Overview

Insightly occupies an interesting niche: it's a CRM that also handles project management. For businesses where closed deals naturally flow into project delivery, agencies, consultants, custom manufacturing, this combination eliminates the handoff friction between sales and operations.

The platform doesn't try to be everything. It's not competing with Salesforce's enterprise depth or HubSpot's marketing capabilities. Instead, it focuses on the CRM-to-project workflow that many service businesses need but rarely find in one tool.

The execution is competent rather than exceptional. CRM features are solid but not best-in-class. Project management is capable but not Asana-level. The value is in the integration, neither function would stand alone against specialists, but together they address a genuine workflow gap.

Features Deep-Dive

Unified CRM and Project Management

When a deal closes in Insightly, it can automatically create a project with tasks, milestones, and team assignments. Contact and company records link to both opportunities and projects. The single system of record eliminates duplicate data entry and lost context.

For businesses with delivery obligations after sale, this integration matters. No more forwarding emails to operations, copying contact details, or tracking down deal notes after handoff.

Lead and Opportunity Management

The CRM side covers fundamentals well. Lead capture, opportunity tracking, pipeline visualization, and activity logging work as expected. Custom fields and record linking provide flexibility.

The interface is clean if not exciting. It won't inspire the way Pipedrive's visual pipeline does, but it gets the job done. Workflow automation handles repetitive tasks, though the rules engine isn't as sophisticated as enterprise tools.

Project Tracking

Projects include tasks, milestones, and activity tracking. Team members see assignments and deadlines. Time tracking and resource planning are available on higher tiers.

Honest assessment: the project management is functional but basic compared to dedicated tools. Complex projects with dependencies, resource leveling, and portfolio views need more capable software. For straightforward project tracking post-sale, it's adequate.

Reporting and Dashboards

Insightly's reporting covers both CRM and project metrics in unified dashboards. Track sales performance alongside project delivery. Customizable reports and export capabilities are solid.

For businesses wanting to see the full picture, from lead to delivery, the unified reporting has genuine value.

Pricing Analysis

Insightly offers a free tier for up to 2 users (limited features). Plus at $29/user/month adds more customization. Professional at $49/user/month includes workflow automation. Enterprise at $99/user/month adds advanced features and custom objects.

The pricing is reasonable for combined CRM and project management. Separately buying a CRM (Pipedrive at $27.90) plus project management (Asana at $10.99) might total similar amounts, but you'd lose the integration that's Insightly's point.

Marketing (Insightly Marketing) and service (Insightly Service) are separate products with additional costs. The all-in-one positioning is partly marketing, you're still buying modules.

Who Is This For?

Insightly fits well for:

• Professional services firms where projects follow sales (agencies, consultants, custom manufacturers)
• Teams wanting CRM and project management in one platform
• Small businesses (5-50 people) without resources for multiple specialized tools
• Organizations with simple project needs not requiring advanced project management features
• Google Workspace users (Insightly has solid Google integration)

The sweet spot is service businesses where sales naturally flows into project delivery and complexity is moderate. Think boutique agencies, consultants, and custom service providers.

Who Should NOT Use This

Insightly isn't right if:

• You need advanced CRM features: Lead scoring, territory management, and sophisticated sales automation are better in dedicated CRMs.
• You have complex projects: If you need Gantt charts, resource leveling, or portfolio management, dedicated project tools like Asana or Monday serve better.
• Marketing automation is important: Insightly Marketing exists but doesn't compete with HubSpot or Marketo depth.
• You're sales-only: If deals don't flow into projects, the project management overhead is unnecessary.
• You're scaling past 100+ users: Insightly's enterprise features aren't as mature as Salesforce.

Bottom Line

Insightly solves a real problem for service businesses: the gap between closing deals and delivering projects. If that workflow describes your business, the unified platform eliminates friction and duplicate effort.

Don't choose Insightly if you need best-in-class CRM or project management separately, specialists win those battles. Choose it if you need both integrated and don't want to manage multiple tools.

FAQ

How does Insightly compare to HubSpot?

HubSpot offers better marketing integration and a more polished CRM interface. Insightly offers built-in project management that HubSpot lacks. For marketing-led businesses, HubSpot is usually better. For service businesses where project delivery follows sales, Insightly's integration provides value HubSpot can't match natively.

Is Insightly good for small businesses?

Yes, the free tier and Plus plan ($29/user/month) are accessible for small businesses. The combined CRM and project management can replace two separate tools, simplifying operations. The interface is approachable without extensive training.

Does Insightly integrate with Google Workspace?

Yes, Insightly has strong Google Workspace integration. Gmail sidebar, Google Calendar sync, and Google Drive attachments work well. For Google-native businesses, the integration is competitive with Copper, though Copper's Gmail embedding is deeper.

Can Insightly handle complex projects?

Moderate complexity, yes. Tasks, milestones, and basic dependencies are supported. For complex projects with resource leveling, critical path analysis, and portfolio management, dedicated tools like Asana, Monday, or Microsoft Project are more capable.

What's the learning curve for Insightly?

Reasonable. Most users become productive within a week. The interface is straightforward, though not as intuitive as Pipedrive or HubSpot. Administrators should plan for some configuration time to set up custom fields, pipelines, and project templates.