Table of Contents
- How to Choose the Right Sales Tools
- TL;DR: Best Tools for Sales Team
-
Top 33 Sales Tools for Small Businesses:
- 1. Sparkle.io
- 2. Saleshandy
- 3. Instantly
- 4. Lemlist
- 5. Smartlead
- 6. Mailshake
- 7. Reply.io
- 8. Mixmax
- 9. Klenty
- 10. Apollo.io
- 11. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- 12. Hunter.io
- 13. Lusha
- 14. HubSpot CRM
- 15. Pipedrive
- 16. Salesforce
- 17. Zoho CRM
- 18. Freshsales
- 19. Copper
- 20. Close
- 21. Typeform
- 22. Crisp
- 23. Chili Piper
- 24. Calendly
- 25. Cal.com
- 26. PandaDoc
- 27. Proposify
- 28. DocuSign
- 29. Stripe
- 30. FreshBooks
- 31. Zapier
- 32. Make
- 33. Loom
- Final Thoughts
- Quick Quiz: Pick What Works for You
- Related Reads
As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that sales get easier when the basics are handled well: capturing every lead, following up on time, tracking conversations, and knowing exactly where each deal stands.
For a small business, the real question is which tools help you do that without slowing you down, no bloated features, no high costs, no complicated setup.
Over the past five years, I’ve tried a lot of sales tools, switched plenty, and even built my own outreach tool when I couldn’t find one that fit my workflow.
In this blog, I’ll break down the 33 best sales tools for small businesses and how to put together a simple sales stack that you can run consistently.
Let’s dive in.
How to Choose the Right Sales Tools
When you’re picking sales tools, think simple. Just focus on where your sales process fails:
- Short on leads → lead capture or sourcing tools
- Follow-ups slipping → reminders or outreach automation
- Conversations scattered → a basic CRM
- Deals stalling → a pipeline with clear stages
Choose a tool that fits your budget and keeps the whole team in sync, like who owns a lead, where a deal stands, so you’re not relying on memory or chasing updates in spreadsheets.
Not sure where to start? Scroll down to the table below to see all 33 tools side by side.
TL;DR: Best Tools for Sales Team
The table below breaks down all 33 sales tools by purpose, cost, and user ratings, so you can quickly spot what fits your budget and workflow before committing to anything.
Tool | Best For | G2 Rating | Pricing | Demo/Free Plan |
Sparkle.io | Cold email outreach with built-in verification | 4.8/5 | $29/month | Free trial |
HubSpot CRM | Enterprise sales automation with CRM | 4.4/5 | $46.24 /month | Free plan |
Pipedrive | Sales CRM and pipeline management software for small teams | 4.3/5 | $19/month | 14-day free trial, |
Salesforce | Scalable CRM for growing businesses | 4.4/5 | $25/month | Free trial |
Zoho CRM | Online CRM software with automation | 4.1/5 | $14/month | Free plan |
Freshsales | Built-in phone and email in CRM | 4.5/5 | $9/month | Free trial |
Apollo.io | B2B lead generation and sales prospecting | 4.7/5 | $59/month | Free plan |
Instantly | High-volume cold email campaigns | 4.8/5 | $47/month | Free trial |
Smartlead | Agency-level cold email at scale | 4.6/5 | $39/month | 14-day trial |
Lemlist | Personalized multichannel outreach | 4.6/5 | €69/month | 14-day trial |
Saleshandy | Affordable cold email automation | 4.6/5 | $69/month | 7-day trial |
Reply.io | AI-powered sales engagement | 4.6/5 | $99/month | 14-day trial |
Klenty | Sales engagement for growing teams | 4.6/5 | $180/quarter | 14-day trial |
Mixmax | Gmail-based sales productivity | 4.6/5 | $34/month | Free plan |
Mailshake | Sales engagement and lead generation | 4.7/5 | $29/month | Demo available |
Hunter.io | Email finder and verification | 4.4/5 | $49/month | Free plan |
Close | Inside sales teams making high call volume | 4.7/5 | $49/month | 14-day free trial |
LinkedIn Sales Navigator | B2B prospecting on LinkedIn | 4.4/5 | $119/month | 30-day free trial |
Lusha | Quick contact enrichment from LinkedIn | 4.3/5 | $49/month | Free plan |
Typeform | Interactive lead capture forms | 4.5/5 | $29/month | Free plan |
Crisp | Live chat + helpdesk for inbound leads | 4.5/5 | $45/month | Free plan |
Chili Piper | Instant meeting booking from forms | 4.6/5 | $45/month | Demo available |
Calendly | Simple scheduling links | 4.5/5 | $12/month | Free plan |
Cal.com | Open-source scheduling alternative | 4.6/5 | $15/month | Free plan |
PandaDoc | Proposals, quotes, and e-signatures | 4.7/5 | $35/month | 14-day free trial |
Proposify | Branded proposal creation | 4.6/5 | $29/month | 14-day free trial |
DocuSign | Secure e-signature standard | 4.5/5 | $45/month | 30-day free trial |
Stripe | Online payment processing | 4.2/5 | Custom pricing | Free to start |
FreshBooks | Invoicing and expense tracking | 4.5/5 | $15/month | 30-day free trial |
Zapier | No-code tool automation | 4.5/5 | $29/month | Free plan |
Make | Visual workflow automation | 4.6/5 | $18/month | Free plan |
Loom | Quick video messages for outreach | 4.7/5 | $15/month | Free plan |
Copper | CRM for Google Workspace | 4.5/5 | $12/month | Free Trial |
Let’s dive into each tool with details on what they do, who they’re built for, and how they fit into your sales process.
Top 33 Sales Tools for Small Businesses:
Every stage of sales needs a different tool. These 33 sales tools below are grouped by what they help with: prospecting, outreach, closing, and more. Start with what you’re working on now, compare a few options, and pick what fits your team and budget.
Cold Email & Outreach Tools
Cold email tools help you automate outreach, personalise messages at scale, protect deliverability, and manage follow-ups without messy spreadsheets. That way, you can focus on real conversations instead of chasing replies.
Here are six platforms built for small teams running outbound email campaigns.
1. Sparkle.io
Best For: Cold email outreach teams that want email verification, warmup, email sequencing, and deliverability tools built into one platform.
“Launch high-performing campaigns with automated follow-ups triggered by recipient actions like opens or replies, and optimized for both cost and accuracy. I am happy with a unique option to automatically skip sending on US National holidays, ensuring your brand stays professional and doesn't land in an unmonitored holiday inbox”.
Pros and Cons
- Better inbox placement
- High deliverability rates
- AI powered personalisation
- Limited CRM
2. Saleshandy
Best for: Small businesses running cold email outreach at scale and teams that want simple follow-ups without complex CRMs
“Straightforward to use, but not the most advanced. The built-in contact verification was really handy."
Pros and Cons
- Quick setup
- Clean interface
- Scales outreach
- Basic reporting
- Limited customization
3. Instantly
Best for: Teams running cold email campaigns who need inbox rotation and deliverability control without manual effort.
"The absolute best aspect of Instantly is the support team. Every time I've had a question or concern, the support staff has answered in record time. The service has been reliable, and email deliverability has been stellar."
Pros and Cons
- Inbox rotation
- Fast onboarding
- Scalable sending
- Limited CRM
- Pricing tiers
4. Lemlist
Best for: Small businesses that want cold emails to feel personal, not automated, and teams that are experimenting with creative outbound
"It's simple, clean, and just works. The email deliverability is solid, and the automation features save a ton of time. Sometimes the UI feels a bit too minimal, like it hides useful options a bit too well."
Pros and Cons
- Visual personalization
- Built-in warmup
- Flexible sequences
- Setup time
- Interface density
5. Smartlead
Best for: SMBs and agencies sending high-volume cold emails and teams that care about deliverability and inbox control
“Managing multiple inboxes from one place made large campaigns easier to handle, yet the reporting feels limited, so I had to rely on other tools to get deeper insights”.
Pros and Cons
- Deliverability focus
- Inbox rotation
- Scales easily
- Reporting depth
- UI clarity
6. Mailshake
Best for: Small teams that want straightforward cold email and follow-ups, and sales reps who value simplicity over heavy customisation.
"Setting up email sequences was simple, and I could start sending campaigns pretty quickly. It covers the basics well, but I sometimes felt restricted when trying to customize workflows.”
Pros and Cons
- Easy setup
- Clean UI
- Multi-channel
- Limited customization
- Basic analytics
Sales Engagement
Sales engagement platforms keep your outreach organised. They combine email, LinkedIn, calls, and tasks, so your team follows a clear process, and nothing gets forgotten.
7. Reply.io
Best for: SMBs that want multi-channel outreach beyond just email, needing structured follow-ups across email and LinkedIn.
“Having email and LinkedIn steps in the same sequence helped keep outreach organized; there’s a lot going on in the interface, and it took time to get comfortable using it.”
Pros and Cons
- Multi-channel outreach
- Strong automation
- Centralized inbox
- Steep learning curve
- Interface complexity
8. Mixmax
Best for: Small sales teams managing daily follow-ups and customer conversations
Sales reps who live inside Gmail need better engagement visibility.
“Seeing when someone opened or clicked helped me time my follow-ups better, but most of the work happens inside Gmail, so it may not fit teams that prefer separate dashboards.”
Pros and Cons
- Gmail native
- Engagement signals
- Simple workflows
- Inbox reliance
- Limited depth
9. Klenty
Best for: Sales teams that rely on structured follow-ups and cadences, and SMBs using CRM-driven outbound workflows
“The cadence system helped make sure follow-ups didn’t slip through the cracks, but the setup process felt a bit heavy, and it wasn’t something we could configure quickly.”
Pros and Cons
- Cadence control
- CRM alignment
- Rep accountability
- UI friction
- Setup effort
Prospecting & Lead Generation
Before you sell, you need to know who to talk to. Prospecting tools help you find the right contacts, verify their info, and build targeted lead lists without spending hours on manual research.
Here are four tools that make finding and qualifying leads simpler and more accurate.
10. Apollo.io
Best for: Small businesses that want prospecting and outreach in one place, Sales teams looking to build lead lists quickly without juggling tools
“Having prospecting and email outreach in the same tool saved a lot of time. Some contact details weren’t always up to date, so we had to double-check certain leads.”
Pros and Cons
- All-in-one platform
- Large database
- Fast list building
- Data accuracy
- Usage limits
11. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Best for: B2B small businesses selling to specific roles or industries on LinkedIn, sales reps who want better targeting than basic LinkedIn search
“I appreciate that LinkedIn Sales Navigator is easy to use and ...kedIn, making it convenient for prospecting and finding leads. It can feel expensive, and some insights overlap with what’s already available on LinkedIn.”
Pros and Cons
- Better targeting
- Lead tracking
- Seat pricing
- Export limits
12. Hunter.io
Best for: Teams who need fast, accurate email finding and verification with simple cold email campaigns.
“Hunter is cost-effective, makes it incredibly easy to automate cold-email campaigns, and is simply so easy to use. It would be great to have something like a JetPack CRM or Suite CRM plugin, but naturally, we can use the API for this.”
Pros and Cons
- Clean verification
- Fast domain search
- Easy workflow
- Limited phone data
- Credit deletes quickly
- Light sequencing
13. Lusha
Best for: Sales reps who need quick access to direct dials and verified emails from LinkedIn profiles.
“Their data is usually updated and also indicates job changes. They should offer more free credits for mobile phones. In the free version, they only offer 10 credits for phone numbers.”
Pros and Cons
- Direct mobile numbers
- LinkedIn extension
- Job change alerts
- Credits burn fast
- Limited free tier
- Some data gaps
CRM
A CRM keeps your deals and customer conversations in one place so nothing gets missed. The right CRM is easy to use daily and flexible enough to grow with you, so deals don’t slip through the cracks.
Here are seven CRMs that work well for small teams, are simple to run, and have the features you’ll actually use.
14. HubSpot CRM
Best for: Growing SMBs who want a free-to-start CRM with marketing, sales, and service tools in one platform.
“I use HubSpot a lot. It has saved me a lot of time. Not only can you send quotes to clients, but you can also track each stage of the deal. You need to grant permission for every little detail, which can be a bit annoying.”
Pros and Cons
- Strong free tier
- Unified platform
- Smooth onboarding
- Upgrade costs
- Per-seat pricing adds up
- Advanced features
15. Pipedrive
Best for: Sales-focused teams who want a visual, drag-and-drop pipeline without CRM complexity.
“Pipedrive is refreshingly simple to use. The pipeline view is visually intuitive, and moving deals between stages is seamless, but the app feels half finished.”
Pros and Cons
- Visual pipeline
- Easy setup
- Activity-focused design
- Limited marketing tools
- App feels incomplete
- Reporting could deepen
16. Salesforce
Best for: Large teams that need a powerful CRM with deep customisation and reporting.
“Different teams can work on the same account without losing context. Understanding existing automations takes time when joining a new org.”
Pros
- Very flexible
- Strong reporting
- Huge integrations
- Setup takes time
- Gets expensive
17. Zoho CRM
Best for: Budget-conscious SMBs that want customisation without enterprise pricing
“Zoho CRM makes it simple to track leads, handle transactions, and engage with clients by providing a comprehensive view of all customer interactions. ButWorking with complicated reports or big data can sometimes make it a little sluggish.”
Pros and Cons
- Deep customization
- Affordable pricing
- Strong Zoho integration
- Older UI
- Setup heavy
- Plan-based support
18. Freshsales
Best for: SMBs wanting an intuitive CRM with built-in phone, email, and AI-powered lead scoring.
“The implementation was easy and feature-rich.” The downside is the subscription being USD-based.”
Pros and Cons
- Built-in calling/email
- AI lead scoring
- Clean interface
- Admin complexity
- Script-based support
- Reporting customization limited
19. Copper
Best for: Google Workspace teams who want a CRM that lives inside Gmail and syncs automatically.
“One of its best features is seamless integration with Google Workspace. It's super easy to use and simple to implement. Limited outside ecosystem.”
Pros and Cons
- Gmail-native
- Auto-logs activity
- Fast adoption
- Google lock-in
- Limited flexibility
- Linking friction
20. Close
Best for: Inside sales teams that do most of their selling on calls, who want calling tools built directly into the CRM.
"The user end for me and my callers has been very easy. The back end does need some work. The hierarchy between super admin and sub accounts is not quite there yet."
Pros and Cons
- Built-in power dialer
- Automatic activity logging
- Fast lead navigation
- No local presence dialing
- Higher price for calling
Lead Capture & Inbound Conversion
Lead capture and inbound conversion tools help turn website visitors and inbound interest into real leads. They make it easy to collect contact details, qualify prospects, and route them to the right place, so interested buyers don’t get lost or ignored.
21. Typeform
Best for: Teams that want lead capture forms that feel smooth.SMBs running surveys, intake forms, or signup flows where completion matters.
"The one-question-at-a-time format feels like a conversation instead of homework. The free plan is basically useless unless you're collecting like 10 responses total. Once you need real functionality, you're looking at $25/month minimum."
Pros and Cons
- Strong UX
- Polished templates
- Smart logic
- Tight free plan
- Gets expensive scaling
- Layout limits
22. Crisp
Best for: Startups and SaaS teams wanting affordable live chat with a multi-channel inbox and chatbot automation.
"What I like most about Crisp is that I can centralise conversations from multiple channels all in one place without losing track, but the features are not consistent”.
Pros and Cons
- Multi-channel inbox
- Affordable pricing
- Chatbot automation
- Mobile app limited
- WhatsApp setup complex
23. Chili Piper
Best for: B2B teams who want instant lead-to-meeting routing from forms.
"I truly appreciate the intuitive ease of use that Chili Piper offers. It's a clean and user-friendly tool. Sometimes it was a bit challenging to find the scheduling links, which could be improved.”
Pros and Cons
- Instant meeting booking
- Smart lead routing
- Salesforce/HubSpot sync
- Admin dependent
- Setup complexity
- Higher cost
Scheduling & Meetings
Scheduling shouldn’t take a long email thread. These tools let prospects book time straight on your calendar, so you keep momentum and save time.
Here are three scheduling tools that work well for small teams.
24. Calendly
Best for: Sales teams who are juggling multiple meeting types and time zones.
“The ability to create different event types, each with its own rules, availability, and conditions, makes it easy to handle a wide range of use cases without manual coordination. Many advanced features are only available with paid plans.”
Pros and Cons
- Dead-simple setup
- Time zone handling
- Automated reminders
- Features cost extra
- Calendar sync lags sometimes
- Reporting is basic
25. Cal.com
Best for: Teams wanting a flexible, open-source Calendly alternative with more customisation and features.
“Unlike many other tools that feel restrictive, Cal.com allows me to personalise the booking process without adding complexity or extra costs”.
Pros and Cons
- Open-source flexibility
- More features
- Custom intake
- Smaller platform
- Fewer integrations
Proposals, Quotes & E-Sign
Turning a “yes” into a signed agreement should be smooth. These tools help you send polished proposals, quotes, and contracts, see when someone views them, and collect e-signatures, making deals move forward without back-and-forth paperwork.
Here are three platforms that make closing faster and easier.
26. PandaDoc
Best for: Sales teams who need professional proposals, quotes, and contracts with built-in e-signatures and CRM integration.
“It lets me build proposals that look way more professional than anything I could do in Word. I can see when a customer has opened the document”.
Pros and Cons
- Polished proposals
- Engagement tracking
- Template moves slow
- Support response time
- Large docs can lag
- Cons item
27. Proposify
Best for: Agencies and sales businesses sending branded proposals with pricing tables, Teams that need collaboration, approvals, and e-signature in one place.
“We can select a template and edit the name, product details, pricing, and the proposal becomes ready to deliver in just a few minutes. The document editor can be a bit tricky to work with, and pricing tables are especially awkward with sizing.”
Pros and Cons
- Professional templates
- Built-in e-signatures
- Proposal tracking
- Finicky editor
- Cost jump
28. DocuSign
Best for: Sales teams that need legally binding e-signatures, contracts, approvals, or onboarding documents at scale.
“It's secure, reliable, with easy sharing options. I can send and get documents signed without printing, scanning, or courier delays. The only aspect I didn't like is that it feels a bit expensive."
Pros and Cons
- Widely trusted
- Strong compliance
- Broad integrations
- High pricing
- Rigid templates
Invoicing & Payments
Getting paid should be simple. These invoicing and payment tools help you send professional invoices, accept online payments, and track what’s still unpaid, without spreadsheets or chasing checks.
Here are two platforms that make invoicing easier and payments faster.
29. Stripe
Best for: Sales businesses needing reliable payment processing.
"Stripe Payments offers a sleek payment interface. It is smooth and accepts most major credit cards. Working out the fees for subscription payments was a bit confusing".
Subtitle
- Global payment methods
- Clean dashboard
- Instant payout fees
- 2-day standard transfers
- Subscription fees confusing
30. FreshBooks
Best for: Service-based small businesses that need simple invoicing and payment tracking.
“Creating invoices and tracking payments feels straightforward and saves time compared to spreadsheets. Some features feel limited once the business grows beyond basic needs.”
Pros and Cons
- Simple invoicing
- Clean UI
- Client-friendly
- Limited inventory
- Feature ceilings
- Price tiers
Automation & Integrations
Automation and integration tools connect your sales stack and handle repetitive tasks automatically. They help data flow between tools, reduce manual work, and keep everything in sync as you scale.
Here are two tools that help automate workflows and keep your sales tools in sync.
31. Zapier
Best for: Small businesses that want tools to talk to each other without custom code.
“Connecting different apps saved a lot of manual work once workflows were running, but Costs can add up as automation volume increases.”
Pros and Cons
- Huge integrations
- No-code setup
- Time savings
- Task limits
- Pricing scales
- Debugging friction
32. Make
Best for: SMBs that want powerful automations with more control than basic, Teams building multi-step workflows across sales, ops, and marketing tools.
“It's incredible flexibility and visual interface, but there cannot be multiple triggers in one scenario.”
Pros and Cons
- Deep workflow control
- Strong data routing
- Good value scaling
- Steeper learning
- Build time
- Less plug-and-play
Video Prospecting
Video prospecting tools let you record quick, personalised videos for outreach, follow-ups, or demos, so you feel more human and stand out without adding a lot of extra work.
This tool makes it easy to record and share sales videos in minutes.
33. Loom
Best for: Sales reps and founders who want to stand out in crowded inboxes with personalised video messages.
"How easy it has become to send personalized video when you are prospecting. I use it every single day. It also avoids meetings by a huge margin. Editing was tricky; now even that is easier. Nothing to dislike as of yet."
Pros and Cons
- Instant video sharing
- View notifications
- Screen + camera recording
- Editing still basic
- Desktop app laggy
- AI features limited
Final Thoughts
At this point, you’ve probably shortlisted a few tools that feel like, “we can actually run with this.” Perfect. And that’s enough to start. The pattern is predictable: a tool gets set up, used briefly, then replaced by a spreadsheet when things get busy.
So decide on one sales tool and run your purpose through it. For the next 90 days, make it the first place you go in the morning, before email, before Slack. And don’t wait for a perfect process. Start messy. The clarity comes from repetition.
Quick Quiz: Pick What Works for You
FAQs
What’s the difference between a CRM and a sales engagement tool?
A CRM stores contact info, tracks deals, and logs activity. A sales engagement tool automates outreach emails, follow-ups, and sequences. Many teams use both together.
What sales tools do small businesses actually need?
Most need three basics: a CRM for tracking deals, an outreach tool for follow-ups, and a scheduling tool for booking meetings.
How to choose between similar sales tools?
Start with pricing and your must-have feature. Then check real user reviews for the pain points. Most tools offer free trials, so test with your actual workflow before committing.
Are free sales tools good enough for small businesses?
Free tools can help early, but free trials are usually better because you can test real sales activity without plan limits. Sparkle.io offers a free trial, so small teams can try its cold email outreach, verification, and deliverability features before paying.
How much do sales tools cost for small businesses?
Most sales tools start at around $15 per user per month, with some offering free plans. Pricing ultimately depends on the plan you choose, usage limits, and the features you opt for.
