CRM & contacts

What is the best CRM for a small business using Google Workspace? Copper is built for Google Workspace teams: it tracks contacts, deals and projects inside Gmail and Google Calendar, which is the feature G2 reviewers praise most.

Copper scores 4.5 on G2 from 1,141 reviews, 4.4 on Capterra from 622, 4.3 on Trustpilot from 335, 4.7 on the App Store from 446 ratings, 4.7 on Google Play from 763 and 4.3 on the Chrome Web Store from 386. Its projects feature lets service firms carry a won deal through to delivery in the same tool, which suits agencies and consultancies.

The limit is that Copper works only with Google Workspace, with no Outlook or Microsoft 365 support. Google Play reviewers also describe the Android app as slow.

What is a personal CRM, and who needs one? A personal CRM keeps track of the people you know rather than a sales pipeline, and Dex reminds you to keep in touch by pulling contacts from LinkedIn, email and messages into one list.

Dex syncs contacts from LinkedIn, email, calendar, WhatsApp, iMessage, Facebook and Instagram, and alerts you when contacts change jobs. It works with Claude and ChatGPT through an MCP server and a ChatGPT app. It suits founders, investors, consultants, freelancers and job seekers who manage relationships alone. Its Chrome extension scores 4.8 from 82 ratings, the App Store 4.4 from 261 and Google Play 3.6 from 284, where reviewers report bugs. Trustpilot shows 3.8 from 6 reviews, Product Hunt 5.0 from 5 and Capterra 5.0 from 3.

Copper vs Dex: which costs less? Dex is cheaper, from $12 a month on annual billing against $23 a seat for Copper Basic, but the two do different jobs.

Prices from each maker, in US dollars: - Dex Premium: $20 a month, $16 quarterly or $12 billed yearly, with LinkedIn sync up to 2,500 connections - Dex Professional: $34 a month, $27 quarterly or $20 billed yearly, with LinkedIn sync up to 9,000 connections, Outlook and mail merge - Dex Team: $40 per user a month, arranged with sales, with CRM integrations - Copper Basic: $29 a seat a month, or $23 billed yearly, for up to 2,500 contacts - Copper Professional: $69 a seat a month, or $59 billed yearly, for up to 15,000 contacts and workflow automation - Copper Business: $134 a seat a month, or $99 billed yearly, for unlimited contacts and custom reports

Copper's Basic plan leaves out workflow automation and reporting, and a Trustpilot reviewer points out that custom reports need the Business plan. Copper charges per seat, which adds up as a team grows.

Is there a free CRM? Neither Copper nor Dex has a free plan, but both offer a trial: 14 days on Copper with no card needed, and 7 days on Dex with a card.

Copper's trial is the easier one to start, since nothing is charged unless you choose a plan. Dex's trial needs a card, so it converts unless cancelled. Neither maker lists a free tier.

How do you pay less for a CRM? Annual billing saves up to 26% on Copper and up to 40% on Dex, and Dex halves its price for students.

Dex gives students 50% off for one year and MBA students 50% off for two years with a school email, and non-profits can contact support. Copper lists no student or non-profit discount, but annual billing cuts its Business plan from $134 to $99 per seat a month. Dex also offers quarterly billing as a middle option. Both price in US dollars: Copper's prices exclude taxes, and Dex doesn't mention VAT. Dex hosts data in the US.