A free CRM can in practice be:
- a CRM whose basic functions are free and whose more advanced functions are paid. It therefore falls into the category of freemium CRMs, contraction of “free” and “premium”;
- a free online CRM (or free SaaS CRM or free online CRM);
- free CRM software that you install on your computer.
We will go through these different categories.
Freemium CRM
A Freemium CRM solution is characterized by basic possibilities available free of charge. Free software stops either when the volume of data to be managed exceeds a certain threshold (for example, the number of contacts) or when you want to use advanced features. This includes, for example, sending marketing campaigns, integrating it into your website (contact forms, registration forms, downloading a white paper, etc.), or the ability to filter your data according to different criteria (for example to send targeted campaigns on certain contacts only).
Corymbus has decided to offer a complete solution at a single price, because it simplifies the purchase decision: no need to wonder if this feature is included or not, everything is there!
Even for email sending, there is no extra charge and no billing based on the number of emails sent, because Corymbus relies on your email sending account, whether it’s Gmail or other SMTP access.
Free online CRM
This type of offer is available in two possibilities:
- the tool provider is responsible for hosting it. Since hosting has a cost (server operation, monitoring, maintenance, etc.), we advise you to consider how the provider covers its costs.
- You install the tool yourself on your own server. The maintenance in operational conditions of this server, maintenance, updates, security are therefore your responsibility, both in financial means and in human resources.
Corymbus hosts the platform and takes care of all these operations for you. It is only the web browser that you have to install on your computer(s)/smartphones!
Free CRM software
There are still CRMs to install on your own machine, Windows, Mac, Linux or smartphone. This CRM solution can be suitable for a single user (freelancer, independent consultant, coach, …) on the other hand, we recommend having the answer to the following questions before deciding:
- do you need access to your data (contacts, opportunities, appointments, etc.) from multiple devices, such as a desktop or laptop, and a smartphone? If so, how is the sharing and synchronization of data from different machines managed?
- Does the software offer a way to transfer data from one device to another? This is essential for the change of computer in the months or years to come.
- Does the software offer a backup/restore function? Otherwise, how do you manage the loss of valuable information that makes up your business activity? What will happen, for example, in the event of a hard drive failure? Are you ready to impose the discipline of doing these backups regularly?
Corymbus answers these questions as follows:
- You can connect to Corymbus from any device, there is no limitation. And Corymbus works in a web browser, both on PC, Mac and smartphone. Not to mention tablets.
- The question of transferring data between devices does not arise since we host them on our servers.
- As for the backup, we regularly perform it and keep a history over several weeks and on different sites. You can also export your data at any time, for example if you want to adopt a solution other than Corymbus.
Conclusion
In any case, a free CRM tool has constraints that Corymbus wanted to remove while maintaining a price defying all competition on the market. However, there is one free thing in Corymbus: the trial version accessible from our homepage.
