ReadingTop 10 Salesforce Alternatives And Competitors In 2023
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Top 10 Salesforce Alternatives And Competitors In 2023

Salesforce has dominated the CRM market for many years. But we are now seeing niche Salesforce alternatives get more market share and recognition.
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When talking about CRMs, Salesforce usually stands out. But along with its popularity, the challenges and costs of customizing Salesforce for specific business needs also get noticed, leading people to look for other CRM options.

To help you with this, we’ve put together a list of the best Salesforce alternatives to consider for a better solution.

DevRev OneCRM
DevRev OneCRM

DevRev OneCRM

Use the power of GPT & Analytics to transform customer support

Why consider Salesforce alternatives?

Beyond its widespread popularity, many businesses and users are actively exploring alternatives to Salesforce, driven by a myriad of pressing concerns.

1. Comparatively costly

Salesforce is a strong tool but can be too expensive, especially for startups or small and medium businesses. This high cost leads many to look for cheaper alternatives that offer similar or better value.

2. Steep learning curve

Your time and your team’s productivity have a direct impact on your quarterly figures. Reportedly, Salesforce presents a steep learning curvewhich implies a significant complexity in learning and mastering the platform. The more time your staff dedicates to getting up to speed, the less time they have available to concentrate on your core business tasks. Opting for an alternative solution can alleviate this challenge, ultimately saving you and your team valuable time.

3. Need to buy add-ons

Despite the substantial subscription cost, Salesforce’s basic package lacks the comprehensive features and capabilities that your business needs. To access these, additional add-ons are necessary, increasing the overall cost and creating complexity in your software ecosystem. For instance, even basic functions like sending marketing emails require an extra fee of $14 per 1,000 sends per month, which can be equivalent to an entire subscription to some other CRM solutions.

4. Poor reputation of customer support

Customer support serves as the lifeblood of your business, playing a vital role in its smooth operation and long-term health. If you’re struggling with Salesforce’s customer support, there are others. Many business owners are unhappy with it. Looking for Salesforce alternatives can lead you to a service with better customer support, giving you the needed help.

10 best Salesforce alternatives for your business

DevRev - Top choice among the switchers

DevRev is called OneCRM for a reason: you get all the features and capabilities in one platform. Whether it is about generating support tickets, internal communication with the team, or assigning tasks to the technical team, you can do it seamlessly in DevRev.

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In the exploration of Salesforce alternatives, DevRev is the most cost-effective CRM solution with robust features and simple usability. With a focus on transparency, affordability, and ease of use, DevRev is designed to empower businesses like yours with a comprehensive set of customer service tools.

DevRev compared to Salesforce

👉 Easy to understand and master: More the complexity, the lesser your team’s productivity. In DevRev, a steep learning curve isn’t a challenge, as it offers a user-friendly experience. DevRev’s quick and straightforward onboarding process ensures that even users with minimal or no CRM experience can easily grasp its functionality. Furthermore, live chat support, FAQ pages, and an extensive knowledge base are readily available, empowering you to find solutions independently without the need for intervention from a customer support agent.

👉 People-first attitude: When the whole industry focuses on customer metrics and sales only, DevRev has adopted a people-first attitude. Along with outstanding features, DevRev is prominent in providing exceptional support too, so you never worry about turndowns. They make sure all your queries are heard and addressed on time. This approach ensures that customer satisfaction remains paramount. It offers an intuitive interface and a user-friendly design that allows your team to quickly grasp the software’s functionalities, reducing training time and increasing efficiency.

👉 Cheaper and transparent pricing with no add-ons: Salesforce often leaves you bewildered and overwhelmed by a multitude of costly add-ons and complex pricing options. On the other hand, DevRev has very transparent and affordable pricing, disabling budgetary surprises. This transparent and all-inclusive pricing model not only saves you money but also simplifies your financial management, making it easier to scale your CRM software without the headache of complex pricing structures.

Pricing comparison between Salesforce and DevRev

SalesforceDevRev
ProfessionalPro Plan
- $80 per user/month
- 30 days free trial only
- $59.98 per user/month for platform+support license
- 45 days free trial

Detailed feature comparison between Salesforce and DevRev:

FeatureSalesforceDevRev
Ticketing
Product hierarchy visualization
User management
API integration
Knowledge base
In-app live chat with ticketing systemLimited
Advanced reporting
Omnichannel support
Auto-assign tasks to agents

Here are some of the key features of DevRev that you should check out:

Collaborators: DevRev fosters teamwork by allowing multiple users to collaborate seamlessly on projects and tasks. This feature ensures that everyone is on the same page, promoting efficient communication and enhancing productivity.

Work management: DevRev’s work management tools provide a comprehensive view of your projects, making it easier to plan, track, and optimize work processes. You can assign tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress in one centralized platform.

Smart import knowledge bases: It streamlines the process of knowledge base creation. This feature simplifies the creation of knowledge base articles by automatically generating them based on the URLs you provide.

AI-enabled chatbot: DevRev offers a PLuG widget that locates in the corner of your website. Think of it as a virtual box where users can seamlessly interact, view tickets, and more. At its core, PLuG is enhanced by Turing, a GPT-powered chatbot. This dynamic duo transforms customer engagement by allowing users to click, inquire, and receive intelligent responses effortlessly. With Turing at the helm, the Plug widget becomes a hub for answering queries and providing a seamless interactive experience on your website.

Trails product visualization: Trails provide a visual representation of your products, making it simpler to understand complex product structures and hierarchies. This feature aids in product management and decision-making.

Reporting: DevRev’s robust reporting feature offers data-driven insights into your business operations. Create customized reports to analyze performance, identify trends, and make informed decisions.

Airdrop sync schedule: This feature automates data synchronization at specified intervals, ensuring that your information remains up-to-date across different platforms and systems.

AI-powered deduplication and ticket clustering: DevRev employs AI to enhance your efficiency. Deduplication eliminates data redundancy, ticket clustering streamlines support processes, and suggested links provide quick access to relevant information, saving time and effort.

Omnichannel support: DevRev enables you to provide support and engage with customers across multiple channels, from email and chat to social media, ensuring a seamless and consistent customer experience.

SLA tracking: Service Level Agreement (SLA) tracking ensures that your team meets response and resolution times, helping you maintain high service quality and customer satisfaction.

It’s time to make a smart switch!
It’s time to make a smart switch!

It’s time to make a smart switch!

Opt for DevRev today and elevate your customer support to new heights of excellence and satisfaction.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

(3.8/5)

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Here are the top features of Microsoft Dynamics 365:

  • Allows over 1000+ integrations
  • Gives you a complete picture of customer journeys and also helps you track them
  • Get various module options such as sales, marketing, project service automation, and finance & operations
  • Seamless integration with Microsoft Suite and other Microsoft tools
  • Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure ensures scalability, security, and accessibility

Microsoft Dynamics 365 compared to Salesforce

👉 When considering the interface, it’s worth noting that Salesforce boasts a modern and sleek design, whereas Microsoft Dynamics 365 leans towards a more classic appearance. For e-commerce website integration, Salesforce may require additional add-ons or third-party plugins, while Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers its own integrated solutions.

👉 One crucial selection criterion should be the size of your business. Salesforce is well-suited for small to medium-sized enterprises, making it an ideal choice for such ventures. On the other hand, if you’re seeking a CRM solution for a large enterprise or a more scalable system, Microsoft Dynamics is a solid option.

👉 In terms of pricing, Salesforce starts at $80 per user per month and provides a 30-day free trial. In contrast, Microsoft Dynamics is an affordable option at $65 per user per month, also with a 30-day free trial. Careful consideration of your business size and specific needs is essential in making the right choice between these two platforms.

Zoho CRM

(4.0/5)

Zoho offers a cloud-based CRM solution designed to optimize your business’s sales and customer engagement processes. It incorporates remote-ready features that facilitate seamless collaboration among your sales teams. This includes the ability to conduct meetings, host webinars, convert attendees into leads, and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and sales performance.

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Zoho CRM also introduces its AI assistant, Zia, which plays a pivotal role in managing customer data. Zia can retrieve information, take notes, predict sales and future opportunities, and perform various other tasks, enhancing your efficiency and effectiveness in customer relationship management.

Here are some of the appealing features of Zoho CRM:

  • Gives you insights into customer preferences to curate personalized experiences
  • CommandCenter helps you create customer journeys and visualize the same
  • Offers integrations with third-party apps like GoogleDrive, MailChimp, Google Ads, and many more
  • HIPPA-compliant features ensure the data security of your CRM data
  • Provides multilingual and multi-currency support for worldwide sales
  • Zia gives you suggestions by observing your day-to-day activities

Zoho CRM compared to Salesforce

👉 Zoho CRM prioritizes user-friendliness and offers a broad perspective on customization. It enhances your visual experience through features like Canvas, empowering you to design your own layout. In contrast to Salesforce’s potential hidden costs, Zoho has a very straightforward pricing structure, nurturing customer transparency.

👉 Zoho CRM stands out by providing omnichannel support options at no additional expense, while Salesforce may require the purchase of add-ons for similar features. Moreover, Zoho CRM promotes effective team collaboration.

👉 In terms of pricing, Zoho offers plans starting at $14 per user per month, with options extending up to $52/user per month. This is notably lower than Salesforce’s professional plan, priced at $80/user per month. Zoho CRM provides a 15-day free trial, while Salesforce offers a 30-day free trial, giving you the opportunity to explore their offerings before making a decision.

Zendesk Sell

(4.2/5)

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Zendesk Sell is a well-known CRM solution that comes next in the list of Salesforce alternatives. It offers various advanced automation tools that allow you to prioritize tasks, set reminders, and track the progress of ongoing tasks. It allows you to customize your dashboard according to your requirements and gives you a 360-degree perspective of each customer’s journey.

Through the centralization of customer data, the automation of routine tasks, and the facilitation of collaboration between sales and support teams, Zendesk Sell empowers you to strengthen customer relationships, boost revenue growth, and maintain a seamless and efficient sales process.

Let’s explore some of the key features of Zendesk Sell:

  • Integrate email with Sell to receive alerts and enable automated email tracking.
  • Access comprehensive customer information to gain a thorough understanding of each customer’s context before a call or meeting.
  • Gain insights into your metrics using an intuitive dashboard and reporting features.
  • Streamline your workflow for a seamless user experience.
  • Effortlessly create targeted prospect lists and send them marketing emails in your preferred sequence.

Zendesk Sell compared to Salesforce

👉 When considering ease of use, Zendesk Sell shines as a more user-friendly option, alleviating the steep learning curve often associated with Salesforce. While Salesforce offers a broader spectrum of advanced features, its primary focus on sales can sometimes compromise its performance in customer support compared to Zendesk Sell.

👉 Zendesk’s deployment process is notably swift and straightforward, in contrast to Salesforce, which may demand a longer setup time. Furthermore, Zendesk provides pre-designed templates, facilitating the customization of customer experiences with ease.

👉 In the realm of pricing, Zendesk Sell offers plans starting at $19/user per month, with options scaling up to $115/user per month, each delivering a variety of features. To help users thoroughly explore the platform, Zendesk offers a 14-day free trial, enabling you to evaluate its capabilities before making a commitment. If you’re unsure about whether Zendesk is the ideal fit for your needs, it’s worthwhile to explore Zendesk alternatives as well.

Pipedrive

(4.2/5)

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Pipedrive is a well-established CRM platform celebrated for its proficiency in aiding users in visualizing their sales processes. With a user base of over 100,000 paying customers, Pipedrive empowers its users to map out their sales pipelines, providing a clearer understanding of customers and their individual journeys. The platform offers a diverse range of reporting and analysis tools to evaluate sales performance, uncover opportunities, and discern trends, ultimately enhancing the overall user experience.

Pipedrive offers a variety of features such as:

  • Save time by automating repetitive tasks, including customer communication and lead qualification.
  • Serve as a central hub for storing and analyzing data efficiently.
  • Customize your actions for improved lead conversion rates.
  • Craft effective email campaigns with a user-friendly drag-and-drop email builder.
  • Engage with your audience in real-time using live chat options.
  • Seamlessly integrate with over 350 third-party apps available on the Pipedrive Marketplace.

Pipedrive compared to Salesforce

👉 While Salesforce primarily concentrates on enhancing sales operations, Pipedrive takes this concept further by offering comprehensive sales pipeline management. Pipedrive’s pipeline visualization tools prove invaluable for companies dealing with complex sales deals.

👉 Although Salesforce is more intricate, it presents a wide array of sales, marketing, and customer service capabilities. Businesses aiming for scalability and growth often favor Pipedrive for its robust sales prediction features.

👉 In terms of pricing, Pipedrive is the more cost-effective option when compared to Salesforce. Their Essential plan starts at just $9.90 per user per month, making it an attractive choice for budget-conscious businesses. Furthermore, Pipedrive provides a convenient 14-day trial for users to explore its features before making a commitment.

ActiveCampaign

(4.4/5)

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ActiveCampaign serves as an ideal alternative to Salesforce, catering to the needs of small-to-mid-sized businesses allowing them to automate their sales and marketing operations. The platform boasts an impressive 925+ pre-built automation, collectively enhancing the customer lifecycle. In addition to CRM tools, ActiveCampaign provides an array of other capabilities, including email marketing, lead management, web analytics, live chat, and e-commerce marketing, making it a versatile solution for businesses seeking comprehensive sales and marketing automation.

  • Create landing pages quickly using 500 prebuilt automation templates
  • Provides complimentary data migration from your existing platforms
  • ActiveCampaign’s machine learning technology makes over a million predictions every day
  • Streamline your workflow by automating time-consuming tasks using a library of free tools.
  • Tap into the platform’s AI capabilities, which proactively take appropriate actions on your behalf, further streamlining your operations.

ActiveCampaign compared to Salesforce

👉 One drawback of using Salesforce is that it can make sending emails a cumbersome task, whereas ActiveCampaign simplifies this process through automation. ActiveCampaign is particularly well-suited for small businesses seeking CRM solutions, and it is generally more budget-friendly compared to Salesforce.

👉 Due to the relative lack of automation in Salesforce, it tends to be complex and requires a learning curve, often necessitating additional training for your team. In contrast, ActiveCampaign is user-friendly and typically requires minimal to no training at all. Salesforce is often criticized for its challenging interface navigation, while ActiveCampaign offers a very intuitive and easy-to-use interface.

👉 In terms of pricing, ActiveCampaign offers plans starting as low as $29 per user per month, with options extending up to $149 per month, accommodating up to 5 users. To facilitate your exploration of the platform, ActiveCampaign provides a 14-day free trial, allowing you to experience its capabilities before making a commitment.

Bitrix24

(4.1/5)

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Next on the list is Bitrix24, a comprehensive solution equipped with 35 cross-integrated tools. Regardless of your business’s size, Bitrix24 provides a diverse array of tools, including CRM, Kanban board, Gantt chart, workflow automation, and more. With over 12 million global users, Bitrix24 ranks among the popular CRM choices. It empowers you to manage a wide range of tasks, including handling customer interactions, generating sales reports, capturing lead data, and effectively segmenting target audiences.

Bitrix24 offers varied features, including

  • Connect with your clients through web forms, live chats, or VoIP telephony, fostering seamless communication
  • Facilitate cross-border collaboration among your team members with robust remote working capabilities
  • Efficiently manage both CRM and lead management operations within a single platform
  • Utilize a unified workspace to effortlessly create, edit, and share documents among your team
  • Gain valuable insights into your sales team’s performance with the aid of comprehensive reporting features
  • Streamline your workflows to enhance project management efficiency and productivity

Bitrix24 compared to Salesforce

👉 While Salesforce primarily focuses on sales and lead management, Bitrix24 distinguishes itself by offering an array of exceptional features such as project management, task management, and document management. Setting up and onboarding with Bitrix24 is notably straightforward compared to Salesforce.

👉 In terms of ease of use and customer support, Bitrix24 and Salesforce offer similar levels of service. Users have reported that entering and accessing customer and sales data is straightforward with both platforms. Additionally, Bitrix24 is compatible with every device and operating system, while Salesforce may have limitations in accessibility on desktop devices.

👉 The pricing for Bitrix24 begins at $49 per month and accommodates up to 5 users. For large enterprises, the Enterprise plan allows for 250 users and is priced at $399 per month. To explore Bitrix24’s capabilities, you can take advantage of its 30-day free trial.

Monday.com

(4.7/5)

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Monday.com stands as a versatile work operating system designed to enhance your project and task management. It delivers a visual and intuitive platform that streamlines collaboration, task tracking, and project management. Featuring a user-friendly interface, the platform enables the effortless creation of customizable workflows, task assignments, deadline setting, and real-time progress monitoring. Monday.com’s flexibility accommodates a wide range of industries and teams, making it suitable for both small startups and large enterprises.

Monday.com offers a comprehensive suite of useful features, including

  • Get numerous templates for various use cases such as project management, sales, marketing, etc
  • Automate repetitive tasks and workflows to reduce manual work and improve efficiency
  • Comes with built-in collaboration tools to enhance collaboration within projects
  • Offers advanced reporting and analytics tools that help teams gain insights into their work processes
  • It uses a highly visual and customizable board interface that allows users to create and manage workflows with ease

Monday.com compared to Salesforce

👉 Monday.com accelerates your daily task completion by automating repetitive processes, saving you valuable time that might otherwise be spent on unnecessary tasks. Unlike Salesforce, Monday.com enables real-time updates, email management, and the personalization of customer interactions.

👉 In the realm of ease of use, Monday.com stands out for its user-friendliness and offers easily launchable templates. Even individuals with limited or no technical background can effectively utilize Monday.com, allowing them to create powerful workflows in a matter of minutes.

👉 Regarding pricing, Monday.com offers a cost-effective starting point, commencing at just $8 per seat per month. Additionally, it provides a convenient 14-day free trial, allowing users to explore its capabilities before committing to a plan.

Freshsales

(4.5/5)

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Freshsales, developed by Freshworks, is a renowned CRM software that serves as a comprehensive solution for managing your sales and marketing operations. The platform offers a range of built-in tools and features, empowering your teams to expedite deal closures, construct pipelines, and effectively nurture customer relationships. With capabilities such as lead scoring, email tracking, and sales automation, Freshsales equips you with the means to efficiently prioritize and engage with your prospects, ultimately enhancing your sales and marketing efforts.

Using FreshSales, you will get access to the following features:

  • Create custom lifecycle stages for tailored contact management
  • Customize data collection with various field types for business-specific information
  • Define custom activities and outcomes to track interactions effectively
  • Manage currency, language, and transactions to suit your global needs
  • Tailor your CRM with custom modules for unique business data
  • Efficiently schedule tasks, reminders, and appointments for improved opportunity management
  • Automated lead assignment based on lead-routing rules for efficient sales distribution
  • Speed up deal closure by automating sales sequences and personalizing interactions
  • Streamline operations with intelligent workflows for time-saving, productive processes

FreshSales compared to Salesforce

👉 FreshSales offers extensive customization options, allowing you to create custom fields, activities, modules, and more. This flexibility proves invaluable for businesses seeking to tailor their CRM to align with their unique processes.

👉 FreshSales simplifies currency management by automating currency conversion, making it convenient to set your preferred language. Salesforce also provides international support but may necessitate more extensive configuration for managing multi-currency operations.

👉 With FreshSales, creating tasks, reminders, and appointments is a straightforward process, complemented by a user-friendly activity dashboard for tracking upcoming activities. While Salesforce boasts robust features, it offers comprehensive task and activity management tools, which may require more setup and training for users to harness their capabilities fully.

Intercom

(4.5/5)

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Intercom is an AI-powered CRM made to simplify your sales and support tasks. It comes with a built-in AI chatbot named Fin that triages complex problems and passes them to your support teams to ensure your customers get on-time assistance. It provides omnichannel support, and with the help of Fin, it gives you the ability to keep the conversation with your customers going, whether it is in email, Intercom messenger, SMS, or any other channel.

Let’s look at some of the important features of Intercom:

  • Use content targeting to show relevant content to your ideal audience
  • Provides product tours to facilitate easy onboarding
  • It has a chatbot that gives quick answers to customer queries, eliminating human efforts
  • Shows reports for various time periods like 7, 28, or 90 days
  • Easy integration with various applications

Intercom compared to Salesforce

👉 In terms of scalability, integration, and customization, Intercom overtakes Salesforce. Also, Salesforce offers fewer customer engagement features than Intercom, making it a second choice among customers. Intercom provides multi-channel support at no extra cost, while Salesforce users need to buy add-ons for the same.

👉 Salesforce lacks built-in targeted feedback features, while Intercom provides advanced targeting capabilities. When it comes to security, Salesforce, being an older player in the market, provides better security than Intercom.

👉 Intercom, being a cheaper alternative, costs $74/month and allows 2 users in it.

Choosing the right customer support software for your business

Selecting the ideal Salesforce alternative for your business is a pivotal decision that can have a profound impact on your operations and success. To ensure you make the right choice, consider the following key factors:

1️⃣ Assess your business needs

Understanding your business needs is the starting point in the selection process. Take a critical look at your organization’s pain points, goals, and unique challenges. By identifying what you require from a Salesforce alternative, you can narrow down your options and make a choice that directly addresses your most pressing concerns.

2️⃣ Consider your budget

Your budget is a key determinant in selecting the right alternative. Salesforce alternatives often come with varying pricing structures. It’s vital to find a solution that not only meets your requirements but also fits within your financial constraints. Carefully evaluate the pricing plans and packages to ensure a cost-effective choice.

3️⃣ Adoptable to scalability

Business growth is a common objective. Therefore, it’s essential to choose an alternative that can grow with your company. Scalability ensures that your chosen software can accommodate increased demand, additional users, and evolving business needs without the need for frequent transitions or costly migrations.

4️⃣ Prefer a user-friendly interface

The usability of the software is paramount for smooth adoption. Opt for an alternative with an intuitive and user-friendly interface. Software that is easy to navigate and understand minimizes training time, increases employee productivity, and decreases the likelihood of errors.

5️⃣ Don’t forget integration capabilities

A Salesforce alternative should seamlessly integrate with your existing systems and software. This integration ensures that data flows smoothly between different platforms, preventing silos and enabling a holistic view of your operations. A well-integrated solution simplifies tasks and enhances efficiency.

6️⃣ Choose exceptional customer support

Exceptional customer support is invaluable. When issues arise or questions emerge, responsive and effective customer service can make a significant difference. Look for alternatives like DevRev, which has a track record of providing timely assistance and resolving problems efficiently to ensure your business’s continuity.

7️⃣ Explore features and customization offerings

The features and customization options offered by a Salesforce alternative should align with your business processes. Consider your unique requirements and look for a solution that allows you to tailor the software to your specific needs. Customization ensures that the software adapts to your workflows rather than the other way around, promoting efficiency.

Empowered by the choices of Salesforce alternatives

The deeper you dig into CRMs, the more options and alternatives you will explore. Each of these solutions possesses its unique capabilities and serves a specific purpose. However, the ideal CRM for your business is one that aligns with your unique requirements, empowers multitasking, and fits within your budget. Investing in a CRM is a silent promise you are making to your customers of consistent and reliable customer support. Therefore, ensure that the alternative you choose fulfills this promise.

In this blog, we explored a range of Salesforce alternatives that cater to various business needs and budgets. Each CRM solution has its strengths and weaknesses, making it crucial to carefully assess your specific requirements before making a decision. So, as you reach the crossroads of choosing a CRM, take the time to reflect on what truly matters to your business.

Frequently Asked Questions