
When to Skip the Market-Leading CRM for Your SMB
The biggest CRM is not always the safest choice. Here is when SMBs should skip it and shortlist simpler options.
Learn moreRatings, pricing and all 12 key features, side by side. Open either profile for the full review.
| Editor rating | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Starting price | $25 per user | $65 per user |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Best for | Growing companies with complex processes and someone to administer it | Midsize and large companies standardized on Microsoft 365 |
| Key features | ||
| Ease of use | 3.6 / 5 | 3.5 / 5 |
| Features | 4.9 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 |
| Value for money | 3.8 / 5 | 3.7 / 5 |
| Customer support | 4.2 / 5 | 4.0 / 5 |
| Visual sales pipeline | Yes | Yes |
| Two-way email sync | Yes | Yes |
| Workflow automation | Yes | Yes |
| Email sequences | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in calling | Yes | Yes |
| Lead scoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sales forecasting | Yes | Yes |
| Custom reports | Yes | Yes |
| Marketing campaigns | Yes | No |
| Quotes and invoices | Yes | Yes |
| AI assistant | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile apps | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | 7,000+ (AppExchange) | Microsoft 365, Power Platform and AppSource apps |
| Mobile | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
| Support | Standard support included; Premier is paid | Microsoft support plans and a large partner network |
| Founded | 1999 · San Francisco, CA | 2003 · Redmond, WA |
| View Salesforce Sales Cloud profile | View Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales profile |
Growing and large companies with complex processes, multiple teams and the resources to administer the platform.
Skip it if: small teams without an administrator that want to be productive in the first week.
Salesforce is the right answer when your process is the product and you can staff an admin. For a team under 20 without one, it is usually more CRM than you need.
Organizations with a Microsoft 365 footprint, an IT team and processes that justify a configurable platform.
Skip it if: small businesses that want to sign up and start selling the same day.
For a Microsoft-centred enterprise, Dynamics 365 Sales is often the most coherent option: one identity, one data platform, one vendor. For anyone else it is a heavy system whose advantages you will not use.

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