This article compares the best free CRM options available today and explores why travel management software is often a smarter first investment.
For luxury tour operators and destination management companies (DMCs), client relationships are everything.
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Why tour operator software should come before a free CRM
Luxury travel businesses rely on fast, detailed responses and high-touch service. While a free CRM tracks leads and communication, tour operator software helps you deliver what you’re selling: unforgettable trips.
What Is Travel Management Software?
Travel software is built for itinerary creation, pricing, documentation, and supplier collaboration. Platforms like Tourwriter go beyond contact management. They power every operational step required to curate, sell and manage custom travel experiences.
- Itinerary builder for complex, multi-day trips
- Advanced pricing that auto-updates when you update the itinerary and uses your unique supplier rates
- Supplier and margin tracking
- Operational workflows from enquiry to final itineraries
If you work in the luxury travel sector, there’s a good chance a free CRM will only get you so far. High-end tour operators often need tools that go beyond contact management, delivering itinerary planning, booking automation, and client experience personalisation.
In that case, you may find our guide to choosing between a CRM and full tour operator software useful.
Best Free CRM for Tour Operators and DMCs
The best free CRM for tour operators and DMCs depends on your stage of growth and the features you need.
For small luxury travel businesses, Zoho CRM and HubSpot CRM are the most versatile free options, offering built-in forms, lead tracking, and contact management. Freshsales is another strong choice for simple pipelines and built-in calling.
However, a CRM only supports the sales process. It does not replace the role of a tour operator platform (also called a travel management platform), which is designed to handle itinerary creation, pricing, supplier coordination, and client documentation. Investing in the right travel platform before a CRM ensures your sales activity translates into high-quality, quickly delivered trips.
Free CRM Comparison Table
Updated November 2025
| CRM | Best For | Free Plan Limitations | Paid Plan Prices Start From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho CRM | Custom fields and flexible workflows | Max 3 users, limited reporting | $14/user/month |
| HubSpot CRM | Email tracking and integrated marketing | Unlimited free users. Core CRM features only. Reporting and automation require paid user | $9/user/month (Starter) |
| Freshsales | Built-in calling and simple pipelines | Max 3 users, limited workflows | $15/user/month |
| Pipedrive | Visual pipeline management | No free plan, form builder not in entry tier | $14/user/month |
| Monday.com Sales CRM | Visual CRM + task management + pipeline | No truly free plan (14-day trial only) | $12/user/month (Basic, annual billing) |
How to Choose
- Start with free tools like Google Sheets and Forms if you have fewer than 20 active leads
- Move to a free CRM like Zoho or HubSpot when you want to centralise contacts and standardise follow-ups
- Upgrade to paid plans when lead volume, team size, or automation needs justify the spend
- Bring on a tour operator software platform early to ensure you can deliver trips as quickly and accurately as you sell them
A CRM improves sales tracking, but it does not build or deliver the product your clients buy. For luxury travel, that means the ability to create personalised itineraries, update pricing in real time, and issue beautifully branded documents—capabilities found in a dedicated tour operator platform.
Using Google forms + sheets
For early-stage businesses, free tools like Google Sheets and Google Forms can replicate basic CRM functionality without the complexity or cost.
Google Sheets and Google Forms are very flexible, allowing you full control over what fields you collect. They can be tailored to collect the unique information you need that will allow you to craft a deeply personalised trip.
In your from and in your spreadsheet or CRM you should include all the key information you need , for example contact details such as first name, last name and title, email address, phone, number of travellers, dates, ages, destinations, special interests, etc.
Best practise enquiry forms
To make sure your forms are easy for travellers to complete, there a few core principles you can follow:
- Provide clear labels outside the input fields to prevent issues with screen readers and to allow users to check their work.
- Clearly mark any optional fields.
- Where possible, have specific error messages e.g. “you must enter a year” for date.
- Give users clear information after they submit the form about what will happen next e.g. “Thank you for your query. Our team will review this and get back to you within 2 days.”
- Make sure your text and background colours meet contrast requirements for readability.
- Ample whitespace improves readability and helps users focus on the form fields.
When to Move from Google Sheets to a free CRM
You’re ready for a free CRM when:
- You’re managing more than 20 to 30 active enquiries at once
- You need to track different salespeople or trip types
Pair your CRM with travel management software to ensure you are set up to deliver on the increase in leads without compromising on quality.
Summary
If you’re a luxury DMC or tour operator, client experience should drive your tech decisions:
- Start with a travel management platform to power itinerary delivery, automated pricing, supplier and rates management and more
- Use Google Sheets and Forms to handle simple lead tracking whilst you grow and to help you prepare for a CRM
- Add a CRM once your sales process needs automation and scale
Tools like Tourwriter are built for high-touch travel professionals, giving you the ability to respond faster, build better trips, and grow your brand. If you’re just starting out, invest where it counts: in delivering an experience worth recommending.
Tourwriter is built for the best, not for everyone. Get in touch to see if it would be right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions / FAQs
The best free CRM for tour operators depends on your business size and needs. For small luxury travel businesses, Zoho CRM and HubSpot CRM are top choices, offering lead tracking, contact management, and built-in forms. Freshsales is ideal for simple pipelines and calling. These free tools help centralise contacts before moving to paid plans.
Travel management software, like Tourwriter, handles itinerary creation, pricing, supplier coordination, and client documentation. While a CRM tracks leads and communication, a travel platform ensures you can deliver high-touch, personalised trips efficiently, which is critical for luxury travel operators.
Yes. Google Sheets and Forms can track enquiries, collect traveller information, and manage small lead volumes. They are best for businesses handling fewer than 20 active enquiries. As your business grows, moving to a dedicated CRM will improve workflow automation and sales tracking.
You should upgrade when your business handles more than 20 to 30 active enquiries, needs to track multiple salespeople or trip types, or wants automated workflows. Paid plans offer features like advanced reporting, email automation, and integrations with travel management platforms.
Key features include contact management, lead tracking, email integration, pipeline visualisation, and forms for enquiries. Paid plans may add workflow automation, reporting dashboards, and multi-user management. Integration with travel management software is recommended for seamless itinerary delivery.
Yes, but with limitations. HubSpot CRM allows unlimited users on core CRM features, but advanced automation and reporting require paid seats. Zoho CRM free edition supports up to 3 users with limited reporting. Freshsales free plan also supports up to 3 users.
No. A CRM manages leads, contacts, and sales pipelines, but it does not handle itinerary creation, pricing automation, supplier coordination, or client documentation. Combining a CRM with travel management software ensures your sales translate into high-quality trips.
To optimise enquiry forms:
- Use clear field labels outside input boxes
- Mark optional fields clearly
- Give specific error messages
- Provide instructions after submission
- Ensure text contrast and ample whitespace for readability
Entry-level paid plans (USD) start at:
- Zoho CRM: $14/user/month
- HubSpot CRM Starter: $9/user/month
- Freshsales Growth: $15/user/month
- Pipedrive Essential: $14/user/month
- Monday.com Basic: $12/user/month (annual billing)