Best Software for Small Businesses: Payments, CRM, Invoicing and Projects

You do not need dozens of apps to run a small business. You need a few that cover taking money, tracking customers, invoicing and keeping work organized, and that connect to each other. This guide covers our five picks. We avoid quoting prices because plans and fees change, so check each vendor.

Payments: Square

Square combines card readers, point of sale, invoices and online checkout in one account, with a free entry plan where you pay per transaction. It is quick to set up and well suited to shops, service businesses and market sellers. Watch transaction fees as volume grows, and read the terms on held funds.

Customer tracking: HubSpot CRM and Pipedrive

HubSpot offers a free CRM with a large ecosystem, which makes it a sensible first CRM, though paid tiers can become expensive as you add modules. Pipedrive centers on a visual sales pipeline and is simple for sales-led teams, but has no free plan.

Invoicing: FreshBooks

FreshBooks covers invoices, expenses and time tracking in an interface built for people who are not accountants. Lower plans limit the number of billable clients, so check the limits for your size.

Projects: monday.com

monday.com gives teams flexible boards for tasks, calendars and client work, with templates to start fast. Paid plans have seat minimums, so it suits teams of a few people and up better than solo operators.

How to combine them

Start with payments and invoicing, add a CRM once you have repeat customers, and bring in project management when more than one person touches the work. Choose tools that integrate with each other and with your accounting.

Our verdict

Square for payments, HubSpot for a free CRM or Pipedrive for a sales pipeline, FreshBooks for invoicing and monday.com for projects cover the essentials for most small businesses.