Best CRMs With Project Management in 2026: 11 Tools That Do Both
Quick summary
Most CRM buyers eventually hit the same wall: the sales team closes a deal, and then the real work begins. Onboarding, delivery, implementation, and client projects. If that work lives in a separate project management tool, every handoff leaks context, and the customer relationship starts to fragment the moment the contract is signed.
That is why a growing segment of buyers are looking for CRMs with real project management built in, not a CRM that lists tasks but a platform that tracks pipelines and projects on the same data model. This guide reviews the CRMs that actually pull it off, plus a short list of project management tools that offer a viable CRM layer for buyers coming from the other direction. If you want the independent pick across every buyer profile, start with our best CRM software roundup; this page is specifically for buyers who need both sides covered in one tool.
Quick take: which CRM fits which team
For sales teams that also run light projects, monday CRM and Pipedrive are the strongest picks. For buyers who want a free CRM with task management baked in, HubSpot and Bitrix24 are the obvious starting points. For small business CRM buyers who want deep project features without a separate subscription, Zoho CRM + Zoho Projects, Flowlu, and Insightly are all worth shortlisting. For enterprise buyers, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 extend into full delivery and services territory through their ecosystems.
CRMs with project management: comparison chart
CRM | Best for | PM strength | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
monday CRM | Visual pipelines for sales teams that also run projects | Very strong | $12/user/mo |
HubSpot | Free CRM with built-in task and project workflows | Moderate | Free |
Zoho CRM + Projects | SMBs that want tight CRM-to-PM handoffs inside one suite | Strong (bundled) | $14/user/mo |
Insightly | Services firms that treat every deal as a project | Strong | $29/user/mo |
Keap | Solo operators and small teams running client work end-to-end | Moderate | $249/mo (2 users) |
Flowlu | SMBs wanting CRM, projects, and invoicing under one login | Strong | $29/mo (8 users) |
Bitrix24 | All-in-one CRM, tasks, and team collaboration on a free tier | Strong | Free (5 users) |
Freshsales (Freshworks) | Sales teams that want pipelines and task automation | Moderate | $15/user/mo |
Pipedrive | Sales-first teams needing light project tracking on won deals | Light (via add-on) | $14/user/mo |
Salesforce | Enterprises extending CRM into project and service delivery | Enterprise-grade (via ecosystem) | $25/user/mo |
Microsoft Dynamics 365 | Enterprises already on Microsoft 365 needing CRM + PM | Enterprise-grade | $65/user/mo |
Tier 1: CRMs with real project management
These are CRMs first. Pipelines, contacts, and deal records are the primary data model, and project management is built on top of it. Because tasks and projects live alongside deal and contact records, the handoff from sales to delivery happens inside a single system.
1. monday CRM
Best for: sales teams that also run visual, cross-functional projects.
monday CRM is the clearest example of a platform where project management is genuinely native. The sales CRM is built on the same board engine that powers monday.com's project tool, which means boards, automations, and views work identically across deal pipelines and project plans. For teams that already think in Kanban and color-coded statuses, the learning curve is short.
Where it wins: unified automations across sales and delivery (a won deal can trigger a project board, owner assignments, and a client kickoff checklist). Where it softens: it's still a CRM-lite compared to Salesforce or HubSpot on things like advanced segmentation, lead scoring depth, and reporting. For SMB and mid-market teams, that trade-off usually favors monday.
Pricing: Basic CRM from $12/user/month (billed annually). Free trial available.
2. HubSpot
Best for: teams that want a free CRM foundation with light project and task workflows.
HubSpot's free tier is one of the reasons it dominates the SMB conversation. The CRM itself is full-featured at zero dollars, and task management, meeting scheduling, and basic workflows are included. It isn't a replacement for a dedicated PM tool, but for sales and marketing teams running onboarding, content calendars, or campaign launches, the built-in task and project structures are usually enough.
Where HubSpot starts to strain is multi-stage delivery work with dependencies, Gantt views, or resource allocation. Those buyers typically pair HubSpot with Asana or ClickUp, or migrate to a Zoho-style bundle.
Pricing: Free CRM. Sales Hub Starter at $15/user/month. Free trial available on paid tiers.
3. Zoho CRM + Zoho Projects
Best for: SMBs who want tight CRM-to-project handoffs inside a single vendor suite.
Zoho's approach is different from monday's. Rather than merging CRM and PM into one interface, Zoho sells them as two tightly integrated products: Zoho CRM for pipelines and accounts, and Zoho Projects for milestones, Gantt charts, timesheets, and issue tracking. They share a single sign-on, a unified user directory, and native integration that pushes won deals into project templates.
For services firms, consultancies, and agencies, this separation is actually a feature: sales reps don't see the noise of task dependencies, and delivery teams don't see the noise of lead forms. For buyers already in the Zoho ecosystem, the bundle economics are hard to beat.
Pricing: Zoho CRM Standard from $14/user/month. Zoho Projects Premium from $4/user/month. Free tiers exist on both.
4. Insightly
Best for: services-led businesses where every sold deal becomes a project.
Insightly is one of the few CRMs built around the idea that sales and project delivery are one continuous workflow. A won opportunity converts directly into a project record with milestones, tasks, and pipeline stages, and the contact and company history follow it through. That design makes Insightly particularly natural for consulting firms, construction companies, architects, and any business where closing the deal is really step one of twenty.
Weaknesses: the interface feels older than monday.com or Pipedrive, and the entry price is higher than HubSpot's free tier. For buyers whose work is explicitly project-shaped, the fit is usually worth it.
Pricing: Plus plan at $29/user/month, billed annually. Free trial available.
5. Keap
Best for: solopreneurs and small teams running client work end-to-end.
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is a CRM, marketing automation platform, and client management tool stitched into one product for small service businesses. The project management features are lighter than the other Tier 1 picks, more task pipelines than Gantt charts, but for buyers doing coaching, agency work, or small professional services, Keap covers sales, automated follow-up, invoicing, and client task tracking on one bill.
It is priced higher per head than comparable SMB CRMs because it replaces four tools, not one. That math works if you're actually using all four.
Pricing: Pro plan from $249/month for 2 users and 1,500 contacts. Free trial available.
6. Flowlu
Best for: SMBs wanting CRM, projects, invoicing, and knowledge base under one login.
Flowlu is the best kept secret on this list. It combines CRM pipelines, project and task management (Kanban plus Gantt), invoicing, a knowledge base, and a team chat into a single platform, and its team-based pricing is aggressive for what it includes. For growing small businesses that would otherwise cobble together HubSpot, Asana, and QuickBooks, Flowlu replaces three subscriptions at once.
The trade-off is polish: Flowlu's UI and documentation aren't quite at the level of HubSpot or monday. Power users find it plenty capable; teams that need heavy hand-holding from vendor support may struggle.
Pricing: Team plan from $29/month for 8 users. Free plan for up to 2 users.
7. Bitrix24
Best for: teams looking for a free tier that genuinely covers CRM and projects.
Bitrix24's pitch is unusual: it is one of the few platforms whose free tier actually includes CRM, tasks and projects, Kanban boards, a team chat, and basic document collaboration. For very small teams or bootstrapped startups, it's possible to run the whole operation at zero dollars, which is why it shows up often in best free CRM shortlists.
The interface is dense and the feature surface is huge, which creates a learning curve. Teams that invest a week in setup often stay for years; teams expecting plug-and-play typically churn to something simpler.
Pricing: Free for up to 5 users. Basic plan from $49/month for 5 users.
8. Freshsales (Freshworks)
Best for: sales teams that want a clean pipeline and built-in task automation.
Freshsales is Freshworks' sales CRM, and it sits somewhere between HubSpot's polish and Zoho's depth. Task and project features are lighter than monday or Insightly, but workflow automation, AI-based lead scoring, and built-in phone and email are strong. For sales-led organizations where project work is mostly internal follow-ups rather than multi-week delivery, the PM layer is sufficient.
Buyers needing full Gantt-style project planning typically pair Freshsales with a dedicated PM tool rather than treating it as one.
Pricing: Growth plan from $15/user/month. Free plan available for up to 3 users.
9. Pipedrive
Best for: sales-first teams that need light project tracking once deals are won.
Pipedrive is the purest sales CRM on this list. Its visual pipeline, activity tracking, and deal-stage discipline are what win it loyal customers. Project management historically wasn't part of its DNA, but the Projects add-on closed much of that gap: once a deal is won, it converts to a project with phases, tasks, and ownership.
It is not a replacement for a dedicated PM platform. For most sales teams that need a little structure on post-close work (client onboarding, document collection, implementation handoff), the add-on is enough, and the economics beat standing up a second tool.
Pricing: Essential plan from $14/user/month. Projects add-on priced separately. Free trial available.
10. Salesforce
Best for: enterprises extending CRM into project delivery and professional services.
Salesforce's core Sales Cloud is not a project management tool, but the ecosystem around it is enormous. Service Cloud, Project Financials via FinancialForce/Certinia, Mission Control, and a long tail of AppExchange PM apps mean Salesforce customers can extend the platform into virtually any delivery workflow. For enterprises already standardized on Salesforce, building PM on top is usually cheaper and more defensible than adopting a separate tool.
The costs: implementation complexity, per-seat pricing that stacks quickly, and a consultant-dependent model. SMBs should look at the other entries on this list before committing.
Pricing: Starter Suite from $25/user/month. Enterprise editions from $165/user/month.
11. Microsoft Dynamics 365
Best for: enterprises already standardized on Microsoft 365 who need CRM and PM in one stack.
Dynamics 365 Sales is a full enterprise CRM, and Microsoft's Project Operations module extends it into resource management, project accounting, and delivery. Because the whole thing runs on the same data platform as Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, and Power BI, the integration story is unusually clean for customers already in that world.
For any organization not already invested in the Microsoft stack, the per-seat math and implementation overhead make simpler tools a better fit.
Pricing: Sales Professional from $65/user/month. Project Operations priced separately.
Tier 2: project management tools with a CRM layer
These are the mirror image: project management tools first, with CRM capability bolted on via templates, apps, or integrations. They're worth shortlisting if project work is your center of gravity and CRM is a secondary need. For teams where CRM is the primary data model, the Tier 1 options above are a better starting point.
ClickUp
ClickUp is a serious PM platform that ships CRM templates in its library. You can build a pipeline, contact database, and deal flow inside ClickUp's list and board views, and some small teams run it as their entire stack. It works for founder-led sales teams running <10 deals a month; it falls short once you need marketing automation, email sequencing, or proper lead routing.
Asana
Asana's CRM template is popular among agencies and consultancies running a handful of named accounts. It's Asana, the PM experience is excellent, but the CRM layer is essentially a well-organized spreadsheet. Teams typically graduate to HubSpot or Pipedrive once they need email tracking or automation.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet's spreadsheet-grid interface makes it a natural fit for sales teams already operating out of Excel. It handles CRM-style tracking through templates, and power users extend it with automations and reports. Again: fine for small teams and specific workflows, not a long-term CRM answer.
Airtable
Airtable's flexibility makes it the go-to "build your own CRM" tool for technical founders. With enough configuration, you can build a pipeline, contact database, and reporting layer that rivals lower-end CRMs. The catch is that you're the one building and maintaining it. Most Airtable CRM builds eventually migrate to a dedicated tool once the team grows past the builder's time commitment.
Notion
Notion is a document and knowledge base platform first, and its CRM templates are popular with very small teams who value the writing experience over the sales experience. Good for solo operators and tiny agencies; not a contender once sales process is a real thing.
Podio
Podio is a workspace platform that sits somewhere between a PM tool and a no-code CRM builder. Its workflow engine and app-building capabilities make it genuinely flexible, and some organizations have run it as their CRM for years. Customization cost is high, though, which is why newer builds tend to choose Flowlu or Bitrix24 instead.
How to choose between a CRM with PM and a PM tool with CRM
The decision comes down to which data model sits at the center of the business. If pipelines, deals, contacts, and accounts are the records everything else hangs off, pick a CRM with project management (Tier 1). If tasks, milestones, and projects are the records everything else hangs off, pick a PM tool with a CRM layer (Tier 2) and accept that you may need to bolt on a lightweight CRM later.
A few questions that usually resolve the choice:
- Does sales close it, or does sales start it? If the deal is step one of delivery (agencies, consultancies, construction, implementations), you want Tier 1.
- How many pipelines versus how many projects per month? If deals outnumber projects, CRM-first. If projects outnumber deals, PM-first.
- Who owns the tool long-term? Sales ops wants a CRM. Ops or delivery wants a PM platform. Pick the side that will actually maintain it.
- What's already in place? If the team already uses HubSpot or Salesforce, extending it with PM features or a paired tool is usually cheaper than migrating.
Bottom line
For most SMBs, the CRMs that handle project management well are monday CRM, Zoho's bundled CRM + Projects, Insightly, Flowlu, and Bitrix24. HubSpot is the default if you want a free starting point with enough structure to run tasks. Pipedrive and Freshsales work for sales-first teams that need light post-close project tracking. Salesforce and Dynamics 365 are the enterprise picks when the CRM is already in place and the PM layer is an extension, not a new adoption.
The project management tools with CRM templates, ClickUp, Asana, Smartsheet, Airtable, Notion, and Podio, are viable for very small teams and specific workflows, but they're rarely the right long-term answer once sales process matters. If you're evaluating this decision seriously, the shortlist to build is CRM-led.
For a broader view of the CRM market across every buyer profile, see our best CRM for small business guide and our independent review of free CRM options.
