Teamleader

Teamleader is a Belgian SaaS platform founded in 2012 by Jeroen De Wit in Ghent, with a clear mission: to simplify the daily work of small and medium-sized businesses by consolidating essential business tools into a single, integrated platform. Rather than forcing SMBs to juggle separate applications for CRM, project management, invoicing, and time tracking, Teamleader brings everything together in one place, reducing administrative overhead and giving business owners more time to focus on their core work.

What makes Teamleader particularly relevant for European businesses is its deep understanding of the European SMB landscape. The platform was built by Europeans for Europeans, with native support for EU invoicing requirements, VAT handling across multiple jurisdictions, and integrations with local accounting software in each of its six active markets: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. This localization goes beyond simple language translation, encompassing tax rules, business customs, and the specific software ecosystems that SMBs rely on in each country.

Since its founding, Teamleader has grown to serve thousands of businesses across Europe, establishing itself as one of the leading European alternatives to US-based CRM and project management platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Monday.com. The company has raised significant venture capital funding and continues to invest in product development, with a clear focus on the needs of teams ranging from 2 to 50 people across service-oriented industries.

Product Lines: Focus and Orbit

Teamleader offers two distinct products targeting different segments of the SMB market. Teamleader Focus is the all-in-one solution designed for general small businesses, combining CRM, quotation management, invoicing, and basic project management in a single interface. It is ideal for businesses like consultancies, trades companies, IT service providers, and creative agencies that need to manage their entire client lifecycle from first contact through project delivery to final invoice.

Teamleader Orbit is the more specialized offering, designed specifically for agencies and professional service companies that need advanced work management capabilities. Orbit includes features like resource planning, capacity management, project budgeting with real-time profitability tracking, and team utilization dashboards. This product targets slightly larger organizations, typically agencies with 10 to 50 employees that need deeper insight into how their team's time translates into revenue.

CRM and Sales Pipeline

At the heart of Teamleader Focus is its CRM module, which provides contact management, company tracking, and deal pipeline management. The CRM organizes all customer interactions including emails, calls, meetings, and notes in a chronological timeline, giving every team member a complete picture of the relationship history. The deal pipeline uses a visual Kanban-style board where sales opportunities progress through customizable stages, making it easy to track where each potential deal stands and what action is needed next.

The CRM includes lead scoring and activity tracking to help sales teams prioritize their efforts. Automated reminders ensure that follow-ups do not fall through the cracks, while customizable fields and tags allow businesses to organize contacts according to their specific needs. Email integration connects with Gmail and Microsoft 365, automatically logging correspondence and allowing users to send tracked emails directly from the platform.

Quotations and Invoicing

Teamleader streamlines the quotation-to-invoice workflow, a process that is often fragmented across multiple tools in small businesses. Users can create professional-looking quotations using customizable templates, add line items with descriptions, quantities, and pricing, apply discounts, and set payment terms. Quotations can be sent digitally with an online acceptance feature that allows clients to review and approve quotes with a single click, including a legally binding digital signature.

Once a quotation is accepted, it can be converted to an invoice with a single action, eliminating redundant data entry. The invoicing module supports recurring invoices, credit notes, advance payments, and partial invoicing. Teamleader handles VAT calculations according to the rules of each supported country, a critical feature for European businesses operating across borders. Invoices can be sent by email or through integration with local e-invoicing systems. Payment tracking shows outstanding amounts at a glance, and automated payment reminders can be configured to follow up on overdue invoices.

Project Management and Time Tracking

Teamleader's project management module bridges the gap between sales and delivery. Projects can be created directly from accepted quotations, automatically populating tasks, budgets, and timelines based on the quoted work. The project view shows tasks organized by milestones, with progress tracking, deadline management, and team assignment capabilities. While not as feature-rich as dedicated project management tools like Asana or Monday.com, the integration with CRM and invoicing creates a seamless workflow that standalone tools cannot replicate.

The built-in time tracking allows team members to log hours directly against projects and tasks, either through manual entry, a running timer, or calendar integration. Tracked time feeds directly into invoicing, making it simple to generate accurate invoices based on actual work performed. For service businesses that bill by the hour, this integration between time tracking and invoicing eliminates the reconciliation effort that typically consumes significant administrative time at the end of each billing period.

Planning and Resource Management

Teamleader includes a team planning module that provides a visual calendar view of team schedules, task assignments, and availability. Managers can see at a glance who is working on what, identify scheduling conflicts, and allocate work more evenly across the team. This planning capability is particularly valuable for service businesses where balancing workload across team members directly impacts both client satisfaction and employee wellbeing.

In Teamleader Orbit, resource planning becomes even more sophisticated, with capacity planning dashboards that show team utilization rates, project profitability analysis, and forecasting tools that help agency owners predict future workload based on the sales pipeline. These features give service company leaders the operational visibility they need to make informed decisions about hiring, pricing, and project acceptance.

Integrations and Ecosystem

Teamleader integrates with a wide range of business tools, with a particular focus on the European software ecosystem. Accounting integrations include connections to local platforms like Exact, Yuki, Octopus, Billit, and other country-specific accounting solutions. This means that invoices created in Teamleader flow seamlessly to the accounting software your accountant already uses, without manual export or data entry.

Beyond accounting, Teamleader integrates with email platforms (Gmail, Microsoft 365), cloud storage services, communication tools like Slack, and marketing platforms. A Zapier integration extends connectivity to thousands of additional applications. For businesses with custom integration needs, Teamleader provides an API that allows developers to build bespoke connections to internal systems and third-party services.

User Experience and Onboarding

Teamleader's interface is designed to be intuitive enough that teams can get up to speed quickly without extensive training. The dashboard provides a clear overview of key business metrics including open deals, pending invoices, upcoming tasks, and team activity. Navigation is logical, with main functions accessible through a sidebar menu. The mobile apps for iOS and Android provide access to CRM, time tracking, and task management on the go, which is essential for field service teams and sales representatives.

The platform offers a 14-day free trial that provides full access to all features, allowing businesses to evaluate the tool thoroughly before committing. Onboarding resources include guided setup wizards, help documentation, video tutorials, and customer support available in the local language for each supported market.

GDPR Compliance and Data Protection

As a Belgian company operating within the European Union, Teamleader is subject to GDPR and processes all customer data in compliance with European data protection regulations. Data is stored on EU-based servers, and the platform includes features for managing consent records, processing data subject access requests, and maintaining audit trails. For European SMBs that handle customer personal data, Teamleader's EU jurisdiction and built-in compliance features provide a significant advantage over US-based CRM platforms.

Pricing Structure

Teamleader Focus offers three pricing tiers: SMART starting at approximately 60 euros per month for one user, GROW at 78 euros per month, and FLOW at 99 euros per month. Each tier adds additional features and capabilities, with volume discounts available for additional users. Teamleader Orbit is priced separately and is typically more expensive, reflecting its advanced resource planning and agency management features. All plans include a 14-day free trial, and both quarterly and annual billing options are available.

Limitations and Considerations

While Teamleader excels as an all-in-one platform for European SMBs, it has some limitations. The project management module, while adequate for most service businesses, lacks the depth of dedicated tools for organizations with complex project requirements. Some users have reported that pricing has increased over time, and the per-user cost can add up for growing teams. The platform's focus on six European markets means it may not be suitable for businesses operating primarily outside these regions.

Who Should Use Teamleader

Teamleader is an excellent choice for European small and medium businesses, particularly service companies, consultancies, creative agencies, IT providers, and trades businesses that need an integrated platform for managing clients, projects, and finances. It is especially well-suited for businesses in Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy that need local invoicing compliance and accounting integrations. Organizations currently using separate tools for CRM, invoicing, and project management will benefit most from Teamleader's all-in-one approach, which eliminates data silos and reduces the total cost of business software.