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Salesforce Alternatives and Competitors Comparison

Oh Salesforce.

The software we all love to hate.

If you’ve had the pleasure of working hand-on with this magnificent and intimidating piece of software, then you likely deserve a trophy.

It’s not at all intuitive and it has an entire language of it’s own.

There are even Universities and certification programs that people pay to attend, just so they can learn how to use it.

Salesforce is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

And if you’re a tech company with lots of customers, there’s no doubt that you need CRM software to keep track of it all.

Salesforce is definitely the largest CRM solution — they even built the largest skyscraper on the west coast…

But that does not mean that Salesforce is right for every business.

This is particularly true for smaller businesses with smaller budgets who don’t need a complex suite of features.

Fortunately there are many alternatives and competitors to choose from.

We created this comparison to show you some of the best Salesforce alternatives and competitors on the market.

Salesforce Alternatives and Competitors For Every Business Size

Large companies and enterprises have dedicated sales teams and a need for in-depth and sophisticated features. CRMs for large and enterprise businesses are generally more expensive, feature-rich, and part of product bundles that go beyond CRM.

However not every business needs the fanciest tech. Some businesses just need a simple, easy to use, and affordable solution. We made sure to include Salesforce alternatives and competitors that cover businesses of all sizes.

Here it goes…

Freshsales

Overall, compared to all the other many many Salesforce alternatives, Freshsales is probably my favorite for businesses of all sizes. With Freshsales you can easily understand where leads come from. This advantage makes it a good option for small and midmarket businesses, but it is also solid for large businesses and enterprises.

Pros:

Simple interface
Integrates with everything
Highly customizable
Great for sales funnels
Direct and internal call transfers
Event tracking

Cons:

Not optimized for mobile
Can load slowly at times

Freshsales pricing (per user per month, billed annually):

Blossom ($12)
Garden ($25)
Estate ($49)
Forest ($79)

Freshsales website

Freshsales video overview

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is A CRM I’ve used first hand and a highly recommend. It’s so easy to use I set it up for my mom and her business and even SHE got the hang of it! I promise you, that says something. It’s specifically designed for small businesses and sales teams. As the name implies, it excels in its pipeline features. As a whole, its features are not super in-depth, but is very easy to use.

Pros:

Intuitive
Customizable web forms
Multiple pipelines
Simplicity

Cons:

Some limitations
Customer service could be faster

Pipedrive pricing (per user per month billed annually):

Silver ($12.50)
Gold ($24.20)
Platinum ($49.17)

Pipedrive website

Pipedrive video overview

Bpm’online CRM

Bpm’online is designed specifically for midsize companies and large enterprises. Where it shines is custom reporting and digital marketing automation.

Pros:

BPM and CRM under the same roof
Simple customization
Customizable pricing

Cons:

Coding skills required for some tools
Short trial period

Bpm’online pricing is somewhat ala carte and the cost depends on which products are included in your bundle. They have an online calculator to help estimate pricing.

Bpm’online website

Bpm’online video introduction

Oracle NetSuite OneWorld

Oracle netsuite is a comprehensive package for enterprise resource planning that includes CRM. It is mostly marketed to mid-size companies, but I think it is best for enterprises.

Pros:

Expansive features
Suitable for many business types
Easy to navigate

Cons:

Broad features may seem overly complex
Difficult to configure specific roles

Oracle Netsuite pricing is not fully disclosed as it depends on various add-ons. Their base software package starts at $999 per month plus $99 per month per user.

Oracle netsuite CRM website

Oracle netsuite video demo

Infor CRM (Formally Saleslogix)

Infor CRM is a comprehensive suite of CRM tools with a focus on sales force automation. It runs on Microsoft SQL and is excellently integrated with Microsoft products like Exchange and Outlook.

Pros:

Add as many users as you like
Extensive features
Program is fast

Cons:

Likely requires full-time administrator
Less intuitive
Not aesthetic

Infor CRM pricing is quote based.

Infor CRM website

Infor CRM video

Infusionsoft

Infusionsoft is a small business CRM, e-commerce, email and social marketing solution all in one place.

Pros:

Widget based dashboards
“My Day” dashboard helps planning

Cons:

Reporting is basic
More costly than competitors
Mandatory start up training fees

Infusionsoft pricing:

Basic ($199; 3 users)
Plus ($299; 5 users)
Premium ($399; 10 users)
All plans have a one-time coaching fee with three options: Kickstart ($499), Plus ($999), and Pro ($1,999)

Infusionsoft website

Infusionsoft video

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is designed to accompany other Microsoft software for finance, business, and operations.

Pros:

Seamless integration with Outlook and Office 365
Launch screen provides useful overviews of data

Cons:

Only available in North America
Lacking payroll, HR, and project management features

Microsoft Dynamics 365 pricing (per user per month; some plans can add features ala carte):

Customer engagement ($115)
Unified operation ($190 and up)
Dynamics 365 ($210 and up)
Applications and offers (from $40 to $170; handpick features and upgrade as you go)

Microsoft Dynamics 365 website

Microsoft Dynamics 365 video

Flexible Salesforce Alternatives (mid-sized, small and growth focused, or large companies)

Some CRM tools have the flexibility to be used for companies of any type, even enterprises. Here is my list for options good for everybody.

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM has great tools for both small businesses and large enterprises. There is also a free version designed for home businesses. Zoho CRM is generally better for starters looking to save on costs.

Pros:

Cheaper than Salesforce
Real-time data
Integration with Google apps

Cons:

Not as advanced as Salesforce

Zoho CRM pricing as billed per month per user with annual commitment.

Free ($0)
Standard ($12)
Professional ($20)
Enterprise ($35)
Ultimate ($100)

Zoho CRM website

Zoho CRM video review

SAP Digital CRM

SAP provides a number of enterprise level products, but SAP Digital CRM is intended for individuals and small teams. Despite that, it hosts enterprise-level features. It is flexible and could be used for smaller or larger businesses.

Pros:

Can use SAP Digital CRM independent from a sales team (unlike other SAP products)
Relatively easy to use

Cons:

No third-party Integrations
Limited support

SAP Digital CRM pricing just has one plan, which is $25 per user per month.

SAP Digital CRM website

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM is a lightweight and free tool best for growing businesses and businesses new to CRM.

Pros:

Free
Integrates with Salesforce and other CRMs
Live chat

Cons:

Less flexible
Relatively basic

HubSpot CRM pricing: Free. As users grow, they will probably want to get access to more advanced tools such as Sales, Marketing, and Service Hubs, which have different pricings.

HubSpot CRM website

HubSpot CRM video introduction

Zendesk Sell (Formerly Base)

Zendesk Sell is a simple CRM package, but it does have some advanced analytical and reporting tools relative to competitors. Still, it is probably best for small businesses.

Pros:

Free training webinars
Predictive analytics

Cons:

Limited customization
In depth automation and reporting require significant price increases

Zendesk Sell pricing (per user per month):

Team ($19; three users maximum)
Professional ($49)
Enterprise ($99)
Elite ($199)

Zendesk Sell website

Zendesk Sell video

SugarCRM

SugarCRM is open source. This makes it the best pick for developers, tech savvy teams, or businesses with highly unique needs. If customization is highly important, and you have the skills, SugarCRM is for you.

Pros:

Extremely customizable
Extensive third-party Integrations

Cons:

Short trial period (7 days)
Minimum of 10 users

SugarCRM pricing – per user per month, billed annually (multiply by 10 for minimum cost):

Sugar professional ($40)
Sugar Enterprise ($65)
Sugar ultimate ($150)

SugarCRM website

SugarCRM video

Copper (formerly ProsperWorks CRM)

Copper focuses on ease-of-use particularly for businesses who operate using Google apps for productivity. With most ease-of-use approaches, Copper is a little cheaper and a little less feature-rich. Best for small to medium-sized businesses who use Google apps.

Pros:

Complete integration with Google products
Direct access to Copper features Within Google products

Cons:

Short trial period (14 days)
No qualified leads in pipelines

Copper pricing (per user per month, billed annually):

Basic ($19)
Professional ($49)
Business ($119)

Copper website

Copper video

Teamgate

Teamgate is a web based CRM platform designed for all levels of users. It has two-way integration with many useful apps. Sales teams and individuals can accomplish a lot with Teamgate.

Pros:

Import LinkedIn contacts
Build lead capture forms
Share key performance indicators across teams

Cons:

Cannot customize dashboard
Somewhat lacking in automation

Teamgate pricing (per user per month):

Starter ($9)
Professional ($22)
Enterprise ($65)

Teamgate website

Teamgate video

OnContact

OnContact offers both cloud-based and on-premise software packages. It is a thorough and robust CRM package.

Pros:

Comprehensive
Contact center is fully functional, no need for integrations
Plenty of integrations otherwise

Cons:

3 user minimum
Extensive features might be overwhelming for some

OnContact pricing:

Cloud CRM ( $65 per user per month, billed annually)
On-premise CRM ( $1,295 per user, one time petual licensee, plus annual maintenance)

OnContact website

OnContact video

Capsule

Capsule specializes in tracking relationships and pipelines. It sacrifices some functionality for ease of use. This is a solid option for small to midsize business.

Pros:

Affordable
Tagging tools
Teams function helps organization
Very intuitive

Cons:

Weak user permissions
Google Apps do not auto-sync

Capsule pricing (per user per month, no annual discounts):

Free
Professional ($18)
Teams ($36)

Capsule website

Capsule video

Apptivo

Apptivo checks all the CRM boxes and beyond (includes project management, invoicing, and other apps). It is especially well-suited for smaller businesses as it is easy to get started quickly.

Pros:

Low cost
Covers a lot of ground
Very customizable

Cons:

Fewer integrations
Somewhat difficult to switch to from another CRM

Apptivo pricing (per user per month, billed annually)

Starter (free)
Premium ($8)
Ultimate ($20)
Enterprise (must contact them for custom pricing)

Aapptivo CRM website

Apptivo video introduction

Insightly

Insightly is a popular option for small businesses. They have some additional tools that don’t come along with many other CRMs. It is a solid option.

Pros:

Email tracking and templates
Excellent reporting capabilities
Can create web forms

Cons:

No automatic email forwarding
No pipelines for leads

Insightly pricing (per user per month, billed annually):

Free (up to 2 users)
Plus ($29)
Professional ($49)
Enterprise ($99)

Insightly website

Insightly video demo

Ascend by WIX

Wix is a do-it-yourself website design tool. They now have CRM tools to go with their sites. Using Ascend is great for individuals and small businesses already using Wix.

Pros:

Fully integrated with Wix with additional integrations
Unlimited users with the unlimited plan
Helps implement SEO best practices

Cons:

Can only be used through Wix

Ascend pricing (per month):

Basic ($9; one user)
Professional ($22; 5 users)
Unlimited ($45; unlimited users)

Ascend by Wix website

Ascend by Wix video

amoCRM

AmoCRM is another package designed for small business seeking to grow. Despite the design, it might not be the right choice for businesses that expect huge growth. Both B2C and B2B businesses can use amoCRM.

Pros:

Powerful analytics
Business card scanner
User-friendly

Cons:

Might not scale with a business
Limited disk space

AmoCRM pricing (per user per month, billed annually):

Base ($15)
Advanced ($25)
Enterprise ($45)

AmoCRM website

AmoCRM video overview

Nutshell CRM

Nutshell is built for ease-of-use. It has a nice user interface and easy workflow. Nutshell is good for sole proprietors and small businesses, but there is not a lot of room to grow with the software.

Pros:

Customisation of reporting and dashboards
Easy importing
No user storage limits

Cons:

Might not accommodate growth
Limited social media

Nutshell pricing (per user per month, billed annually):

Starter ($19)
Pro ($35)
Pro Plus (quote based)

Nutshell website

Nutshell video

OnePageCRM

OnePageCRM has a specialty in driving sales and is designed to be quick to learn. It is an excellent option for startups and people new to CRM software.

Pros:

Easy learning curve
Excellent sport
Numerous cross-platform Integrations

Cons:

Cumbersome set up hand importing
Fewer features than Salesforce

OnePageCRM pricing simply offers one plan, which is $12 per user per month. Annual subscribers can save $1 per month.

OnePageCRM website

OnePageCRM video

Less Annoying CRM

Less Annoying CRM is designed to be simple and easy to use. It is successful in this and certainly lives up to its name.

Pros:

Simple and easy to use
Low cost
Excellent lead management tools

Cons:

Reporting is basic
Oversimplified for some businesses

Less Annoying CRM pricing has only one option. It costs $10 per user per month.

Less Annoying CRM website

Less Annoying CRM video overview

Really Simple Systems

The name says it all. They provide an interface that is easy-to-understand for non sales experts, and provide excellent tech support. Really Simple Systems is great for small to medium-sized businesses.

Pros:

Simple and intuitive
Excellent user support
Built in email integration

Cons:

Lead management features are limited
Cannot track calls for individual contacts

Really Simple Systems pricing (per user per month billed annually):

Free (up to two users)
Starter ($14)
Professional ($30)
Enterprise ($46)

Really Simple Systems website

Really Simple Systems video

Our Picks

Here’s our selection of best picks by category.

Overall top pick: Freshsales
Best for an Enterprise: bpm’online
Best for midsize business: Freshsales
Best for small business: Pipedrive
Best for customization: SugarCRM
Best value: HubSpot CRM
Most comprehensive: OnContact