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Copper CRM is a good choice for sales teams that live and breathe G Suite, but what about those of us who prefer a bit of software freedom?
Copper CRM, formerly ProsperWorks CRM, is a unique CRM that is specifically designed to be used with Google products, like Gmail and Google Docs. Copper is used by over 12,000 companies, including some biggies like Shipt, Hello Fresh, and Atlassian. The reason it’s attractive to companies in the first place is because of its comprehensive integration with G Suite.
For sales teams that operate entirely in the Google software suite, this integration makes total sense. For teams that prefer a dynamic range of software, it’s a tangled web of frustration, tying them to a specific and limited set of applications and functionality.
That’s why some teams that have been using Copper are looking for a substitute that will give them more flexibility when it comes to how and where they work. And there are plenty of options out there.
When deciding what CRM will replace Copper, there’s a lot to consider. Using this comparison guide can help you guarantee you’re really choosing a CRM that offers what your team needs.
For the record: Nutshell has a powerful Gmail integration, as well as integrations with Office, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Zapier, and many more.
Copper has made a name for itself as a Google Suite-focused CRM. While this can be beneficial for sales teams that rely heavily on Google products, it can lead to challenges for teams that need more flexibility.
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of using Copper as your CRM.
Some of the advantages of Copper CRM include:
Despite Copper’s key features and benefits for G Suite users, there are some significant drawbacks. Here are a few of the disadvantages of using Copper:
Most CRMs on the market integrate with Google, as well as tons of other software and tools, so a G Suite integration may not be groundbreaking enough to base an entire CRM around. Copper could end up simply being a pricier version of what you’re looking for. In fact, there are other CRMs that will provide more value for your money.
Copper CRM offers four plans: Starter, Basic, Professional, and Business.
Its Starter plan is $12/user/month, billed monthly, and $9/user/month when billed annually. This is as basic as CRM comes, with a limit of 1,000 contacts, a task and activity feed, and the ability to sync data through a Zapier integration.
The basic plan is $29/user/month when paid monthly or $23 per month on the annual plan. This is also a relatively bare bones plan and doesn’t include features like workflow automation, reporting, or direct integrations (all connections happen via Zapier).
The professional plan is $59-$69/user/month and gives you access to some decent integration options, reporting tools, and basic email marketing features.
To get full email marketing capabilities and integration options, you’ll need to upgrade to the Business plan, which costs $99-$134/user/month.
We evaluated 15+ CRM solutions to identify the best replacements for teams outgrowing Copper. Our methodology prioritized:
Our selection ensures each alternative genuinely addresses the pain points causing teams to leave Copper: inflexible Google Workspace lock-in, pricing opacity, limited customization, and weak support for non-Google users.
| CRM Name | Rating | Starting Price | Best For |
| Nutshell | 4.7/5 | $13/user/month | Simplicity with power |
| HubSpot CRM | 4.4/5 | Free – $9/user/month | Integrated marketing & sales |
| Salesforce | 4.3/5 | $25/user/month | Enterprise complexity |
| Pipedrive | 4.2/5 | $14/user/month | Visual pipeline management |
| Zoho CRM | 4.0/5 | Free- $9/user/month | Advanced customization |
| Insightly | 3.9/5 | $29/user/month | CRM + project management |
If you’re considering Copper, you’ve probably heard of these others. Copper CRM offers limited features and is geared specifically toward G Suite users. Other CRMs on the market offer similar features, including the G Suite integration, each with its own pros and cons as well.
Here’s a breakdown of the top six Copper CRM alternatives:
Best for growing SMB sales teams seeking simplicity with power
Quick summary
Nutshell splits the difference between Copper’s simplicity and Salesforce’s power. Teams from Copper get automation, deeper customization, and multi-platform integration (both Google and Microsoft)—all included at a lower price than Copper’s Professional plan. Implementation takes less than a day, and Nutshell’s onboarding team handles setup at no extra cost.
If your team is leaving Copper for more flexibility without enterprise complexity, Nutshell is the Goldilocks solution. You get Copper’s ease of use with automation, multi-platform support, and integrated marketing at a lower total cost of ownership.to be hosted on any website or landing page. All information captured by Nutshell Forms is beamed directly into the CRM, completely hassle-free.
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Click the button to see a side-by-side comparison of Copper & Nutshell
Best for teams wanting integrated marketing-sales operations
Quick summary
HubSpot’s free CRM is the most accessible entry point for teams leaving Copper, offering robust contact management without upfront costs. The tight Gmail integration and customizable dashboards make it easy to transition from Copper. However, automation and advanced features require paid upgrades to the Sales Hub.
HubSpot is ideal if your team is already using HubSpot Marketing Hub or needs the tightest possible email integration. However, SMBs wanting automation without steep upgrades should compare Nutshell’s all-inclusive pricing model.
Best for enterprise teams with complex sales processes
Salesforce remains the enterprise standard for a reason—unmatched customization, advanced analytics, and scalability. But for teams leaving Copper due to complexity, Salesforce is essentially “complexity upgraded.” Implementation typically takes 3-6 months (compared to Nutshell’s less than a day setup), requires significant IT resources, and carries a premium price tag.
Salesforce is the answer only if your team has 50 or more salespeople, requires deep customization, or operates in a heavily regulated industry where Salesforce’s compliance features are non-negotiable.
Best for sales teams focused on visual pipeline management and deal velocity
Pipedrive is the original sales pipeline management CRM, built by salespeople for salespeople. Its drag-and-drop interface and activity-based workflow make it particularly effective for teams that want to visualize their sales cycle and never lose track of a deal. The platform emphasizes simplicity without sacrificing power, making it an accessible alternative for teams looking to escape Copper’s inflexibility.
All plans are billed annually. Monthly billing is available at higher rates.
Free 14-day trial available.
Perfect for teams that live in their sales pipeline and want to see deal progress at a glance. Ideal for sales-driven companies that have outgrown Copper’s limited visualization options. Skip it if you need robust email marketing features in the base plan or prefer Microsoft Outlook integration as your primary email platform.
Best for teams needing deep customization, advanced automation, and tight Zoho ecosystem integration
Zoho CRM is a powerhouse for businesses that demand extensive customization and integration with other Zoho applications. While more complex than Copper, it provides significantly more flexibility and a broader feature set at a lower price point. Teams with technical resources or complex sales processes love Zoho’s ability to bend to their specific requirements without paying enterprise pricing.
All plans are billed annually—monthly billing is available at higher rates. Free 14-day trial for paid plans.
Ideal if your team already uses Zoho Books, Zoho Desk, or other Zoho products and needs seamless integration. Perfect for sales operations teams with technical resources who want to build custom solutions without Salesforce’s enterprise pricing. Avoid if you need instant productivity—expect a longer onboarding than Copper.
Best for growing teams that need a hybrid CRM and project management in a single platform
Quick summary
Insightly bridges the gap between dedicated CRMs and project management tools, offering both sales pipeline management and project tracking. For teams managing client projects alongside sales opportunities, Insightly provides integrated visibility without forcing them to toggle between separate applications. It’s a middle-ground solution for professional services firms, agencies, and project-based businesses that Copper doesn’t adequately serve.
All plans are billed annually—monthly billing available at higher rates. Free 14-day trial available.
Perfect if you manage both sales pipelines and client projects and want a single platform. Ideal for professional services, agencies, and consultancies that need relationship management with project visibility. Skip if you need enterprise-grade project management features—Insightly’s project tools are supplementary, not primary.
Purchasing a CRM is a big commitment, as you’re often making a decision that’s going to affect the entire year. If your sales team discovers issues after a month, you’ve got to start the process all over again, minus a month of missed sales and possibly a year of CRM budget.
Most mammoth CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce let users discover their shortcomings after they’ve already paid for the software. Ramp-up time, implementation costs, additional services/apps needed, and the quality of customer support are the most frequently discussed topics in software review sites, as these are the aspects that often lead to user frustration.
To ensure you’re making the right choice, the best approach is to install a demo version and see if the CRM can truly support all your requirements without breaking the bank. Never pay for software without demoing it for at least a couple of weeks.
Before switching, plan to avoid team disruption. Copper stores valuable historical data—contacts, deal history, and interactions that your team has built over time. Most modern CRMs can import this data automatically, but success depends on preparation.
Go to Copper’s Admin Settings → Export Data and pull your complete contact and deal database in CSV format. This is your safety net and migration foundation.
Ideal timing is end-of-month when deal momentum is lower. Avoid migrating mid-quarter when sales activity is peak. Give your team 1-2 weeks of parallel usage before fully cutting over from Copper.
Before importing, understand how your new CRM structures data. Custom fields, contact types, and deal stages might map differently. Most CRM providers offer migration guides—follow them religiously to avoid data loss or misalignment.
Don’t assume your team will figure it out. Dedicate a half-day training session covering the new interface, key workflows, and how to perform daily tasks they currently do in Copper. Pair this with access to the new CRM’s knowledge base.
Options: (1) Full cutover—turn off Copper, activate new CRM on a specific date; (2) Parallel usage—run both systems for 2 weeks while the team adjusts; (3) Phased rollout—migrate department by department. Most SMBs prefer parallel usage to minimize disruption.
Expect 1-2 weeks of reduced productivity as your team learns new workflows. Key metrics, such as follow-up speed or deal velocity, may dip temporarily. This is normal and typically recovers quickly once the team builds muscle memory.
Comparing the Copper CRM alternatives you might choose for your business is an important task. These frequently asked questions might provide some extra guidance as you research:
Copper CRM is mostly used for organizing contacts, automating sales processes, facilitating email marketing, and tracking pipelines, all while integrating with Google Workspace.
Copper’s biggest limitation is its inflexibility outside of Google Workspace. Copper was purpose-built for teams living and breathing G Suite, so any businesses that need integration with Microsoft Office or more flexibility will find the platform unusable. The features users get for the price can be another drawback.
The top competitors of Copper CRM include Nutshell, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Salesforce.
No. Most modern CRMs (including all six in this guide) can import your Copper contacts and deal history automatically. You might need to map custom fields, but your data transfers cleanly. Always test the import process with a sample dataset before full migration.
Technical migration takes 1-2 days. Full team adoption and workflow optimization typically takes 2-4 weeks. Pipedrive and Nutshell are the fastest (2 weeks), while Zoho and Salesforce require more configuration (3-4 weeks). Start your trial 2-3 weeks before your planned cutover date.
Nutshell has the fastest ramp for Copper users because it matches Copper’s simplicity while adding features. Pipedrive is a close second if your team loves visual pipeline management. Both can be productive within 3-5 days of go-live.
When you’re looking for the best CRM to use in place of Copper, Nutshell is your answer. Nutshell supports teams operating in G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, and a host of other apps. With affordable pricing, robust customer support, and simple implementation that won’t require a developer, Nutshell is the best CRM for small business teams looking to get more done.
Give your team the flexibility they need by trading Copper for Nutshell. To see for yourself what you can do with Nutshell, start a free trial or compare Nutshell with other Copper CRM alternatives.
Try Nutshell free for 14 days or let us show you around before you dive in.
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