Insightly Problems & Issues
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Should you use Insightly?
Try with cautionInsightly works for some teams, but users report recurring problems (score 55/100). Most reported issues: Customer support is slow and often unhelpful; Contact limits force constant upgrades or data deletion; Annual billing only - no monthly option available. Not a good fit for: Large enterprises with millions of contacts; Teams needing quick customer support; Businesses wanting month-to-month flexibility. Users most often switch to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive.
Top problems
- Customer support is slow and often unhelpful
- Contact limits force constant upgrades or data deletion
- Annual billing only - no monthly option available
Good for
- SMBs needing CRM + project management together
- Service businesses tracking client projects
Avoid if you are
- Large enterprises with millions of contacts
- Teams needing quick customer support
- Businesses wanting month-to-month flexibility
Common alternatives: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive
Score breakdown
Combined CRM+PM is unique value, but poor support, contact limits, and annual-only billing significantly limit appeal. Growing companies consistently outgrow Insightly.
Overview
Insightly is a CRM and project management platform designed for small to mid-sized businesses. It offers contact management, project tracking, workflow automation, and integrations with tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and various business applications.
Signals & Issues
Patterns extracted from real user feedback — not raw reviews.
Users report 'no more customer service, no more support' with only 'excuses.' Support teams are slow and unhelpful, often pushing professional services rather than resolving issues. Basic bugs like filters not working remained unresolved for over a month.
Insightly caps contacts based on plan (100K-500K records). Teams must either pay for unused features to get more contacts or delete old records to make room - a constraint many find absurd for a CRM that should grow with the business.
Insightly now only offers annual billing with no option to sign up for less than a year. This locks businesses into 12-month commitments before they can fully evaluate the platform.
Additional costs apply beyond per-user pricing: $249 for additional 25K tasks per month and $3,000 for required technical setup. These hidden fees catch businesses off guard when budgeting.
Users find the learning curve challenging, requiring significant time and support. Some report spending months trying to get comfortable with the system. Setup often takes longer than expected, and documentation is overwhelming or incomplete.
Users describe the platform as 'clunky to use' with workflows that 'don't flow very well' requiring 'lots of jumping around.' The user interface is not attractive and creates friction in daily CRM tasks.
The project management function is basic, lacking graphical views that other CRMs offer. This makes it difficult for visual learners to see data and track project progress effectively.
Users report dashboards and reports section is unnecessarily difficult. Reporting and analytics tools are less advanced compared to other CRM platforms, making it challenging to create highly customized or in-depth reports.
Some users dislike that advanced features like deeper automation and reporting are locked behind higher-tier plans. This forces growing teams to pay significantly more for capabilities they need.
Users experience bugs and glitches particularly impacting bulk editing functionality. One customer paying $649/month reported still being unable to pull basic revenue KPIs because project budgets don't roll up correctly.
API changes have caused fatal errors in several integrations over time. The lack of native QuickBooks integration is a limitation, and when third-party integration is required it costs extra.
Calendar integration has serious bugs where private events disappear and the calendar becomes essentially useless for showing team member availability and scheduling meetings.
What Users Love
Good integration with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
Insightly integrates well with both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, giving teams flexibility in their email and calendar setup unlike Copper which is Google-only.
Combined CRM and project management in one platform
Unique combination of CRM and project management features lets teams manage sales pipeline and delivery in the same tool, reducing context switching.
Flexible custom fields and objects
Strong customization options for fields, layouts, and data structures help businesses adapt the CRM to their specific workflows.
Reasonable mid-market pricing starting at $29/user
Entry point at $29/user is competitive for a CRM with project management features. More affordable than Salesforce for SMBs needing both capabilities.
Functional mobile apps for iOS and Android
Mobile apps provide access to contacts, opportunities, and projects on the go. Syncs reliably with the main platform.
Task management and workflow automation included
Built-in task management and workflow automation help teams automate routine processes without needing additional tools.
Pricing Plans
Users: Unlimited users
Storage: 100,000 records, 10GB files
- ✓Contact management
- ✓Project tracking
- ✓Workflow automation
- ✓Email management
- ✓Limited bulk emails
- ✓Custom reports
Limitations: 100K record limit, limited storage (10GB), basic reporting only, limited bulk email
Users: Unlimited users
Storage: 250,000 records, 100GB files
- ✓All Plus features
- ✓Lead assignment & routing
- ✓250K record limit
- ✓100GB storage
- ✓Unlimited roles & permissions
Limitations: 250K record limit, advanced automation limited, still missing enterprise security features
Users: Unlimited users
Storage: 500,000 records, unlimited files
- ✓All Professional features
- ✓500K record limit
- ✓Unlimited file storage
- ✓Advanced automation
- ✓Custom integrations
- ✓Priority support
Limitations: Even Enterprise has 500K record limit. Some features still require add-on purchases.
Features
CRM
- Contact management
Subject to record limits
- Unlimited contacts
All plans have limits
PM
- Project management
Basic, lacks visual views
Integrations
- Google Workspace integration
Full integration
- Microsoft 365 integration
Full integration
- QuickBooks native integration
Requires third-party
Automation
- Workflow automation
All plans
Mobile
- Mobile apps
iOS and Android
Analytics
- Custom reporting
Limited compared to competitors
Marketing
- Marketing automation
Separate product, extra cost
Pricing
- Monthly billing option
Annual only
- Free plan
14-day trial only
Who Should Use This?
Good Fit
SMBs needing CRM + project management together
Unique combination of CRM and project management in one platform reduces tool sprawl. For smaller teams managing both sales and project delivery, Insightly offers convenience.
Service businesses tracking client projects
The project management features help agencies and consultants track client work alongside sales pipeline. Good for businesses where sales and delivery are closely linked.
Neutral
Sales teams
Basic sales CRM functionality works, but lacks advanced sales automation compared to dedicated sales CRMs like Pipedrive or Salesforce. The combined PM focus dilutes sales features.
Marketing teams
Insightly Marketing is a separate product with additional cost. The CRM itself has limited marketing features. Marketing-focused teams should consider HubSpot or ActiveCampaign.
Avoid
Large enterprises with millions of contacts
Insightly caps contacts at 500K even on Enterprise. Large organizations will hit limits quickly and need Salesforce or HubSpot for unlimited scaling.
Teams needing quick customer support
Customer support is consistently criticized as slow and unhelpful. If you need responsive help, look at vendors with better support reputations like HubSpot or Pipedrive.
Businesses wanting month-to-month flexibility
Insightly only offers annual billing. If you want to test a CRM month-to-month or avoid long commitments, choose alternatives like Pipedrive or HubSpot.
Teams needing advanced reporting
Reporting and analytics are notably weaker than competitors. Creating customized dashboards is unnecessarily difficult. Teams needing insights should consider HubSpot or Salesforce.
Regret Patterns
Common buyer's remorse scenarios reported by users.
Users commit to annual billing, then discover support is slow and unhelpful when issues arise. By then they're stuck for 12 months with a frustrating vendor.
As business grows, teams hit record limits (100K on Plus, 250K on Professional). Either delete valuable customer data or pay significantly more for the next tier.
The steep learning curve means months of frustration before the team is comfortable. By then, switching costs are high even if the platform disappoints.
Technical setup requirements add thousands to the cost. This fee wasn't clear upfront, creating budget surprises for businesses expecting only per-user pricing.
Critical integrations that worked initially failed after Insightly API updates. Rebuilding integrations or finding workarounds wasted significant time and resources.
Teams using Insightly for PM realize the features are too basic for real project management. But they're locked into annual contracts and data migration seems daunting.
When It Breaks Down
Scenarios where this product tends to fail users.
Teams on the Plus plan ($29/user) hit the 100K record limit. Must upgrade to Professional at $49/user (70% increase) or delete customer data - neither option is acceptable.
When bugs impact daily operations, slow support leaves teams stuck. Basic issues like filters not working remained unresolved for over a month for paying customers.
Reporting and dashboard tools are too limited for executive-level insights. Creating customized reports is unnecessarily difficult, forcing teams to export data to spreadsheets.
No native QuickBooks integration means paying extra for third-party connectors. API changes have broken integrations unexpectedly, requiring constant maintenance.
After discovering issues, teams realize they're committed for the full year. No monthly billing option means living with problems until contract ends.
Insightly's PM features lack graphical views. Teams needing proper project visualization must add dedicated PM tools, negating the 'all-in-one' benefit.
Alternatives Users Switch To
HubSpot
9x mentionedTeams switch when they need better support and unlimited contacts on free tier. Gain: free CRM, unlimited contacts, superior reporting and marketing automation. Trade-off: expensive for advanced features, annual contracts at higher tiers.
Salesforce
8x mentionedGrowing businesses switch when they need enterprise scale and customization. Gain: unlimited customization, AppExchange ecosystem, no contact limits. Trade-off: expensive, complex, requires dedicated admin.
Pipedrive
7x mentionedSales-focused teams switch for simpler, visual pipeline management. Gain: intuitive interface, monthly billing option, better UX. Trade-off: no project management features, less customization.
Zoho CRM
7x mentionedBudget-conscious teams switch for more features at lower cost. Gain: generous free tier, full Zoho ecosystem, better value. Trade-off: less polished interface, steeper learning curve.
Freshsales
6x mentionedTeams wanting AI-powered insights switch to Freshsales. Gain: AI assistant Freddy, built-in phone, better automation. Trade-off: no project management, different ecosystem.
Copper
5x mentionedGoogle Workspace teams wanting simpler CRM switch to Copper. Gain: best Google integration, works inside Gmail. Trade-off: Google-only, limited customization.
Frequently Asked Questions
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