Salesforce

Salesforce starts at $35/user/mo (Starter Suite) on the Starter Suite, billed annually. There is no monthly base fee and no onboarding fee on the self-serve Starter plan. Costs increase substantially at the Pro Suite and above, and many advanced capabilities require paid add-ons or separate products beyond the base subscription.

Salesforce does not have a free plan for its main CRM products. All paid plans require an annual contract. A free trial is available, and Salesforce offers the non-profit Power of Us Programme with discounted or free licenses for eligible organisations.

Salesforce can be used by small businesses on the Starter Suite, but reviewers consistently note that it carries a steeper learning curve and higher total cost of ownership than SMB-focused alternatives such as Pipedrive or Zoho CRM. Implementation often benefits from a consultant for anything beyond basic setup. Small teams that do not need deep customisation may find simpler and cheaper tools a better fit.

Salesforce includes Einstein AI across its platform, covering features such as predictive lead scoring, opportunity insights, automated activity capture, and generative AI for email drafting. The depth of AI features varies by plan and product, with the most advanced capabilities available on higher tiers or as part of the Agentforce add-on.

Salesforce connects with more than 5,000 apps via its AppExchange marketplace, the largest ecosystem of any CRM platform. This includes native integrations with Gmail, Outlook, Slack (owned by Salesforce), accounting platforms, marketing tools, and thousands of industry-specific applications. AppExchange apps vary in cost: some are free and others require paid subscriptions.

Salesforce offers more customisation, deeper reporting, and greater scalability for complex enterprise requirements. HubSpot is easier to set up, has a free tier, and a shallower learning curve. Most Australian SMBs and mid-market teams find HubSpot delivers sufficient capability at a lower total cost. Salesforce becomes the better choice when a business has complex, multi-team CRM requirements, heavy reporting demands, or needs industry-specific AppExchange apps.

Yes. Salesforce typically requires an annual contract rather than monthly billing, and this applies from the Starter Suite upward. Locking into an annual commitment is something to weigh carefully, especially for smaller teams that are still validating whether the platform is the right fit. Make full use of any trial period before signing.