Every CRM on this site gets the same client, the same eight steps and the same scorecard. The test starts when the client sends an inquiry and ends when the second invoice is paid and the deal shows up in the month’s revenue. Each guide shows which plan every step needs, according to the vendor’s own pages, and what that plan costs. A hands-on run of the same eight steps measures the rest of the score.
The test client
Juniper Lane Bakery is fictional. Dana Reyes, the owner, wants three 30-second social videos for her second shop opening, with a budget of $2,000 to $3,000 and a three-week deadline. The job is small and ordinary on purpose. Most freelancers quote work like it every week.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-second social edit | 3 | $600 | $1,800 |
| Captions and thumbnails | 1 | $300 | $300 |
| Raw footage review and selects | 1 | $300 | $300 |
| Extra 15-second cutdown (optional, client’s choice) | 1 | $150 | $150 |
The proposal totals $2,400 before the optional item, with a 50% deposit. Dana declines the optional cutdown, so both invoices come to $1,200.
The eight steps
On a hands-on run, each step passes, partly passes or fails against the line marked Pass. On paper, each guide names the lowest plan whose own pages list what the step needs, with a link to that page and the date it was read.
Juniper Lane Bakery (fictional) · Launch package: three 30-second social videos for a second shop opening · $2,400, 50% deposit
Inquiry
Dana fills in the CRM's own web form: name, email, job, budget, deadline.
Pass The lead appears in the pipeline with all five fields, with no retyping.
Reply and booking
An automatic reply goes out with a booking link. Dana books a 20-minute call.
Pass Reply sent within 5 minutes, call booked through the CRM's own scheduler, and the call shows on the lead.
Proposal
Send the three-line proposal, $2,400, with the $150 cutdown as an optional item.
Pass Built from a saved template, and Dana can tick or untick the optional item herself.
Contract
Dana signs the contract on her phone.
Pass E-signature inside the CRM, with the signed copy saved to the lead.
Deposit
A 50% deposit invoice for $1,200 is paid by card in test mode.
Pass Invoice created from the accepted proposal, and the payment is recorded with no manual entry.
Kickoff
Turn the won deal into a project. Dana gets a link to upload footage and see the schedule.
Pass Project created from the deal without retyping. Dana gets in with no account, or one magic link.
Final invoice
The remaining $1,200 is invoiced on delivery and paid by card in test mode.
Pass Sent automatically or in one click from the payment schedule.
Close-out
Mark the deal won. Dana gets a receipt. Check the month's revenue report.
Pass Deal closed at $2,400, receipt sent, and the report shows both payments.
What a hands-on run measures
Two clocks run. Setup time starts at a brand-new account and stops when the bench is ready for step 1: the inquiry form live, proposal and contract templates saved, test payments connected. Bench time starts when Dana’s inquiry arrives and stops at close-out. Setup time is scored. Bench time is shown so you can see where a CRM slows you down. Payments run in the vendor’s test mode.
The scorecard
Six criteria, with weights fixed before any CRM was scored. The code computes every score from these weights and the measurements, so a score is never typed in by hand. A CRM with any criterion still unmeasured shows “Not scored” rather than an estimate. No CRM on the site has had its hands-on run yet, so none has an overall score and every ranking is unranked.
- Inquiry to proposal to contract 25%
Test steps 1 to 4 each score pass 2, partial 1, fail 0. Points out of 8, scaled to 10.
- Payments and invoicing 20%
Test steps 5, 7 and 8 each score pass 2, partial 1, fail 0. Points out of 6, scaled to 10.
- Price at 1, 3 and 5 seats 20%
Average monthly cost per seat at 1, 3 and 5 seats, on the cheapest plan that completed the test (billed yearly where the vendor offers it; a bigger plan is used where the test plan can't hold the seats). $10 a seat or less scores 10, $100 a seat or more scores 0, on a log scale between: score = 10 × log10(100 ÷ cost per seat). Computed from the vendor prices in the pricing tracker.
- Setup time 15%
Minutes on the clock from a new account to a bench ready for step 1: inquiry form live, proposal and contract templates saved, test payments connected. 30 minutes or less scores 10, 240 minutes or more scores 0, straight line between.
- Client experience (portal, forms, emails) 10%
Step 6 scores pass 2, partial 1, fail 0, plus 2 points for each client-side check passed. Points out of 10.
- Support and docs 10%
Eight setup questions, one per test step, looked up in the vendor's own help docs: 1 point per question answered there. Plus one support ticket sent through the vendor's own channel: a useful answer within 4 hours scores 2, within 24 hours 1, later 0. Points out of 10.
Which plan gets tested
The test uses the cheapest plan whose own pages cover all eight steps. If a step needs a higher plan, the guide names that plan and its price. For seat counts a plan can’t hold, prices use the next plan that can.
Where prices come from
Every price, plan limit, seat rule and trial length comes from the vendor’s own pricing or help pages. Each one links to its source and shows the date it was read. They’re re-read at least every 30 days. If a page can’t be read, the site says the number wasn’t read instead of printing one from memory.
Money and disclosure
The CRM Bench has no affiliate links, sponsors or ads. If that changes, every page with a paid link will say so in one sentence above the first link, and the scorecard will still set the order. Where I recommend a company I have a tie to, the disclosure sits in the same box as the recommendation.
Corrections
Found a price that changed, or a step that works differently now? Email corrections@thecrmbench.com. I fix the page, then add a dated line to its update log saying what was wrong.