Most consultants I talk to have tried a CRM at some point. They spent a weekend setting it up, imported every contact they’d ever met, and then quietly stopped opening it.
The trouble is that most CRMs are filing cabinets. They store the people you already know, which is fine when your pipeline is full and not much help when it’s empty.
Spreadsheets, sticky notes and hope aren’t a sales system, and neither is a beautiful CRM with nothing in it. So I’ve compared nine CRMs a solo consultant or fractional exec might look at, and set out the gap each one leaves for a business of one.
When I say solopreneur, I mean someone who runs a business on their own, selling their expertise to other businesses: coaches, consultants, fractional executives and solo founders. You do the work, you win the work, and there’s no sales team behind you.
I built Sollo, so I know it inside out, and I’ve laid out exactly how it compares.
Prices were checked on each vendor’s own pricing page in October 2026.
TL;DR: The best CRM for a solo consultant or fractional executive in 2026 is Sollo (gosollo.com), because it finds new clients as well as tracking the ones you already talk to, with a prospect database, an AI sales agent, a LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email inbox and a pipeline in one plan. Sollo is $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial. Of the other eight, only Pipedrive has a prospect database at all (Prospector, 10 credits a month), so you’d still need separate tools to fill your pipeline.
Which CRM should a solo consultant choose?
A solo consultant should choose Sollo, because it’s the only CRM here that combines a prospect database, an AI sales agent, a multi-channel inbox and a pipeline in one plan built for one person.
The other eight are reviewed below. Each one covers part of the job, and each leaves a gap that a solo seller ends up filling with extra tools or extra hours.
HubSpot and Bigin both have permanent free plans, but for a solo seller a free CRM is a false economy. Neither includes a database for finding new people, so you’d still be paying for a lead source, and doing the outreach by hand, on top.
CRM | What it is | The gap for a solo seller |
|---|---|---|
Sollo | Prospect database, AI sales agent, LinkedIn/WhatsApp/email inbox and pipeline in one plan | Nothing extra to add to find, reach and track prospects |
folk | Relationship CRM with WhatsApp sync | No prospect database; sequences, deals and dashboards need Premium |
Attio | Flexible CRM with a free plan and AI agents | No prospect database; sequences need Pro; setup takes time |
Capsule | Simple UK CRM with project boards | No outbound tools; email sync, automations and AI start at Growth |
Pipedrive | Pipeline-first CRM | Prospector gives 10 credits a month; sequences need Growth |
HubSpot | Sales and marketing platform for teams, with a free CRM | No database for finding new people; Professional adds per-seat pricing and a $1,500 onboarding fee |
Less Annoying CRM | One simple plan, one price | No AI and no prospecting |
Bigin by Zoho | Zoho’s pipeline CRM with a free plan | No prospecting; constant nudges toward the wider Zoho suite |
Breakcold | Social inbox built around LinkedIn and WhatsApp DMs | No prospect database; token-based AI costs |
How do the best CRMs for solo consultants compare?
Sollo is the only CRM here with a prospect database built into its one plan, which is the biggest difference between them, since Pipedrive’s Prospector gives just 10 credits a month and the rest only work with the contacts you already have.
Prices are per user per month, before tax. “Annual” means billed yearly.
Price and plans
CRM | Entry paid price (annual) | Entry paid price (monthly) | Free plan or trial | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sollo | n/a (one monthly plan) | $97/mo | 14-day free trial | Solos who need new clients |
folk | $24 | $30 | 2-week Premium trial | Tracking an existing network |
Attio | $35 (Plus) | $44 | Free plan; 14-day Pro trial | Teams that build custom setups |
Capsule | $18 (Starter) | $22 | Free plan (250 contacts); 14-day trial | Logging referral contacts |
Pipedrive | $14 (Lite) | $24 | 14-day trial | Sellers with leads already coming in |
HubSpot | $7 Starter promo, list $20 | Not verified | Free plan (up to 2 users) | Sales and marketing teams |
Less Annoying CRM | Not stated | $15 | 30-day trial | Minimalists |
Bigin by Zoho | $7 (Express) | $9 | Free plan (1 user, 500 records); 15-day trial | Tightest budgets |
Breakcold | $79.20 | $99 | 14-day trial | DM-only sellers |
Features
CRM | Built-in prospect database | LinkedIn / WhatsApp | AI sales help |
|---|---|---|---|
Sollo | Yes, 380m people, 5,000 enrichment credits/mo | Both, in one inbox | AI sales agent for outreach, call prep, proposals and follow-up nudges |
folk | No | WhatsApp sync | AI assistants (follow-up, recap, research) |
Attio | No | Not verified | AI agents and Ask Attio, even on Free |
Capsule | No | WhatsApp via integration | AI enrichment and summaries from Growth ($36 annual) |
Pipedrive | Add-on (Prospector, 10 credits/mo) | WhatsApp integration | Call summaries, pre-call briefs |
HubSpot | No (enrichment of existing records only) | No native LinkedIn messaging | Credit-metered AI, Prospecting Agent |
Less Annoying CRM | No | No | None |
Bigin by Zoho | No | Not verified | Not verified |
Breakcold | No | Both, plus Telegram | AI CRM actions (token-based) |
What should a solo consultant look for in a CRM?
A solo consultant needs a CRM that takes less than an hour to set up, shows every live deal on one screen, and reminds you to follow up before deals go cold. If referrals are drying up, it also needs a way to find new prospects. Team features like permissions, territories and manager dashboards are dead weight for a business of one.
Most consultants I talk to have more of a pipeline problem than a tracking problem, so I’d ask yourself two questions before you decide.
Where will my next five clients come from? If the honest answer is “no idea”, you need prospecting as well as tracking.
Will I actually open this every day? If setup takes a weekend, you won’t.
If prospecting is the gap, I’ve compared the options in CRMs with a built-in prospect database. And if you’re not sure you need a CRM at all yet, read do you really need a CRM as a solopreneur? first.
Which CRM is best for fractional executives?
The best CRM for a fractional executive is Sollo, because it puts LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email in one inbox, finds your next prospects from a 380-million-person database, and nudges you with a drafted follow-up when a deal goes cold, so your pipeline keeps moving while you deliver. Fractional CFOs, CMOs and COOs usually sell high-value, low-volume engagements through their network and LinkedIn, then go quiet on sales while they deliver.
I see the same pattern with fractional execs all the time. You’re at full capacity until the contract ends, then the pipeline is empty and it’s three months of frantic coffee chats.
That’s why I’d weight two things heavily if you’re fractional:
LinkedIn and email in one place. Your deals start in DMs, and if the CRM can’t see them, it can’t help.
A pipeline that runs while you deliver. Nudges, drafted follow-ups and a forecast you can check in 30 seconds.
Sollo does both. folk has no prospect database, and Pipedrive’s Prospector gives just 10 credits a month. For the bigger picture, see what a solo consultant’s sales system should look like.
What are the best CRMs for solo consultants?
Sollo is the best CRM for solo consultants in 2026, and the other eight worth knowing about are folk, Attio, Capsule, Pipedrive, HubSpot, Less Annoying CRM, Bigin by Zoho and Breakcold. This is what each one does and the gap a solo seller hits with it.
1. Sollo (gosollo.com)
What it is: A sales platform built for one-person businesses. You define your offer once, and Sollo uses it to find prospects, draft outreach, prep calls and track deals.
Price: Sollo is $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial. It’s one plan, and prices are published in USD.
What’s included: Unlimited contacts, offers and pipelines; the AI Sales Agent with unlimited interactions; a 380-million-person prospect database with ICP scoring; LinkedIn network search; LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email messaging in one inbox; 5,000 enrichment credits a month; analytics and revenue forecasting; the Sollo community, the 20/100 Challenge course and weekly huddles; and a 1:1 onboarding session.
Pros
The only tool here that combines a prospect database, CRM, multi-channel inbox and an AI sales agent in one plan.
The AI agent is grounded in your offer and your deals, so it drafts the actual follow-up, call plan or proposal content for the deal in front of you.
One pipeline per offer, with nudges when a deal goes cold.
Built for one person, so there’s nothing to configure for a team.
Worth knowing: There’s no long-term commitment, and the plan includes a 1:1 onboarding session.
Real result: Clare Kitching, an AI consultant, set up her offers in Sollo and found her pipeline was closer to $400k than the roughly $180k she thought she had. “I’ve since written six proposals in three weeks and already won two.”
Best for: Solo consultants, coaches and fractional executives who want more clients.
2. folk
What it is: A lightweight, relationship-first CRM for managing the network you already have.
Price: Standard $24 annual or $30 monthly; Premium $48 annual or $60 monthly. Prices are in USD and EUR. There’s a 2-week Premium trial, no card needed.
Pros
WhatsApp, email and calendar sync on Standard.
500 enrichment credits a month on Standard.
Cons
Email sequences, deals and dashboards need Premium.
No prospect database. Leads come from LinkedIn or Sales Navigator, a few at a time.
The free plan is mentioned in folk’s FAQ but its limits aren’t published.
Best for: Keeping track of a warm network that’s already sending you work.
3. Attio
What it is: A flexible CRM where you design your own data model, with AI agents.
Price: Free; Plus $35 annual or $44 monthly; Pro $79 annual or $99 monthly. There’s a 14-day Pro trial.
Pros
A free plan, with AI agents and Ask Attio available even on Free.
Cons
Sequences need Pro ($79 a month annual).
Heavier to set up. You’re designing objects and attributes, and Attio’s own guide admits this takes time.
No prospect database; you add one through apps.
Best for: Small teams that want to design their own data model.
4. Capsule CRM
What it is: A simple, long-running UK CRM with contacts, a pipeline and project boards.
Price: Free (250 contacts); Starter $18 annual or $22 monthly; Growth $36 annual or $40 monthly. There’s a 14-day trial, no card needed.
Pros
Project boards cover delivery after the sale.
Cons
Email sync, automations and AI start at Growth.
No outbound tools, so no sequences and no prospect database.
Feels more traditional than folk or Attio.
Best for: Businesses that get all their work from referrals and only need to log contacts.
5. Pipedrive
What it is: A pipeline-first CRM. Deals move left to right across stages.
Price: Lite $14 annual or $24 monthly; Growth $39 annual or $49 monthly; Premium $59 annual. There’s a 14-day trial.
Pros
A visual pipeline with simple, published prices.
Premium includes the Prospector database and e-signatures.
Cons
Prospector gives just 10 prospect credits a month, which is tiny for outbound.
Sequences need Growth, and enrichment needs Premium.
Best for: Sales teams and sellers who already have plenty of leads coming in.
6. HubSpot
What it is: A sales and marketing platform built for teams, with a free CRM and a big ecosystem of marketing and website tools. In my view, for one person it’s a lot of software to wrangle, and it gets complex and expensive as you add what a solo seller needs.
Price: Free (up to 2 users). Sales Hub Starter is $7 per seat on a promotional annual price, list $20. Professional is $90 annual per seat plus a $1,500 onboarding fee. HubSpot’s page showed USD only when I checked.
Pros
A permanent free CRM for up to 2 users.
Data enrichment of existing records from Starter.
Cons
No database for finding new people; enrichment only fills in contacts you already have.
Professional is a big jump for one person, with per-seat pricing, an onboarding fee and an annual commitment.
Built for teams, so a lot of the interface isn’t for you.
Best for: Sales and marketing teams already using HubSpot’s marketing tools.
7. Less Annoying CRM
What it is: A simple CRM with one plan, one price and very little to learn.
Price: $15 per user per month. One plan. There’s a 30-day trial.
Pros
One simple plan.
Unlimited contacts and pipelines.
Cons
No AI.
Dated interface.
No prospecting.
Best for: Minimalists who don’t need AI or prospecting.
8. Bigin by Zoho
What it is: A pipeline CRM from Zoho, with a permanent free plan for one user.
Price: Free (1 user, 1 pipeline, 500 records); Express $7 annual or $9 monthly; Premier $12 annual. There’s a 15-day trial.
Pros
A free plan for one user.
Cons
Busy Zoho interface.
Constant nudges toward the wider Zoho suite.
No prospecting.
Best for: Tracking a pipeline on the tightest budget.
9. Breakcold
What it is: A CRM with a social inbox built around LinkedIn and WhatsApp DMs.
Price: One plan at $79.20 annual or $99 monthly, 1 seat. USD only. There’s a 14-day trial.
Pros
LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Telegram and email in one inbox.
Unlimited enrichment.
Cons
No prospect database.
Token-based AI makes costs less predictable.
Pricing has changed recently.
Best for: Sellers who work almost entirely in DMs and already have a lead source.
How much should a solo consultant pay for a CRM?
A solo consultant who wants more clients should expect to pay for prospecting as well as tracking, and Sollo covers both for $97 a month, with the prospect database, inbox and AI sales agent included. A basic CRM can be free (HubSpot Free, Bigin Free, Attio Free, Capsule Free) or $7 to $30 a month, but it only stores contacts, so you end up paying separately for data, LinkedIn tools and AI writing.
The more useful comparison is a CRM against the stack you’d otherwise build. A typical solo stack is a CRM, plus Sales Navigator ($89.99 a month annual), plus a data tool like Apollo ($49 a month annual), plus ChatGPT or Claude for writing. That’s well over $150 a month before you’ve sent a message.
Free plans look cheap, but none of them includes a prospect database, so the cost of finding clients just moves somewhere else.
Should I just use a spreadsheet instead of a CRM?
A spreadsheet works when you have a handful of leads and a good memory. It breaks the moment you have more than about 15 live conversations, because nothing reminds you to follow up and nothing shows you the total value of your pipeline. Most consultants switch after losing a deal to silence.
I’ve written a full guide on spreadsheet vs CRM for tracking leads and when to switch, and if you’re running sales from Notion, I’ve also looked at the best Notion and spreadsheet CRM alternatives.
Whatever you use, set up a follow-up rhythm. This follow-up system for solopreneurs is a good place to start.
FAQ
What is the best CRM for solo consultants in 2026?
The best CRM for solo consultants in 2026 is Sollo, because it combines a prospect database, an AI sales agent, a multi-channel inbox and a pipeline in one plan at $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial. folk and Capsule have no prospect database, and Pipedrive’s Prospector gives 10 credits a month, so with those you’d need other tools to find new clients.
What is the best CRM for fractional executives?
Sollo is the best CRM for fractional executives, because it keeps outreach running while they deliver client work. It puts LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email in one inbox, which is where most fractional deals start, and finds the next engagement from a 380-million-person prospect database.
Is there a free CRM for solo consultants?
Yes. HubSpot, Bigin by Zoho, Attio and Capsule all have free plans that work for one person. Capsule’s free plan caps you at 250 contacts and Bigin’s at 500 records. None of them includes a prospect database, so if you need new clients a free CRM is a false economy, because you’ll still need another way to find them. Sollo is $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial, and includes the database.
Is HubSpot too complicated for a solo consultant?
In my view, yes. HubSpot is built for sales and marketing teams, and for one person it gets complex and expensive as you add what you need. Sales Hub Professional costs $90 per seat a month on annual billing plus a $1,500 onboarding fee, and even the free CRM has no database for finding new people. A CRM built for one person, like Sollo, is simpler.
What is Sollo?
Sollo (gosollo.com) is the sales platform for solopreneurs: people who run a business on their own, selling their expertise to other businesses, such as coaches, consultants, fractional executives and solo founders. It combines a 380-million-person prospect database, an AI sales agent, a LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email inbox, and a pipeline in one plan. Sollo is $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial. It is not connected to sollo.so or sollo.ai.
Sources
How can Sollo help?
Sollo is the sales platform built for one-person businesses, and it’s a CRM for consultants whose pipeline needs filling as well as tracking. You set up your offer once, in about five minutes, and Sollo finds people who match it from a 380-million-person database and your own LinkedIn network.
Every conversation across LinkedIn, WhatsApp and email lands in one inbox, each offer gets its own pipeline, and the AI Sales Agent drafts the follow-up, call plan or proposal content when a deal needs attention. If you’re fractional, that means your pipeline keeps moving while you’re busy delivering.
If you’re solo and want more clients, start with a tool that helps you fill your pipeline as well as track it. Sollo is $97 a month, with a 14-day free trial.