How to Build a CRM in Notion for $0 (With Template)

HubSpot Free? Still limited. Salesforce? $25/user/month minimum. For solo founders and small teams, a Notion CRM does 80% of what you need — for $0.

Here's exactly how to build one in 30 minutes.

What You'll Build

A complete CRM system with:

• Contacts database — Track people, companies, and lead status
• Deal pipeline — Kanban board for sales stages
• Activity log — Record calls, emails, and meetings
• Dashboard — At-a-glance view of your pipeline

When a Notion CRM Makes Sense (and When It Doesn't)

✅ Use Notion CRM If:

• You're a solo founder or team of 2-5
• You have fewer than 500 active contacts
• You don't need email tracking or automation
• You already use Notion for other work
• Your budget is literally $0

❌ Use a Dedicated CRM If:

• You have 10+ salespeople
• You need email sequences and automation
• You have 1,000+ contacts
• You need call recording or VoIP integration
• Revenue depends on CRM reporting accuracy

For dedicated CRM options, see our best CRM for small business guide or HubSpot review.

Step 1: Create the Contacts Database (15 minutes)

Create a new full-page database called "CRM: Contacts" with these properties:

Core Properties

| Property | Type | Options / Notes | |----------|------|----------------| | Name | Title | Contact's full name | | Email | Email | Primary email | | Company | Text | Company name | | Phone | Phone | Optional | | Role | Text | Job title | | Lead Status | Select | New, Contacted, Qualified, Proposal, Customer, Lost | | Source | Select | Website, Referral, Cold Outreach, LinkedIn, Event | | Deal Value | Number (Currency) | Expected deal value in USD | | Assigned To | Person | Who owns this contact | | Last Contact | Date | When you last reached out | | Next Follow-Up | Date | When to follow up | | Notes | Text | Free-form notes | | Tags | Multi-select | Industry, Size, Priority |

Calculated Properties

Add these formula or rollup properties for extra power:

Days Since Last Contact: Use a formula property:

dateBetween(now(), prop("Last Contact"), "days")

This shows how many days since you last reached out. Sort by this to find neglected leads.

Follow-Up Overdue:

if(prop("Next Follow-Up") < now(), "⚠️ Overdue", "✅ On Track")

Views to Create

1. All Contacts — Table view, sorted by Last Contact (newest first)
2. Pipeline — Board view, grouped by Lead Status
3. Follow-Up Today — Table view, filtered: Next Follow-Up = Today
4. Overdue — Table view, filtered: Next Follow-Up < Today
5. By Source — Table view, grouped by Source (to see which channels perform best)

Step 2: Create the Deals Database (10 minutes)

Separate database for tracking deals/opportunities:

Properties

| Property | Type | Options | |----------|------|---------| | Deal Name | Title | e.g., "Acme Corp — Enterprise Plan" | | Contact | Relation | Link to CRM: Contacts database | | Stage | Select | Discovery, Demo, Proposal, Negotiation, Closed Won, Closed Lost | | Value | Number (Currency) | Deal amount | | Close Date | Date | Expected close date | | Probability | Number (%) | Win likelihood | | Weighted Value | Formula | prop("Value") * prop("Probability") / 100 | | Notes | Text | Deal-specific notes |

Views

1. Pipeline Board — Board view, grouped by Stage
2. Forecast — Table view showing Weighted Value, sorted by Close Date
3. Closed This Month — Filtered to Closed Won in current month

Step 3: Create the Activity Log (5 minutes)

Track every interaction with contacts:

Properties

| Property | Type | Options | |----------|------|---------| | Activity | Title | Brief description | | Contact | Relation | Link to CRM: Contacts | | Deal | Relation | Link to Deals | | Type | Select | Call, Email, Meeting, Note, LinkedIn | | Date | Date | When it happened | | Outcome | Text | What was discussed/decided |

Workflow

After every call or meeting:

1. Create a new entry in Activity Log
2. Link it to the Contact and Deal
3. Update the Contact's "Last Contact" date
4. Set the "Next Follow-Up" date

Pro tip: Create a template button on your Contact pages that pre-fills a new Activity Log entry with the contact already linked.

Step 4: Build the Dashboard (10 minutes)

Create a page called "CRM Dashboard" with these embedded views:

Section 1: Pipeline Overview

Embed a linked view of the Deals database in Board view, grouped by Stage. This gives you the classic sales pipeline at a glance.

Section 2: Today's Follow-Ups

Embed a linked view of Contacts filtered to:

• Next Follow-Up = Today OR
• Next Follow-Up < Today (overdue)

Sort by Follow-Up Overdue first.

Section 3: Key Metrics

Create a callout block with manually updated metrics (or use rollup properties):

📊 Pipeline Snapshot
├── Total Pipeline Value: $XX,XXX
├── Deals in Pipeline: XX
├── Weighted Forecast: $XX,XXX
├── Closed This Month: $X,XXX
└── Win Rate: XX%

Section 4: Recent Activity

Embed the Activity Log showing the 10 most recent entries, sorted by Date (newest first).

Advanced: Email Templates

Since Notion can't send emails, create a "Email Templates" page with copy-paste templates:

Initial Outreach Template

Subject: Quick question about [their company's problem]

Hi [Name],

I noticed [specific observation about their company].

We help [target audience] do [specific outcome]. For example, [one-line case study].

Would a 15-minute call next week make sense?

Best,
[Your name]

Follow-Up Template (Day 3)

Subject: Re: Quick question about [their company's problem]

Hi [Name],

Just bumping this in case it got buried. I think we could help with [specific value prop].

Happy to share a quick demo — here's my calendar: [link]

Best,
[Your name]

After-Meeting Template

Subject: Great chatting — next steps

Hi [Name],

Thanks for your time today. Here's a summary of what we discussed:

1. [Key point 1]
2. [Key point 2]
3. [Agreed next step]

I'll [your action item] by [date]. Let me know if anything changes on your end.

Best,
[Your name]

Limitations to Be Aware Of

What Notion CRM Can't Do

| Feature | HubSpot Free | Notion CRM | |---------|-------------|-----------| | Email tracking (opens, clicks) | ✅ | ❌ | | Automatic lead scoring | ✅ | ❌ (manual only) | | Email sequences | ❌ (paid) | ❌ | | Contact data enrichment | ✅ (basic) | ❌ | | Pipeline reporting | ✅ | ⚠️ (manual) | | Mobile CRM app | ✅ | ⚠️ (Notion mobile, not CRM-optimized) | | Call logging | ✅ | ❌ (manual) |

Performance Limits

| Contact Count | Performance | |---------------|-------------| | 0-1,000 | ✅ Fast, no issues | | 1,000-5,000 | ✅ Slightly slower loads | | 5,000-10,000 | ⚠️ Noticeable lag, filtering slows | | 10,000+ | ❌ Switch to a dedicated CRM |

When to Graduate to a Real CRM

Outgrow Notion CRM when any of these are true:

1. You have 5,000+ contacts — Performance degrades
2. You need email automation — Sequences, drip campaigns, auto-follow-ups
3. You have 3+ salespeople — Team features matter (territory management, leaderboards)
4. Revenue depends on CRM data — Need reliable reporting and forecasting
5. You need integrations — Connecting CRM to your website, ads, and support tools

Recommended graduation path:

• Solo / 2-person team: Notion CRM → HubSpot Free → HubSpot Starter ($20/month)
• Sales-focused team: Notion CRM → Pipedrive ($15/user/month)
• Enterprise: Skip Notion CRM entirely → Salesforce or HubSpot Professional

For detailed CRM comparisons, check our best CRM guide or HubSpot review.

The Bottom Line

A Notion CRM won't replace Salesforce. But for a solo founder or small team that needs to track contacts, manage a deal pipeline, and never forget a follow-up — it's free, it's flexible, and it's already in the tool you use every day.

Build it in 30 minutes. Use it until you outgrow it. Then graduate to a dedicated CRM with confidence, knowing exactly what features you actually need.

Want more Notion insights? Read our Notion review, see if the pricing is worth it, or explore Notion alternatives.