Quick Summary
- Pricing
- Free tier available · from $29.00/mo
- Pricing Model
- per user/month
- Category
- CRM
- Founded
- 2009
- Best For
- Modern CRM with project management and marketing automation
- Top Features
-
- Pipeline View
- Sales Forecasting
- Document Mgmt
- Calendar Sync
- Mobile App
- Integrations
-
Gmail Outlook Slack Zapier QuickBooks
About Insightly
Insightly is a unified CRM platform founded in 2009 that combines contact and pipeline management with built-in project delivery and marketing automation. Its architecture links CRM records directly to post-sale projects, letting teams track deals through close and into onboarding or fulfillment without switching tools. The platform offers kanban boards and Gantt chart views for visual pipeline and project tracking, a drag-and-drop workflow automation engine, and native integrations with Gmail, Outlook, Slack, QuickBooks, and Zapier. Insightly's object-based data model supports custom objects, calculated fields, and relationship linking, giving mid-market teams flexibility typically reserved for enterprise CRMs. The mobile app provides full record access, business card scanning, and voice notes. In 2026, Insightly continues to invest in its AppConnect integration middleware and expanded reporting dashboards, positioning itself as a serious alternative to Salesforce Essentials and HubSpot CRM for companies that need CRM-to-project continuity. A free tier supports up to two users, while paid plans start at $29 per user per month.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unified CRM-to-project pipeline eliminates handoff gaps between sales and delivery teams
- Kanban and Gantt views included on paid plans, avoiding add-on costs common with competitors
- Native Gmail, Outlook, and Slack integrations reduce context-switching for daily workflows
- Free tier available for up to two users, useful for solopreneurs validating CRM fit before committing
- Custom objects and relationship linking offer Salesforce-level data modeling at a fraction of the cost
- Zapier and AppConnect middleware support 2,000+ third-party integrations without custom development
Cons
- No native time tracking — teams billing by the hour need a separate tool like Harvest or Toggl
- No built-in AI assistant for lead scoring or email drafting, lagging behind HubSpot and Freshsales in 2026
- Free plan limited to two users with restricted storage, making it impractical for teams beyond proof-of-concept
- Marketing automation requires the separate Insightly Marketing add-on, increasing total cost for full-funnel teams
- Reporting and dashboards on the Plus plan ($29/user/month) are basic — advanced analytics require Professional ($49) or Enterprise ($99)
Expert Verdict
“Insightly is a strong buy for small and mid-market teams that need CRM and project management in one platform without stitching together Salesforce plus Asana. Its built-in project delivery pipeline is a genuine differentiator against HubSpot CRM and Zoho CRM, which treat post-sale work as an afterthought. Skip it if you need native time tracking, a built-in AI assistant, or deep marketing automation — tools like HubSpot or Freshsales cover those better at similar price points.”
— AppSage Editorial Team
Feature Checklist
- Pipeline View
- Available
- Sales Forecasting
- Available
- Email Tracking
- Not available
- Document Mgmt
- Available
- Calendar Sync
- Available
- Mobile App
- Available
- Sales Automation
- Available
- AI Assistant
- Not available
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Insightly's free plan actually include, and where are the limits?
Insightly's free tier supports up to two users with basic contact management, up to 2,500 records, and 10 mass emails per day. It lacks workflow automation, custom dashboards, and role-based permissions. It's viable for a solo founder testing CRM fit but too restrictive for any real team workflow.
How does Insightly compare to HubSpot CRM for small businesses in 2026?
Insightly's core advantage is its built-in project management — kanban boards and Gantt charts are native, so you can track a deal through close and into onboarding in one system. HubSpot CRM offers a more generous free tier (up to 5 users, 1 million contacts) and includes an AI assistant, but requires separate tools like Asana or Monday.com for post-sale project work. If your workflow ends at deal close, HubSpot wins on ecosystem. If you need CRM-to-delivery continuity, Insightly is the better fit.
What are the actual pricing tiers and what do you get at each level?
Insightly CRM offers three paid tiers billed per user per month: Plus at $29 (basic automation, custom fields, email templates), Professional at $49 (workflow automation, custom page layouts, lead assignment rules, complete email scheduling), and Enterprise at $99 (custom validation rules, unlimited custom objects, advanced permissions, and lambda functions for custom logic). Marketing automation is a separate product starting at $99/month flat, not per user.
Can Insightly replace dedicated project management tools like Asana or Monday.com?
For post-sale project delivery — onboarding, implementation, fulfillment — Insightly's project features are sufficient. It offers kanban boards, Gantt charts, milestones, and task dependencies linked directly to CRM records. However, it lacks time tracking, resource workload views, and the depth of templates that Asana or Monday.com provide. Teams running complex multi-project portfolios will outgrow it; teams needing simple client delivery workflows will find it eliminates a separate tool entirely.
Does Insightly integrate with accounting and invoicing software?
Insightly has a native QuickBooks Online integration that syncs contacts, invoices, and payment status bi-directionally. For Xero, FreshBooks, or other accounting tools, you'll need Zapier or Insightly's AppConnect middleware. AppConnect supports pre-built connectors for 500+ apps, but it's an additional cost on top of CRM licensing — typically starting around $249/month for the base AppConnect tier.
What are Insightly's API and record limits that could affect scaling?
Insightly's Plus plan supports up to 100,000 records and 2,500 mass emails per day. Professional bumps this to 250,000 records and 5,000 daily emails. Enterprise offers unlimited records and 10,000 daily emails. API rate limits are 10 requests per second on Plus, 40 on Professional, and 80 on Enterprise. Teams with over 500,000 contacts or heavy API automation should evaluate Enterprise tier costs carefully against Salesforce or Zoho pricing.
Is Insightly a good fit for teams that also need marketing automation?
Insightly offers a separate Marketing product with journey builders, lead scoring, and landing pages, but it starts at $99/month on top of CRM costs. Unlike HubSpot, which bundles CRM and marketing in a single interface, Insightly keeps them as distinct products sharing the same database. The benefit is clean CRM data flowing into campaigns; the downside is added cost and a second interface to manage. For budget-conscious teams under 10 users, HubSpot's free CRM plus Starter marketing bundle is usually cheaper than Insightly CRM plus Insightly Marketing.
What features does Insightly free plan include in 2026?
Insightly's free plan supports up to 2 users with 2,500 records, 10 custom fields, and basic project management features including task management, milestones, and a pipeline view. You also get email integration and limited reporting. The free plan is suited for freelancers or very small teams testing CRM + project management workflows. For more users, records, and automation, the Plus plan starts at $29/user/month.
What features are included in Insightly's free plan in 2026?
Insightly's free plan supports up to 2 users and includes basic contact management, project management, and up to 2,500 records. It lacks email integration, workflow automation, and custom dashboards — those require the Plus plan at $29/user/month. The free plan is a good starting point for solopreneurs tracking a small number of contacts.
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