Going to implement marketing automation and considering SalesForce? We advice to view similar platforms to make a decision.

When clients choose marketing automation software, in most cases they are looking for functionality for email builder, marketing lead database, landing page builder, lead scoring, segmentation etc.

Comparing SalesForce with competitors people pay attention to the automation builder, customer data platform, chatbots, conversations, survey builder, segmentation, number of triggers and actions and so on.

We’ve compiled a list of top 10 competitors that are very resembling in cost and features to SalesForce. The list is based on popularity, so if SalesForce doesn’t suit you in any way, here you can easily select the best variant for you.

E2 Shop System

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We help shops and manufacturers of all kinds and sizes work smarter for improved efficiencies, greater flexibility and bigger profits.

Zoho One CRM

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Zoho One CRM is an integrated, smart, customizable business software designed to escalate your business way faster than before. Zoho One CRM is the ideal tool for operating your small business.

Capsule CRM

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Capsule CRM is an online Customer Relationship CRM that is very simple to use. Capsule CRM is the ideal choice for small and medium-sized businesses. Capsule CRM helps you develop strong customer relationships, make more sales, and get a clear picture of your business so that you can make more informed decisions.

ActiveCampaign

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ActiveCampaign is a platform that helps businesses automate customer experiences and build meaningful connections with their customers. Since 2003, ActiveCampaign has created tools that are both powerful and easy to use – because growing businesses don't always have the time to set up new tech. Today, 80,000+ businesses use ActiveCampaign for their email marketing, marketing automation, or CRM.

Freshsales

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Freshsales CRM is all-in-one project software, that is free and can enhance team collaboration and communication and streamlines the entire project management journey. This CRM brings context, collaboration, and productivity that helps you sell better.

Propertybase

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Propertybase is the industry's most comprehensive suite of tools including CRM, Back Office, Lead Generation, Marketing & More make every step from search to sold an intelligent and seamless experience.

Zoho CRM

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Zoho CRM is the name of an on-demand, SaaS-based customer relationship management (CRM) software solution designed to manage sales, marketing, contacts, customer support and other business functions.

Oracle Sales

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Oracle Sales Cloud offers an array of capabilities built to meet the essential needs of sales organizations. Easy-to-use productivity tools empowers sales with the information and guidance they need to close more deals quickly; “always-on” access even when on the go increases sales teams’ effectiveness and “right-time” insights engenders sales performance.

OPAL CRM

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OPAL CRM is a unique CRM Software to track and Manage Leads offline and online in a single window. It allows auto segmentation of leads, High performing CRM software for Enterprise and Small businesses. It is easy to use and fits in all budgets. It is used to streamline the everyday process of tracking the leads and Extendable Enterprise needs.

InSyncTelco CRM

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InSyncTelco is the Best CRM for Small Business that has all the basic capabilities that small businesses need in CRM software, but is also highly ascendible as your business grows up. Moreover, InSyncTelco is one of the most affordable CRM solutions available; there's a free version to help you get started, and paid plans to start at a small part of the price of comparable CRM software.

Apptivo

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Apptivo is the perfect small business suite for google apps. Apptivo has CRM, Project Management, Invoicing, Timesheets and more. Apptivo's business suite consists of 40+ apps that are integrated and seamlessly work with each other. The information is shared across apps, so data once created can be used everywhere improving overall productivity.

How to choose SalesForce substitute

Many marketing automation platforms are resembling each other. Software with the same features can differ in cost by 2 times. The first feature you should look at is the availability of node interface. This is a basic feature of marketing automation apps and if it doesn’t include this feature, most likely this software isn’t ready yet. All node interfaces look almost identical. It's important not to pay attention to the UI, but look at the features.

In a month, you'll get used to the UI, but the missing features will always annoy you. Changing marketing automation software is very time-consuming. If you have the usual email chains set up, it's not that hard to change platform. But if you've already set up integrations, workflow, and have complex funnels, it can take years to replace the tool. That's why you should be attentive to study SalesForce competitors.

What to pay attention to when investigating the flow builder? It has 4 important features categories.

1. Triggers. For example, "Form submit" is a trigger that starts a funnel. The most often used triggers are: opening an email, clicking a link in an email, reaching a goal, adding or removing a tag, closing a deal, visiting a page, etc. In each system for marketing automation this set may differ. The more, the better.
2. Action. For instance, "Send email". This is the most standard action you can have. The most popular actions are: add or remove a tag, send a text message, send a messenger message, set a salesperson task, update a transaction, notify someone by email, move a transaction to another stage, etc.
3. Delay. For example, "Wait 3 days. Subscriber submit the form on the website and get in the marketing automation app (Trigger), the system sends a Welcome email (Action). After that the tool waits 2 hours (delay) and sends a second email. This is the most simple automation. But there are other variants. For example, "Wait until something happens". Or wait until January 20th, or wait until 10 PM in the subscriber’s time zone.
4. If/else. For example, "If a lead, has the tag "Purchased product #1", send the email, if the subscriber doesn't have the tag "Purchased product #1", wait 4 days and send the email. The most often used if/else parameters are: visited the site page, bought certain items, opened certain emails, user field the user card matches some requirements. This is information according to which you can segment the subscriber base.

Analyzing the automation builder, you should look carefully at all four categories of features. The more, the better. Usually it appears that powerful marketing automation software with the greatest number of features look uncomfortable. New platforms look nice, but they have few features. You look into the tool you want to use very deeply. Otherwise, it will be very hard to change it in the future.

After you've analyzed the automation builder, you need to whether there are integrations with the platforms you need. Fortunately, Apiway can help you. In most cases, apps like SalesForce are the core of business IT infrastructure. It's like a digital hub for all your customer. This type of app is like an tree, which is putting its tentacles into other software. Software like SalesForce has to integrate with most other ones. Or you’ll have to spend a lot of money and time making custom integrations.

Also those who are looking for alternatives to SalesForce use tools from other categories like chatbot software, helpdesk software, CRM system, lead management software