I get asked this question at least once a week. "Phil, what CRM should I use?" And honestly, the answer depends on your business, your budget, and how much tech you're comfortable with. But I'm going to give you my actual opinion rather than one of those fence-sitting comparison articles that refuse to pick a winner.
I've set up CRMs for tradies, property maintenance businesses, pressure washing operators, and professional service firms. I've used all four of the platforms I'm about to cover. So this isn't theoretical. It's based on what I've actually seen work (and not work) in the real world.
What does a CRM actually need to do for a small business?
Before we get into the comparison, let's set the criteria. For a small business in Australia, your CRM needs to do four things well. It needs to capture leads from your website and ads. It needs to let you respond quickly, ideally with automation. It needs to track where each lead sits in your pipeline. And it needs to be simple enough that you'll actually use it.
If it can also handle appointment booking, SMS messaging, email marketing, and review requests, that's a bonus. But those four core functions are non-negotiable.
How does HubSpot stack up?
HubSpot is the big name in the CRM world, and for good reason. Their free tier is genuinely useful. You get contact management, a basic pipeline, email tracking, and some simple automation. For a business that just needs somewhere to organise leads and track conversations, the free version is hard to beat.
The problem is the pricing once you outgrow the free tier. HubSpot's paid plans start at around $30 AUD per month for the Starter tier, but the features most small businesses actually need (proper automation, custom reporting, multiple pipelines) sit in the Professional tier at roughly $1,300 AUD per month. That's a massive jump, and for most small businesses in Australia, it's not justifiable.
HubSpot is brilliant if you're a mid-size company with a dedicated marketing team. For a solo operator or a small team under ten people, you'll either outgrow the free version quickly or find yourself paying enterprise prices for features you could get elsewhere for a fraction of the cost.
What about GoHighLevel?
This is the one we use with most of our clients, so I'll be upfront about that. GoHighLevel was built specifically for agencies and small businesses. It costs around $130 AUD per month for the full platform, and that includes everything: CRM, pipeline management, email and SMS automation, appointment booking, a website builder, reputation management, invoicing, and more.
The reason I recommend it is simple. For under $150 a month, you get every tool a small business needs in one place. No stitching together five different subscriptions. No Zapier integrations breaking at 2am. Everything talks to everything because it's all one system.
The downside? The interface isn't as polished as HubSpot. There's a learning curve. It was built for agencies to white-label, so some of the UX feels a bit clunky if you're setting it up yourself. But if you're working with someone who knows the platform (like us), the setup is straightforward and the ongoing management is simple.
For Australian service businesses turning over under $2 million a year, I genuinely think GoHighLevel offers the best value for money. And I'm not saying that because of any affiliate deal. We don't have one.
Is Keap worth the investment?
Keap, formerly known as Infusionsoft, has been around for years. It's a solid CRM with strong automation capabilities, particularly for email sequences and follow-up campaigns. Plans start at around $250 AUD per month, which puts it in the middle ground between HubSpot's free tier and their enterprise pricing.
Losing leads to slow follow-up? Let's map out an automation system that works while you sleep.
Book a free callThe automation builder in Keap is powerful. If you want to build complex, multi-step sequences with conditional logic, like "if the lead opens email three but doesn't click, send them email four instead of email five." Keap does that well.
But here's my honest take. For most small businesses, that level of complexity is overkill. You don't need a 15-step conditional automation sequence to follow up with a lead who wants their driveway pressure washed. You need a fast response, a couple of follow-ups, and a booking link. Keap is built for businesses with longer, more complex sales cycles. If that's you, it's worth considering. If you're a service business with a relatively simple sales process, you're paying for power you won't use.
Where does Zoho fit in?
Zoho is the budget-friendly option, and it's better than most people give it credit for. Their CRM starts at about $25 AUD per month per user, and the free tier supports up to three users with basic contact management and workflows.
Zoho's strength is its ecosystem. They've got apps for everything: email marketing, social media management, invoicing, project management, help desk. If you buy into the full Zoho ecosystem, the integration between tools is solid and the total cost is very competitive.
The weakness is the same thing that makes it affordable: it tries to do everything, and nothing feels best-in-class. The automation is functional but not intuitive. The interface is dated compared to HubSpot. The SMS capabilities for Australia are limited unless you bolt on additional integrations.
For a very small business on a tight budget that mainly needs contact management and basic pipeline tracking, Zoho is a sensible choice. But if you want proper automation with SMS follow-ups and appointment booking built in, you'll end up adding third-party tools that eat into those cost savings.
So which one would I actually pick?
For most small businesses in Australia, particularly service businesses, trades, and local operators, I recommend GoHighLevel. The all-in-one nature of it means you're not paying for four or five different tools. The automation is purpose-built for the kind of follow-up sequences that actually move the needle for small businesses. And the cost is predictable.
If you're a very early-stage business with no budget, start with HubSpot's free tier. It'll get you organised, and you can upgrade later when revenue supports it.
If you're running a business with a complex, multi-touch sales cycle (think consulting, B2B services, or high-ticket coaching), Keap's automation depth might justify the higher price.
And if you just need basic contact management and you're comfortable stitching together a few tools, Zoho will do the job without breaking the bank.
At the end of the day, the best CRM is the one you'll actually use. A $25 per month Zoho account that you check daily beats a $1,300 per month HubSpot plan that you log into once a month. Pick the one that fits your workflow, set up the basics, and start capturing the leads you're currently losing.
