CRM Comparison: See Which CRM is Perfect for You
Compare CRM costs & features based on
Salesforce: Powerful but Pricey
Salesforce is one of the most well-known names in the CRM world, and for good reason. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools that can be customized to meet almost any business need. However, this power comes at a price, especially when you start adding on essential features like email marketing and marketing automation.
Salesforce’s cost is the highest among the three CRM systems discussed here. Additionally, while Salesforce does offer robust support options, premium support (which includes same-day response) is only available at an extra cost. Moreover, maintaining and updating the system often requires either advanced in-house expertise or ongoing consulting services, both of which can further inflate the total cost. Implementation and setup costs as well as on-going management of the platform must be included in your CRM comparison.
- Salesforce Unlimited for 10 Users: $30,000
- Exact Target: $15,000
- CRM Implementation and Training: $9,500
- Marketing Content Strategy and Creative: $4,000
Total: $58,500
SugarCRM: A Basic Platform with Hidden Costs
SugarCRM is often touted as a flexible, open-source CRM solution. However, while it offers a solid foundation for customer management, it falls short in key areas like email marketing and marketing automation. These capabilities are not included in the base package, meaning that businesses must look for third-party applications to fill the gap.
While SugarCRM itself is reasonably priced, the need for additional marketing tools significantly increases the total cost. Furthermore, integrating these tools with SugarCRM requires ongoing data synchronization, which can be both time-consuming and error-prone. On average, businesses might need to allocate 15 to 20 hours per week just to maintain these integrations, adding to the indirect costs.
Sugar CRM Ultimate for 10 Users: 18000
- Act-On or Marke to: 7200
- CRM Implementation and Training: 8495
- Marketing Content Strategy and Creative: 4000
Total: 37,695
Infusionsoft: Affordable but Time-Intensive
Infusionsoft, now known as Keap, is often marketed as an all-in-one CRM and marketing automation platform aimed at small businesses. While it is more affordable than Salesforce or SugarCRM, it has its own set of challenges, particularly in terms of setup and maintenance.
While Infusionsoft’s base cost is the lowest of the three, it requires significant internal resources to maintain. Many businesses find that they need to allocate a third of a team member’s time just to keep the system running smoothly. This hidden cost can add up quickly, especially if you consider the opportunity cost of diverting staff time away from other essential tasks.
Infusionsoft Team for 10 Users: $7,188
Implementation and Training: $4,000
Internal Staff to Maintain: $15,000
Marketing Content Strategy and Creative: $4,000
Total: $30,188
Total Costs of CRMs
When evaluating CRM systems, it’s essential to look beyond the initial price tag. As shown in the breakdowns above, the total cost of ownership includes not just the software itself, but also marketing automation tools, implementation and training, and ongoing maintenance.
It’s clear that while Infusionsoft offers the lowest upfront cost, the ongoing maintenance can be a significant burden. Salesforce, on the other hand, offers extensive capabilities but at a much higher price point. SugarCRM falls somewhere in between, but its lack of built-in marketing tools requires additional investments and ongoing maintenance efforts.
Choosing the Right CRM for Your Business
CRM comparison isn’t just about finding the cheapest option—it’s about finding the solution that offers the best value for your business. Consider your specific needs: Do you require robust marketing automation? How much time can your team realistically dedicate to maintaining the system? Is it worth paying more for comprehensive support and advanced features?
By carefully evaluating these factors and understanding the true costs involved, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals. Remember, the cheapest option isn’t always the best, and the most expensive option isn’t always necessary. The key is finding the CRM that fits your needs, budget, and growth plans.
As you weigh your options, keep in mind that SalesNexus offers an integrated CRM and marketing automation solution that could save you time, money, and headaches. With a 30-day free trial, you can explore all the features and benefits without any risk. Consider giving it a try and see how it compares to other CRM systems in terms of both cost and functionality.
AI CRM feature comparison by platform (late-2025)
Here’s a practical “feature-bucket” chart of the main AI capabilities each CRM is advertising right now.
We’re using broad buckets so you can compare apples-to-apples even when vendors brand things differently.
Quick AI CRM takeaways
- SalesNexus has built Nexi AI into typical sales and marketing workflows organically.
- Salesforce and HubSpot are the most expensive and “agentic-first” right now: both push autonomous agents plus copilots.
- Zoho (Zia) is broad and surprisingly deep (calls, vision AI, predictions, gen-content), but with a lighter public “agents platform” story than SalesNexus/SF/HubSpot.
- Pipedrive focuses on rep productivity AI (tips, reminders, email drafting/summaries) rather than full autonomous agents or workflows.
Additional Costs added to CRM software by AI
Here’s a summary of incremental costs for adding AI-powered tools within three major CRM platforms (Salesforce CRM, HubSpot CRM, and Zoho CRM). These are add-on/usage costs (i.e., above whatever base license you already pay). Always check current official pricing and negotiate as enterprise deals may vary.