In short
With 50 users on Enterprise, a partner and an admin, Salesforce costs about €400,000 over 3 years. A custom CRM with the same processes is a one-off payment of €45,000, with no fees. With 8 users on Starter Suite and a standard process, Salesforce comes out cheaper. The math is always the same: 3 years of everything you pay around Salesforce against a single payment.
Case 1: 50 users on Enterprise
| Item | Salesforce, 3 years | Custom CRM, one-off payment |
|---|---|---|
| Licenses: 50 at €175 a month, 15% discount | €267,750 | €0 |
| Partner: €1,500 a month | €54,000 | €0 |
| Part-time in-house admin | €78,000 | €0 |
| Build with migration, one-off payment | €0 | €45,000 |
| Total | €399,750 | €45,000 |
Your own CRM costs 89% less over 3 years: €354,750 saved. And from year four the gap widens, because Salesforce keeps billing and the CRM is already paid for.
If your renewal quote comes in on Core (€195 per user per month at list price), these 50 users pay €117,000 a year before discount, compared with €105,000 at list price on Enterprise.
Fine print: the CRM runs in your own cloud, with a residual hosting cost you pay directly to the provider. If you want, we maintain it with an optional, minimal plan.
Case 2: 8 users on Starter Suite
| Item | Salesforce, 3 years | Custom CRM, one-off payment |
|---|---|---|
| Licenses: 8 at €25 a month | €7,200 | €0 |
| Build, one-off payment | €0 | €20,000 |
| Total | €7,200 | €20,000 |
Here Salesforce wins, by €12,800 over 3 years. With few users on a basic edition, no partner or admin and a standard process, an off-the-shelf tool is the sensible choice. We say so even though we build CRMs. If those same 8 users were on Pro Suite at €100 a month, they would pay €28,800 over 3 years and the math would already favor your own CRM.
What is not about money
| Criterion | Salesforce | Custom CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | License is instant, implementation takes months | 5 to 10 weeks, migration included |
| Ownership | You rent the platform | Code and data are yours |
| Fit with your process | You configure a generic model | Built around your process |
| Changes | Admin or partner | Your own team or our optional maintenance plan |
| Ecosystem | AppExchange, thousands of apps | Custom API integrations |
| AI | Agentforce, paid in credits | Connected models, pay per use |
| Risk | Price increases and edition changes | Vendor dependence if you do not own the code |
When to choose each one
Salesforce, if you are a large company with many teams and need the AppExchange ecosystem, or if you are very small and your process is standard.
A custom CRM, if 3 years of Salesforce cost you more than the build, you have your own process, you pay a partner or admin and you use a small part of what you have bought.
FAQ
At how many users does a custom CRM pay off?
When 3 years of Salesforce cost more than the one-off build payment. With a €20,000 project, that happens from about 6 users on Pro Suite or 23 on Starter Suite, and sooner if you pay a partner or admin. The reliable way to know is to run the numbers with your own figures.
Does a custom CRM have AI?
Yes, it can be connected to AI models for summaries, emails or next steps. You pay per use and see what each feature spends.
What if the vendor disappears?
That is why the code and data must be yours from day one, with documentation. Another team can maintain it.
Sources: Sales Cloud pricing in Spain (Salesforce). Illustrative examples with 2Q Technologies ballpark prices.