ACT! CRM review 2026

TechRadar Verdict

ACT! CRM offers a comprehensive solution for small to medium-sized businesses, combining traditional contact management strengths with modern marketing automation. Its flexibility and customization options make it a solid choice, despite a somewhat dated interface.

Pros

• +Extensive customization options
• +Integrated marketing automation features
• +Flexible deployment options

Cons

• -Dated user interface
• -Steeper learning curve
• -Limited scalability for large enterprises

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Jump To:

• Features
• Ease of use
• Integrations
• Support
• Pricing
• Summary

ACT! CRM, launched in 1987, is one of the oldest names in customer relationship management. It offers tools for small and medium businesses to manage customers, sales, and marketing. Interestingly, ACT! provides cloud and on-premises options, catering to both productivity- and security-focused businesses.

In my review, I found ACT! CRM to be a lot more than just a CRM platform. Like a few other small business platforms, it includes features for automating sales, marketing, and customer service. It also gives a complete view of customer interactions, helping businesses track data, manage sales, and run targeted campaigns.

Flexibility is a key advantage of ACT!. The platform allows rigorous customization to fit specific business needs. Its adaptability, along with its solid reputation, makes this a top choice for small and medium-sized businesses.

ACT! CRM core capabilities

ACT! CRM has a long-standing reputation as a leading contact management tool. Its records are very detailed, allowing users to store information like notes, documents, and interaction history in one place.

Lead management is strong, helping users track potential sales from initial contact to closure. The customizable sales process allows businesses to align stages with their unique sales methods, benefiting companies with specific workflows. A visual sales pipeline view helps users project revenue, adjust strategies, and prioritize efforts. Contextually-relevant metrics provide quick insights into pipeline health, aiding sales managers in making informed decisions.

For sales forecasting, ACT! has solid functionality, though it may lack the depth of some enterprise CRMs. Users can create forecasts based on opportunity data, closure probability, and historical performance. This suffices for most small to medium businesses, though more complex needs may find it limiting.

Reporting has improved significantly. ACT! Insight offers interactive dashboards for individual, team, and business performance metrics. The range of over 50 pre-configured reports covers sales, marketing, and business health KPIs. Users can also create custom reports, providing deeper data insights.

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