Who should leave Solve CRM
Solve CRM (solve360) does one thing very well: it makes a lightweight, Google-Workspace-native CRM for service businesses — HVAC, consulting, residential services, non-profits — with two-way Gmail sync, Calendar scheduling, Sheets reporting, and flexible record types for contacts, companies, projects, and cases. If you run on Google and want a CRM no one needs to administer, that focus is the appeal. But lightweight cuts both ways. There's little native marketing automation, the reporting is basic beyond what you push to Sheets, the mobile experience is modest, and the integration ecosystem is small. For a growing team, the ceiling arrives sooner than you'd like.
You should leave if you need real email marketing and automation, deeper pipeline reporting, or a bigger integration catalog — or if you want a more actively developed product with a larger community. Stay if the Google-native simplicity and flexible records are exactly what keeps your service team organized without overhead.
What to consider
- Best Google-native replacement → Copper. Built specifically for Google Workspace, Copper lives inside Gmail and Calendar the way Solve does but adds stronger pipeline management, automation, and reporting — the most direct upgrade if the Google integration is why you chose Solve.
- Best Gmail-inbox CRM → NetHunt. NetHunt runs your CRM entirely inside Gmail with pipelines, sequences, and workflow automation — ideal if your team lives in the inbox and wants more sales automation than Solve offers.
- Best for simplicity → Capsule. If you want to stay lightweight but on a more modern, better-supported tool, Capsule is a clean CRM with contacts, pipeline, tasks, and a solid Google integration, from ~$18/user/mo.
- Best for marketing + automation → HubSpot. When the gap you feel is email marketing, landing pages, and automation, HubSpot pairs a free CRM core with best-in-class marketing tooling and deep Gmail integration.
- Best for depth and ecosystem → Zoho CRM. More capability and a far larger app marketplace than Solve, with strong Google Workspace sync and Zia AI, from ~$14/user/mo — room to grow well past Solve's ceiling.
- Best CRM + projects → Insightly. Keeps Solve's project-and-contact combination for service businesses but adds stronger reporting and workflow automation, with a clean Google integration.
Match the alternative to the gap
Start with why Solve worked: the Google integration. If that's non-negotiable, Copper and NetHunt are the truest replacements and add the sales automation Solve lacks. If you're leaving because you outgrew the reporting or need marketing, Zoho CRM and HubSpot give you the headroom. If you just want a better-supported lightweight tool, Capsule. And if project-based service work is central, Insightly keeps that shape.
Trial advice
The whole point of Solve is that it disappears into Google, so test the Gmail and Calendar integration first in any replacement — install it, sync a live inbox, and confirm two-way sync actually works the way your team relies on. Export your contacts, companies, and project records, load them into your top two picks, and run a real week of client work before committing. If a candidate's Google integration feels bolted-on rather than native, it will quietly cost you the simplicity you're trying to keep.