EspoCRM vs Zoho CRM
We give EspoCRM a 3.4 GPA and Zoho CRM a 3.8, out of 4.0. Zoho CRM grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
EspoCRM
Open-source CRM you can self-host for free or rent in the cloud
Zoho CRM
Sales CRM with a free edition, process automation and Zia AI
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAEspoCRMVery good | 3.8GPAZoho CRMExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ACloud Basic is $15 a user a month, under the $23 or so that's typical, and it includes every official extension: workflows, reports, quotes and invoicing. The plans differ by storage and records, not features. You do need at least 3 users, billed for 6 months or a year. | AStandard is $14 a person a month on yearly billing, when paid CRMs here start at about $23 in the middle. And it's not a stripped plan: workflows, cadences, forecasting and AI agents are in. Pay monthly and it's $20, mind. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe open-source core is free on your own server, with no per-user fees and no time limit. But you have to host it, and workflows, BPM and reports come in the Advanced Pack, which self-hosted installs buy separately. The cloud only has a 30-day trial. | AFree for up to 3 users with 5,000 records, 1 GB of files, lead, contact and deal management and the phone apps. No card needed. A tiny team could sit here for years. You only get 5 workflow automations and the standard reports, though. |
| Features | AAccounts, leads and opportunities on a kanban board, trigger-based workflows and BPMN process flows, email sync and mass email, quotes, invoices and inventory, support cases with a customer portal, and custom entities built in the UI. That's deep for any CRM. | ALeads, contacts and deals, workflows, follow-up cadences, forecasting, dashboards, the Zia AI assistant and record pages you can redesign without code. Quoting and inventory arrive on Professional, territories and customer portals on Enterprise. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling, and that's for the cloud version, which is hosted for you. Go the free route and you're installing it on a server or with Docker, which is a different afternoon altogether. | B4.4 from about 2,700 App Store ratings, which is a B on our ladder. The phone apps add and edit records offline and sync when you're back online, and they'll scan a business card for you. |
| Platforms and integrations | BIt's a web app, and our listing has no phone or desktop app. It connects to Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, Stripe, Mailchimp, Twilio, Zapier and Make, and there's a REST API. A web app with integrations is a B on our ladder. | AWeb, iPhone, iPad and Android. It connects to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Teams, Zoom, Mailchimp, QuickBooks and Zapier, and there's an API. No desktop app, but a CRM is happy enough in a browser tab. |
| Best for | teams that want to host their own CRM | a lot of CRM for not much money |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: EspoCRM and Zoho CRM. How we grade
Where they differ
- EspoCRM starts at $15 per user / month, minimum 3 users, billed for 6 months or 1 year. Zoho CRM starts at $14 per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
- Only Zoho CRM lists iOS and Android apps.
- EspoCRM is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- EspoCRM also covers kanban boards and reports.
At a glance
| EspoCRM | Zoho CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $15 per user / month, minimum 3 users, billed for 6 months or 1 year | $14 per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Self-hosted EspoCRM is free and open source under AGPLv3, with no per-user fees, on your own server. Official extensions such as the Advanced Pack are bought separately when self-hosting. | Free edition for up to 3 users: lead, contact and deal management, tasks and events, 5,000 records, 1 GB of file storage, up to 5 workflow automations and the mobile apps. No credit card required. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of the cloud service | 15-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | EspoCRM | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | espocrm.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
EspoCRM
- Teams that want to host a CRM on their own server with no per-user fee
- Businesses that need custom entities and business process automation
- Companies wanting CRM, quoting, invoicing and inventory in one system
Zoho CRM
- Small teams that want a free CRM for up to 3 users
- Businesses that want detailed customization and process automation
- Companies already using other Zoho apps
Worth knowing
EspoCRM
- Cloud plans have seat minimums of 3, 5 and 10 users, and Basic and Enterprise are billed for 6 months or 1 year at a time.
- The Basic cloud plan is capped at 100,000 records and 3 GB of file storage per user.
- Workflows, BPM and reports belong to the Advanced Pack extension, which self-hosted installs must purchase.
- Cloud admins cannot install extensions themselves, and Zapier or Make connections need accounts with those services.
Zoho CRM
- The Free edition is limited to 3 users, 5,000 records and 5 workflow automations.
- Monthly billing costs more: Standard is $20 instead of $14 per user, and Professional $35 instead of $23.
- CPQ and inventory management start at Professional; territory management, custom functions and customer portals need Enterprise.
- Prices exclude local taxes, and the CRM Plus and Zoho One bundles are priced separately from Zoho CRM.
Key features
EspoCRM
- Core CRM and sales pipelines
- Accounts, contacts, leads and opportunities with customizable sales stages, probability and expected close dates, shown as lists or a drag-and-drop kanban board.
- Workflows and BPM
- Trigger-based and scheduled workflows send emails, update fields or create records, and business processes can be modeled as BPMN 2.0 flowcharts.
- Email sync and mass email
- Syncs inbound mail from IMAP mailboxes, sends through SMTP accounts from any record, and runs bulk campaigns to target lists with opt-out handling and tracking.
- Quotes, invoices and inventory
- The Sales Pack adds a product catalog, price books, quotes, sales orders, invoices, purchase orders and warehouse inventory tracking.
- Cases, portal and knowledge base
- Support cases are tracked to resolution with priorities and statuses, and a portal lets customers or partners submit cases and read articles.
- Entity Manager and REST API
- Custom entities, fields and relationships are created in the UI without code, and a REST API with OpenAPI support connects external systems.
Zoho CRM
- Lead, contact and deal management
- Leads, accounts, contacts and deals are tracked through the sales cycle. Paid editions add multiple pipelines and sales forecasting, and Enterprise adds territory management.
- Workflow and process automation
- Workflow and assignment rules handle routine updates, cadences run sequences of follow-ups, and Blueprint holds a team to a structured sales process.
- Zia AI
- Zia gives predictions and recommendations, rewrites emails and flags anomalies. The pricing page lists AI agents from Standard and an AI sales assistant from Enterprise.
- Analytics and forecasting
- Reports, dashboards and forecasts track sales performance, with anomaly detection on top. The Free edition is limited to standard reports.
- Canvas and customization
- Layouts and fields can be customized, and Canvas redesigns record pages without code. Enterprise adds custom functions, wizards and customer portals.
- Mobile apps with offline mode
- iPhone, iPad and Android apps can add, edit and delete records offline and sync when back online. They also include a business card scanner.
Plans
EspoCRM
Self-hostedFree
The open-source core on your own server, installed directly or with the official Docker image. No per-user fees.
Basic$15.00
per user / month, min. 3 users, billed for 6 months or 1 year
3 GB of file storage per user and 100,000 records, with the full feature set, all official extensions, API access and 12x5 support.
Enterprise$25.00
per user / month, min. 5 users, billed for 6 months or 1 year
10 GB of file storage per user and 10,000,000 records, which can be extended for an additional fee.
Ultimate$69.00
per user / month, minimum 10 users
400 GB of file storage and unlimited records on a private server with a dedicated IP address and your own domain name.
Zoho CRM
Free$0
Up to 3 users and 5,000 records, with lead, contact and deal management, standard reports and the mobile apps.
Standard$14
per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)
Workflows and assignment rules, cadences, reports and dashboards, sales forecasting, AI agents and self-service kiosks.
Professional$23
per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
Adds CPQ, email intelligence, process automation, widgets, inventory management and Google Ads integration.
Enterprise$40
per user / month, billed annually ($50 billed monthly)
Adds the AI sales assistant, journey orchestration, territory management, custom functions, wizards and customer portals.
Ultimate$52
per user / month, billed annually ($65 billed monthly)
Higher feature limits, custom AI and ML models, data preparation, and consulting and migration assistance.
Ways to pay less
EspoCRM
No public discounts listed.
Zoho CRM
- Annual discount
Save up to 34% with yearly billing
Zoho's pricing page says yearly plans save up to 34%. Standard is $14 per user a month billed annually versus $20 monthly, and Professional is $23 versus $35.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
On October 9, 2026 Zoho's pricing page showed Standard at ₹800 per user / month to a visitor in India, where the US dollar price is $14 billed annually. A Starter edition priced in rupees is listed too.
