These three CRMs all target small and midsize B2B sales teams, but each optimizes for a different pain point. Nutshell bundles CRM, email marketing, and sales…
Subscription · From $13/user/month (billed annually)
Best for: Small and midsize B2B sales and marketing teams that want CRM, email marketing automation, and sales engagement combined in one subscription rather than separate tools.
Per-user monthly or annual subscription · From $29/user/month (Growth plan, billed annually)
Best for: Small B2B teams, agencies, and startups that want a CRM that keeps itself updated automatically from Gmail, Outlook, LinkedIn, and phone activity instead of relying on manual logging.
subscription · From $19 per user per month (Sell Team, billed annually)
Best for: Field sales teams that need a strongly rated mobile app with geolocation, especially companies already using Zendesk Support that want shared customer context between sales and support.
At a Glance
Nutshell
Salesflare
Zendesk Sell
Primary category
CRM
CRM
CRM
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Subscription
Per-user monthly or annual subscription
subscription
Starting price
$13/user/month (billed annually)
$29/user/month (Growth plan, billed annually)
$19 per user per month (Sell Team, billed annually)
Free plan
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
Web, iOS, Android
iOS, Android
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Yes
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Standout Differences
Entry pricing favors Nutshell and Zendesk Sell
Nutshell starts at $13 per user per month and Zendesk Sell at $19 per user per month, both undercutting Salesflare's $29 per user per month entry price for its Growth plan.
Nutshell, Salesflare, Zendesk Sell
Salesflare is built around automatic data capture
Salesflare's defining feature is automatically logging emails, meetings, calls, and LinkedIn activity without manual input, a level of automatic capture that goes further than Nutshell's email tracking or Zendesk Sell's Gmail/Outlook sync.
Salesflare, Nutshell, Zendesk Sell
Nutshell is the only one with bundled email marketing
Nutshell's optional Marketing Pro add-on layers email campaigns, landing pages, and drip sequences onto the same contact and deal data as the CRM, a combined marketing-plus-CRM feature not documented for Salesflare or Zendesk Sell.
Nutshell
Salesflare includes native LinkedIn prospecting on every plan
Salesflare connects with personal LinkedIn and LinkedIn Sales Navigator through a Chrome extension on all of its tiers, a feature not documented for Nutshell or Zendesk Sell.
Salesflare
Zendesk Sell stands out for field sales and Zendesk data sharing
Zendesk Sell's mobile app is highlighted for geolocation features that surface nearby prospects, and it can pull in a prospect's Zendesk Support ticket history, neither of which is documented for Nutshell or Salesflare.
Zendesk Sell
Feature-by-Feature
Data Capture and Automation
Feature
Nutshell
Salesflare
Zendesk Sell
Automatic activity capture across email, calls, and LinkedIn
Limited
Available
Limited
Native LinkedIn/Sales Navigator integration
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Automated multi-step outreach sequences
Available
Limited
Available
Marketing and AI
Feature
Nutshell
Salesflare
Zendesk Sell
Built-in email marketing campaigns and drip sequences
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
AI-generated call/email summaries and coaching insights
Available
Unavailable
Unavailable
Reporting and Mobile
Feature
Nutshell
Salesflare
Zendesk Sell
Prebuilt reporting dashboards
Available
Available
Available
Mobile app with geolocation for nearby prospects
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Nutshell
Foundation — $13/user/month billed annually ($19/user/month billed monthly) Monthly or annual
Growth — $25/user/month Annual
Pro — $42/user/month Annual
Business — $59/user/month Annual
Enterprise — $79/user/month Annual
Marketing Pro (add-on) — $49/company/month Monthly
Engagement Pro (add-on) — $16/user/month Monthly
Nutshell IQ (add-on) — $37/company/month for 100 credits Monthly
Salesflare
Growth — $29/user/month (annual) or $39/user/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Pro — $49/user/month (annual) or $64/user/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Enterprise — $99/user/month (annual) or $124/user/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Zendesk Sell
Sell Team — $19 per user per month annually ($25 monthly) annual or monthly
Sell Growth — $55 per user per month annually ($69 monthly) annual or monthly
Sell Professional — $115 per user per month annually ($149 monthly) annual or monthly
Sell Enterprise — Around $169 per user per month annual
Pros & Cons
Nutshell
Pros
Fast to set up and easy for non-technical sales reps to learn compared with enterprise CRMs.
Combines CRM, email marketing, and sales engagement in one subscription rather than requiring separate tools.
Multiple pipeline visualizations, including a map view, help territory-based sales teams.
Responsive customer support with free data migration and guided onboarding on most plans.
Transparent, predictable per-user pricing with five tiers to grow into.
Cons
Advanced marketing automation and AI insights are sold as paid add-ons rather than included at every tier.
Reporting and customization are less deep than enterprise-grade CRMs such as Salesforce.
Higher-tier plans (Business and Enterprise) can get expensive for very small teams.
Some users report a learning curve when configuring multi-step sales automation.
Third-party integration marketplace is smaller than larger CRM competitors.
Salesflare
Pros
Heavy automation reduces manual CRM data entry for small sales teams
Native LinkedIn and Sales Navigator integration included on all plans
Relationship intelligence highlights deals at risk based on real activity
Straightforward, transparent per-user pricing with a 30-day free trial
Lean, product-focused company known for direct customer feedback loops
Cons
Enterprise plan requires a five-user minimum, raising the entry cost for larger teams
Smaller ecosystem and brand recognition compared to CRMs like HubSpot or Salesforce
Less configurable for complex, multi-department enterprise sales processes
Email finder lead credits are a separate add-on cost
Best suited to email-centric B2B sales motions rather than all industries
Zendesk Sell
Pros
Strong, highly rated mobile app for field sales teams
Straightforward, activity-focused CRM that's easier to set up than heavier enterprise platforms
Native email tracking and sequences reduce manual data entry
Can share customer data with Zendesk Support for full context
Prebuilt dashboards give quick visibility without custom report building
Cons
Per-seat pricing climbs quickly for teams needing Professional or Enterprise features
Fewer deep sales-engagement features than dedicated sales engagement platforms
Enterprise-tier pricing requires higher spend for advanced customization
Less brand recognition as a standalone CRM compared to Zendesk's support product
Use Cases
Choose Nutshell: Small and midsize B2B sales and marketing teams that want CRM, email marketing automation, and sales engagement combined in one subscription rather than separate tools.
Choose Salesflare: Small B2B teams, agencies, and startups that want a CRM that keeps itself updated automatically from Gmail, Outlook, LinkedIn, and phone activity instead of relying on manual logging.
Choose Zendesk Sell: Field sales teams that need a strongly rated mobile app with geolocation, especially companies already using Zendesk Support that want shared customer context between sales and support.
Nutshell
Small business sales pipeline management — Sales teams of 2-50 reps use Nutshell to track leads through a visual pipeline, automate follow-up tasks, and forecast revenue without a dedicated CRM administrator.
Combined CRM and email marketing — Marketing and sales teams that want to manage contacts, deals, and email campaigns in one system add Marketing Pro to run newsletters and drip sequences directly from CRM contact data.
Territory-based field sales — Field sales organizations use Nutshell's map view to plot prospects and customers geographically and plan efficient in-person visit routes.
Salesflare
Small B2B sales team pipeline management — Small B2B teams use Salesflare's automated pipeline and activity tracking to manage deals without manual logging.
LinkedIn-driven prospecting — Sales reps use the native LinkedIn integration to prospect and sync contact data directly from LinkedIn profiles.
Startup sales operations — Startups adopt Salesflare for a low-maintenance CRM that keeps data current automatically as the team grows.
Zendesk Sell
Pipeline-driven B2B sales — A sales team tracks deals through a customizable pipeline and uses forecasting to plan quarterly targets.
Field sales management — Reps use the mobile app with geolocation to log visits, update deals, and check nearby prospects while traveling.
Support-to-sales visibility — A company running both Zendesk Support and Sell gives sales reps access to a prospect's support ticket history before a renewal conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these three CRMs is cheapest to start with?
Nutshell has the lowest entry price at $13 per user per month billed annually, followed by Zendesk Sell at $19 per user per month. Salesflare's Growth plan starts higher at $29 per user per month.
Which CRM requires the least manual data entry?
Salesflare, whose core design automatically captures emails, meetings, calls, and LinkedIn activity without manual logging. Nutshell offers email tracking and Zendesk Sell syncs with Gmail and Outlook, but neither documents the same breadth of automatic multi-channel capture.
Does any of these include email marketing automation built in?
Only Nutshell, through its optional Marketing Pro add-on, which adds email campaigns, drip sequences, and landing pages that share the same contact and deal data as the CRM.
Which has the best mobile app for field sales reps?
Zendesk Sell's mobile app is specifically highlighted for geolocation features that let reps see nearby prospects while traveling, a capability not documented for Nutshell or Salesflare.
Are there minimum seat requirements on any of these?
Yes. Salesflare's Enterprise plan requires a minimum of five users. Nutshell and Zendesk Sell do not document a minimum seat requirement, though Zendesk Sell's entry Sell Team plan caps out at 3 paid users.
Can these CRMs integrate with Gmail and Outlook?
Yes, all three sync with Gmail and Outlook. Salesflare and Zendesk Sell use this sync to automatically log email activity, while Nutshell also supports two-way sync with Google Workspace and Microsoft Outlook.