Can AI build me a free CRM?

Half. For a solo business, a spreadsheet CRM with follow-up dates and a pipeline view works well and AI can set it up. Once you need email sync, a team or automations, a paid CRM's free tier is usually better.

Verdict: Half-bot · AI helps, you finish✓ Tested 2 times in Llama 3.3 70B · Oct 24, 2026Written for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini

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Half-bot

01Why half-bot

  • A contact list with stages and follow-up dates is easy to build.
  • Email tracking and team features are hard to replicate.
  • Start simple and upgrade when it hurts.
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02The prompt

Replace everything in [BRACKETS] with your own details, then paste it into your AI app.

prompt.txt
You are a small-business systems consultant.

What I sell: [OFFER]
My sales stages: [STAGES]
What I track per contact: [FIELDS]
Tool: [GOOGLE SHEETS OR EXCEL]

Your task: build a simple CRM.

Rules:
- MUST give columns, dropdown values for stages, and formulas for 'follow up today' and pipeline value.
- MUST include a weekly review routine.
- MUST tell me honestly when I'll outgrow it.

Give me: the setup, the formulas and the routine.

03Steps

  1. List your sales stages.
  2. Run the prompt.
  3. Review it every Monday.

04What can go wrong

  • Protect customer data; don't share the sheet widely.
  • Back it up.

05What to use

Any major AI chat app, plus Google Sheets or Excel.

06Our test runs

2 runs, each with a different made-up sample. 0 of 2 passed every check.

Run 1 · Llama 3.3 70B · graded by GPT-OSS 120BOct 3, 2026Passed with a catch

The made-up sample:

  • [OFFER]Full‑service implementation of cloud‑based accounting software for small businesses, including setup, data migration, staff training, and 30‑day post‑go‑live support.
  • [STAGES]Lead, Qualified, Proposal Sent, Negotiation, Closed Won, Closed Lost
  • [FIELDS]Company, Contact Person, Email, Phone, Lead Source, Sales Stage, Deal Amount, Expected Close Date, Next Follow‑Up Date, Owner, Notes
  • [GOOGLE SHEETS OR EXCEL]Google Sheets
  • Provide columns
  • Provide dropdown values for stages
  • Provide formulas for follow‑up today and pipeline value
  • Include a weekly review routine
  • Made up details we never gave it

Details it made up: “more than 100-200 contacts”, “20% conversion rate”

What came back (excerpt):

I'd be happy to help you set up a simple CRM using Google Sheets.
Read the full answer
I'd be happy to help you set up a simple CRM using Google Sheets. Here's the setup, formulas, and routine to get you started:

**Setup:**

Create a new Google Sheet with the following columns:

1. Company
2. Contact Person
3. Email
4. Phone
5. Lead Source
6. Sales Stage
7. Deal Amount
8. Expected Close Date
9. Next Follow-Up Date
10. Owner
11. Notes
12. Follow Up Today
13. Pipeline Value

**Dropdown Values for Sales Stages:**

In the Sales Stage column, create a dropdown list with the following values:

* Lead
* Qualified
* Proposal Sent
* Negotiation
* Closed Won
* Closed Lost

To create a dropdown list, go to the Data menu, select "Data validation", and then select "List of items". Enter the above values, separated by commas.

**Formulas:**

1. **Follow Up Today:**
In the Follow Up Today column, enter the following formula:

`=IF(TODAY()=Next Follow-Up Date, "Yes", "No")`

This formula checks if the current date is equal to the Next Follow-Up Date. If it is, it returns "Yes", otherwise it returns "No".

2. **Pipeline Value:**
In the Pipeline Value column, enter the following formula:

`=IF(Sales Stage="Closed Won", Deal Amount, IF(Sales Stage="Closed Lost", 0, Deal Amount*0.2))`

This formula calculates the pipeline value based on the sales stage. If the deal is Closed Won, it returns the full Deal Amount. If it's Closed Lost, it returns 0. For other stages, it returns 20% of the Deal Amount (assuming a 20% conversion rate).

**Weekly Review Routine:**

1. Every Monday, review the entire sheet to ensure all data is up-to-date.
2. Filter the sheet by the "Follow Up Today" column to see which contacts need to be followed up with today.
3. Review the Notes column to see if there are any pending tasks or actions required for each contact.
4. Update the Next Follow-Up Date column for each contact based on the outcome of the follow-up.
5. Review the Pipeline Value column to see the current pipeline value and adjust the sales strategy accordingly.

**When you'll outgrow this setup:**

Honestly, you'll likely outgrow this setup when:

* You have more than 100-200 contacts in your sheet, making it difficult to manage and filter data.
* You need more advanced features like automation, workflow management, or integration with other tools.
* You have multiple users accessing the sheet, requiring more robust permission and collaboration features.
* You need more detailed reporting and analytics capabilities.

At that point, you may want to consider migrating to a dedicated CRM platform like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho CRM, which can provide more scalability, features, and support for your growing business. However, for now, this simple Google Sheets setup should suffice for your small business needs.

Verify that the formula cell references match your actual column letters.

Run 2 · Llama 3.3 70B · graded by GPT-OSS 120BOct 24, 2026Passed with a catch

The made-up sample (a messier one):

  • [OFFER]Custom POS hardware + installation + 3 months remote support, plus optional monthly SaaS subscription for inventory tracking.
  • [STAGES]Lead; Contacted (phone/email); Demo scheduled; Proposal sent; Negotiation; Closed - Won; Closed - Lost; On Hold
  • [FIELDS]Company Name, Contact Name, Email, Phone, Lead Source (referral, web, event), Industry, Estimated Budget, Decision Maker?, Follow-up Date, Current Stage, Notes
  • [GOOGLE SHEETS OR EXCEL]Google Sheets (free version)
  • Provide columns, dropdown values, and formulas for follow up today and pipeline value
  • Include a weekly review routine
  • Tell honestly when the user will outgrow the sheet
  • Provide the setup, formulas, and routine as requested
  • Made up details we never gave it

Details it made up: “more than 100-200 contacts”

What came back (excerpt):

I'd be happy to help you set up a simple CRM using Google Sheets.
Read the full answer
I'd be happy to help you set up a simple CRM using Google Sheets. Here's a suggested setup:

**Columns:**

1. Company Name
2. Contact Name
3. Email
4. Phone
5. Lead Source (dropdown: Referral, Web, Event)
6. Industry
7. Estimated Budget
8. Decision Maker? (Yes/No)
9. Follow-up Date
10. Current Stage (dropdown: Lead, Contacted, Demo Scheduled, Proposal Sent, Negotiation, Closed - Won, Closed - Lost, On Hold)
11. Notes
12. Follow-up Today (formula-based)
13. Pipeline Value (formula-based)

**Dropdown values for stages:**

* Current Stage: Lead, Contacted, Demo Scheduled, Proposal Sent, Negotiation, Closed - Won, Closed - Lost, On Hold

**Formulas:**

* Follow-up Today: `=IF(TODAY()=Follow-up Date, "Yes", "No")` (assuming the Follow-up Date column is in column 9)
* Pipeline Value: `=IF(Current Stage="Closed - Won", Estimated Budget, IF(Current Stage="Proposal Sent", Estimated Budget*0.5, IF(Current Stage="Demo Scheduled", Estimated Budget*0.2, 0)))` (assuming the Estimated Budget column is in column 7 and the Current Stage column is in column 10)

This formula assigns a pipeline value based on the current stage:
	+ Closed - Won: 100% of the estimated budget
	+ Proposal Sent: 50% of the estimated budget
	+ Demo Scheduled: 20% of the estimated budget
	+ Other stages: $0

**Weekly review routine:**

1. Set a reminder every Monday to review your CRM.
2. Filter the sheet by "Follow-up Today" = "Yes" to see which contacts need follow-up.
3. Review each contact's notes and current stage to determine the next steps.
4. Update the Follow-up Date and Current Stage columns as needed.
5. Review the pipeline value to track progress and adjust your sales strategy.

**When you'll outgrow this setup:**

You'll likely outgrow this setup when:

* You have more than 100-200 contacts, and the sheet becomes cumbersome to manage.
* You need more advanced features, such as automated workflows, email integration, or custom reporting.
* You have multiple sales teams or need to assign tasks to different team members.
* You want to integrate your CRM with other tools, such as marketing automation or customer support software.

At that point, you may want to consider upgrading to a dedicated CRM platform like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho CRM, which offer more advanced features and scalability. However, for a small business with a simple sales process, this Google Sheets setup should suffice for a while.

Watch for column reference errors in the formulas.

How each run works: we fill the prompt with a made-up sample, run it once in Llama 3.3 70B, and GPT-OSS 120B grades the answer against the prompt's own rules. Word limits are counted by code, and every quote flagged as made up is checked against the full answer. Your results can differ. How we test.

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