Do you love Octopus CRM but hate the limitations it has? You're definitely not alone. Many Octopus CRM users are loving the automation features available but hate the lack of customization and other limitations this tool has. The best Octopus CRM alternatives have got you covered.
A CRM is one of the most powerful business programs out there, keeping track of all your customers, pipelines, and communication. It keeps everyone on your team on the same page. In fact, customer relationship management (CRM) software usage has increased by 74% from 2020 to 2024. But what if you're using Octopus CRM and it's not a fit for the whole team?
In this article, we'll show you the best Octopus CRM alternatives and show you what to look for in a strong alternative. The search for the perfect alternative is driven by a desire for greater efficiency, more cost-effectiveness, enhanced customization options, and improved integration capabilities. These factors motivate users to seek new methods for effectively managing customer relationships while staying flexible in their business practices.
What's The Deal With Octopus CRM Anyway?
Octopus CRM has been a notable player in this field, offering solutions aimed at streamlining sales processes and enhancing customer interactions. However, an increasing number of users are beginning to seek alternatives. The reasons behind the search for Octopus CRM alternatives vary widely among users but tend to revolve around several core issues:
- Limited Customization Options: Users often find themselves restricted by the lack of customization features within Octopus CRM. In today’s market, personalization is key to standing out and addressing specific business needs.
- User Interface Challenges: A user interface that isn’t intuitive can significantly hamper productivity. Some users report that navigating through Octopus CRM can be less than straightforward, leading to frustration and wasted time.
- Pricing Concerns: While pricing is always a consideration when selecting any tool or service, some have found Octopus CRM’s cost-to-value ratio not as compelling compared with other options available in the market.
- Lack of Integration Capabilities: In our interconnected digital world, being able to seamlessly integrate with other tools is crucial. Users looking for more robust integration capabilities may find themselves limited by what Octopus offers.
Beyond these primary concerns lies a broader issue: businesses grow and evolve over time – what works well at one stage might become inadequate later on. This dynamic nature requires solutions that are not just effective but also scalable and adaptable; qualities many feel require exploration beyond what they currently use. Choosing the right CRM is pivotal in ensuring sustained growth without hitting operational roadblocks down the line.
What Features Should You Look For in an Octopus CRM Alternative?
When searching for an alternative to Octopus CRM, consider features that align closely with your business needs, improve efficiency, and offer scalability. Here's some key features to look for:
1. It Should Be Customizable & Flexible
Look for a CRM that allows you to customize fields, workflows, and processes to match your specific business needs. Flexibility in customization ensures that the CRM can adapt to your evolving business model.
2. It Should Integrate With Your Tools Easily
The CRM should seamlessly integrate with other tools you use, such as email platforms, social media, marketing automation tools, customer service software, and more. This integration capability ensures a unified platform for all your business operations.
3. It Should Be Easy to Use & Scaleable
A user-friendly interface is crucial for adoption across your team. The CRM should be intuitive, easy to navigate, and require minimal training for new users to get up to speed.
As your business grows, your CRM should be able to scale with you. Look for solutions that can handle an increasing number of customers, more sales data, and growing team sizes without compromising performance.
4. It Should Offer Sales Automation & Pipeline Management
Look for features that automate routine sales tasks and provide clear visibility into your sales pipeline. This can include lead scoring, deal tracking, and automated follow-ups.
5. It Should Be Cost-Effective
Evaluate the pricing models to ensure they align with your budget and offer good value based on the features and capabilities provided.
6. It Should Offer Excellent Customer Support
High-quality customer support features, such as a helpdesk, ticketing system, or live chat integration, can enhance customer satisfaction and retention.
Choosing the right CRM is about finding a balance between these features and your specific business needs. It's also helpful to look for software that offers a trial period, so you can test its capabilities and ensure it's a good fit before making a commitment.
7. It Should be Cloud Based
Gone are the days when you need some massive server in your office or stored somewhere to keep all your files logged. Over 87% of businesses are expected to rely on cloud-based CRM systems by 2024. If you're in the market for a new CRM, make sure it is cloud-based.
The Best Octopus CRM Alternatives for 2024
1. Notifii Connect
For businesses focusing on upping their communication game, Notifii Connect stands out with a high user satisfaction rating. Crafting meaningful exchanges goes beyond mere message transmission; it embodies the essence of impactful dialogue. Notifii Connect not only keeps your crew in the loop and on point, but it also refines those time-consuming tasks that usually nibble away at your day's efficiency.
Evidently, its stellar 4.9 out of 5 score from dozens of critiques highlights the unanimous satisfaction among users with how it revolutionizes internal dialogue in companies. This is more of a messaging app than a traditional CRM, however.
User Vicki shares these thoughts on a GetApp review:
I have been overall impressed with the software. It has really been helpful in aiding our communication with all the residents at our apartment community. The residents have been very happy with our quick responses to their inquiries.
2. Trello
If organization and project management are what you seek beyond traditional CRMs, Trello emerges as an intuitive choice. Its versatility in task assignments helps teams keep track of progress without getting lost in complex software interfaces.
Trello, like Asana, Clickup, and Basecamp, have a feature set focused on tracking tasks and deadlines. You might be able to use it as a one-stop shop if you spend the time customizing your Trello boards to function as a CRM, but it has real limitations when it comes to automation.
The platform boasts a significant following with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from over 30,000 reviews, indicating strong user satisfaction across various industries. If you look at this one and don't find the features you like, there are plenty of Trello alternatives out there, too.
User Victoria notes in a G2 review:
The thing I like most about Trello is how it makes task scheduling easier, especially when the college where I work is really busy. It is easy to keep track of due dates and development flows through the integration with Google Calendar. Especially the kanban system helps me to arrange tasks visually, making it simpler to determine priorities and to control my workload.
3. Zoho CRM
At the heart of this ecosystem is Zoho CRM, designed with versatility in mind. With its extensive features for tracking customer interactions and automating sales processes, businesses can foster meaningful relationships effortlessly. Boasting a solid 4.3/5 from over six thousand reviews, the platform shines in boosting sales efficiency and deepening customer connections.
This instrument transcends simple record-keeping, illuminating customer inclinations and actions, thereby empowering strategists to customize their approaches.
The pricing on Zoho CRM stands out with users, including Kishore, who wrote the following in a G2 review:
Zoho CRM Pricing is very low when compared to other CRM tools. The best feature of Zoho CRM is its low cost with more features. Also, Zoho CRM is very user-friendly when compared to other CRMs. All the features are up-to-date and every feature is unique in its way. Zoho CRM can be integrated with other tools like marketing automation tools, or sales automation tools, which is useful for maintaining all the records in the tool. Zoho CRM has all the features that a competitive CRM should have. Zoho CRM has excellent customer support features that help to get in reach with customers or prospects very easily. I use Zoho CRM regularly for lead generation and I have integrated this CRM with another software tool.
4. Mailchimp
If you're looking for an Octopus CRM alternative that can do more than LinkedIn automation, then you should know that Mailchimp has evolved significantly from its initial identity as an email marketing tool. Mailchimp is more an e-mail newsletter manager than a traditional project management tool like Trello and less a CRM where you can track things like every customer interaction like you'd find with something like HubSpot. For that reason, it's kind of a middle ground for a company that doesn't need all the bells and whistles of a full CRM.
As an alternative to Octopus CRM, which is specifically designed for LinkedIn automation, Mailchimp offers a diverse range of features that cater to broader digital marketing needs beyond LinkedIn.
At its core, Mailchimp excels in creating, sending, and analyzing email campaigns. Users can choose from a wide range of customizable templates or create their own designs from scratch. Advanced segmentation options allow for personalized content, targeting users based on behavior, preferences, and previous sales.
Yet Mailchimp also provides robust automation capabilities that go beyond simple autoresponders. Users can set up entire workflows to nurture leads, onboard customers, and re-engage inactive subscribers. This includes automated emails triggered by specific actions, such as website visits, product purchases, or date-based events.
In a PCMag review by Gabriel, he notes:
Mailchimp today is a full-fledged digital marketing hub, giving you multichannel campaign support, website-building tools, reports, and marketing automation. The platform covers almost all of the bases a small business needs to get started.
5. ClickUp
ClickUp is a highly versatile project management and productivity tool that serves as an all-in-one workspace for managing tasks, documents, goals, and more. As an alternative to Octopus CRM, which specializes in LinkedIn automation and CRM functionalities, ClickUp offers a broader set of features aimed at enhancing overall productivity, team collaboration, and project management.
ClickUp allows users to create highly customizable workspaces tailored to the specific needs of their teams or projects. This flexibility ensures that whether you're managing sales pipelines, marketing campaigns, development sprints, or customer support tickets, ClickUp can be adapted to fit your processes.
While ClickUp is not a CRM in the traditional sense, it offers customizable CRM templates and features that can be used to manage customer relationships, sales pipelines, and leads. Users can track interactions, set reminders for follow-ups, and maintain detailed records of customer information within the platform. Note that if you use this for your CRM, you'll need to spend a lot of time setting it up to function similar to a CRM. If you want something out of the box, try another tool that's a CRM first.
User Prateek says in a G2 review:
ClickUp is a tool which gives us ease which using. We can easily navigate through tasks, setting up projects, and assigning tasks are incredibly intuitive, even for those who are new to the project management tools. It also gives us a user-friendly interface which is a game-changer for our team because it helps us seamlessly in the project management without any additional learnings. We regualarly/daily use this tool for our day-to day management. Additionally, it also gives us the ease of implementation and intergations with other CRMs as wells. I strongly recommended this tool to use for the project management.
6. Salez Robot
Salez Robot, as an alternative to Octopus CRM, offers a suite of automation and enhancement tools specifically designed for LinkedIn, focusing on streamlining sales and lead generation activities on the platform. While Octopus CRM is known for its LinkedIn automation capabilities, Sales Robot introduces a range of features that enhance user interaction, lead management, and overall efficiency in navigating LinkedIn for sales purposes.
Salez Robot allows users to create and implement sophisticated sequences for reaching out to potential leads on LinkedIn. These sequences can include automated connection requests, personalized follow-up messages, and even automated responses based on the recipient's interaction. This feature ensures a systematic approach to lead engagement, increasing the chances of converting connections into potential leads.
User Spencer shares the following in a G2 review:
Ease of use. Once I set it up, I can sit back and let it manage all the important steps. With the additional integrations it make my prospecting that much smoother and simple. Been using it for over a year now and will continue to use it as long as I'm doing business. Saurav has helped me learn the in's and out's, and they also have videos on Youtube with How-To's and guides to help you get setup.
7. LeadDelta
LeadDelta stands out as a LinkedIn management and networking tool designed to offer a more organized and effective way of managing LinkedIn connections compared to traditional CRM systems like Octopus CRM. Focused on enhancing the LinkedIn experience, LeadDelta offers a suite of features aimed at helping users better manage their professional network, streamline their outreach, and foster meaningful relationships.
LeadDelta acts as a personal CRM system for your LinkedIn network, allowing you to add personal notes, reminders, and follow-up dates to each connection. This feature is invaluable for maintaining and nurturing professional relationships over time, ensuring that no opportunity for engagement or follow-up is missed.
User Ezgi notes the following in a G2 review:
LeadDelta gives my team a very clear overview of our networks and who knows who making it much easier for us to collaborate on new sales and marketing opportunities. We’re utilizing their tags, notes, and filters to keep all of our connections organized and manage our pipelines.
It’s very easy to use, yet powerful and the team is open about the new features they are working on with the community.
8. Meet Alfred
Meet Alfred, also known as Alfred for LinkedIn, is a comprehensive social selling and lead generation platform that offers a robust set of features for automating and managing LinkedIn, Email, and Twitter campaigns. As an alternative to Octopus CRM, Meet Alfred distinguishes itself with a multifaceted approach to digital marketing and networking automation.
Unlike Octopus CRM, which focuses primarily on LinkedIn, Meet Alfred extends its capabilities across multiple platforms including LinkedIn, Email, and Twitter. This allows users to create and manage synchronized campaigns across different channels, significantly expanding their reach and engagement opportunities.
To streamline lead management and follow-up processes, Meet Alfred integrates seamlessly with several CRM systems. This integration ensures that all interactions and data collected through Meet Alfred can be easily transferred to a CRM for further analysis, lead scoring, and nurturing.
Note: this tool has numerous bad reviews across multiple platforms, so make sure you read those as well as the fine print on anything you see when signing up with this tool. Failure to deliver a good experience is a common complaint.
User Charles, however, had a better experience as shared in this G2 review:
The best part about MeetAlfred for me is that I can make sure that I will have a base number of calls on any set week without us having to hire a SDR. It allows me to have a steady stream of leads to answer to, and is a huge help to grow my LinkedIn network with exactly the right audience.
9. PhantomBuster
PhantomBuster and Octopus CRM serve as tools to automate various tasks, but they cater to slightly different needs, particularly for users seeking alternatives in areas like social media, lead generation, and automation processes. PhantomBuster excels in offering a wide array of "Phantoms" or automation agents that can interact with a variety of platforms beyond LinkedIn, which is the primary focus of Octopus CRM. These include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and more.
This broader range allows users to automate tasks across multiple social media platforms and web services, making it a versatile tool for digital marketers, sales teams, and recruiters.
Unlike Octopus CRM, which is more specialized in LinkedIn networking and lead generation, PhantomBuster provides a platform for building custom automation workflows. Users can chain different Phantoms together to create complex automation sequences. This feature is particularly useful for users who need to automate a series of tasks that span across different platforms or require a specific sequence of actions.
User Vikas shares in a G2 review:
The best part about MeetAlfred for me is that I can make sure that I will have a base number of calls on any set week without us having to hire a SDR. It allows me to have a steady stream of leads to answer to, and is a huge help to grow my LinkedIn network with exactly the right audience.
10. Lusha
Lusha serves as a powerful alternative to Octopus CRM, especially for professionals and organizations focused on sales and recruitment. While Octopus CRM is tailored towards automating LinkedIn activities and managing relationships, Lusha emphasizes direct contact data acquisition to streamline outreach efforts.
Lusha's core functionality revolves around providing users with direct contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses, of potential leads and business contacts. This feature is invaluable for sales and recruitment professionals who need to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach decision-makers directly. Unlike Octopus CRM, which focuses on LinkedIn engagement and lead management, Lusha ensures that users can quickly gather contact details to facilitate immediate outreach.
User Roselin says in a G2 review:
The thing which I personally like to use about lusha is it's very easy to use, it almost a wide range of data which you customize according to your need with the help of their filter feasture, you can get the right contact details of the people you want to connect. Overall a very good tool for lead generation.
A Final Word
The best Octopus CRM alternatives come with their own unique features, capabilities, and of course different prices. Ultimately it boils down to which tool fits you and your team's needs now and a year from now.
As a final bit of advice, make sure to include your team--you know, the people using the tool--in making the decision of which Octopus CRM alternative you'll choose. To make these tools even more productive, try the free Magical Chrome extension. Magical integrates with every app on this list and it's used by over 650,000+ people to save 7 hours a week on average on their repetitive tasks.
