Microsoft CRM vs SalesForce
Posted on: June 3, 2008 | By: SuperUser Account | Microsoft Dynamics CRM
One of the biggest competitors to Microsoft CRM is SalesForce and we are often asked the major differences between the two so I thought I would share my thoughts as the Microsoft CRM vs SalesForce battle rages on. Until the release of Microsoft CRM Version 4.0, Microsoft didn’t have a hosted solution. Of course, that issue is moot now with the release of Microsoft CRM Live. So with the hosted vs. on-premise discussion gone what are the biggest differences between the two applications? There are many so I thought I would cover two major ones, price and integration.
With regard to price difference, the less expensive option may surprise you. Microsoft CRM is actually less expensive than SalesForce. Sure you can get SalesForce cheap, but when you compare like functionality between the two, Microsoft CRM is decidedly less expensive. A Microsoft CRM on-premise solution will cost about $415 per user for the first year including maintenance and the Microsoft CRM Live ranges from $470 to $700 per year depending on the edition. When you consider this includes Outlook Integration and integration to other Microsoft applications like Word and Excel the price comparison isn’t even close.
The second major issue is integration. With both the on-premise and hosted Microsoft CRM solutions you can integrate to back-office applications, like Microsoft Dynamics GP. SalesForce offers limited integration potential. In addition, Microsoft CRM can be integrated to virtually any other application that is important for your company. We have helped many clients integrate Microsoft CRM to different applications including back-office applications, web sites, custom software and many others.
So when comparing Microsoft CRM vs SalesForce, price and integration make a compelling case for Microsoft CRM. I will add more key factors in another post, but that is all for now.