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Salesforce Sales Cloud vs Zoho CRM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

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
6.5
Salesforce Sales Cloud enhances sales efficiency and data management, offering cost-effective solutions for non-profits with productivity benefits.
Sentiment score
4.9
Zoho CRM improved efficiency, increased sales, reduced costs, and enhanced productivity through automation and real-time reporting, yielding measurable returns.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is a fantastic tool but requires disciplined data entry by sales personnel and operations teams to maintain data quality.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
We are not just implementing Salesforce Sales Cloud; we need to understand what the customer wants to achieve in 5 to 10 years.
Founder and Salesforce Consultant at SaaSnic
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Salesforce Sales Cloud offers efficient support, with faster responses for premium users, while community resources enhance regular support experiences.
Sentiment score
6.6
Zoho CRM customer service varies, with mixed experiences on response time, communication, and agent knowledge, improving with higher-paid plans.
I wouldn't say you go to Salesforce Sales Cloud for their customer support unless you purchase one of their premier plans, which is additional money.
VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot
Support requires a subscription and when taken, the service is pretty nice.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
Sometimes, they don't understand what my actual needs are.
Director of Information Technology at MASFinancials
The 1.5 deduction from 10 is due to cultural communication differences based on where we're getting the support, as sometimes it takes a couple of times to communicate clearly enough for them to understand the issue.
Director at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
There are multiple blogs and articles available online for self-help.
Sr Zoho Developer and Consultant at Xpert Prime
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Salesforce Sales Cloud offers strong scalability, accommodating growth and varied business sizes, though some users face reporting and data challenges.
Sentiment score
7.8
Zoho CRM is scalable, accommodating small and medium enterprises well, though it may not suit very large enterprises.
Salesforce is highly scalable and operates efficiently.
AWS Cloud Engineer at Accenture
Salesforce Sales Cloud is totally cloud native, requiring no additional effort for scalability.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
Salesforce Sales Cloud's scalability is impressive as it grows easily with my organization's needs.
VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot
The system is easy to understand, implement coding, and conduct training.
Sr Zoho Developer and Consultant at Xpert Prime
Zoho CRM is quite scalable; I have worked with clients who started with ten companies and have scaled up to managing 500 employees effectively within Zoho CRM.
Zoho Developer at Tarini Consulting
The platform's global data centers across regions such as the US, EU, and India ensure data security and privacy through ISO certification and strong role-based security, which is essential for handling sensitive customer data.
Software Engineer at Maximus
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Salesforce Sales Cloud is praised for its reliability, minimal downtime, high performance, and effective issue resolution, ensuring stability.
Sentiment score
7.7
Zoho CRM is praised for stability and reliability, with minor speed issues and valued transparency in platform performance.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is very stable.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
I have not experienced any degradation in Salesforce's performance.
AWS Cloud Engineer at Accenture
Zoho CRM guarantees 99% uptime, with downtime incidents being very rare.
Software Engineer at Maximus
I find Zoho CRM to be 100% stable and reliable as far as I know.
Zoho Developer at Tarini Consulting
It is usually compliant with data regulation laws and is HIPAA compliant.
Zoho and Web Developer at Ika Three Sixty
 

Room For Improvement

Salesforce Sales Cloud struggles with integration, high costs, and usability; users desire better mobile, reporting, and AI features.
Zoho CRM users seek better customization, integrations, UI enhancements, and support, with concerns about cost, scalability, and stability.
If you're looking at other tools out there, for example SalesLoft or HubSpot, it's much easier to build those workflows and do automation.
VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot
Compared to AWS, it is slower, which could be a hindrance.
AWS Cloud Engineer at Accenture
With today's generative AI capabilities like ChatGPT, it should be possible to directly communicate with the software rather than navigating through the entire system manually.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
The platform does not save code versions similar to GitHub, where you can compare new versions with previous ones.
Sr Zoho Developer and Consultant at Xpert Prime
Some organizations may prefer not to have their data on the internet since Zoho CRM runs as a cloud service.
Director of Information Technology at MASFinancials
The main improvement needed for Zoho CRM is introducing SQL code for reports, similar to what's in Zoho Analytics.
Zoho Developer at Tarini Consulting
 

Setup Cost

Salesforce Sales Cloud is costly, but negotiating can secure discounts; value justifies pricing, challenging affordability for smaller businesses.
Enterprise buyers consider Zoho CRM a cost-effective alternative to Salesforce, valuing its competitive pricing and flexible, cloud-based solutions.
Without negotiation, costs can become expensive.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
This happened for the first time because of the new CEO, Arundhati, who revolutionized pricing strategies, allowing discounts of 60-70% for Salesforce Sales Cloud in India.
Founder and Salesforce Consultant at SaaSnic
Salesforce Sales Cloud is extremely expensive.
VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot
Zoho CRM and all of Zoho's software are quite affordable because they are specifically designed for small and medium businesses.
Zoho Developer at Tarini Consulting
In terms of my experience with the price and licensing cost, as with setup cost for Zoho CRM, it might not be quite affordable because there are cheaper solutions available.
Social media strategist at Creative Skills
 

Valuable Features

Salesforce Sales Cloud enhances productivity with customizability, automation, integration, data analytics, and efficient communication for optimal sales management.
Zoho CRM offers customization, strong analytics, integration, and support, making it ideal for SMEs seeking a flexible platform.
Its easy-to-navigate interface aids in delivering clear vision and organization, especially for sales and business management.
AWS Cloud Engineer at Accenture
Being able to pull reports in Salesforce Sales Cloud based on any of the fields that we have there and then building logic on those fields saves me time and also gives me visibility into what's going on with my teams across multiple departments, which is very helpful for us.
VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot
The Einstein Analytics and the inbuilt reporting are very useful for keeping track of pipeline movement.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
The most valuable aspect of CRMs, including Zoho CRM, Salesforce, and Microsoft Dynamics, is automation capabilities.
Sr Zoho Developer and Consultant at Xpert Prime
The most valuable feature I have found in Zoho CRM is custom functions. You can achieve anything with it. From integrations with other applications, it is instant.
Zoho and Web Developer at Ika Three Sixty
You can customize everything—what you sell, be it products, services, or projects.
Director of Information Technology at MASFinancials
 

Categories and Ranking

Salesforce Sales Cloud
Ranking in CRM
1st
Ranking in Opportunity Management
1st
Ranking in Sales Force Automation
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
118
Ranking in other categories
Conversation Intelligence Software (2nd)
Zoho CRM
Ranking in CRM
4th
Ranking in Opportunity Management
3rd
Ranking in Sales Force Automation
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the CRM category, the mindshare of Salesforce Sales Cloud is 2.1%, down from 9.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoho CRM is 1.5%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
CRM Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Salesforce Sales Cloud2.1%
Zoho CRM1.5%
Other96.4%
CRM
 

Featured Reviews

Jonny Katz - PeerSpot reviewer
VP of Business Operations at PeerSpot
Uses data-driven insights to improve workflows and highlights a need for simpler automation tools
Salesforce Sales Cloud can be improved in several areas. First, the UI is an area for enhancement. Even though they've launched Lightning, it's clunky at times with page load speeds. It also needs to be made extremely more user-friendly. For new people using Salesforce Sales Cloud, there is a steep learning curve. Additionally, giving non-admins the ability to make changes on the fly is something that I feel is necessary. Currently with Salesforce Sales Cloud, you need to have a consultant. It's hard to build the flows or workflows. Making it easier for that end-user who's not so technically minded to help themselves is essential. I choose seven out of ten because I think you need a consultant or a consulting company to help you build it out. Certain changes should be made much easier and more user-friendly where an admin can do it. The automation processes need to be much simpler. If you're looking at other tools out there, for example SalesLoft or HubSpot, it's much easier to build those workflows and do automation.
NaveenKumar S - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Engineer at Maximus
Zoho CRM improves lead conversion with AI assistance but could have better technical support
Zoho Zia has helped our lead conversion process by serving as a private AI of Zoho CRM that assists in boosting lead conversation by analyzing customer data, predicting outcomes, and automating workflow follow-ups. Regarding how Zia helps with lead conversion, there's lead scoring and conversion predictions, sentiment analysis, and workflow suggestions. For lead scoring, Zia analyzes past lead conversation patterns and assigns scores to new leads, and high score leads get prioritized for faster follow-up. In terms of conversation predictions, Zia predicts the probability of lead conversion based on demographics and engagements, helping the sales team focus on the most promising leads. Another point is sentiment analysis, where Zia scans customer emails, chats, and notes to detect tones such as positive, negative, or neutral, guiding us on how to approach the leads better. For workflow suggestions, it recommends automated workflows such as sending emails and assigning tasks to agents, improving our engagements. Additionally, the conversational AI feature through Zia chatbot can interact with leads via website chat or capture details and push them into Zoho CRM automatically. The analytics and reporting features in Zoho CRM helped me understand sales patterns and customer behavior through standard reports that include pre-built reports for leads, deals, sales activities, and campaigns. We can customize reports as well, creating reports based on any module fields, and we can integrate with Zoho Analytics for direct capture of reports from our modules. We can merge leads reports to contact reports using SQL, allowing for effective sales funnel tracking to identify drop-offs and optimize conversation strategies. Auto-generated reports are also available for daily scheduling, ensuring that admin receives daily basis reports through automation. With advanced BI features such as drag-and-drop dashboards and predictive analysis using pivot tables, we can create insightful dashboards while pulling CRM and external data from sources such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads for unified analytics. The automation capabilities in Zoho CRM have helped streamline our organization's sales and marketing tasks by handling repetitive tasks such as sending follow-up emails, assigning leads, and updating fields. For example, if a lead score is greater than 80, it automatically assigns that record to the senior sales representative. There are also blueprint options to define the step-by-step sales process, ensuring every sales representative follows the same process. Automation includes assignment rules, lead scoring, priority load options, sales signals, macros, and territory management, which automatically routes leads based on geography, revenue, and industries. Additionally, deal stage automations trigger actions when a deal moves stages, such as sending a contract when it moves to negotiation. For marketing, there are tools for email campaign automation, behavior-based triggers, campaign to lead sync, and social media automations. The overall benefits I have seen from using Zoho CRM include centralized customer data, where all customer interactions are visible in one place, providing a 360-degree view. Improved lead conversations through AI-powered scoring and automation helps us focus on the right leads, with end-to-end sales automation managing tasks from lead capture to deal closure, thereby saving time on repetitive tasks. This leads to better marketing ROI, as we can track campaigns, ad spend, and lead sources, connecting marketing efforts to revenue. Enhanced collaboration through shared notes, tasks, and role-based access enables teamwork within our internal users and sales teams, contributing to customer satisfaction. Moreover, Zoho CRM is scalable and customizable, adapting to startups, SMBs, and enterprises with its flexible modules and fields. Lastly, it is cost-efficient compared to Salesforce and HubSpot while including a wide range of features.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Performing Arts
7%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business55
Midsize Enterprise26
Large Enterprise40
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business44
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Salesforce Sales Cloud?
The features of Sales Cloud most useful for testing and running email campaigns are highly valuable.
What needs improvement with Salesforce Sales Cloud?
Salesforce Sales Cloud can be improved in several areas. First, the UI is an area for enhancement. Even though they've launched Lightning, it's clunky at times with page load speeds. It also needs ...
What is your primary use case for Salesforce Sales Cloud?
Salesforce Sales Cloud serves as our primary tool for our sales team and reviews team to document and keep all our information in one place as a source of truth. We use it to manage our business pr...
What do you like most about Zoho CRM?
Zoho CRM integrates easily with customer service workflows.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoho CRM?
Zoho CRM and all of Zoho's software are quite affordable because they are specifically designed for small and medium businesses.
What needs improvement with Zoho CRM?
The main improvement needed for Zoho CRM is introducing SQL code for reports, similar to what's in Zoho Analytics. Zoho CRM's support can improve significantly, although it's designed to require mi...
 

Also Known As

Sales Cloud, SFDC, Salesforce
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Kuoni Global Travel Services, Financial Times, Just Eat, Jobsite, H.R. Owen, PlayerLayer, O2, DMGT, Philips, Xtreme.ie, Business Stream, Remote Asset Management, Dialogue Group
JetHub, Anderson Sales Advantage, ActionCoach, Milagro Advisory Group, TECO Pneumatic, Proteomics Consult
Find out what your peers are saying about Salesforce Sales Cloud vs. Zoho CRM and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.
879,986 professionals have used our research since 2012.