A simple CRM that starts with a working pipeline

A simple CRM is one your team keeps updating because there is little to learn and nothing to configure before the first deal. Customermates gets there with a small data model that starts with contacts, organizations, deals, services and tasks, plus a deal pipeline that exists the moment you create the workspace. It suits small client-facing teams such as consultants, agencies and founders, and it costs €12 per user per month on Starter.

Simple also means some things are missing on purpose. The limits are listed further down, so you can rule Customermates out quickly if you need them.

What a new workspace already contains

Most "simple CRM" pages promise a short setup. Here is what you actually find after sign-up, before you change anything. Each item is a Single choice field, so you can rename options, add new ones or delete the field. None of them is fixed: tasks, for example, have no status of their own beyond this starting field.

The percentages are win probabilities. They drive a deterministic weighted value per deal and a weighted pipeline total; they are stage weights you set, not a prediction. You adjust them as Probability % on the Stage field in Configure, which needs the Admin role or Edit on the Data model row.

What else keeps the setup short:

• Your own words for records. In Configure you rename any list freely, for example Clients instead of Contacts, Projects or Jobs instead of Deals, Follow-ups instead of Tasks, and you can add lists of your own. Records and relationships stay connected.
• One list surface for everything. Every list opens as a table or a board, with search, filters, grouping and sorting under the same toolbar. See records in the app.
• Views remember your setup. Filters, sort, layout, grouping and columns save together as a named view that appears as a chip. Changes stay temporary until you save them to the view. Views are personal to their creator, so each person keeps their own.

Which plan you need

A three-person team on Starter pays €36 per month. The same team on Pro pays €87 per month. Billing is monthly; every cloud plan includes monthly hosted AI credits per active user for Mate, see pricing. The 7-day trial runs on Pro and needs no credit card.

Set it up in one sitting

1. Create the workspace

   Sign up and enter your name and country in the profile step, the only required step of the onboarding wizard. The Knowledge Base, team invite and AI client steps can be skipped and done later.

2. Rename to match your business

   Open Configure, rename the lists your team calls differently under General, and edit the Stage options and probabilities on Deals if your sales steps differ. A consultancy might use Projects with the stages Enquiry, Scoping, Proposal sent, Won and Lost.

3. Import one record type

   Use More actions › Add from file on the contacts list and map the spreadsheet columns to fields. The wizard reads .xlsx workbooks, not CSV, so save other spreadsheet formats as .xlsx first. Import organizations before contacts and deals, so the links can match by name. Our Excel CRM template guide shows a sheet layout that maps cleanly.

4. Add the one field you will miss

   Tasks have no built-in due date. If you work with follow-up dates, add a Date field such as "Next step" to deals or tasks in Configure with Add › Field, then save a view sorted by it.

5. Invite the team

   Send invitations from Settings › Members. New members wait for approval until an Admin, or a member whose role can manage users, assigns a role and sets them to active.

What this simple CRM leaves out

Automation exists, but it lives in two separate places. In Customermates Cloud, Routines run a saved instruction through Mate on a schedule or when a record changes, using hosted AI credits. A routine runs as its owner and sees what that owner sees. For rule-based flows you connect an n8n instance you run or subscribe to separately, through webhooks, the REST API or the community node.

If your team depends on push reminders on a phone, or wants a free plan for good, one of the tools below is likely a better start.

When another simple CRM fits better

Customermates publishes this page. The table describes each tool by what its vendor states, so you can compare fit. Competitor details were checked on 8 October 2026 against Less Annoying CRM pricing, OnePageCRM pricing, CentralStationCRM prices and HubSpot CRM.

How it connects when you need more

The simple start does not lock anything away. The REST API and webhooks are on every plan, and your own AI client (Claude, ChatGPT and others) can read and update records through MCP. In Customermates Cloud, Mate prepares summaries and reply drafts and uses hosted AI credits. The cloud database is configured in the AWS Frankfurt region; the subprocessors page lists the providers involved, including US ones, and a DPA is available.

Frequently asked questions