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SAP CRM vs SugarCRM Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

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

SAP CRM
Ranking in CRM
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Local Government CRM (2nd), Marketing Management (3rd)
SugarCRM Platform
Ranking in CRM
24th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
CRM Customer Engagement Centers (8th), Marketing Automation (8th), Sales Force Automation (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the CRM category, the mindshare of SAP CRM is 10.7%, up from 10.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SugarCRM Platform is 0.5%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
CRM
 

Q&A Highlights

it_user128490 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 18, 2016
 

Featured Reviews

GodfreyNoel - PeerSpot reviewer
Excellent user experience with ease of use and reliable technical support
When SAP CRM does the maintenance, it can take a long time, which can impact business continuity because we have to wait for the maintenance team to finish their work. Maybe if SAP could establish how you can access the tool using a cloud-based environment that would be virtualization, that would be better.
Styliana Araouzou - PeerSpot reviewer
Customizable, easy to configure, and reliable
My company is considered a customer and an end-user. I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using right now. It's a company that offers lots of user manuals and you can find most of your stuff there before starting development. I'd advise potential new users to go through everything. I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. By default, it comes with a really good model where you can start working with it without having a lot of developers in your team. It's a system that includes everything related to the client and you can see everything under one screen without having a different product or system. It's been great, for the most part.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is highly scalable."
"From the bank perspective, it's user-friendly and simple to develop something specific for a certain customer. It allows customization for individual customers rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach."
"We use SAP CRM for customer service improvement. The main idea is to make sure our team has the right information when talking to customers. This helps them process things like price approvals for quotes faster. The goal is to make the product more efficient, and faster, and, in the end, provide better customer service."
"The most valuable feature is lead management and integration."
"Getting the right information at the right time across different programs is important. These programs lack interaction between them. IPA is a good option to bring them together."
"The most important factor for recommending SAP CRM is its integration with the core SAP platform. Globally, most enterprises are using SAP as an ERP platform to manage their key business functions. SAP CRM has out-of-the-box integration with the core SAP platform. You can integrate your pre-sales and post-sales into the single platform on the SAP CRM very easily, and you can extend that CRM to your customers who can actually see what is happening to their orders—such as whether it is dispatched or not dispatched or at what stage it is—simply by logging onto the CRM platform."
"The platform is highly scalable."
"The tool is easy to use."
"The most valuable aspect of this solution is its low cost."
"The most valuable features of the SugarCRM platform include its flexibility in customizing fields, layouts, and dashboards."
"The most valuable feature is relation capability, which allows us to relay customers with invoice orders."
"It has sales email campaigns, plus integration with Active Directory."
"It works well with Jira. You can customize it to fit your needs."
"The most valuable features of Sugar Enterprise are the exports of graphics, statuses, complaints, and tasks."
 

Cons

"SAP must provide a demo system for the customers."
"There could be some specific configurable options on the UI level to improve visibility."
"There is no scope for integration because SAP does not allow any personal integration."
"The navigation must be improved."
"The product's pricing could be better."
"The solution is expensive."
"In the future, machine learning and artificial intelligence functionality need to be included."
"Previously, the SAP CRM used to use simple servers, but now SAP uses HANA. The problem with the HANA databases is their interoperability with other solutions. SAP CRM could improve by working better with other solutions."
"I would appreciate it if SugarCRM could support us in on-premise implementation."
"It lacks customization, and this is the main reason that we are switching to a different solution."
"You cannot include all your entities under one instance at the moment."
"Sugar Enterprise could improve by removing bugs and glitches. For example, a comment was made but in the comment section, it was never displayed. However, the problems we faced might not be the fault of the solution."
"I would like to see more integration on a mobile platform in the next release."
"In the next release, I would like to see personalization of information about customers or specific businesses or opportunities."
"While it is already user-friendly, a slight enhancement in UI design, especially in terms of color combinations, could make the platform more visually appealing and comfortable to use."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is costly."
"As for the product licensing, we pay an annual fee. It's important to consider setup costs and licensing based on your organization's budget and needs."
"There is a license required for the solution and most of my clients purchase an annual license."
"Every user needs to have a license."
"SAP CRM is not suitable for smaller businesses because it is expensive. The larger businesses would be able to handle the cost."
"We pay for the license yearly."
"SAP CRM costs approximately a couple of thousand a month."
"SAP CRM offers a free trial for anyone wanting to test the product before purchasing it."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
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Answers from the Community

it_user128490 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 18, 2016
Jan 18, 2016
Hello Pratyush. Now that you are 1.5 years out from this post, just wondered how the project is working for you. Sounded like you were leaning towards Salesforce with custom development. Is that where you ended up? Are you meeting your goals? Looking forward to your reply. Steve
2 out of 11 answers
it_user131094 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 26, 2014
I will respond over the weekend
it_user105723 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 26, 2014
Hi, I can only really comment on Oracle Siebel, interesting why it isn’t on your list? Regards Simon Collins
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
27%
Engineering Company
16%
Computer Software Company
14%
Real Estate/Law Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SAP CRM?
Getting the right information at the right time across different programs is important. These programs lack interaction between them. IPA is a good option to bring them together.
What needs improvement with SAP CRM?
One area for improvement is the security model, especially regarding records management retention and the audit and legal holds. Since we're in the middle of a cloud digital transformation, it's es...
What do you like most about Sugar Enterprise?
The most valuable features of the SugarCRM platform include its flexibility in customizing fields, layouts, and dashboards.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sugar Enterprise?
All are almost the same pricing. Maybe the cheapest is Salesforce, I believe.
What needs improvement with Sugar Enterprise?
The only challenge was that we implemented it in our on-premise data center instead of using it in the cloud. That was a little bit of a challenge. But it was overcome with the help of SugarCRM com...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Brau Union Osterreich AG, Nu Skin Enterprises Inc., AOK Bundesverband, RAK Ceramics, NHS 24, Wholesale Sports Outdoor Outfitters, FC Bayern Munchen AG, Tumi, The Kellogg Company, MVV Energie AG, Anglian Water Services, German Football Association (DFB), Nebraska Book Company Inc.
Redglaze Group, TengoInternet, Hilco, Bancvue, Vet Adivsor
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP CRM vs. SugarCRM Platform and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.