ACT! vs Salesforce
Thesis: Same category, different company size — Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Same category, different company size. Choose ACT! only if your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape. Choose Salesforce only if your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape. Workflow advantage: ACT! leans contact-management; Salesforce leans sales-automation, complex-sales-processes. Trade-off: you gain focus on one product's motion at the cost of the other's adjacent coverage — no universal winner. Major differences: - Buyer thesis: Same category, different company size — Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. - Positioning: ACT! is ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).; Salesforce is Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and mid-market teams.. - Company-size focus: ACT! (micro, small-business) vs Salesforce (mid-market, enterprise). - Workflow coverage skew: ACT!-leaning contact-management vs Salesforce-leaning sales-automation, complex-sales-processes, inbound-sales. - Researched limits: ACT! — Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales; Salesforce — USD list pricing rises quickly: Pro Suite $100, Enterprise $175, Unlimited $350 per user/month (annual). Add-ons (Agentforce for Sales from $125 Contact us, Revenue Intelligence, Success Plans) increase TCO.. Limitations — ACT!: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales; Legacy SMB brand vs modern cloud CRM UX expectations; Salesforce: USD list pricing rises quickly: Pro Suite $100, Enterprise $175, Unlimited $350 per user/month (annual). Add-ons (Agentforce for Sales from $125 Contact us, Revenue Intelligence, Success Plans) increase TCO.; Premier Support is an add-on on Pro Suite. Agentforce for Sales, Sales Programs, Revenue Intelligence, and Revenue Cloud are separate paid add-ons; some require Contact us.. Poor-fit cases: ACT! is a poor fit when that limitation bites: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales · Salesforce is a poor fit when that limitation bites: USD list pricing rises quickly: Pro Suite $100, Enterprise $175, Unlimited $350 per user/month (annual). Add-ons (Agentforce for Sales from $125 Contact us, Revenue Intelligence, Success Plans) increase TCO. · Avoid ACT! if you actually need Salesforce's motion (Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across ) Neither product has a completed hands-on product test on SoftwareGlimpse — this comparison is research/data-based only.
ACT!
ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).
Best for
- • your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape
- • use-case priority is contact-management and Salesforce is secondary for that motion
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
Same category, different company size. Choose ACT! only if your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape. Choose Salesforce only if your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape. Workflow advantage: ACT! leans contact-management; Salesforce leans sales-automation, complex-sales-processes. Trade-off: you gain focus on one product's motion at the cost of the other's adjacent coverage — no universal winner. ACT! is a poor fit when that limitation bites: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales Salesforce is a poor fit when that limitation bites: USD list pricing rises quickly: Pro Suite $100, Enterprise $175, Unlimited $350 per user/month (annual). Add-ons (Agentforce for Sales from $125 Contact us, Revenue Intelligence, Success Plans) increase TCO. Hard limitation for ACT! when it matters: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales. Hard limitation for Salesforce when it matters: USD list pricing rises quickly: Pro Suite $100, Enterprise $175, Unlimited $350 per user/month (annual). Add-ons (Agentforce for Sales from $125 Contact us, Revenue Intelligence, Success Plans) increase TCO.. Neither product has a completed hands-on product test on SoftwareGlimpse — this comparison is research/data-based only. Pricing threshold: estimate spend with the cost calculator before shortlisting.
ACT! is better for
- ✓ Ease of use
- ✓ Administration
- ✓ Value for money
Salesforce is better for
- ✓ Pipeline management
- ✓ Sales automation
- ✓ Email capabilities
- ✓ Reporting
Choose ACT! if: your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape
Choose Salesforce if: your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape
Salesforce
Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and mid-market teams.
Best for
- • your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape
- • use-case priority is pipeline-management and ACT! is secondary for that motion
Starting from $25.00/user/mo
Free plan available
Quick verdict
Start here — then dig into the evidence below.
Choose ACT! if…
- your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape
- use-case priority is contact-management and Salesforce is secondary for that motion
- You prioritize ease of use
- You prioritize administration
Choose Salesforce if…
- your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape
- use-case priority is pipeline-management and ACT! is secondary for that motion
- You prioritize pipeline management
- You prioritize sales automation
Overall recommendation
Same category, different company size. Choose ACT! only if your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape. Choose Salesforce only if your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape. Workflow advantage: ACT! leans contact-management; Salesforce leans sales-automation, complex-sales-processes. Trade-off: you gain focus on one product's motion at the cost of the other's adjacent coverage — no universal winner. ACT! is a poor fit when that limitation bites: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales Salesforce is a poor fit when that limitation bites: USD list pricing rises quickly: Pro Suite $100, Enterprise $175, Unlimited $350 per user/month (annual). Add-ons (Agentforce for Sales from $125 Contact us, Revenue Intelligence, Success Plans) increase TCO. Hard limitation for ACT! when it matters: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales. Hard limitation for Salesforce when it matters: USD list pricing rises quickly: Pro Suite $100, Enterprise $175, Unlimited $350 per user/month (annual). Add-ons (Agentforce for Sales from $125 Contact us, Revenue Intelligence, Success Plans) increase TCO.. Neither product has a completed hands-on product test on SoftwareGlimpse — this comparison is research/data-based only. Pricing threshold: estimate spend with the cost calculator before shortlisting.
Key trade-off
ACT! trades toward ease of use; Salesforce trades toward pipeline management.
Winner by category
Only dimensions with researched evidence for this pair.
| Dimension | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | ACT! wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on ease of use: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to ACT! on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Sales | Salesforce wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on pipeline management: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Automation | Salesforce wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on sales automation: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Email capabilities | Salesforce wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on email capabilities: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Reporting | Salesforce wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on reporting: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Customization | Salesforce wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on customization: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Integrations | Salesforce wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on integrations: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Administration | ACT! wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on administration: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to ACT! on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Enterprise suitability | Salesforce wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on scalability: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
| Value | ACT! wins | ACT! vs Salesforce on value for money: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to ACT! on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above. |
Side-by-side feature matrix
Normalized availability from product research — empty rows are not shown.
Core CRM
| Feature | ACT! | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Contact management | Strong | Strong |
| Lead management | Strong | Strong |
| Pipeline management | Strong | Strong |
| Deal management | Strong | Strong |
Sales engagement
| Feature | ACT! | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Email sync | Strong | Strong |
| Email tracking | Strong | Strong |
| Email sequences | Not evidenced | Moderate |
| Call functionality | Not evidenced | Moderate |
| Workflow automation | Moderate | Strong |
| Sales automation | Strong | Strong |
| Lead scoring | Not evidenced | Strong |
Reporting
| Feature | ACT! | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting | Moderate | Strong |
| Forecasting | Not evidenced | Moderate |
Platform
| Feature | ACT! | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations | Strong | Strong |
| Custom fields | Strong | Strong |
| Custom pipelines | Moderate | Strong |
| Mobile app | Strong | Strong |
| AI assistance | Not evidenced | Strong |
Additional capabilities
| Feature | ACT! | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Data enrichment | Not evidenced | Moderate |
| Prospecting | Not evidenced | Moderate |
| Meeting scheduling | Not evidenced | Moderate |
| Email campaigns | Not evidenced | Strong |
Pricing comparison
Pricing evidence last checked Aug 16, 2026.
ACT!
- ACT! (contact sales)Custom
Salesforce
From $25.00/user/mo
- Free Suite$0.00/user/mo
- Starter Suite$25.00/user/mo
- Pro Suite$100.00/user/mo
- Enterprise$175.00/user/mo
- Unlimited$350.00/user/mo
Seat-count estimates
Labeled estimates from verified starting per-seat pricing — not invoices.
| Seats | ACT! | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | — | ~$125.00/mo (Starter Suite × 5) |
| 10 | — | ~$250.00/mo (Starter Suite × 10) |
| 25 | — | ~$625.00/mo (Starter Suite × 25) |
| 50 | — | ~$1,250.00/mo (Starter Suite × 50) |
Estimate from verified starting per-seat pricing — actual total depends on plan, annual discounts, and add-ons.
Starting prices not verified for either product Model team cost scenarios in the crm cost calculator Cost calculator: /tools/crm-cost-calculator/
Best for
Scenario picks from researched strengths — not a universal ranking.
- → Depends
Prefer ACT! when your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape
Prefer ACT! when your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape
- → Depends
Prefer ACT! when use-case priority is contact-management and Salesforce is secondary for that motion
Prefer ACT! when use-case priority is contact-management and Salesforce is secondary for that motion
- → Depends
Prefer Salesforce when your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape
Prefer Salesforce when your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape
- → Depends
Prefer Salesforce when use-case priority is pipeline-management and ACT! is secondary for that motion
Prefer Salesforce when use-case priority is pipeline-management and ACT! is secondary for that motion
- → ACT!
Best for ease of use
ACT! vs Salesforce on ease of use: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to ACT! on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
- → ACT!
Best for administration
ACT! vs Salesforce on administration: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to ACT! on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
The differences that actually matter
Pair-specific analysis for ACT! vs Salesforce — not generic category copy.
Pipeline management
Salesforce aheadOn pipeline management, Salesforce is ahead. ACT!: Trails Salesforce on this criterion. Salesforce: ACT! vs Salesforce on pipeline management: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.. Feature evidence also diverges on Workflow automation (ACT!: Moderate; Salesforce: Strong); Reporting (ACT!: Moderate; Salesforce: Strong); Custom pipelines (ACT!: Moderate; Salesforce: Strong).
Email capabilities
Salesforce aheadOn email capabilities, Salesforce is ahead. ACT!: Trails Salesforce on this criterion. Salesforce: ACT! vs Salesforce on email capabilities: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above..
Sales automation
Salesforce aheadOn sales automation, Salesforce is ahead. ACT!: Trails Salesforce on this criterion. Salesforce: ACT! vs Salesforce on sales automation: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above..
Reporting
Salesforce aheadOn reporting, Salesforce is ahead. ACT!: Trails Salesforce on this criterion. Salesforce: ACT! vs Salesforce on reporting: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above..
Value for money
ACT! aheadOn value for money, ACT! is ahead. ACT!: ACT! vs Salesforce on value for money: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to ACT! on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.. Salesforce: Trails ACT! on this criterion.
Pros and cons
Product-specific for this pair — derived from researched outcomes and editorial notes.
ACT!
Pros
- Stronger on ease of use
- Stronger on administration
- Stronger on value for money
Cons
- Trails on pipeline management
- Trails on sales automation
- Trails on email capabilities
Salesforce
Pros
- Stronger on pipeline management
- Stronger on sales automation
- Stronger on email capabilities
- Stronger on reporting
Cons
- Trails on ease of use
- Trails on administration
- Trails on value for money
Implementation & learning curve
Based on researched setup / ease criteria for this pair.
ACT!
- Stronger on ease of use: ACT! vs Salesforce on ease of use: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to ACT! on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
- Stronger on administration: ACT! vs Salesforce on administration: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to ACT! on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
Salesforce
- Trails on ease of use relative to ACT!
- Trails on administration relative to ACT!
Integrations
Overlaps and exclusives from product integration data when available.
ACT!: Strong. Salesforce: Strong.
Who should not choose each product
Decision quality improves when we say who should walk away.
Don't choose ACT! if…
- You need Salesforce's stronger pipeline management more than ACT!'s strengths
- You need Salesforce's stronger sales automation more than ACT!'s strengths
- You need Salesforce's stronger email capabilities more than ACT!'s strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape
Don't choose Salesforce if…
- You need ACT!'s stronger ease of use more than Salesforce's strengths
- You need ACT!'s stronger administration more than Salesforce's strengths
- You need ACT!'s stronger value for money more than Salesforce's strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape
Alternatives worth considering
When neither product is the right fit.
AI-powered customer platform with free forever CRM, plus paid Smart CRM seats and Sales/Marketing/Service hubs for growing teams.
Pipeline-first sales CRM for visual deal management, activity-based selling, and growing sales teams.
Simple small-business CRM for contacts, sales pipelines, tasks, and lightweight automation without enterprise complexity.
Freshworks sales CRM for lead management and pipeline workflows.
Final verdict
Scenario-level close — not a repeat of the intro.
ACT! wins when…
your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape
Salesforce wins when…
your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape
- Prefer ACT! when your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shapeDepends
- Prefer ACT! when use-case priority is contact-management and Salesforce is secondary for that motionDepends
- Prefer Salesforce when your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shapeDepends
- Prefer Salesforce when use-case priority is pipeline-management and ACT! is secondary for that motionDepends
Which one should you choose?
Choose ACT! if:
- your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape
- use-case priority is contact-management and Salesforce is secondary for that motion
Choose Salesforce if:
- your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape
- use-case priority is pipeline-management and ACT! is secondary for that motion
Product screenshots
Real product UI from our media library — no placeholders.
Salesforce
FAQ
- Is ACT! better than Salesforce?
- Same category, different company size. Choose ACT! only if your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape. Choose Salesforce only if your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape. Workflow advantage: ACT! leans contact-management; Salesforce leans sales-automation, complex-sales-processes. Trade-off: you gain focus on one product's motion at the cost of the other's adjacent coverage — no universal winner. ACT! is a poor fit when that limitation bites: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales Salesforce is a poor fit when that limitation bites: USD list pricing rises quickly: Pro Suite $100, Enterprise $175, Unlimited $350 per user/month (annual). Add-ons (Agentforce for Sales from $125 Contact us, Revenue Intelligence, Success Plans) increase TCO. Hard limitation for ACT! when it matters: Precise public list pricing not asserted — contact sales. Hard limitation for Salesforce when it matters: USD list pricing rises quickly: Pro Suite $100, Enterprise $175, Unlimited $350 per user/month (annual). Add-ons (Agentforce for Sales from $125 Contact us, Revenue Intelligence, Success Plans) increase TCO.. Neither product has a completed hands-on product test on SoftwareGlimpse — this comparison is research/data-based only. Pricing threshold: estimate spend with the cost calculator before shortlisting.
- Which is easier to use?
- ACT! vs Salesforce on ease of use: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to ACT! on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
- Which CRM fits which team?
- ACT!: your buying job matches “ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).” rather than Salesforce's shape Salesforce: your buying job matches “Enterprise CRM platform for sales, service, marketing, and customer data across large and ” rather than ACT!'s shape
- Which is stronger for sales automation?
- ACT! vs Salesforce on sales automation: Both sit in crm, but documented company-size audiences diverge. Decision edge to Salesforce on this criterion for this pair — unlike a generic feature matrix, the hinge is the buyer job above.
- Does ACT! or Salesforce have a free plan?
- ACT!: No free plan. Salesforce: Free plan available.
- How does ACT! vs Salesforce pricing compare?
- Salesforce starts from $25.00/user/mo. Confirm live vendor pricing before purchasing.
- How did SoftwareGlimpse compare these products?
- We map both products to the same category criteria, then evaluate trade-offs using verified product, pricing and feature evidence. Affiliate relationships never change outcomes.
- reviewACT! review
- reviewSalesforce review
- pricingACT! pricing
- pricingSalesforce pricing
- alternativeHubSpot alternative
- alternativePipedrive alternative
- alternativeCapsule alternative
- guideWhat Is CRM Software? A Complete Beginner’s Guide
- guideHow CRM Software Works: Records, Pipelines & Activity
- guideTypes of CRM Software: Operational, Suites & Sales CRM Shapes
- categoryCRM hub
- finderFind My CRM
- calculatorCost calculator
Related comparisons
Alternatives to consider
HubSpot
AI-powered customer platform with free forever CRM, plus paid Smart CRM seats and Sales/Marketing/Service hubs for growing teams.
Pipedrive
Pipeline-first sales CRM for visual deal management, activity-based selling, and growing sales teams.
Capsule
Simple small-business CRM for contacts, sales pipelines, tasks, and lightweight automation without enterprise complexity.
Freshsales
Freshworks sales CRM for lead management and pipeline workflows.
Still deciding between ACT! and Salesforce?
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