilities, and how many days a lead can be in a stage before the system indicates it has become a rotten deal.
While Pipedrive is an excellent CRM and one of our picks for the top small business CRM systems , it lacks the option for businesses to create automated workflows on its lowest-tiered plan. If low-cost automation features are important for your business, we recommend Zoho CRM , which allows you to set workflow automation rules on free and lowest-priced plans.
Pipedrive Plan Summary
| Essentials | Advanced | Professional | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deal and Lead Management | ||||
| Customizable Pipelines | ||||
| Custom Products Catalog | ||||
| Customizable Activity Tracking Reports | ||||
| Custom Data Fields | 30 | 100 | 1,000 | Unlimited |
| Workflow Automation | 30 | 60 | 100 | |
| Custom Email Templates | ||||
| Custom Email Signatures | ||||
| Organizing Sales Reps Into Teams for Monitoring Performance | 3 teams | Unlimited | ||
| Required Fields Indicator |
Pipedrive Features
- Email customization: Useful for generating and storing premade email templates and designing email signatures
- Pipeline customization: Tailorable stages and conversion probabilities
- Data field customization: Allows users to indicate data fields that are important or required to create a record
- Customizable teams: Ability to put sales reps into groups to monitor and compare team performance
- Custom reports: Users can generate reports for monitoring sales activity for calls placed, emails sent, and appointments generated
Pipedrive Adding a Custom Field (Source: Pipedrive )
Pipedrive Pipeline Customization (Source: Pipedrive )
Pipedrive Email Template Customization (Source: Pipedrive )
Visit Pipedrive
Nutshell: Best Customizable CRM for Sales Management
Nutshell
Overall Score: 4.10 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Lots of customization for reports that can be generated, including activity, sales funnel , and forecasting reports
- Custom reports for lead insights, including the number of leads generated and the top lead sources
- Board view of sales pipeline has drag-and-drop capabilities to move a lead to a new stage
What’s Missing
- No free plan options
- Automation tools are unavailable on the Starter plan
- Users need to pay extra for the add-on for mass email marketing tools
Nutshell Pricing at a Glance*
- Nutshell: $16 per user, per month
- Nutshell Pro: $42 per user, per month
Nutshell Add-ons:
- Marketing Add-on: Starts at $5 per month and ranges from $5 to $460 per month, depending on the number of contacts stored
*Pricing based on annual billing, monthly billing is also available for a higher cost
If youre looking for a CRM that offers both customization and robust features for managing a sales operation, Nutshell is an excellent choice. Users can generate custom reports for insights on things a manager typically wants to see. These reports include sales activity, sales performance, sales forecasts, sales funnel success, and information on the best lead sources to focus on.
Sales managers can also put lead assignment on auto-pilot with auto-lead assignment features. This gives them the ability to notify a team member of a new lead or lead stage change. Theyre also able to assign tasks associated with that lead to a specific sales rep depending on the rules you set.
With mass email marketing tools being extremely desirable, and Nutshell only offering these kinds of tools through an add-on, we recommend considering Pipedrive as an alternative. Pipedrive can send mass emails and store pre-made email templates your sales and marketing teams can access.
Nutshell Plan Summary
| Nutshell | Nutshell Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Customizable Sales Pipelines | ||
| Drag and Drop Board View | ||
| Custom Sales and Forecasting Reports | ||
| Custom Reporting for Lead Generation Sources | ||
| Custom Shareable Email Templates | ||
| Custom Automated Lead Assignment | ||
| Guided Sales Process Builder | ||
| Custom Activity and Sales Funnel Reporting |
Nutshell Key Features
- Nutshell Marketing add-on: It allows you to send professionally designed marketing emails to thousands of contacts at once that are stored in your CRM
- Guided sales process builder: Helps users design and customize their sales process by pre-setting auto-lead assignments and creating tasks that need to be completed for each stage
- Automated lead assignment: Ability to create automation rules for auto-assigning leads to sales reps
- Custom sales funnel reports: Can be customized and generated to view stage conversion rates
Nutshell sales process builder (Source: Nutshell )
Nutshell pipeline board view with drag-and-drop option (Source: Nutshell )
Nutshell auto-lead assignment configuration (Source: Nutshell )
Nutshell custom sales funnel reports (Source: Nutshell )
Visit Nutshell
Bitrix24: Best Free Customizable CRM System
Bitrix24
Overall Score: 3.81 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Free for unlimited users
- Custom data fields for leads, contacts, deals, and opportunities included for free
- Ability to create custom web forms from the CRM system
What’s Missing
- Interface lacks intuitiveness
- Can be difficult to set up and operate features
- Customizing fields inside tasks is only available on Professional plan
Bitrix24 Pricing at a Glance*
- Free: $0 per month for unlimited users
- Basic: $39 per month for up to five users
- Standard: $79 per month for up to 50 users
- Professional: $159 per month for unlimited users
- Free trial: 30 days
*Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is available for a higher cost or pay every two years for the lowest cost.
Bitrix24 is a great customizable CRM option for those seeking a free-forever option. Not only does Bitrix24 offer a free plan for an unlimited number of users, but many of the customization capabilities it has are available on the free plan. These include the custom products catalog, data fields, sales pipelines, reports, online web forms, and even minimal automation rules can be set for deal management. Plus, the platform offers a white label option where you can resell the platform under your own business brand and get a 50% commission from each license you sell.
Though the free plan accommodates up to an unlimited number of users, the biggest issue that arises from Bitrix24 users is the ease of use and ability to navigate the interface without getting lost. For CRM options that are notoriously easy to set up, operate, and navigate, check out Pipedrive or Nutshell as viable solutions.
Bitrix24 Plan Summary
| Free | Basic | Standard | Professional | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Products Catalog | 100 products | 3,000 products | 3,000 products | Unlimited products |
| Custom Data Fields | ||||
| Custom Sales Process Stages and Statuses | ||||
| Google Maps Location in Custom Contact Field | ||||
| Report Builder | v | |||
| Custom Automation Rules and Triggers for Deals | 5 rules | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Custom Online Contact Forms | 100 forms | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Project Management Tools | Unlimited projects | Unlimited projects | Unlimited projects | Unlimited projects |
| Custom Project Templates | ||||
| Invoice Design and Generation | ||||
| Required Data Field Indicator | ||||
| Quote Design and Generation | ||||
| Task Automation | ||||
| Custom Data Fields Inside Tasks |
Bitrix24 Features
- Custom Google Maps field: Lead records can include Google Maps location of a lead
- Custom deal automation: Options to create automation rules and triggers for managing deals
- Custom online webforms: Ability to create and customize online web forms from the CRM system for inquiry submissions
- Customizable report generation: Create reports for sales data trends, performance tracking, and activity monitoring
- Built-in project management tools: Ability to manage projects and tasks within those projects for free
Bitrix24 Custom Data Fields (Source: Bitrix24 )
Bitrix24 Google Maps Custom Field (Source: Bitrix24 )
Bitrix24 Automation Rules Configuration (Source: Bitrix24 )
Bitrix24 CRM Web Form Creator (Source: Bitrix24 )
Visit Bitrix24
Close: Best Custom CRM for Activity Tracking
Close
Overall Score: 3.20 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Built-in phone system for placing and logging phone calls
- Unique activity customization feature for recording certain sales activities
- Sales leaderboard tracking features
What’s Missing
- No free plan option
- Some technical skill required to set up and operate the platform
- Customer service only available during business hours and no live chat option
Close Pricing at a Glance*
- Starter: $29 per user, per month
- Basic: $69 per user, per month
- Professional: $99 per user, per month
- Business: $149 per user, per month
- Free Trial: 14 days
*Pricing based on annual billing, monthly billing is also available for a higher cost
Between the contact organization capabilities, built-in phone system, email tools, and meeting scheduling functionality, Close gives sales teams an all-in-one CRM solution for conducting outbound sales activities. Some of its system customizations include a custom voicemail greeting, email signatures , email templates , reports, and data fields for leads, contacts, and opportunities.
The unique customization capability, however, is the ability to create and monitor custom sales activities. This lets users design a specific activity as a data field, such as sending a Stripe invoice, conducting a lead qualification call, closing a service ticket, or any other activity unique to their operation and input information about that activity.
For example, if you finished a sales call, you can add information about that activity, such as whether they are qualified, what current company they are using for the solution you offer, and how many users or employees they have. All of this is recorded in the CRM system within the lead or contact record.
Close receives sub-par ratings for the ease of setting up the CRM system as well as operating its features. If top-notch usability is a main priority for your team, we recommend considering Pipedrive or Zoho CRM .
Close Plan Summary
| Starter | Basic | Professional | Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Telephony | ||||
| Custom Voicemail Greeting | ||||
| Custom Email Signatures | ||||
| Contact and Opportunity Custom Fields | 5 fields | 250 fields | 250 fields | 250 fields |
| Custom Lead Fields | 5 fields | 1,000 fields | 1,000 fields | 1,000 fields |
| Custom Email Templates | 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Custom Sales Activities Templates | 1 template | 5 templates | 200 templates | |
| Custom Graphs for Advanced Reporting | ||||
| Custom Groups to Put Sales Reps in for Comparison |
Close Key Features
- Built-in telephone: Includes outbound calling, power dialing, call logging, and custom voicemail creation
- Record customization: Capabilities for customizing records for leads, opportunities, and contact data fields
- Activity customization: Allows you to record sales actions by a sales rep, such as a call to qualify a lead, an email introduction sent, or a delivered invoice
- Email customization: Options for designing custom email templates and email signatures.
Close Power Dialing Set Up (Source: Close )
Close Data Field Customization (Source: Close )
Close Custom Activity Page. (Source: Close )
Close Customized Activity Example (Source: Close )
Close Sales Leaderboards (Source: Close )
Visit Close
How We Evaluated the Best Customizable CRMs
To determine which CRM system is the best for teams who value customization tools, we evaluated product attributes specifically related to altering or redesigning a CRM system. These traits include data field customizations, the ability to automate workflows for unique processes, and options for altering the systems dashboards in terms of color schemes, and layouts.
Overall, we found Zoho CRM as the best CRM for customization because of the broad range of customization options the system offers its users. This includes customization for data fields, dashboards, data validation rules, catalogs, and individual records that let users put in custom web links. Zoho CRM also has an excellent workflow automation feature built into the system so businesses can set rules, triggers, and actions to automate various processes.
Visit Zoho CRM
The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process for choosing the best custom CRM platforms:
- Breakdown
- Pricing
- General Features
- Ease of Use
- Help & Support
- Expert Score
40% Pricing 20% General Features 15% Ease of Use 15% Help & Support 10% Expert Score
40% of Overall Score
Cost is typically among the most important criteria for any business, so it was the most heavily weighted when evaluating the best customizable CRMs. CRM pricing took into account free plan availability, scalable pricing options, and having options to pay monthly or annually.
20% of Overall Score
We looked at overall features we feel are necessary for any CRM, such as integration options, built-in tools, reporting and CRM analytics , and mobile apps. We also evaluated features associated with system customization like the ability to tailor the systems dashboard, options for data field customization, and the scope for which a user can automate their workflows.
15% of Overall Score
Usability was also analyzed in terms of the expertise needed to set up an account, the learning curve for integrating the CRM with third-party applications , the skill required to operate the features, and the intuitiveness of navigating the interface. We also dove deeper into how easy it was to use the customization features of each CRM.
15% of Overall Score
Extensive support and service help prevent poor user experiences and outcomes people may encounter while using or customizing any of these CRMs. Help and support were evaluated in terms of customer service hours and the availability of support via phone, live chat, and email.
10% of Overall Score
In addition to first-hand experiences with the best CRMs for customization, we evaluated what other users are saying about each product. These criteria consider how customers feel, based on their reviews, to gain insight on platform popularity, ease of use, and overall value for the price.
*Percentages of overall score
What is a custom CRM
A custom CRM is a tailor-made solution designed exclusively for a specific business . It should be equipped to effortlessly manage business relationships with existing clients while also boosting the attractiveness of the business to prospective clients.
How do I create a custom CRM
The steps to building your custom CRM include:
- Launching the preoperational stage.
- Choosing a development partner.
- Getting in touch with your development partner.
- Exploring your options.
- Getting the design approved.
- Rolling out the software.
Can I build my own CRM
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a system that helps businesses organize and manage their customer relationships. It is basically a big database for customer information. Since every business is a little different, it can be helpful to create your own CRM to meet your exact needs.
Should I build a custom CRM
Regardless, it is much, much easier to modify an existing CRM system than to build one from scratch. If your business process presents truly unique challenges that off-the-shelf CRM systems can’t meet without a major overhaul, then you may want to consider building your own CRM.