HubSpot Review: Pricing, Features, and More

HubSpot CRM

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, HubSpot, is popular among companies because it helps businesses have better interactions and relationships with customers and potential customers. The success of any business hinges on this aspect. 

If you’re looking to enhance your task management approach and customer service management, HubSpot could be a valuable choice for you and your team. It’s user-friendly, and the intuitive interface further makes it easy to use for your business. Plus, it is well-recognized for its excellent integration features.

This customer relationship management tool also includes project management features that empower you and your team to complete all your projects in an organized and efficient way. Discover the features, pros, and cons of HubSpot by reading this review on HubSpot.

Our Verdict

HubSpot logo

HubSpot at a Glance – Free to $5,000/month

Screenshot of HubSpot CRM webpage

HubSpot is a cloud-based CRM platform designed to assist companies in tracking and nurturing leads while analyzing business metrics. It caters to businesses of all types and sizes in various industries such as retail, real estate, marketing, sales, construction, and accounting.

With HubSpot, businesses can easily monitor outbound and inbound leads, manage sales pipelines with automation, and handle leads and contact management, email campaigning, and tracking. Its proper migration and population capabilities provide a single customer view, enabling businesses to capture and store various data points about prospects and customers, including their website behavior, personal information, and engagement history with the brand. The platform’s ability to integrate across various functionalities is one of its main strengths.

Utilizing a CRM system allows businesses to effortlessly monitor customer interactions across various channels such as email, social media, live chat, or phone calls. These interactions are then organized in a timeline based on each lead. Additionally, HubSpot CRM’s marketing tool offers lead generation and email marketing automation features, empowering businesses to create and manage email templates and track their efficacy.

Overall, HubSpot CRM is an excellent option for businesses seeking a customer relationship management and project management solution. After reading this HubSpot CRM software review, you can evaluate for yourself whether this product is a good fit for you and your team or not.

  • The fundamental CRM software is available at no cost.
  • Receive immediate updates on lead actions.
  • Create customized email sequences for both potential and current clients.
  • For small enterprises, the per-user plans may be costly.
  • Each contact can only receive one email.

Who Is HubSpot Best For?

HubSpot is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a powerful and user-friendly customer relationship management plus project management system that can effectively manage their sales pipeline. It can automate your marketing endeavors and provide you with invaluable analytics and insights.

It’s also ideal for you if you are seeking to integrate your CRM software with your marketing automation and customer service tools.

Hubspot Pricing

There are four HubSpot plans available, each with different pricing and features. To identify the HubSpot project management plan that best suits your business requirements and financial capabilities, it is essential to compare the pricing and features of the four available plans.

Free plan

Starter

Professional

Enterprise

Price

Free (one team with unlimited users)

$30/month (2 users)

$1600/month (5 users)

$5,000/month (10 users)

Marketing

  • Unlimited storage
  • Email marketing
  • Content marketing
  • Lead generation
  • Contact management
  • Unlimited storage
  • Email marketing
  • Content marketing
  • Lead generation
  • Contact management
  • Automation workflows
  • Lead scoring
  • Reporting
  • 1,000 marketing contact
  • Unlimited storage
  • Email marketing
  • Content marketing
  • Lead generation
  • Contact management
  • Automation workflows
  • Lead scoring
  • Reporting
  • Marketing automation
  • Advanced reporting dashboard
  • Paid marketing
  • Social marketing
  • Omni channel features
  • A/B testing
  • 2,000 marketing contact
  • Unlimited storage
  • Email marketing
  • Content marketing
  • Lead generation
  • Contact management
  • Automation workflows
  • Predictive lead scoring
  • Reporting
  • Marketing automation
  • Advanced reporting dashboard
  • Paid marketing
  • Social marketing
  • Omni channel features
  • A/B testing
  • Custom event tracking
  • Multi-touch revenue attribution
  • 10,000 marketing contact

Sales

  • 5 documents in storage
  • API available
  • 5,000 documents in storage
  • API available
  • 5,000 documents in storage
  • API available
  • Lead scoring
  • 5,000 documents in storage
  • API available
  • Predictive lead scoring
  • Custom reports

Service

N/A

  • Email support
  • Phone
  • Live chat
  • Email support
  • Phone
  • Live chat
  • Email support
  • Phone
  • Live chat

CMS

  • Blog import
  • 24/7 security monitoring & threat detection
  • Basic SEO recommendations & optimizations
  • 1 shared inbox
  • Blog import
  • 24/7 security monitoring & threat detection
  • Basic SEO recommendations & optimizations
  • 1 shared inbox
  • Standard web analytics dashboard
  • Blog import
  • 24/7 security monitoring & threat detection
  • Advanced SEO recommendations & optimizations
  • 100 shared inboxes
  • Customizable website traffic analytics
  • Blog import and export
  • 24/7 security monitoring and detection
  • Advanced SEO recommendations and optimizations
  • 200 shared inboxes
  • Customizable website traffic analytics
  • Admin notifications management
  • Site performance monitoring

Operations

  • Data sync
  • Default field mappings
  • Company insights
  • Data sync
  • Default field mappings
  • Custom user permissions
  • Company insights
  • Data sync
  • Default field mappings
  • Custom user permissions
  • Team performance tracking
  • Campaign performance tracking
  • 3,100 custom reports
  • 400 workflows
  • Company insights
  • Data sync
  • Default field mapping
  • Team performance tracking
  • Campaign performance tracking
  • Custom user permissions
  • 3,500 custom reports
  • 20 custom objects definitions
  • 1,100 workflows
  • 50 datasets

HubSpot Pricing Packages

HubSpot is a popular all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer service software that offers a variety of pricing plans to fit the needs and budgets of different businesses. 

To know the most suitable plan for your business, go through our explanation of their CRM packages.

HubSpot Free Plan – Free Forever

The HubSpot Free plan caters to the needs of small businesses and startups who are initiating their inbound marketing efforts, making it an ideal option. The plan offers basic features such as lead generation, contact management, email marketing, and a simple CRM system. 

This plan is perfect for companies looking to get a taste of HubSpot’s capabilities and see if it’s the right fit for them. It’s also a great option for businesses on a tight budget, as it’s entirely free.

HubSpot Starter Plan – $30/month (2 users)

The HubSpot Starter plan is designed for small businesses that have outgrown the Free plan and are looking for more advanced features. 

In addition to all the features of the Free plan, this plan provides supplementary tools such as automation workflows, lead scoring, and advanced reporting. It’s perfect for businesses that have started to generate a steady flow of leads and are looking to improve their sales and marketing processes.

HubSpot Professional Plan – $1,600/month (5 users)

The HubSpot Professional plan is best suited for mid-sized businesses that have established sales and marketing teams and need more advanced features to manage their customer journey. 

The plan offers all the features of the Starter plan plus additional tools such as A/B testing, marketing automation, and advanced reporting dashboards. It’s a great option for businesses that need to manage a large number of contacts and want to optimize their lead nurturing and sales processes.

HubSpot Enterprise Plan – $5,000/month (10 users)

The HubSpot Enterprise plan is the most advanced and comprehensive plan that HubSpot offers. It’s best suited for large businesses with complex sales and marketing needs. 

The plan offers all the features of the Professional plan plus additional tools such as predictive lead scoring, custom event tracking, and multi-touch revenue attribution. It’s perfect for businesses that need a highly customizable and scalable solution to manage their entire customer journey, from lead generation to customer retention.

HubSpot provides various pricing plans that are tailored to meet the requirements and financial resources of diverse businesses. By choosing the right plan, businesses can access the right features and tools to optimize their sales and marketing processes and achieve their growth goals.

HubSpot Features

Let’s take a closer look at all the major features that HubSpot has to offer. We will discuss marketing, sales, service, CMS, and operations.

Marketing

For businesses, HubSpot Marketing is a potent tool that enables them to design and oversee their marketing campaigns. It enables businesses to attract visitors to their websites, convert them into leads, and ultimately turn them into customers. 

With HubSpot Marketing, businesses can create targeted and personalized content that resonates with their audience and automate email campaigns to nurture leads and move them through the sales funnel.

You can also optimize landing pages and CTAs to increase conversion rates, use social media to reach and engage with potential customers, analyze the performance of their campaigns and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Using HubSpot Marketing helps you streamline the marketing efforts of your business, save time and resources, and achieve better ROI on your marketing spend.

Sales

The HubSpot Sales tool empowers businesses to streamline their sales processes, facilitating sales teams with the necessary resources to foster stronger customer relationships and secure more successful deals. 

By using HubSpot Sales, businesses can automate their outreach efforts and follow-up activities and track email opens and clicks to get real-time insights into prospect engagement.

You can also use meeting scheduling tools to streamline your business’ sales process, manage your sales pipeline and forecast revenue more accurately, analyze your sales data to identify areas for improvement, and optimize your strategy.

HubSpot Sales is an avenue for businesses to increase their sales productivity, close more deals, and improve their customer relationships.

Service

HubSpot Service is a tool that helps businesses provide exceptional customer support and build long-term relationships with their customers. It enables businesses to manage customer inquiries, resolve issues, and gather feedback to improve their service. 

With HubSpot Service, businesses can manage customer inquiries and support tickets in one place, provide real-time support via live chat or chatbots, and create a knowledge base with answers to frequently asked questions.

You can also gather customer feedback to improve service quality, analyze customer data to identify areas for improvement, and optimize your business strategy.

HubSpot Service enables you to provide better customer service, increase customer satisfaction, and build stronger customer relationships for your business.

CMS

The HubSpot CMS is a valuable resource for businesses seeking to create and oversee their website content. Equipped with various tools, it empowers businesses to construct an engaging website that attracts visitors and facilitates conversions.

With HubSpot CMS, your business can enjoy easy creation and publishing of content with drag-and-drop editing and website optimization for search engines with SEO tools.

You can also use responsive design to ensure that your business website looks great on all devices, analyze your website’s performance and make data-driven improvements, and integrate your website with other HubSpot tools to create a seamless user experience.

Using HubSpot CMS enables you to create a professional-looking website, optimize it for search engines, and increase your website’s performance.

Operations

HubSpot Operations is a powerful tool designed to enhance the operational efficiency of businesses. By providing a comprehensive set of automation tools, data management resources, and analytical capabilities, it equips businesses with everything they need to streamline their operations, extract valuable insights, and optimize their processes.

By using HubSpot Operations, businesses can automate routine tasks and workflows to save time and resources, manage their data more effectively to ensure accuracy and consistency and gain insights into their operations with powerful analytics tools.

Also, Hubspot operations make it easy to optimize your processes and make data-driven improvements and ensure compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR.

Plus, using HubSpot Operations is an effective way for businesses to streamline their operations, improve their efficiency, and make better decisions based on data.

Benefits of Hubspot CRM

Hubspot CRM offers several benefits for you and your business including:

Streamlined Sales Process

HubSpot CRM provides a single platform for managing your sales process, from lead generation and qualification to deal closing and customer retention. With a user-friendly interface, it simplifies your sales team’s tasks, allowing them to focus on the most critical tasks.

Centralized Customer Information

With HubSpot CRM, all customer information is centralized in one place, making it easy to access customer profiles, track interactions, and analyze customer behavior. This enables sales reps to tailor their conversations with prospects, enhancing the customer experience and increasing the likelihood of closing deals.

Automated Tasks

HubSpot CRM automates time-consuming tasks like data entry, follow-up emails, and lead tracking, enabling your sales team to be more efficient and effective. By utilizing workflows and templates, your team can allocate their time towards high-value tasks, like developing relationships with potential customers and finalizing deals.

Customizable Dashboards and Reports

Additionally, HubSpot CRM provides customizable dashboards and reports that offer up-to-date insight into sales activity, pipeline health, and team performance. This information can be leveraged to pinpoint areas of improvement, fine-tune sales strategies, and predict future revenue.

Integration with Other HubSpot Tools

HubSpot CRM integrates seamlessly with other HubSpot tools, including marketing automation, customer service, and content management. This enables your sales team to collaborate with other teams and leverage data from across the organization to drive growth and improve the customer experience.

Methodology for Hubspot Review

To provide you with an accurate and informative review of Hubspot, we analyzed and compared various aspects of the platform. Here are the key factors we considered:

Marketing

We examined the different marketing features offered by Hubspot, including email marketing, social media marketing, landing pages, and SEO tools. We assessed the ease of integration between Hubspot and other marketing tools to streamline marketing efforts.

Plus, we in-depth analyzed the reporting and analytics capabilities of Hubspot, including the ability to track website traffic, leads, and conversions.

Sales

We evaluated the functionality of Hubspot’s CRM, including contact management, pipeline management, and deal tracking. The various sales tools offered by Hubspot, such as email templates, automation, and analytics were examined as well.

Service

Our assessment involved analyzing the accessibility and quality level of Hubspot’s customer support options, which include live chat, email, and phone assistance.. We also evaluated if Hubspot had a knowledge base, guides, or FAQs.

CMS

The different content management system (CMS) features offered by Hubspot, including website design, blog creation, and content optimization tools were examined. We analyzed the reporting and analytics capabilities of Hubspot’s CMS, including the ability to track website traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.

Operations

We evaluated the workflow management capabilities of Hubspot, including workflows, mappings, and data sets. Also, we analyzed the reporting capabilities of Hubspot, including the ability to track team performance, campaign performance, and ROI.

Hubspot Reviews

Overall, Hubspot has positive customer reviews from G2 (voted best global software company) and TrustRadius (ranking third in the marketing automation software category). 

G2 reviewers commend it for its customer relationship management, inbound marketing, and sales pipeline features, although they acknowledge its complexity in the steep learning curve in terms of new users.

TrustRadius reviewers approve of its board’s in-depth analysis and sales tracking capacity while pointing out its cost and rigid contracts.

Hubspot Alternatives

If you are searching for customer relationship management software that has lower pricing than HubSpot, here are other alternatives you might want to consider.

Pipedrive logo

Pipedrive – Paid pricing starts at $14.90/month/user

Pipedrive is designed primarily for sales teams, but it can be a powerful solution for small-to-medium-sized businesses. Despite the numerous customization options and dashboard features, Pipedrive’s interface is easy to navigate and suitable for all levels. Pipedrive and Hubspot have similar reporting capabilities, are well-designed, and offer decent multi-channel support.

In contrast to Hubspot’s Free CRM plan, Pipedrive does not offer a free option that encompasses marketing capabilities, such as forms and landing pages. Additionally, it lacks email features like Hubspot’s Conversations inbox, which allows agents to view, manage, and reply to incoming conversations in one place.

However, Pipedrive’s paid plans are considerably more affordable than Hubspot’s, and they offer the flexibility to pay for a single user, which is not an option with Hubspot. Pipedrive’s plans start at $19.90/month/user and increase incrementally as your business grows. You can also enjoy discounts if you choose to pay annually.

Zoho CRM logo

Zoho – Paid pricing starts at $20/month/user

Zoho is a comprehensive marketing solution, similar to HubSpot, offering services like email hosting, website creation, and customer relationship management (CRM) software. It also provides additional software for accounting, customer service, and project management.

If you’re seeking an alternative to HubSpot, Zoho CRM is worth considering as it offers a free plan for up to three users. While Zoho’s interface is user-friendly, it’s not as modern as HubSpot’s. Additionally, Zoho lacks live chat support, which HubSpot provides with exceptional speed. 

However, Zoho provides three distinct views (kanban, canvas, and tubular) for managing contacts, leads, accounts, and deals, whereas HubSpot only provides two. Zoho’s pricing model is flexible, allowing you to pay for what you need and offering reasonably priced paid plans.

Zoho CRM has a distinctive aspect in its “activities” section that allows users to categorize their tasks by activity types like upcoming meetings, open tasks, and all calls. This feature includes numerous filters, making it easy to find what you need quickly. Zoho also offers extensive report generation and detailed visual analytics, with customizable dashboards.

Zoho CRM caters to enterprises and small businesses alike, with no setup fees and a pay-as-you-go pricing model, making it a great alternative to HubSpot.

Salesforce logo

Salesforce – Paid pricing starts at $25/month/user

Salesforce is an intricate CRM with unparalleled advanced tools, but it comes at a steep cost and requires a long learning curve. On the other hand, HubSpot is more user-friendly and cost-effective, but its features are not as extensive as Salesforce.

HubSpot provides a free plan for basic CRM needs, which is not available in Salesforce. Salesforce provides a 30-day complimentary trial to assist users in becoming familiar with their platform, whereas HubSpot presents a 14-day free trial for its paid plans. The two platforms offer crucial CRM features, including sales prediction, email marketing, and managing contacts and leads.

Salesforce excels in customization, analytics, and advanced features, while HubSpot surpasses Salesforce in user-friendliness and cost-effective plans.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some of your most frequently asked questions on HubSpot CRM answered:

Bottom Line on Hubspot Review

Overall, HubSpot is a CRM software with impressive customer relationship management features, although it has a few limitations as well. You can consider HubSpot as a viable option for your business if you want to enhance your marketing efforts and improve the relationship between your customers and your business.

Zoho CRM Review: Pricing, Features, and More

Zoho CRM logo

As businesses continue to grow, managing customer relationships becomes a daunting task. At this stage of the business, customer relationship management (CRM) software comes in. There are several CRM options on the market, but one that stands out is Zoho CRM. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at Zoho CRM’s pricing, features, and overall functionality. We’ll discuss the software’s benefits and drawbacks, as well as its suitability for various business sizes and types. 

Zoho CRM is popular among small and large enterprises, because it guarantees efficient management of clients and business operations. In this review, you’ll get a good understanding of why Zoho CRM is the right solution for your business’s CRM needs. This is because we carried out an in-depth review of Zoho CRM, and what it has to offer. 

Zoho CRM logo

Our Verdict on Zoho CRM

Screenshot of Zoho CRM homepage

Zoho CRM provides an amazing customer experience to its clients in the management of their business operations. Zoho CRM helps clients to have an in-depth relationship with customers that ensures the customers are happy, happy to return and remain loyal to your brand. Zoho provides clients with a wide range of features that brings about the best productivity and work satisfaction for businesses that use Zoho for customer relationship management. 

With Zoho, CRM firms are able to harness the full power of omnichannel presence, KPIs, segmentation, predictive intelligence, and several other features that deliver a great experience for growth to businesses and individuals. Zoho CRM platform offers excellent customer support to its thousands of clients globally, making it one of the best CRM software in the industry. 

Zoho CRM offers you the opportunity to integrate hundreds of third-party app solutions, to create a holistic robust working space for your team. The integration feature of Zoho helps you to collaborate and interact with your team’s workspace. Zoho CRM allows you to track activity times and productivity between your employees, it also helps you to automate processes as much as possible. The automation of processes using the features provided by Zoho ensures that work is completed more efficiently and with greater speed. 

Zoho CRM dashboard helps you to have an overview of the processes going on in your firm at a glance. Through the dashboard, you can also get insightful data on the real-time performance of your workers and your organisation in real-time. Several other features are offered by Zoho CRM, some of them include: Lead management, Forecasting, Marketing automation, Customization options, Mobile access, Integration, etc. 

Zoho CRM offers five membership plans for clients depending on the needs of their business operations. The different categories of membership available on Zoho include the Free plan, Standard plan: $18/user/month, Professional plan: $30/user/month, Enterprise plan: $45/user/month, Ultimate plan: $55/user/month.

  • You are allowed to use timesheets to log billable and non-billable work hours, this ensures accurate invoicing.  
  • Task automation feature the automated task assigner is available, this feature helps to speed up work and save time  
  • Availability of Gantt charts for process optimisation 
  • Cross and multi-platform integration is support  
  • There is a limitation of customization options 
  • There is a lack of iOS-compatible app
  • Limitation in the number of integration 

Zoho CRM Pricing Table

The different membership plans available on Zoho CRM offer a wide range of features. We will consider some of these features and the extent of the feature functionality on every membership category on Zoho CRM. To determine the Zoho plan that is best suited for your business requirement, it is crucial to compare the features and pricing of five available plans on Zoho. 

Zoho CRM

Free Plan

Standard

Professional

Enterprise

Ultimate

Pricing

Free forever

US$18/user/month billed monthly

US$30
/user/month billed monthly

US$45
/user/month billed monthly

US$55/user/month billed monthly

Email Notification

You have access to 5 email notifications/actions, 50 emails/user license, 150 emails/day
(whichever is lower)
you can only send emails to the CRM users

Users have access to 5 email notifications/actions, 100 emails/user license, 5,000 emails/day
(whichever is lower)

Users have access to 5 email notifications/actions, 200 emails/user license, 10,000 emails/day
(whichever is lower)

Users will have access to 5 email notifications/actions, 500 emails/user license, 25,000 emails/day
(whichever is lower)

Users can send up to 5 email notifications/Action, 1,000 emails/User License, 50,000 emails/Day
(whichever is lesser)

Sales force automation

With the free plan, you have access to Leads, Accounts, Contacts, Deals, Document Library, Activities (meetings, tasks, calls)

The standard plan offers these features:

  • Basic modules
  • Tasks, calls, events
  • Advanced filters
  • Multiple pipelines
  • Scoring rules
  • Sales forecasting
  • Email insights
  • Multiple currencies
  • Basic modules
  • Tasks, calls, events
  • Advanced filters
  • Multiple pipelines
  • Scoring rules
  • Sales forecasting
  • Email insights
  • Multiple currencies
  • Macros
  • SalesSignals
  • Assignment rules
  • Basic modules
  • Tasks, calls, events
  • Advanced filters
  • Multiple pipelines
  • Scoring rules
  • Sales forecasting
  • Email insights
  • Multiple currencies
  • Macros
  • SalesSignals
  • Assignment rules
  • Multiple scoring rules
  • Custom SalesSignals
  • Email parsers
  • Data entry wizards
  • Portals
  • Basic modules
  • Tasks, calls, events
  • Advanced filters
  • Multiple pipelines
  • Scoring rules
  • Sales forecasting
  • Email insights
  • Multiple currencies
  • Macros
  • SalesSignals
  • Assignment rules
  • Multiple scoring rules
  • Custom SalesSignals
  • Email parsers
  • Data entry wizards
  • Portals

Automation and process management

Workflow rules (helps organisations to automate daily activities)

Workflow rules (helps organisations to automate daily activities)

  • Workflow rules (helps organisations to automate daily activities)
  • Blueprint
  • Webhooks
  • Workflow rules
  • Blueprint
  • Webhooks
  • Record approval process
  • Data review process
  • Custom functions
  • CommandCenter
  • Workflow rules
  • Blueprint
  • Webhooks
  • Record approval process
  • Data review process
  • Custom functions
  • CommandCenter

Product customization

  • Rename Tabs
  • Layout Editor
  • Standard List Views
  • Homepage customization
  • Rename tabs
  • Custom list views
  • Custom fields
  • Canvas
  • Tab groups
  • Homepage customization
  • Rename tabs
  • Custom list views
  • Custom fields
  • Canvas
  • Tab groups
  • Validation rules
  • Homepage customization
  • Rename tabs
  • Custom list views
  • Custom fields
  • Canvas
  • Tab groups
  • Validation rules
  • Custom modules
  • Custom buttons
  • Page layouts
  • Translations
  • Developer Sandbox
  • Homepage customization
  • Rename tabs
  • Custom list views
  • Custom fields
  • Canvas
  • Tab groups
  • Validation rules
  • Custom modules
  • Custom buttons
  • Page layouts
  • Translations
  • Developer Sandbox

Reports and analytics

Predefined reports

  • Predefined reports
  • Predefined dashboards
  • Custom reports and dashboards
  • Basic dashboard components
  • Analytics mobile app
  • Predefined reports
  • Predefined dashboards
  • Custom reports and dashboards
  • Basic dashboard components
  • Analytics mobile app
  • Custom reports and dashboards
  • Predefined reports
  • Predefined dashboards
  • Custom reports and dashboards
  • Basic dashboard components
  • Analytics mobile app
  • Custom reports and dashboards
  • Advanced dashboard components
  • Anomaly detectors
  • Webform analytics
  • Predefined reports
  • Predefined dashboards
  • Custom reports and dashboards
  • Basic dashboard components
  • Analytics mobile app
  • Custom reports and dashboards
  • Advanced dashboard components
  • Anomaly detectors
  • Webform analytics
  • Zoho Analytics

Marketing automation

Email templates

  • Email templates
  • Email authentication
  • Mass email
  • Social profile integration
  • Email templates
  • Email authentication
  • Mass email
  • Social profile integration
  • Email relay
  • CRM for Google Ads
  • Predefined reports
  • Predefined dashboards
  • Custom reports and dashboards
  • Basic dashboard components
  • Analytics mobile app
  • Custom reports and dashboards
  • Advanced dashboard components
  • Anomaly detectors
  • Webform analytics
  • Email templates
  • Email authentication
  • Mass email
  • Social profile integration
  • Email relay
  • CRM for Google Ads
  • Attribution
  • Segmentation
  • Auto-responders

Security

  • Profiles
  • Roles
  • GDPR Compliance
  • Profiles
  • Role-based hierarchy
  • Multiple organizations
  • GDPR Compliance
  • CRM audit logs
  • IP address restriction
  • Profiles
  • Role-based hierarchy
  • Multiple organizations
  • GDPR Compliance
  • CRM audit logs
  • IP address restriction
  • Field-level security
  • Profiles
  • Role-based hierarchy
  • Multiple organizations
  • GDPR Compliance
  • CRM audit logs
  • IP address restriction
  • Field-level security
  • Reporting hierarchy
  • Record-level sharing
  • Territory management
  • Data encryption
  • Profiles
  • Role-based hierarchy
  • Multiple organizations
  • GDPR Compliance
  • CRM audit logs
  • IP address restriction
  • Field-level security
  • Reporting hierarchy
  • Record-level sharing
  • Territory management
  • Data encryption

Note, if you decide to purchase a Zoho CRM plan and pay a yearly subscription you get a 34% discount on any plan you wish to buy.  

Zoho CRM Pricing Packages

To determine the Zoho CRM plan suitable for your business, go through this summary explanation of Zoho CRM packages.  

Zoho CRM Free Plan – Free Forever 

This is the plan for individuals and startups who are looking to test the waters in customer relationship management. This Zoho free plan offers limited basic features, but enough to provide good work for its user status. Some of the features offered by this plan include: Rename Tabs, Layout Editor, Standard List Views, Predefined reports, Email Templates, GDPR Compliance, etc. 

The Zoho free plan is also meant for large corporations to try out the excellent offerings and customer relationship management of Zoho before they decide on the higher plan with more features they will purchase that serves the needs of their business. Here are other free CRM software to consider.

Zoho Standard Plan 

The standard plan is for small businesses that have outgrown the free plan and have the need to use more features and more seats for team members or employees in the business. The standard plan is priced at US$18 /user/month which is billed monthly. The standard plan provides access to more features than the free plan, such as security features, marketing automation features, etc. 

Zoho Professional Plan 

The professional plan of Zoho CRM is suited for mid-sized businesses that have continually increasing patronage and have the need to manage their customer relationship. This plan offers a wide range of features more than what is available in the standard plan. This plan has more security features, better analytics and reporting tools, and better customization tools. The Zoho professional plan is priced at US$30/user/month which is billed monthly. 

Zoho Enterprise Plan 

The Zoho enterprise plan is the plan for much more established mid-sized businesses that are targeting to grow into large businesses with several locations across regions. This plan provides more advanced features in security and every other aspect of customer relationship management compared to what is offered by the professional plan and other plans lower than it. 

Zoho enterprise plan offers Advanced dashboard components, Anomaly detectors, Webform analytics and several other advanced features that set it apart. The enterprise plan is priced at US$45/user/month billed monthly. The Zoho enterprise plan is the most popular plan on Zoho CRM software solid offerings. 

Zoho Ultimate Plan 

The Zoho ultimate plan is the plan for very large and established businesses looking to consolidate their positions through customer relationship management. Zoho ultimate plan offers all the available features on its platform to users who operate on the ultimate plan. The pricing of Zoho ultimate is placed at US$55/user/month for monthly billing. Zoho ultimate has the auto-responders feature exclusive to it meaning this feature and many others are available only on the Zoho ultimate plan. 

Zoho CRM Features

We’ll take a look at the major features offered by Zoho CRM. The features we will discuss include sales force automation, automation and process management, product customization, reports and analytics, and marketing automation. 

Screenshot of Zoho CRM analytical tools

Sales Force Automation

Zoho offers a robust sales processing feature that is highly advanced with several functionalities within the sales force automation system. The sales force feature enables you to automate routine sales, marketing, and support functionalities that take up valuable work time. This gives you more time to concentrate on your customers. The sales force automation allows you to create optimized workflows that help reduce manual data entry and eliminate redundancies. This helps in increasing the speed of your business’s overall process.  

Automation And Process Management

This feature is the core feature that helps to automate the entire processes of your business sales team. This feature helps to make the functioning of the business sales seamless. This feature provides a blueprint of the business pipeline and structure, even if an employee or team member is not conversant with the system. With this feature, you can define your business sales process for your team.

Product Customization

This feature is a unique one with specialisation products as its main function. With this feature, you can combine various features to build a CRM that fits the specific needs of your business. This feature brings together all the needs of any business and builds a unique solution for your business. 

Security

Zoho CRM takes the security of users very seriously hence security is a top priority at Zoho CRM. Zoho provides businesses with the top security protection for their user’s data, and privacy while allowing employees the opportunity to carry out their work. With this feature, you are able to assign roles, define missions, define permissions, and control the information of your Zoho CRM. 

Marketing Automation

This feature ensures that you get your marketing and sales teams on the same page for the growth of the business. This collaboration leads to new leads and the execution of targeted marketing on small companies. This ensures that startups can also get marketing leverage, the marketing automation is done by integrations. 

Omnichannel

The omnichannel feature records and covers events in real-time, when handling customer projects, you will get notified whenever anyone interacts with your ads. This feature helps to provide businesses with more exposure and potential clients. 

Zoho CRM Customer Review

Zoho is rated positively hence the over 250,000 clients that make use of Zoho CRM. Zoho is rated as one of the best CRM marketing software of 2023 by Forbes advisor. While G2 rated Zoho as one of the best global CRM software. 

Forbes advisor reviewers commended the CRM features available on Zoho CRM, saying that they are one of the best in the industry. 

G2 reviewers commend the Global customer relationship management abilities offered by Zoho CRM using its advanced features, especially the tons of customisation features offered on Zoho. 

Benefits of Zoho CRM

Zoho offers a wide range of benefits that help increase your business value offerings. The benefits include: 

Automated Sales Process

Zoho offers a robust platform for you to manage your business sales process in an automated manner. Zoho CRM helps you in lead generation and helps you in closing deals for agreed deals. With Zoho, you are Guaranteed of giving your customers what they want, which helps them to stay loyal and come to buy again. 

Automated Tasks

Zoho helps you to automate your business processes and management using the best process management tools. With Zoho your business is set to function optimally with little human intervention, this improves productivity in the long run. 

Customizable Dashboards and Reports

With Zoho, you have access to customizable dashboards and tools for reporting and making analyses of your business output and operations. This feature provides you with up-to-date happenings in your business in real-time, if you wish to have a real-time report of sales activity.

Integration with Other HubSpot Tools

With Zoho CRM you have access to third-party integrations that enhance work productivity and cross-platform sharing and collaboration among team members. This feature helps your business sales team to reach out to other organisations when necessary seamlessly. This increases organisational structure and overall performance.

Methodology for reviewing Zoho CRM

In researching this review of Zoho CRM, we looked at the various sections of Zoho CRM and the platform as a whole, we then considered these features for our review 

Marketing Automation

We examined the marketing features available on Zoho CRM, including Email templates, Email authentication, Mass email, Social profile integration, Email relay, and CRM for Google Ads. We examined the ease of use of these features, and the integration of Zoho with other third-party platforms, for business streamlining and sales growth through analytical capabilities offered by Zoho. 

Sales Force Automation

We examined the working of Zoho CRM sales automation tools including Sales forecasting, Email insights, Multiple currencies, Macros, SalesSignals, etc. These sales tools were also tested for full functionality. 

Automation And Process Management

We evaluated the workflow process management on Zoho considering the complexity of certain tasks, we determined that the automation of business process management offered by Zoho worked as stated by Zoho. Some of the features examined were Workflow rules, Blueprint, Webhooks, Record approval process, and Data review process. 

Security

Zoho claims to put security a priority for it, hence we checked out the security features of Zoho CRM. The system did have a very positive response to the system security examination. Some of the security tools examined on Zoho include CRM audit logs, IP address restriction, and Field-level security. 

Alternatives to Zoho CRM 

If you are searching for customer relationship management alternatives to Zoho CRM that offer more features and better pricing than Zoho. Here are alternatives to Zoho CRM, you may want to have a look at.  

HubSpot operates as a cloud-based CRM, HubSpot is designed to help businesses in the tracking and nurturing of leads. HubSpot provides customer relationship management for all sizes of businesses. HubSpot is a good alternative to Zoho CRM in terms of the features offered by HubSpot and the user interface of the user area of the platform.

HubSpot offers five tiers of membership plans from the free plan to the enterprise, HubSpot is priced from $0 for the free plan to the enterprise plan which goes for  $,5000/month. 

Salesforce as a CRM services provider offers unparalleled advanced tools. The platform offers great features that require you to learn committedly. The cost of the different plans of Salesforce prices is expensive, but the platform offers features and tools that cover the high cost of membership plans making it a worthy alternative to Zoho. 

Salesforce offers very extensive features that are solid which makes it a worthy alternative to Zoho CRM. Salesforce pricing is given thus paid pricing starts at $25/month/user. Salesforce is very user-friendly and cost-effective.

Pipedrive as a CRM solution is designed to cater for sales teams, Pipedrive is an excellent and powerful solution for small and mid-sized businesses. This makes Pipedrive a good alternative to Zoho, the platform provides a robust range of features to business owners. Pipedrive offers features such as Customization tools, integration, dashboard features, etc., pipedrive has a super easy-to-navigate interface making it a go-to platform for customer relationship management. 

Pipedrive paid plans costs are similar to that of Zoho CRM, this puts Pipedrive in a good position again as an alternative to Zoho CRM. The pricing for Pipedrive starts at $9.90/month/user to $59.90/user/month. Pipedrive does not offer free forever plans but gives a free trial to intending members.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Bottom Line

Overall, Zoho CRM offers a wide range of customer relationship management solutions as we have discussed. The tools available on Zoho CRM are amazing, even though Zoho has limitations like every other CRM solutions provider.

Zoho is a CRM solution provider you should consider because it is a viable option to enhance your business marketing and management efforts. With Zoho, you can continually grow your business relationship with your customers. 

Spokeo Review: What is Spokeo and Does it Really Work?

Spokeo logo cover

Spokeo is a popular people search tool designed to track down old acquaintances or learn about the people around you. Through billions of records, the platform pulls together information to help you paint an accurate picture of others in your life. This Spokeo review thoroughly examines the platform’s features and how it provides the results you need.

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Spokeo logo

Spokeo Review – Our Verdict

Spokeo logo

Spokeo is an excellent background check service whether you’re searching by name, phone number, email address, or physical location. Few other people search tools have such a range in their capabilities. Pricing is reasonable for what you get, and you can gather up some of the most basic data on your subject completely for free.

There are caps on the number of searches you can perform in a month, although it’s unclear at a glance what these limits are. Spokeo is pretty accurate at getting things right the first time though, with over 12 billion records to find data from.

  • Reasonably-priced plans
  • Pulls from over 12 billion records
  • Free basic searches
  • Unclear pricing model
  • Available in the US only
  • No unlimited search plans

Spokeo at a Glance

Unlike many other people search sites out there, Spokeo gets you results quickly. Even with 12 billion records at its disposal, you’ll have a list of applicable search candidates in mere moments.

You can view basic information on a search subject for free, but the information here is somewhat sparse. Many fields are blurred out, and detailed data is unavailable. To see everything unabridged, you’ll need to sign up for a monthly membership.

Screenshot of Spokeo home page

Spokeo has only one price point, a $24.95 package for name, email, phone number, and address searches. You’ll start off with a $0.95 7-day trial and can cancel at any time.

The site’s biggest downside is its monthly search limit. There’s no clear answer on how many reports you can run per month or how much it costs to upgrade.

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Who Spokeo is Best For

Having knowledge about those around you can keep you and your loved ones safe. Anyone can use Spokeo to look up information on neighbors, colleagues, or someone they met online. The site reveals questionable past behavior and criminal records that could be serious red flags. Spokeo can’t be used to screen candidates for employment, tenancy, or financial services.

Spokeo Pricing

To find any price information on Spokeo’s website, you first have to start up a search. After entering a search subject based on one of Spokeo’s available criteria, the service will quickly track down your data. Clicking on one of the names meeting your search parameters takes you to some very basic information you can view for free.

If you want a detailed report, choosing “unlock profile” takes you to a payment page as a new user. From there, Spokeo informs you that a one-week trial membership costs just $0.95. In the fine print, the site lets you know that you’ll receive a bill for $24.95 per month after the trial concludes.

Spokeo’s help center mentions casually that a subscription has a maximum number of searches available each month. It goes on to say that you can upgrade your plan to increase this limit but reveals no potential costs for doing so.

Spokeo Features

There’s a lot you can do with a Spokeo membership. Read on to learn about some of the platform’s top features.

Spokeo People Search

The Spokeo search tool enables you to locate lost friends and family with no more than a name. It will find anyone in the United States with that moniker and reward you with a list of those individuals. If you have a previously-known location, Spokeo will be able to narrow down your search that much more.

Choosing a name reveals any phone numbers and email addresses connected to the individual, along with all the places they’ve lived. You’re also made aware of any social media profiles the person has.

Screenshot on the Categories of personal information available on Spokeo

If you’re looking for background information, Spokeo shows employment and education history. It will also show accessible court records from any state in the country, making it one of the best background check services out there. The people search can help you screen online connections and avoid going out with potentially dangerous individuals.

Keep in mind the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) doesn’t let you use Spokeo for certain purposes. You can’t use the site to make determinations on employment, lending, or selecting a tenant for your rental property.

Run a People Search with Spokeo

Spokeo Reverse Phone Lookup

Decipher the person or business calling you at all hours of the day with Spokeo’s reverse phone lookup. With just a ten-digit number, the platform can provide the caller’s name, location, and whether you’re dealing with a cell phone, landline, or VoIP. If the system flags the number as spam, Spokeo will show you comments on the number from other Spokeo users.

Screenshot of Reverse phone lookup on Spokeo

Run a Reverse Phone Lookup with Spokeo

Spokeo Email Search

An email search locates the name of the sender and any other available contact information for that person. The report will also link any social media accounts and personal details of the person on the other end of the message.

Screenshot of Reverse email lookup on Spokeo

For individuals you’ve met online, the email search can discover if the person’s being honest or fabricating parts of his or her story. It can also deter you from scams or see who a partner’s been chatting with.

Run a Reverse Email Lookup with Spokeo

Spokeo Address Search

Spokeo’s address search lets you obtain information on the inhabitants of a particular property. You can discover who lives at the location, contact info, and criminal records for anyone inside.

Screenshot of Reverse address lookup on Spokeo

You can broaden searches to check your neighborhood for safety concerns or sex offenders living nearby. Knowing potentially dangerous areas can keep you and your loved ones out of harm’s way.

The address search also helps potential homeowners learn the property details of a home in question. While real estate reports only provide so much, a Spokeo search can alert you to issues you weren’t aware of. You can also get a feel for a neighborhood and whether or not it’s a good place to live.

Run a Spokeo Address Search

Free Basic Searches

Spokeo doesn’t offer the option to pay upfront for searches. Instead, your initial search will lead you to basic information on the person or location in question. It will then point you toward the option of paying for more details.

You’re more than welcome to remain on the basic information page and browse everything made available there. The snapshot blurs out some lines of text, but it may reveal enough to provide whatever data you’re looking for. At a glance, you’ll know some address history, family members associated with your subject, and whether they have a criminal record.

Fast Results

Most people search sites slog through data while up your search subject. Along the way, pop-ups ask additional questions you’ll have to answer. These prompts may help narrow down results, but can delay the process if you’re not paying attention. When all’s said and done, it feels a bit over the top.

Luckily, this isn’t the case with Spokeo. Type in your search criteria, and in seconds, you’ll have results on your screen. You may have to scroll through a list to find the right John Smith, but at least this is something you can control.

Wealth Data

Wonder how much one of your coworkers makes? Spokeo is one of the few sites to share wealth data on a person in question. You can see income information from jobs alongside investments and financial interests your subject pursues. A search also shows any property the target owns and the approximate value of each place.

Mobile App

Users can download the Spokeo app to track down people while on the go. After installation, all of Spokeo’s features are instantly available no matter where you may be. The app searches the same databases and will even locate any missing information from your phone’s contact list. Through constant monitoring, you’ll be the first to know if one of your friends changes emails or gets a new cell phone number.

The Spokeo mobile app is currently only available for Android devices. Support for other devices is coming down the line.

Alternatives to Spokeo

If Spokeo doesn’t resonate with you, here are some alternative people search services to consider instead.

Truthfinder logo

TruthFinder goes deeper than Spokeo, allowing you to check the dark web for stolen personal data. Discovering you’ve been subject to identity theft early on can minimize damage to your finances and credit score.

The site has both people searching and reverse phone lookups to pull together data on a target. These reports may not scour as many records as Spokeo does but still produce accurate results most of the time. Unlike Spokeo, there’s no limit to the number of searches you can perform in a month.

If signing up for two months at a time, it is possible to purchase TruthFinder for as low as $23.28 per month. There’s no option for a trial membership or refunds. TruthFinder does charge an additional $4.99 per month for phone number searches.

Where Spokeo’s searches are lightning-fast, TruthFinder takes the long route to get your answers. The site throws additional questions your way as it searches, but many steps don’t seem to add much weight to the outcome. All in all, the entire process takes several minutes to complete.

  • Proprietary dark web scanning
  • Reasonable pricing for phone number lookup service
  • Unlimited reports
  • Must get a monthly subscription, no individual reports
  • Only includes results from the United States
  • Over-the-top process to obtain results
Intelius logo

It’s hard to top Intelius’s search prowess, perusing billions of records like Spokeo to pull together information. The service is very easy to use, with separate tabs dedicated to people search, reverse phone lookup, criminal records, and the like.

Intelius stands out for its address search feature, similar to what Spokeo brings to the mix. Looking up a property can tell you about previous owners, revisions to the home, and what its value should be based on several conditions.

Adding features like reverse phone lookup or address searching increases the overall cost of the package. Two months of people searching goes for as low as $21.13 per month, but adding extras can bring the price up to $34.95 per month. You can download reports for a $3.99 upcharge.

To keep yourself safe online, Intelius offers an identity protection program for $9.95 monthly. This system monitors your credit for strange happenings and alerts you immediately if something’s amiss. When battling against identity theft, there’s up to $1 million in insurance coverage available.

  • Unlimited searches
  • The site is easy to navigate
  • Address and property searches
  • Other services come with additional fees
  • Hard to understand pricing options
  • Reports are sometimes lacking
Instant Checkmate logo

Instant Checkmate loves locating criminal activity and does it well. With so many government databases at its fingertips, you can learn all about the past of your neighbors or that potential love interest with a few keystrokes.

Where Spokeo’s searches are fast, Instant Checkmate can take an eternity to provide results to your inquiry. You’ll need to be present for a search in case Instant Checkmate asks you additional questions to narrow down your search.

Anyone constantly on the go will delight in Instant Checkmate’s mobile apps. The platform offers a search tool for both Android and iOS with the same functionality and results as the desktop application. With unlimited searches, you can look up that unknown number the moment you get the phone call. 

You’ll have to buy a monthly membership to use Instant Checkmate, and prices aren’t cheap. A single month of reports will set you back $35.12, but those willing to pay three months at a time will only pay $28.09. Features such as phone reporting and dark web monitoring cost extra.

  • Accurate criminal and background checks
  • Dark web monitoring
  • Handy mobile app for Android users
  • Overbearing search process
  • Expensive membership fees
  • No option to pay per report
Peoplefinders logo

PeopleFinders is no stranger to the search business, having over 20 years of experience helping people reconnect. The site uses more than 120 billion records to help you find individuals you’ve lost touch with over time.

You can generally obtain good results with nothing more than a first and last name, but knowing where someone lived at some point helps that much more. If you only have a phone number or address, PeopleFinders can work with that also.

Strangely enough, PeopleFinders doesn’t use social media when checking for results. Conversely, Spokeo is quite good about leafing through these platforms for additional data.

One month of PeopleFinders is the same price as Spokeo at $24.95. Through a current introductory offer, you can sign up for just $19.95. Three and six-month memberships bring that price down to $12.95 or $9.95 per month, respectively. PeopleFinders also offers a premium membership for $29.95, providing more detailed results.

  • 20+ years of service
  • Quality service
  • Easy to use
  • Requires a premium membership for comprehensive reports
  • Available in the US only
  • Doesn’t search social media

Spokeo Review – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Still have questions about how Spokeo works? This FAQ serves to answer some of the most common questions about the service.

Bottom Line on Spokeo Review

Spokeo can work wonders for anyone searching by name, address, phone number, or email. The platform looks through billions of records before providing a detailed report on its findings. You can see basic reports without paying a penny, but it will require a membership to have an unobstructed view of all available data. Since Spokeo is not FCRA-compliant, remember not to use the service for business-related inquiries.

Get Started with Spokeo

Best Business Bank Accounts by State

Below you will find an interactive U.S map that can help you locate and compare different banks and financial institutions that offer business accounts in your area.

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

Instant Checkmate Review: Are the Results Worth the Price?

Instant Checkmate logo

In this troubling world, there’s nothing more important than keeping you and your family safe. Instant Checkmate searches can alert you to nearby criminals and sex offenders that could put your loved ones at risk. While impressive, this just scrapes the surface of all Instant Checkmate can do.

Instant Checkmate logo

Is Instant Checkmate Legit? – Our Verdict

Instant Checkmate has one of the largest databases to pull from. All these sources give the best chance at thorough and accurate criminal and background checks. There’s no limit to the number of searches you can run, and Instant Checkmate throws in location reports for good measure.

The search process takes longer than it should, with several annoying prompts that could be combined into a simple questionnaire. You have to buy at least a month’s membership to use Instant Checkmate, and prices are higher than most competitors. Fortunately, it’s possible to run searches from anywhere with the handy mobile app.

  • Accurate criminal and background checks
  • Dark web monitoring
  • Handy mobile app for Android users
  • Overbearing search process
  • Expensive membership fees
  • No option to pay per report

Instant Checkmate at a Glance

Instant Checkmate places the power of information right at your fingertips. With nothing more than a name, you can uncover everything from work history to criminal activity on a person in question.

Prices go run higher than the average people search tool, perhaps due to the depth of an Instant Checkmate scan. The only way to get a report is through a monthly membership, which costs as much as $35.12 if you only pay one month at a time. There are some additional upcharges if you’re interested in the add-ons.

Users with Android devices can take advantage of the Instant Checkmate mobile app. With this handy tool, you can run a search from just about any location. iOS users aren’t so lucky.

Because Instant Checkmate is not a Consumer Reporting Agency, it’s prohibited to search for the purpose of employment or tenant screening. You’re also unable to use the tool to make decisions about issuing credit, loans, or insurance.

Screenshot of Instant Checkmate Public Records Search Service

Who Instant Checkmate is Best For

Instant Checkmate is best for anyone wanting to look up an individual or location for personal reasons. If you want to learn more about your neighbors or locate a long-lost friend, Instant Checkmate likely has your answer. 

That said, it is against the law to use Instant Checkmate for employment or tenant screening. You also can’t use the service to make determinations about loans or credit.

Instant Checkmate Pricing

The service has two subscription options, one for people searches and the other for reverse phone lookups. Here are some of the top features each plan offers:

Person Reports

Phone Reports

Price

$28.09 – $35.12

$5.99

Location Reports

Phone Numbers

Employment/ Education History

Criminal Records

Address History

Owner’s Name

Social Media Profiles

Photos

Assets

If you’re trying to track someone down, Instant Checkmate’s Person Reports tool is your only option. A single search combs through billions of records to locate your subject and provide all available information.

You may learn where the person has lived, employment and education history, and any trouble they’ve gotten into with the law. Should you still want to get in contact, Instant Checkmate will share any phone numbers, addresses, and social media profiles belonging to him or her.

The Instant Checkmate cost for Person Reports is $35.12 for a single month. Anyone planning to use the service for longer can invest in three months for an average of $28.09 per month.

For just $5.99, you can run an unlimited number of reverse phone lookup reports for a month. This feature can identify who’s on the other end of a number you don’t recognize, putting a name to a caller. It’s also a great way to gather information on someone you met online and have been texting back and forth with.

When you run a report, Instant Checkmate will provide photos of the owner, their location, and any social media profiles they may have. You can use the date to decide whether or not to answer the phone next time.

Instant Checkmate has two add-on features to consider as well. For a one-time fee of $3.99, you can download your reports to a device and view them any time, even while offline. You’ll have this information even if you choose not to renew your Instant Checkmate contract.

The people search tool can also monitor the dark web for $1.99 per month. It will alert you if any of your sensitive information from passwords to credit card numbers end up out there. This way, you can act quickly and shut down the threat before it gets out of hand.

Get Started with Instant Checkmate

Instant Checkmate Features

There’s a lot you can uncover with an Instant Checkmate membership. Let’s dive into its top features now.

Instant Checkmate People Search

Screenshot of Instant Checkmate People Search

People Search is Instant Checkmate’s standout feature. This single tool can locate information on just about anyone, from a love interest to the new neighbor moving in down the street. A search provides a comprehensive list of available data from employment and education history to past addresses.

If you’re hoping to reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in ages, Instant Checkmate has you covered. The site will share known phone numbers, email addresses, or social media profiles you can use to reconnect.

The only information you need to perform a search is a first and last name. Knowing a city or state the person has lived in at some point will facilitate the process. Instant Checkmate then sifts through billions of records, putting all the data it collects into one easy-to-read format.

A search takes time, partly due to the number of records Instant Checkmate goes through. As the service does its thing, it may ask you additional questions to filter results. While this does help obtain an accurate report, it adds minutes to the already long search process. Moreover, you have to be in front of your device to address those prompts.

You can use the people search tool for any personal reason you can think of. Because of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), it’s against the law to use such a tool to make judgments about hiring, renting, or lending money.

Run an Instant Checkmate People Search

Instant Checkmate Reverse Phone Lookup

Screenshot of Instant Checkmate Reverse Phone Lookup

Chances are you get occasional calls from phone numbers you don’t recognize. With Instant Checkmate’s reverse phone lookup, you can track down the name of the person or company trying to reach you. As bot calls become more common, you can contact the business calling you to get placed on a do not call list.

It’s also possible to use this feature to look up someone you’re already in contact with. If buying or selling online, running a search on a number can alert you to a scam. The tool also works great for looking up someone you met over the web to see if their story checks out before going out in person.

Results typically aren’t as comprehensive as a person search but still provides some background information on your target. You can learn where the individual lives and check out any available photos linked to a public record.

Run an Instant Checkmate Reverse Phone Lookup

Instant Checkmate Criminal Records Search

Screenshot of Instant Checkmate Criminal Records Search

Instant Checkmate has a specific search for traffic, criminal, and arrest records. These background reports can reveal information about the people around you and help protect your loved ones.

If a criminal record exists, Instant Checkmate will tell you the nature of the offense and where it took place. It also shows when charges were filed, sentencing, and time spent behind bars.

Beyond looking up an individual, you can use Instant Checkmate to search crime stats in your city, state, or zip code. Having this information can be an invaluable tool before considering a move to a new area.

Run an Instant Checkmate Criminal Records Search

Sex Offender Database

All criminal record reports include a map of any registered sex offenders in the area you’re searching. Once the map loads, you can click on an offender to see detailed information and a mugshot. Knowing where these individuals live can help you keep your family out of harm’s way.

Inmate Search

Another feature unique to Instant Checkmate is the inmate search. Equipped with a name and state, the database will scan through available records for a match. If you’re unsure of a person’s location, you can run a nationwide search instead.

Should Instant Checkmate find a match, it will provide you with the full name, age, and sex of the inmate. The site will also provide any information on a potential release date. Note that searches don’t take into account eligibility for parole.

Customer Privacy

You can run searches on Instant Checkmate knowing that your privacy is protected. The platform will never reveal to any of your search subjects that you’re performing an inquiry on them. Those individuals won’t be any the wiser unless you tell them yourself.

Dark Web Monitoring

The dark web is teeming with identity thieves trying to make a buck off their latest conquest. These unscrupulous individuals use this part of the internet to sell stolen passwords, credit card numbers, and personal identification. Others can use this data to impersonate you or make purchases at your expense.

Instant Checkmate’s dark web monitoring scours the area for any information belonging to you. If located, the site informs you your identifiers have been compromised so you can take necessary action. Canceling a credit card or changing a password before it’s used can save you untold headaches trying to undo damage to your wallet or credit.

Instant Checkmate Mobile App

Those wishing to perform people searches without having to sit in front of a computer can rejoice. Instant Checkmate has a mobile app for Android users with all the same great functionality as the website itself.

You can use the app to look up a person or phone number anywhere you have cellular data or a Wi-Fi connection. The app provides the same comprehensive report you’d receive when searching from a computer.

Unfortunately, Instant Checkmate does not offer an app for iOS.

Hide Your Data

Instant Checkmate puts you in control of your own public data. While on the site, you can ask to suppress your information so others can’t run a search on you. Removing your data from Instant Checkmate translates to other people search sites as well.

Help Center

For questions or issues regarding your service, you can contact Instant Checkmate’s support team during regular business hours from 10 am to 7 pm Eastern Standard Time. There’s also an option to email the team outside those hours. Plan to wait about 24 hours for a response.

If waiting isn’t your strong suit, the website has a detailed FAQ section you can turn to for help. Here you’ll find answers to a long list of common questions regarding the service.

Alternatives to Instant Checkmate

Instant Checkmate has some great features, but it may not be for everyone. If that’s you, here are some alternatives to consider instead.

Truthfinder logo

Like Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder allows you to keep tabs on the dark web. With TruthFinder, the power is in your hands to run your own reports any time you desire. Best of all, there’s no additional cost for the feature.

While TruthFinder doesn’t have a criminal record search per se, it does have sections for public records and background checks. These portals tend to run a little faster and offer up specific information.

Prices for TruthFinder come in cheaper than Instant Checkmate, with a month’s worth of people searching capping out at $28.05. You’ll need to pay an additional $4.99 per month to do reverse phone lookups.

TruthFinder allows you to run as many reports as you desire with an active membership, and reviews indicate the platform does a great job. Results consistently come back with accurate information, even if the process takes several minutes to complete.

  • Proprietary dark web scanning
  • Reasonable pricing for phone number lookup service
  • Unlimited reports
  • Must get a monthly subscription, no individual reports
  • Only includes results from the United States
  • Over-the-top process to obtain results
Intelius logo

Intelius has three membership tiers to choose from. Each plan includes a people search, but moving up the ladder unlocks address lookup capabilities and reverse phone reports depending on how high you go. Reports tend to roll in more quickly with Intelius than other sites, but at times don’t have as much information. 

You won’t find an address lookup feature with most other people search sites. Intelius lets you obtain current and historical data on a location by inputting the address. Potential homeowners can look into the past of a house for red flags before putting in an offer.

For just the people search, you’ll pay $24.86 for unlimited reports. Adding address lookups increases the price to $29.78, and the reserve phone search on top of that brings the total to $34.95. It’s possible to try out the service for $0.95 for a week to see if you like it.

For $9.95 per month, you can employ Intelius’s Identity Protect to safeguard your credit. Not only does this service help you understand your score, it offers up to $1 million in identity theft coverage should something happen.

  • Unlimited searches
  • The site is easy to navigate
  • Prepares results quickly
  • Other services come with additional fees
  • Hard to understand pricing options
  • Reports are sometimes lacking
US Search logo

For reasons unknown, US Search hides its pricing information until you’re well into your first request. Only after the site teases your results are you hit with costs and the option to pay per report or monthly. A month of unlimited searches will set you back $19.86, whereas a single report can cost as high as $3.

US Search’s site feels rather basic to the trained eye, perhaps to simplify the experience for new users. The platform comes with a quick start wizard designed to walk you through a search from beginning to end. Since there are no specific searches for criminal records or a person’s background, you’ll have to rely on the wizard to pull together the data you need.

None of the other people search sites we reviewed have a refund policy, making US Search unique in that regard. If you don’t like the service after using it a few times, you can contact the customer support team for a refund.

  • Quick start wizard
  • Reasonable cost for membership
  • Fair refund policy
  • Basic presentation
  • Lack of transparent pricing
  • Available in the US only
Peoplefinders logo

PeopleFinders enters the picture with more than two decades of experience in helping people connect with old acquaintances and family members. The site has access to over 120 billion records it uses to locate data for your request.

The search process couldn’t be easier, requiring no more than a first and last name. If you have more information on your target, adding that to the mix typically brings in even better results. You can also search by address or phone number.

A regular PeopleFinders membership costs $24.95 per month, but an introductory offer knocks the price down to $19.95. If you want to buy a three or six month membership, you can get the monthly price down to $12.95 or $9.95, respectively. PeopleFinders also has a premium membership for $29.95 that supposedly shares more information about your subject.

When running a PeopleFinders search, the platform doesn’t check social media profiles for information. While this may not affect your results, one can’t help but wonder what additional data could be found there.

  • 20+ years of service
  • Quality service
  • Easy to use
  • Requires a premium membership for comprehensive reports
  • Available in the US only
  • Doesn’t search social media

Instant Checkmate Review – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Still curious about how Instant Checkmate works? These answers serve to address some of the most common questions about the service.

Bottom Line on Instant Checkmate

The sky’s almost the limit of what you can do with an Instant Checkmate membership. Searches can alert you to criminals in your neighborhood or throw up red flags about grabbing a meal with someone you met online. This knowledge can keep you and your loved ones safe in an increasingly dangerous world. Just make sure not to use Instant Checkmate when considering an employee, tenant, or lessee.

Run a Background Check with Instant Checkmate

Best Business Bank Accounts by State

Below you will find an interactive U.S map that can help you locate and compare different banks and financial institutions that offer business accounts in your area.

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TruthFinder Review: Is it a Legit Background Check Service?

Truthfinder review illustration

TruthFinder is a background check service you can use to uncover information about those around you. With so much false information floating around, it’s designed to help you decipher fact from fiction regarding a date, neighbor, or colleague. Read on to discover everything TruthFinder can do for you.

Run a Background Check with TruthFinder

TruthFinder logo

Is TruthFinder Legit? – Our Verdict

Truthfinder logo

TruthFinder is perfect for anyone wanting to gather information on someone for personal reasons. With a single search, you can collect information on a new neighbor or track down a long-lost friend. It’s even possible to look yourself up to see if your data has found its way to the dark web.

Although you can’t run a report without a monthly subscription, TruthFinder lets you search as often as you want while your membership is active. Keep in mind that TruthFinder is not an FCRA-compliant service and can’t be used for employee, tenant, or lendee screening.

  • Proprietary dark web scanning
  • Reasonable pricing for phone number lookup service
  • Unlimited reports
  • Must get a monthly subscription, no individual reports
  • Only includes results from the United States
  • Over-the-top process to obtain results

TruthFinder at a Glance

TruthFinder is one of the best background check services allowing you to discover information on individuals you’d like to learn more about. It provides accurate details on a person’s history, criminal status, and current whereabouts.

The tool does beyond rudimentary scans, diving deep into the dark web for data that may come back to haunt you. If you’ve been subject to identity theft, it’s here your private information will come up for sale. Through routine self-searches, you can rest assured that your credit card and social security numbers are safe.

All searches are completely anonymous, and you can perform them from a computer or mobile device. TruthFinder’s personalized user interface keeps the process simple.

Although TruthFinder isn’t the cheapest option out there, the price makes sense for the amount of data you receive. You can’t perform single searches, but a one-month membership only costs $28.01. If you’re planning a lot of searches, you can save a few bucks by subscribing for two months at a time.

Run a Background Check with TruthFinder

Who TruthFinder is Best For

Anyone and everyone can use TruthFinder to uncover information about a particular person. At less than $30 per month, the price should be well within reach of the average searcher. 

Because TruthFinder is not FCRA compliant, businesses, landlords, and financial institutions can’t use the service to play favorites with candidates.

Is TruthFinder Legit?

TruthFinder is a legitimate people search service that began conducting business back in 2015. Search results often come back accurate, and the information listed is up to date. It currently has a 4.4 rating on Consumer Affairs, and reviews on both the Google Play Store and Apple Store speak highly of what TruthFinder can do.

TruthFinder Cost

TruthFinder only has monthly memberships and does not allow one-off searches. Its pricing is not evident at first glance, and even its about section doesn’t reveal options.

You’ll have to run your first search to discover monthly fees, and at this point, you’ll be able to choose between a one-month or two-month subscription.

One-month subscription: $28.01 per month

Two-month subscription: $23.28 per month

If you hesitate on the membership screen, TruthFinder usually offers a special 5-day trial of all its services for just $1. After that, you’ll pay the full price for a monthly membership.

The reverse phone lookup is a separate feature that costs an additional $4.99 per month.

Screenshot of Truthfinder's subscription plans

TruthFinder Features

TruthFinder has several cool features you can take advantage of as a subscriber. Let’s take a look at them now.

People Search

TruthFinder works surprisingly well at finding a friend or family member you’ve fallen out of contact with. With its search feature, you can enter the name and last known location of a person in question and let TruthFinder do the work for you.

As it looks through data, TruthFinder often prompts questions about the individual’s age, middle initial, or how you know the person. These pieces of information will help the service narrow its parameters and find what you’re looking for. You’ll need to stay close to your computer while the search is running in case a question pops up.

After a handful of minutes, you’ll see a list of people potentially fitting your candidate. Clicking on one of those names sends you to your report once you’ve agreed you’re not going to violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

On the other side of the search, you’re greeted with a wealth of information on your target. In this solitary location, you’ll uncover social media information, education and work history, past relationships, and even criminal records. It will also share any current addresses or contact information so you can get in touch.

You can use TruthFinder people search for more than just missing friends or relatives. The tool also works well for new neighbors or the love interest you met in person or online. Being in the know can help keep you and your family members safe.

Run a People Search with TruthFinder

Public Records Search

Screenshot of Truthfinder's Public records search

For a long time, the only way to look into public government records was through a formal request from your local courthouse. A single request could take days or even weeks to get one document from the county you’re looking for information from.

With TruthFinder, you can search for public records on an individual and get access to information from any courthouse in the country, all from your computer. You only have to know the name of the person you’re inquiring about. As with any search, the more information you have on someone, the better.

When your results come in, you’ll be able to immediately see any criminal activity he or she has engaged in the past. This includes arrest and criminal records, court cases, bankruptcies, and even outstanding warrants. These records will also reveal if the person in question is a sex offender.

Reverse Phone Lookup

Truthfinder's reverse phone lookup page

Cell phone numbers aren’t as private as they used to be, leading to more frequent calls from unknown numbers. The TruthFinder reverse phone lookup lets you see who’s trying to get in touch.

Getting your results takes a few minutes, and you’ll want to stand by to click through various prompts and confirmations. Once on the other side of the search, you’ll have access to the caller’s name, location, and social media presence. If available, TruthFinder will even display satellite images of the person’s house.

TruthFinder will also share any information it has on the caller’s relatives or criminal record. If the phone number originates from a business, you’ll receive the company’s name, location, and any other data the site can dig up.

You can also use the TruthFinder reverse phone lookup to see who’s on the other end of the number your significant other is in contact with. It’s worth noting that TruthFinder doesn’t have access to phone conversations or text messages, but you can see the name and locations of the person on the other end.

Dark Web Search

Dark web search on Truthfinder

While there are other background check sites out there, few have the power of the dark web search. TruthFinder’s comprehensive scan scours for any of your personal information out for sale on the dark web. The tool will let you know if you’ve been a victim of identity theft so you can lock down accounts and change information before it’s too late.

Online identity theft is at an all-time high, and it’s becoming increasingly easy for your private information to fall into the wrong hands. With one dark web search, TruthFinder will show you if your bank account, credit or debit cards, driver’s license, passport number, and more are accessible to miscreants. If your information comes up in a search, you’ll want to act fast to regain control of your identity.

Run a Dark Web Search with TruthFinder

Accurate Reports

Despite all the pomp and circumstance of getting your results, TruthFinder does an excellent job of finding accurate and up-to-date information on your search target. Just before you see your results, the site shows you an accuracy gauge based on what it could locate.

To that point, TruthFinder will always only be as accurate as the information found in the millions of databases it searches. It cannot come up with information that simply isn’t there.

TruthFinder App

The TruthFinder App puts the entire service at your fingertips, no matter where you may be. You can quickly check who’s on the other end of a phone call or look up the person you’re meeting for lunch while you’re on your way there.

You can download the app on both Android and iOS devices. TruthFinder reviews on each operating system receive high praise, with over 4.5 stars out of a possible 5.

Easy-to-Use Dashboard

No matter which device you prefer to run reports from, TruthFinder comes with a personalized dashboard for you to use. This layout makes it easy to run searches and track down information on the person in question. The interface is very intuitive, with specific search buttons laid out for you to choose from.

Search Anonymously

There can be some trepidation about running a search on someone online. After all, it could be catastrophic if that other person finds out.

Fortunately, TruthFinder lets you remain completely anonymous any time you run a report on an individual. The person will have no idea you looked them up or what information you were able to acquire. Such privacy when searching is a huge blessing, as many social media sites will inform others of your intent. Some platforms even require you to add the individual to your network to obtain information.

Protect Your Online Presence

If you can look up information on others, you’d better believe that people can look up information on you. TruthFinder allows members to opt out of searches by filling out an online form. 

This means others using TruthFinder to look you up won’t be able to dig up any information on you. Note that this does not remove your data from the millions of records TruthFinder scans.

Alternatives to TruthFinder

There’s some strong competition for TruthFinder out there. If the service doesn’t appeal to you, consider one of these alternatives instead.

Intelius logo

Like TruthFinder, Intelius’s website is very easy to use. A single click can take you to background check, reverse phone lookup, or even a search by address. There’s no limit to the number of searches you perform in a month, but it can take a long time to get results.

Intelius offers a fast pass to cut the wait time down, but it begs the question of why scans can’t be fast in the first place. The fast pass is just one of many potential upcharges you may find yourself paying for.

Pricing options aren’t terribly clear, either. It’s hard to decipher just what information you’ll get from each of the packages listed on the site.

You can bundle reverse phone lookup and people search for $34.95 per month or address lookup and people search for $29.78 per month. Both come with week-long trials for just $0.95. There’s a standard people search option for $24.86 per month or $21.13 monthly if you pay in two-month increments. 

  • Unlimited searches
  • The site is easy to navigate
  • Fast Pass for quick report access
  • Other services come with additional fees
  • Hard to understand pricing options
  • Not the most accurate results

Instant Checkmate is huge on government data, using billions of databases to come up with accurate background checks, including criminal activity on your target. Searches often come with detailed property data you won’t find elsewhere.

Like other people search sites, Instant Checkmate’s search process seems over the top. You can use advanced search filters to increase your chances of hitting the jackpot on pertinent information.

Membership fees with Instant Checkmate are the highest we’ve seen, perhaps due to the depth of government data it searches through. A single month will set you back $35.12, but you can reduce costs a bit by paying $28.09 monthly for a three-month subscription. Reverse phone lookup tools will cost you an additional $5.99.

Instant Checkmate does have dark web monitoring, but this is an extra $1.99 per month upcharge.

  • Accurate criminal and background checks
  • Searches come with property data
  • Advanced search filters
  • Overbearing search process
  • Expensive membership fees
  • No option to pay per report
US Search logo

US Search doesn’t have a pricing page, making it increasingly difficult to know what you’re going to pay for signing up. After running a test search, it appears you can perform a month’s worth of searches for just $19.86. Individual searches are an option, but each one can cost up to $3.

If you’re new to the people search game, US Search has a quick start wizard to walk you through the process. The site will ask poignant questions about your criteria to narrow down parameters and help you find what you’re looking for.

The platform is one of the few to offer a refund policy if you’re not enjoying your experience or getting the desired results. Simply call the customer service department at the number on the site and ask for a refund.

  • Quick start wizard
  • Reasonable cost for membership
  • Fair refund policy
  • Basic presentation
  • Lack of clear pricing
  • Available in the US only
Spokeo logo

Spokeo advertises fast searches with over 12 billion records from thousands of data sources. You’ll only find information from U.S. sources, but this is an impressive number nonetheless.

Last time we checked, Spokeo offered a single month of unlimited reports for just $19.95 a month. If you know you’ll be searching for a while, you can get three months of results for just $14.95 per month.

It is possible to perform a single search while on Spokeo should a membership not interest you. You’ll pay $0.95 for the search, but Spokeo will automatically enroll you in a seven-day trial of its services. Be careful not to start paying for a membership if you don’t want to.

When you receive your results, Spokeo allows you to download the information to your computer for access at any time in the future. This service doesn’t even cost anything extra to use.

  • Reasonably-priced plans
  • Pulls from over 12 billion records
  • Unlimited PDF downloads 
  • Lacks some government search information
  • Available in the US only
  • Vague pricing

TruthFinder Review – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In our FAQ section, we drill down on some of the most popular questions about the TruthFinder service. Have a look at the answers below.

Bottom Line on TruthFinder

TruthFinder offers an accurate look into someone’s life, whether you’re curious about a new neighbor or want to find a friend from high school. The site scours millions of data points to provide you with everything from education history to criminal records. 

It can even help keep your information safe by checking the dark web for stolen credit card numbers or personal identifiers. Using TruthFinder is safe and easy. Just be sure not to use the site for anything that violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Run a Background Check with TruthFinder Now

Best Business Bank Accounts by State

Below you will find an interactive U.S map that can help you locate and compare different banks and financial institutions that offer business accounts in your area.

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Square POS Review – Pros, Cons, and System Cost

Square POS hardware on a black background

Square POS is an intuitive point-of-sale system designed to facilitate payments both in person and online. It breaks out of traditional molds by offering a number of additional features that add up to a robust all-in-one platform. This article explores the tools Square POS offers to take your business to the next level.

Get started with Square POS

Square payroll logo

Square POS Review – Our Verdict 

Square’s POS software is very business-friendly with a free Basic plan and card reader to collect in-person charges. Online businesses can take advantage of a user-friendly website builder to design the perfect store. 

You will have to use its payment processing system and subsequent fees, which fall on the higher side. Some tools, such as marketing, loyalty, and payroll do come with an additional charge.

Get Square POS for your business

Square POS stand on a white background
  • Basic plan is free to use
  • Free reader for in-person sales
  • Systems for several business types
  • Must use Square’s payment processing
  • Processing rates are on the expensive side
  • Marketing tools cost extra

Square POS Review at a Glance 

Square POS offers the perfect blend of tools for physical locations, online stores, and businesses firmly in both worlds. This makes it our top pick for the best POS software out there.

There are a number of hardware tools from portable card readers to terminals and registers you can use to set up your brick-and-mortar business any way you choose. Square’s free online store and website builder has everything you need to build a professional digital sales platform, even if you have no prior knowledge.

Basic plans across all business types are completely free for as long as you remain at that tier. Prices increase incrementally as you upgrade plans and gain access to more features. Processing rates are a bit on the high side but only come out of any transitions you make.

No matter what tier you start off at, Square POS has checkout and payment tools to bring in sales and inventory management tools to prevent you from running out of bestsellers. The platform automatically builds customer profiles, offers thorough reports, and even has banking options.

Who Square POS is Best For

Square POS’s range of features works well for startups and larger businesses alike, whether you’re in person or online. New companies can join Square for free and never worry about monthly payments or surprise charges. Enterprises with high sales numbers can uncover custom pricing, lower processing rates, and get the most out of Square’s extensive feature set.

Get Square POS for your business

Square POS System Cost

Square POS system cost changes depending on whether your business falls into retail, restaurants, or you do business by appointment.

Square for Retail

Square for Restaurants

Square for Appointments

Price

$0 – $60/month

$0 – $60/month

$0 – $69/month

Credit Card Rates

2.9% + 30¢ online,

2.5 to 2.6 + 10¢ in person

2.9% + 30¢ online,

2.6 + 10¢ in person

2.9% + 30¢ online,

2.5 to 2.6 + 10¢ in person

Online Store

Additional Features

Sales reports, integrated payments, team management, inventory management, client management

Unlimited locations and devices, menu and table management, unlimited KDS, shift reports, inventory management

Automated reminders, online booking tools, team management, client management, multiple payment options

Square POS builds each of its plans with a particular industry in mind. Each industry-specific plan has a free-forever option perfect for those starting out. Prices rise to $60 if you want to use more features. Processing rates don’t vary much, but each plan type has specific features to help your business succeed.

Square POS for restaurant user dashboard

Square POS Features

Square POS has several incredible features, and many of them are available completely for free. Check out the standout ones below.

Payments

With Square POS, you can take payments from anywhere you do business. Sales and payment tools even tie into Instagram and Facebook, where customers can buy with the tap of a button. If you make sales on the go, there’s even an option to accept payments through your smartphone.

The invoicing system makes it easy to accept payments remotely from regular customers or other businesses buying your products. Invoices can start out as estimates to quote jobs and land you contracts. You can use Square’s system to track where invoices are and which still need to be paid.

The POS system accepts all the major credit cards, whether in a physical location or through the internet. Online credit card rates come in at 2.9% + 30¢, whereas in-person rates vary slightly from 2.5% + 10¢ to 2.6% + 10¢, depending on your plan.

Checkout

Online checkout with Square POS is fast and flexible no matter your business type. You can customize your checkout page with Buy buttons or QR codes to expedite the process. The in-person process is just as fast, with credit card readers, full registers, and barcode scanners.

Hardware

Square POS has an assortment of hardware tools to not only give your brick-and-mortar store a professional feel but allow for an easy and quick sales process.

Plans come with a free card reader you can attach to a smartphone or tablet to take payments, but you can purchase terminals, stands, or registers as well. Accessories such as a cash drawer, barcode scanner, or receipt printer complete the look.

Square Register hardware

Contract Length

There are no long-term contracts with Square POS. You can upgrade from the free plan at any time to one of Square POS’s paid services. Anyone enrolled in a paid tier can make changes at the end of every 30-day billing cycle.

Online Store

All Square POS plans come with an online store to expand your business across multiple channels. The included website builder makes it easy to drag and drop your way to the site of your dreams.

Personalize all aspects of your site to drive more sales and push customers toward high markup items. Square POS online stores work across mobile devices to reach more people for less work. Alongside credit cards, you can accept payments from pay apps to maximize sales potential.

Inventory Management

Inventory management tools allow you to sort products among different categories and attach SKUs for tracking purposes. If you sell both in-person and online, Square POS keeps tabs on how much of each item you have left in stock, so you don’t have to.

Plus users get additional features, such as smart stock forecasts and managing goods across multiple locations. You can also set up automatic purchase orders to go out once an item falls below a certain amount.

Payroll

Square Payroll is an optional add-on, starting at $35 per month and increasing by $5 per active employee.

Your team can use Square’s POS system to clock in and out on shifts so you can accurately track hours and make all your employee payments from a single source. Businesses can tie in tips and commissions as well.

The software will also automatically calculate your quarterly and annual tax filings so you don’t have to. There’s no need to worry about costly mistakes or compliance issues across one or multiple states.

Customer Profiles and Management

Whenever you make a sale, Square POS automatically generates customer information into your database. The system adds to data as customers shop again, building a profile you can use to reward loyalty or generate targeted marketing campaigns.

Mobile App

If you’re on the road, the Square app allows you to follow your business, check sales information, and update inventory all from your phone. You can engage your customers from the Square app, receive orders if you’re running deliveries, and update your online store with the latest products.

Marketing and Loyalty

Marketing and loyalty tools are add-on features designed to keep customers engaged and coming back for more.

You can create campaigns through email or text message, depending on customer preferences and data you’ve collected in customer profiles. A marketing strategy can share information on new items, promote in-store events, or send out exclusive sales deals. Change up campaign type or template depending on the deal or who you target.

Square POS allows you to automate the marketing process once you’ve set it up the first time. It can send welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, ping customers you haven’t seen in a while, and more.

With loyalty programs, it’s possible to send one-time coupons to specific customers as a thank you for repeated business. Similarly, you can set up reward points they can redeem over time. The software will prompt customers to sign up at the time of sale so you don’t have to.

Marketing tools start at $15 per month, with loyalty tools starting at $45 per month.

Reporting and Analytics

With sales reports, you’ll know which inventory items are flying off the shelves and where you’re making the most money. At higher pricing tiers, it’s possible to break down reports by vendor, check profit margins, and view products by category to see what customers prefer the most.

Banking

To really stand out among the competition, Square POS incorporates basic banking tools to help you pay vendors and set aside finances.

Checking accounts grant instant access to your funds by way of a free business debit card. There are no minimums or recurring fees to worry about. With a savings account, you can set aside a portion of your sales for tax purposes or a looming expense.

If you need extra cash quickly, Square POS has a loan service for up to $250K. There’s no interest on the loan as you pay it back, just one flat monthly fee you’ll need to keep up with.

Alternatives to Square POS 

Square POS has a ton of great features but may not be for everyone. Here are some other options to consider if Square doesn’t speak to you.

Shopify POS connects users with a powerful ecommerce network and website builder that even the most computer illiterate can use to generate online income. Sales tools extend to brick-and-mortar locations as well, with robust payment options through many types of hardware.

If shipping across the city or the country, Shopify’s deals with major carriers earn you up to 88% off shipping costs.

You can get started for as low as $29 per month, but plans can reach $299 if you want to bring credit card rates down or access more features. Payment rates start very high and don’t drop too much even at the highest level.

The top-tier POS features are locked away behind a separate PRO plan at $89 per month. While most small businesses can make do with included tools, larger companies will have to consider this additional expense if choosing Shopify for point of sale tools.

  • Smooth omni channel selling
  • Powerful online store builder
  • Shipping discounts from the major carriers
  • Only two staff accounts at the Basic level
  • High payment processing fees
  • Shopify POS PRO is a costly add-on

Clover leans more on the brick and mortar side of POS, including hardware in each of its plans. The devices you receive vary depending on the plan you choose, but at the very least you’ll get a touchscreen you or your customers can use.

Pricing models vary considerably depending on the type of business you run. Clover has some pre-built POS systems but will also customize plans to your specific needs should you desire. No matter which way you go, your first month of service is on the house.

You can add an online store to your POS system as well, but unlike Square, this is an optional upcharge. While easy to set up, the additional cost only adds to the confusion of monthly pricing options. It’s best to work directly with Clover for your point of sale software, as some third-party sellers are not reputable.

  • Hardware included in each plan
  • First month of service is free
  • Customizable to any industry
  • Confusing pricing model
  • Some Clover partners may not do legitimate business
  • Keyed-in transactions have significantly higher processing rates

Revel Systems is a favorite of anyone with some developer knowledge under their belt. The adaptable Open API platform lets you build POS your way, and you can further customize your system with flexible payment options.

The platform is in no way limited to programmers, though. Revel Systems’ POS software is intuitive, with a number of tools for managing inventory, customers, and your team. Everything can run off iPad devices if you want to go that route.

Monthly pricing starts at $99 per terminal, and this rate requires you to buy two terminals and sign a three-year contract. At nearly $200 per month, Revel Systems may be out of reach for some smaller businesses. Revel Systems is quite unclear about its payment processing rates, requiring you to make a phone call to see what yours would be.

  • Adaptable Open API platform
  • Customizable payment system
  • Runs off iPad devices
  • Best rate requires two terminals and a three-year contract
  • No transparency with payment processing rates
  • Monthly pricing is expensive

TouchBistro is a restaurant-exclusive POS software with all the fixings you’ll need to run your fast food business or sit down. Wait staff can take orders and send them to the back of the house through standard iPad devices, maintaining a professional vibe while saving on expensive hardware.

It will cost you a minimum of $69 per month to start using the majority of TouchBistro’s restaurant tools. There are no tiers of service; instead, you add additional features to cover all your business needs.

Add-ons include features like online ordering, reservations, and marketing tools that come with the means to up your sales numbers. You’ll have to weigh the costs of these tools with profit potential to see what makes sense.

By signing up, you commit to at least a one-year contract. Make sure you iron out processing fees and add-ons before you buy so you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

  • Several restaurant POS tools
  • Works with iPad devices
  • Always available customer support
  • Minimum one-year contract
  • Nontransparent hardware and processing fees 
  • Add-ons like online ordering are not cheap

Square POS Review – Frequently Asked Questions

Bottom Line on Square POS Review

Square POS is an excellent point-of-sale system, allowing your business to accept payments from any medium. It doesn’t stop there, offering an online store, management tools, and even banking to an already impressive package. Best of all, businesses of any size can take advantage of Square’s features thanks to a free plan and attractive pricing options.

Try out Square POS!

Shopify POS Review: A Perfect Marriage of POS and Ecommerce

Shopify POS blog background

Shopify POS is a point-of-sale system your business can use to accept payments while managing inventory, staff, and sales. Whether your operations are online-only or you need Shopify POS hardware for your physical store, Shopify POS has the tools you need to succeed. This Shopify POS review will show you how one simple system can maximize your business’s potential.

Get started with Shopify POS today.

Shopify logo

Shopify POS Review: Our Verdict

Businesses of any size can make use of Shopify POS’s omnichannel sales tools and powerful online store builders to reach the most customers. Be prepared for slightly higher than average processing fees from credit card transactions, especially with some of the cheaper plans. To lessen the sting, you’ll receive some fantastic shipping discounts on all outgoing packages.

To get the most out of your Shopify POS system, you’ll need to come up with an additional $89 per month to go PRO. Only here will you have smart inventory management, unlimited staff logins, and the whole gamut of analytics.

  • Smooth omni channel selling
  • Powerful online store builder
  • Shipping discounts from the major carriers
  • Only two staff accounts at the Basic level
  • High payment processing fees
  • Shopify POS PRO is a costly add-on

Shopify POS System at a Glance

Shopify POS offers the means to maximize sales for your physical or online store with mobile pay and credit card payment processing. If you sell from multiple locations, you can also track inventory changes and utilize reports to see which items are hot.

Built-in checkout and payment tools aim to improve the consumer experience and boost revenue. Customer profiles track customer habits, so you can tailor deals to demand or reward shoppers for loyalty.

Best of all, Shopify’s point-of-sale system is only one part of an impressive suite of services. What really sets it apart is the eCommerce platform millions of businesses use every day.

Point of sale and eCommerce software are so intertwined that you can’t purchase one without the other. Plans start at just $29 per month and grow alongside the needs of your business.

Screenshot of Shopify POS home dashboard

Who Shopify POS System is Best For

Any business able to handle $29/month is a good candidate for Shopify POS. As your company demands additional features, you can upgrade to more comprehensive plans or invest in Shopify POS PRO. Even large businesses should find everything they need with all of Shopify’s tools at their disposal.

If you’re starting an online store and need a POS, Shopify should be one of your top picks the best POS software for your business. 

Shopify POS Pricing

Shopify POS has three price tiers you can take advantage of as your company’s needs change. Check out the chart below to find the best plan for your business.

Basic

Shopify

Advanced

Price

$29/month

$79/month

$299/month

Staff Accounts

2

5

15

Credit Card Rates

2.9% + 30¢ USD online

2.7% + 0¢ USD in person

2.6% + 30¢ USD online

2.5% + 0¢ USD in person

2.4% + 30¢ USD online

2.4% + 0¢ USD in person

Online Store

24/7 Support

Inventory Locations

Up to 4

Up to 5

Up to 8

Reports

Basic

Standard

Advanced

Shipping Discounts

Up to 77%

Up to 88%

Up to 88%

Each tier includes Shopify’s powerful online store builder and a support team that never rests. Differences start to appear with credit card rates, where you’ll see a drop in fees the higher up the list you go.

The Basic plan only allows for two managers to log in and make administrative adjustments. You can have 15 managers helping you on the top level once you make the move to the Advanced tier.

Other features also get progressively better as you step up the ladder, such as the quality of reports and shipping discounts. You can also track and sell inventory across more warehouses or retail locations as the need arises.

Shopify PRO

If you want to elevate your POS software to the next level, Shopify PRO removes limitations on store staff logins and the number of registers you can use with your account. It also kicks inventory management into high gear and boosts your omnichannel selling with new features.

Adding Shopify PRO to your account costs $89 per month in addition to whichever plan you signed up for.

Check out what Shopify PRO has to offer.

Shopify POS System Features

Shopify POS has no shortage of tools to help your business out. Let’s take a look at the key features now.

Screenshot of Features page of Shopify POS website

Payments

Whether you’re doing business in person or on the web, Shopify POS has you covered. The software works with popular payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Google, and Apple Pay.

Credit card rates vary depending on the plan you use and where customers are shopping from. Online orders incur a 30¢ transaction fee on top of the cut Shopify takes for helping you do business. Charges range from 2.9% at the Basic level to 2.4% should you upgrade to Advanced.

Online fees work the same way, starting at 2.7% at Basic and dropping to 2.4% at Advanced. In addition to better rates, internet purchases don’t have a transaction fee.

Checkout

Customers bogged down by the checkout experience may leave their merchandise and run. Shopify POS facilitates the process from any device to keep shoppers happy. The software automatically calculates taxes and can provide email receipts.

In-store barcode scanners make for quick transactions. It’s possible to print out custom receipts with your store’s information in hopes of bringing customers back in the future.

Shopify POS Hardware

You can deck out your brick-and-mortar store with Shopify POS hardware designed to speed up the sales process. Its standout tool is POS Go which looks like a phone but incorporates a barcode scanner, card reader, access to customer profiles, and more.

Shopify POS hardware

To make your business look even more professional, you can add registers, cash drawers, barcode scanners, receipt printers, and more. These devices all talk to each other through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or a wired connection.

Contract Length

You don’t have to get locked into a long-term contract by signing up for Shopify POS. Any plan you choose can be month to month, allowing you to upgrade or cancel without worrying about termination fees.

A yearly contract is available if you want to bring prices down. The commitment discounts monthly rates by 50%.

Ecommerce Platform

Shopify is one of the best eCommerce platforms that millions of businesses use for online sales. Each of its POS plans includes the tools to create an incredible site of your own.

You don’t need one iota of coding knowledge to build your site, either. Shopify’s drag-and-drop system makes it easy to create the online store you want without the headaches that come with programming. If you do have programming skills, the sky’s the limit of what you can do.

There are thousands of themes to choose from, and Shopify’s websites are optimized for products and selling. If you’re just starting out, you can use the built-in generator for your business name or domain.

Shipping Discounts

Perks for using Shopify’s point-of-sale software even extend to shipping. No matter where you send products, you’ll receive competitive shipping rates from UPS, USPS, or DHL Express. Discounts can reach up to 88% off standard costs.

Anyone using the Shopify or Advanced plans gets additional savings on smaller packages, but Basic users miss out. There’s also up to $200 including insurance coverage if you use Shopify shipping labels.

Inventory Management

You can connect up to eight locations with your Shopify account to manage retail inventory. While this could mean multiple store locations, it also includes storage facilities or products hot off the manufacturing line. Inventory automatically updates when you fill orders or move products to a different place.

The rest of Shopify’s inventory management tools are only accessible if you’re a Shopify PRO member. PRO members can view inventory analysis and reports identifying sales trends and decide which items are worth keeping in stock. You’ll also get a heads-up if items are running low and purchase order suggestions based on products flying off the shelves.

Customer Profiles

Repeat customers are a business’s bread and butter. Shopify will build customer profiles listing contact information, purchases, lifetime spending, and pertinent notes about likes and dislikes. You can use these metrics to adjust marketing preferences or reward loyalty.

Reporting and Analytics

Shopify has a wide variety of reports you can use to track store performance and discover trends among your shoppers.

Retail sales reports allow you to view sales based on staff member, location, customer, or time of day. Product and inventory reports reveal what’s selling and which items only collect dust. You can even see cash flow and whether your sales promotions are helping or hindering your bottom line.

Alternatives to Shopify POS System

Shopify POS has some powerful features, but it may not be for everyone. Check below for some alternatives that may be more of your style.

New businesses tend to love Square’s Basic plan, which is completely free to use for the life of your company. It even includes a free card reader you can attach to a tablet or mobile device, so you can theoretically sell without any initial out-of-pocket costs. Square for Restaurants is also our top pick for the best restaurant POS systems.

Square has two other service tiers with advanced features to consider as your business grows. The Premium tier is only available to larger businesses making over $250,000 annually. Since all plans are month to month, you can change them at almost any time.

Among its bonus features, the POS software gives access to your very own online store to build your internet presence. There is also a slew of inventory management tools and sales reports to stay on top of your business needs.

Credit card processing rates are on the high side, effectively dipping into your bottom line. You’ll have to use Square’s payment processing system, so there’s nothing you can do to get these fees down. Adding to the strain on your pocket, marketing, and loyalty tools are not included in standard rates.

  • Basic plan is free to use
  • Free reader for in-person sales
  • Systems for several business types
  • Must use Square’s payment processing
  • Processing rates are on the expensive side
  • Marketing tools cost extra

Clover offers an excellent POS system catering, especially to brick-and-mortar businesses. The platform has all-in-one solutions built around restaurants, retail, and various professional and personal services. If your company doesn’t fit into one of these molds, Clover can create a package just for you.

There are several plans for each industry type depending on the features you need. All plans come with hardware in the form of touchscreens, kiosks, or full registers for your transactions.

Your entire first month of service comes at no cost to you as a gift for choosing Clover. This lessens some of the pain surrounding monthly pricing, which requires a phone call to sales to sort out. It’s best to do business directly through Clover, as some third-party vendors are not very reputable.

An online store through Clover is an optional add-on, causing monthly rates to jump even higher. Keyed-in transactions come with high fees, so make use of your card readers whenever possible.

  • Hardware included in each plan
  • First month of service is free
  • Customizable to any industry
  • Confusing pricing model
  • Some Clover partners may not do legitimate business
  • Keyed-in transactions have significantly higher processing rates

Revel Systems opens the door to customization tools that allow you to create the perfect POS system for your business. Alongside flexible payment options, developers can use the adaptable Open API platform to integrate other software and build game-changing solutions.

If programming isn’t your thing, Revel Systems still has an intuitive point-of-sale software with inventory and customer management. Everything can run off a standard iPad device if you’d rather not invest in potentially expensive proprietary hardware.

Pricing begins at $99/month per terminal, requiring a three-year contract and the purchase of at least two terminals. Startups may be unable to come up with these funds early on in the game. Revel Systems isn’t clear about its card processing rates, forcing you to call for a quote.

  • Adaptable Open API platform
  • Customizable payment system
  • Runs off iPad devices
  • Best rate requires two terminals and a three-year contract
  • No transparency with payment processing rates
  • Monthly pricing is expensive

Lightspeed’s inventory management tools leave other POS providers in the dust. You can track products across multiple locations like Shopify, but Lightspeed lets you assign custom SKUs and reorder supplies directly from its platform.

Everyone except those in the Basic tier gets access to Lightspeed’s eCommerce platform for online sales. There’s also free onboarding assistance until your team is up to speed on everything Lightspeed has to offer.

Payment processing fees do not vary from plan to plan or business type and actually come in a bit lower than most of the competition. Monthly prices to use the POS software start at $69/month and only go up from there.

On the hardware side, Lightspeed software runs on any iPad device to help keep costs down. You’ll have to call for a quote if you want to use a register, cash box, or receipt printer.

  • Robust inventory management system
  • Free onboarding assistance
  • Lower payment processing fees
  • eCommerce platform not included in the basic tier
  • Must request a quote for hardware pricing
  • On the pricey side

Shopify POS Review – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

This section provides answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about Shopify POS.

Bottom Line on Shopify POS Review

Shopify POS combines the best point-of-sale software with an impressive eCommerce platform. In addition to omnichannel selling, you’ll have inventory and staff management tools alongside comprehensive reports and the Shopify POS hardware you might need for a brick-and-mortar location. Businesses small and large turn to Shopify for its long list of features that grow right along with you.

Get started with Shopify POS today.

BlueVine Review: The Best Business Checking Account?

BlueVine logo

BlueVine Review is an online lender and financial tech company with several free features that make it easy to manage business funds. Its business checking and business loan services work separately or in tandem to provide you with opportunities to help your venture grow. Find out in this BlueVine review if it’s the right place to open a business bank account.

BlueVine Business Checking – Our Verdict

BlueVine works well with budding business owners who desire to keep personal and business funds apart. It’s hard to top 1.5% APY for up to $100,000 on a business checking account, but this rate loses some appeal once your account grows any larger. Several free features add to the appeal, but there are limitations on monthly deposits and withdrawals that you’ll want to keep your eye on.

It’s quite easy to sign up for a checking account, and anyone from sole proprietorships to corporations can do so. You can even open a business bank account with an EIN only to keep your personal information out of the picture. 

  • High interest rates
  • Very few fees
  • No minimum deposit required
  • Monthly transfer limits
  • Checking accounts only
  • Fee for cash deposits

BlueVine at a Glance

BlueVine logo

BlueVine provides business checking accounts or business loans. Business checking accounts are free to open and include several free features, including no overdraft fees and unlimited transfers. Best of all, there are no monthly fees and no minimum requirements to keep your account open, which makes it one of the best banks for startups.

It offers an impressive 1.5% interest on balances up to $100,000 and is among the highest on the market. Fees do bubble up periodically for things like outgoing wire transfers and cash deposits.

What makes BlueVine stand out are its business loans, hence earning it a spot on our list as the best bad credit loan for startups. The lender will spot you up to $250,000, considering you meet its requirements. It usually takes no more than a few minutes to get approved, and interest rates are a respectable 4.8% for payback.

Who BlueVine Business Checking is Best For

BlueVine is best for anyone starting a small enterprise that needs a specific location for business funds. Within the software, you can track expenses, transfer funds, and more without spending a penny. You may find yourself outgrowing BlueVine as your company expands, but it is a great place to start.

Bluvine Business Checking Pricing

It’s free to sign up for a business checking account with BlueVine. Furthermore, you don’t have to pay monthly fees or keep a minimum balance to keep your account open. You’ll incur fees only with cash deposits, outgoing wire transfers, or using out-of-network ATMs.

BlueVine logo

BlueVine

Features

Monthly Fee

$0

Minimum Deposit

$0

Overdraft Fees

$0

APY

1.50% on balances up to $100,000

Transactions

Unlimited

Account Types

Business checking and business loans

Cash Deposits

$4.95

ATM Fees

$0 in-network,

$2.50 out of network

Outgoing Wires

$15

 

 

Being the best business bank account for LLCs, BlueVine makes banking easy with no monthly fees and no minimum deposit required to keep your account open. They don’t even charge fees for account overdrafts. In addition, you don’t have to worry about ATM fees from BlueVine itself so long as the ATM is in-network. Anything out of network will set you back $2.50 per use. Keep in mind that you may still receive a charge from a bank for using their ATM.

There’s no maximum number of transactions you can make with BlueVine as long as you stay within monthly withdrawal and deposit limits. For instance, you can make as many direct deposits as you’d like, but cash transfers cap at $7,500 per month. You can only take out $2,000 per day from ATMs as well.

Anyone with BlueVine’s business checking account receives 1.5% interest for balances up to $100,000. To activate this rate, you’ll need to either spend $500 per month with a BlueVine Business Debit Mastercard or receive at least $2,500 per month into your account from outside sources. If you fail to meet one of the requirements, you won’t earn any interest that month. Subsequently, any money in your account over $100,000 does not receive interest either.

BlueVine does have a few fees to keep on your radar. Cash deposits incur a $4.95 charge for hitting your account, and you’ll be billed $15 for any outgoing wire transfer. Incoming transfers are free.

BlueVine Business Checking Features

Screenshot of BlueVine dashboard

BlueVine has several enticing features that make it stand out as an online bank for business. Let’s take a look at them in more detail now.

BlueVine Business Checking Account

If you’re looking for a free business checking account, you’ve come to the right place. Because business checking is where BlueVine focuses a majority of its attention, the company does it really well. Members have access to several free features and interest incentives that most other banks can’t offer.

Business Loans

In addition to checking, it’s also possible to tap into a business line of credit for up to $250,000 for those big purchases. Interest rates here are as low as 4.8%, and you may even get approved in a matter of minutes.

You’ll need at least a 600 FICO score, $10,000 in monthly income, and at least six months in business incorporated or operating in a U.S. state. After a few additional questions and access to current bank statements, BlueVine will make a decision about your loan. Check out the best options available if you’re considering a bad credit business loan.

Minimal Fees

With so many free services, one might wonder how BlueVine makes any money at all. There are no fees for starting up an account and no minimum balances you have to maintain. You won’t receive a charge if your balance drops to zero, and you won’t incur any penalties for trying to overdraw your account.

You won’t receive a charge whenever you use one of the 37,000+ ATMs that BlueVine is in-network with. It’s easy to locate these, thanks to the online ATM locator. Should you need to use an out-of-network ATM, you will incur a $2.50 fee for doing so. You can deposit cash into these ATMs as well, but BlueVine will charge $4.95 for the service.

Unlimited Transactions

BlueVine boasts unlimited transactions, which is true to an extent. You can deposit as much as you’d like from another financial institution, but you’re limited to $5,000 per month on transfers from the website or mobile app. The online bank caps cash transfers at $7,500 per month but places no limit on incoming wire transfers. You can’t take out more than $2,000 in cash from an ATM or cash back service in a single day, but there are no limits otherwise.

High Interest Rate

Opening a business checking account with BlueVine gives access to its 1.5% interest rate for amounts up to $100,000. Any funds in your account above $100,000 will not generate any interest.

You’ll have to meet one of two requirements to be eligible for this interest rate. You can either spend at least $500 per month with your BlueVine Business Debit Mastercard or have at least $2,500 coming into your account each month from outside sources. Should you not meet either of these requirements, you won’t receive any interest on your account.

Bill Pay

With BlueVine, you can manage and pay bills straight from the Dashboard on the site or mobile app. Keeping all your bills in one place helps with management, and it’s possible to link one of 40,000 payees to make the process even easier.

The software gives the option to pay from your checking account or credit card to help keep track of cash. You can schedule one-time or recurring payments within the system to ensure you never miss a bill.

Sub-accounts

If you need to separate funds into different categories, BlueVine lets you open sub-accounts with unique account numbers at no extra cost. These sub-accounts can do everything the primary account can do, minus having access to a debit card.

Transfers

It’s easy to transfer funds between primary and sub-accounts with the click of a button. Similarly, you can send wire transfers anywhere for a flat $15 per transaction. There’s no fee or limits if you receive a wire transfer from an external source.

Mobile Banking

BlueVine members can make use of a mobile app on Android or iOS to bank from anywhere. These apps are free to use and have all the same features you’ll find on the website.

Free Checkbooks

Using BlueVine, you’ll receive up to two checkbooks each year at no cost to you. If you use more before the year is up, you will have to purchase them through the website.

BlueVine Contact Info

BlueVine doesn’t hide its customer service information, listing everything you need to know on its “Contact Us” page. There’s a link to an email form, or you can call support at (888) 216-9619. The team is available from 8 am to 8 pm EST Monday through Friday.

Alternatives to BlueVine Business Checking

If BlueVine doesn’t speak to you, perhaps a similar service will. Below are some of the top online business checking alternatives to consider.

Novo is a top alternative to BlueVine and similarly only offers checking accounts for business purposes. It’s free to sign up and there are very few fees for using any aspect of the service.

Unlike BlueVine, you’ll get stuck with a $27 penalty any time you overdraw funds. However, you’re not required to keep a certain monthly balance, and the bank refunds ATM fees no matter where you use them.

Banking on the go is easy with Novo’s mobile app. You can download the software to either Android or iOS devices. Novo does fall short when it comes to cash, since you can’t deposit even a single physical dollar into your account. Read our in-depth Novo review to learn more about its accounts and fees.

  • Zero monthly fees or minimum balance required
  • Mobile app
  • Refunds all ATM fees
  • Cannot deposit cash
  • Fee for overdrawn accounts
  • No savings accounts

Lili raises the stakes with a free tax optimizer to prevent over or underpaying. You can automatically set aside funds for tax time so there are no surprises when the time comes. The app also helps you sort through personal and business expenses so you know what to write off.

There’s no fee or minimum amount required to sign up for Lili, and a majority of its services are free to use. There are some monetary limitations on deposits and withdrawals though that may not suit larger businesses. It’s not possible to perform any wire transfers through Lili either.

If you’re saving up for a big purchase, Lili allows you to open up an account for such a purpose. Unfortunately, none of your money accrues any interest while using Lili’s free version.

Those looking to generate 1% interest or unlock additional features such as overdraft protection may wish to consider Lili Pro. This service costs $4.99 per month and should pay for itself through interest alone. Read our complete Lili review to learn more about its accounts.

  • Tax optimizer
  • No minimum balance or monthly fees
  • Can place money in savings buckets for future use
  • Several features are locked behind Lili’s paid membership
  • No APY in the free account
  • No wire transfers

Like most online business checking accounts, Kabbage doesn’t charge fees for the setup process. You also won’t have to pay any monthly fees, and you never have to keep a minimum balance. To go above and beyond, Kabbage doesn’t charge any fees whether you’re accessing an in-network or out-of-network ATM.

For amounts of $100,000 or less, you’ll receive a 1.1% APY each month without prerequisite. Anything in your account over that limit won’t receive any interest, though. You’re limited to a sole owner since Kabbage doesn’t do joint accounts.

Kabbage doesn’t have many fees, but they do charge upwards of $4.95 for cash deposits. Outgoing wire transfers will set you back $25 anytime you need to send one out. When using the mobile app, take note that deposits can take several days longer to clear. Read our in-depth Kabbage review to learn more about its accounts and fees.

If you are interested in opening a business account, here is a detailed Bank of America Review, NBKC Bank Account Review, and Chase Bank Review packed with information about the pros, cons, and alternatives that help you choose the right business account.

  • No monthly fees or fees for signup, no minimum balance
  • High interest rate
  • No Kabbage fees for out of network ATM withdrawals
  • Cash deposit fees up to $4.95 per transfer
  • No ability to make joint accounts
  • Mobile deposits take several days to clear

Axos goes beyond business checking accounts to offer business savings and personal accounts as well. Its basic business account has no fees for signing up or maintenance, and there’s no minimum balance. This account will reimburse you for any ATM fees you incur wherever you find yourself.

Business owners can also partake in a savings account, although interest rates are quite low at 0.20%. Even if you manage to squeeze into the premium savings account with a $25,000 minimum opening deposit, the APY doesn’t change.

In fact, Axos’ rates across the board aren’t that great. CD rates land at 0.20% as well, not offering much incentive to grab a certificate. You can even set up personal savings and checking accounts through Axos if you so choose. Read our complete Axos review to learn more about its accounts. If you are interested to more in-depth review for other banks, we have also US Bank Review, Capital One Review, and SoFI Review.

  • Several checking account options
  • Unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements
  • No monthly maintenance fees or balance requirement for basic checking
  • CD rates aren’t great
  • Low APY on business savings accounts
  • Some accounts require high deposits

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for BlueVine Business Checking Review

Opening a business account with BlueVine can generate a plethora of questions. Read on to find answers to some of the most common ones.

Bottom Line on BlueVine Business Checking Review

BlueVine business checking brings a lot to the table with a long list of free features and services. Having access to both a free business checking account and a line of credit puts young businesses in a good place to succeed. If you’re careful about how you use your money, this impressive service may never even cost you a dime.

Best Business Bank Accounts by State

Below you will find an interactive U.S map that can help you locate and compare different banks and financial institutions that offer business accounts in your area.

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

Next Insurance Review: Perfect Coverage For Small Businesses

Next Insurance logo

Due to the meteoric growth of the internet over the past decade, the needs of business owners have dramatically changed. However, the insurance industry has been slow to accommodate these rapidly changing needs.

This is where Next Insurance steps in. Next Insurance is an insurance company dedicated to selling business insurance online. The company aims to provide simple and affordable coverage to any small business owner.

Our in-depth review will determine if Next Insurance is the right fit for your business. 

Founded in 2016, over 300,000 business owners use Next Insurance currently. Since Next Insurance focuses on providing tailored coverage, this insurance provider serves more than one thousand different types of businesses. You can purchase individual business insurance policies or bundles catered to certain industries, such as child care, construction, and fitness.

  • Simple and quick application process
  • Receive up to a 10% discount on bundled packages
  • Easy online accessibility and sharing capabilities
  • Specialized business insurance, such as key person insurance, isn’t available
  • May be confusing for business owners who only use paper records

Next Insurance Business Review: Overview

Screenshot of Next Insurance's home page

Next Insurance is designed to provide small business owners with affordable and tailored insurance policies. This insurance provider offers various types of insurance, including general liability insurance, business income insurance, and professional liability insurance. Best of all, you will receive a quote in no time after you finish the application. 

Who Next Insurance is Best For

Next Insurance is best for small business owners that don’t need specialized insurance. For example, if your business requires a key person or builder’s risk insurance, we recommend looking at another insurance provider. Next Insurance is designed for more common types of insurance coverage.

In addition, Next Business Insurance is ideal for business owners who prefer an all-digital solution. You can submit insurance claims through Next Insurance’s online portal or a call center representative. Furthermore, you can view your certificate of insurance and add additional insureds online.

Next Insurance is also an excellent choice for business owners that require an insurance agent but want personal support. As such, Next Insurance offers advisers who will walk you through all your options.

Next Insurance Pricing

Next Insurance offers several types of insurance, but the exact price you pay for each depends on your specific circumstances. We recommend going to the Next Insurance website and requesting a quote if you’re interested in one particular policy. The application takes about 10 minutes to complete, and you receive your quote immediately. 

However, here’s what each policy starts at:

  • General liability insurance: Starts at $11 per month or $128 annually
  • Workers’ compensation insurance: Starts at $12.20 per month or $146 annually
  • Professional liability insurance: Starts at $18.34 per month or $220 annually
  • Commercial property insurance: Starts at $17 per month or $205 annually
  • Commercial auto insurance: Starts at $12.50 per month or $150 annually
  • Errors and omissions insurance: Starts at $19 per month
  • Tools and equipment insurance: Starts at $12.50 per month

Next Insurance: Key Features

The next section covers each of the insurance policies Next Insurance offers. Although you can purchase policies online individually, you can bundle them together for up to a 10% off discount. 

In addition, Next Insurance offers small businesses less inherent risk and cheaper insurance coverage. Keep this in mind as you continue reading the Next Business Insurance review.

Business Owner’s Policy (BOP)

Next Insurance’s business owner’s policy consolidates its general liability insurance, commercial property insurance, and business income insurance into one bundle.

Therefore a business owner’s policy is an excellent option for small business owners seeking:

  • A single all-inclusive insurance policy
  • Coverage for a physical business location, inventory, or equipment
  • Businesses dealing with customers directly

General Liability Insurance

Also known as business liability insurance, general liability insurance protects you and your business if you are ever responsible for paying an individual’s property damage, attorney fees, or medical expenses. 

For example, this coverage protects you if someone falls and injures themselves at your store. However, general liability insurance is crucial for all businesses, even those without a physical retail location. 

Next Insurance offers this coverage as part of its business owner’s policy, as seen above. 

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Next Insurance also provides workers’ compensation insurance. In the United States, every state except for Texas requires businesses with employees to have workers’ compensation insurance. 

This coverage protects your business if an employee gets injured or sick while at work and sues your company. If this is the case, the individual must file a claim with your workers’ compensation insurance provider. Your workers’ comp covers lost wages, medical expenses, long-term disability, and other expenses incurred when an employee is injured at work. 

Although each state has its own minimum coverage limits for workers’ compensation insurance, you can decide to purchase more than the minimum, especially if you’re in an industry predisposed to worker injuries, such as construction or manufacturing. 

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property insurance, also known as business property insurance, protects your physical business location in the event of damages or losses. This protection covers furniture, equipment, inventory, landscaping, storage facilities, and fences. 

Business property insurance is essential for most businesses, but it’s crucial for brick-and-mortar businesses. Even if you run a home-based or online business, you shouldn’t ignore property insurance. It can give you peace of mind knowing the risk of fire, storm, or theft is covered. 

Next offers commercial property insurance in its business owner’s policy. However, you can purchase just the individual policy as well. 

Professional Liability Insurance

Professional liability insurance protects you if a customer sues you for committing a service error or providing bad advice. If your company’s reputation is at stake, professional liability insurance can be essential. 

Next Insurance tailors each professional liability policy to every individual business. This is important because different businesses pose different risks. For example, a gardener may be sued for damaging a customer’s lawn. On the other hand, a psychologist may be sued for using incorrect therapeutic methods. 

While you fill out your application form on Next, you have a chance to describe your company in detail so that Next can offer you a customized policy. 

Business Income Insurance

Offered in the BOP bundle or as a standalone policy, business income insurance protects your business’s cash and assets when your business is damaged by conditions that are out of your control. This policy can help your business pay for lost income, taxes, payroll, and other unexpected expenses.

Tools and Equipment Insurance

Tools and equipment insurance provides additional coverage for expensive or specialized equipment that can be difficult to replace. This type of policy can keep your business running when you need a quick repair or replacement. 

Next Insurance offers this policy as an add-on to its general liability insurance. 

Commercial Auto Insurance

Any business owner who drives a company or personal vehicle for business needs commercial auto insurance. This policy covers injuries to other individuals and property that occur while driving for business reasons. Your coverage may also cover the driver’s medical bills. 

Furthermore, you can add hired and non-owned auto insurance to your commercial auto insurance policy if your company uses rented vehicles to conduct business.

Next Insurance’s most popular commercial auto insurance covers up to $100,000 of property damage or bodily injury per incident. However, Next offers policy limits of up to $1 million. This same policy also covers $100,000 for underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage as well as $5,000 for medical expenses. 

Alternatives to Next Insurance 

Before you make a decision, it’s essential to consider all the available options. This way, you can make the most informed decision possible and have peace of mind knowing you are getting the best deal. 

So, here are three alternatives to Next Insurance worth taking a look at. 

Hiscox is a reputable insurance provider that sells basic coverage, such as business owner’s policy and general liability insurance. While you can purchase Hiscox coverage online, you can also use independent insurance agents from Geico. 

This insurance provider is an outstanding choice for professional services businesses, including consultants and accountants. However, Hiscox also offers packages for health, fitness, and beauty companies. Hiscox will refer you to partner websites if you need other types of coverage, such as workers’ comp insurance and commercial auto insurance. 

  • What the product is
  • Who the product is best for
  • How it compares to the product being featured here

Pricing:

Hiscox’s general liability insurance typically costs $30 per month or fewer

  • Everything handled online
  • Up to a 5% discount when you bundle policies together
  • 14-day money-back refund policy
  • Unavailable in Alaska
  • Doesn’t offer every type of coverage
  • BOP typically only offered to businesses with 10 employees or less

CoverWallet is a digital insurance broker that provides quotes to small business owners from a variety of different insurance companies. Therefore, CoverWallet doesn’t provide insurance policies itself. 

This is an excellent choice for businesses that want affordable business insurance policies. CoverWallet can save you a lot of time by letting you compare costs from multiple insurance providers simultaneously.

Similar to what you learned in our Next Insurance review, CoverWallet also provides general liability insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, business property insurance, and professional liability insurance. 

Pricing:

For most businesses, Coverwallet’s business owner’s policy starts at $49 per month. In addition, its general liability insurance starts at 

  • Receive multiple quotes quickly
  • Wide variety of coverage policies
  • Everything handled online
  • You may be required to call to complete the quote process
  • Not a dedicated insurance provider

Chubb is another excellent small business insurance provider that has been operating for over 30 years. This insurance company sells nearly every type of business insurance. Therefore, finding the exact coverage you need won’t be difficult. 

Furthermore, we recommend Chubb for businesses earning less than $1 million in revenue per year. Chubb’s automated coverage assistant will help you find a business owner’s policy, general liability policy, professional liability policy, worker’s comp policy, and umbrella insurance online.

Pricing:

You must request a quote at Chubb’s website to determine the pricing for your particular business.

  • Suitable for small businesses
  • Comprehensive suite of coverage options
  • Excellent customer reviews
  • Some policies may not be available in certain states
  • Phone support only available if purchased directly from Chubb
  • Must request certificates of insurance through the online portal

Next Insurance Review – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We created this final section to clear up any confusion you may still have surrounding Next Insurance. So, here are a few common questions you may be asking yourself after reading our Next Insurance review. 

Bottom Line on Next Insurance Review

Next Insurance focuses on providing affordable insurance policies for modern-day and traditional small businesses. As an online insurance provider, most of its policies are sold from start to finish on its website. Therefore, Next’s automated system will provide you with a quote as soon as you finish the quote request application. 

The convenience and speed offered by Next Insurance are invaluable to the fast-moving and startup nature of small businesses. 

Embroker Review: The Business Insurance You Need?

Embroker Insurance website logo

Many businesses don’t have the means to survive a product recall, lawsuit, or natural disaster. Luckily, online business insurance companies offer fast, comprehensive coverage to protect you if and when something bad happens. This Embroker review provides all the information you need to make an educated decision about whether the business insurance company is right for you.

Embroker logo

Embroker at a Glance

Embroker offers a plethora of coverage options for any type of business. You can protect against theft, damage to third parties, product issues, cyber attacks, and so much more. It’s easy to mix and match policies to shelter your company from anything the world can throw at it. The business insurance company even has employee and health benefits to keep your team happy.

Applying is straightforward and simple, even if figuring out the best policies to choose can be a challenge. You won’t have an idea of costs until the end of the process, but Embroker claims its rates are the best in the game. There’s no mobile app, so creating and managing your account is best done on a computer.

  • Several customizable plans to choose from
  • Offers employee and health benefits
  • Fast application process
  • Unclear pricing information
  • No mobile app
  • Can be overwhelming to build your policy

Embroker Insurance Review

There’s a lot that goes into making Embroker a solid choice for business insurance. Let’s start to break down what makes the company shine.

Screenshot of Embroker Homepage

Who is Embroker Business Insurance Best For?

Embroker has a lot of protections it can put in place for various business models. Policies tend to revolve around smaller businesses, but options like director and officer coverage speak to ventures with a senior management team. It has specific areas of interest that benefit the following companies the most:

  • Startups
  • Tech Companies
  • Law Firms
  • Cannabis Companies
  • Aviation and Aerospace
  • Small Businesses

That said, any organization looking to maximize coverage while keeping costs down should give Embroker a closer look.

Pricing

With so many policies to choose from, it’s impossible for Embroker to offer transparent pricing packages for business owners. The company will work with you to build coverage that fits the needs of your business, helping to ensure you don’t overlook something that will protect you down the road.

Additionally, each policy weighs in a number of factors that affect the overall cost. Your type of business, number of employees, assets, financials, legal history, and more can all play a role in what you’ll end up paying.

Above all, Embroker claims to have some of the best prices in the industry. Through its thorough process, the business insurance company states it can offer prices 20% to 50% lower than the competition.

Embroker Features

General Liability

General liability insurance protects your business from injury or property damage to a third party. This coverage helps pay claims if a non-employee gets hurt or has property damage while working with you. When court costs alone could devastate a business, this coverage can be a lifesaver. It can also offer protection against slander or libel.

Product Liability

Product liability insurance deals with issues surrounding defective products. Any item with a design defect, manufacturing issue, or unclear instructions can fall under this umbrella. Coverage can extend as far as a product recall if necessary. Businesses dealing with the sale of products should always consider this insurance.

Commercial Auto

If your business owns or rents vehicles, commercial auto insurance safeguards them in the event of an accident, theft, vandalism, or even natural disaster. This coverage can also shield yourself or your employees if you’re found to be at fault in an accident. Many states mandate the purchase of commercial auto insurance.

Commercial Property

Commercial property insurance assists with physical structures, supplies, and inventory on your property. When experiencing loss, theft, or damage from natural elements, this insurance will pay toward repairs or new items. Embroker allows you to tailor this policy to reflect your assets and acceptable loss.

Directors and Officers Coverage

While not for small startups, directors and officers (D&O) insurance supports your top management if any of them ever get sued on matters of corporate trust. In addition to protecting the personal assets of the individual, it helps pay for any legal defense and resulting damages.

Cyber Liability

Internet threats are real, and few businesses aren’t connected to the digital world in some way. Cyber liability insurance helps deal with the aftermath of a cyber attack and loss due to security breaches. If met with legal action from third parties as a result of an attack, cyber liability can help there as well.

Errors and Omissions

Also known as professional liability insurance, errors and omissions coverage helps shield you from claims against inaccurate information, mistakes, or negligent behavior. This insurance becomes important when your business offers expertise or deals in professional services. It’s wise to pick up a policy for your organization when dealing with potential malpractice or inaccurate advice.

Business Interruption

Business interruption insurance steps in when your company can’t operate due to some form of disaster. While such events are usually natural disasters, Embroker can cover shutdown time from theft or falling objects. It helps offset the loss of income from closing your doors for a set period of time until you can reopen again. This policy often comes bundled with other insurance, but it’s possible to add more comprehensive coverage to your plan.

Commercial Crime

Other forms of insurance safeguard from a criminal activity outside the workplace. Commercial crime, on the other hand, deals specifically with employee embezzlement or theft. It can help cover you from loss due to missing inventory or other supplies. Embroker even offers third-party coverage, protecting your business if another entity claims your business committed a criminal act against them. Businesses bringing in part-time help or dealing frequently with cash or inventory can benefit from such a policy.

Worker’s Compensation

In the event one of your employees sustains an injury at work, worker’s compensation insurance can save the day. Having such an event at your place of work is always a possibility, but workers comp can shield you from costs that come with injury. Covered expenses include lost wages, medical expenses, therapy, or death benefits.

Health and Employee Benefits

Alongside insurance coverage, Embroker has health and employee benefits to make your business a more desirable place to work. You can integrate Embroker’s system with your own HR software and build a suite of benefit options for your team.

You can also add educational materials and access to benefits consultants to help facilitate the process. It’s possible to set up guidelines and fee ceilings to keep business and employee costs to a minimum. After finalizing a policy, Embroker compares your benefits to comparable companies, looking for areas to improve or save money.

Alternatives to Embroker

Embroker has a long list of great features, but the business insurance provider won’t be for everyone. Below you’ll find a few alternatives to consider instead.

CoverWallet shares many policies with Embroker but groups them into plans dedicated to specific industries for easy shopping. Types of companies include retail stores, contractors, accountants, and many more.

No matter your business, you’ll find options for general liability, worker’s comp, cyber protection, commercial auto, and asset coverage. Digging a little deeper reveals medical malpractice insurance, errors, and omissions, and even liquor liability should the need arise.

When searching for the best coverage for your organization, CyberWallet keeps the process simple. You can click on your company’s industry for a basic package and add or remove features that speak most to your business model. More often than not, you’ll have to call an agent to actually receive a quote, slowing down the overall process.

Once you land on the right plan for you, it’s possible to view and modify selections from your online dashboard. This stellar feature helps avoid a sometimes slow-to-respond customer service team. As you set up your policies, keep an eye out for broker fees or other hidden costs that can add to your monthly expenses.

  • Quick and easy application process
  • Coverage packages for multiple business types
  • Can handle your policies through an entirely online system
  • In most cases, you have to call to complete the quote process
  • Many hidden fees
  • Customer service can be on the slow side

Hiscox specializes in small business insurance, employing services to over 400,000 companies at present. The company has over 100 years in the field, and that kind of experience is hard to pass up.

It’s hard to tell when a small business becomes something more, but Hiscox’s policies work best in companies of ten persons or fewer. In some instances, it’s not possible to extend coverage to more individuals or protect senior management in a fiduciary issue.

You can quickly obtain quotes for your particular enterprise and receive instant coverage, but the claims process isn’t so user-friendly. Many users complain of slow notifications and drawn-out procedures that eat into both time and money. Alaskans are out of luck, Hiscox doesn’t have a presence there.

While flipping through Hiscox’s policies, the online business insurance provider has specialized coverage for more than 180 industries. You can tweak these plans as you see fit to work best with what your business offers.

  • Over 100 years in business
  • Fast quotes and instant coverage
  • Specialized coverage for several industries
  • Slow to respond to claims
  • Best suited for business of ten employees or less
  • No coverage in Alaska

The Hartford first opened its doors in 1810, providing insurance policies to the small and large businesses of the time. Not much has changed over the last 200 years, as The Hartford still offers coverage to small and large organizations alike. While you can now fill out most of your coverage online, you will still need to call The Hartford to finalize your monthly rates.

In total, The Hartford serves over 1 million business customers around the country. That is, with the exception of New Jersey, Hawaii, and Alaska, where the company dares not tread.

You’ll only need a few minutes to request a quote for your specific company, and The Hartford will show you all the ways it can protect your business. It even shows average costs for various plans on its site, something most other insurance providers won’t do.

With many policy options to choose from, you can customize a plan based on the industry where your business works. The site has several pre-built packages for company types from photography to restaurant ownership. Keep an eye on costs after the first year, as some users mention prices increasing unexpectedly.

  • Over 1 million small business customers
  • Designed for small and large organizations
  • Covers a wide range of business sectors
  • Most policies require talking to an agent to finalize a rate
  • Some users complain of significant price increases over time
  • Does not offer policies in Alaska, New Jersey, or Hawaii

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Embroker Review

Still have questions about business insurance? Below are answers to some inquiries you may be curious about.

Bottom Line on Embroker Business Insurance

Business insurance can spell the difference between a company recovering and crumbling when disaster strikes. Embroker offers a laundry list of solutions to protect you and your organization from potential pitfalls along the way. Having the right policies in place can cover some of all of the costs due to damage from a number of sources, allowing you to get back to doing what you do best.