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7 Best Sales Funnel Software to Drive Revenue [Updated 2024 List]

Market awareness may get you more website traffic and even leads, but will that bring you the business conversions you’re looking for? Probably, no.

In my experience, you need to nurture your leads to transform them into high-paying, loyal customers. And in this matter, a sales funnel software solution is a must-have companion.

But before that, you need to find the best funnel builder tools. I understand that’s why you are reading this blog in the first place.

So, here are the tools that I will compare in this blog, putting together their pros, cons, and pricing:

Software Name Best For Pricing
BIGContacts Contact Management/Workflow Automation Tool for Small Businesses and Startups Forever free plan for startups with all premium features. Paid starts at $5/user/month with a 15-day free trial.
HubSpot Lead Management $18/month
ActiveCampaign Workflow Automation $19/user/month
Pipedrive Email Drip Campaigns $9.90/user/month
Zendesk Automatic Lead Scoring $19/agent/month
Keap Contact Management $159/month
ClickFunnels Lead Capturing $127/month

7 Best Sales Funnel Software Solutions in 2024

As a working sales advocate for years, I got the opportunity to meet CEOs, directors, market leaders, and fellow sales professionals to discover which funnel builder tool they use and why.

I was surprised to find that the final list wasn’t of fifteen or twenty different tools. It was rather the same but a small set of tools that kept repeating every now and then.

So, using my first-hand experience, I have finalized what I consider to be the seven best sales funnel software solutions, enough to meet your expectations without breaking the bank.

1. BIGContacts – Best Contact Management/Workflow Automation Tool for Small Businesses and Startups

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BIGContacts is an excellent sales funnel software for small businesses and startups!

At its heart, there’s a robust contact management system. It offers a visual sales pipeline where I can see where each prospect stands in the cycle. It helps me prioritize efforts and ensure that I’m focusing on the right leads at the right time.

BIGContacts excels in lead capturing from various sources, consolidating them into one centralized platform.

I can simply input leads generated from email, website inquiries, and other sources into the system and watch it intelligently categorize them based on their sources. A real time-saver!

Its workflow automation functionality – especially the drip email campaigns, is something I use religiously. It automatically sends follow-up emails at precise intervals to customers based on certain triggers. This has not only improved my communication with potential clients but has also significantly increased conversion rates.

What You’ll Like:

  • Allows you to track leads, monitor their progress, and identify bottlenecks to optimize the sales process
  • Customizable templates to create visually appealing emails, landing pages, and forms effortlessly
  • Provides robust reporting and analytics tools to optimize your strategies and achieve better results
  • Automates repetitive tasks like sending personalized email campaigns, scheduling follow-ups, etc., to nurture leads effectively and drive conversions
  • Webforms to capture leads directly into the system, eliminating manual data entry and chances of lead leakage

What You May Not Like:

  • The webform connection requires users to have basic HTML knowledge
  • The trial period is too small to explore the software inside-out.

Pricing:

  • Forever free plan for startups with all premium features. Paid starts at $5/user/month with a 15-day free trial.

2. HubSpot – Best for Lead Management

HubSpot - Best for Lead Management

Source: Hubspot

If you are looking for a free sales funnel software tool to test the water, try HubSpot. A friend recommended it, and my first impressions have been kind of bittersweet.

Firstly, it is surely a great tool to construct a solid sales funnel. Its focus is primarily on lead management and tracking – pretty good!

One of HubSpot’s standout features (and this really got me excited) is its automatic lead-scoring system. It rates your leads based on their likeliness to convert into customers.

For example, you’ve got a long list of leads, and you’re wondering which ones to reach out first. HubSpot does the heavy lifting by prioritizing them so you can fire your shots at the best ones first!

But here’s the thorn in the rose – the feature is not available in the free version or even in the starter plan. Luckily, my friend had a premium subscription, which is why I could use it.

What You’ll Like:

  • Provides a variety of email marketing templates to create professional-looking messages that drive conversions
  • Website building capabilities to build simple landing pages or complex eCommerce sites
  • The ability to automate lead nurturing processes to email campaigns, ensuring consistent experiences for the audience
  • Provides robust sales pipeline management tools to track deals, monitor progress, and forecast revenue with ease
  • Shows reports on key metrics such as website traffic, lead generation, and customer acquisition to make data-driven decisions.

What You May Not Like:

  • The free plan lacks the meatiest features like sales automation, lead scoring, custom reporting, etc.
  • The reporting functionality is not up to the mark that the competition offers.

Pricing:

  • A free plan is available without certain features like sales automation, analytics, etc. Paid options start from $18/month.

3. ActiveCampaign – Best for Workflow Automation

ActiveCampaign - Best for Workflow Automation

Image Source: Active Campaign

One of my old colleagues uses ActiveCampaign as their go-to sales funnel software. What I could make out from our hour-long Zoom discussion about the product is that it has excellent workflow automation capability.

For example, a potential lead visits or expresses interest in something on your website. With ActiveCampaign, you can create intricate, automated workflows that kick into action immediately! This could include sending a welcome email, tracking their interactions, and progressively delivering more personalized content based on their behavior.

But that’s not everything. The software can also help you track email performance through detailed analytics.

It lets you see how many people opened, clicked, replied, or unsubscribed from your business emails. You can also use advanced features like conditional content, split testing, and dynamic content to optimize email campaigns and increase conversions.

What You’ll Like:

  • Automates repetitive tasks to streamline marketing campaigns and workflows for better efficiency
  • Engages the audience with personalized email campaigns tailored to their preferences
  • Prioritizes leads based on engagement and behavior to focus on the most promising prospects and increases conversion rates
  • Organizes contacts, segments them into lists, and tracks interactions to build stronger relationships with the audience.
  • Gives insights into marketing performance with detailed analytics that help in making data-driven decisions

What You May Not Like:

  • The basic plan does not offer advanced features like sentiment analysis.
  • The software misses a sales funnel view, unlike other products in the list.

Pricing:

  • Paid options start from $19/user/month.

4. Pipedrive – Best for Email Drip Campaigns

Pipedrive - Best for Email Drip Campaigns

Image Source: G2

Based on a recent product review, I was compelled to use Pipedrive. Initial impressions – it’s a great sales funnel software for startups.

First, the software has a noteworthy visual pipeline.

It lets you organize the sales funnel in a logical, conversion-focused manner. You can see all your deals and leads in one place and easily drag and drop them from one stage to another.

What’s next? Oh, the email drip campaigns!

It lets you automate email campaigns with ease. You can schedule emails to be sent at regular intervals to stay top-of-mind with leads and prospects.

This feature resonated with me because it takes the hassle out of manual follow-ups, helping you nurture leads systematically down the sales funnel.

What You’ll Like:

  • It allows you to manage your contacts effectively to keep track of leads and customers
  • Provides a visual representation of your sales pipeline to track deals at each stage and identify bottlenecks
  • Integrates with popular email providers to send and receive emails directly from the software
  • Offers reporting and analytics features to gain insights into sales performance and make data-driven decisions
  • Automates repetitive tasks like sending follow-up emails and streamlines sales processes

What You May Not Like:

  • The starter plan lacks automation builder features, including email sequences.
  • Some users complain about having limited options for generating reports, especially in the lower-tier plans.

Pricing:

  • Starts at $9.90/user/month. A 14-day free trial is available.

5. Zendesk – Best for Automatic Lead Scoring

Zendesk - Best for Automatic Lead Scoring

Image Source: G2

Having received recommendations from professionals in various industries, I decided to explore Zendesk Sell.

The first thing that caught my attention was its automatic lead-scoring feature.

It assigns numerical values to different aspects of a lead – such as its source, status, or activity level, to predict how likely it is to qualify.

For example, if a lead comes from a referral or has opened my email multiple times, it will have a higher score than a lead who hasn’t responded to any of my messages. This helps me prioritize my time and focus on the most promising opportunities.

The tool comes with mobile access so that you can manage your sales pipeline anywhere.

What You’ll Like:

  • Incorporates real-time progress tracking and visual representations to monitor goals at a glance
  • Enhances lead management by introducing automated lead scoring to prioritize leads
  • Sales analytics tools to personalize the dashboard according to specific needs
  • Integrates artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to automate repetitive tasks, such as data entry and follow-up emails
  • Incorporates advanced segmentation capabilities to target specific customer segments with tailored campaigns

What You May Not Like:

  • Lead and deal scoring is not available in the starting plans.
  • Customer support seems to be a weak spot for the company, as reported by users.

Pricing:

  • Starts at $19/agent/month. A 14-day free trial is available.

6. Keap – Best for Contact Management

Keap - Best for Contact Management

Source: Keap

A few months ago, I attended a virtual SaaS conference, where I was particularly intrigued by Keap. It’s a cloud-based funnel-building platform that has some promising features like contact management, automation, etc.

Starting with contact management, the tool lets you organize contacts into different segments based on their interests, behaviors, and interactions.

For example, you can create a segment for leads who have visited your website more than three times or for customers who have purchased a specific product.

The tool also offers an automated email follow-up feature – basically the same as the other tools above. So, whenever a customer fills out a form, you can expect the software to send a welcome email automatically.

All in all, it’s a good tool to efficiently manage your sales funnel at a slightly higher price tag.

What You’ll Like:

  • Allows you to track all communications and nurture relationships with leads and clients in one place
  • The ability to gather feedback by sending surveys to understand better what customers want from your products/services
  • Subscriber management to collect new leads, organize customer records, and trigger actions that move them through the sales process
  • Offers web forms that can be embedded on your site to collect information from potential customers
  • Automates repetitive sales and marketing tasks like sending welcome emails, expanding contact lists, etc.

What You May Not Like:

  • The tool’s pricing makes it less practical for startups or small businesses.
  • You miss the lead scoring or advanced reporting features in the basic plan.

Pricing:

  • Starts at $159/month. A 14-day free trial is available.

7. ClickFunnels – Best for Lead Capturing

ClickFunnels - Best for Lead Capturing

Image Source: G2

The last sales funnel application I’d like to include in the list is ClickFunnels. When it comes to capturing leads, this tool takes a leap ahead. Here’s what I think about it –

It’s a great tool to guide buyers through each step of the sales process.

For example, I can send automated emails to leads based on their actions, such as opting in, viewing a page, or making a purchase. This way, I can build trust and rapport with them and move them closer to the sale.

Next, I really like its one-click upsell tool.

This ingenious feature automatically offers additional products to shoppers who have already made a purchase on my website – a smart move to increase potential revenue!

What You’ll Like:

  • Advanced filtering options to segment contacts based on demographics, purchase history, or engagement level
  • Allows you to gain deeper insights with A/B tests and make data-driven decisions to optimize sales funnels
  • Enables multiple users to work on the same funnel simultaneously, making it easier for teams to collaborate and iterate on funnel designs
  • Allows you to create landing pages and web forms with pre-designed templates and customizations
  • The ability to create more sophisticated drip campaigns based on user behavior – such as email opens, link clicks, etc.

What You May Not Like:

  • The starter plan lets you create only 20 funnels, which can be a letdown.
  • The software gets occasional stutters, which can be frustrating at times.

Pricing:

  • Starts at $127/month. A 14-day free trial is available.

Which is the Best Sales Funnel Platform?

A simple sales funnel, when managed in the right way, can take your business to new heights. But for that, you need the best sales funnel software. The ones I talked about above are all from trusted vendors. What you need depends on what your requirements are.

If you ask about my top three picks from the list of seven top sales funnel software, these will be my choices –

Option A: BIGContacts

BIGContacts is an ideal sales funnel software for small businesses and startups. It offers a robust contact management system and a visual sales pipeline that helps you prioritize efforts, focus on the right leads, and ensure you’re making the most of your time. The tool excels in workflow automation, including drip email campaigns, which can significantly improve conversion rates.

Option B: HubSpot

HubSpot has a free plan for its CRM, but there is a caveat – most of its popular features aren’t included in the free version. On the positive part, it focuses on lead management and tracking and has an automatic lead scoring system that rates your leads based on their likeliness to convert into customers. Ultimately, it’s a powerful tool that can help you prioritize your leads and make the most out of your sales efforts.

Option C: ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels excels at capturing leads and guiding buyers through the sales process. It offers features such as automated email campaigns, which can be triggered based on user actions like opting in, viewing a page, or making a purchase. It also has a one-click upsell tool that automatically offers additional products to shoppers who have already made a purchase.

Among these, if I were to crown one software that balances sales funnel software features and affordability, it’d be BIGContacts.

Undoubtedly, it is a great tool to build a sales funnel and manage the pipeline, along with drip campaigns and other attributes. No matter which tool you prefer the most, I’d suggest you try the free trial first before climbing aboard.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation of products or tools chosen for this article follows an unbiased, systematic approach that ensures a fair, insightful, and well-rounded review. This method employs six key factors:

User Reviews / Ratings: Direct experiences from users, including ratings and feedback from reputable sites, provide a ground-level perspective. This feedback is critical in understanding overall satisfaction and potential problems.

Essential Features & Functionality: The value of a product is ascertained by its core features and overall functionality. Through an in-depth exploration of these aspects, the practical usefulness and effectiveness of the tools are carefully evaluated.

Ease of Use: The user-friendliness of a product or service is assessed, focusing on the design, interface, and navigation. This ensures a positive experience for users of all levels of expertise.

Customer Support: The quality of customer support is examined, taking into account its efficiency and how well it supports users in different phases – setting up, addressing concerns, and resolving operational issues.

Value for Money: Value for money is evaluated by comparing the quality, performance, and features. The goal is to help the reader understand whether they would be getting their money’s worth.

Personal Experience / Experts’ Opinions: This part of the evaluation criteria draws insightful observations from the personal experience of the writer and the opinions of industry experts.

Learn More About Sales Funnel Software

What is sales funnel software?

Sales funnel software is a powerful digital tool that helps you build and monitor your sales funnel and sales pipeline. It’s an essential process to succeed in today’s competitive market.

By leveraging sales funnel software, you can streamline your sales process, optimize customer interactions, and increase conversions. With a robust funnel-building software solution like BIGContacts in place, you can make data-driven decisions and eliminate guesswork from sales strategies.

To know in more detail about what a sales funnel is, click here.

When to use a sales funnel tool?

Use a sales funnel tool when you want to streamline and optimize your sales process. It helps track customer interactions, qualify leads, and guide them through the buying journey. It is ideal for businesses looking to increase efficiency, conversions, and revenue.

What steps are involved in creating a sales funnel through simple sales software?

Creating a sales funnel through simple sales software involves the following steps:

  • Awareness: Attract potential customers by creating awareness about your products or services.
  • Interest: Capture the interest of potential customers by providing valuable information and engaging content.
  • Decision: Help potential customers make an informed decision by showcasing the benefits and unique selling points of your products or services.
  • Action: Encourage potential customers to take action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a subscription.

These steps can be implemented using simple sales software, which provides tools for lead generation, customer relationship management, marketing automation, etc.

How do you choose the best sales funnel system?

When choosing the best sales funnel system, it’s important to consider several factors:

  • Features & Functionality: Check if the software has necessary features like contact management, lead management, email marketing, pipeline management, etc.
  • Automation Capabilities: Determine whether the software offers automation solutions for email campaigns, lead capture, or other workflows.
  • Integration: Check if the sales funnel system integrates well with other business tools and platforms.
  • Scalability: Consider whether the system has multiple pricing plans to scale up with your growing business.
  • Customer Support: Enquire whether the software provider has prompt customer service like knowledge base, training materials, live chat or email support, etc.

How to find the optimal cost of sales funnel software for a small business or startup?

You can start by comparing different software solutions on software review sites. Remember that you need to ensure the product you choose offers value for money and is not necessarily the cheapest tool ever.

For example, a trusted software solution like BIGContacts has a starting price of only $5 per user per month, making it a great choice for startups and small businesses.

However, remember that free tools might not be the best choice because they come with plenty of limitations that hinder the software experience and practicality.

Does a sales funnel software need technical support to set up and understand functionality?

No. As long as you choose a software tool that has a simple and intuitive interface and does not have a steep learning curve, you don’t need to spend additional bucks on training your employees to get used to it.

Do you want to make more sales?

BIGContacts is the #1 contact management software & CRM to close more sales.

About the author

Caleb Mitchell is BIGContacts' senior product manager with a deep-rooted passion for tech and customer relationship management. He holds a Master's in Business Analytics from the University of Pennsylvania. Caleb steers the way for CRM innovation with a blend of analytic prowess and technical expertise, drawing from his extensive background in data analytics and software development. He's a fervent writer on CRM, SaaS, automation, customer relationship management, AI, and predictive analytics, with his work regularly published in TechCrunch, SaaS Mag, and Customer Think. Connect with Caleb through his LinkedIn profile for insights on CRM strategies and to engage in solution-oriented discussions.