Neon CRM vs Salesforce (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Salesforce grades higher than Neon CRM: 2.8 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Salesforce grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Neon CRM
Nonprofit CRM priced by revenue raised, with unlimited records
Salesforce
CRM platform for sales teams with AI agents and a free 2-user suite
Which one is for you
Pick Neon CRM if
- Fits if you run a small or midsize nonprofit and want unlimited records and users
- Works for groups that run events, volunteers and memberships from one database
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are tiny: $99 a month is the starting point and the page gives no further prices
- Watch out: payment processing runs through Neon Pay and its fees are on another page
- Watch out: onboarding and data migration packages are sold separately
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, as neither is listed
Pick Salesforce if
- Fits if you run a sales team that needs forecasting, territories and lots of customizing
- Works for companies that want sales, service and marketing on one platform
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you outgrow Starter, since Pro Suite is $100 a seat, billed yearly, on a contract
- Pricey if you want AI agents, as Agentforce is an add-on from $125 a seat below Max at $550
- Not for you if you want something simple, because commenters keep calling it overly complex
- Tight if you stay free: 2 users, 100 marketing emails a month, and a login every 60 days to keep it
- Watch out: on Pro Suite the API is $25 a seat extra and Flow Builder stops at 5 flows
How we grade them
| 1.8GPANeon CRMWeak | 2.8GPASalesforceGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$99 a month is the floor and it rises with your revenue. Memberships and volunteers each add 10% and events add 20%. | DStarter Suite is $25 a seat, the middle for this category. Then it quadruples: quoting and forecasting wait for Pro Suite at $100 a seat on an annual contract, where the API is another $25 a seat unless you go up to Core at $195. Max is $550. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is listed on the pricing page. | BThe Free Suite covers 2 people with leads, opportunities, cases, reports and up to 100 marketing emails a month, no card needed. Two seats is tight for a sales team, and you have to log in every 60 days to keep it. |
| Features | BSupporter profiles, fundraising, email and text journeys, events, volunteers, memberships, reports and an open API. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | ALeads, accounts, opportunities, quotes, forecasting, territories, drag-and-drop automation, dashboards and Agentforce AI agents, and firms build their own apps on top of it. It covers more of the job than any other CRM here, but much of it starts at Pro Suite or higher. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A database with forms, workflows and reports you build, and onboarding sold separately. | B4.75 from about 353,000 App Store ratings, a score that would normally take our top mark. What holds it back is on record too: Hacker News commenters call the platform overly complex, and reviewers say the phone app buries everyday actions several steps deep. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with QuickBooks, Constant Contact, Eventbrite, Zapier and an open API. No mobile or desktop app is listed. | BWeb, iPhone, iPad and Android, with a browser extension from Pro Suite but no desktop app. Every edition connects to Slack, and it works with Tableau, Gmail, Outlook and MuleSoft. There's an API, included from Core and an extra $25 a seat on Pro Suite. |
| Best for | a nonprofit donor database with events and memberships | big sales teams that need forecasting and depth |
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: Neon CRM and Salesforce. How we grade
Price against what you get
Neon CRM starts at $99 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Salesforce starts at $25 a month for each person and scores 3.3.
Salesforce scores higher and starts $74 a month lower. Of the other CRM tools on the chart, 9 score higher than Neon CRM for less, and 1 scores higher than Salesforce for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Neon CRM also covers forms, email campaigns, sMS marketing and dashboards.
- Salesforce also covers sales pipeline and AI agents.
At a glance
| Neon CRM | Salesforce | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $99 per month, rising with the revenue your nonprofit raises | $25 per user / month, billed monthly or annually |
| Free plan | None | Free Suite: 2 user licenses with lead, opportunity and case management, up to 100 marketing emails a month and connected Slack conversations. No credit card; stays free if you log in at least once every 60 days. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial with no credit card required; the Starter Suite trial covers up to 10 users |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Neon One | Salesforce, Inc. |
| Price read from | neonone.com | salesforce.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 2, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Neon CRM
- The price depends on annual revenue; the page gives only the $99 a month starting point.
- Memberships and volunteers add 10% of the CRM price each, and events add 20%.
- Payment processing runs through Neon Pay; its fees are on a separate page.
- Onboarding and data migration packages are sold separately.
Salesforce
- The Free Suite covers only 2 users and 100 marketing emails a month, and stays free only with a login at least every 60 days.
- Only Starter Suite can be billed monthly. Pro Suite, Core, Advanced and Max are billed annually, and Pro Suite requires a contract.
- On Pro Suite the Web Services API costs an extra $25 per user / month and Flow Builder is limited to 5 flows per org.
- Agentforce for Sales is a paid add-on on Core and Advanced, listed from $125 per user / month; only Max includes it.
Key features
Neon CRM
- Supporter profiles
- One record gathers giving history, emails, notes, events and volunteer hours, with segments built from live data.
- Fundraising tools
- Drag-and-drop donation forms, multi-level campaigns, peer-to-peer pages, recurring gifts and grant management are in the base plan.
- Email, text and journeys
- A branded email builder, text messaging and trigger-based stewardship journeys, with unlimited sends and workflows.
- Dashboards and reports
- Live dashboards, more than 50 ready-made reports and a drag-and-drop builder for custom ones, including board reporting.
- Events, volunteers and memberships
- Optional add-ons cover event ticketing and seating, volunteer shifts and timesheets, and member portals with auto-renewals.
- Open API and integrations
- Every customer can use the Open API. Listed integrations include QuickBooks, Windfall wealth data, Constant Contact and Zapier.
Salesforce
- Lead and opportunity management
- Leads, accounts, contacts and opportunities are tracked on every edition, with lead routing, duplicate blocking and web-to-lead capture. Quotes, contracts and orders start at Pro Suite.
- Forecasting and pipeline inspection
- Pro Suite includes sales forecasting. Core and above add advanced forecast and pipeline management, pipeline inspection, opportunity scoring, deal insights and sales territories.
- Agentforce AI agents
- Agentforce agents take on lead nurturing, prospecting and pipeline management. They are included in Max and listed as an add-on from $125 per user / month on Core and Advanced.
- Flow automation
- Flow Builder automates sales processes with drag-and-drop steps. Pro Suite allows 5 flows per org, and approval processes start at Core.
- Reports, dashboards and Tableau Next
- Customizable reports and dashboards are on every edition, including the Free Suite. Tableau Next analytics and advanced reporting features are included from Core.
- Slack, mobile and browser access
- Every edition connects to Slack. The iPhone, iPad and Android app is included from Starter Suite; offline mobile use and the Sales Cloud Everywhere browser extension start at Pro Suite.
Plans
Neon CRM
Neon CRM$99
per month and up, based on annual revenue
Unlimited contacts, users, forms, workflows, emails and reports, with chat, email and phone support included.
Salesforce
Free Suite$0
2 user licenses with lead, opportunity and case management, simple email marketing and connected Slack conversations.
Starter Suite$25
per user / month, billed monthly or annually
Lead, account, contact and opportunity management, built-in sales flows and lead routing, email marketing and the mobile app.
Pro Suite$100
per user / month, billed annually
Everything in Starter plus more customization and automation, sales quoting and forecasting, and access to AgentExchange.
Core$195
per user / month, billed annually
Sales Cloud with advanced forecasting and pipeline management, API access, Premier Success, Slack Business+ and Tableau Next.
Advanced$395
per user / month, billed annually
Adds enhanced security, Sales Programs, predictive forecasting, lead scoring, a full sandbox and 1 GB of data storage per user.
Max$550
per user / month, billed annually
Adds Agentforce for Sales, Salesforce Spiff, Sales Planning, Salesforce Maps, Slack Enterprise+ and 2.75M Flex Credits a year.
Ways to pay less
Neon CRM
No public discounts listed.
Salesforce
- Nonprofit
10 free Nonprofit Cloud licenses
Through the Power of Us Program, eligible nonprofits receive 10 Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud Core licenses at no cost, with discounts on additional licenses.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Neon CRM or Salesforce?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Neon CRM starts at $99 per month, rising with the revenue your nonprofit raises, and Salesforce starts at $25 per user / month, billed monthly or annually. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Neon CRM or Salesforce?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Salesforce has a free plan. Neon CRM does not.
Which platforms do Neon CRM and Salesforce run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Salesforce lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.