Effective customer management is the backbone of any successful business. Popular CRM software like Zoho CRM has gained popularity for its versatility, but it's not always the perfect fit for everyone. Whether you're struggling with its pricing structure, navigating its complexity, or simply looking for features tailored to your industry, exploring other CRM solutions might be the key to finding a solution that truly aligns with your business objectives.
This guide introduces you to the top Zoho CRM alternatives designed to cater to businesses of all sizes, industries, and goals. Whether you're interested in collaboration-focused platforms like Lark, robust options like HubSpot, or scalable solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365, there’s a CRM for every unique business setup. We'll compare the leading competitors by breaking down their key features, pricing, and unique advantages to help you find the perfect fit for your business.
Best Zoho CRM alternatives at a glance
Lark: A collaborative workspace with a customizable, no-code CRM.
Insightly: CRM with project management for service-based businesses.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales: AI-powered sales automation for Microsoft-native enterprises.
HubSpot: All-in-one platform with a robust zoho CRM alternatives free plan.
Pipedrive: Visual sales pipeline management for deal-focused teams.
Freshsales: AI-powered lead management with a user-friendly interface.
SAP: Enterprise-grade CRM with extensive industry-specific customization.
Zendesk Sell: Sales CRM focused on customer service and support integration.
Keap: Sales and marketing automation for small service businesses.
SugarCRM: Highly customizable on-premise or cloud CRM solution.
Why consider Zoho CRM alternatives?
While Zoho CRM remains a popular choice in the CRM space, it's not always the perfect fit for every business. Companies often turn to other solutions when they find that the platform doesn't fully align with their workflows, budget, or team preferences. To make a decision that’s right for your business, it’s crucial to first understand some of the common challenges associated with Zoho CRM and what to look for in an alternative.
What is Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a versatile business software designed to help businesses of all sizes enhance efficiency and manage growth effectively. By offering advanced workflow automation and omnichannel communication, Zoho CRM streamlines complex business processes, enabling businesses to maintain strong connections with customers while optimizing operations. Its extensive features make it a practical solution for organizations looking to simplify customer management and achieve scalable growth.
Common challenges with Zoho CRM
Although Zoho CRM offers robust features, there are some notable drawbacks that users frequently encounter, driving their search for a different solution:
Complexity in setup and customization: For smaller businesses or teams without technical expertise, the configuration process can feel overwhelming. Zoho’s extensive customization requires time, effort, and often a steep learning curve.
Complicated user interface: Many users report that Zoho’s interface feels unintuitive, which can slow down daily operations and reduce overall team efficiency.
Pricing structure that may not fit all budgets: Zoho CRM's pricing is competitive, but some businesses find its subscription tiers confusing or cost-prohibitive, especially for smaller teams that don’t require all the added functionalities included in higher-priced plans.
These challenges often drive businesses to explore more flexible and user-friendly solutions tailored to their specific needs.
What to look for in a Zoho CRM alternative
If you’ve experienced frustration with Zoho CRM, a better-fit option is likely available—one that addresses pain points and supports your goals more effectively. When evaluating other CRMs, consider these critical factors:
Strong collaboration and automation tools: Effective collaboration tools are the backbone of team productivity. Good alternatives should integrate features that streamline sales processes and enhance customer engagement. For example, a platform like Lark integrates chat, shared documents, and databases, turning CRM into a collaborative process rather than a siloed task.
Ease of use and customization: The best alternative should be easy to use and provide a simple interface paired with flexible customization options, making it easy to adapt the CRM to your team’s unique workflows. Tools offering no-code customization empower teams to build their own workflows without needing technical support, making adoption much smoother.
Industry-specific features: Depending on your field, certain features might be non-negotiable. Look for tools designed for your industry, whether it’s real estate, healthcare, ecommerce, or another niche. This can even include solutions for grant management.
Pricing transparency and scalability: Choose a CRM that offers clear pricing plans and grows with your business, ensuring you’re only paying for what you need as you scale.
Ultimately, the goal is to solve these issues with a more suitable tool. That's where a collaborative and customizable solution like Lark shines, offering an intuitive and affordable alternative.
Top Zoho CRM alternatives: detailed comparison
1. Lark: A collaborative workspace with a customizable, no-code CRM
Lark is more than just a collaboration platform; it’s a powerful alternative to traditional CRMs like Zoho CRM. By Connecting Messenger, Meetings, Docs, Calendar, and Base into one seamless ecosystem, Lark redefines how businesses handle tasks related to customer management. While it’s not a conventional CRM, Lark’s flexibility, no-code customization, and automation features make it one of the strongest competitors for businesses looking for a modern, efficient, and collaborative CRM solution.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus solely on customer data and deal stages, Lark transforms CRM tasks into a team-driven, collaborative process. From tracking sales leads to managing client communication and automating workflows, Lark offers an all-in-one solution that adapts to your business requirements.
Pros
Powerful no-code customization:
Lark Base allows any business to build a tailored CRM system without technical expertise. This is a key advantage over Zoho CRM's often complex setup.
Users can easily customize data fields, create automated workflows, and design templates to perfectly match their sales funnels, lead management processes, or customer support needs.
AI-native integration:
Lark’s built-in AI tools automatically categorize and enrich lead data, acting as a smart assistant for your sales team. This saves valuable time by eliminating manual processes and improves data accuracy.
AI can also summarize meetings and generate personalized questions for client calls, helping sales reps prepare and engage more effectively.
Real-time, customizable dashboards:
With Lark Base, you can create fully customizable dashboards that provide real time insights into your sales performance, team performance, and other key metrics.
This live data visualization helps businesses make data-driven decisions quickly and efficiently, keeping everyone aligned on targets and progress.
Seamless all-in-one ecosystem:
Lark centralizes your entire workflow by combining tools like its messenger, calendar, and document editor.
Its ability to unify CRM workflows within a collaborative environment reduces the need for multiple tools, saving time and increasing overall productivity for sales teams.
Cost-effective and scalable:
Lark offers a generous free Starter plan, making it an accessible and feature-rich free Zoho CRM alternative for smaller teams. Its paid plans offer advanced features and scale affordably as your business grows.
Cons
Learning curve for full feature adoption:
Lark is a comprehensive suite with extensive features. While the core CRM functions are intuitive, unlocking the full potential of its integrated tools may require some initial exploration.
Free plan: Includes all core features for building a custom CRM for up to 20 users, making it an excellent starting point.
Pro: Start at $12 per user per month (billed annually), offering advanced automation, increased storage, and scalability for growing businesses.
Enterprise: Custom pricing for unlimited users and advanced features.
2. Insightly: CRM with project management for service-based businesses
Insightly is a versatile CRM software tailored for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), offering a unique blend of customer tracking and project management capabilities. Its value lies in helping businesses not only track leads and manage sales funnels but also oversee project progress in a single platform. This dual-purpose feature makes Insightly a great choice for service-based businesses or teams juggling between client accounts and project deadlines.
Image source: insightly.com
Pros
CRM and project management integration:
Insightly allows users to seamlessly manage sales pipelines while tracking project tasks and deadlines, making it ideal for teams where customer interactions and project workflows are closely connected.
User-friendly interface:
The intuitive design makes it accessible for new users, helping SMBs adopt the platform without the need for extensive technical training.
Cons
Expensive onboarding and support:
Many users rely on costly onboarding and support plans, making it harder to fully utilize without extra investment.
Performance issues:
Slow loading times and unreliable sales reports negatively impact user experience.
Pricing
Plus plan: $29/user/month (billed annually)
Professional plan: $49/user/month (billed annually)
Enterprise plan: $99/user/month (billed annually)
3. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales: AI-powered sales automation for Microsoft-native enterprises
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales is a powerful CRM solution that combines sales automation, AI-driven insights, and advanced analytics tools to help businesses optimize their sales processes and client interactions. As part of the Microsoft ecosystem, it integrates seamlessly with tools like Teams and Outlook, making it an excellent choice for businesses already using Microsoft products. With its robust features and scalability, Dynamics 365 Sales is particularly suited for larger enterprises or businesses seeking advanced automation and data-driven decision-making capabilities.
Image source: microsoft.com
Pros
Seamless integration with Microsoft ecosystem:
Works effortlessly with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and other Microsoft 365 tools, ensuring smooth collaboration and productivity.
AI-powered tools and insights:
Includes AI-driven features like intelligent assistants and chatbots to automate customer interactions and provide actionable insights for sales teams.
Scalability for enterprises:
Designed to support the needs of growing businesses and large enterprises with customizable workflows and advanced reporting tools.
Cons
High pricing for smaller businesses:
With plans starting at $65/user/month (billed annually), the cost may be prohibitive for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
Onboarding challenges:
Despite in-app training resources, the onboarding process can still feel complex for teams unfamiliar with Microsoft’s ecosystem.
Pricing:
Paid plans: Start at $65/user/month (billed annually).
Free trial: A 30-day free trial is available.
4. HubSpot: All-in-one platform with a robust zoho CRM alternatives free plan
HubSpot is a comprehensive, all-in-one software suite designed to help businesses of all sizes streamline their marketing, sales, and customer service efforts. Known for its intuitive design and robust free plan, HubSpot provides businesses with the tools they need to nurture client connections, optimize workflows, and drive growth. Its modular design, featuring Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub, allows teams to collaborate effectively while centralizing customer data and activity tracking. Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, HubSpot offers scalable solutions to meet your needs throughout the entire customer journey.
Image source: hubspot.com
Pros
User-friendly and intuitive:
Its clean and easy-to-navigate interface allows teams to quickly adopt the platform with minimal training or technical expertise.
Integrated modules for collaboration:
With Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub working together, HubSpot creates a unified platform for managing all client touchpoints.
Cons
Costs can escalate with advanced features:
While the free version is robust, businesses requiring advanced marketing tools, custom reporting, or deeper automation may find the pricing steep as they scale.
Pricing:
Free plan: Offers essential CRM tools at no cost.
Starter Plan: Begins at $15/seat/month (billed annually), designed for small teams seeking scalable solutions.
5. Pipedrive: Visual sales pipeline management for deal-focused teams
Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM designed to help small and medium-sized teams streamline their sales processes and close deals more efficiently. Built around an activity-based sales model, Pipedrive emphasizes simplicity and usability, making it ideal for sales professionals who want a clear, visual overview of their pipeline. With its intuitive interface and automated reminders, Pipedrive ensures teams stay organized, prioritize opportunities, and focus on the tasks that drive results.
Image source: pipedrive.com
Pros
Visual sales pipeline:
Offers a clear and interactive view of the sales cycle, allowing teams to track deals at every stage and make informed decisions.
User-friendly interface:
Designed with simplicity in mind, Pipedrive is easy to navigate, even for users with minimal CRM experience.
Cons
Limited customer support options in lower-tier plans.
Pricing:
Essentials plan: $14/user/month (billed annually).
Advanced plan: $39/user/month (billed annually).
Professional plan: $49/user/month (billed annually).
6. Freshsales: AI-powered lead management with a user-friendly interface
Freshsales, part of the Freshworks suite, is a user-friendly CRM designed to simplify sales processes for small and medium-sized businesses. With AI-powered tools like lead scoring and sales forecasting, Freshsales helps teams prioritize opportunities and streamline workflows. Its seamless integration with other Freshworks products, such as Freshdesk and Freshservice, makes it an excellent choice for businesses already using the Freshworks ecosystem.
Image source: freshworks.com
Pros
AI-powered lead management:
Features like Freddy AI provide lead scoring and actionable sales insights to help teams focus on high-value opportunities.
Integration with Freshworks tools:
Works seamlessly with other Freshworks products, enabling businesses to manage sales, customer support, and IT operations in a unified platform.
Cons
Limited customization options:
Advanced users may find the platform’s customization capabilities insufficient for complex workflows or unique business needs.
Pricing
Growth plan: $9/user/month (billed annually)
Pro plan: $39/user/month (billed annually)
Enterprise plan: $59/user/month (billed annually)
7. SAP: Enterprise-grade CRM with extensive industry-specific customization
SAP CRM is a powerful enterprise-grade solution built to handle the complexities of large organizations. As part of the wider SAP Business Suite, it offers advanced tools for managing customer relationships across sales, marketing, service, and analytics. With capabilities like AI-driven insights and industry-specific customizations, SAP enables businesses to optimize workflows, enhance customer engagement, and make data-driven decisions. Its scalability and integration with other SAP tools make it an ideal choice for large enterprises with complex needs.
Image source: sap.com
Pros
Scalable for large enterprises:
Designed to handle the needs of growing organizations with extensive customization and the ability to support large-scale operations.
Comprehensive sub-modules:
Includes specialized modules for sales, marketing, service, analytics, and Hybris (for e-commerce and marketing needs).
Cons
Complex implementation:
Setting up and maintaining SAP CRM can be time-consuming and require significant expertise, making it a challenging option for businesses without dedicated IT resources.
Pricing
Custom pricing: Pricing is tailored to each business based on its size, requirements, and desired functionality. Interested organizations need to contact SAP for a detailed quote.
8. Zendesk Sell: Sales CRM focused on customer service and support integration
Zendesk Sell is a CRM software offered by Zendesk, designed to help businesses improve customer support efficiency, reduce churn, and increase customer satisfaction. It is ideal for customer service-focused businesses aiming to streamline operations and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Image source: zendesk.com
Pros
Exceptional scalability:
Designed to support growing businesses, offering solutions for startups as well as large enterprises with complex support needs.
Easy-to-use interface:
Offers an intuitive and straightforward design, making it simple for support teams to adopt and use effectively without extensive training.
Cons
Pricing can add up with add-ons:
While base plans are affordable, costs can increase significantly when add-ons or upgrades are required.
Pricing
Sell Team: $19/agent/month (billed annually)
Sell Growth: $55/agent/month (billed annually)
Sell Professional: $115/agent/month (billed annually)
9. Keap: Sales and marketing automation for small service businesses
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is a CRM solution specifically tailored for small businesses, combining sales automation, email marketing, and customer management in an easy-to-use platform. Designed with automation as its core strength, Keap helps businesses simplify workflows, nurture leads, and improve customer relationships. With features like appointment scheduling, payment processing, and campaign management, Keap is ideal for small teams looking to streamline their operations and grow their business efficiently.
Image source: keap.com
Pros
Powerful automation features:
Simplifies tasks like email marketing, customer follow-ups, lead nurturing, and workflows, helping teams save time and boost efficiency.
E-commerce capabilities:
Includes features to set up online stores, manage inventory, and process customer payments, integrating billing and sales operations.
Cons
Higher pricing compared to competitors:
The platform’s pricing can be steep for small businesses, especially for advanced features like e-commerce or expanded contact lists.
Pricing
Paid plan starts at $249 per month for two users (billed annually)
10. SugarCRM: Highly customizable on-premise or cloud CRM solution
SugarCRM is a versatile and highly customizable CRM platform designed to help businesses streamline their sales, marketing, and customer service processes. Its robust tools enable teams to efficiently manage leads, track opportunities, resolve customer inquiries, and run marketing campaigns, all while offering in-depth analytics to facilitate data-driven decision-making. SugarCRM is especially suited for businesses with unique or complex workflows, as it provides extensive customization options to align with specific requirements.
Image source: sugarcrm.com
Pros
Highly customizable:
Offers flexible workflows and dashboards that can be tailored to fit the exact needs of businesses without requiring extensive coding or third-party adjustments.
Effective case management:
Provides tools to track and resolve customer service inquiries efficiently, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
Cons
Complex interface for beginners:
The wide range of features and customization options can make the platform harder to navigate for smaller teams or new users.
Pricing
Paid plans start at $19/user/month (billed annually).
How to choose the best CRM for your business
Choosing the right CRM for your business goes beyond picking the most popular option. To make the best choice, you need to align the platform’s features, pricing, and usability with your specific goals and requirements. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure you find the perfect fit.
Identify your business size and needs
The first step in selecting a CRM is to define the size and nature of your business, as different tools cater to different types of organizations.
Startups vs. enterprises: Startups and small businesses typically benefit from simple, cost-effective solutions with minimal setup and easy onboarding. On the other hand, enterprises may require CRMs with advanced features, scalability, and integration with other enterprise-grade tools.
Sales-focused vs. customer service-focused: If your primary need is boosting sales, prioritize CRMs with robust lead tracking, deal management, and sales automation. However, if you’re more focused on improving customer service, look for tools that offer 360-degree customer views, customer communication tracking, and support ticketing systems. A flexible platform like Lark can even be customized using Lark Base to build a dedicated customer support tracker that integrates directly with team chats.
By identifying your team's priorities, you can quickly narrow down your options and focus on CRMs that address your core requirements.
Set a budget
Your budget plays a critical role in determining which CRM is feasible for your business. When considering costs, remember to account for more than just the subscription price:
Setup costs: Some CRMs may require additional expenses for implementation or consulting.
Add-ons and upgrades: Keep an eye on "hidden" costs for necessary features that may not be included in the base plan, such as advanced analytics or integrations with other platforms.
Long-term scalability: Opt for a CRM with pricing that allows for future growth so you can expand the tool’s capacity as your business scales. Look for transparent pricing structures that eliminate surprises.
Evaluate features
When comparing CRM options, pay close attention to the features they offer. The most effective tools will support your business’s unique goals while enhancing team productivity. Consider these essential capabilities:
Automation: Automating repetitive tasks like email follow-ups, data entry, and task assignments saves time and reduces manual errors.
Collaboration: Look for tools with built-in messaging, team dashboards, and task-sharing capabilities to keep your entire team aligned. For instance, Lark enables teams to discuss a deal in a dedicated chat group, co-edit the proposal in a shared document, and update the deal status in the CRM—all without switching apps.
Analytics: CRMs with strong reporting and analytics help you gain actionable insights into customer behavior, sales pipelines, and team performance.
Customization: A flexible CRM should let you tailor workflows, dashboards, and data fields to match your processes.
Evaluate these features against your business priorities to decide which CRMs add the most value to your operations.
Test before committing
Before making a final decision, take the time to test the CRM to ensure it delivers on expectations. Many platforms offer free trials, demo versions, or live walkthroughs to help you assess their usability and functionality.
Free trials: These let you explore the tool in real-world scenarios with your own data and workflows.
Demos: A guided tour from a sales representative can give you insights into features you might not explore on your own.
During this trial phase, pay attention to how intuitive the interface feels, how well the tool fits into your existing processes, and how responsive the customer support team is. Testing a CRM before committing can prevent costly mistakes and ensure a smoother adoption process for your team.
By focusing on these key areas, you can confidently select the right tool. For businesses that prioritize adaptability and teamwork, a collaborative platform like Lark offers unparalleled flexibility to build a perfect-fit CRM.
Why Lark stands out as the best Zoho CRM alternative
When it comes to finding the perfect Zoho CRM alternative, Lark is a standout contender. Unlike most traditional CRMs, Lark combines customer relationship management features with an intuitive, collaboration-first platform, making it the ideal choice for businesses that prioritize communication, teamwork, and seamless workflows. Here’s why Lark is worth your consideration:
A truly all-in-one solution
One of Lark’s biggest advantages is its integrated, all-in-one design. Where Zoho CRM is one tool among many you might use, Lark provides a comprehensive workspace that combines CRM with communication, collaboration, and project management. This eliminates the need to switch between scattered tools, improving efficiency and saving significant costs.
Your team can track customer interactions in Lark Base, discuss next steps in Lark Messenger, schedule follow-ups in Lark Calendar, and co-edit proposals in Lark Docs—all in one place. This seamless integration makes your CRM a natural part of the daily workflow, boosting adoption and productivity.
Effortless no-code customization
Customization is essential in a CRM, but not all businesses have the resources for complex configurations. That’s where Lark shines. With its user-friendly, no-code customization, businesses can build a tailored CRM solution that meets their specific needs—without needing developers. This directly addresses a common pain point with Zoho CRM, which can be complicated to set up.
An administrator can easily create custom data fields, automated workflows, and dashboards to align with your processes. This flexibility ensures you can focus on what works for your business, rather than being forced into a rigid structure.
Advanced and integrated AI features
Lark's AI is not just an add-on; it's deeply integrated throughout the platform. It provides more comprehensive support than many alternatives by automating tasks like lead management, generating data-driven insights, and even offering real-time translation in over 18 languages.
For example, AI can automatically summarize video meetings with clients, create transcripts, and enrich lead data. This empowers your team to work smarter, not harder, and make better-informed decisions.
Superior cost-effectiveness
For small businesses or startups, cost is a critical factor. Lark offers a far more cost-effective entry point than Zoho CRM. Lark's Starter plan is free for up to 20 users and includes powerful features, whereas Zoho's free plan is limited to just 3 users. This makes Lark an excellent free alternative.
As your business grows, Lark's paid plans remain affordable and transparent, providing a scalable solution without the high costs often associated with traditional CRMs. This allows you to invest resources back into your growth.
Conclusion
Choosing the right alternative to Zoho CRM depends entirely on your business’s unique needs, size, and budget. The ideal platform should not only solve your current challenges but also scale with your growth. Whether you prioritize the advanced enterprise analytics of Microsoft Dynamics, the sales-focused simplicity of Pipedrive, or the inbound marketing power of HubSpot, there’s a solution out there to help your business thrive.
If seamless collaboration, no-code flexibility, and affordability are what you’re looking for, then Lark stands out as a powerful and modern choice. Its all-in-one platform goes beyond traditional CRM by integrating customer management with the communication tools your team uses every day. This creates a more efficient, unified, and productive workflow, turning your CRM into the centralized platform for all your business activities.
Ready to see how an integrated workspace can transform your customer relationship management? Start exploring Lark today to build a CRM that perfectly fits your team’s workflow and helps you achieve your business goals with ease!
Frequently asked questions
Who are Zoho CRM competitors?
Zoho CRM's main competitors include HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Each serves different needs, from inbound marketing to enterprise-level sales. For businesses seeking a more collaborative and integrated approach, Lark emerges as a strong modern alternative, combining CRM with excellent communication tools in one platform.
Is Zoho CRM actually free?
Yes, Zoho CRM offers a free edition, but it is limited to three users and has basic features. While suitable for very small teams or individuals, most growing businesses will need to upgrade to a paid plan. In contrast, other Zoho CRM alternatives like Lark offer a more generous free plan for up to 20 users.
Is Zoho the best CRM?
Whether Zoho is the "best" CRM is subjective and depends on your specific needs. It is a powerful platform with extensive features, but its complexity and user interface can be significant drawbacks for some teams. The best CRM is one that aligns with your company’s workflow, budget, and the overall user experience.
Which is the best CRM platform?
The best CRM platform is the one that best fits your business goals. For sales-driven teams, Pipedrive is excellent. For marketing automation, HubSpot is a leader. However, for businesses that prioritize teamwork, flexibility, and affordability, Lark is the best choice for its all-in-one collaborative workspace and no-code customization.
