Free Influencer CRM: Unlimited Creators, Free Forever

Most influencer CRMs are seat-based. You pay before you know if the roster is useful. That is backwards. The roster is the asset. The campaign is where the work happens. Kleos takes a different structure: the creator CRM is free forever, with unlimited creator records. You pay when you run campaigns, not to see your own list.

What does a free influencer CRM actually include, and what does it not include?#

A free influencer CRM is a creator database that costs nothing to store, search, tag, and segment. It includes one record per creator, tags, notes, full history, content links, and attribution readouts. It does not include campaign execution for free.

In Kleos the free layer is the system of record. Every creator gets a single profile with platform handles, follower counts, niche, notes, past content, gifting status, and Shopify attribution once a campaign runs. You can search, filter, tag, import from a CSV, Klaviyo or HubSpot, and export, without a subscription, on the web and in the iPhone and Android apps. AI sourcing at volume, gifting campaigns, and Shopify draft orders sit in the paid campaign layer, not the free CRM.

• Included free forever: unlimited creator records, notes, tags and full history, imports, export, and the mobile apps.
• Not included free: creating campaigns: gifting outreach, AI reply classification, Shopify draft orders, paid partnerships and Amplify.
• Where the trial starts: every campaign plan has a 14-day free trial, no card required.

The free CRM is not a limited preview with a record cap. It is the permanent home for the roster. That distinction matters because first-party creator data should not disappear when a subscription pauses.

Why would a CRM be free forever instead of seat-based?#

A CRM should be free because the roster is the brand's first-party asset, not the vendor's upsell lever. Seat-based pricing makes cost scale with headcount. Free CRM pricing puts cost on campaign execution, where revenue is generated.

Seat-based influencer CRMs typically charge per user per month. A five-person team on a mid-range plan at $100 per seat pays $500 a month before a single package ships. A ten-person agency team pays $1,000. That cost is a storage fee. It does not predict creator performance, and it rises as you add interns, freelancers, or agency partners who only need read access.

• Seat-based CRM: pay per login, roster access ends if you stop paying, cost scales with headcount not revenue, execution tools bundled whether you use them or not.
• Free CRM plus paid campaigns: roster always accessible, cost starts when you run campaigns, you pay for the motion that creates value.

Earned media value is the number most influencer reports lead with, and it is not Shopify revenue. The number your CFO will ask for is attributed orders, and that requires connecting creators to real checkout events. A CRM that charges per seat before you can prove that connection is charging you for the privilege of finding out.

Kleos takes the contrarian position: if a vendor monetizes the database instead of the workflow, the brand is the product. The free CRM means you keep the asset. The paid modules mean the vendor only earns when you run campaigns.

How do you move from a spreadsheet to a free influencer CRM?#

Migrating means one operational pass: export, map, deduplicate, score, connect Shopify, then run the first campaign from the CRM. The goal is to stop using the spreadsheet as the system of record before the next gifting round.

Here is the runbook.

• Export the existing roster. Pull every creator handle, email, platform, follower count, niche, past result, and note from the spreadsheet. Do not clean it first. Export first, clean in the CRM.
• Map fields to CRM records. Handle, email, platform, follower count, niche, engagement rate, last touch, next action. One field per column. Do not leave notes in a single free-text blob if you can tag them.
• Deduplicate by handle and email. One creator, one record. Merge duplicates. Keep the most recent content link and the most recent gifting status.
• Rank fit before follower count. Use audience overlap, content style, engagement rate, and past conversions if available. Follower count is last. A creator with 18,000 tightly matched followers can drive more Shopify orders than a 400,000 account with the wrong audience.
• Connect Shopify before the first outreach. Create per-creator discount codes and UTM parameters inside the CRM. This is the step most spreadsheets miss. Attribution must be set before the creator posts, not after.
• Run the first gifting campaign from the CRM. Send product, track replies, classify interest, create draft orders, and watch which creators drive attributed revenue. The free CRM now becomes the operating record.

Illustrative math: a brand managing 200 creators in a spreadsheet spends five hours a week on admin. At $40 per hour fully loaded, that is $800 a month in manual labor. A free CRM removes most of that admin cost. A seat-based CRM at five seats for $500 a month replaces some of it but still charges before any creator ships a post.

What are the honest trade-offs of a free forever CRM?#

The trade-off is scope, not data. A free CRM stores and organizes your roster. It does not run gifting, paid partnerships, or performance payouts on its own. You pay for execution, and you should verify the free tier does not quietly cap records or export access.

Kleos keeps the CRM free and permanent. The paid layer starts when you want to run campaigns: find new creators at volume, run gifting outreach with AI reply classification, create Shopify draft orders, run paid partnerships and Amplify, and attribute revenue per creator. Campaign plans start at €499 per month for Starter and €899 per month for Scale, with a 14-day free trial, no card required. If you stop paying, nothing is taken away: only creating new campaigns pauses.

• What you give up with any free CRM: campaign execution, sourcing at volume, paid partnership workflows, performance payouts, and sometimes priority support.
• What you do not give up with Kleos: your roster, notes, gifting history, content links, or the ability to export. That data stays yours.
• What you should check before choosing any free CRM: record caps, export limits, data ownership terms, and whether attribution is real Shopify orders or vanity link clicks.

If a free influencer CRM limits you to 50 records or blocks export, it is not a free CRM. It is a lead magnet with a paywall. The only honest free CRM is one where the roster is unlimited and portable.

What do operators ask before switching to a free influencer CRM?#

Is the free CRM actually free?

Yes. The Kleos creator CRM is free forever. There is no card required, no record cap, and no time limit. The 14-day trial applies only to the campaign plans.

What happens when you want to run gifting or a commission program?

You move onto a paid plan for the campaign layer. That includes gifting outreach, reply classification, Shopify draft orders, paid partnerships, Amplify, and per-creator attribution. The CRM you built stays intact.

How does Kleos make money if the CRM is free?

Kleos charges for running campaigns, on a flat monthly plan, not per creator in your roster. Paid plans start at €499 per month for Starter and €899 per month for Scale. The free CRM is a permanent part of the product, not a temporary discount.

Does the free CRM include Shopify attribution?

The free CRM stores attribution readouts once a campaign runs. Connecting Shopify and generating per-creator codes and UTMs is part of the paid campaign layer. The free layer shows the resulting attributed revenue per creator.

Can I import from another influencer platform or a spreadsheet?

Yes. You can import from a CSV, Klaviyo or HubSpot. The point is to stop paying for seat access to your own list. The move is straightforward: export, map, deduplicate, rank, connect Shopify, run.

The roster is not a paywall. It is the asset you keep. If a vendor charges you to see your own creator list, that is a storage fee. A free influencer CRM done right removes the storage fee and charges for the motion that actually drives revenue: campaigns, attribution, and execution.