Top Salesforce Alternatives for Small and Medium Businesses: A Comprehensive Guide
Discover Salesforce alternatives for SMBs. Compare 7 top CRM solutions with detailed features, pricing, and pros/cons to find the perfect fit for your business.
Introduction
Salesforce has long been ruling the CRM world since the 2000s. However, its complexity, cost, implementation time, and learning curve can be daunting for small and medium businesses (SMBs). As a result, many SMBs are seeking Salesforce alternatives that offer affordability, simplicity, quick implementation and features tailored to their specific needs. Let’s explore some of the top Salesforce competitors to help you choose the right CRM solution for your needs.
Understanding Your CRM Needs before looking for Salesforce Alternatives
Before diving into specific Salesforce alternatives, let’s understand what your business truly needs from a CRM.
Key features for SMBs often include contact and deal management, email tracking, pipeline visualization, marketing automation, and integration capabilities.
There are other important factors like budget, team size, usability, learning curve, and scalability.
In all fairness, you should opt for a CRM setup that can grow with your business.
I created this tool to help you calculate and compare CRM costs.
If you’d like to take a more structured approach, check out my framework to help you select the right CRM.
Here’s a quick list of CRMs you can explore:
- Pipedrive (30-day extended trial, parity pricing) is the simplest CRM for SMBs
- Bonsai offers CRM, Project Management, Financial Management for agencies/consultants
- Monday.com offers a CRM with core project management functions
- Instantly & Snov.io are outbound sales focused solutions with a CRM module
- Breakcold is for Agencies, Startups & Consultants
- Attio (FREE plan, 10% off) allows creation of custom objects
- Outseta has membership, payments, email, CRM, ticketing/help desk in a single solution
- Hubspot CRM (FREE plan) & EngageBay offer marketing, ticketing modules, CMS
- Close is a powerful all-in-one sales CRM
- CapsuleCRM (FREE plan) also offers project management
- Keap is for those who rely on marketing automation
- Bigin is a free offering from Zoho (also offers ZohoCRMPlus)
- GHL is ideal for agencies (offers white-labeling)
- Salesflare is for small businesses selling B2B with a mobile app
- Delta Sales App is for field employees
- Folk is a list-based CRM with AI, Chrome extension
- Clay, LeadDelta & Dex are personal CRMs
Now, let’s look at the top Salesforce alternatives for SMBs.
Pipedrive: The Sales-focused Salesforce Alternative
Pipedrive’s core philosophy around activity-based sales is the most important factor in its favor. It is therefore a popular choice among sales teams. Its intuitive interface simplifies the sales process, offering features like lead routing, project tracking, and revenue forecasting.
Key Features and Benefits of Pipedrive
Pipedrive at its core is a collection of 4 or 5 tables. The data model is the simplest, the visual sales pipeline is actionable, and the activity view of things to do always keeps you focused. It has decent customizable workflows robust reporting tools.
It integrates seamlessly with over 300 third-party apps, enhancing its functionality via Make/Integromat or Zapier or Relay.app.
Pipedrive’s Pricing Plans
Pipedrive offers a 14-day free trial, with plans starting at $14 per user per month and $12 when billed annually. While there’s no free version, its pricing structure is competitive and transparent.
Pipedrive also offers purchasing power parity.
If you have billing addresses in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Suriname, Uruguay, Ukraine, you will benefit from it.
Pros and Cons of Pipedrive
Pros: User-friendly, customizable sales pipelines, extensive integrations.
Cons: No free plan, can’t link multiple people to the same deal.
Who is Pipedrive best suited for?
Pipedrive is ideal for small businesses focused on sales, looking to improve their sales processes.
Sign up here for Pipedrive to claim a 30-day free extended trial and save up to 35% on annual Power subscription until December 31.
I provide Pipedrive consulting and here’s an in-depth review of Pipedrive’s capabilities and suitability.
HubSpot: The All-in-One Marketing Solution
HubSpot CRM offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing customer interactions, making it a great choice for businesses seeking an all-in-one solution: sales, marketing, CMS, automation, reporting, marketing and sales automation.
Key Features and Benefits of HubSpot
HubSpot CRM includes contact and company management, deal tracking, email marketing, and analytics. Its integration with other HubSpot tools enhances marketing and sales efforts.
HubSpot’s Pricing Plans
HubSpot offers a free plan with core CRM functionalities, perfect for small teams. Paid plans are available for businesses requiring advanced features or more than 2 users.
Pros and Cons of HubSpot
Pros: User-friendly, free plan available, rich feature set.
Cons: Advanced features require investment, limited free plan user count, costlier paid plans.
Who is Hubspot best suited for?
HubSpot CRM is best for SMBs seeking growth, inbound marketing strategies, and a focus on integrated marketing, sales, service customer experience.
Sign up here for Hubspot.
folk.app: The Modern Relationship Management Platform
folk.app is a simple yet powerful CRM, especially suited for individuals, small teams, investors, recruiters focused on relationship management and fund raising.
Key Features and Benefits of folk.app
folk.app offers an intuitive, spreadsheet-like interface for managing contacts. It’s a great option for those new to CRMs or looking for a low-friction tool.
folk.app’s Pricing Plans
folk.app provides a 14-day free trial, with paid plans eliminating feature limitations and offering extensive integrations.
Pros and Cons of folk.app
Pros: Easy to use, ideal for beginners, strong contact management, email sequences and blasts, Chrome extension with LinkedIn integration, 1-click data enrichment.
Cons: Lacks advanced business and sales focused features.
Who is folk.app best suited for?
Folk.app is perfect for individuals or small teams prioritizing email outreach for sales, fundraising, hiring for it’s ease of use.
Attio: The Customizable Modern CRM Solution
Attio offers a highly customizable CRM experience, allowing businesses to tailor the platform to their unique needs, especially with the help of its unique feature to allow you to create custom objects.
Key Features and Benefits of Attio
Attio’s customizable templates and intuitive UI enable businesses to create workflows that fit their processes. It supports enriched data and real-time reporting.
Pricing Plans of Attio
Attio offers a FREE plan and prices start at $34 per seat (monthly) and $29 per seat (annually).
Pros and Cons of Attio
Pros: Highly customizable, flexible templates, real-time data insights, integrations, custom objects.
Cons: Customization may require a learning curve, pricing varies based on features and usage.
Who is Attio best suited for?
Attio is ideal for businesses needing a tailored CRM solution that adapts to their specific workflows and data requirements.
Sign up for a FREE Attio account.
I provide Attio consulting and you can book a call here.
Read this article I wrote if you’d like to explore some Attio alternatives.
CapsuleCRM: The Simple Yet Powerful Option
Capsule CRM offers a CRM along with a project management module.
Key Features and Benefits of CapsuleCRM
Capsule CRM provides contact management, sales tracking, and task management in a user-friendly interface. It integrates with popular tools like G Suite and Mailchimp. It also offers project management module.
Pricing Plans of CapsuleCRM
Capsule offers a free plan for up to 250 contacts, with affordable paid plans available for larger teams.
Pros and Cons of CapsuleCRM
Pros: Simple interface, integrations with popular tools, free plan, project management module.
Cons: Not widely adopted.
Who is CapsuleCRM best suited for?
Capsule CRM is best for small teams seeking a straightforward, cost-effective CRM solution with a project management module.
Close.com: The Sales Automation Powerhouse
Close.com focuses on sales automation, providing tools to streamline and enhance sales processes.
Key Features and Benefits of Close.com
Close.com offers features like email automation, predictive dialer, calling, texting, and reporting. It’s designed to optimize sales workflows and improve efficiency.
Pricing Plans of Close.com
Close.com offers a 14-day free trial and pricing starts at $59 ($49 billed annually) per user per month.
Pros and Cons of Close.com
Pros: Sales-focused, automation tools, calling and texting, robust reporting.
Cons: Higher cost, may require training for full utilization.
Who is Close.com best suited for?
Close.com is ideal for sales-driven teams looking to automate and optimize their sales processes.
Making the Right Choice
Choosing the right CRM involves comparing features, pricing, and suitability for your business needs. Consider creating a comparison matrix to evaluate each option side by side. Implementing a CRM requires careful planning, including data migration and team training, to ensure a smooth transition.
Conclusion
Finding the right Salesforce alternative depends on your business’s specific needs and budget. Whether you prioritize sales automation, marketing integration, or simplicity, there’s a CRM solution that fits your requirements. Take the next steps by exploring free trials, consulting with your team, and planning a seamless implementation. For further insights and resources, explore online reviews, case studies, and CRM comparison guides to make an informed decision.