Top 15 Salesforce competitors and alternatives for 2024
Complex software can slow your team down. Try a Salesforce alternative that's simple yet scalable, enabling you to move at the speed of your business.
Why you might want a Salesforce alternative
Last updated September 20, 2024
In today’s competitive landscape, where poor customer experiences can lead to lost business, having software designed specifically for CX and enabling you to deliver value quickly is crucial. If you're looking for a CX-focused solution that’s user-friendly and cost effective, a Salesforce alternative may be the right fit. A Nucleus Research report reveals that many users find Salesforce's complex layout, high developer resource requirements, and total cost of ownership (TCO) challenging. To help you find the best solution for your business, we've curated a list of the top 15 Salesforce alternatives and competitors.
More in this guide:
- Best Salesforce alternatives and competitors at a glance
- A deep dive into the top 15 competitors and alternatives to Salesforce
- Frequently asked questions
- How to choose the best alternative to Salesforce
Best Salesforce alternatives and competitors at a glance
The chart below shows Salesforce competitors to help you quickly identify the software that’s the best fit for your needs.
| Salesforce alternative | Starting price | Free trial | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk | $55 per agent/month (billed annually) | 14 days |
|
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 | $50 per user/month | 30 days |
|
| Zoho | $0 per user/month (limited tools) | 15 days |
|
| HubSpot | $0 per user/month (limited tools) | Unavailable |
|
| Pipedrive | $14 per seat/month (billed annually) | 14 days |
|
| SugarCRM | $15 per user/month (billed annually) | Unavailable |
|
| Insightly | $349 per month (billed annually) | Available |
|
| Bitrix24 | $0 per month (limited tools) | Unavailable |
|
| Oracle NetSuite | Contact sales | Unavailable |
|
| SAP | $0 per month (1 user) | 30 days |
|
| Creatio | $25 per user/month (billed annually) | 14 days |
|
| Sage CRM | Contact sales | Unavailable |
|
| Copper | $9 per seat/month (billed annually) | 14 days |
|
| Keap | $249 per month (two users, billed annually) | 14 days |
|
| monday.com | $0 per month (two seats) | 14 days |
|
A deep dive into the top 15 competitors and alternatives to Salesforce
Salesforce software has many use cases, but some options may provide better results for the same functions. We compiled these competitors to Salesforce to help you choose the right alternative or replacement.
1. Zendesk
Use case: AI-powered CX
Zendesk is the leading customer experience solution for the AI era, offering a fast setup, ease of use, and flexibility for rapid adaptation and customisation. This powerful combination results in a low total cost of ownership, enabling you to move at the speed of your business and customers without relying on costly technical resources for implementation and upkeep.
With Zendesk, you get the benefits of dedicated CX software, which includes built-in best practices and expert guidance from our support teams. Zendesk AI is specifically designed for customer experience, pre-trained on over 18 billion service interactions to understand customer needs from day one. AI agents can independently resolve complex enquiries, providing immediate 24/7 support while reducing the workload for human agents. Additionally, our AI-powered agent copilot assists agents in real time, helping them resolve issues faster and autonomously completing tasks based on previous interactions. AI-powered self-service features empower teams to build more effective knowledge bases while automated workflow tools streamline processes. With Zendesk AI, businesses can seamlessly scale operations to manage increasing ticket volumes with ease.
AI is integrated into every aspect of our solution, including our industry-leading Agent Workspace. With its intuitive design, the workspace delivers a user-friendly experience that simplifies onboarding for new agents and promotes seamless collaboration on tickets. Agents can access all relevant customer information in one unified view, enabling them to personalise responses and deliver exceptional service at scale. You can also easily customise the software using our no-code integrations in the Zendesk Marketplace and flexible APIs. This customizability lets you build a 360-degree customer view so agents can be more effective while operating in a unified environment.
Features:
- User-friendly, industry-leading Agent Workspace
- AI agents
- Agent copilot
- Workflow automation
- AI-powered quality assurance
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
- 1,500+ apps and integrations
- Omnichannel ticketing system
- Live chat software
Pricing: Plans start at $55 per agent/month, billed annually. A 14-day free trial is available.
Explore more Zendesk pricing plans.
2. Microsoft Dynamics 365
Use case: Microsoft ecosystem
Microsoft Dynamics 365 encompasses a suite of products that include CRM, customer service, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. And since it’s part of the Microsoft ecosystem, Dynamics 365 integrates with other products like Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) and Teams. Its intelligent routing capabilities help automate workflows by routing leads, opportunities, and cases to the appropriate team members.
Additionally, Dynamics 365 incorporates knowledge management tools, facilitating the creation, organisation, and access to information within the system. The platform employs AI to analyse data, predict trends, and offer insights, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions and tailor their strategies.
Features:
- AI chatbots
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Quality assurance
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
Pricing: Paid plans start at $50 per user/month. A 30-day free trial is available.
Recommended reading: Learn how Microsoft integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. Microsoft compare.
3. Zoho
Use case: CRM
Zoho provides a suite of business software applications, from CRM and email marketing to accounting and project management. Its CRM system encompasses sales and marketing automation, analytics, and communication across channels. It also has a customer service platform that lets agents manage tickets and enables customer self-service.
Zoho's AI-driven assistant, Zia, provides predictive sales analytics, lead scoring, and sentiment analysis, informing businesses so they can properly prioritise their efforts. Additionally, Zoho has tools to aid knowledge management, helping customer service teams create, organise, and share content.
Features:
- AI chatbot
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Quality assurance
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
Pricing: Paid plans start at $14 per user/month, billed annually. A free plan and a 15-day free trial are available.
Recommended reading: Learn how Zoho integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. Zoho compare.
4. HubSpot
Use case: marketing automation
HubSpot is primarily known for its inbound marketing and sales software but also offers tools for customer service. The CRM system centralises customer data, allowing businesses to track interactions, manage leads, and analyse sales pipelines. Businesses can use pre-built sales and performance reports or customise their own to track specific data.
On the customer service front, HubSpot offers a knowledge base for businesses to create and share informative articles. It also offers ticketing tools that help teams manage and prioritise support requests. Additionally, HubSpot's live chat and chatbot functionalities facilitate customer communication. The chatbots can qualify leads, schedule appointments, and answer common questions.
Features:
- AI chatbots
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- AI-powered quality assurance
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
Pricing: Paid plans start at $15 per user/month, billed annually. A free plan with limited tools is available.
Recommended reading: Learn how HubSpot integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. HubSpot compare.
5. Pipedrive
Use case: Visual sales pipeline
Pipedrive is a CRM software that helps sales teams manage leads and track communication. The platform’s visual sales pipeline allows users to monitor deals at various stages and identify potential bottlenecks. It also lets users drag and drop deals between stages and get an overview of their sales progress.
Plus, the software can automate repetitive administrative tasks, and email tracking notifies users when somebody opens their emails, providing timely details into audience engagement. Additionally, its reporting and analytics tools can give sales teams insights into their performance to help refine strategies, including forecasting projected revenue.
Features:
- Chatbots
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- Email tracking
Pricing: Plans start at $14 per seat/month, billed annually. A 14-day free trial is available.
Recommended reading: Learn how Pipedrive integrates with Zendesk.
6. SugarCRM
Use case: marketing campaign management
SugarCRM is a versatile CRM software that delivers marketing and customer service tools. Its sales automation tools assist sales teams in managing leads, opportunities, and accounts, ensuring that potential deals are nurtured and tracked through the sales pipeline. The platform also offers analytics and reporting capabilities, enabling businesses to derive insights from their data and make informed decisions.
SugarCRM offers a case management system for customer support, assisting agents with tracking and resolving customer enquiries. The platform's marketing automation features include campaign management and email marketing, allowing businesses to target their audience and measure their marketing efforts' return on investment (ROI).
Features:
- AI chatbots
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
- Marketing automation
Pricing: Plans start at $19 per user/month, billed annually. A free trial is unavailable.
Recommended reading: Learn how SugarCRM integrates with Zendesk.
7. Insightly
Use case: project management
Insightly is cloud-based CRM software that offers customer service and marketing tools. With Insightly CRM, users can manage contacts and sales opportunities and monitor all customer touchpoints. The platform provides relationship linking, allowing users to understand the connections between contacts, organisations, and projects.
Insightly offers task tracking, milestone setting, and workflow automation for project management. The software’s reporting and analytics tools also enable businesses to measure performance and identify trends, and the dashboard can track keywords in tickets and provide an SLA countdown. Since Insightly offers an all-in-one plan that includes their CRM, marketing, and customer service software, businesses can attain a 360-degree view of their customers.
Features:
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
- Task tracking
Pricing: Plans start at $349 per month, billed annually. A free trial is available.
8. Bitrix24
Use case: team collaboration
Bitrix24 is a collaboration platform that combines different business tools, making it a suitable alternative to Salesforce. The software lets organisations choose the deployment method that best suits their needs, either cloud-based or on-premise. Its CRM system provides sales automation and analytics tools so businesses can track customer interactions and analyse sales performance.
The platform's project management and task-tracking capabilities allow teams to plan, coordinate, and monitor projects in real time. Communication tools, including chat, video conferencing, and social intranet, foster team collaboration. Additionally, Bitrix24 offers document management, workflow automation, and time-tracking functionalities.
Features:
- AI chatbots
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
- Time-tracking
Pricing: Plans start at $40 per month for five users, billed annually. A free plan with limited features is available.
9. Oracle NetSuite
Use case: enterprise resource planning
Oracle NetSuite is a cloud-based ERP and business management software. Companies use it to manage customer relationships, financials, and broader organisational operations. Oracle NetSuite analytics and reporting tools assist organisations in making data-driven decisions in real time.
Its financial management tools help organisations oversee their accounting, invoicing, and budgeting reports. It offers CRM capabilities, allowing businesses to track leads, sales opportunities, and customer interactions while providing insights into customer behaviour. It also includes e-commerce and inventory management tools for online stores.
Features:
- Digital assistant
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
- Financial management tools
Pricing: Contact NetSuite
Recommended reading: Learn how NetSuite integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. Oracle compare.
10. SAP
Use case: lead management
SAP is a multinational software company known for its enterprise-level software solutions. One of SAP's offerings is its CRM and CX software solutions, which help businesses manage customer interactions. SAP marketing automation tools can help businesses create and execute targeted marketing campaigns, segment customer data, and measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts.
The sales module allows for lead management, opportunity tracking, and sales forecasting. Meanwhile, the service module offers case management, ticketing, and service analytics. SAP CRM and CX solutions also include customer analytics, providing insights into customer behaviours and preferences. The Joule copilot gives businesses access to generative AI to assist with customer interactions or data analysis.
Features:
- AI chatbots
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
- Lead management
Pricing: Contact SAP. A free plan and a 30-day free trial are available.
11. Creatio
Use case: KPI tracking
Creatio provides a no-code CRM, marketing, and customer service application platform. Businesses can use automated workflows to take over repetitive tasks and manage customer interactions. Additionally, Creatio offers dashboards that users can alter to track KPIs most relevant to their roles.
Another feature of Creatio is its out-of-the-box integrations, which connect with various third-party applications to fill performance gaps. Furthermore, the Creatio Copilot, an AI-powered assistant, helps users by providing intelligent insights, automating routine tasks, and offering recommendations.
Features:
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
Pricing: Plans start at $25 per user/month. A 14-day free trial is available.
12. Sage CRM
Use case: Sales forecasts
Sage CRM provides various CRM solutions to aid businesses’ customer service, sales, and marketing endeavours. The software's native integration with other Sage products, such as Sage accounting and ERP solutions, provides a unified ecosystem where businesses can manage their operations. Its automation tools enable sales teams to manage leads, quotes, and orders.
The platform provides a visual sales pipeline, allowing users to track deals at various stages and prioritise efforts accordingly. For marketing, Sage CRM offers campaign management tools, enabling businesses to plan, execute, and measure the success of their marketing initiatives. The platform's customer service module helps support teams manage customer enquiries as well as track and resolve issues.
Features:
- AI chatbots
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
Pricing: Contact Sage for pricing.
13. Copper
Use case: Google Workspace
Copper is a cloud-based CRM software designed to integrate with Google Workspace. Copper lets users manage customer relationships without toggling between multiple platforms by embedding directly into applications like Gmail and Google Calendar.
Users can view contact details, update CRM records, and add new leads directly from their email interface. The global activity feed informs different teams of what other branches or departments are up to. Teams can also use the software to automate data entry by capturing interactions and populating the CRM with relevant information. The Copper visual sales pipeline allows sales teams to manage leads and track deal progress while identifying potential bottlenecks.
Features:
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- Visual sales pipeline
- Global activity feed
Pricing: Plans start at $9 per seat/month, billed annually. A 14-day free trial is available.
Recommended reading: Learn how Copper integrates with Zendesk.
14. Keap
Use case: e-commerce
Keap provides multiple forms of automation software, positioning itself as a Salesforce alternative for small businesses. It offers tools that combine CRM, email marketing, and sales automation to help businesses simplify their operations. Users can design and automate personalised email campaigns, segmenting their audience based on preferences and previous interactions.
The platform's CRM system allows businesses to track leads, manage contacts, and monitor sales pipelines. Keap also offers e-commerce tools, enabling businesses to set up online stores, manage inventory, and process payments. Additionally, the software boasts appointment scheduling features, allowing clients to book appointments directly.
Features:
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Reporting and analytics
- Email campaigns
Pricing: The paid plan starts at $249 per month for two users, billed annually, and scales with additional users. A 14-day free trial is available.
15. monday.com
Use case: team collaboration
As a work management software, monday.com can help teams manage projects, tasks, and workflows. With its drag-and-drop capabilities and integration options, monday.com is a viable Salesforce competitor. Its customisable boards and workflows let users set up trackers for specific projects, departments, or processes.
The platform supports automations, allowing users to define triggers and actions to automate repetitive tasks and processes. For instance, when a task status changes to "Completed," an automation can notify a team member or move the task to another board. Businesses can also use monday.com as a CRM or use its collaboration tools, like real-time commenting and file sharing.
Features:
- AI copilot
- Workflow automation
- Pre-built and customised dashboards
- Out-of-the-box apps and integrations
- Real-time reporting and analytics
- 360-degree customer view
- CRM
Pricing: Plans start at $9 per seat/month, billed annually. A free plan and a 14-day free trial are available.
Recommended reading: Learn how monday.com integrates with Zendesk.
Frequently asked questions
How to choose the best alternative to Salesforce
Zendesk is the leading CX software for the AI era, designed for ease of use and seamless scalability. With our intuitive Agent Workspace, built around CX best practices, teams can start delivering exceptional support from day one—without the need for long training sessions or technical resources. Pre-built apps and integrations make it easy to customise Zendesk to fit your unique needs, while building a 360-degree customer view for personalised support at scale. Plus, with purpose-built AI, you can effortlessly manage growing ticket volumes as your business expands. Try Zendesk today for free.
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