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Most small businesses do not need twenty apps. They need three jobs done well: keeping track of customers and sales, keeping work organized, and staying in touch with people by email. Get those right and you have a working business backbone for less than the cost of one dinner out per week.
This guide puts together a simple starter stack, shows what it costs for a solo owner and for a three-person team, and explains when each tool is worth upgrading. Prices come from our own in-depth reviews, so you can click through for the full detail on each tool.
The Short Answer
- CRM and sales: Pipedrive, a visual sales pipeline that is easy to learn. Paid plans from $14 per user per month.
- Project management: monday.com, a colorful, flexible work platform with a free plan for two seats and paid plans from $9 per seat per month.
- Email marketing: MailerLite, simple and affordable, with a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers and paid plans from $9 per month.
| Job | Our pick | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customers and sales | Pipedrive | $14/user/month | Owners who want to see every deal on one board |
| Projects and tasks | monday.com | Free for 2 seats; from $9/seat/month | Teams that like visual, flexible boards |
| Email marketing | MailerLite | Free up to 1,000 subscribers; from $9/month | Newsletters and simple automations |
Prices are taken from our 2026 reviews and can change. Always confirm the current price on each company’s pricing page before you buy.
Why These Three Jobs Come First
Every small business, from a landscaper to a consultant, repeats the same loop: someone shows interest, you follow up, you do the work, and you stay in touch so they come back. A CRM handles the first two steps, a project tool handles the third, and email handles the fourth. Spreadsheets and sticky notes can cover this for a while, but they tend to break the moment you get busy, which is exactly when you can least afford it.
1. Pipedrive: Keep Every Deal in Sight
Pipedrive is built around a simple idea: a board with columns for each stage of your sales process, where every deal is a card you drag forward. If you can use a to-do list, you can use Pipedrive. In our full Pipedrive review it scored especially well for ease of use and for how clearly it shows your pipeline.
- Lite: $14 per user per month for lead, calendar and pipeline management.
- Growth: $39 per user per month adds email sync and tracking, automations and forecast reports.
- Good fit: service businesses, agencies and freelancers who sell through conversations and quotes.
- Not ideal: teams that need a free plan, since Pipedrive is a paid tool. Compare it with Zoho in our Pipedrive vs Zoho CRM guide.
2. monday.com: Turn Sold Work Into Organized Work
Once a deal closes, the work has to get done. monday.com lets you build boards for client projects, content calendars or hiring, and view them as lists, calendars or timelines. Our monday.com review covers the details, and our Asana vs Monday.com comparison helps if you are weighing the two.
- Free: up to 2 seats, enough for a solo owner plus one helper.
- Basic: $9 per seat per month. Standard: $12. Pro: $19.
- Worth knowing: paid plans have a 3-seat minimum, and automations are only on Standard and above, so budget for that if automation matters to you.
- Good fit: teams that think visually and want one place for every project.
3. MailerLite: Stay in Touch Without the Cost
Email is still one of the cheapest ways to bring customers back. MailerLite is our pick for small businesses because the free plan is genuinely usable and the editor is easy. Our MailerLite review gave it top marks for value and ease of use, and you can compare it with others in our best email marketing tools roundup.
- Free: up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month.
- Growing Business: from $9 per month, with the price rising as your list grows.
- Good fit: newsletters, welcome emails, and simple automations for local and service businesses.
What the Stack Costs
Here are two realistic setups, using the starting prices above.
| Setup | Pipedrive | monday.com | MailerLite | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo owner (1 user) | Lite: $14 | Free plan: $0 | Free plan: $0 | $14 |
| Small team (3 users) | Lite: 3 x $14 = $42 | Basic: 3 x $9 = $27 | Growing Business: from $9 | About $78 |
Both stay well under $100 a month. The picture changes if you move up a tier: three Pipedrive Growth seats would be 3 x $39 = $117 on their own. Start on the lower plans, and upgrade only when a missing feature is costing you time or sales.
How the Three Tools Work Together
A simple flow looks like this: a new lead goes into Pipedrive as a deal. When the deal closes, you create a project for the work in monday.com. After delivery, you add the customer to a MailerLite list for follow-ups and offers. These tools can be connected through each product’s built-in integrations or an automation service, so check each tool’s integrations page for the options on your plan. Even without any connection, copying a name and email by hand takes seconds.
Who Should Choose Something Else
- Online stores: if most of your sales come from a store platform, you may prefer an email tool built for e-commerce.
- Very tight budgets: if $14 per month for a CRM is too much right now, start with the free plans for project management and email, and track deals in a simple spreadsheet. See our best CRM for small business guide for free and low-cost options.
- One-app preference: some owners would rather have one all-in-one platform than three focused tools. That is a fair choice, though all-in-one suites often cost more as you grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I start with just one of these tools?
Yes. Pick the job that is causing the most pain today. If deals are slipping through the cracks, start with the CRM. If projects are chaotic, start with monday.com. If you never follow up with past customers, start with MailerLite and its free plan.
Are there free options for all three jobs?
Two of the three have free plans: monday.com for up to two seats and MailerLite for up to 1,000 subscribers. Pipedrive is a paid tool, so a free alternative may suit you better. Check our CRM guide for options.
How often do these prices change?
Software companies adjust plans and prices regularly. The prices here come from our 2026 reviews, so confirm on each pricing page before you commit.
Final Verdict
For most small businesses, the best software stack is the smallest one that does the job. Pipedrive keeps your sales organized, monday.com keeps your projects moving, and MailerLite keeps customers coming back, all for roughly $14 a month as a solo owner or about $78 a month for a three-person team. Start small, use the free plans where you can, and add features only when you need them.
Ready to build your stack? (Affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.)
