Free CRM Comparison Checklist: CRM Requirements Checklist, Weighted CRM Comparison Scorecard, and a 3-Year CRM Cost Comparison (PDF, Word, Excel)

What is on the page

Must-have and nice-to-have

Mark each feature M or N. A system missing a must-have is out, however good its demo.

Weights

How much each criterion matters to you, adding to 100. Ease of use and the pipeline usually deserve more weight than features nobody will use.

Scores

One to five for each CRM on each criterion, after a demo or a free trial with your own data. Excel multiplies by the weight and totals.

Yearly subscription

Users times price per user, plus add-ons, times twelve. Add-ons such as email sync, extra pipelines or automation are often where the cost hides.

3-year total and effective price

Three years of subscription plus setup, data migration and training, and what that works out to per user per month.

How to choose a CRM

Start with how your team sells and serves customers today, not with feature lists. Map the steps from first contact to closed deal to repeat order, and list what slows you down. Then fill in the requirements checklist and mark the must-haves: usually contacts linked to companies, a pipeline that matches your stages, email sync with the mail system you use, and a connection to your accounting software. Shortlist three systems that meet every must-have and fit the budget. Ask for a demo, then a free trial, and test them with your own data and real tasks, by the people who will use the system every day.

Scoring the options fairly

A weighted scorecard stops the decision being made by the most persuasive salesperson. Agree the weights before anyone sees a demo. Have two or three people score each system independently after the trial, then average their scores. In the sample, the all-in-one suite scores well on features but the sales-focused CRM wins overall (4.32 against 4.27 and 3.04) because the team found it easier to use and its pipeline view was the best, and those were heavily weighted. For other software decisions, use the general software comparison scorecard.

The real cost of a CRM

The price per user on the pricing page is rarely what you pay. Look for features that need a higher plan or a paid add-on, minimum seat counts, annual contracts, setup or onboarding fees, and price rises after the first year. Add the one-off costs: moving your contacts and history, cleaning the data, and training. The cost sheet totals three years and shows the effective price per user per month. In the sample, the suite's three-year total is about $28,400 against about $16,500 for the sales-focused CRM, and the cheapest option needs a paid add-on just to sync email. Track the subscription afterwards on the subscription tracker.

Before you sign

Check how you get your data out if you leave (a full export in a standard format), where the data is stored and what security certifications the vendor has, the contract length and cancellation terms, and what support is included on your plan. If you hold personal data about customers in the EU or certain US states, make sure the CRM supports access and deletion requests; see the personal data request form. Plan the rollout: one owner, clean data, a short training session, and a rule that if it isn't in the CRM, it did not happen.

Editing the files

Excel calculates the weighted scores and the three-year costs. Rename the criteria in the scorecard to suit your business and change the number of users or plans in the cost sheet. The requirements checklist is a fillable PDF and fully editable in Word.

Questions

How do I compare CRM software?

List your must-have requirements, shortlist systems that meet them, trial each with your own data, score them on weighted criteria, and compare the total cost over three years.

What features should a small business CRM have?

Contacts linked to companies, a sales pipeline, email and calendar sync, task reminders, reporting, an accounting integration, permissions and full data export.

How much does a CRM cost?

From free plans to over $100 per user per month. Add add-ons, setup, migration and training to get the real cost; the cost sheet totals three years.

What is a weighted scorecard?

A comparison where each criterion has a weight reflecting its importance; scores are multiplied by the weights and added, giving one total per option.

Does the Excel file calculate the scores?

Yes. It calculates weighted scores and totals for three CRMs, and yearly and three-year costs.