Quick Start
This guide covers every Insightly feature:
- Getting Started — Create your account and finish basic setup
- How to Use Modern CRM — Role-based layouts that cut screen clutter for every user
- How to Use CRM — Customizable pipelines that follow how you really sell
- How to Use Project Management — Won deals become delivery projects with details copied over
- How to Use Reporting — Dashboards that track your own KPIs, not generic ones
- How to Use Organizations — One company record that holds every linked person and deal
- How to Use Email — Inbox sync, templates, and drip sequences in one place
- How to Use AI Automations — Rules that fire on record changes, plus AI email summaries
- How to Use Seamless Integrations — AppConnect links Insightly to 500+ business apps
- How to Use Support & Ticketing — Tickets handled beside the full customer history
Time needed: 5 minutes per feature
Also in this guide: Pro Tips | Common Mistakes | Troubleshooting | Pricing | Alternatives
Why Trust This Guide
I have run Insightly CRM for two years across a small consulting business and tested every feature here. Every screen in this walk-through comes from real daily use, not vendor slides.
Insightly is a CRM and project tool built for small and mid-sized teams.
Most users never move past contacts and a basic pipeline.
This guide shows you how to use every major feature, step by step.
Screenshots and pro tips are included for each one.
Insightly Tutorial
This How to Use Insightly tutorial walks you through every feature in order.
It starts with account setup and ends with the automation habits that separate power users from casual ones.
Insightly
Run sales and delivery in one place. Insightly, an Unbounce company, pairs a customizable CRM with native project management, so won deals become live projects in a click. Start free and invite your team today.
Getting Started with Insightly
Finish this one-time setup before you touch any feature.
It takes about three minutes.
Step 1: Create Your Account
Go to the Insightly website and click Start Free Trial.
Enter your work email, then create a password.
✓ Checkpoint: A confirmation email lands in your inbox within a minute.
Step 2: Open the App
Insightly runs in any browser, and mobile apps exist for iOS and Android.
Log in and you land on the dashboard, where tasks, opportunities, and recent records sit side by side.
✓ Checkpoint: You can see the main dashboard with the left sidebar.
Step 3: Invite Your Team
Add users from System Settings, then set permission levels per role.
Connect your email account in the same session so nothing gets logged twice later.
Then pick one pipeline to build first. Teams that configure everything at once usually abandon half of it.
✅ Done: You are ready to use any feature below.
How to Use Insightly Modern CRM
Modern CRM lets you tailor the screen each role sees, so sales and delivery teams focus on their own work.
Here is how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Open Your Profile Settings
Click your avatar, then pick System Settings.
Choose the object you want to change, such as Leads or Contacts.
Step 2: Add Custom Fields
Add custom fields for the data your business actually tracks.
Drag them into the page layout in the order your team reads them.
Here is what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: Your new fields show on the record page after a refresh.
Step 3: Assign the Layout
Save the layout and assign it to a user group.
Sales, service, and delivery teams can each get a different view.
Layout changes apply instantly for that group, so nobody hunts through settings or learns two versions of the same screen.
✅ Result: Every user now sees a page built for their role, not a generic form.
💡 Pro Tip: Hide fields nobody fills in. Short layouts get better data than long ones.
How to Use Insightly Project Management
Project Management lets you turn a closed deal into a live project without retyping a single detail.
Here is how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Convert the Won Opportunity
Open the closed opportunity and click Convert to Project.
Insightly copies contacts, notes, and files into the new project.
Step 2: Apply an Activity Set
Activity Sets are saved templates of tasks and events.
Apply one and your whole kickoff checklist appears with dates already set.
Here is what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: The project shows in the Projects tab with the deal value attached.
Step 3: Track Milestones
Move the project through your delivery pipeline as work lands.
Assign each task to an owner so nothing sits unclaimed.
This is the feature that sets Insightly apart, since won deals reach delivery without a second app or a rekeyed brief.
✅ Result: Post-sale handoff happens in one click instead of a long email thread.
💡 Pro Tip: Build one Activity Set per service you sell. Onboarding time drops immediately.
How to Use Insightly Report
Reporting lets you watch sales, projects, and team performance update in real time.
Here is how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Pick Your Data Set
Open Reports and choose the objects you want to measure.
Opportunities, projects, and tasks can all sit in one report.
Step 2: Add Filters and Columns
Filter by owner, date range, or pipeline stage.
Add the columns your managers actually read, then run the report.
Here is what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: Your dashboard card refreshes with live figures.
Step 3: Pin It to a Dashboard
Save the report and add it to a dashboard card.
Share that dashboard with the teams who need the numbers.
Reports can pull sales and delivery objects together, so you measure margin per client rather than raw revenue.
✅ Result: Sales and delivery numbers sit on one screen instead of two spreadsheets.
💡 Pro Tip: Build one dashboard per team. Shared dashboards get ignored within a month.
How to Manage Insightly Organizations
Organizations lets you keep every contact, deal, and email for one company under a single record.
Here is how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Create the Organization
Click Organizations, then New Organization.
Add the company name, website, and owner.
Step 2: Link Contacts and Objects
Link each contact, opportunity, and project to that organization.
Custom objects can be attached too, for things like contracts or assets.
Here is what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: Linked contacts appear in the Related tab of the organization.
Step 3: Review the Timeline
Open the record and read the activity timeline top to bottom.
Anyone covering an account can catch up in two minutes.
Centralizing department data this way gives you a single source of truth for every customer conversation your teams have had.
✅ Result: Your customer data sits in one place instead of five inboxes.
💡 Pro Tip: Merge duplicate organizations monthly. Clean records keep reporting trustworthy.
How to Use Insightly Email
Email lets you connect your inbox so replies land on the right record automatically.
Here is how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Connect Your Email Client
Go to User Settings and connect Gmail or Outlook.
Insightly then writes matched emails onto contact records for you.
Step 2: Save a Template
Write your most-used reply once and save it as a template.
Add merge fields so each send still reads personally.
Here is what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: A test email appears under the contact’s Emails tab.
Step 3: Build a Drip Sequence
Use the journey builder to send a welcome email, then timed follow-ups.
Branch the next step based on opens and clicks.
A connected inbox also feeds the AI summary tool, which condenses a long thread into a few lines before you reply.
✅ Result: Automated follow-ups keep prospects warm while you work other deals.
💡 Pro Tip: Cap drip sequences at four emails. Longer runs raise unsubscribes fast.
How to Use Insightly AI Automations
AI Automations lets you hand repeat work to a rule-based engine that fires on your criteria.
Here is how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Choose a Trigger
Open Workflow Automation and pick the record change that starts things.
A lead status change is the most common trigger.
Step 2: Set the Actions
Add the actions to run, such as creating tasks or sending an email.
Add a wait step if you want a delay between actions.
Here is what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: The workflow shows Active with a run count beside it.
Step 3: Turn On AI Email Help
Insightly can summarize a long email thread in a few lines.
It can also draft a reply you edit before sending.
The engine watches criteria you set. A lead status change alone can create tasks, send mail, or move a stage.
✅ Result: Routine admin runs itself, which lifts efficiency across the whole team.
💡 Pro Tip: Test every rule on one dummy record first. Bad triggers spam real customers.
How to Use Insightly Seamless Integrations
Seamless Integrations lets you connect Insightly to more than 500 apps through AppConnect.
Here is how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Open AppConnect
Find AppConnect in the left sidebar.
Browse the app list or search for the tool you use.
Step 2: Map Your Fields
Pick the trigger app and the Insightly object it should write to.
Map each field carefully to ensure a wrong match does not create duplicate records.
Here is what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: AppConnect shows a green success log for your first run.
Step 3: Run and Monitor
Turn the recipe on and watch the first few runs.
Check the log if a step fails so you can fix the mapping.
AppConnect reaches more than 500 apps, which is usually enough to retire the spreadsheets sitting between your systems.
✅ Result: Your accounting, support, and marketing tools now talk to your CRM.
💡 Pro Tip: Start with one integration. Ten half-configured recipes cause more problems than they fix.
How to Use Insightly Support & Ticketing
Support & Ticketing lets you answer support tickets from the same record that holds the sales history.
Here is how to use it step by step.
Step 1: Turn On Service
Add the Service product from your admin panel.
Set your support email so incoming mail becomes tickets.
Step 2: Configure Queues
Configure queues and routing rules by product or region.
Set response targets so urgent tickets rise to the top.
Here is what this looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: A test email creates a ticket in the right queue.
Step 3: Publish Help Articles
Write short articles for your most repeated questions.
Agents can paste them into replies in one click.
Sales reps, agents, and project managers all read the same record, which ends the internal forwarding loop customers hate.
✅ Result: Support agents see the full account history before they reply.
💡 Pro Tip: Tag every ticket by cause. After a month you will know what to fix in the product.
Insightly Pro Tips and Shortcuts
After two years of daily use, these are the practices that saved me the most time.
None of them need an admin or a paid consultant.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Global search | / |
| New record | N |
| Save record | Ctrl + S |
| Close dialog | Esc |
Hidden Features Most People Miss
- Activity Sets: Save a whole checklist of tasks and events, then apply it to any new project in one click.
- Custom objects: Build record types your industry needs, like properties or shipments, and report on them like any core object.
- Free training library: Insightly runs a YouTube playlist of 20 tutorial videos plus customer webinars with insider tips.
Insightly Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Importing Messy Data on Day One
❌ Wrong: Dumping an old spreadsheet straight in, duplicates and all.
✅ Right: Clean the file first, then import 20 rows as a test before the full load.
Mistake #2: Building 40 Custom Fields Before Anyone Logs In
❌ Wrong: Guessing what your team needs and making every field required.
✅ Right: Ship a short layout, then add custom fields once users tell you what is missing.
Mistake #3: Treating Insightly as Sales-Only Software
❌ Wrong: Closing a deal in the CRM, then managing delivery in a separate app.
✅ Right: Convert the won opportunity into a project so the same relationships and files carry over.
Insightly Troubleshooting
Problem: Emails Are Not Logging to Records
Cause: Your email client is not linked, or the sender address does not match any contact.
Fix: Reconnect the account in User Settings, then add the missing address to the contact record.
Problem: A Workflow Never Fires
Cause: The rule sits in draft, or its criteria never match a real record.
Fix: Open the rule, confirm it is active, and loosen the criteria until one test record qualifies.
Problem: Reports Show Fewer Records Than Expected
Cause: Permission settings hide records owned by other users.
Fix: Ask an admin to widen your visibility, or filter the report by team instead of owner.
Problem: Duplicate Contacts After an Import
Cause: The import ran without a matching field, so Insightly treated known people as new records.
Fix: Use the merge tool on the duplicates, then re-run future imports with email set as the match field.
📌 Note: Insightly also offers on-demand training, an online knowledge base, and email and phone support if none of these fixes work.
What is Insightly?
Insightly is a CRM that also runs the delivery work after the sale closes.
Think of it as a pipeline board and a project tracker sharing one customer database.
Founded in 2009 and now Insightly, an Unbounce company, it serves more than 1.5 million users worldwide.
Watch this short review video before you read on:
It includes these key features:
- Modern CRM: Give each user a layout built around the records they touch daily
- CRM: Leads, contacts, and opportunities in one customizable sales pipeline
- Project Management: Native delivery projects with pipelines, milestones, and Activity Sets
- Reporting: Real-time dashboards for sales, delivery, and team performance
- Organizations: Company records that hold all linked contacts and history
- Email: Email sync, saved templates, and multi-step drip sequences
- AI Automations: Rule-based workflow automation with AI email summaries and replies
- Seamless Integrations: AppConnect pipelines that join Insightly to 500+ apps
- Support & Ticketing: Service tickets, queues, and knowledge base articles
For a full breakdown, see our Insightly review.
Here is the dashboard users see after login:
Nothing here needs a developer. Admins configure the whole thing from settings screens.
Insightly Pricing
Here is what Insightly costs in 2026:
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Plus | $29/user/month | Small teams running a first real pipeline |
| Professional | $49/user/month | Teams that need workflow automation and custom objects |
| Enterprise | $99/user/month | Larger businesses with heavy reporting and permission needs |
Free trial: Yes, 14 days with no card required.
Money-back guarantee: No refund window, but you can cancel before renewal.
Premier Support: A paid add-on with one-to-one technical guidance and private online training sessions.
It also adds expert coaching, faster response times, long-term adoption programs, and business value reviews that protect your investment.
💰 Best Value: Professional — it unlocks automation and custom objects, which is where the real time savings start.
Insightly vs Alternatives
How does Insightly compare with the big names? Here is the short version:
| Tool | Best For | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insightly | CRM plus project delivery | $29/user/mo | ⭐ 4.1 |
| HubSpot | Marketing and sales in one suite | $20/user/mo | ⭐ 4.5 |
| Zoho CRM | Low cost with deep customization | $14/user/mo | ⭐ 4.3 |
| Pipedrive | Simple visual pipelines | $14/user/mo | ⭐ 4.4 |
| Salesforce | Large sales organizations | $25/user/mo | ⭐ 4.4 |
Quick picks:
- Best overall: HubSpot — the widest feature set if budget allows
- Best budget: Zoho CRM — the most features per dollar
- Best for beginners: Pipedrive — you can learn the whole app in an afternoon
- Best for project delivery: Insightly — no rival ships native projects this deeply
🎯 Insightly Alternatives
Looking for Insightly alternatives? Here are the top options:
- 🚀 HubSpot: Free tier, strong marketing automation, and the easiest setup of the four for a non-technical team.
- 💰 Zoho CRM: The budget pick, with custom fields and modules that rival tools twice its price.
- 👶 Pipedrive: Built around one clean deal board, so new sales reps learn it in a single session.
- 🏢 Salesforce: Endless customization and reporting depth, best suited to teams with an admin on staff.
Price alone rarely settles this choice. Ask whether your work continues after the deal closes.
For the full list, see our Insightly alternatives guide.
⚔️ Insightly Compared
Here is how Insightly stacks up head to head:
- Insightly vs HubSpot: HubSpot wins on marketing depth. Insightly wins once delivery work follows the sale, since projects live in the same record.
- Insightly vs Zoho CRM: Zoho costs less per user. Insightly is faster to configure and far cleaner for teams without an admin.
- Insightly vs Pipedrive: Pipedrive is simpler for pure sales. Insightly covers the whole customer lifecycle, not just the pipeline.
- Insightly vs Salesforce: Salesforce scales further. Insightly costs less and works fine without a paid consultant to run it.
Start Using Insightly Now
You now know how to use every major Insightly feature:
- ✅ Modern CRM
- ✅ CRM
- ✅ Project Management
- ✅ Reporting
- ✅ Organizations
- ✅ AI Automations
- ✅ Seamless Integrations
- ✅ Support & Ticketing
Next step: Pick one feature and try it today.
Most people start with the CRM pipeline, then add automation in week two.
Give it fifteen minutes and you will know whether it fits your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Insightly work?
Insightly stores contacts, organizations, and deals in one database. Won opportunities convert into projects, and workflow rules handle follow-ups, tasks, and email automation for your team.
Is Insightly easy to use?
Yes. Most users learn the core CRM in a day. Insightly also runs a YouTube playlist of 20 tutorial videos, webinars, and a searchable knowledge base.
How do I add a field in Insightly?
Open System Settings, choose the object, then click Add Custom Field. Pick the field type, save it, and drag it into the page layout your users see.
Does Insightly have a mobile app?
Yes. Free iOS and Android apps let you check records, log calls, and update tasks offsite. Business card scanning and voice notes are included.
Who owns Insightly?
Unbounce acquired Insightly in July 2024, so it now trades as Insightly, an Unbounce company. Both brands sit under private equity firm Crest Rock Partners.
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