Month: February 2022

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Microsoft Project vs monday.com: Which One is Right for You in 2023

Person in suit pointing at star ratings

Is it better to go with the familiar project management service or strike out and try something new and slick? The answer depends on your needs and approach to business. We compared Microsoft Project vs monday.com to see if modern cloud-based project management can compete with the PM software standard.

Quick Comparison: Microsoft Project vs monday.com

Key Features

Microsoft Project logo

MS Project

Monday logo

monday.com

Pricing

3/5

4/5

Team Management

4/5

3/5

Project Delivery Management

3/5

4/5

Methodology Suitability: Agile

5/5

5/5

Methodology Suitability: Waterfall

5/5

5/5

Risk Management

3/5

4/5

Reporting

3/5

5/5

Finance Management

2/5

4/5

Collaboration and Communication

2/5

5/5

Integration With Other Apps

4/5

4/5

Usability

2/5

5/5

Support

2/5

2/5

Privacy

5/5

4/5

Pros

  • Familiar
  • Powerful enterprise tools
  • Secure and reliable
  • Easy to use
  • Price scales to needs
  • Everything to manage a project in one place

Cons

  • Sharp learning curve
  • Expensive
  • Support can be difficult
  • Lacks some important business features

Overall Rating

3.5/5

★★★★★

4.5/5

★★★★★

Microsoft Project vs monday.com

Microsoft Project and Monday are similar in many respects, but they each have a different approach to project management software. To understand which offers the best project management tools for your team, we’ve compared a dozen different points, including:

  • Pricing.
  • Team management.
  • Project delivery management.
  • Methodology suitability.
  • Risk management.
  • Reporting.
  • Finance management.
  • Collaboration and communication.
  • Integration with other apps.
  • Usability.
  • Support.
  • Privacy.

monday.com has a spectrum of sleek features geared toward a small team working remotely. Microsoft Project is the project management tool in an ecosystem of apps geared toward larger companies with the resources to match. Despite the differences, one comes out ahead in the ease of assigning tasks, monitoring task progress, creating reports, and all the other challenges of managing projects. 

Pricing

The pricing structures of both project management software options is the first place their differing philosophies become apparent. 

Monday offers a typical pricing structure, with access to more features at costlier tiers. There’s a free tier that limits things to teams of two. More expensive tiers allow more users, offer a wider range of options, and can help with more complex projects. While a lot of the focus is on smaller businesses, they do offer an enterprise tier for a bigger company.

Microsoft Project offers both a cloud version and a version fully installed on-premises. However, there’s no free tier, barring a one-month trial, and it’s more expensive. Project managers might want to take advantage of human resources management but will have to pay even more to get it. 

Winner: monday.com

Monday simply offers more at a lower price.

Team Management

A modern company may work with team members around the world. As a result, project management requires the ability to track and manage work assignments remotely. Both Microsoft Project and Monday offer multiple features to help organize tasks and distribute them to different teams.

With Monday, the primary tool to track tasks is the weekly task board, shared with your team and with each task assigned to a person. Time tracking is also available to higher tiers.

MS Project follows a more traditional approach, offering options for using Gantt charts and WBS. Of more interest to a larger business might be the features for human resources management.

Winner: Microsoft Project

MS Project offers important features from the get-go, including having features for HR.

Project Delivery Management

The only thing more complicated than project management is managing multiple projects. Options to organize project delivery and project portfolio management are extremely helpful.

Project scheduling and managing team resources are both areas where Microsoft Project shines. They allow you to use milestones to track progress and offer features to track budget and manage risk.

Monday offers some of the same project management software features, though with a focus on team communication. Tools allow you to track the progress of teams in a way everyone can see. It lacks some tools for managing a company’s overall portfolio, however.

Winner: monday.com

Monday offers many of the same tools for a lower price.

Methodology Suitability

Project management methodologies like Waterfall and Agile require some specific software features to use. Project managers might want to have both available to their business. When comparing Monday vs Microsoft Project, either option might help.

Both allow collaborating with your team to create project tasks. Sprints and Kanban boards are available for both. Microsoft Project does offer tools for key waterfall methods like a work breakdown structure.

Winner: Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project offers more when using waterfall methods, though that may not matter to every user.

Risk Management

Risk management is an important way companies manage risks to their bottom line. As it’s often vital to a projects’ success, and therefore critical to project management, both Microsoft Project and Monday offer methods to track risks. 

MS offers features that allow your team to register risks and track issues. Included is information on the potential cost of the risk and plans for avoiding it.

Monday offers a similar service for your business by using a risk template. It fulfills a lot of the same functions, allowing users to register risks and track them.

Winner: monday.com

While the features for both options are similar, Monday’s are easier to use and read at a glance.

Reporting

Presenting data is a key aspect of monitoring progress, creating effective presentations, resource management, and project portfolio management. As a result, both Microsoft Project and Monday offer ways to manage information.

Microsoft offers Gantt charts, automated reports, and other features which focus on keeping a larger organization on task.

Monday makes many of the same functions available to the user, but in a more understandable way that can also be shared with team members. Additionally, it’s possible to report the status of tasks without exporting information to Excel or another program.

Winner: monday.com

The slick presentation and easy to use tools make Monday the better option. 

Finance Management

There are few things more important to a business than managing finances and other resources. Both options offer some high powered options for resource management and tracking finances. 

Monday has a full range of options beyond tracking expenses for your project and company. You can even forecast expenses, aided by AI.

Microsoft Project assumes a user has access to MS Office. Some aspects of your projects’ finances aren’t covered, as a result.

Winner: monday.com

Monday offers everything you need in one spot, without buying additional apps.

Collaboration and Communication

A consistent problem will crop up whenever comparing Microsoft Project to Monday, Microsoft Project vs Wrike, or another cloud-based project management software. Microsoft assumes you’re working with their suite of programs, which means Project lacks some key features supplied by other MS apps. 

A user may miss those options when it comes time to collaborate with teams. Monday allows file sharing, live comments on documents, tagging ownership of tasks, and plenty of other ways to stay in touch with team members.

Winner: monday.com

Monday includes everything, while Microsoft wants you to get several other programs.

Integration With Other Apps

This is a strength for both project management software options, though in different ways. Integrations can offer additional solutions that can be useful to any project or business. 

Monday is a cloud-based system with an API, so sharing data isn’t a problem. As a result, there are many integrations available or you can create your own. A user can make a Gantt chart in Monday or in the Data studio instead. 

Compared to Microsoft Project, however, they are about even. The Microsoft Office Suite obviously integrates, but many third-party vendors also work with Microsoft products.

Winner: Tie

It’s two different approaches to integration, which may be equally appealing to a large or small business.

Usability

Microsoft Project is built along the same lines as all Microsoft software, so a user familiar with their solutions will probably find the project management software features easy to access. However, the interface is plain and while user reviews are overall positive, difficulty finding a tool is a common complaint. Compared to Monday or another competitor, say Microsoft Project vs Hive, Project is all business. 

Monday’s ease of use is a big selling point. It’s easy to collaborate, share data, monitor assignments, and do a range of other tasks. Some functions might require a search, like a Gantt chart, but overall, it’s intuitive.

Winner: monday.com

No question, Monday is easier to use.

Support

It doesn’t matter how fancy the software or service is if a user can’t access the features they need for a project. Both options offer a lot of free, self-guided support. For example, video tutorials walk you through how to create tasks and other basic functions. Both also offer chat training. 

In both cases, additional support options are available at higher tiers, though that may not be available to small businesses. A community of professionals, including some you can hire, are available for both as well.

Winner: Tie

In both cases, there are lots of self-help resources, but tailored support is an additional cost.

Privacy

In either case, the software service makes promises regarding the security of your system and the data stored there. Comparing Monday vs Microsoft Project is putting a small company against a juggernaut, but both sides of that come with advantages. Microsoft has the force of a major corporation behind its data security. Choosing to have it fully installed on-site is even more secure.

Monday works hard to be reassuring, however. Security measures include allowing users to activate two-factor authentication for access. You can also receive alerts regarding suspicious user logins, though only for Enterprise customers.

Winner: Microsoft Project

The most secure option is to avoid the cloud entirely and keep everything on-site.

Overall Winner

The overall winner is monday.com, with a wider range of solutions that allow you to collaborate and create reports. Most important is its ease of use. That factor is the most important to real users with everyday work. When there is a problem, video tutorials and other types of support are easy to follow.

Moreover, Monday beat Microsoft Project in many areas, despite being a less expensive service. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Microsoft Project vs monday.com

Conclusion: Microsoft Project vs monday.com

Perhaps surprisingly, monday.com actually offers a better service for a lower cost when compared to MS Project. With everything else being equal, ease of use becomes the most important factor.

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Best Applicant Tracking Systems for Small Businesses

ATS applicant tracking system

Hiring can be a time-consuming process that costs a lot of money and distracts your team from the goal of your business. The right applicant tracking system (ATS) can save time and generate better results from the candidate pool while streamlining the recruiting process. This helps you find the right candidates faster and your team can stay focused on the right tasks. In this article, we look at the best applicant tracking systems for small businesses.

Best ATS Overview

Software

Price

Job Board

Applicant Screening

Onboarding

Reporting

PinPoint

$600 per month or $1200 per month

Can advertise on 1,450 job sites

Communications, video interviews, talent pools, candidate scorecards

Personalized workflows to engage employees from day one

Analytics dashboard, custom report builder

iCIMS Recruit

From $1,700 per month

iCIMS career sites and platform

Text engagement, video interview scheduling

Automated processes to maximize engagement

Robust recruitment marketing reporting and source analytics

Greenhouse

Must contact sales for pricing information

Access to job postings from over 1,000 boards with candidate recommendations

Collaborate with hiring managers; scorecards and plans to track candidate skills

Automated task execution, personalized welcome experience

Analyze and share 30+ core reports

Manatal

$15 to $35 per user per month, with custom options available

Thousands of free or premium channels, LinkedIn and social media extensions

Easy to use candidate pipeline

In-app training and interactive onboarding

Customizable dashboard, complete analytics suite

Zoho Recruit

Free to $75 per user per month

Career portal, premium boards, job posting on Facebook and Google

Client portal with assessments and interview options

Candidate and employee flows for onboarding

Multiple levels of reporting

SmartRecruiter

Depends on your customized bundle and the number of employees

Manage all job post contracts in one location

Standardized interview evaluation criteria and processes

Custom fields and automatic data transfer

Reports based on interviews, positions, applications, and more

Quick Verdict

Best Overall – Pinpoint. Pinpoint brings together the best of every aspect of recruiting together in one package. Its access to job sites, applicant screening, and customizable onboarding are second to none. Best of all, its features are available for one flat rate.

The 6 Best Applicant Tracking Systems for Small Businesses in 2023

Here are the six best options available for tracking and hiring applicants:

Pinpoint

$600 to $1200

★★★★★

4.2

Visit

Pinpoint’s applicant tracking software brings several features to your hiring process for a flat monthly fee. You can get started with Pinpoint for $600 per month or gain access to all its features for $1,200 monthly. In either case, you can post job openings on as many of the 1,450 popular job boards that Pinpoint works with all from within the recruiting software itself. The ATS provides candidate profiles and scorecards to rate job applicants. During the recruitment process, you and your hiring team can communicate directly in Pinpoint.

Once you’ve identified promising candidates from the talent pool, you or your HR managers can schedule interviews and generate offers from within Pinpoint. The software creates employee engagement from day one with a customizable built-in onboarding process. While in the recruiting process, you’ll have access to Pinpoint’s powerful analytics dashboard to view candidate information. A custom report builder helps pull insights from your hiring processes and glean insights for next time.

  • Unlimited active jobs.
  • Fixed monthly fees.
  • Customizable reporting.
  • Good customer service.
  • Can be pricey for smaller businesses.

iCIMS Recruit

From $1700

★★★★★

3.9

Visit

iCIMS Recruit’s applicant tracking systems work to connect you with qualified candidates as quickly as possible. The platform is built around cloud-based recruiting software, making everything easily accessible no matter where you are. A user-friendly mobile app lets you and top talent communicate with the push of a button.

The talent cloud is the place for job seekers and hiring managers alike to track the recruitment process through every step of the journey. You or your HR professionals can conduct video interviews, track applicants, and manage offers from the cloud.

Although there are features aplenty, iCIMS Recruit comes with a hefty price tag. Pricing information on their site is far from transparent, but their talent management solutions will likely set you back upwards of $1,700 per month.

There are also several impressive reporting tools to help analyze your recruiting efforts. Hiring managers can view candidate data at a glance across iCIMS’ multiple job boards and identify the best people for your needs.

  • Unique software for career portal.
  • Automated employee onboarding.
  • Cloud-based software.
  • Stellar mobile app.
  • Cost-prohibitive for smaller businesses.

Greenhouse

Must contact sales

★★★★★

3.4

Visit

Greenhouse is an ATS solution that proves strong in candidate management through diverse talent acquisition tools. Unfortunately, the ATS software hides its pricing information from view, theoretically offering custom plans depending on company size and feature set.

This modern applicant tracking system uses the power of technology through a mobile app and automated candidate sourcing. Greenhouse optimizes the talent acquisition process by recommending job applications based on your history.

Also within Greenhouse are several candidate relationship management tools to track qualified candidates every step of the way. Hiring teams can communicate right within the ATS software to keep everyone informed in one fell swoop.

Human resources teams or recruitment agencies have over 30 different core reports to view performance management metrics at a glance. There are abundant integration capabilities across all areas to plug into as needed.

  • Mobile app.
  • Several reporting features.
  • Job advertising on over 1,000 external job boards.
  • Automated hiring tasks.
  • Opaque pricing.
  • Clunky user interface.

Manatal

$15 to $35

★★★★★

4.1

Visit

At prices as low as $15 per user from your company per month, Manatal offers the next best thing to free software. You’re limited in your job posting to just 15 per account unless you upgrade to the $35 plan where you can go unlimited.

One of Manatal’s strongest features is the extension that lets you tie its applicant tracking software to social media like LinkedIn or Facebook. With thousands of other job posting channels available, these are just the tip of the iceberg.

The ATS software can pull in data from resumes to create candidates in your system. Manatal has several applicant tracking tools, including a candidate pipeline that recruiting teams can use to list these applicants in various buckets to keep things organized.

Similarly, you can run various reports within Manatal to understand your performance management during the recruiting process. Manatal also lets you see candidate reports for optimal talent acquisition and even where your money is going during the process.

  • Can list jobs on social media platforms.
  • Budget-friendly price points.
  • Candidate pipeline to track prospects.
  • Tight security features.
  • Customer service can be slow to help.

Zoho Recruit

Free to $75

★★★★★

3.9

Visit

Zoho Recruit was created with corporate HRs and staffing agencies in mind. The applicant tracking software shows off powerful sourcing channels alongside automated resume extraction tools to manage candidates across a multitude of positions.

Among other benefits, these tools will automatically scan resumes for key skills or experience and weed out applicants that don’t have the experience you’re looking for. Such features can really expedite the hiring process, especially when you’re looking across several jobs at any given time.

Prices are set to a monthly fee per recruiter and can range anywhere from $25 to $75 per month, depending on your desired feature set. Zoho does offer a free applicant tracking system that’s limited to one job posting at a time.

The client portal is the best place to view qualified candidates at a glance and offer assessments. You can plan and schedule interviews with individuals that stand out the most from the portal.

The ATS software has multiple layers of reporting tools and dashboards, but many of these only become available at the $50 price point or higher.

  • Automated resume screening.
  • Several job sites, including Facebook and Google.
  • Free plan available.
  • Employee referrals.
  • Few options for job advertisement.
  • Limited customer support.

SmartRecruiter

No fixed fee

★★★★★

3.3

Visit

SmartRecruiter offers a one-stop-shop for advertising through a central vendor management system. You can track your postings across the big names in job hunting from one convenient location within the software.

You and your hiring managers can standardize things like the interview evaluation process to save time and peruse common results. You can run reports based on applications or interviews, but this tool has some limitations.

When it comes to pricing, SmartRecruiter gets a little hazy. There’s not so much as a hint of what plan options may be, and only filling out a form with the features you’re interested in will get you a quote.

SmartRecruiter shines with automation and is designed to make the hiring process as easy as possible. You can make use of chatbots, automatic resume screening, or recommendations based on artificial intelligence.

  • Recruitment chatbot.
  • Dashboard for managing applications.
  • Automatically screen resumes.
  • Centralized viewing of posted jobs.
  • Vague pricing model.
  • Limited reporting features. 

How To Choose an Applicant Tracking System for a Small Business

It’s helpful to do an applicant tracking system comparison to uncover the ideal platform for your business. The right applicant tracking software is going to incorporate the best mix of the following:

  • Features.
  • Corroboration.
  • Career site.
  • Analytics and reporting.
  • Think long term.

Features

Having the right tools for the job can go a long way towards making the recruitment process a snap. Applicant tracking systems manage candidate tracking and onboarding areas so you don’t have to.

Corroboration

This may not be important if you are the only person on your hiring team, but corroboration is paramount for companies with an HR staff. The best recruitment software provides the means to talk with your team right from the interface, keeping information in one place and not lost in a series of emails.

Career Site

If you’re using an ATS for posting jobs, make sure it allows you to list on the top free and premium boards out there. Some platforms will let you build and customize your own career portal to appeal to applicants and walk them through the onboarding process.

Analytics and Reporting

The best applicant tracking systems come with analytic and reporting tools to offer additional insights into potentially exceptional applicants. These tools can also provide the means to look into your own hiring process to see what you’re doing well and which areas need improvement.

Think Long Term

Pick software that will benefit you both now and in the future. As your business grows, you want your ATS software to expand with you as you post more jobs and increase the size of your hiring team.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Applicant Tracking Systems

Conclusion: Top Applicant Tracking Systems

Applicant tracking software provides a way to automate a lot of redundant job hiring tasks and makes it easier to focus on the more human side of things. These platforms also allow quick access to thousands of sites and the means to screen candidates faster and more completely than ever before.

Whether you have a team or are a one-person show, we feel that Pinpoint is the best applicant tracking system for the features it adds to your repertoire. If this platform doesn’t fit into your business model, we’re confident one of the others on this list will.

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Best CRM Software for Real Estate Businesses

Group of businessmen discussing about CRM

Selling or buying property is a complex, expensive process, and agents are often expected to juggle several at once. This creates the need for proper customer resource management (CRM) software to keep each realtor on track, and to keep the flow of closings happening. The right CRM software will depend on your needs, but we look at the best options available to the real estate industry in this article.

Best CRM for Real Estate Overview

Service

Price

Leads Management

Integrations

Automation

Support

Zoho CRM

Standard – $14/user per month*

Web forms, social media engagement, lead scoring rules

Large library of integrations

Build custom automations w/rules

Docs, videos, community help, and professional consultants; service plans w/phone support

Pipedrive

Essential – $12.50/user per month*

Kanban-style customizable sales pipelines, ‘deal rotting’, @mentions, and comment on leads

Marketplace of integrations, including common options

Custom automations, including mobile and email notifications, and webhooks

24/7 help requests and email support

Wise Agent

$32/month or $326/year

Capture forms, automation rules for different lead sources, new lead alerts

Integrates Gmail and many other tools directly

Automated drip campaigns, customized notifications, and lead distribution

24/7 phone or email support

Follow Up Boss

Grow – $57/user per month

Pull leads from 200+ sources, pre-written drip campaigns, auto-route leads to agents

Small market of integrations

Easy-to-use interface helps filter leads and create action plans

Business hours phone support, or help tickets and support docs

LionDesk

Starter – $21/user per month*

Lead imports and distribution, track email engagement, AI Chat Sales agent

Short list of integrations

Auto-responders and enhanced drip campaigns

Phone and email support

Insightly

Plus – $29/user per month*

Create relationship trees to track lead contacts, route leads automatically, track email opening, and more

Drag-and-drop integration builder, w/hundreds of integrations already available

Drag-and-drop app builder to create your own automations

Webinars and help docs; Customer success program

Realvolve

Basic – $74/month

Categorize contacts, track lead sources, search along several criteria

Integrates w/handful of apps

Automations through Zapier

Limited support docs and email support

Top Producer

Starter – $54/user per month*

Connect w/150+ lead sources, insights into contacts’ social media, integrated text and email

Limited native integrations

Follow Up Coach suggests daily contacts, calendar reminders

Support docs, chat and email support, business hours phone support

Quick Verdict

Best Overall – Zoho CRM. Zoho provides all the features you need at an affordable price. 

Zoho CRM

$14

★★★★★

4.4

Visit

Zoho provides a range of business apps, with its CRM software being one. It’s not a dedicated real estate CRM system, but it offers all the tools the average real estate agent requires. 

The software provides a range of useful features, starting with click-to-call capabilities to make phone calls right in the app, through automation and reporting tools, to third-party integrations. Zoho provides just about any CRM tool you may need, at an affordable price.

  • Custom sales pipelines.
  • Auto-assign leads.
  • Phone, chat, email, and more through the app.
  • Some nice features saved for more expensive tiers.

Pipedrive

$12.5

★★★★★

4.4

Visit

Pipedrive isn’t focused on real estate and may be one of the best CRM for eCommerce, with a lot of focus on contact management and creating sales pipelines.

Many of the same features are great for a real estate CRM, however, like communication and lead qualification tools. Real estate agents may also appreciate the ability to automate some repetitive admin tasks.

  • Email campaign opening and click tracking.
  • AI-driven performance suggestions.
  • Create customizable reports.
  • ‘Open deal’ limits.

Wise Agent

$32

★★★★★

3.9

Visit

Wise Agent provides a big toolbox to real estate agents trying to locate clients. The real estate business often depends on good timing and the best CRM software helps agents react quickly. Wise Agent can help you find, organize, and respond to new leads quickly, with alerts and other tools. 

Additionally, integrating with a range of other apps, for example, Google calendar sync, is easy. The pricing plan is straightforward, with a custom Enterprise plan available for specific needs.

  • Free 20 minute set-up session.
  • Transaction management templates.
  • Custom landing page platform.
  • More expensive than some options.

Follow Up Boss

$57

★★★★★

3.0

Visit

Real estate agencies are usually team efforts, with prospective buyers being divided among real estate agents. Follow Up Boss automates that process, collecting leads from hundreds of sources.

You can then set up your own distribution system or select from some options. You can also set up automation for individual contacts using Action Plans, an easy-to-use feature with a gentle learning curve.

  • Export all your data easily.
  • Transfer leads automatically.
  • Team sales leaderboard.
  • Pricey

LionDesk

$21

★★★★★

2.6

Visit

LionDesk comes at a middle-of-the-road price and with almost all the features you want from a real estate CRM, like handling incoming leads, auto-replies, and some reporting options. It also includes the ability to call or text through the real estate software, though there are limits and overage charges to track. 

  • Texting manager.
  • Enhanced drip campaigns add text and phone calls.
  • 30-day free trial.
  • Plan limits emails and texts through the app.

Insightly

$29

★★★★★

3.8

Visit

Insightly’s CRM might be better thought of as a tool for building a CRM as it’s built around very flexible customization options. These allow you, without doing any complex coding, to build your own tools and dashboards.

In other words, while it may not provide a ready-made real estate CRM, it does allow you to build one. You can even create different tools for different real estate teams. 

  • Create custom data sets and relationship trees.
  • Design a custom dashboard for your agents.
  • Scan and upload info from business cards automatically.
  • Few ready-made features

Realvolve

$74

★★★★★

1.6

Visit

Realvolve aims at keeping the real estate CRM they offer fairly simple, so lacks some of the advanced features of competitors. Instead, Realvolve focuses on offering workflows and webinars.

Rather than lots of marketing automation or other tools, they offer help in areas many real estate agents may struggle with, such as organization and efficiency. The workflows have an additional cost.

  • Send text and social media messages.
  • Workflows and webinars to improve your business.
  • 14-day free trial.
  • Expensive.
  • Workflows have additional costs.

Top Producer

$54

★★★★★

2.4

Visit

Top Producer’s applications work together as a unit, with their real estate CRM acting as a base the others build on. Together, they may make a great real estate CRM with plenty of tools for managing a business. Without the other apps, however, Top Producer is limited in what it can do.

  • Includes other apps.
  • Setup coaching and support w/success program.
  • Email templates, CTAs, and signatures included.
  • Priced higher than competitors.

Choosing the Best Real Estate CRM Software

It’s not unusual for real estate agents to form relationships with their clients. You may be working with them for months, sometimes helping them through landmark moments in their lives. Before you get to that point, however, you have to attract leads, manage your time, and keep everything organized. Customer relationship management, while it might sound a bit cold-blooded, just means doing all that efficiently, to everyone’s benefit.

As a result, successful agents use the best CRM for real estate businesses, and selecting the right CRM system can be vital.

Lead Management

The centerpiece of the best CRM software are its lead management tools. The ability to connect to potential buyers is vital, so lead generation tools need to be robust and easy to use. Once more leads have been generated, advanced lead scoring helps you choose how to use your time best.

Good CRM software should also provide more than just contact management, instead provide a depth of client management tools to aid in developing customer relationships. Some options will also help remind you to reconnect with past clients, fostering the potential for future sales.

Team Management

CRM for real estate has to take into account the size of your business. If you’re a one-person real estate agency, then a collaboration-oriented CRM solution doesn’t do you much good. 

On the other hand, it can save larger agencies a lot of time if new leads are distributed automatically. CRM platforms usually include some amount of task management tools, though some are more limited than others. 

Marketing

Both old and new real estate agents can struggle to draw attention to their property listings. Marketing automation tools can make a difficult task a lot easier. CRM platforms will often create or link to your agency’s real estate websites, providing chatbots or contact forms. Many will also provide additional marketing options, like email marketing campaigns and other types of drip marketing campaigns. 

Transaction Management

The sales process for both residential and commercial real estate is often complex and protracted. Transaction management tools may be necessary simply to keep everything straight. 

Once the marketing has done its job and clients are in your sales pipeline, part of the pipeline management should be making paperwork and other bureaucratic aspects as easy as possible. Document management tools, calendars to track important dates, and other features can make things less stressful. A mobile web app means you can handle business even when at a property.

Reporting

Pipeline management is important during the deal but afterward is when real estate professionals can learn how to improve. Reporting can help you spot the hiccups in client relationships, see which team members may need help, or locate where a deal went wrong in your communication history.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – CRMs for Real Estate

Final Thoughts on CRMs for Real Estate

The CRM app you use for real estate business should reflect your approach to customer relationships. While some are straightforward, simply presenting what you need, others allow you to build your own sales pipelines and methods for success. 

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Best Free Payroll Software for Small Businesses 2023

Payroll and salary documents on a desk

Every business that needs to hire employees will need to process payroll. With all of the complexities that payroll can bring, and the rules varying by state, it’s important to either have a firm that can process payroll for you or the right software to guide you through the process. A mistake can be costly, but not everyone can afford a good payroll solution. We’ve analyzed the best free payroll options to make the choice easier for you.

Quick View

Software

Deposit Options

Time Tracking

Reporting

Tax Help

Security

Payroll4Free logo

Payroll4Free

Direct deposit, paper checks, or a combination of each

Can calculate and track vacation hours, PTO, and sick days

Can run detailed reports on earnings, tax, benefit, accrued time, and more

Tax calculation, filled out tax forms

2048 bit SSL encryption alongside Amazon Cloud to store data

TimeTrex logo

TimeTrex

Direct deposit, paper checks, or a combination of each

Tracks in real-time, can add vacation or sick days

Real-time timesheets

Can generate a variety of tax forms, including international

Cloud-based system with robust built-in security features

HR.my logo

HR.my

Automates payroll processing

Track overtime, undertime, tardiness, daily attendance, time off

Monthly attendance reports with filtering

None available

Encrypted with SSL (TLS) protocol and secured with daily off-site export

eSmart Paycheck logo

eSmart Paycheck

Can print pay stubs or paychecks

Information must be added manually

None with free payroll service

Performs tax deductions

No information is saved

ExcelPayroll logo

ExcelPayroll

Can print checks

Everything must be entered manually

Can run reports from Excel

Can print tax forms

Limited to the security of your device

Paycheck Manager logo

Paycheck Manager

None available

None available

None available

Will calculate tax compliance

No information is saved

Quick Verdict

Payroll4Free gives free access to more tools than any other payroll software out there. The ability to track employee time and hours away from work is second to none. Payroll4Free makes your life easier by offering options for paper checks or direct deposit and will even do tax calculations for you. However, free payroll software can only do so much. If you’re looking for the best paying option, check out our article on the best overall payroll software.

6 Best Free Payroll Software for Small Businesses

Below we cover the six best payroll software options available for small businesses.

Payroll4Free logo

Payroll4Free

4.6

★★★★★
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Payroll4Free offers completely free payroll services for any small business with 25 employees or less. The software tracks time and absences, and you can log whether these are vacation hours or sick days. Your team can check their hours via the employee portal to print pay stubs or check accruals.

With the information in hand, Payroll4Free gives you the option to send direct deposits or use paper checks. You can view this information through the payroll processing software’s reporting tools.

The HR and payroll software has some strong security to protect your information. Large-scale SSL encryption alongside Amazon’s cloud is well-designed to keep your info safe.

When it comes to payroll taxes, Payroll4Free can calculate tax numbers for you. While they will be ready to send, the free software doesn’t do tax filing services for free. The service has a $15 monthly fee and no free trial available.

Since Payroll4Free makes it easy to report wages and tips for a small staff, it is one of the best restaurant payroll software options.

  • Integrates with QuickBooks and other accounting software.
  • Higher security than most.
  • Unlimited customer support.
  • Pre-filled year-end tax forms.
  • Tax filing is not free.
  • Limited to Windows OS only.
TimeTrex logo

TimeTrex

4.3

★★★★★
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TimeTrex fancies itself as paid payroll processing software but has a free option with their Community Edition. This plan is open-source and supported by a network of volunteers from around the world.

There are no limits to the number of users you can have in the Community Plan. The free payroll software tracks hours in real-time, and you can view this data at any time through timesheets. Time and attendance tracking are viewable on the employee self-service portal.

The software will auto-run payroll, and you can pay employees through direct deposits or print paychecks to hand out. It’s possible to generate forms for federal and local taxes but not do any filing.

While there are several free features, all others such as expense tracking are locked behind a paywall. Pricing for these other plans is unclear on the website, making it hard to decipher what’s best for your small business. TimeTrex does offer free trials for 30 days to try out its full-service payroll software.

  • Integrates well with payroll programs like QuickBooks.
  • Several pre-filled tax forms.
  • Real-time employee hour tracking.
  • Open-source.
  • No tax filing feature.
  • Pricing is not transparent for paid plans.
eSmart Paycheck logo

eSmart Paycheck

2.4

★★★★★
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eSmart Paycheck’s free payroll software for small business owners excels at intuitive payroll calculations. All data has to be entered manually with no option to import employee hours, so eSmart Paycheck is best for small businesses with fewer employees.

As you run the payroll software, you’ll be able to enter hours or salaries alongside overtime, commissions, or bonuses. You can load in local tax information to run payroll specific to your location. It will also calculate benefits, deductions, and how much to withhold.

With all your information entered, you can print pay stubs or paychecks directly from the site. Hopefully you won’t encounter any issues with the payroll check software, as there is no customer support available.

When you’re done with the free software, it doesn’t save your information. This means your data isn’t stored anywhere, but it also means you’ll have to input everything again next time you use it. If you like what you see, there are options to upgrade to a paid plan with more features.

  • Quick and easy to use.
  • Paycheck printing.
  • Customizable inputs.
  • Does not save information.
  • No customer support.
ExcelPayroll logo

ExcelPayroll

2.7

★★★★★
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As the name implies, ExcelPayroll is completely free payroll software that relies on Microsoft Excel to run. If you’re not familiar with the Microsoft Office Suite, you may have trouble adapting to this payroll calculation tool.

If you are familiar with Excel, ExcelPayroll makes payroll processing easy. You do have to manually enter your employee information and hours, but the software shows you how to do payroll as you go. The app allows up to 50 names, but small businesses with fewer employees will have a faster time.

Once you’ve filled in all the blanks, you can run reports off that data through the tools ExcelPayroll has to offer or tap into Excel itself. As an isolated payroll software program, there’s no way to do direct deposit, but you can send paychecks to your local printer.

ExcelPayroll has the means to print pre-filled tax documents and help calculate federal or state taxes. Keep in mind that all this information is saved on your device and must rely on whatever safeguards you use to keep your information safe.

  • Simple and intuitive to use.
  • Can customize as you see fit.
  • Able to print paychecks.
  • Up to 50 employees.
  • Customer support only through email.
  • Rather basic in its design.
Paycheck Manager logo

Paycheck Manager

1.8

★★★★★
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Paycheck Manager has several features that roll up into a nice package, but many of these are unavailable for free. With a three-month free trial, it’s well worth checking out all it can do.

Free users have access to a calculator that’s effectively a form to fill out on their website or mobile app. You have to manually enter your team’s hours and salary alongside deductions. The form does help fill in federal and state tax information as you go.

Depositing and reports are locked away in Paycheck Manager’s paid plan alongside expense reports. Similarly, there’s no way for your employees to log their hours on the free version of the site.

Websites like Paycheck Manager’s free calculator have no built-in security and don’t save any of your information. You’ll want to make sure your browser is protected, but no data storage means you’ll have to re-enter your numbers every time.

  • Factors in deductions.
  • Automatically processes payroll information.
  • Free mobile app.
  • Does not save information.
  • Limited features.

How To Choose a Free Payroll Software for Small Businesses

Here are four things to consider when choosing payroll software for your small business:

  • Team size.
  • User-friendliness.
  • Payment delivery.
  • Integrations.

Team Size

Some of these free apps have limitations on the number of users they will allow. Double-check that the software you choose can accommodate all your players. It’s also essential to think about how you may be affected down the road if your team grows.

User-Friendliness

Some of the payroll software on this list is for your eyes alone, but others allow access to a self-service portal where employees can log hours and view information. It’s helpful to find a program that is easy to wade through, especially if you want your team to have accurate timesheets.

Payment Delivery

Many companies in this day and age look to direct depositing, while others prefer paper checks. Be sure to check the software you’re considering if you desire one of these options.

Integrations

If you’ve already found a groove with other software, you shouldn’t have to stop using it completely. Look for payroll software that integrates well with those other tools you’re using. It may even be possible to import data from one program to the other and facilitate things that much more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Free Payroll Software

Bottom Line: Best Free Payroll Software

Payroll can cost a lot of time to do on your own or a lot of money if you look to some of the more expensive software options out there. Fortunately, there is common ground with free payroll services that do a lot of the work for you while not tapping into the coffers.

We’ve chosen Payroll4Free as the best free option out there with its abundance of features and only a few tools that would require payment if needed. Should Payroll4Free not speak to you, it’s likely one of the others on this list will.