In short
There's no Salesforce alternative that works for everyone. HubSpot fits if marketing and sales work together and your process is standard. Dynamics 365, if you run on Microsoft. Zoho, if you want a low price and a broad suite. Pipedrive, if you have a small sales team with a simple pipeline. A custom CRM pays off when your process is your own, you have a fair number of users and you don't want to pay for each one.
Before you compare, three questions
- How many people will use it, and from which teams?
- Is your process standard, or is it part of what sets you apart?
- What does it need to connect to: ERP, phone system, website, e-signature?
The options, one by one
If you're looking for a Salesforce alternative, the first question isn't which CRM but which part of Salesforce you really use. If it's accounts, contacts, opportunities and activities, almost any option works and the decision is about cost and adoption. If you rely on CPQ, portals or complex integrations, the list gets much shorter.
HubSpot
Very easy to adopt, with marketing built in. It charges per seat and, for marketing, per contact, so the price goes up as your database grows. It fits standard sales processes. Very specific processes end up forced into it.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales
The natural choice if you work with Microsoft 365 and Business Central. Powerful and customizable, with a per-user model similar to Salesforce. It usually needs a partner, just like Salesforce.
Zoho CRM
Low entry price and a huge suite of apps. Good value for money for SMBs. Advanced customization and complex integrations take more work than it seems.
Pipedrive
Built for sales teams that live in the pipeline. Quick to set up and pleasant to use. It falls short if you need service, projects or complex business logic.
Custom CRM
It's built around your process and it's yours, code and data. With 2Q Technologies you pay once and it's yours: no monthly or annual fees and no per-user cost. It makes sense with your own processes, several teams and a fair number of users. It needs a serious vendor and a well-run discovery.
Comparison
| Option | How it charges | Fits if | Does not fit if |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Per seat and per Hub (Sales, Marketing, Service) | Marketing and sales together, standard process | Very specific process or a huge contact base |
| Dynamics 365 | Per user per month, by tier | You work with Microsoft and Business Central | You don't want to depend on a partner |
| Zoho | Per user per month, by edition | SMB looking for a broad suite | Complex integrations |
| Pipedrive | Per user per month, by plan | Small sales team, simple pipeline | Several teams or complex logic |
| Custom | One-time from €25,000, €0 per user | Your own process and many users | Few users and a standard process |
When a custom CRM is not right for you
We're the ones saying it, and we build them. If you're a team of fewer than 10 people, with a standard sales process and no integrations, an off-the-shelf tool will cost you less and you can have it tomorrow. It also makes no sense if nobody at your company can spend a few hours explaining how you work.
How to decide
Run the 3-year numbers with every cost, not just licenses: implementation, partner, admin, point tools and price increases. And test with your own data: a demo with your stages and your fields tells you more than ten presentations.
FAQ
What's the best Salesforce alternative?
It depends on your process, your users and your systems. For standard processes, an off-the-shelf tool. For your own processes with many users, a custom CRM usually costs less over 3 years.
Is it hard to leave Salesforce?
It takes work, but it's predictable: inventory, extraction, loading in order and validation. A typical mid-sized company migration fits in 5 to 8 weeks.
Is a custom CRM expensive to maintain?
It doesn't have to be. With 2Q Technologies there are no monthly or annual fees: pay once and it is yours. 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.
Sources: pricing models published by each vendor. Prices change often: always compare against real proposals.