Best CRM for Professional Services Teams (2026): Side-by-Side Comparison
Theo vs. HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Less Annoying CRM
Choosing a CRM is one of those decisions that sounds simple until you actually start looking. Too basic and you'll outgrow it in six months. Too complex and your team will abandon it after two weeks of fighting with the interface. This guide is for professional services teams evaluating a CRM.
If you run a small professional services firm—accounting practice, consulting shop, financial advisory, law office—you're in a particularly tricky position. You need enterprise-level visibility into your pipeline and client relationships, but you don't have enterprise resources. You can't dedicate a full-time admin to Salesforce configuration, and you can't afford to let promising leads slip through the cracks because your CRM is a mess of spreadsheets and sticky notes.
This guide compares Theo CRM to five popular alternatives: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, and Less Annoying CRM. We'll be direct about what each platform does well, where they fall short for professional services teams, and why we built Theo to fill a specific gap these platforms leave open.
What Professional Services Firms Actually Need from a CRM
Before we dive into platform comparisons, let's establish what matters for accountants, consultants, and advisors:
Pipeline visibility without pipeline theater. You need to see where prospects are, what the next step is, and when things are going off track. You don't need elaborate forecasting models or 47 custom pipeline stages.
Unified client timeline. When a partner asks "where are we with the Johnson account?", you need the complete story—emails, calls, proposals, invoices, meeting notes—in one place. Not scattered across Gmail, calendar, and three different folders.
Follow-up discipline. Professional services is relationship business. The firm that follows up wins. Your CRM should make it impossible to forget important next steps.
Integration with tools you already use. Your team already works in Gmail, Google Calendar, and maybe QuickBooks or Xero. A CRM that creates a separate walled garden just creates friction.
AI that helps, not hypes. You don't need a chatbot. You need something that extracts contact info from emails, reminds you when follow-ups are overdue, and surfaces the right context at the right time.
With that framework, let's look at your options.
| Feature | HubSpot | Salesforce | Pipedrive | Zoho CRM | Less Annoying | Theo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Marketing-intensive businesses running lead gen campaigns | Large enterprises with dedicated CRM admins | Sales teams running high-volume transactional deals | Businesses wanting affordable all-in-one suite | Very small teams wanting simplicity above all | Professional services firms managing long-term client relationships |
| PS-Fit Score | 3/10 | 2/10 | 5/10 | 4/10 | 6/10 | 10/10 |
| Timeline/History | Activity timeline organized around marketing/sales funnel | Customizable activity tracking, requires configuration | Activity list per deal, separate closed deals | Standard activity feed, module-based | Basic contact history, simple and clear | Unified timeline showing complete relationship story |
| Follow-Up Workflows | Task management, requires manual creation | Workflow builder, complex to set up | Activity reminders, manual task creation | Workflow automation, complex setup | Task calendar, straightforward reminders | AI-powered Today page surfaces priorities automatically |
| Google Stack Sync | Full Gmail/Calendar sync (paid tiers) | Via marketplace apps (Einstein Activity Capture) | Gmail add-on, calendar sync included | Gmail/Calendar plugins available | Calendar sync, basic Gmail integration | Google Calendar (active), Gmail integration on roadmap |
| Reporting | Extensive: marketing attribution, custom reports | Unlimited custom reports (requires expertise) | Sales metrics: conversion, velocity, forecasting | Extensive reports, complex interface | Basic pipeline reports only | Professional services metrics: engagement, follow-up discipline |
| Setup Time | 4-12 weeks | 8-16 weeks | 1-2 hours | 2-4 weeks | 30 minutes | 15 minutes |
| Typical Cost Range | $0-$2,400/mo | $1,000-$5,000/mo | $14-$99/user/mo | $14-$52/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $19-$299/mo (tier-based, not per-user) |
| Key Drawback | Marketing automation overkill, steep learning curve, hidden costs | Extreme complexity, requires full-time admin, very expensive | Pipeline-first (not relationship-first), lacks unified timeline | Cluttered interface, generic (not PS-specific), dated UX | Too basic for growing firms, no AI, limited features | Smaller integration ecosystem than enterprise options |
1. Theo vs. HubSpot CRM
What HubSpot Does Well
HubSpot is the 800-pound gorilla of the SMB CRM world, and they got there for good reasons:
Generous free tier. HubSpot's free CRM includes contact management, deal tracking, email logging, and basic reporting. For a solopreneur testing the CRM waters, it's hard to beat.
Marketing automation integration. If you're running email campaigns, nurture sequences, and landing pages, HubSpot's marketing hub (paid tiers) is genuinely powerful. Everything lives in one ecosystem.
Strong ecosystem and resources. HubSpot has massive community support, extensive documentation, and thousands of templates and integrations. If you hit a wall, someone has written a guide.
Where HubSpot Falls Short for Professional Services
Overwhelming for service firms. HubSpot was built for inbound marketing and sales teams running high-volume outbound. Most of the interface is optimized for "marketing qualified leads" and "sales sequences"—concepts that don't map well to professional services where relationships are longer, deals are consultative, and lead volume is lower.
Feature bloat and upsell pressure. The free tier is generous until you need anything beyond basics. Want workflow automation? That's Professional tier ($800/month for 2 users). Need custom reporting? Enterprise only. HubSpot's pricing model is designed to pull you up the ladder, and you end up paying for features you'll never use.
Poor timeline visibility. HubSpot's activity feed shows everything that happened, but it doesn't help you see the story of a client relationship. You're drowning in logged emails and completed tasks without clear context.
AI features lag behind the hype. HubSpot has been adding "AI" to everything—AI email writer, AI report builder, AI content assistant—but most of these feel bolted on. They don't genuinely reduce busywork; they add another menu to navigate.
How Theo Beats HubSpot for Professional Services
Theo was purpose-built for the problems HubSpot doesn't solve well:
Timeline-first design. Theo's unified timeline shows every client touchpoint in context. Not just "email sent on Tuesday," but the complete relationship story. Perfect for the "where are we with this client?" question that comes up daily in professional services.
AI that reduces busywork, not creates content. Theo's AI Helper extracts contact info and deal details from your emails automatically. You're not prompted to "generate an email with AI." You just get the manual data entry work done for you.
Today page for daily clarity. Instead of navigating multiple tabs and dashboards, Theo gives you one prioritized view: what needs your attention today. Follow-ups due, deals stalled, high-value prospects going cold. Decision-ready, not data-overwhelmed.
Built for small teams from day one. Theo doesn't assume you have a marketing ops person or a Salesforce admin. Setup takes minutes, not weeks. The interface is calm and focused, not stuffed with features you'll never configure.
Honest pricing. A 14-day free trial gets you the full platform. After that, transparent pricing with core features included—not a labyrinth of add-ons and seat tiers designed to maximize upsell.
2. Theo vs. Salesforce
What Salesforce Does Well
Salesforce is the enterprise standard for a reason:
Unmatched customization. If you can imagine a workflow, Salesforce can probably do it. Custom objects, complex validation rules, multi-stage approval processes—it's Lego blocks for database-backed business processes.
Mature ecosystem. Thousands of AppExchange integrations. Deep partnerships with ERP systems, marketing platforms, and industry-specific tools. If you need an obscure integration, Salesforce probably has it.
Proven at scale. Salesforce handles global enterprises with thousands of users, complex security models, and intricate data governance requirements. If you're Goldman Sachs, Salesforce is a smart bet.
Where Salesforce Falls Short for Professional Services
Absurd overkill for small teams. Salesforce was designed for 500-person sales orgs, not 5-person consulting firms. The learning curve is vertical. You'll spend more time configuring Salesforce than actually using it to manage clients.
Expensive even before you add Salesforce admins. Essentials tier starts at $25/user/month but is so limited it's barely usable. Professional tier ($80/user/month) is where you get actual functionality, and even then you'll probably need consulting help to set it up correctly.
Requires ongoing administration. Salesforce assumes someone on your team is responsible for "CRM operations." Updates, user permissions, workflow adjustments, integration maintenance—it's a part-time job. Small firms don't have that bandwidth.
Legacy UI problems. Despite Salesforce's "Lightning Experience" redesign, the platform still feels like enterprise software from 2010. Cluttered screens, buried functionality, endless navigation clicks. It's powerful, but it's not pleasant to use.
How Theo Beats Salesforce for Professional Services
Zero configuration required. Theo works out of the box. Import contacts, start tracking deals. No workflow builders, no custom fields, no "please hire a Salesforce consultant" moments.
Interface designed for humans. Theo feels like consumer software in the best way—clean, intuitive, responsive. You can hand it to a new team member and they'll be productive in 15 minutes, not three weeks.
AI handles the grunt work. Instead of configuring automation rules in Salesforce's Process Builder, Theo's AI just does it. New email from a prospect? Contact info extracted and logged automatically. No workflow configuration needed.
Built for the problems you actually have. Salesforce can do everything, which means it does nothing particularly well for your specific situation. Theo is laser-focused on small professional services: pipeline clarity, unified client story, follow-up discipline. That's it.
Pricing that makes sense. For what you'd pay for two Salesforce Professional licenses ($160/month), you get Theo for your entire small team with all core features included.
3. Theo vs. Pipedrive
What Pipedrive Does Well
Pipedrive is the darling of sales-focused teams, and for good reason:
Visual pipeline management. Pipedrive's kanban-style pipeline view is genuinely excellent. Drag-and-drop deals between stages, see bottlenecks at a glance, track movement over time. It's satisfying to use.
Sales process focus. Unlike sprawling platforms, Pipedrive does one thing well: move deals through stages. If you're running a transactional sales motion with clear stages, Pipedrive nails it.
Reasonable pricing. Starting at $14/user/month, Pipedrive is affordable for small teams and doesn't explode your budget as you add features.
Clean interface. Pipedrive feels modern and uncluttered. It's clear where things are and what to click next.
Where Pipedrive Falls Short for Professional Services
Pipeline-obsessed at the expense of relationships. Pipedrive is built around moving deals forward. That works for SaaS sales or real estate, where each deal is relatively independent. Professional services is different—you're managing ongoing client relationships, not one-and-done transactions.
Weak timeline and history. Pipedrive shows you activities related to a deal, but it doesn't give you the unified client story. If you've worked with a client for three years across multiple projects, good luck reconstructing that narrative in Pipedrive.
Integration gaps for professional services. Pipedrive connects to Gmail and Calendar, but integration with accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero) is limited or requires third-party tools. For service firms that bill clients and track receivables, this is a real gap.
Limited AI capabilities. Pipedrive has added some automation and AI features, but they're basic compared to what's possible. You're still doing a lot of manual data entry and task creation.
How Theo Beats Pipedrive for Professional Services
Relationship-first, not deal-first. Theo is built around the client timeline. Yes, you track opportunities, but the focus is on the complete relationship story—proposals sent, calls completed, invoices paid, ongoing check-ins. Perfect for service businesses where one client might represent years of projects.
AI-powered data capture. While Pipedrive requires manual data entry, Theo's AI Helper extracts contact details and deal information from your emails. Less clicking, more clarity.
Today page for prioritized action. Pipedrive shows you your pipeline. Theo shows you what needs your attention today—follow-ups due, deals stalled, next steps unclear. It's the difference between information and insight.
Better fit for consultative sales. Professional services sales cycles are long and relationship-driven. You're not closing in two weeks; you're nurturing for months. Theo's interface and features reflect that reality better than Pipedrive's transactional model.
4. Theo vs. Zoho CRM
What Zoho CRM Does Well
Zoho is the Swiss Army knife of affordable business software:
Feature-rich at competitive prices. Starting at $14/user/month, Zoho CRM includes automation, reporting, custom fields, and integration with the broader Zoho ecosystem (Books, Projects, Desk, etc.). You get a lot for your money.
Customization options. Like Salesforce but more accessible, Zoho lets you customize fields, modules, workflows, and page layouts to fit your business.
Global presence. Zoho has strong international support, multiple data center options, and good compliance features for firms operating across borders.
Where Zoho CRM Falls Short for Professional Services
Death by a thousand features. Zoho CRM suffers from the same problem as HubSpot—it tries to do everything for everyone, which means nothing feels particularly polished. The interface is cluttered, navigation is confusing, and you'll spend hours hunting for features buried in settings menus.
Intimidating learning curve. Zoho's customization flexibility comes at a cost: complexity. Setting up Zoho to actually work for your firm requires significant upfront investment. Most small teams get 30% of the way through setup and give up.
Unreliable integrations. Zoho's own-ecosystem integrations (Books, Projects, etc.) work well, but third-party integrations often feel like afterthoughts. Email sync can be flaky, calendar integration buggy, and you'll find yourself troubleshooting sync issues more than you'd like.
Dated UI/UX. Zoho has improved their interface over the years, but it still feels dated compared to modern SaaS. Lots of visual noise, inconsistent design patterns, and workflows that require too many clicks.
How Theo Beats Zoho for Professional Services
Calm simplicity. Where Zoho overwhelms with options, Theo focuses on what matters: pipeline, timeline, follow-ups. The interface is modern, uncluttered, and decision-oriented. You spend time managing clients, not managing your CRM.
Minutes to value, not weeks. Zoho requires significant configuration before it's useful. Theo works out of the box. Connect your tools, import contacts, start tracking. You're productive on day one, not day 30.
Reliable integrations. Theo integrates with tools professional services firms actually use—Google Calendar (Gmail and QuickBooks on roadmap)—and those integrations just work. No sync troubleshooting, no manual fixes, no "please contact support" moments.
AI that actually helps. Zoho has added AI features (Zia), but they feel experimental and inconsistent. Theo's AI Helper works in the background automatically—extracting data, identifying next steps, surfacing urgency—without requiring you to learn another interface.
5. Theo vs. Less Annoying CRM
What Less Annoying CRM Does Well
Less Annoying CRM (LACRM) lives up to its name in several ways:
True simplicity. LACRM is intentionally basic. Contact management, pipeline tracking, task lists, calendar. That's it. No feature bloat, no enterprise complexity. For teams that want simplicity above all, LACRM delivers.
Flat pricing. $15/user/month, period. No tiers, no add-ons, no surprise costs. You know exactly what you're paying.
Human customer support. LACRM prides itself on responsive, friendly support. Real humans answer questions quickly. For non-technical teams, this is huge.
No-pressure approach. LACRM doesn't upsell you or pressure you to upgrade. They're content being a simple, affordable CRM.
Where Less Annoying CRM Falls Short for Professional Services
Too basic for growing firms. LACRM's simplicity is both its strength and weakness. You get contact management and basic pipeline tracking, but not much else. No AI assistance, limited automation, basic reporting. Fine for a 2-person operation, limiting as you grow.
Weak timeline and relationship history. Like Pipedrive, LACRM shows activities but doesn't create a coherent client story. You're manually stitching together context every time you need to review a relationship.
No AI features. LACRM is proudly "old-school" in its approach. That means manual data entry, manual task creation, manual everything. There's value in transparency, but there's also value in not spending hours on data entry.
Limited integration ecosystem. LACRM integrates with Gmail and Google Calendar, but that's about it. No QuickBooks sync, no Slack notifications, no document management integration. For firms that rely on multiple tools, LACRM creates silos.
How Theo Beats Less Annoying CRM for Professional Services
Simple, but not simplistic. Theo shares LACRM's philosophy of calm simplicity, but doesn't sacrifice power. You get the clean interface and intuitive workflows, plus AI assistance, unified timeline, and robust integrations that LACRM lacks.
AI reduces manual work. LACRM requires you to manually enter everything. Theo's AI Helper extracts contact information and deal details automatically from emails. You get LACRM's simplicity without the manual data entry burden.
Today page for prioritized action. LACRM gives you lists. Theo gives you prioritized lists with urgency signals and next-step clarity. You know what to focus on right now, not just what exists in your pipeline.
Room to grow. LACRM is great until it's not, and then you're migrating. Theo is built for small professional services teams but designed to scale with you. You won't outgrow it as your firm matures.
Better relationship visibility. Theo's unified timeline shows the complete client story—every email, call, proposal, invoice, meeting—in one coherent view. LACRM shows activities, but Theo shows relationships.
The Honest Comparison: When Each Platform Makes Sense
Let's be direct about when you should choose each option:
Choose HubSpot if: You're primarily doing inbound marketing with lead nurturing campaigns and need marketing automation tightly integrated with your CRM. You have budget for higher tiers and someone dedicated to managing the platform.
Choose Salesforce if: You're a larger professional services firm (50+ people) with complex needs, dedicated admin resources, and budget for enterprise software. Or you're in an industry where Salesforce has become table-stakes (some finance and consulting contexts).
Choose Pipedrive if: You run high-volume transactional sales with clear stages and relatively short sales cycles. Real estate, SaaS with defined trials, or other businesses where pipeline velocity matters more than relationship depth.
Choose Zoho if: You're already invested in the Zoho ecosystem (Books, Projects, etc.) and need tight integration across those tools, or you need specific features Zoho offers and have time to configure the platform properly.
Choose Less Annoying CRM if: You're a very small firm (1-3 people) with basic needs, want absolute rock-bottom pricing, and don't mind manual data entry and limited features.
Choose Theo if: You're a small professional services firm (accounting, consulting, financial advisory, law) that needs enterprise-level clarity without enterprise complexity. You want pipeline visibility, unified client timelines, follow-up discipline, and AI that reduces busywork—all in an interface that feels modern and calm, not overwhelming.
Why We Built Theo: The Problem Other CRMs Leave Unsolved
Here's the truth: we didn't build Theo because the world needed another CRM. We built it because every existing option creates the same problem for small professional services firms: the gap between "too basic" and "too complex" is massive.
Too basic means you're drowning in spreadsheets and forwarding yourself reminder emails. You lose track of follow-ups, you can't see your pipeline clearly, and you're reconstructing client context from memory and Gmail search every time someone asks "where are we with this account?"
Too complex means you're paying for features you'll never use, spending hours on configuration instead of client work, and fighting with a platform designed for enterprise sales teams, not consultative professional services.
Theo is purpose-built for that gap. We asked: what if a CRM gave you enterprise-level clarity—unified timeline, pipeline visibility, follow-up discipline—without the enterprise friction? What if AI actually reduced busywork instead of adding more menus to navigate? What if setup took 10 minutes, not 10 days?
That's Theo. Modern, composed, confident. Helpful by default, transparent always.
Getting Started: Try Theo for 14 Days
The best way to see if Theo fits your firm is to try it. No credit card required, no high-pressure sales calls, no bait-and-switch pricing.
Start your 14-day free trial and import your contacts, connect your calendar. Track a few deals. See if Theo's timeline view, Today page, and AI Helper actually reduce busywork and increase clarity.
If it doesn't fit, we'd genuinely appreciate feedback on why. And if it does, you'll have a CRM that grows with your firm without growing your frustration.
Your work. Your relationships. One clear timeline. That's the Theo promise.
FAQ Answers for Professional Services CRM
Do professional services firms need a CRM or PSA?
Most professional services firms need a CRM, not a PSA (Professional Services Automation). Here's why:
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) helps you manage client relationships, track prospects, maintain follow-up discipline, and see complete relationship history. This is what accountants, consultants, and advisors need most—tools to manage the business development and client relationship side of their practice.
PSA (Professional Services Automation) focuses on project management, time tracking, resource allocation, billing, and delivery operations. PSAs like Kantata, Certinia, or Kimble are designed for large consulting firms managing complex project delivery with dozens of team members.
What most small-to-mid-size professional services firms actually need: A CRM for relationship management and business development, plus lightweight project management tools (Asana, ClickUp) for delivery work. You don't need the complexity of a full PSA until you're managing 20+ consultants on multiple simultaneous client projects.
The exception: If you're a project-based consulting firm billing by the hour with complex resource allocation needs, you might need PSA functionality. But even then, you still need CRM for relationship management and business development.
For most accountants, consultants, and advisors managing client relationships and growing their practice, a purpose-built CRM like Theo solves the actual problems you face.
What's the difference between CRM and project management for services?
They solve different problems:
CRM manages relationships and business development:
Track prospects through your sales process
Maintain complete relationship history with clients
Follow-up discipline (who needs contact, when, why)
Pipeline visibility (what opportunities are active, what stage)
Client engagement health (have we touched base recently?)
Referral source tracking
Project management manages delivery work:
Task assignment and tracking
Project timelines and milestones
Team collaboration and file sharing
Deliverable tracking
Status updates and client communication during projects
Think of it this way: CRM gets clients in the door and keeps the relationship healthy. Project management delivers the work once they're a client.
Most professional services firms need both, but they're different tools:
Use a CRM (like Theo) for relationship management, business development, and maintaining client connections
Use project management tools (Asana, Monday, ClickUp) for organizing delivery work, tasks, and team collaboration
The confusion happens because some tools try to do both (like practice management software for accountants or case management for lawyers). These work okay for firms where project delivery and relationship management are tightly coupled, but most firms benefit from focused tools that do one thing really well.
For professional services: Your CRM should answer "where are we with this client relationship?" Your project management tool should answer "what tasks are due this week?"
What's the best CRM for a small consulting firm?
The best CRM for a small consulting firm is one that:
Shows complete client relationship history (not just current deals)
Doesn't require a dedicated administrator to manage
Helps with follow-up discipline (prospects don't fall through cracks)
Fits consulting workflows (long sales cycles, relationship-driven, ongoing client work)
Doesn't charge you for marketing automation you won't use
For most small consulting firms (5-15 people), the top options are:
Theo – Purpose-built for professional services. Timeline-first design shows complete relationship story. AI Helper eliminates data entry busywork. Today page surfaces follow-ups automatically. $48-$119/month for small teams. Best fit if you want something that works immediately without configuration.
Less Annoying CRM – Simple, affordable ($15/user/month), focused on relationship management. Good if you want basic CRM without complexity. Lacks AI features and professional services-specific workflows.
Copper – Great if you live in Google Workspace and want tight integration. Relationship-focused design. $29/user/month, but pricing scales quickly. Best for Google-dependent firms.
What to avoid for small consulting firms:
Salesforce (too complex, requires administrator, expensive)
HubSpot (built for marketing teams, overkill for consulting)
Pipedrive (sales-first, not relationship-first)
The honest answer: Most small consulting firms need relationship management, follow-up discipline, and the ability to see complete client history. Theo was built specifically for this. Less Annoying CRM and Copper also work. Avoid tools built for marketing teams or high-volume sales.
Test before committing: Use the free trial, import 20-30 contacts, track a few opportunities, see if it actually makes your life easier. The best CRM is the one your team will actually use.
How do I track follow-ups without a complex system?
Good follow-up discipline doesn't require complexity—it requires the right approach:
The Manual Approach (Works for Very Small Practices):
Weekly follow-up list – Every Monday morning, review:
Who did I promise to follow up with this week?
Who haven't I contacted in 60+ days?
What proposals are outstanding?
What prospects went quiet?
Keep this in a simple spreadsheet or notebook. Takes 15 minutes weekly.
Calendar reminders – When someone says "follow up in two weeks," immediately create a calendar reminder. Don't trust yourself to remember.
The problem: This works until you have more than ~10 active prospects. Then it's too much to track manually and things fall through cracks.
The Simple CRM Approach (Better for Growing Practices):
Use a CRM that automatically tells you what needs attention. You shouldn't have to manually create follow-up tasks for everything or check multiple lists.
What this looks like in Theo:
Open the Today page every Monday morning
See exactly who needs follow-up: prospects going cold, promised check-ins, stalled deals
Everything prioritized automatically
Takes 2 minutes to know where to focus
The key: The system should surface follow-ups for you, not require you to manually log every future touch point.
Three Rules for Effortless Follow-Up:
1. Capture follow-up commitments immediately When you say "I'll follow up in two weeks," log it right then. Future-you won't remember.
2. Use a single system Don't track follow-ups in email, calendar, CRM, and notebook. Pick one place. Stick to it.
3. Weekly review is non-negotiable 15 minutes every Monday reviewing who needs attention. Without this, any system fails.
Bottom line: Start with a weekly review and calendar reminders. When that breaks (too many prospects to track manually), use a CRM that automatically surfaces what needs attention rather than making you build complex workflows.
What CRM works best with Gmail and Google Calendar?
If you live in Gmail and Google Calendar, you want a CRM that integrates seamlessly without requiring you to switch between tools constantly.
Top Options for Google Workspace Users:
Copper CRM – Deepest Google integration. Lives inside Gmail sidebar, automatically logs emails, creates contacts from email threads, syncs calendar. Feels like a native Google app. Downside: expensive ($29-$59/user/month) and less focused on professional services workflows.
Theo – Google Calendar integration with automatic meeting capture. Timeline shows complete relationship context. While email integration is on the roadmap, calendar sync ensures meetings appear on client timelines automatically. Better for professional services workflows than Copper. $19-$119/month (tier-based, not per-user).
HubSpot – Full Gmail and Calendar sync (on paid tiers). Email tracking, templates, sequences. But you're paying for extensive marketing automation you probably don't need. Free tier works but limited. Professional tier expensive ($1,600+/month).
Pipedrive – Gmail add-on available, calendar sync included. Good visual pipeline. Email integration requires Advanced plan ($34/user/month). More sales-focused than relationship-focused.
What "Works Best" Actually Means:
For deep email integration: Copper or HubSpot (if you want all emails automatically logged and accessible in CRM)
For calendar-first workflow: Theo (meetings automatically appear on relationship timelines, follow-ups surface based on meeting patterns)
For Google Workspace native feel: Copper (feels like part of Google Workspace)
For professional services specifically: Theo (purpose-built workflows even though email integration is coming vs. already available)
The Honest Assessment:
If "works with Gmail and Google Calendar" means "I want every email automatically in my CRM," choose Copper or HubSpot Professional.
If "works with Gmail and Google Calendar" means "I want my meetings tracked and relationship context visible," choose Theo (calendar integration is active, email integration coming).
Most professional services firms discover: They don't actually need every email logged in their CRM. They need meeting context, relationship history, and follow-up discipline. Calendar integration delivers 80% of the value with 20% of the complexity.
Quick test: Ask yourself: "Do I need every email I send logged in my CRM, or do I need to know when I last met with someone and when to follow up?" If it's the latter, calendar integration matters more than full email sync.