Salesforce alternative
Salesforce is an enterprise tool — often too much for SMBs.
Salesforce is the CRM king at large companies. But at 5–30 people, license cost, rollout, and complexity are often disproportionate to the benefit. There's a better path.
When to stay on Salesforce
Salesforce is a serious investment — but in some situations it's worth it.
- 50+ sales team with complex, multi-country processes.
- Already rolled out, working, with dedicated Salesforce admin team.
- You need the AppExchange ecosystem (pre-built integrations).
- Budget allows millions per year in license + implementation.
4 signs Salesforce is too much for you
I hear these from SMB clients who switched to Salesforce then moved back to something simpler.
License cost exceeds dev budget
Sales Cloud + Marketing Cloud + Support = thousands monthly. Disproportionate for a 10-person team.
6-month rollout and it still doesn't work
Implementation partner, customization, training — Salesforce rollout is a project itself. Too much for SMBs.
Team doesn't use it
Too complex UI, too many fields, too many clicks. Salespeople go back to Excel.
Local specifics missing
Hungarian invoicing integration, tax reporting, local language support — extra cost and dev in Salesforce.
Salesforce vs. custom CRM
| Aspect | Salesforce | Custom CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Annual license (10 users) | €8k–€20k+ (plan-dependent) | €0 — one-time build |
| Rollout time | 3–9 months (with implementation partner) | 2–4 months |
| Customization | Configuration + Apex code (expensive) | Full freedom, your processes |
| Local integrations | AppExchange or custom (extra fee) | Local invoicing, tax — native |
| User experience | Enterprise UI, learning curve | Simple, only what you use |
| Data ownership | Salesforce cloud (exportable) | EU server, full control |
Migrating from Salesforce to custom CRM
Salesforce data exports cleanly — accounts, opportunities, and activities can move.
Salesforce audit
Which objects, fields, flows are active? What you actually use vs. what you "had to" have?
Lean CRM design
We don't copy Salesforce — we design the minimum that works for your team.
Data migration
Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities export and import. Duplicates and stale records cleaned.
Retire Salesforce
New CRM goes live, Salesforce license can be cancelled — significant annual savings.
Cost comparison
Salesforce for 10 users: €8k–€20k/year license + implementation. Custom CRM: €3,800–12,500 one-time build. Custom is cheaper in 1–2 years — then maintenance only.
If you're already on Salesforce, let's calculate annual TCO (license + admin + dev hours) vs. custom CRM one-time + maintenance.