Zoho is a platform that many people may not have heard of. Behind it lies a powerful all-in-one package for your business. From customer management to accounting, inventory management, and HR, Zoho offers a comprehensive all-in-one solution.
In this blog post we provide an overview of the key questions: What does the Zoho platform offer? How does Zoho work? In what ways can Zoho serve as an ERP solution?
We also compare Zoho vs HubSpot vs Pipedrive, two major players in the CRM space, and highlight the advantages and disadvantages of Zoho in everyday use. Finally, we clarify who Zoho is really suitable for and whether it represents a serious alternative to the well-known CRM systems.
Zoho describes itself as an “operating system for businesses,” and that is hard to disagree with. The platform includes more than 40 apps covering almost every business area, from sales to marketing, from support and accounting to HR and even project management. What makes it special is that these applications are interconnected and can be centrally managed through Zoho One in a single platform. This allows companies to connect and automate their business processes without having to rely on numerous isolated solutions and integrate them manually. Custom integrations in particular are a challenge that causes many companies significant effort and costs. It is therefore all the more welcome that Zoho already connects CRM and ERP. Zoho delivers an integrated, configurable system that helps your teams work more efficiently and enables your business to grow faster. You can build your own system and adapt it to your specific needs at any time. Need a particular function such as project management? No problem, you can simply add the app and integrate it into your setup with minimal effort. All tools are also available as mobile apps, allowing you to access your system from anywhere. The Zoho platform not only saves costs by eliminating the need for multiple software subscriptions but also reduces the effort required for integration. Zoho scales with your business, from small startups to large enterprises. Its flexible expansion through Zoho Apps makes this possible. As a result, Zoho offers a versatile alternative for anyone seeking a comprehensive solution without having to use a different tool for every single function.
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The Zoho CRM is at the core of the platform and is among the world’s leading customer relationship management systems. It offers a wide range of features in sales, marketing, and support. Your sales team can capture and qualify leads and track them through a visual pipeline all the way to closing deals. Every stage of the sales funnel can be mapped and customized to match your own processes. One of Zoho’s greatest strengths is workflow automation. Recurring tasks can be created quickly and easily. For example, the system can automatically send follow-up emails or assign a new lead directly to the responsible employee. These automations are not only convenient but also save time and ensure that every customer receives the right information at the right time. In addition to standard workflows, Zoho CRM also provides an advanced automation toolkit that includes Blueprints (for defining process flows) and Macros for routine tasks. Zoho also offers an AI service called Zia, which helps support your employees in their daily work. If you still reach the limits of the powerful toolkit, Zoho has another solution called Deluge, a powerful programming language with virtually no limits. With Deluge, technically skilled users can program business logic and automate nearly any conceivable action, even across multiple Zoho apps. From special validations in the CRM to integrations with third-party systems and fully customized functions, Zoho CRM can be configured not only through clicks but also extended programmatically when needed. This flexibility is a unique feature that many other CRM systems do not offer. The data analysis features provide real-time insights into sales figures, conversion rates, and other KPIs. Thanks to its adaptability - from adding custom fields to writing Deluge scripts - every company can set up Zoho CRM in a way that perfectly fits its own processes.
In addition to the CRM module, Zoho also covers many ERP functions, including resource planning and the management of internal processes. Zoho One includes a complete suite of apps for you, including accounting software, inventory management, HR tools, and more.
Here is an overview of some of these applications:
Zoho Books is a comprehensive accounting software that helps businesses manage finances, invoices, expenses, and tax compliance. With Zoho Books, you can create quotes and invoices, record expenses, and link bank accounts. Reports such as profit and loss statements, balance sheets, or VAT analyses are available at the click of a button. Zoho Books helps automate accounting processes and ensures you always have a clear view of your financial situation.
Zoho Inventory is an inventory management software that efficiently manages stock levels, orders, and deliveries while integrating seamlessly with your existing system. For example, online store orders can be automatically synchronized with the warehouse. Businesses can keep track of items, storage locations, and minimum stock levels, and can generate pick lists or delivery notes directly within the system. Warehouse processes can be made more efficient, from goods receipt to shipping. It is particularly useful that Zoho Inventory can easily connect with e-commerce platforms such as Shopify or WooCommerce.
Zoho People is a comprehensive HR software that enables personnel management, time tracking, leave management, and employee self-service. Zoho People supports your digital transformation - from onboarding new employees to managing vacation requests and recording working hours. Employees can enter and view their own working times and leave requests, which significantly reduces administrative effort for HR departments. In this way, Zoho People helps your company streamline HR processes and build a modern, efficient employee management system.
From financial accounting to inventory management and human resources, Zoho can cover many aspects of your business - all within a single platform. It is important to note, however, that Zoho is modular, allowing you to include only the areas you need in your system.
Zoho People Screenshot, Source: https://www.zoho.com/people/help/adminguide/services.html
How does Zoho compare with HubSpot and Pipedrive, two other strong and popular CRM systems? Here we compare the three in terms of functionality, pricing model, and target audience.
Zoho stands out with its broad all-in-one functionality, which neither of the other two can fully match. Let’s take a closer look. In addition to its core CRM, Zoho offers numerous additional modules such as marketing, support, and finance, while HubSpot positions itself primarily as a platform for marketing, sales, and customer service. HubSpot’s Sales Hub is very powerful and includes advanced features for lead management, sales tracking, and marketing automation. However, it is also extensive and requires a longer learning curve to use effectively.
Pipedrive, on the other hand, follows the principle of “less is more.” It was developed by salespeople for salespeople and focuses on the core functions of a sales CRM - in particular, a simple pipeline management system, contact management, and activity tracking, which are somewhat similar to HubSpot’s approach. Pipedrive impresses with its very user-friendly interface and offers all the essential features needed for a solid sales CRM. Zoho CRM lies somewhere in between. It covers the entire sales process and is highly customizable, especially thanks to its own programming language, Deluge. Zoho can also be expanded with additional apps such as Campaigns or Social Media, reaching a similarly broad scope.
All three providers have different pricing structures. HubSpot attracts users with an inexpensive basic version that is already quite feature-rich and then offers various “Hubs” (Marketing, Sales, Service) in tiered packages. Paid plans start at around €20 per month (Starter) and go up to several hundred euros for Professional or Enterprise packages. An onboarding fee is also required unless you work with a HubSpot partner. However, HubSpot can become expensive as your requirements grow. Many advanced features, such as large-scale automation, are only available in higher-tier bundles or require the Operations Hub.
Zoho CRM offers a free edition for up to three users and then tiered packages ranging from about €14 to €65 per user per month (Standard to Enterprise). This makes Zoho significantly cheaper than HubSpot at the entry level, and even the top-tier plans often cost less. However, some premium features are also reserved for the higher plans. Pipedrive does not offer a permanently free CRM but provides a 14-day trial. Paid plans start at around €15 per user per month (Essential) and go up to about €99 per user per month for the Enterprise plan. This places Pipedrive’s pricing between Zoho and HubSpot.
Overall, Zoho offers the best cost-benefit ratio, Pipedrive is moderately priced and well-suited for small teams, and HubSpot provides the most extensive functionality but at the highest price.
Zoho targets businesses of all sizes but is particularly attractive for small and medium-sized companies that want to manage as many areas as possible within one platform. Startups that want to integrate CRM with accounting, projects, or support in a single system will find Zoho a flexible solution that can be implemented independently. Zoho requires some technical understanding and time to use effectively.
HubSpot has its roots in inbound marketing and appeals mainly to marketing and sales teams in startups, agencies, and mid-sized companies that value ease of use and strong marketing features. Due to the higher costs of advanced plans, HubSpot is often used by companies with sufficient marketing budgets. It is also a great option for teams that want to get started quickly, as its interface is very intuitive and many training materials are available through the HubSpot Academy, where employees can learn independently.
Pipedrive is ideal for small sales teams and freelancers who need a simple, focused CRM for managing sales pipelines. It is popular among small to medium-sized companies that do not need complex features but want to manage leads, deals, and activities efficiently. Pipedrive is less suitable for more complex organizational needs. Its marketing features are minimal, which is fine because Pipedrive’s strength lies in sales. For serious marketing efforts, other tools are required - something unnecessary with Zoho and HubSpot.
Zoho vs HubSpot vs Pipedrive can be described as breadth vs depth vs simplicity. Zoho offers the broad and versatile platform. HubSpot delivers depth in marketing and sales but at a higher price. Pipedrive wins with simplicity and a clear focus on the essentials - the sales process. The right choice ultimately depends on the specific needs and resources of each company.
How does Zoho perform in everyday business use? Here we summarize the most important advantages and disadvantages of the platform:
Overall, Zoho’s biggest strengths in everyday use are its flexibility and price, while minor compromises must be made in terms of usability and, in some cases, functional depth. However, many companies rate the price-performance ratio as excellent and adapt well to the slightly higher complexity. Once you become familiar with Zoho, you will rarely want to switch to another system.
Small and medium-sized businesses with diverse needs that are looking for a central solution for CRM, accounting, project management, and more will find Zoho a great fit. Zoho grows flexibly with your company and can be adapted to your needs at any time.
Zoho is particularly suitable for companies that want to get real value for their money. Zoho offers more than 40 apps at an affordable price. Hardly any other platform can compete with that. Strong alternatives are usually too expensive, while cheaper ones offer less scope and depth. When it comes to price-performance ratio, Zoho is hard to beat.
Companies that are not afraid to customize and automate their processes - and even do some programming - will find in Zoho a wide range of possibilities to tailor the system perfectly to their own workflows, more so than with almost any other platform.
Zoho also serves as a central data hub for other tools that can be integrated with it, ensuring seamless collaboration between systems.
In short, yes. Zoho is a serious competitor to the big players in the CRM market. Thanks to its extensive functionality, high level of customization, and excellent price-performance ratio, Zoho is becoming increasingly attractive to businesses. Other systems like HubSpot still have the upper hand in terms of user-friendliness and feature depth, but that comes at a cost. The major advantage of Zoho is its all-in-one solution. You don’t need months of expensive integration projects to ensure your systems exchange data or your employees have access to everything they need. With Zoho, everything operates within one ecosystem.
Zoho is especially appealing to smaller companies and startups that do not yet have an ERP system. It can definitely keep up with HubSpot and often deliver similar scenarios at a lower cost. Zoho offers flexible sales automation, extensive customization options, and analytics that stand on equal footing.
Our recommendation: Think about what matters most to you. If you are looking for an all-around solution that covers many areas of your business while offering strong value for money, Zoho is definitely worth considering. It is particularly attractive for medium-sized companies that often overlook it. However, if you mainly want a lean, intuitive CRM and your focus is heavily on marketing content, HubSpot may still be the better choice despite its higher price. In any case, Zoho is worth a try. Sometimes you need to take a new path to reach your goal.
Email Sebastian Küstermann: skuestermann@kkvision.de
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