Top 6 Salesforce Alternatives

Q: What is the best Salesforce alternative for small businesses?

Choose by the work your team needs to complete. SMBcrm combines CRM, marketing, SMS tools and booking, with usage charges and plan limits. A focused sales CRM such as Pipedrive may suit a simpler pipeline. Salesforce Starter or Pro can also suit a small business, especially when its customization or integrations matter. Test the same workflow and compare written quotes before deciding.

Q: Why do businesses look for Salesforce alternatives?

A team may look for different billing, simpler daily work, or a closer match to its follow-up and booking process. Those are evaluation questions, not evidence that every Salesforce setup is complex or expensive. Starter and Pro include marketing tools; separate Marketing Cloud is not a default requirement. Compare the edition you actually use before assuming a migration will save money.

Q: Can I migrate my data from Salesforce to SMBcrm?

Free migration covers unlimited contact and company records from Salesforce, subject to what the source can export and SMBcrm can feasibly import. Confirm fields and import compatibility first. Pipelines, notes, other objects, and automation rebuilding need a separately agreed scope. All plans include group training; four one-on-one sessions are included with Professional and Enterprise and available as a Startup add-on. The 60-day guarantee covers eligible initial Startup and Professional base subscription fees, subject to refund terms and exclusions.

Compare six alternatives by workflow, team size, subscription terms and ongoing costs. Salesforce product details checked October 23, 2026.

Salesforce pricing and product details

Salesforce has a Free Suite for two users, Starter from $25/user/month billed monthly or annually, and Pro from $100/user/month billed annually with a contract. Starter and Pro include email marketing, landing pages, forms and automation. Both include 2,000 email sends/month; 1,000 extra sends cost $10/month. Pro Web Services API costs an additional $25/user/month. Confirm local prices, features, usage and order terms. Other vendors have not been re-researched in this update.

Salesforce sources checked October 23, 2026:

Why Switch

Why businesses look beyond Salesforce

Match setup to your process

Starter and Pro offer guided setup. More complex data, integrations and reporting need configuration and an owner, whichever CRM you choose.

Compare seats and usage

Salesforce paid suites charge per user and include marketing capabilities. Add only the extra sends, apps, API access and services your workflow needs; do not assume a separate Marketing Cloud purchase.

Pay for capabilities you use

Test whether your edition handles the work before switching. Salesforce may fit when customization or its ecosystem matters; a simpler CRM may fit a straightforward inquiry-to-booking process.

Evaluation Criteria

What to look for in an alternative

Compare the same workflow

Ask each vendor to demonstrate inquiry capture, ownership, follow-up, booking and reporting with representative test data.

Calculate the full cost

Include seats, committed annual spend, sends, calls, SMS, API access, apps, support and administration. Bundled features still have limits.

Check the limits

Starter and Pro include email campaigns and landing pages. Confirm the triggers, volume, channels and integrations you need rather than comparing product labels alone.

Plan migration and ownership

Confirm export/import compatibility, consent, field mapping and record relationships. Assign someone to validate the import and rebuild and test workflows before cutover.

The Options

The 6 best Salesforce alternatives

Our Pick — All-in-One

SMBcrm

$97 - $297/mo + usage

SMBcrm replaces the typical 5-tool stack: CRM and pipelines, email and SMS marketing, funnels and websites, online booking, payments, reputation management, and AI-powered follow-up — as a monthly subscription that doesn't scale with contacts or (on Professional) users, plus usage billed at posted rates after your included monthly credit. Onboarding with unlimited group training is included, and eligible new Startup and Professional subscriptions have a 60-day guarantee on the initial base subscription fee, subject to refund terms and exclusions.

Best for: Small businesses that want CRM, marketing, SMS, funnels, booking, and AI in one platform

Get Started Schedule a Demo

HubSpot

Free - $890+/mo

HubSpot's free CRM is a genuinely good starting point and the ecosystem is polished. The catch arrives at the upgrade cliff: meaningful marketing automation lives in Marketing Hub Professional at roughly $890/mo plus contact-tier charges, which is a hard jump for a small business.

Best for: Teams that want to start free and can absorb large price jumps as they scale

See HubSpot alternatives

Zoho CRM

$14 - $52/user/mo

Zoho CRM is inexpensive per seat and capable, but the all-in-one experience really means buying into the 50+ app Zoho suite — each addition brings its own setup, UI quirks, and learning curve.

Best for: Budget-conscious teams comfortable assembling the wider Zoho app ecosystem

See Zoho CRM alternatives

Pipedrive

$14 - $99/user/mo

Pipedrive's visual pipeline is one of the cleanest in the business. It is deliberately sales-only: email campaigns are an add-on, and there's no native SMS, funnels, or reputation tooling, though a meeting scheduler and automations are included from the Growth plan up.

Best for: Sales teams who live in the pipeline and handle marketing elsewhere

See Pipedrive alternatives

Freshsales

$9 - $59/user/mo

Freshsales is a polished sales CRM with a built-in dialer and a 21-day free trial. Marketing campaigns and journeys live in a separate Freshworks product, so the stack fragments as your needs grow.

Best for: Pure sales teams that want a modern, affordable per-seat CRM

See Freshsales alternatives

Keap

$299/mo + $500 setup

Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) has mature marketing automation, but 2026 pricing is steep for small teams: $299/mo for 2 users and 1,500 contacts, a mandatory ~$500 implementation fee, and overage billing as your list grows.

Best for: Established service businesses invested in the Infusionsoft automation ecosystem

See Keap alternatives

At a Glance

Quick comparison

Platform	Pricing	All-in-one?
SMBcrm★ Our pick	Monthly subscription + usage — unlimited users & contacts on Professional	Yes
HubSpot	Free CRM; steep tier jumps (Marketing Hub Pro ~$890/mo + contact tiers)	Yes
Zoho CRM	Per user, billed annually; monthly billing is $20-$65/user/mo. Other Zoho products are separate.	Via app suite
Pipedrive	Per user; marketing (Campaigns) is a paid add-on	No
Freshsales	Per user (annual); marketing needs separate Freshmarketer	No
Keap	Single plan: 2 users, 1,500 contacts; $39/extra user, contact overages	Yes

Want the head-to-head? See SMBcrm vs Salesforce

Free Migration

Plan your move from Salesforce

Free migration includes unlimited contact and company records that your current system can export and SMBcrm can feasibly import. Confirm source fields and import compatibility first. Other records and rebuilding work need a separately agreed scope.

Read the CRM switching checklist

Discuss your move in a demo See How Onboarding Works

Agree on the records to move

Check contact and company exports, field mapping, and sample imports. Confirm any other records, history, or attachments separately.

Rebuild and test your workflow

Identify the follow-up rules to recreate and agree on the help needed. Test replies, booking, and sending restrictions before activation.

Training and support on every plan

Group training and 24/7 support are included. Four one-on-one sessions are included with Professional and Enterprise; Startup can add them at signup.

Check the move before cutover

Review record totals and test the workflow with your team. Keep your source records available until you have verified the move.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Salesforce alternative for small businesses?

Why do businesses look for Salesforce alternatives?

Can I migrate my data from Salesforce to SMBcrm?

60-day money-back guarantee

Looking for an alternative to Salesforce?

Test your daily workflow in SMBcrm, then compare plan limits, usage and the full cost with your Salesforce quote.