SoftwareGlimpse
Updated 2026-08-18

Salesforce alternatives

Approved substitutes for Salesforce from existing SoftwareGlimpse catalogue peers and editorial assessments. This is a job-fit list, not a ranked best-of.

Looking beyond

Salesforce logo

Salesforce

7.8/10

Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and mid-market teams.

Read our full Salesforce review →

Best overall alternative

HubSpot logo

HubSpot

7.8/10

HubSpot is a catalogue substitute when SMB and mid-market teams wanting free CRM now and room to expand into hubs later. Stay with Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

See how we compare →

Best Salesforce alternatives

  • 1
    HubSpot logo

    HubSpot

    Best overall

    HubSpot is a catalogue substitute when SMB and mid-market teams wanting free CRM now and room to expand into hubs later. Stay with Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

    Best for
    SMB and mid-market teams wanting free CRM now and room to expand into hubs later
    Starting price
    See pricing
    View review
    Visit website
  • 2
    Microsoft Dynamics 365 logo

    Dynamics 365

    Dynamics 365 is a catalogue substitute when Mid-market and enterprise teams standardized on Microsoft 365. Stay with Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

    Best for
    Mid-market and enterprise teams standardized on Microsoft 365
    Starting price
    See pricing
    View review
    Visit website
  • 3
    Pipedrive logo

    Pipedrive

    Pipedrive is a catalogue substitute when SMB and mid-market sales teams prioritizing pipeline visibility. Stay with Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

    Best for
    SMB and mid-market sales teams prioritizing pipeline visibility
    Starting price
    See pricing
    View review
    Visit website
  • 4
    Freshworks logo

    Freshsales

    Freshsales is a catalogue substitute when SMB and mid-market teams wanting CRM + phone/email engagement. Stay with Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

    Best for
    SMB and mid-market teams wanting CRM + phone/email engagement
    Starting price
    See pricing
    View review
    Visit website

Compare alternatives side by side

Some links may be affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rankings and scores are never based on commission. Affiliate disclosure

Alternative details

HubSpot

HubSpot is a catalogue substitute when SMB and mid-market teams wanting free CRM now and room to expand into hubs later. Stay with Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

  • SMB and mid-market teams wanting free CRM now and room to expand into hubs later
  • Organizations aligning marketing + sales + service on one customer platform

Worse when

  • Teams that need a simple single-price sales CRM without hub/seat complexity (consider Pipedrive)
  • Buyers who want native dialer-first workflows as the primary product story (consider Close/Freshsales)

Key tradeoff: Freemium breadth and suite power vs rising seat/hub complexity at scale vs Platform power and ecosystem depth vs ease of use and admin overhead.

Dynamics 365

Dynamics 365 is a catalogue substitute when Mid-market and enterprise teams standardized on Microsoft 365. Stay with Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

  • Mid-market and enterprise teams standardized on Microsoft 365
  • Sales orgs needing Outlook/Teams-centric CRM workflows

Worse when

  • Simple SMB buyers who mainly need a visual pipeline board
  • Teams seeking the lowest-cost per-seat CRM

Key tradeoff: Microsoft ecosystem depth vs SMB CRM simplicity and price vs Platform power and ecosystem depth vs ease of use and admin overhead.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a catalogue substitute when SMB and mid-market sales teams prioritizing pipeline visibility. Stay with Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

  • SMB and mid-market sales teams prioritizing pipeline visibility
  • Teams standardizing activity-based selling habits

Worse when

  • Buyers who need native dialer + AI lead scoring tightly bundled like Freshsales
  • Organizations that need unlimited enterprise configurability without caps

Key tradeoff: Pipeline clarity and sales focus vs broader Freshworks-style engagement suites vs Platform power and ecosystem depth vs ease of use and admin overhead.

Freshsales

Freshsales is a catalogue substitute when SMB and mid-market teams wanting CRM + phone/email engagement. Stay with Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Reasons come from approved editorial assessments — not a ranked best-of list.

Better when

  • SMB and mid-market teams wanting CRM + phone/email engagement
  • Buyers prioritizing AI lead scoring and Freddy assistance

Worse when

  • Teams that want a minimal pipeline board with the lightest possible surface
  • Buyers who need free forever CRM verified on the pricing page

Key tradeoff: Capability depth vs total cost of ownership on higher plans vs Platform power and ecosystem depth vs ease of use and admin overhead.

Editorial note

Stay on Salesforce when Mid-market and enterprise sales orgs needing deep customization and reporting. Move to HubSpot when SMB and mid-market teams wanting free CRM now and room to expand into hubs later. Move to Dynamics 365 when Mid-market and enterprise teams standardized on Microsoft 365. Move to Pipedrive when SMB and mid-market sales teams prioritizing pipeline visibility. Move to Freshsales when SMB and mid-market teams wanting CRM + phone/email engagement. Not a ranked best-of list — affiliate relationships never set the order.

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How to choose a Salesforce alternative

  • Define your priorities

    List must-have workflows, team size, and budget before you fall for a feature checklist.

  • Compare your options

    Use the same criteria across products — and ignore affiliate status when you weigh fit.

  • Test before you decide

    Trial the shortlist with a real workflow. We only claim hands-on testing when it happened.

Affiliate disclosure: some links may be affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rankings and scores are never based on commission. Full disclosure

Methodology disclosure: scores and recommendations follow SoftwareGlimpse evaluation criteria (version 1.0.0). Affiliate relationships do not determine rankings.

How we recommend: product claims are tied to recorded research where available.

AI-assisted disclosure: drafts may be AI-assisted from approved facts and assessments. Humans approve publishable editorial judgments. AI does not invent live prices or claim hands-on testing.

Editorial methodology · Affiliate disclosure

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