Bao CRMCRM for consultants: 7 options compared for solo consultants
A solo consultant needs a CRM that shows who to follow up today, keeps the history of each prospect and turns a conversation into a quote quickly. For that, a light tool is enough: Bao CRM does it for free up to 10 active prospects. If you also want invoicing and contracts in one place, Moxie or Bonsai fit better. HubSpot and Pipedrive make sense once you work as a team.
CRM for consultants: the comparison at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | Cheapest paid plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bao CRM | Yes: 10 active prospects, unlimited quotes, no account needed | Pro: €14.90/month or €149/year | Solo consultants who want follow-ups and quotes, connected to Notion |
| HubSpot | Yes: up to 2 users, 1,000 contacts, HubSpot branding | Starter: $20 per seat/month (promotional prices for new customers) | Consulting teams, marketing emails |
| Pipedrive | No, 14-day trial | Lite: $14 per seat/month, billed annually | Consultants with a structured sales pipeline |
| Moxie | No, 14-day trial | Starter: $10/month billed annually, $12 monthly | Proposals, contracts and invoicing in one tool |
| Bonsai | No, 7-day trial | Basic: $9/month billed annually, $15 monthly (invoicing and proposals from Essentials: $19/$25) | Projects, time tracking and, on Essentials, invoicing |
| Folk | No, 2-week trial | Standard: $24 per member/month billed annually, $30 monthly | Relationship-driven prospecting, LinkedIn and email sync |
| A Notion template | Yes, free | Free (Notion’s free plan is enough) | Consultants who already live in Notion and send few quotes |
Prices as shown on each vendor’s pricing page on 4 November 2026, excluding tax. They change often: check before you subscribe.
What a consultant needs from a CRM
- A pipeline from first contact to signed engagement, to see where each opportunity stands.
- Follow-up dates, and a daily list of who to contact. Most consulting deals are lost to silence, not to competitors.
- A history per client: calls, emails, proposals, decisions.
- Quotes or proposals built from the client’s record, without retyping everything.
- Little set-up and a low price: you are a consultant, not a sales operations team.
The 7 options in detail
Bao CRM
Bao CRM connects to Notion and keeps your data in your own workspace. Its Today page lists overdue and due follow-ups each morning, the pipeline has seven stages from New to Won, and quotes are built from the prospect’s record in your currency, checked before you send them. The free plan covers 10 active prospects and unlimited quotes, with no account needed. Bao CRM is built for one person and stops at the accepted quote: it has no team features, no invoicing, no e-signature and no booking page.
HubSpot
HubSpot’s free plan covers up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with HubSpot branding on emails and chat and only a few email templates. Starter adds more pipelines, meeting links and, according to HubSpot, payments and e-signatures. It is a strong choice for a consulting firm that also does email marketing, and more than a solo consultant needs.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a sales pipeline tool first. The Lite plan covers leads, calendar and pipeline; the meeting scheduler starts on Growth and proposals and e-signatures on Premium. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
Moxie
Moxie is built for freelancers and consultants: its Starter plan already includes proposals, quotes and contracts, invoicing and payments, a sales pipeline and meeting schedulers. The client portal starts on Pro. It suits a consultant who wants to run sales and billing in one tool.
Bonsai
Bonsai’s Basic plan covers the CRM, projects, tasks and time tracking. Invoicing, proposals, contracts, scheduling and the client portal start on Essentials. A good fit for consultants who bill by the hour and track their time.
Folk
Folk is a relationship CRM: it syncs email, calendar and WhatsApp, has a LinkedIn extension and finds email addresses. It has no proposals or invoicing, and email sequences are on the Premium plan. It suits consultants who prospect through their network.
A Notion template
If you already work in Notion, a Prospects database with a pipeline view and a follow-up view can be enough for a few clients. Start from our free Notion CRM template and our Notion CRM guide. Reminders and quotes are then up to you.
How to choose a CRM as a consultant
- You work alone and your problem is follow-ups: Bao CRM, or a Notion template if you have few prospects.
- You want proposals, contracts and invoices in one tool: Moxie, or Bonsai from Essentials.
- You prospect mostly through LinkedIn and your network: Folk.
- You are a team, or you do email marketing: HubSpot or Pipedrive.
See also our comparisons of the best CRM for freelancers and the CRM for coaches.
Whatever you pick, the method matters more than the tool: a follow-up date after every exchange, and three follow-ups at most. Our follow-up email templates and our guide on how to write a quote help with both.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best CRM for consultants?
It depends on what you need around the CRM. For a solo consultant who mostly needs to track prospects, follow up on time and send clean quotes, a light CRM such as Bao CRM is enough. If you also want invoicing and contracts in the same tool, look at Moxie or Bonsai. For a consulting team with a sales process, HubSpot or Pipedrive.
Is there a free CRM for consultants?
Yes. HubSpot has a free plan for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, and Bao CRM has a free plan with 10 active prospects and unlimited quotes. Most tools built for freelancers, such as Moxie, Bonsai or Folk, only offer a trial.
Do consultants really need a CRM?
Once you have more than a handful of prospects, yes: most lost deals are simply forgotten follow-ups. A CRM tells you who to contact today and keeps the history of each conversation.
Can I use Notion as a CRM as a consultant?
Yes, with a Prospects database, a pipeline view and a follow-up view. It works well for a few clients; quotes and reminders are then up to you. Our free Notion CRM template is a good starting point.
Which CRM includes proposals and invoicing for consultants?
Moxie includes proposals, contracts and invoicing from its cheapest plan. Bonsai includes them from its Essentials plan. HubSpot adds payments and e-signatures from Starter. Bao CRM makes quotes but not invoices.