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Salesforce Essentials vs Zoho CRM comparison

Salesforce and Zoho are both solutions in the CRM category. Salesforce is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.9, while Zoho is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.3. Salesforce holds a 0.3% mindshare in CRM, compared to Zoho’s 3.0% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Salesforce users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Zoho users who would recommend it.
Salesforce Essentials
Read 13 Salesforce Essentials reviews
  • 122 Views
  • 63 Comparison Views
91% willing to recommend
Zoho CRM
Read 52 Zoho CRM reviews
  • 2,372 Views
  • 1,178 Comparison Views
88% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Zoho CRM and Salesforce Essentials are major contenders in the CRM market. Zoho CRM has the upper hand with its strong customization and affordability, making it ideal for startups and small businesses, while Salesforce Essentials excels in AI capabilities for sophisticated customer management.

Features: Zoho CRM offers extensive customization options, API access, and seamless integration with Google Apps, which benefits pipeline management and reporting. Salesforce Essentials provides advanced AI features and a comprehensive Sales and Service Cloud, enhancing customer interactions with efficient automation tools.

Room for Improvement: Zoho CRM could improve its email templates, social integrations, and mobile usability, along with enhancing scalability and third-party integrations. Salesforce Essentials needs better analytics, pricing flexibility, and support for mixed languages. Its interface complexity and lack of intuitive automation are also areas for enhancement.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zoho CRM supports both public and private cloud deployments, offering flexibility, while Salesforce Essentials primarily uses public clouds. Zoho's customer service receives mixed reviews, contrasting with Salesforce's criticized high response times despite generally effective support.

Pricing and ROI: Zoho CRM is cost-effective with competitive pricing and diverse plans, showing strong ROI through productivity gains. In contrast, Salesforce Essentials is more expensive, with higher pricing and added professional service costs, yet it provides solid ROI by reducing manpower needs.

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To learn more, read our detailed Salesforce Essentials vs. Zoho CRM Report (Updated: April 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Salesforce Essentials vs. Zoho CRM
April 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
8.0
Salesforce Essentials enhances sales growth by simplifying implementation, navigation, and automating processes, benefiting testing, development, and daily operations.
Sentiment score
7.5
Zoho CRM boosted sales efficiency, reduced staffing needs, and delivered tangible ROI through automation and improved operational performance.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.7
Salesforce Essentials offers responsive customer service with fast responses, though some users suggest improvements for even better efficiency.
Sentiment score
6.7
Zoho CRM's customer service is knowledgeable but lacks 24/7 availability, with varying support based on subscription plans.
Salesforce Essentials has excellent customer service.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Essentials report
No quotes available
For more quotes and insights, download the Zoho CRM report
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Salesforce Essentials scales efficiently for diverse user volumes, earning high praise for supporting organizational growth and flexibility.
Sentiment score
7.9
Zoho CRM effectively supports scalability, offering flexibility and integration for both small and large organizations without significant issues.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Salesforce Essentials is reliable with smooth SAP integration, though some users experience delays in automation processes.
Sentiment score
7.8
Zoho CRM is stable for small to mid-businesses, with minimal issues quickly resolved and high user satisfaction.
Salesforce Essentials has proven stable, with no downtime that affects my work.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Essentials report
No quotes available
For more quotes and insights, download the Zoho CRM report
 

Room For Improvement

Salesforce Essentials struggles with integration, user-friendliness, and pricing, needing improved automation, AI, and analytics features.
Zoho CRM needs better integration, AI enhancements, usability improvements, and cost-effective customization for scalability and reliable support.
There are other competitors, like Zoho CRM, that offer similar features at a lower cost.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Essentials report
No quotes available
For more quotes and insights, download the Zoho CRM report
 

Setup Cost

Salesforce Essentials is considered costly by users due to high licensing fees and additional professional service expenses.
Zoho CRM provides cost-effective subscription plans starting at $50 monthly, with broader access via the Zoho One package.
The costs associated with Salesforce Essentials are substantial, which is a drawback compared to competitors who offer similar services for less.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Essentials report
I rate the pricing as a five out of ten, as it offers good value for money.
For more quotes and insights, download the Zoho CRM report
 

Valuable Features

Salesforce Essentials provides scalable, flexible solutions with cloud deployment, AI customization, and mobile support, enhancing productivity despite high costs.
Zoho CRM offers comprehensive features and scalability, ideal for efficient sales management and supports startups and small businesses.
Salesforce Essentials is excellent because it is one of the most flexible CRMs available.
For more quotes and insights, download the Salesforce Essentials report
Specifically, the leads and deals modules, as well as integrations, are very effective.
For more quotes and insights, download the Zoho CRM report
 

Categories and Ranking

Salesforce Essentials
Ranking in CRM
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Zoho CRM
Ranking in CRM
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Opportunity Management (3rd), Sales Force Automation (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the CRM category, the mindshare of Salesforce Essentials is 0.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoho CRM is 3.0%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
CRM
 

Featured Reviews

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.
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AmerKhan - PeerSpot reviewer
Diverse integrations assist in seamlessly aligning marketing efforts with sales tracking
Zoho CRM is flexible due to its integrations, like with Zoho Campaign, helping integrate marketing efforts with CRM processes. It offers a no-cost entry with the ability for three users to use it at no charge, which is beneficial for startups to explore the platform without financial strain. This enables me to start using the platform, handle opportunities, and get a feel before committing financially.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Educational Organization
75%
Computer Software Company
3%
Financial Services Firm
2%
Government
2%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Essentials?
The costs associated with Salesforce Essentials are substantial, which is a drawback compared to competitors who offer similar services for less.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Salesforce Essentials?
The primary area for improvement in Salesforce Essentials is its pricing. There are other competitors, like Zoho CRM ( /products/zoho-crm-reviews ), that offer similar features at a lower cost. Sal...
See all answers
What do you like most about Zoho CRM?
Zoho CRM integrates easily with customer service workflows.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoho CRM?
I rate the pricing as a five out of ten, as it offers good value for money.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Zoho CRM?
The analytics and AI suggestion features need improvement.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

No data available
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Compared 9% of the time
Bitrix24 vs Zoho CRM Logo
Bitrix24 vs Zoho CRM
Compared 7% of the time
Oracle CRM vs Zoho CRM Logo
Oracle CRM vs Zoho CRM
Compared 6% of the time
Salesforce Sales Cloud vs Zoho CRM Logo
Salesforce Sales Cloud vs Zoho CRM
Compared 6% of the time
More Zoho CRM Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Salesforce Essentials
April 2025
Salesforce Essentials reportDownload Salesforce Essentials product report
Buyer's Guide
Zoho CRM
April 2025
Zoho CRM reportDownload Zoho CRM product report
 

Overview

Salesforce Essentials is a cloud-based CRM tool for businesses seeking flexible, scalable, and customizable solutions to enhance sales and customer support processes.

Designed for seamless integration across multiple channels, Salesforce Essentials includes Sales and Service Cloud to simplify sales tasks and customer management. It enhances finance, credit, and quality processes with user-friendly AI capabilities and predictive analytics. Despite its strengths, there is room for improvement in SAP integration, interface simplicity, and report generation. Cost-effectiveness and support for diverse languages are also potential upgrade areas. Businesses use this CRM solution for lead management, opportunity tracking, and automating sales workflows, transitioning from paper-based methods to digital efficiency.

What are the essential features of Salesforce Essentials?
  • Scalability and Flexibility: Accommodates growth and customization needs.
  • Multiple Channel Integration: Enhances finance and quality processes.
  • User-Friendly: Easy navigation with AI capabilities.
  • Cloud Deployment: Includes Sales and Service Cloud features.
  • Predictive Analytics: Improves productivity and tracking.
  • Mobile App Support: Facilitates on-the-go access and management.
What benefits or ROI can users expect from Salesforce Essentials?
  • Improved Productivity: Automation features save time and streamline tasks.
  • Enhanced Customer Management: Centralizes interaction and data handling.
  • Ease of Transition: From manual to automated workflows.
  • Performance Monitoring: Standardizes processes for better oversight.

In the retail industry, businesses employ Salesforce Essentials for customer data management and transparency in order processing. Healthcare providers use it for patient engagement and streamlined communication. Financial services utilize it for billing management and compliance, harnessing automation tools for efficient data handling.

Salesforce

Zoho CRM empowers organizations with a complete customer relationship lifecycle management solution for managing organization-wide Sales, Marketing, Customer Support & Service and Inventory Management.

Zoho
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
JetHub, Anderson Sales Advantage, ActionCoach, Milagro Advisory Group, TECO Pneumatic, Proteomics Consult
Buyer's Guide
Salesforce Essentials vs. Zoho CRM
April 2025
Free Report: Salesforce Essentials vs. Zoho CRM
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