Flowlu vs Zoho CRM (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Flowlu if

• Fits if you are two people who want a CRM and invoices in one place
• Works for small teams that also track projects and tasks

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay free: two users, 100 contacts and 1 pipeline
• Pricey if you want automations or the client portal, which start at $17 a user a month
• Watch out: several features in the free plan's table are listed without detail
• Skip it if you want one deep CRM, as the product spreads across projects and finance too

Pick Zoho CRM if

• Fits if there are three of you or fewer and 5,000 records covers your list
• Works for companies already running on other Zoho apps

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you pay month by month, as Standard goes from $14 to $20 and Professional from $23 to $35
• Pricey if you need territories, custom functions or customer portals, since those wait for Enterprise at $40
• Tight if you're staying free, because free stops at 3 users, 5,000 records, 1 GB and 5 workflows
• Watch out: working out which of four paid editions has the feature you need is a job in itself
• Watch out: CPQ and inventory start on Professional at $23, and prices exclude local taxes

Flowlu

• The Free plan is limited to two users, 100 contacts and 1 pipeline.
• Sales automations, email tracking and the client portal need Advanced at $17 per user / month.
• Annual billing is shown as 25% off the monthly rate.
• Several features are listed in the free plan's table without detail, so check the compare table before relying on them.

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.

Flowlu

Sales CRM

Contacts, lead capture forms and sales pipelines. Multiple pipelines, email sync and CRM reports start on the Essential plan.

Projects and tasks

Kanban and list views on every plan, with Gantt charts, backlogs, sprints and task dependencies from Essential up.

Invoicing and finance

Invoices and estimates are on the free plan. Online payments, late reminders and P&L and cash flow reports need a paid plan.

Automation

Sales automations begin on Advanced, which allows 3 business processes. Ultimate allows 10.

Knowledge base

A wiki on the free plan, with an external knowledge base and client-facing wiki on higher plans.

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.

Flowlu

• Free$0

  Two-user workspace with 100 contacts, 1 pipeline, Kanban and list task views, and invoices.

• Essential$9

  per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)

  Multiple sales pipelines, email sync, Gantt charts, sprints, online payments and finance reports.

• Advanced$17

  per user / month, billed yearly ($22 billed monthly)

  Sales automations, email tracking, client portal, recurring invoices, multi-currency and role-based access.

• Ultimate$24

  per user / month, billed yearly ($32 billed monthly)

  5 inboxes per employee, 20 task workflows, budget planning, white-labeling and a dedicated success manager.

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.

Flowlu

• Annual discount

  25% off with yearly billing

  The pricing page marks yearly billing as 25% lower per user than monthly billing, for example $9 against $12 on Essential.

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.