Salesforce has occupied an eminent position in the CRM industry for years.
In spite of its pioneering status, Salesforce isn’t the best solution for every organization.
Every business has varying requirements for customer relationship management. A CRM tool that does not fit within these requirements is as good as non-existent for that enterprise.
For instance, a small business with a limited client base will find an enterprise-grade solution like Salesforce to be overly complicated. Such a business would require a hassle-free solution that is just as efficient but slightly less overbearing.
Whether it’s the expensive pricing or complicated features, there are several reasons why you may not like working with Salesforce. If you are looking for alternative solutions, here are the 10 Salesforce CRM alternatives that can be an excellent fit for your business.
Table of Contents
Overview of the 10 Best Salesforce Alternatives
| Software | Key Features | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| BIGContacts | Powerful reporting & analytics Team calendar Visual sales pipeline Marketing automation | Big- $5/user/month Bigger- $15/user/month Biggest- $25/user/month Enterprise- Custom pricing |
| Hubspot | Contact management Live chat Call tracking Collaborative tools | Free for unlimited users Starter- $45/month for 2 users Professional- $450/month for 5 users Enterprise- $1,200/month for 10 users |
| Zoho CRM | AI assistant Workflow automation Lead tracking & management Reporting & analytics | Free for 3 users Standard- $14/user/month Professional- $23/user/month Enterprise- $40/user/month Ultimate- $52/user/month |
| Pipedrive | Sales pipeline management Drag & drop UI Lead generation Email synchronization | Essential- $12.50/user/month Advanced- $24.90/user/month Professional- $49.90/user/month Enterprise- $99/user/month |
| Insightly | Lead management Communication tracking Reporting & analytics Custom user roles | Plus- $29/user/month Professional- $49/user/month Enterprise- $99/user/month |
| Sugar CRM | Email integration Workflow automation Business intelligence Mobile access | Sugar Professional- $52/user/month Sugar Sell- $80/user/month Sugar Serve- $80/user/month Sugar Enterprise- $85/user/month Sugar Market- $1,000/month |
| Freshsales | Automatic lead assignment Two-way data synchronization Personalized email campaigns Real-time updates | Free for unlimited users Growth- $15/user/month Pro- $3/user/month Enterprise- $69/user/month |
| NetHunt CRM | Gmail integration Automated workflow Lead capturing Shared inbox | Basic- $24/user/month Business- $48/user/month Advanced- $96/user/month |
| Bitrix24 | Automated sales funnel Lead generation Customizable dashboard Two-way integrations | Free for unlimited users Basic- $39/month for 5 users Standard- $76/month for 50 users Professional- $152/month for unlimited users |
| Microsoft Dynamics | Sales automation Data-driven decisions 360° view of contact data Remote access | Sales Professional- $65/user/month Sales Enterprise- $95/user/month Sales Premium- $135/user/month Microsoft Relationship Sales- $162/user/month |
What to Consider When Choosing a CRM Software?
The first step of choosing a CRM tool is a thorough requirement analysis.
To find the best solution, you need to know what you are looking for exactly.
Taking your business objectives and needs into account can help you find the most appropriate CRM solution. There is a multitude of options available, each with its advantages and disadvantages. You need to compare these products against your requirements to find an optimal solution.
Here are some of the things to consider when making this decision-
- Is the tool customizable?
- How easy is the interface of the tool?
- Does the tool fit within your budget?
- How reliable is the tool’s customer support?
- Is the tool easy to set up and adopt?
- What is the extent of automation provided by the tool?
Read More: Free CRM Comparison Spreadsheet (+ How to Choose a CRM)
Salesforce CRM
Salesforce currently occupies 20% share of the CRM market.
This is a testament to the functionality and popularity of this CRM tool.
Salesforce offers cloud-based CRM services to help businesses achieve better productivity and drive revenue growth. It is prevalent among large-scale enterprises that have to deal with high volumes of contact data. Salesforce offers automation, business intelligence, and analytics capabilities to streamline business processes and maximize organizational efficiency.
The most remarkable features of this CRM tool include:
- Artificial intelligence
- Sales & marketing automation
- Powerful reporting capabilities
- Real-time analytics
- Activity tracking
Let’s take a look at the product’s pricing:
- Essential- $25/user/month
- Professional- $75/user/month
- Enterprise- $150/user/month
- Unlimited- $300/user/month
The Need for Salesforce Alternatives
Although Salesforce is a pioneer in the CRM industry, its overwhelming design and functionality do not work well for small and medium businesses.
Over-the-top features of this CRM work for large organizations but do not fare well for SMBs that need a simple and hassle-free tool. Such organizations are better off without a complicated tool that gets in their way. A long learning curve and expensive pricing may also discourage businesses from choosing Salesforce. Additionally, cheaper alternatives to Salesforce that are more straightforward and easy to implement have come up, giving tough competition to well-established companies like Salesforce.
The following requirements may have businesses looking for Salesforce CRM alternatives-
- More affordable & flexible pricing structure
- Easy implementation & adoption
- Uncomplicated interface
- Better customer service
What to Look for in Salesforce Alternatives?
For a tool to qualify as a suitable Salesforce alternative, it has to offer certain fundamental features. Contact and lead management, sales pipeline, custom modules, etc., are a few of the functionalities that the CRM tool must offer.
When looking for Salesforce alternatives, make sure you pay attention to the following features:
-
Automation
Automation is the most important feature to look for in CRM alternatives to Salesforce. A tool with automation capabilities can yield better outcomes by getting everything done on time, without any compromise with efficiency.
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Activity Tracking
The CRM tool should enable you to keep an eye on every business activity. Efficient task management can boost productivity for your team and help you meet targets on time.
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Scalability
Keep in mind the future of your organization when choosing a CRM tool. Make sure to invest in a tool that is capable of growing your business.
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Cloud-Based Access
Remote access to important data is essential to keep everyone updated. With a cloud-based CRM solution, you can find important information from any device to keep customer interactions efficient and consistent.
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Integrations
The tool must offer integrations with other applications to help you manage every aspect of your business from a single place.
-
Reporting & Analytics
Credible reporting and analytics are an indispensable part of CRM. You should be able to track the performance of your business operations to optimize them. Therefore, choose a CRM software that allows you to generate customized reports.
Our Selection Criteria for Salesforce CRM Alternatives
Finding the right CRM solution isn’t an easy task.
However, it is one that carries utmost importance.
Trying out every available alternative isn’t practically viable. Therefore, you have to narrow down your options and then compare them against your business requirements.
To make this job slightly easier for you, we have provided a list of the 10 best Salesforce CRM alternatives that you can go for.
The criteria that we have used for making this list include:
- Pricing– Pricing is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a CRM alternative. Therefore, we have only included software like Salesforce that offer high value for money.
- Reviews- To get a deeper understanding of how functional and reliable the tools are, we have gone through user reviews on credible sources such as G2 and Capterra.
- Ratings- We have only included top-rated tools in the list of Salesforce CRM alternatives.
- Features- The features offered by these tools are similar to Salesforce.
Top 10 Salesforce CRM Alternatives and Competitors
If Salesforce is failing to meet your business needs and you are looking for some suitable alternatives, here are the 10 best programs like Salesforce that you should consider:
1. BigContacts
BIGContacts by ProProfs is a leading CRM solution for small and medium businesses that are striving for continual growth. This easy-to-use CRM gets things done on time, without any complications. The primary reason why BIGContacts is better than Salesforce is that it is incredibly easy to set up and navigate. Your team can get started with using BIGContacts as their customer relationship management tool in no time, unlike Salesforce, which requires extensive training. Another reason why BIGContacts is highly popular among small businesses is its affordable pricing.
Best features of BIGContacts:
- Email marketing integration
- Automated tasks
- Instant alerts & notifications
- Sales pipeline management
Pricing:
BIGContacts offers a 30-day free trial and has the following pricing options-
- Big- $5/user/month
- Bigger- $15/user/month
- Biggest- $25/user/month
- Enterprise- Custom pricing
What works well:
- Email templates & tracking
- Remote access to important data
- Customizable fields, workflow, dashboard & processes
- Delightful customer support
What could be better:
- The mobile app’s UI can be improved.
- The search feature can be made more intuitive.
2. Hubspot
Hubspot is a great choice for small businesses and startups because it offers a free version of the tool for unlimited users. If you are just starting out, Hubspot can be an excellent introduction to the world of CRM. This contact management CRM software also offers robust reporting capabilities. It also allows you to track and manage your sales pipeline. Hubspot offers sales automation and call-tracking features that can further improve your organizational efficiency.
3. Zoho CRM
Zoho is one of the competitors of Salesforce preferred by businesses across multiple industries due to its customizable interface. You can easily modify the CRM to suit your business needs. Furthermore, it enables you to connect with customers directly through the application. You can use Zoho CRM to automate repetitive tasks and get things done on time. The reporting capabilities of the CRM help make better forecasts and business decisions.
Best features of Zoho CRM:
- AI-powered assistant
- Social media integrations
- Email analytics
- Lead nurturing
Pricing:
Zoho CRM is free for 3 users. The paid pricing options include:
- Standard- $14/user/month
- Professional- $23/user/month
- Enterprise- $40/user/month
- Ultimate- $52/user/month
What works well:
- Real-time alerts keep everyone updated with the latest developments.
- Zoho CRM offers reliable data encryption and security tools.
What could be better:
- The speed of the tool lags at times, affecting its performance.
- The free version offers limited functionality.
4. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is one of the alternatives to Salesforce that is a great tool for managing leads, prioritizing tasks, and measuring performance. It allows you to view all interactions in one place, making contact management significantly easier. Pipedrive offers custom reminders to ensure that you do not miss important deadlines. You can synchronize your data with other business applications such as Google calendar to keep things organized.
Best features of Pipedrive:
- Visual sales pipeline
- Remote access to essential data
- Efficient reporting
- Multiple integrations & extensions
Pricing:
The pricing tiers for Pipedrive CRM are:
- Essential- $12.50/user/month
- Advanced- $24.90/user/month
- Professional- $49.90/user/month
- Enterprise- $99/user/month
What works well:
- You can take notes, schedule meetings, and get several other things done from the mobile application.
- The tool is highly customizable.
What could be better:
- The tool’s performance drops when working with large data volumes.
- Some of the most basic features are not made available for the lower-priced versions of the tool.
5. Insightly
What makes Insightly one of the best alternatives to Salesforce is its workflow automation. You can create a custom workflow and set up actions based on triggers. Insightly enables you to craft personalized emails and share them with the relevant target audience easily. You can measure the performance of all your business operations with Insightly’s powerful analytics. Mobile versions of the CRM tool are available for both iOS and Android platforms.
Best features of Insightly :
- Custom user roles & permissions
- Drag & drop UI
- Marketing automation
- Lead prioritization & routing
Pricing:
The pricing options available for Insightly CRM include:
- Plus- $29/user/month
- Professional- $49/user/month
- Enterprise- $99/user/month
What works well:
- You can easily visualize sales data.
- The tool is quite intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate.
What could be better:
- Customer support needs to be more prompt.
- Some integrations such as Gmail need to be more advanced.
6. SugarCRM
SugarCRM helps businesses align sales, marketing, and customer support efforts by getting everything done from a single platform. All the data can be accessed from one place, eliminating delays or inaccuracies from your operations. Powerful reporting tools of SugarCRM can help you make more accurate sales and revenue forecasts. You can keep an eye on the performance of your initiatives and identify actions that drive the best outcomes. Additionally, this CRM tool allows you to respond to customer tickets quickly, helping craft better customer experiences.
Best features of SugarCRM:
- Sales automation
- Real-time alerts & notifications
- Customizable dashboards
- Multiple integrations
Pricing:
SugarCRM has the following pricing options:
- Sugar Professional- $52/user/month
- Sugar Sell- $80/user/month
- Sugar Serve- $80/user/month
- Sugar Enterprise- $85/user/month
- Sugar Market- $1,000/month
What works well:
- The tool automatically captures data which eliminates the need for manual data entry.
- You can create custom views, workflows, etc., to match your business processes.
What could be better:
- The tool is difficult to navigate initially.
- The dashboards are limited.
7. Freshsales
Freshsales is an all-in-one CRM solution that can help your business grow. It offers a comprehensive view of customer accounts and activities to help you attain better control over your business. With Freshsales, you can easily identify and prioritize high-value leads. You can communicate with your contacts through various channels, including calls, emails, chat, etc., directly from this CRM tool. The cherry on top is the AI-enabled insights and forecasts that can provide more visibility into your business operations.
Best features of Freshsales:
- AI-powered CRM solution
- Webform connection
- Detailed contact profiles with social media information
- Custom sales pipelines
Pricing:
Freshsales is one of the free Salesforce alternatives available for unlimited users.
Other than that, the following pricing options are available for Freshsales-
- Growth- $15/user/month
- Pro- $3/user/month
- Enterprise- $69/user/month
What works well:
- The bulk email feature of the tool allows you to reach out to multiple contacts simultaneously.
- The tool is customizable to a great extent.
What could be better:
- Mobile application needs to be more intuitive.
- Some features of the tool require better documentation.
8. NetHunt CRM
NetHunt CRM is a powerful CRM tool that allows you to bring your emails and contacts to a single platform. It offers advanced automation capabilities that contribute to enhanced productivity. You can connect NetHunt CRM with other business applications, including Gmail, LinkedIn, Google contacts, etc. With a unified view of all contact details, interactions, and activities, you can focus on high-priority tasks to generate more revenue. NetHunt CRM can serve as a great alternative to Salesforce with its comprehensive knowledge base and powerful productivity tools.
Best features of NetHunt CRM:
- Drip email campaigns
- Automated follow-ups
- Lead capturing
- Sales automation
Pricing:
NetHunt CRM offers the following pricing plans:
- Basic- $24/user/month
- Business- $48/user/month
- Advanced- $96/user/month
What works well:
- No manual efforts are required for data entry since the information is automatically captured and stored in the CRM.
- The Gmail integration is extremely functional.
What could be better:
- The mobile application offers limited features as compared to the desktop version.
- Customer segmentation can be improved.
9. Bitrix24 CRM
Bitrix24 CRM is one of the free salesforce alternatives that offers reliable performance and can help your small business grow. The tool allows you to sort through and segment your contacts with ease. With its easy-to-use interface, Bitrix24 CRM can make contact management remarkably easier. Adding to that, it also enables you to visualize the sales pipeline to track opportunities. You can also use this CRM tool to monitor team performance and set relevant goals for the future.
Best features of Bitrix24 CRM:
- Sales automation
- Social media integration
- Helpdesk & ticketing system
- Email marketing
Pricing:
Along with a free plan, Bitrix24 CRM also has the following pricing options:
- Basic- $39/month for 5 users
- Standard- $76/month for 50 users
- Professional- $152/month for unlimited users
What works well:
- The custom reporting feature of Bitrix24 allows you to track any metric of your choice.
- All interactions are logged against individual contact records, making it easier to track them.
What could be better:
- The tool has a long learning curve and requires proper training.
- The UI of the tool needs improvement.
10. Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamics 365 enables businesses to retain more customers by crafting exceptional experiences based on real-time data. It also provides AI-powered insights that help with forecasting. Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be connected with other business applications to keep data updated and enhance customer relationships. The tool can help maximize team productivity with its collaborative features, business intelligence, and analytics capabilities.
Best features of Microsoft Dynamics:
- Highly customizable
- Prospect tracking & prioritization
- Automated sales processes
- Reporting dashboard
Pricing:
The pricing plans available for Microsoft Dynamics 365 include:
- Sales Professional- $65/user/month
- Sales Enterprise- $95/user/month
- Sales Premium- $135/user/month
- Microsoft Relationship Sales- $162/user/month
What works well:
- You can personalize your interactions based on the data gathered from the tool and connect with prospects at the most appropriate time.
- The tool offers lead and pipeline management to help you track every sales opportunity with ease.
What could be better:
- Usage of templates offered by the tool is a bit challenging.
- The tool can seem to be overwhelming initially and requires proper training.
Salesforce CRM Alternatives- Which One to Choose?
Choosing the right CRM solution can help your small business prosper.
When looking for Salesforce CRM alternatives, make sure to compare multiple products against your requirements before making the final decision. Explore more features by availing of the free trials offered by some vendors to get a better idea of how well the CRM can work for your business.
Our pick- A tool that aligns with most of the requirements of a small business is BIGContacts. With efficient email marketing, pipeline management, and custom reporting, BIGContacts can work as a great Salesforce CRM alternative. Furthermore, it is highly affordable and has the ability to grow as your business continues to expand.
