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Data Cloud vs Salesforce Essentials comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Data Cloud
Ranking in CRM
36th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Salesforce Essentials
Ranking in CRM
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the CRM category, the mindshare of Data Cloud is 0.1%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Essentials is 0.4%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
CRM
 

Featured Reviews

LT
Complex setup process impacts functionality and requires improvement
From my experience as a VP of sales, I was not involved directly with development and configuration, but every time I need some change in our strategy and data, it takes a lot of time from our development team or technical team to implement this change. It is not easy to add columns or information in the reports or in the information that I gathered from Data Cloud. It takes a lot of time, and it was not exactly what I was expecting. I had a project that required changing the views that I need from my team, and it took two to three months to make the change. It was just a simple click of a button and adding some information, so what I was expecting to take one or two weeks took three months. It was very complicated to implement in the beginning, and it took a lot of time. It is a very good product, but it is very complex to implement, change, develop, and integrate.
Srini-Dhanaraj - PeerSpot reviewer
Manages service requests and dispatches engineers to resolve issues
I work from home for a heater manufacturing company. They wanted to move away from their current SAP CRM system to Salesforce. There is a fulfillment process, which involves taking an order, delivering it, and providing service. Salesforce is used to manage the order-taking process. Once an order is taken, the backend system, SAP ERP, handles product manufacturing, delivery, and installation. After installation, the Service Cloud in Salesforce takes over for ongoing service management. Once your order is confirmed, integration with the SAP ERP backend will be seamless. The system takes the sales order from Salesforce and starts processing it for procurement, starting with creating a production order, manufacturing, and then delivery. Once the product is delivered, this information is passed back to Salesforce Service Cloud. In the Service Cloud, a service engineer receives a notification indicating that a product needs to be delivered to a specific location for installation. The engineer then inspects and installs the product at the designated site. SAP ERP manages the product manufacturing and delivery processes. After the product is delivered to the customer, Salesforce Service Cloud takes over. It manages service requests and dispatches engineers to resolve issues reported by customers. Service Cloud captures the information and creates an incident record when a customer reports a product fault. Engineers receive this information and promptly visit the client site to fix the issue. The solution is easy to implement. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I rate my experience with Data Cloud a nine out of ten."
"We never had a problem with stability."
"The CRM system has SAP Sales, SAP Service, and SAP Billing, with everything integrated into an on-premise SAP CRM system. Salesforce Essentials replaced this on-premise system, bringing all functionalities onto the cloud platform."
"Salesforce provides the best they have with the current version. Most of the features we need are already there, and it's very easy to use."
"Salesforce Essentials is a reliable and powerful application."
"The solution is very scalable and flexible. It can be customized as per the business need."
"The solution helps to track the performance of salespersons before closing deals."
"In terms of features, the cloud-based solution and easy deployment are standout elements that have made a difference."
"I can download the data to Excel, create tables, and do whatever I want. I am very comfortable with the tool's mobile application. Its main benefit is transparency because I can share it with representatives."
"Salesforce makes tracking every product and customer activity easy, enabling managers to monitor their products, such as key products and their peak performance."
 

Cons

"It is a very good product, but it is very complex to implement, change, develop, and integrate."
"Customizability is both an advantage and a disadvantage. While it provides a suitable solution with many pieces to integrate, it also adds complexity."
"When we use mixed languages, it can be uncomfortable because there seems to be no consideration for right-to-left speakers. It feels like these tools were developed by people who only speak left-to-right languages and didn't consider other language types' needs."
"Integrating Salesforce with SAP, considering our business relies heavily on SAP for ERP, has been quite challenging due to the intricate product configurations. Unlike standard products like computers with a few options, our products have hundreds of configurable options, making the integration complex. If such integration were possible, it would have been easier to understand the unique nature of our industry and the limited number of customers who buy steel products, unlike consumer electronics."
"Areas that could be improved or upgraded in the next release include analytics, automation capabilities, and stability."
"Salesforce should encourage new users by offering smaller license packages, such as packages for three or two users."
"Less integration would be better. It should work independently."
"The solution's UI is not user-friendly."
"The solution could be cheaper."
"I have seen Salesforce evaluate a lot of AI and analytics into that. But as an end user, I don’t have that much input."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"We chose quarterly payments."
"The tool is moderately priced."
"There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution."
"The pricing is on the higher side, especially with additional costs for professional services like consultants."
"Salesforce Essentials is quite expensive, almost 10 out of 10. I don't have the exact cost, but we found it to be very expensive based on our budget constraints."
"The pricing is a bit on the expensive side."
"I rate Salesforce Essentials' pricing an eight out of ten."
"It's a perpetual license, and the subscription can be expensive."
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Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Data Cloud?
From my experience as a VP of sales, I was not involved directly with development and configuration, but every time I need some change in our strategy and data, it takes a lot of time from our deve...
What is your primary use case for Data Cloud?
I am in charge of a sales area here. We integrate with some contact centers as a service tools, but we provide solutions for contact centers. We cannot contact centers as a service more than call c...
What advice do you have for others considering Data Cloud?
We are competing with AudioCodes. We are a software provider. We are evaluating the new CRM for our company right now. We use a local provider for CRM, and we are looking for another solution right...
What do you like most about Salesforce Essentials?
Salesforce provides the best they have with the current version. Most of the features we need are already there, and it's very easy to use.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Essentials?
Salesforce Essentials is very expensive, but it delivers exceptional value. It is a good platform to have if you can afford it because it has numerous add-ons and modules. Anything that Salesforce ...
What needs improvement with Salesforce Essentials?
We use a limited number of automated workflows in Salesforce Essentials. The workflows we implement are designed to make sales teams' lives easier when executing certain tasks. Instead of requiring...
 

Comparisons

No data available
No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Data Cloud vs. Salesforce Essentials and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.