Find, Nurture, and Convert: The Top Lead Generation Tools for Businesses in 2025

Ingrid Johansen

Copywriter

April 21, 2025

21 min read

The reality is that building a lead generation funnel doesn’t need to be hard or cost a lot of money anymore. Obviously, it will take more than one day, but with a guide to learn from and all your questions answered, you can be sure you’ll come up with a lead list-building process fast.

What Is Lead Generation?

Lead generation means getting people interested in what you sell—and turning that interest into actual customers. To do that, you need a way to grab their info. Could be a form on your website. Could be a free download. Maybe even a comment on social media. The goal is simple: find people who might care, get their contact details, and keep the conversation going.

Why Is Lead Generation Important?

Lead generation systems are incredibly important. If you think back to the definition we just provided, lead generation is a method of gaining new customers—which helps grow your business. So, as you can easily understand, if you can identify these potential customers and capture them, you’ll be building a strong pipeline of potential customers.

To ensure your lead generation program works effectively, you may want to follow strategies such as:

• Improving the services or products you offer
• Targeting the right audience
• Enhancing customer engagement
• Optimizing your marketing campaigns
• Collecting important target market data
• Increasing your sales opportunities

What is a Sales Lead Generator?

It’s a tool that helps your sales team find people who might buy what you’re selling. It grabs contact info, spots new opportunities, and helps you keep track of each potential customer as they move through the sales process. Simple as that.

It’s important to note that there are two main types of lead gen tools:

#1: Inbound Lead Generation Software

These tools help you collect contact info through things like website forms, landing pages, social media, or email. They’re mostly used by B2C companies since the sales approach tends to be more direct and focused on quick engagement.

#2: Outbound Lead Generation Software

These sales lead tools are mostly used by B2B companies and usually involve sending emails and cold calling. The software helps your team spot potential leads and reach out right away to pitch what you’re offering.

How to Choose the Best Lead Generation Tools for B2B

If you’re looking for lead-generating software for your B2B company, there are a few key things it should have:

#1: Your Needs

Before choosing any lead-finding software, get clear on what you actually need. Talk to your team. Chat with a few customers. Figure out what’s missing and where the gaps are. That’ll help you pick something that actually works.

#2: Your Resources

Start by figuring out what resources you’ll need to get the software working. Do you have the tools, time, and people for it? This is also a good moment to decide if you’re going with inbound or outbound lead gen—especially if the tool needs to connect with your website.

#3: The Budget

It’s always important to consider the total cost of using the tool. Keep in mind that some platforms may charge extra for certain features or integrations.

#4: Using Email

If you intend to use email and email sequences, make sure the lead generation tool supports automated emails. This helps you stay on track and avoid losing potential clients along the way. Bonus points if it includes customizable templates for different campaigns.

#5: Lead Scoring

When looking for the best lead gen software, look for a lead scoring feature. It automatically assigns scores to potential customers based on variables like online behavior and company info. This way, you’ll quickly know which leads are most likely to convert.

#6: Lead Management

Lead management is one of the most essential features to look for. The software should let you track each potential customer’s journey and monitor progress through the funnel—right up to the sale. This ensures leads are nurtured, engaged, and moving in the right direction.

3 Benefits of Using Automated Lead Generation Software

#1: Easily Get Qualified Sales Leads

One big perk of using a website lead generator is how easy it is to spot people who might want what you’re offering. The tool helps you find them, sort out which ones matter most, and focus your marketing efforts where they’ll count.

#2: Get Better Customer Insights

When you’re using a marketing lead generator, you’ll gain much better insights about your customers. Since you have access to specific customer data, you’ll know more about them. This makes it easier to engage with them and move them through your pipeline.

#3: Save Time

Another huge benefit of using this kind of tool is that you’ll be able to save a lot of time. Many of the tasks this type of software handles are automated, leaving you with fewer manual tasks to complete.

The 12 Best Lead Generation Tools

#1: Flowlu

Flowlu is considered by many business owners and managers as the best lead gen tool. Well, to be honest, Flowlu is a complete cloud-based CRM that helps you run your entire business with ease. However, if you’re only looking for a lead generation tool, you can still use it—with all the features it includes (and there are plenty)—not only on your PC or laptop but also on your phone or tablet using Flowlu’s app.

With Flowlu, you can set up webforms to grab new leads and use the built-in calendar with alerts so nothing slips through the cracks. It also helps you keep track of where your top potential clients are in the funnel—so you’re always a step ahead.

And you can do this with Flowlu in a very intuitive way. You can use the Kanban Board, for example, to support this process. But this powerful software doesn’t stop there. In fact, it also helps you manage all your leads and customers efficiently and automatically, helping you avoid errors and missed steps.

One thing we really like about Flowlu is how simple it is to see what’s going on across your whole business—potential customers included. You get regular reports showing how your leads are doing, where you're losing people, and what might need a tweak. And then there are the automation rules—many of which can save you a lot of time along the way.

Flowlu also allows you to connect your mailbox and send emails directly from your account. This means you can create follow-ups for your leads easily.

And here’s something that makes lead generation even more versatile: Flowlu lets you generate leads not only through webforms but also from new emails and incoming calls. You can also connect Flowlu with third-party tools like Make.com, Zoho Flows, or hook it up through the API. That gives you a lot of flexibility, no matter what systems you're already using.

And even though Flowlu packs in a lot of features, it’s surprisingly easy to get started—even if you’ve never touched a CRM before. There’s a free trial too, so you can test the waters before committing.

After that, you can choose a plan and pay annually. Paid plans start at $39 per month for a flat fee that covers up to 8 users.

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#2: HubSpot

When people talk about top lead gen tools for inbound marketing, HubSpot usually comes up fast. It’s more than just a CRM—it’s a user-friendly platform where you can build forms, send marketing emails, handle customer support, manage content, run campaigns, track sales, and a lot more.

It’s a solid pick for growing businesses. You get tools for tracking performance, qualifying potential customers, managing your pipeline, and keeping prospects engaged. The catch? It’s on the pricey side and can take a while to fully get the hang of. Paid plans start at $20/month per user, but the total can add up quickly if you have a larger team or more advanced needs.

#3: LeadsBridge

LeadsBridge is a great tool for both inbound and outbound marketing, and it was specifically designed for real estate businesses, retailers, advertising agencies, and financial services.

LeadsBridge supports almost 400 integrations, which gives you plenty of options for capturing leads for your business.

This tool is primarily a marketing automation platform. It can help with a range of tasks, including lead segmentation, qualification, and email workflows. You can then use its integrations to generate more qualified leads. On the downside, LeadsBridge is relatively expensive and has a complex initial setup. Paid plans start at $29/month per user.

#4: Pipedrive

Pipedrive is often seen as one of the best tools for lead prospecting. It works for both inbound and outbound sales.

Out of the box, it’s a full CRM. But if you want more focused tools to find and convert potential clients, you’ll need the LeadBooster add-on. That’s where it starts to shine.

What stands out? It offers features like prospecting, deal rotting alerts, web forms, a lead inbox, smart contact data, pipeline tracking, email outreach, and even a timeline of contact history.

Here’s the catch: most of those features aren’t included in the base plan. You’ll have to pay extra. Also, the platform can feel clunky at times. Some bugs. Some lag. A little outdated in places. Still works—but not without hiccups. Paid plans start at $14/month per user, with add-ons like LeadBooster available at an extra cost.

#5: OptinMonster

OptinMonster is a strong pick for inbound lead generation. It’s especially good if you’re focused on boosting conversion rates.

It’s built for small businesses, online stores, agencies, and bloggers. Anyone who wants more people to take action on their site.

There’s a lot packed in. You get features like gamified spin wheels, ready-made landing page templates, exit-intent detection that shows offers just before someone leaves, and simple email capture tools to grow your list.

But it’s not perfect. Getting started can be tricky. The interface isn’t always as smooth as you’d hope, and bugs do pop up now and then. Still, if you’re patient, it can be a useful tool. Plans start at $9/month for a single site, with prices increasing based on features and site usage.

#6: CallPage

If you’re hunting for a lead tool that leans into calls, CallPage is worth checking out.

It’s made for small and mid-sized businesses and centers around outbound marketing. Think live chat, lead capture, and an auto-dialer—all focused on getting more conversations started.

Inside, you’ll find tools like a contact database, call list management, a lead dashboard, potential customer qualification, automatic lead distribution, and a meeting scheduler.

That said, it’s not without hiccups. Integrations are limited, and the setup process can feel like a bit much if you’re just getting started. Plans start at $25/month per user, with additional costs for advanced features.

#7: Agile CRM

If you’ve got a small business and need a tool for both inbound and outbound leads, Agile CRM is worth a look.

It helps you capture and nurture potential clients without much fuss. Some of the features include automated routing, call logging, an auto-dialer, A/B testing, lead scoring, email lookup, a blended call center, and appointment scheduling.

There’s a free plan, which is nice—but it comes with limits. Some features and integrations are missing, so you might hit a wall if your needs grow. Pricing begins at $8.99/month per user, and you’ll get access to more tools as you move up the tiers.

#8: Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Salesforce shouldn’t be a new name to you. However, not everyone is familiar with Salesforce Marketing Cloud. This tool supports both inbound and outbound lead generation. For inbound efforts, it uses email, social media, and webforms. On the outbound side, it can automate lead scoring, outreach, prospect list creation, and more.

While Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a powerful platform packed with features, the interface can be completely overwhelming. Also, it’s easy to run into multiple add-ons you’ll want—quickly turning this into a very expensive solution. Pricing starts at around $25/month per a user, depending on the package and features you choose.

#9: RollWorks

Just like the previous tool, RollWorks is a solid B2B software option for both inbound and outbound lead generation.

RollWorks is cloud-based and includes multiple collaboration tools, lead qualification, contact management, engagement tracking, and data extraction.

One of the things we really like about RollWorks is that the UI is incredibly simple and easy to navigate. However, it may be a bit difficult to get started, and it's somewhat expensive—especially when other great options are available at a lower cost. You won’t find standard pricing on their site—RollWorks builds custom quotes depending on what you need.

#10: Keap

Keap might sound new, but you’ve probably heard of it by its old name—Infusionsoft. It’s no longer just about email marketing. Now, it’s a full lead generation tool with a lot packed in.

You get landing page templates, lead capture forms, payment processing, a business line, appointment scheduling, and invoicing—all in one place.

The automation features are a big plus. They can save you serious time. But there’s a downside: support is hit or miss. Actually, mostly miss. If you run into trouble, don’t expect much help.

There’s a 14-day free trial, which is great, but once that’s up, the price jumps fast. It’s not exactly budget-friendly. Keap’s prices start from $249/month for two users if you pay for an annual package.

#11: Extole

Extole is another powerful cloud-based platform, best suited for referral marketing. Simply put, it encourages your customers to refer family members and friends to become potential customers.

Some of the most popular features offered by Extole include multi-channel marketing, bonus management, lead engagement, advocate management, analytics, and gamification.

One of the things we really like about Extole is that it's extremely easy to set up. However, the reporting feature is quite clunky and could use improvement. Subscriptions start at $2,500/month, and the final cost depends on how big your business is and how involved your program gets.

#12: Ocean.io

If you're a B2B company doing outbound sales lead prospecting, Ocean.io is worth a closer look.

Ocean.io uses AI to help your business find new potential clients. It analyzes your current and past customers, scans website pages to evaluate fit, and automatically creates outbound opportunities for your sales team to follow up on.

While Ocean.io includes pipeline management and advanced lead filters, customization options are very limited. It also provides verified email addresses for outreach, but the data quality may not meet expectations. Ocean.io is priced with startups and small teams in mind, starting at around $59 to $79 per user per month for basic access.

Bottom Line

Lead generation software is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes. After all, without customers, you don’t have a business. To ensure your business keeps growing, you need to constantly search for new potential leads or prospects that you can convert into customers. But how can you find them? How can you nurture them? How can you score or prioritize them?

Well, by using lead generator software, you can automate all of this—while bringing plenty of additional benefits to your company.

As you’ve seen, there are plenty of lead gen tools to choose from. However, if we had to pick one, we’d recommend Flowlu. It offers a powerful CRM system with all the lead management features you need, all inside a single, intuitive dashboard. While many platforms are easy to operate, Flowlu stands out by letting you capture leads through embedded forms, email, and calls, connect to 1,000+ integrations, and effortlessly automate each lead journey with its powerful automation rules.