What Is B2B CRM? Best B2B CRMs for 2025

CRM has become a cornerstone for B2B companies looking to establish and nurture meaningful, long-term relationships with their business clients. Once seen as a tool reserved for corporate giants, B2B CRM is now indispensable for businesses of all sizes and across industries.

If you’re unsure what a B2B CRM is or how it could revolutionise your business, you’re in the right place. We're about to explore key features and the significant benefits that make B2B CRM a game-changer for managing and growing your business relationships.

To help you navigate the broad landscape of B2B CRM options, we’ll compare 10 leading vendors. You’ll gain valuable insights into their standout features, strengths, and limitations, enabling you to choose the CRM solution that best meets your unique business needs.

What is B2B CRM?

Business-to-Business Customer Relationship Management (B2B CRM) is software designed to manage, strengthen and optimise relationships with other businesses, catering to the unique complexities of B2B interactions.

B2B CRM streamlines lengthy sales cycles involving multiple decision-makers by automating relationship management, analytics, and personalisation. It provides a centralised platform to track interactions across various touchpoints, analyse data from key accounts, and generate actionable insights to help businesses guide leads through the sales pipeline.

The best B2B CRM solutions offer deeper insights into the unique needs, preferences, and behaviors of business clients. This allows companies to tailor products, services, and marketing strategies, delivering personalised solutions at every stage of the sales journey.

Difference Between B2B and B2C CRM

B2B CRM is designed for longer, more intricate sales cycles that often involve multiple stakeholders and decision-makers processes. In contrast, B2C CRM focuses on quicker transactions driven by individual consumers making swift decisions.

Here’s how they differ:

• Focus: B2B CRM emphasises building and maintaining long-term relationships with business clients, while B2C CRM is centred around managing one-off or recurring transactions with individual customers.
• Complexity: B2B CRM handles a smaller volume of high-value transactions, often involving detailed data about contracts, multiple contact, and extended engagements. It requires advanced data analysis tools to support these complexities. B2C CRM, on the other hand, manages a high volume of smaller, simpler transactions, requiring extensive storage but less complex analytics
• Account Management: B2B CRM prioritises account-based management, offering a complete view of all interactions with key accounts to strengthen valuable partnerships. B2C CRM focuses on understanding individual consumer behavior and preferences to cater to their needs effectively.

While B2B CRM excels in managing relationships with organisations and coordinating with multiple stakeholders, B2C CRM is tailored to delivering personalised experiences for individual consumers.

Benefits of Using B2B CRM

B2B CRM software is purpose-built to meet the unique needs of business-to-business interactions, streamlining processes like partner relationship management, fostering long-term client relationships, and optimising complex sales cycles involving multiple stakeholders. Here’s how it can benefit your organisation:

Robust account management

B2B CRM enables a strategic approach to nurturing and managing relationships with key accounts. Sales teams can focus their efforts on the most promising opportunities, using real-time insights to adapt strategies based on client needs, market trends, and campaign performance.

The software promotes seamless collaboration between sales, marketing, and customer service teams ensuring everyone is aligned in targeting and nurturing important accounts. By automating repetitive tasks and workflows, B2B CRM frees up time for teams to build meaningful client relationships.

Enhanced account-based marketing (ABM)

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) focuses marketing efforts on key accounts rather than a broader audience. With B2B CRM, businesses can effectively segment accounts, personalise marketing messages, and track engagement metrics through a centralised platform.

The system’s data-driven insights allow businesses to identify high-value accounts and tailor campaigns to their specific needs throughout the customer journey. Real-time monitoring helps businesses stay agile, refining strategies to keep pace with evolving client needs and market trends.

Optimised account-based selling

B2B CRM is critical for tracking leads and opportunities tied to specific accounts, allowing sales teams to focus on high-priority prospects. By visualising the sales pipeline, teams can easily manage long, complex sales cycles with multiple stages and touchpoints.

With real-time insights, potential bottlenecks are flagged, challenges can be addressed, and emerging opportunities acted upon promptly. The system ensures no valuable prospect is overlooked, enabling sales teams to confidently guide leads through the pipeline.

Improved partner relationship management (PRM)

The Partner Relationship Management (PRM) tools within B2B CRM help businesses strengthen collaborations with external partners and indirect sales channels.

The system centralises communication, ensuring important updates, product information, and insights are shared efficiently. Collaboration tools foster teamwork between companies and their partners, helping align goals and strategies.

PRM also enhances data management, from tracking partner performance to managing inventory and analysing market trends. By streamlining these processes, B2B CRM empowers businesses to maximise the values of their partnerships.

With its visibility to simplify complex processes, foster collaborations, and deliver actionable insights, B2B CRM is an indispensable tool for modern organisations aiming to build stronger client relationships and drive sustained growth.

Enhanced strategic insight through AI and ML integration

Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into B2B CRM systems enhances decision-making and operational efficiency. These technologies provide predictive analytics, automate routine tasks, and generate actionable insights from collected data.

This allows businesses to make informed decisions, streamline processes, and proactively address client needs, ultimately strengthening customer relationships.

How to Сhoose CRM Software for Your B2B Company

Selecting the right CRM for your B2B company involves aligning the software with your specific business requirements. Our guide highlights key factors to consider when navigating the options available.

Assess the scope of features

Start by identifying your business needs, challenges, and goals. Evaluate the features offered by each B2B CRM solution to determine how they can support your operations. Focus on essential functionalities such as customer 360, account management and account-based marketing, or partner-relationship management.

Prioritising relevant features helps avoid overspending on unnecessary tools and ensures the CRM aligns with your objectives.

Opt for a customisable solution

B2B operations often involve long sales cycles and complex decision-making processes. Choose a CRM with extensive customisation options, such as adaptable workflows, fields, and data structures. This flexibility allows you to tailor the system to your specific processes, enhancing efficiency and ensuring a more targeted approach.

Check the integration capabilities

Seamlessly integration with other tools is essential for a B2B CRM. Look for software that can connect with other critical tools, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and industry-specific platforms. Smooth data flow across systems eliminates silos and enhances organisational efficiency.

Ensure scalability

Your CRM should grow with your business. Scalability is vital for adapting to increased data, additional users, and expanding operations. Invest in a solution capable of meeting the evolving demands of a dynamic B2B environment, so you won’t need to replace or upgrade systems as your business scales.

Seek advanced analytics and reporting tools

B2B CRM systems should offer robust analytics and reporting capabilities. These tools empower your team to extract insights from customer interactions, sales performance, market trends, and other relevant data. Actionable insights derived from advanced analytics support data-driven decisions and keep your business competitive.

Prioritise security and compliance

Security is non-negotiable in B2B transactions, especially when handling sensitive client data. Ensure the CRM adheres to industry-standard security protocols and complies with relevant data protection regulations. This not only protects your business and customer data but also fosters trust in your professional relationships.

Best 10 B2B CRM Software in 2025

1. Creatio

Creatio CRM offers a robust solution tailored to the unique challenges of B2B customer relationship management. With versatile features and an easy-to-use interface, it supports seamless interactions with customers and partners.

A standout feature is Creatio's unlimited no-code customisation, allowing businesses to adapt the CRM to suit their specific processes. This flexibility is particularly valuable for navigating the complex sales cycles, account management, and multi-stakeholder collaboration common in B2B operations.

Creatio's composable architecture further enhances its adaptability, enabling businesses to build and scale a CRM system that grows alongside their needs in dynamic B2B environments.

Key features of Creatio B2B CRM:

• Account management - helps organise, analyse, and foster customer relationships, crucial for managing long B2B sales and marketing cycles.
• Account-based marketing - delivers personalised messaging and content tailored to individual accounts or contacts within organisations
• Lead automation and sales pipeline management - automates lead management, tracking progress from generation to conversion, while optimising the sales pipeline.
• Opportunity management - handles complex workflows across various sales models, including long- and short-cycle sales and channel sales.
• AI/ML tools - powers intelligent lead and opportunity scoring, NBA/NBO recommendations, prediction, prioritisation, and more.
• Partner relationship management - optimises channel sales and enhances collaboration with partners.
• Sales performance analysis - offers detailed dashboards and real-time KPI tracking with easy-to-configure no-code tools.

The starting price for Studio Creatio and CRM is $40/user/month.

Explore the benefits of Creatio for B2B CRM excellence

Request live demo

2. Salesforce

Salesforce CRM is a cloud-based platform designed to help businesses streamline sales, close deals, and deliver top-notch customer service. With its comprehensive Customer 360, Salesforce brings together sales, service, marketing, commerce, and IT teams, offering a unified view of customer data from seamless collaboration.

Key Features

• Account and opportunity management: helps sales teams effectively track and manage leads, opportunities, and customer accounts.
• Omnichannel customer engagement: ensures smooth communication and issue resolution across multiple channels for B2B clients.
• B2B marketing automation: powers targeted campaigns, email marketing, and analytics to enhance customer engagement.
• Einstein analytics: uses AI to analyse data, providing actionable insights for strategic B2B decision-making.

Pros

• Intuitive user interface: Salesforce offers a user-friendly platform packed with functionality and regular updates.
• Customisable solution: With both no-code and advanced coding options, Salesforce adapts to meet a wide range of B2B needs.
• Self-service support: The Salesforce Easy program reduces setup and onboarding time, simplifying adoption for B2B teams.
• AppExchange Possibilities: Provides a vast array of third-party apps and large network of implementation partners tailored to B2B operations.

Cons

• Hidden additional costs: Achieving full value may require investing in extra features or upgrading customer support packages.
• Dependency on add-on products: Some core features, like advanced account and contact management, may need additional tools for full functionalities.
• Complex customisation: Advanced features often require developer expertise, particularly for intricate B2B workflows.
• Data storage limitations: Businesses with large databases might dace added costs to expand storage capacity.

Pricing starts at $25/user/month

See also: Salesforce Alternatives & Competitors and Salesforce Marketing Cloud Alternatives & Competitors

3. Hubspot

HubSpot CRM is a versatile platform designed primarily for small to medium-sized businesses, offering an easy-to-use interface and tools to boost collaboration across sales, marketing, and customer service teams.

Key Features

• Account and lead management - helps organise and manage B2B accounts and leads, capturing and storing essential details to strengthen business relationships.
• Deals and pipeline management - enables B2B sales teams to track complex deals through different stages of the sales pipeline.
• Email marketing - supports marketing in creating and delivering targeted email campaigns to the unique challenges of B2B audiences.
• Analytics and reporting tools - delivers insights into lead generation and deal strategies, helping businesses optimise their B2B approach.

Pros

• Free basic version - Ideal for smaller businesses, HubSpot offers a no-cost version with essential CRM tools.
• Flexible sales revenue models - Support diverse sales strategies within a single platform, helping businesses adapt to customer preferences.
• Enhanced customisation - Allow for easy customisations of data models, workflows, and content to suit unique B2B needs.

Cons

• Lack of vertical strategy - Hubspot doesn’t cater to specific industries, limiting its relevance for businesses with tailored sales processes or specialised data needs.
• Limited access to advanced features - Advanced functionalities often require technical expertise or additional investment in developer support.
• No features supporting indirect selling - Lacks tools for partner relationship management, which can be crucial for businesses reliant on indirect sales channels.
• Not designed for larger enterprises - Focused on small to medium businesses, HubSpot may struggle to support complex workflows or detailed use cases of larger organisations.

Pricing starts at $18/user/month

4. Zendesk

Zendesk is a straightforward and user-friendly platform designed to simplify sales processes and foster stronger customer relationships. With features like contact and lead management, sales analytics, and workflow automation, it’s a reliable choice for businesses seeking to streamline operations.

Key Features

• Account and lead management - helps consolidate the management of B2B accounts and leads for better organisation and tracking.
• Workflow automation - automates repetitive tasks like order processing, invoicing, and inventory management, improving sales efficiency.
• Pipeline analytics - offers data-driven insights into lead conversion, deal progression, and overall sales performance.
• Email automation - enhances B2B communication workflows by automating email processes, saving time for teams.

Pros

• Advanced service management - renowned for its service automation tools, Zendesk is a market leader, particularly for small and midsize customer service teams
• Simplicity and ease of use - known for its intuitive interface, Zendesk is simple to navigate, requiring minimal training for users.
• Broad app marketplace - boast a robust marketplace with over 1,200 apps and integrations, including Shopify, Slack, Zoom, MS Teams, And Jira, to extend platform functionality.

Cons

• Lack of marketing tools - Zendesk ficuses on sales and service automation, which may not meet the needs of teams looking for advanced B2B marketing solutions.
• Lack of industry-specific features - it lacks tailored functionalities for specific industries, which may restrict its suitability for B2B businesses with unique requirements.
• Insufficient customer support - users have reported delays and issues with receiving timely and effective customer support.

Starting price: $19/user/month

5. Zoho

Zoho CRM is an all-in-one cloud-based platform designed to simplify sales processes, enhance customer engagement, and drive business growth. With tools to improve customer relationships and streamline operations, Zoho CRM caters to businesses of all sizes, helping them create better client experiences and foster collaboration across employees, partners, and technology.

Key Features

• Account management - captures real-time data to build detailed customer profiles, enabling tailored services for various B2B client groups.
• Customer segmentation - segments customers by industry or specific needs, helping businesses deliver more personalised experiences.
• Personalised engagement - tracks customer communications across multiple channels, improving engagement and creating tailored interactions.
• Analytics and reporting - offers comprehensive reports and dynamic dashboards to analyse team performance, email campaigns, social marketing, and lead capturability.

Pros

• Customisable and role-based UI - provides extensive customisation options, including role-specific interfaces to deliver relevant information to different team members.
• Digital optimisation - includes tools for automating manual processes and modernising B2B sales operations, boosting efficiency.
• Transparent ML model - Zoho’s AI assistant, Zia, explains the logic behind lead scoring and recommendations, ensuring user trust in its machine learning insights.

Cons

• No built-in vertical solutions - industry-specific solutions are only available through third-party partners in Zoho’s app marketplace.
• Insufficient account-based functionality - lacks robust tools for account-based management (ABM) and does not integrate directly with ABM platforms.
• Fewer large-scale accounts - while ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Zoho may not fully support the complex needs of larger B2B enterprises with intricate sales processes.

Starting price: $10/user/month

6. Pegasystems

The Pegasystems CRM combines workflow automation, real-time decision-making, and a low-code platform to enhance customer experience and boost operational efficiency. It's built with large businesses in mind, particularly those with complex processes and diverse needs.

Features

• Unified platform - a centralised hub offering extensive configurability for a variety of B2B scenarios, serving as a "one-stop shop" for frontline teams.
• Composable architecture - supports creating tailored desktops for specific B2B requirements, enhancing flexibility.
• Dynamic case management - integrates workflow automation with real-time decision-making, fostering B2B processes to be more efficient and seamless.
• Industry-specific workflows - offers workflows tailored to specific industries, providing a custom fit to diverse B2B use cases.
• Pega Process AI - uses AI to predict customer needs, guide adaptive workflows, and recommend tailored offers in a B2B context.

Pros

• Extensive product portfolio - includes features vital for B2B operations, such as proposal creation, lead management, and quotation building.
• Robust AI - the Next-Best-Action Designer helps B2B businesses design complex models, recommend next-best offers, and evaluate purchase probabilities.
• Enhanced analytics and measurements - provides comprehensive customer journey analytics, helping businesses track and enhance engagement across multiple channels.

Cons

• Limited capabilities to support B2B use cases - the marketing automation tools are not fully optimised for B2B demand generation and may require additional configuration effort.
• Steep learning curve - leveraging Pega’s AI functionalities requires advanced analytical expertise, which might challenge standard B2B marketing teams.
• Limited integration with third-party apps - limited compatibility with third-party apps and no integration with ABM platforms may hinder businesses reliant on specialised tools.
• Post-sales challenges - Pega offers minimal implementation support, onboarding, and customer success services, with a few knowledgeable third-party consultants available.

Starting price: $35/user/month

See also: Pega Alternatives and Competitors

7. Oracle

Oracle CX Cloud is an all-in-one solution that supports businesses in managing customer relationships throughout their journey, combining automation with human touchpoints. It leverages a wide range of data sources to create workflows that integrate the entire organisation, with a focus on meeting industry-specific needs. With its AI-driven insights, Oracle helps businesses navigate complex sales scenarios and business models.

Key Features

• Customer data platform - a centralised system for managing and detailed information about business accounts.
• Customer segmentation - improves B2B segmentation based on factors like industry, location, or company size.
• Social relationship management - enables businesses to monitor and engage with B2B customers on social media platforms, building real-time relationships.
• Lead capture and qualification - helps businesses identify potential B2B customers by capturing and qualifying leads from multiple sources.
• Oracle CPQ - streamlines the creation and management of quotes and orders for B2B transactions.

Pros

• Robust audience creation capabilities - Oracle allows businesses to create highly targeted contact lists using account data, first- and third-party intent data, and ML capabilities.
• Multiple B2B-specific features - offers various tools tailored for B2B indirect selling, such as Partner Relationship Management (PRM), CPG retailer recruiting, and quote-to-order visibility.
• Advanced AI/ML models - Oracle uses AI and machine learning to enhance B2B processes, including predictive lead and account scoring, and measuring customer buying propensity.

Cons

• Insufficient integration capabilities - Oracle has limited integration with third-party applications and doesn’t offer out-of-the-box connections for some commonly used tools by B2B businesses.
• Challenging product features - certain functionalities, like reporting and dashboards, can be tricky to use, and Oracle doesn’t provide free educational resources to help users.
• Additional costs of advanced features - accessing advanced features in Oracle, like AI/ML models require investing additional resources.

Starting price: The initial pricing requires clarification from the vendor

8. Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a comprehensive suite of business applications that combines customer relationship management (CRM) with enterprise resource planning (ERP). Designed to help businesses streamline operations, improve customer experiences, and drive business growth. Dynamics 365 offers modules across sales, marketing, and customer service. It provides flexibility, scalability, and easy integration with Microsoft's productivity tools.

Key Features

• Customer segmentation - enables businesses to create targeted segments of contacts based on their association with specific accounts.
• Account-based e-mail marketing - helps businesses craft personalised email communication using account information
• AI-driven suggestions - utilises AI to suggest relevant content, offering data insights to create compelling and personalised messages.
• Customisable workflows - tailored workflows to fit complex B2B sales cycles, ensuring smooth collaboration across teams.
• Lead management - helps businesses manage lead through scoring and nurturing, a crucial aspect of B2B sales strategies.
• Advanced reporting and analytics - provides deep insights into sales and marketing performance, allowing businesses to optimise their strategies.

Pros

• Seamless integration - Microsoft integrates with its Office suite, including tools like Dataverse, ensures smooth data flow across the organisations, which is essential for B2B operations
• Citizen developer-friendly - with low-code tools, Dynamics 365 lets citizen developers extend the CRM, create new analytics, and automate processes without needing extensive coding knowledge.
• Seamless data sharing - the integration of Microsoft’s Sales and Service tools clouds allows consistent data sharing across various apps, ensuring a unified approach across the business.

Cons

• Limited PRM capabilities - Microsoft Dynamics 365 lacks native Partner Relationship Management functionalities, often requiring third-party apps, which can be a challenge for B2B businesses that rely on PRM tools.
• SFA integration difficulties - while Dynamics 365 works well within the Microsoft ecosystem, integrating with third-party applications, including SFA platforms, can be difficult.
• High costs - Microsoft solution is one of the most expensive on the market and sometimes requires investing additional resources, for example, to upgrade the data storage.

Starting price: $50

9. Freshworks

Freshworks provides a suite of customer engagement tools, including Freshsales and Freshdesk, designed to help businesses streamline customer interactions and boost performance. With features that give users a full customer view (360 perspective), simple interfaces, and actionable insights, Freshworks helps businesses deliver more value to their customers.

Key Features

• Account-based marketing - supports personalised engagement by offering tailored outreach strategies and dynamic content, helping businesses send relevant messages to the right people.
• Customizable sales pipeline - allows businesses to adapt the pipeline stages to match their specific sales processes, ideal for B2B organisations.
• Intelligent sales insights - uses AI to provide real-time insights, helping sales teams make more informed decisions during complex B2B sales processes.
• AI-powered customer service - leverages intelligent automation to streamline ticketing, offer omnichannel support, and analyse customer feedback to enhance service quality.

Pros

• Freshsales free version - Freshworks offers a free version of its sales force automation product, perfect for small and mid-sized businesses looking to explore its capabilities without committing financially.
• User-friendly AI capabilities - Freshworks’ AI tools are intuitive and transparent, making it easy for B2B businesses to understand the reasoning behind its recommendations and suggestions.
• Enhanced reporting - with out-of-the-box, easy-to-use reports and customisable dashboards Freshworks improves data-driven decision-making and makes it easier for businesses to monitor performance.

Cons

• Lack of custom audience-building features - Freshwork lacks features to build custom audiences, which is a drawback for B2B marketers who need to target audiences across various platforms.
• Limited ABM integration - while Freshworks supports account-based marketing, it doesn’t integrate with other ABM platforms, limiting its effectiveness for B2B businesses using more advanced ABM tools.
• Limited flexibility of certain features - certain Freshworks, like forecasting and pipeline management, have limited flexibility, and its reporting and dashboard capabilities are not as robust, which can be a disadvantage for larger B2B companies with more complex needs.

Starting price: $15/user/month

10. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a sales CRM software known for its intuitive, user-friendly platform. It’s designed to empower sales teams by simplifying the sales process, helping businesses close deals and drive growth. The core CRM application offers a unified platform for managing leads, deals, and contacts, providing valuable insights that help business make smarter decisions.

Features

• Lead and deal management - Pipedrive streamlines data input and tracks communications, making it easier to manage leads and deals efficiently.
• Automated campaigns - set up automated email and text campaigns triggered by customer interactions, allowing for personalised communication and automating B2B marketing efforts.
• Deal stage progress - organises and tracks each deal's progress, particularly helpful in a long B2B sales cycle, offering clear visibility at every stage.

Pros

• Robust sales pipeline management - Pipedrive excels at visualising and managing sales pipelines, helping B2B businesses track deals and optimise their sales process.
• Enhanced integration capabilities - Pipedrive supports a wide range of third-party apps and add-ons available in its marketplace, enabling B2B businesses to streamline workflows and automate various processes.

Cons

• Limited reporting capabilities - the reporting tools in Pipedrive are basic, and configuring more detailed reports can be challenging, which may limit in-depth analysis for some B2B businesses.
• Customisation issues - while Pipedrive offers decent customisation, there are limitations, particularly when it comes to tailoring the platform for more complex or specific B2B processes.

Starting price: $15/user/month

Conclusion

B2B CRM software is essential for businesses looking to strengthen client relationships, streamline operations, and build lasting partnerships. With features designed to tackle the complexities of B2B sales cycles, these platforms help businesses personalise client interactions and boost revenue growth.

Choosing the right B2B CRM isn’t straightforward. It requires a deep dive into the platform’s features, alignment with your business needs, and clear understanding of how it supports your organisation’s goals. Taking the time to evaluate your options can ensure you select a solution that drives long-term success.