The best CRM software with email marketing in 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

1 week ago 9

Disconnected marketing tools bring more challenges than results. If you've got customer data scattered all over, it's nearly impossible to keep track of every conversation with each new lead across different channels.

Customer relationship management, or CRM, software is supposed to help with that. But sometimes it just adds to the pile of things to keep pace with. Constant switching between your CRM, social network, and email marketing tool wastes time and creates gaps that leads can slip through.

Also: The best CRM software

I've been spending a lot of time looking at CRM tools with built-in email marketing components that can save you time and money. You get both for the price of one, plus the benefit of having everything in one place.

What is the best CRM software with email marketing right now?

My top pick for this list is ActiveCampaign. This platform combines powerful marketing automation with a CRM that works for both marketers and sales teams. It's also got a very smooth no-code automation builder, so you can create complex email sequences that respond to customer behavior.

Also: The best email marketing software

When selecting the vendors for this list, I focused most on how well the CRM component plays together with the email marketing tools. It's not worth having them together on the same platform but still at a great remove. Automation capabilities came next, since any modern marketing campaign needs emails that are triggered based on customer actions and data changes. I also looked into data management, testing how well each platform handles segmentation and personalization at scale.

The best CRM software with email marketing in 2025

ActiveCampaign is my top choice for this category, mainly because of its visual automation builder that makes even the most complex workflows feel intuitive. The drag-and-drop interface requires virtually no training to understand, which is rare in the marketing automation space. This platform is great at creating personalized customer journeys based on user behavior and business data.

ActiveCampaign has the most sophisticated segmentation and tagging system I've seen -- it works kind of like digital sticky notes for each contact. You can automatically assign tags based on actions, behaviors, and integrations. Then all you have to do is use those tags to trigger highly targeted campaigns.

ActiveCampaign's pricing starts at just $15 per month, making it accessible for small businesses and scaling all the way up to enterprise needs. Whether you have just a couple of customers or a couple million, it offers world-class deliverability and error-free contact management.

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HubSpot has a free CRM that goes above and beyond in what it offers. Onboarding is remarkably quick, even for teams without technical expertise. And the all-in-one approach means you get marketing, sales, and service tools that work together inside the same platform, no third-party integrations needed.

Email marketing centers around HubSpot's visual workflow builder, which lets you create sophisticated campaigns triggered by user actions. You can set up drip campaigns, lead scoring, and personalization at scale using CRM data to dynamically insert contextual information. HubSpot's automation handles everything from follow-up sequences to lead assignment, so that no opportunities slip through the cracks.

But the best part is the software's approach to lead scoring and segmentation, which helps prioritize prospects based on their engagement level. The platform automatically tracks website visits, email opens, and form submissions to build detailed contact profiles that gauge a customer's interest levels. You can A/B test different campaigns and then switch around based on real-time analytics data.

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Pipedrive loves simplicity. It has a kanban board that lets you track deals throughout the whole customer journey, which is good for sales teams that need an at-a-glance perspective without too much information overload. You can customize pipeline stages to match your sales process and then set up automated reminders for timely follow-ups.

Its email marketing component, called Campaigns by Pipedrive, integrates directly with the CRM. You get a unified view of your entire revenue cycle. Create professional email campaigns using drag-and-drop builders and templates, then track how those campaigns influence deal progression through the pipeline. Segmentation features help you reach the right customers with targeted messaging, based on their position within the sales process.

With recent updates, AI insights eliminate even more repetitive tasks with data-driven recommendations. Pipedrive analyzes your pipeline data to predict which deals are most likely to close and offers personalized suggestions for next steps. You can then track and execute email campaigns directly in the CRM, with open and click tracking data to help you optimize messaging on the go.

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Nutshell is the simplest email marketing CRM you can imagine. It lets you create three types of email campaigns: broadcasts for one-time announcements, newsletters for regular updates, and drip campaigns that trigger based on pipeline stages or contact tags.

These people have really simplified email design with their no-code builder and premade templates. AI writing assistance helps you draft the copy, though it doesn't always match your brand voice without adjustments. Segmentation tools make it surprisingly easy to filter contacts based on different metadata, which is very important for targeted campaigns.

Nutshell's plans start with 150 free messages per month and upward of $5 monthly based on your contact count. Though the platform may lack some advanced features, it delivers exceptional value for small to medium businesses that want a straightforward CRM.

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Copper is a CRM built specifically for teams already living in the Google ecosystem. I've spent a lot of time with its Gmail integration, which offers almost native-level functionality and zero friction transitioning between platforms. Everything happens directly in your inbox through Copper's Chrome extension. Automatic data capture pulls contact details from email conversations and then syncs meetings directly with Google Calendar.

Copper's email sequence automation triggers personalized campaigns based on lead status, tags, or contact type. You can set up drip campaigns that nurture prospects gradually while all engagement gets logged in activity records. Its system automatically aligns email marketing with buyer journey stages, so you can send relevant content at the right moment.

However, Copper's limitations become very clear outside the Google Workspace environment. It lacks advanced customization options that enterprise teams might need. Pricing starts at $25 per user monthly with very rigid tiers, making it less adaptable for businesses with specific feature requirements.

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CRM platform	Starting cost	Customizable?	Integrations	Easy to use?
ActiveCampaign	$15/month	Yes, highly flexible	900+ native integrations	Yes, intuitive interface
HubSpot	Free (paid starts at $15/month)	Yes, extensive options	Extensive marketplace, 1,000+ apps	Yes, very user-friendly
Pipedrive	$14/user/month	Limited customization	400+ integrations via marketplace	Yes, visual pipeline design
Nutshell	$16/user/month	Basic customization	50+ integrations, including Zapier	Yes, no-code simplicity
Copper	$12/user/month	Limited outside Google	Deep Google integration, 100+ apps	Requires Google Workspace familiarity

Choose this CRM software...	If you want or need...
ActiveCampaign	Advanced marketing automation with visual workflow builders and sophisticated segmentation capabilities. Perfect for businesses prioritizing lead nurturing and behavioral triggers.
HubSpot	An all-in-one platform that combines CRM, marketing, sales, and service tools with a generous free tier. Ideal for growing businesses wanting everything in one place.
Pipedrive	Visual sales pipeline management with integrated email campaigns focused on deal progression. Best for sales-driven teams that want to see opportunities at a glance.
Nutshell	Simple, unified CRM and email marketing without complex integrations or steep learning curves. Great for small teams wanting straightforward functionality.
Copper	Seamless Google Workspace integration, with automatic data capture from Gmail and Calendar. Perfect for teams already living in the Google ecosystem.

It's hard enough to settle on a CRM platform that works as advertised, but email marketing adds another layer of complexity to your selection process. If you feel confused by the jargon and feature dump, here are some indicators to look out for:

Contact management depth: Look for platforms that store comprehensive customer profiles -- including purchase history, interaction timeline, and behavioral data -- not just basic contact information. A strong data foundation allows for more-complex personalization and segmentation strategies.
Automation workflow complexity: Find out whether the platform can handle multistep sequences triggered by abandoned carts, form submissions, or pipeline stage changes. Simple autoresponders aren't enough for most modern lead-nurturing requirements.
Segmentation: The system should allow for dynamic audience creation based on demographics, behavior, and CRM data. Generic mass emails perform poorly compared with personalized messaging, with greater risk of damaging sender reputation.
Integration ecosystem strength: Consider how well the platform connects with your existing tools, like e-commerce platforms, social media, and analytics software. Real-time data flow between systems prevents information silos and manual data entry.
Reporting and analytics granularity: Look for detailed performance reports that connect email engagement to business outcomes like sales, revenue, and customer lifetime value. Surface-level open rates don't tell the complete story.
Deliverability track record: Research the platform's reputation for inbox placement and spam folder avoidance, because even perfect campaigns fail if they don't reach recipients. Poor deliverability can damage your sender reputation permanently.
Mobile accessibility and ease of use: Make sure your team can manage campaigns and access data from mobile devices without technical expertise. Complex interfaces slow down adoption and reduce productivity.

I reviewed each CRM through hands-on testing with mock campaigns and data. My testing process involved setting up email sequences, importing contact databases, and measuring performance across deliverability, automation reliability, and user experience. I also considered pricing and scalability so that my recommendations would work for businesses at different growth stages.

My selection criteria focused heavily on usability and integration, since many platforms promise features they don't execute well. I prioritized marketing-focused CRM tools that don't treat email simply as an afterthought. My tests mirrored how businesses actually use these tools daily, from small teams all the way to enterprise-level campaigns.

CRM tools with integrated email marketing remove the need to sync data between platforms, giving you a unified view of customer interactions and campaign performance. Instead of bouncing between different systems, you can manage contacts, track engagement, and launch campaigns from one platform while maintaining data consistency.

CRM data allows for audience segmentation based on purchase history, interaction timeline, and behavioral patterns rather than basic demographics. Customer information allows you to craft personalized email campaigns that speak directly to where prospects are in their journey, leading to higher open rates and conversions.

Yes. Many email marketing CRM tools offer workflow automation that triggers campaigns based on specific customer actions like form submissions, deal stage changes, or website visits. You can set up welcome sequences for new leads, follow-up emails after purchases, or nurture campaigns that automatically adjust based on engagement levels.

Essential features include contact management with detailed customer profiles, audience segmentation capabilities, automation workflows, and analytics that connect email engagement to business outcomes. Look for platforms that offer A/B testing, personalization tools, and reporting dashboards that show how email campaigns influence deal progression.

Choose a CRM-first platform like HubSpot if you need comprehensive customer relationship management with email as a supporting feature. Opt for an email-marketing-first platform like ActiveCampaign if sophisticated automation and campaign management are your primary needs and CRM functionality could serve as an add-on.