The short answer: The best CRM for a small business in Australia depends on how you win work. Sales teams with a long pipeline often suit Pipedrive or HubSpot. Budget-conscious teams that don’t mind some setup like Zoho. Service businesses that live on the phone usually get more from an all-in-one platform with an AI receptionist, like My New Admin.
Most “best CRM” lists are written for big American sales teams. This one is for Australian small businesses: tradies, clinics, agencies, brokers and other service businesses where a missed call or a slow follow-up means a lost job. Here’s how the popular options compare, including where we’re not the right fit.
How we compared them
- Price in Australian dollars, and how it changes as your team grows.
- Follow-up and automation, and which plan you need before it’s included.
- Calls, texts and chat, because most small business leads still start with a phone call.
- Ease of use for a small team without a dedicated admin.
- Australian fit, including AUD pricing, GST-ready invoicing and support.
The options at a glance
| CRM | Starting price | How you pay | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| My New Admin | $297 a month incl. GST, unlimited users | One flat price | Service businesses that want calls answered, follow-ups and marketing in one app |
| HubSpot | Free plan. Starter from A$31 per seat a month | Per seat | Marketing-led teams that want a big ecosystem to grow into |
| Zoho CRM | Free for up to 3 users. Standard from A$22 per user a month, billed annually | Per user | Budget-conscious teams comfortable with some setup |
| Pipedrive | From A$19 per user a month (Lite). No free plan | Per user | Sales teams managing a visual deal pipeline |
| monday CRM | Basic from A$19 per seat a month | Per seat | Teams already using monday.com for projects |
Australian-dollar prices for HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive and monday CRM are as checked by an independent comparison site in September 2026. Entry plans often leave out automation, and prices change, so check each provider’s website before you decide.
My New Admin: best for service businesses
My New Admin is an Australian-owned, all-in-one platform built around how service businesses actually win work. An AI receptionist answers calls and chats 24/7 and books appointments, missed calls get an instant text, and every conversation lands in one inbox with your CRM, calendar, quotes, invoices, SMS marketing and Google review requests.
- Good: one flat price with unlimited users, an AI receptionist included, follow-ups on autopilot, built for Australia.
- Watch out for: it isn’t built for job cards or timesheets, and if you only need a simple contact list for one person, a free CRM may be enough.
HubSpot: best for marketing-led teams
HubSpot is one of the best-known CRMs, with a generous free plan, a polished interface and a huge marketplace of add-ons.
- Good: free to start, strong marketing tools, lots of integrations.
- Watch out for: costs rise quickly beyond Starter. Professional tiers are priced much higher per seat and can carry a one-off onboarding fee.
Zoho CRM: best on a tight budget
Zoho CRM is known for value. It has a free plan for up to three users, low per-user pricing and a wide family of business apps.
- Good: low cost, AUD pricing, lots of features for the money.
- Watch out for: it can take time to set up well, and some advanced features sit on higher plans.
Pipedrive: best for pipeline-focused sales teams
Pipedrive is built around a simple, visual sales pipeline, which makes it easy for sales teams to see every deal at a glance.
- Good: easy to learn, clear deal pipeline.
- Watch out for: there’s no free plan, and the entry plan doesn’t include automations or email sync, so most teams need a higher plan.
monday CRM: best if you already use monday.com
monday CRM is built on monday.com’s flexible boards, which suits teams that already manage projects there.
- Good: flexible and visual, works alongside monday.com projects.
- Watch out for: it’s priced per seat, and it may take some setup to fit a sales process.
What about job management apps?
Tradies often compare CRMs with job management apps like ServiceM8 and Tradify. Those are built to run jobs once you’ve won them, with job cards and timesheets, while a CRM is built to win the work in the first place. See our ServiceM8 alternatives comparison for real prices.
How to choose
- Most of your leads call you? Choose a CRM that can answer the phone, or at least text back missed calls.
- You run a long B2B sales pipeline? Pipedrive or HubSpot are built for it.
- Cost is the main concern and you have time to set things up? Look at Zoho.
- You want one app instead of five? An all-in-one platform saves logins, bills and copy-pasting.
- Your team is growing? Watch per-user pricing, because it adds up with every hire.
Don’t forget the total cost
The headline price is rarely the bill. Five users on a A$31-per-seat plan is A$155 a month before any add-ons, and the plan with the automations you want may cost several times that. Also check for onboarding fees, whether texts and calls are extra, and whether you’re billed in US dollars.
Not sure what you need? Our free tech-stack audit shows where your business is losing enquiries, in under five minutes. New to CRMs? Start with what CRM software is and how it works.
Try before you commit
Most CRMs offer a free plan or a free trial, so test your shortlist with real enquiries. You can call Steve, our AI receptionist, right now, or try My New Admin free for 14 days. See how it works for your industry too.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on how you win work. Pipedrive and HubSpot suit sales teams with a long pipeline, Zoho suits tight budgets, and service businesses that rely on phone enquiries often get the most from an all-in-one platform with an AI receptionist, like My New Admin.
Yes. HubSpot has a free plan, and Zoho CRM is free for up to three users. Free plans usually limit automation and features, so they suit very small teams starting out.
Entry plans for popular CRMs start from free to around A$20 to A$30 per user a month, with higher plans costing much more. Flat-price platforms like My New Admin charge one monthly price with unlimited users.
Often, yes. Job management apps run jobs once you’ve won them, while a CRM helps you win the work, with call answering, follow-ups, reviews and marketing. Many businesses use both.
My New Admin includes an AI receptionist that answers calls 24/7, books appointments and saves every caller to your CRM. Many CRMs don’t answer phone calls at all, so check before you buy.