We analyze how much customer relationship management systems cost and make a comparison
The price of a CRM usually currently oscillates in Spain between €30 and €100 per month. To know for sure how much a CRM costs, you must take into account various factors, not only those related to the offer of the service provider, but also those related to the company’s requirements.
To shed some light on this topic, we’ll look at costs based on different variables and finally compare the rates of some of the leading systems.
CRM pricing models
Depending on the type of software, some companies are inclined to implement a pricing system or another based on their business strategy. There are three types of pricing models when marketing a CRM :
- Open Source model . Open source software would fall into this category. In this case, the CRM is free but other services such as cloud hosting or specific plugins are marketed . Example: CRM Suite .
- Owner model . The company that owns the system establishes “closed” price plans in terms of functionalities and number of users. The customer “upgrades” to a higher rate whenever they want. Example: SumCRM.
- Freemium model . Based on a modular system, this model offers basic functions at no cost, these can be expanded or complemented with additional modules in exchange for a fee. Example: Hubspot.
How much does a CRM cost from an economic point of view?
The price of the CRM must be calculated taking into account the following points:
- The cost of the license : Is it a one-time payment or is there a monthly fee? The CRM’s that are installed on the client’s servers sell the license as property. Those that are hosted in the cloud charge a monthly fee based on the number of users.
- The cost in hours : Yes, time is also money, so how much will it cost my business to learn how to use the new system?
- The cost of customizations: it is better to know from the beginning how easy it is to adapt the solution to our company. If we have very specific needs and the software is too rigid and not very customizable, we will risk wasting a fortune on progressive adaptations.
- The cost of “hidden” fees: Are there fees for maintenance or updates? Knowing the price of these charges, sometimes hidden, is essential. Cloud systems include them in their monthly fee.
- The cost of modules or additional features: Some users opt for a free CRM only to complain that it doesn’t have more features than a calendar. There is no database, there are no filters, there is no geolocation, there are no budgets, there is no mail management, there are no marketing campaigns, there is nothing… Everything that is useful must be paid for.
How much does a CRM cost in terms of corporate effort?
A CRM shapes a business, it inevitably changes your work habits. But to make sense it must be fed with information. This information in many cases must be recorded manually (phone calls, documents, offers, meetings, etc.) and must be added with logic, so that anyone can easily access the data. Therefore, the adoption of a CRM requires the effort to put processes and functions in order, and to methodically and continuously feed the amount of information stored.
CRM price comparison
In the following table you will see a list of the most popular CRM’s and the prices of their different plans . It should be clarified that this comparison is only intended to be an indicative guide since the functionalities offered differ greatly between providers. To find out about them, we recommend that you take a look at our article on CRM for SMEs . Rates shown are per user per month unless otherwise noted.
Conclusion: the price of not buying a CRM
Buying or subscribing to a CRM has a price, but also immobility and indecision have one, only more hidden and often not considered. If a company’s employees forget negotiations with potential customers or waste time looking for contacts and documentation, the cost will be paid in terms of productivity and efficiency.
