Introduction
Managing leads in real estate means staying on top of phone calls, text messages, emails, and follow-ups across multiple platforms. Miss one notification, and you could lose a deal to a competitor who responded faster.
A real estate CRM solves this problem by centralizing your contacts, automating follow-ups, and ensuring no lead falls through the cracks. Whether you're a solo agent juggling buyer inquiries or a team leader distributing leads across your brokerage, the right CRM can transform how you convert prospects into closed deals.
This guide examines the best real estate CRMs available today, comparing their features, pricing, and ideal use cases to help you choose the system that fits your business.
Why Use A Real Estate CRM
Real estate runs on relationships and timing. A lead who reaches out about a property listing today might buy six months from now, but only if you maintain consistent contact. Without a CRM, tracking these conversations across spreadsheets, sticky notes, and email folders becomes overwhelming.
A CRM organizes your entire database in one place. You can see each contact's history, preferences, and where they are in the buying or selling process. Automated reminders ensure you follow up at the right time, while drip campaigns nurture leads who aren't ready to transact yet.
Beyond organization, CRMs provide insights into your business. You can track which lead sources generate the most closings, monitor your team's response times, and identify patterns in your sales pipeline. For teams, CRMs enable fair lead distribution and accountability, showing which agents are following up and which need coaching.
The best real estate CRM doesn't just store contacts. It actively helps you close more deals by automating repetitive tasks, streamlining communication, and providing the data you need to make better business decisions.
How We Chose The CRMs
We evaluated these CRMs based on real-world testing and extensive research into how real estate professionals actually use these systems. Our criteria focused on lead management capabilities, communication tools, integration with real estate platforms, ease of use, and overall value.
Each CRM was assessed for its ability to handle typical real estate workflows like capturing leads from Zillow or your website, routing them to the right agent, automating follow-ups, and tracking deals through closing. We also considered factors that matter to agents in the field, such as mobile app functionality and the learning curve for team adoption.
Best Real Estate CRMs

FollowUp Boss
Overview
FollowUp Boss was built specifically for real estate agents and teams. It focuses on one thing: ensuring you respond to leads quickly and follow up consistently. The platform automatically pulls in leads from over 200 sources, including Zillow, Realtor.com, and your IDX website, then routes them to the right agent based on rules you set.
Pros of FollowUp Boss
- Designed specifically for real estate with minimal customization needed
- Extremely robust lead routing options that ensure fair distribution
- Integrated communication eliminates the need for separate phone or texting services
- Intuitive interface that agents can learn quickly
- Mobile app delivers instant lead alerts and allows immediate follow-up
- Strong customer support with real estate expertise
Cons of FollowUp Boss
- Higher cost compared to general-purpose CRMs
- No free plan available
- Doesn't include website building or transaction management
- Support isn't available 24/7
- Owned by Zillow Group, which some brokers view with caution
Best For
FollowUp Boss works best for real estate teams and brokerages that prioritize speed to lead and want a turnkey solution. If your business relies heavily on portal leads from Zillow and similar sources, and you need sophisticated routing to distribute those leads fairly across your team, FollowUp Boss delivers immediate value with minimal setup.

Pipedrive
Overview
Pipedrive is a general-purpose sales CRM known for its visual pipeline approach. While not built specifically for real estate, it offers powerful deal tracking and automation at an affordable price. Real estate professionals use it to visualize their deals from first contact through closing.
Pros of Pipedrive
- Very affordable with plans starting around $15 per user
- Highly customizable pipelines and fields adapt to your process
- User-friendly interface with minimal learning curve
- Strong automation capabilities for routine tasks
- 24/7 chat support available
- Over 300 integrations plus Zapier connectivity
Cons of Pipedrive
- No built-in real estate integrations (requires setup via Zapier for Zillow, MLS, etc.)
- Limited marketing tools for drip campaigns
- No native SMS texting capability
- Mobile app lacks some desktop features
- Requires initial effort to configure for real estate workflows
Best For
Pipedrive suits individual agents and small teams who want an affordable, customizable CRM and don't mind handling some integration setup themselves. If you value a visual approach to tracking deals and have basic lead management needs, Pipedrive delivers excellent functionality at a budget-friendly price.

HubSpot
Overview
HubSpot offers a comprehensive CRM and marketing platform that scales from solo agents to large enterprises. The core CRM is free forever, with optional paid upgrades for advanced sales and marketing features. While not tailored to real estate out of the box, HubSpot's flexibility allows you to customize it extensively.
Pros of HubSpot
- Robust free plan with no time limit or user restrictions
- All-in-one platform combining CRM, marketing, and analytics
- Extremely powerful automation on paid tiers
- Highly customizable to fit any workflow
- Excellent educational resources through HubSpot Academy
- Scales from solo agents to large brokerages
Cons of HubSpot
- Professional and Enterprise tiers are expensive
- No native real estate integrations (Zillow, MLS require third-party connectors)
- Steeper learning curve due to extensive features
- Some features like SMS require additional integrations
- Free users don't get live customer support
- Advanced features often require paid onboarding services
Best For
HubSpot works best for tech-savvy agents who want to start free and grow into a comprehensive platform, or for larger brokerages with dedicated marketing staff who can leverage the full suite of tools. If you plan to do significant email marketing, content creation, and lead nurturing alongside basic CRM functions, HubSpot's integrated approach provides tremendous value.
How to Choose the Right CRM
Selecting the best real estate CRM depends on your specific situation, budget, and priorities.
Choose FollowUp Boss if:
- You manage high volumes of online leads from Zillow, Realtor.com, and similar portals
- Speed to lead is critical for your business
- You want a system that works out of the box without extensive configuration
- You need sophisticated lead routing for a team or brokerage
- Integrated calling and texting are important to you
- You're willing to invest in a premium solution for real estate-specific features
Choose Pipedrive if:
- Budget is a primary concern
- You want a simple, visual way to track your sales pipeline
- You're comfortable setting up integrations via Zapier
- You need customizable workflows but don't require real estate-specific features
- You prefer a straightforward tool focused on deal management
- You're a solo agent or small team with basic CRM needs
Choose HubSpot if:
- You want to start with a free CRM and expand as your business grows
- Marketing automation and email campaigns are important to your strategy
- You have the technical skills or resources to customize and configure the platform
- You need a system that combines CRM with marketing tools
- You want access to extensive educational resources and community support
- You're willing to invest time in setup or pay for professional onboarding
Conclusion
The best real estate CRM is the one you'll actually use consistently and fits your workflow.
Consider your budget, technical comfort level, and specific workflow needs.
If you rely heavily on portal leads and need real-estate specific features out of the box, FollowUp Boss justifies its premium pricing.
If you're budget-conscious and want simplicity, Pipedrive provides excellent value.
If you envision combining marketing and sales in one platform and have time to invest in configuration, HubSpot offers unmatched scalability.
The CRM that helps you respond faster, follow up consistently, and convert more leads into clients is the right choice for your real estate business.

We partner with real estate brands across North America to develop and execute strategic marketing solutions that attract buyers, sellers, and investors.

