Top Zoho alternatives 2024 

senior male working on a Mac desktop

Zoho has long been a solution for businesses looking for a comprehensive suite to manage their multiple operations. But the market offers a vast range of CRM options. There are alternative solutions with unique strengths that better align with specific business requirements. 

In this blog, you’ll explore the top Zoho alternatives of 2024. Whether you’re just beginning your CRM journey or are a seasoned expert looking to make a change, you’ve come to the right place.

Let’s jump in!

Zoho overview

Screenshot of Zoho CRM dashboard.

Image credit: Discover CRM

Zoho is an all-in-one software system with a range of features for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

The platform empowers your business to: 

  • Collect contact information from potential customers.
  • Engage with customers.
  • Close more deals and grow revenue.
  • Nurture leads through the sales pipeline. 

Beyond that, Zoho offers a suite of tools for:

  • Remote working.
  • IT management.
  • Finance management.
  • Human resources — and more. 

This makes it a solid choice for businesses looking for an all-encompassing solution.

How Zoho works

Zoho works by providing cloud-based solutions that simplify your business processes. You can choose from various applications to customize your workflow and connect different aspects of your operations within the platform. Key features include:

  • Powerful automation and task management so your sales reps can spend more time on selling and less time on data entry.
  • Complete visibility into what your customers and prospects are looking at online and whether they are opening your emails.
  • ZIA — an AI-powered sales assistant that meets customer expectations and handles interactions. 
  • Multi-channel support to reach your customers over the phone, live chat, email, or social media.
  • Advanced CRM analytics that give you deeper business insights.

Who should use Zoho?

Zoho’s is made for businesses and enterprises looking for a cloud-based solution to manage various aspects of their operations, including:

  • Customer relationship management (CRM).
  • Sales tracking.
  • Project tracking.
  • Email marketing. 

Why consider an alternative to Zoho CRM? 

Zoho is one of the best-known brands for small business software, with solutions ranging from marketing to event management to HR tools. 

But to many people, such versatility and flexibility is overwhelming. They just want to fulfill their business’ requirements without having to navigate around all the bells and whistles.

Plus, Zoho falls short on certain features that bring your CRM to the next level, such as customization. For other CRM alternatives such as Method:CRM, you can personalize your workflows to tailor your software to your business — and not the other way around.

Are there cheaper alternatives to Zoho?

Zoho offers the following pricing plans:

  • Standard: $14 per user per month.
  • Professional: $23 per user per month.
  • Enterprise: $40 per user per month.
  • Ultimate: $52 per user per month.

There are other CRM solutions that are more affordable than Zoho but still provide essential features for managing: 

  • Customer relationships.
  • Sales pipelines.
  • Marketing campaigns. 

These alternatives offer more straightforward functionality, which is beneficial for smaller businesses or startups. They’re perfect for those who need a more basic, cost-effective solution without the overwhelming amount of features that Zoho provides.

Comparing top-rated Zoho alternatives

Exploring top-rated Zoho alternatives gives you the chance to find the best fit to enhance your efficiency and customer relationship management strategies. 

Without further ado, here are your top Zoho CRM alternatives. 

#1-Rated Zoho alternative: Method:CRM

Method is the leading Zoho alternative. It’s known as the #1 QuickBooks CRM for small businesses, earning over 1,300 five-star user ratings on apps.com.

Method:CRM overview

Method simplifies your workflows with features that empower your business to scale with confidence.

At the heart of this all-in-one CRM is its two-way, real-time data sync with QuickBooks and Xero. With this, updates in your accounting software automatically show up in Method, and vice versa. This means no more double-data entry and human-caused inaccuracies. 

The best part? You can keep your leads in Method and away from your accounting software until they are paying customers. This way, you don’t clutter your QuickBooks or Xero account with non-customers.

Who should use Method:CRM?

Method:CRM is the ideal solution for small-to-midsize businesses with accounting software such as QuickBooks or Xero. Thanks to its powerful two-way sync, it centralizes all your information without having to switch between platforms.

Method gets you out of the weeds and into the driver’s seat with its unmatched process automation. So, if you’re looking to save hours of your workday while you improve the efficiency of your processes, Method is the ideal solution for you. 

Key features and primary benefits

Here are top features that make Method an excellent choice:

  • Two-way sync with QuickBooks and Xero.
  • Unlimited customization of workflows, quotes, and invoices.
  • Workflow automation to replace repetitive tasks like lead collection.
  • Email Campaigns app that lets you create personalized emails to properly nurture your leads.
  • Several third-party integrations with business tools such as Gmail, Zapier, and Outlook.

How the no-code platform puts you in control

Method lets you gain control and time back with its no-code platform. This means you can customize your entire CRM experience without any technical programming knowledge. With this intuitive tool, you get complete control over your software.

Method:CRM pricing

Method:CRM has three affordable premium plans at these price points:

  • Contact Management: $25 per user per month.
  • CRM Pro: $44 per user per month.
  • CRM Enterprise: $74 per user per month.

Method also offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Pipedrive 

Pipedrive screenshot

Image credit: Pipedrive

Pipedrive overview

Pipedrive offers a straightforward CRM solution, making it a solid choice for sales teams and small businesses exploring CRMs for the first time. 

Its core functionality centers around providing clear insights into various sales data. However, its sales focus means that customization options are limited to enhancing sales process tracking and incorporating basic CRM functionalities.

Pipedrive’s powerful automation features simplify sales and marketing activities. For example, it can automatically generate deals when you add new contacts or send out personalized email responses using templates. As a result, it facilitates efficient workflow management.

Key features and primary benefits

With Pipedrive’s biggest strengths all related to sales, you can:

  • Track your sales process through the pipeline efficiently.
  • Customize sales reports to your needs.
  • Add custom fields where you see fit.

However, personalization is not easy to achieve in Pipedrive. Because the software’s open API must be used, it’s key to have a tech-savvy person on your team.

Pipedrive pricing

Pipedrive offers the following pricing plans:

  • Essential: $14 per user per month.
  • Advanced: $27 per user per month.
  • Professional: $49 per user per month.
  • Power: 64 per user per month.
  • Enterprise: $99 per user per month.

Salesforce 

Image credit: Salesforce

Salesforce overview 

Salesforce, another top Zoho alternative, is a cloud-based software that focuses on four different areas:

  • Sales.
  • Customer service.
  • Team collaboration.
  • Marketing.

Its CRM is better known as Salesforce Sales Cloud. You can integrate your Sales Cloud with other Salesforce services and custom apps to create a full-scope software that meets all your needs in a single platform.

Our analysis of this product revealed that it’s geared toward rapidly growing business needs, meaning it becomes more valuable to you as your company grows.

Key features and primary benefits

  • Opportunity stages feature for simplified opportunity management.
  • Custom workflows and automated solutions for lead scoring.
  • Collaboration tools for sales management and forecasting.
  • Customer cloud to create an integrated purchasing experience.
  • Lightning voice to make calls right from Sales Cloud.
  • Salesforce scheduler to simplify scheduling for meetings and appointments.
  • Email sync with platforms like Outlook, Gmail, etc.

Salesforce pricing

Here are Salesforce’s pricing options: 

  • Starter Suite: $25 per user per month.
  • Professional: $80 per user per month.
  • Enterprise: $165 per user per month.
  • Unlimited: $330 per user per month.
  • Unlimited +: $500 per month.

Insightly 

Insightly dashboard

Image credit: Capterra

Insightly overview

Insightly is an all-in-one CRM favored by users of Google and Office 365 for its ability to centralize: 

  • Customer management.
  • Sales pipelines.
  • Financial data. 

It assigns leads to the appropriate sales representative based on predefined criteria for quick follow-ups and smooth progress through the sales funnel.

Insightly also stands out for its email marketing automation and built-in phone system, Insightly Voice. These features enhance communication letting users save, track, and make calls directly from the CRM’s intuitive interface.

Key features and primary benefits

  • Integrated project management tools.
  • Automatic conversion of won opportunities into projects.
  • Custom fields and tags to personalize your contact data.
  • Robust reporting functionality, including the ability to schedule recurring reports.
  • Automatic lead routing to the appropriate sales rep.
  • Integrations with business tools, including Google and Office 365 integrations.

Insightly pricing

With Insightly, you can take advantage of the following pricing tiers:

  • Plus plan: $29 per user per month. 
  • Professional plan: $49 per month. 
  • Enterprise plan: $99 per user per month. 

SugarCRM 

Image credit: Software Advice

SugarCRM overview

The next Zoho alternative primarily targets marketing agencies and agile teams focusing on sales. SugarCRM facilitates enhanced customer acquisition and retention through its cloud-based platform. 

The platform is known for its global CRM functionalities and advanced features like sales forecasting and workflow automation.

Key features and primary benefits

  • Omnichannel customer communications and interaction history to track every customer journey.
  • AI customer sentiment analysis tools to gain insights into customer relationships.
  • Self-service portal to empower customers to seek solutions on their own.
  • Real-time customer alerts to keep track of top customers’ important activities.

SugarCRM pricing

SugarCRM includes the following pricing options:

  • Essentials: $49 per user per month.
  • Advanced: $85 per user per month.
  • Premier: $135 per user per month. 

Scoro

Scoro overview

Scoro is a comprehensive work and project management solution for service-based businesses. It stands out for its ability to consolidate various business processes into a single, interconnected system. 

Scoro users favor the software for its: 

  • Project and time management tools.
  • Sales pipeline management.
  • Advanced reporting tools.

Key features and primary benefits

  • Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and shared calendars to track progress and manage time effectively.
  • 360-degree view of customers with detailed contact information and communication history.
  • Features for billing, invoicing, and tracking purchases and orders in multiple currencies.
  • Complete overview of financial and performance reports with a single click.

Scoro pricing

The following pricing plans are available:

  • Essential: $26 per user per month. 
  • Standard: $37 per user per month.
  • Pro: $63 per user per month.
  • Ultimate: Contact their sales team. 

LeadSquared 

LeadSquared dashboard

Image credit: LeadSquared

LeadSquared overview

LeadSquared is a sales automation and CRM software designed to:

  • Simplify your sales processes.
  • Improve lead capture.
  • Enhance engagement with potential customers. 

It caters to high-speed sales operations, which makes it a solid choice if you’re looking to optimize your sales funnel and improve conversion rates.

Key features and primary benefits

  • A drag-and-drop landing page builder that captures leads effectively without needing extensive web development skills.
  • Lead scoring to prioritize leads based on their engagement and likelihood to convert.
  • Detailed business insights into sales and marketing performance.
  • Sales automation that takes care of repetitive tasks so your team can focus on more important ones.

LeadSquared pricing

LeadSquared offers the following pricing options. 

  • Lite: $25 per user per month. 
  • Pro: $50 per user per month.
  • Super: $100 per user per month. 
  • Ultimate: Contact their sales team. 

The bottom line on Zoho CRM alternatives

When evaluating Zoho CRM alternatives, it’s crucial to consider:

  • Your business’ specific needs.
  • Budget constraints.
  • Particular features that are most important for your operations. 

Zoho alternatives like Method:CRM stand out for their ease of use and seamless integration with accounting software like QuickBooks. Method offers extensive customization options to personalize your software at an affordable price. 

Ultimately, the best CRM alternative to Zoho is the one that best meets your unique needs. Look for a solution that contributes to growth and efficiency with a balance between cost-effectiveness and functionality.

Zoho alternative FAQs

Is your CRM for developers or salespeople?

Your CRM is primarily for salespeople and small business owners. For example, Method’s no-code platform focuses on managing customer relationships and simplifying sales workflows with powerful automation — without any coding expertise required.

However, it also offers powerful customization options and integrations with business tools that developers find valuable for tailoring the CRM to specific business needs.

Do costs add up over time with Zoho?

Like many SaaS platforms, Zoho’s costs increase as you: s

  • Scale your operations.
  • Add more users.
  • Subscribe to additional features and services. 

It’s designed so you can start with basic functionalities and add more tools at an additional cost as your needs grow.

Why choose Method:CRM as a Zoho alternative?

Method:CRM is an all-in-one CRM and the leading Zoho alternative. It offers:

  • Seamless integration with QuickBooks and Xero.
  • Extensive customization.
  • An intuitive user interface.

As a result, it’s ideal for small businesses looking for efficient sales and marketing tools.

Grow your business and not your stress. Start your free trial of Method today.

Streamline your business with Method

Start your free trial — no credit card, no contract.