Nutshell vs Zoho CRM
We give Nutshell a 3.2 GPA and Zoho CRM a 3.8, out of 4.0. Zoho CRM grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Nutshell
Sales CRM with email marketing, forms and AI built into every plan
Zoho CRM
Sales CRM with a free edition, process automation and Zia AI
How we grade them
| 3.2GPANutshellVery good | 3.8GPAZoho CRMExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BFoundation is $13 a user a month on yearly billing, with unlimited contacts, email sync, forms and landing pages. But it's 100 active leads and one pipeline. Growth lifts the lead cap at $25, about typical, and sales automation and extra pipelines need Pro at $42. | 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 | CNo free plan. The trial is 14 days with no credit card. Every plan does come with 150 free marketing emails a month, but you're paying for the CRM underneath. | 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 | AA drag-and-drop pipeline, two-way Gmail and Outlook sync, bulk email, reports and quotas, sales automation, AI call and meeting summaries, plus forms, landing pages and web chat on every plan. That's the sales job and a slice of marketing. SMS and proposals are paid add-ons. | 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 | BThere's no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is our ceiling. Live support and onboarding help come with every plan, and the pipeline is a board you drag leads across. | 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 | AWeb, iPhone and Android. It connects to Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Aircall, DocuSign and Facebook Messenger, and there's an API. No desktop app, but it runs in any browser. | 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 | small sales teams that want marketing built in | 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: Nutshell and Zoho CRM. How we grade
Where they differ
- Nutshell starts at $13 per user / month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly). Zoho CRM starts at $14 per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly).
- Zoho CRM has a free plan. Nutshell does not, though it has a free trial.
- Nutshell also covers booking links, forms and reports.
At a glance
| Nutshell | Zoho CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $13 per user / month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | $14 per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 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 | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | 15-day free trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Nutshell (part of WebFX) | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | nutshell.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Nutshell
- Small sales teams that want a low per-user entry price
- Teams that want lead capture forms and basic email marketing inside the CRM
- Companies that value live support and onboarding help on every plan
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
Nutshell
- There is no free plan; the free trial lasts 14 days.
- Foundation is limited to 100 active leads, 1 pipeline and 10 custom fields.
- Sales automation, multiple pipelines and the meeting scheduler start at Pro, $42 per user / month billed annually.
- Two-way SMS and social inboxes ($16 per user / month) and proposals and invoices ($79 a month) are paid add-ons.
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
Nutshell
- Leads and pipelines
- A drag-and-drop board shows where each lead stands. Foundation and Growth have one pipeline, Pro has 5, Business 10 and Enterprise unlimited.
- Email and calendar sync
- Two-way sync with Gmail and Outlook keeps emails and calendar events attached to contacts, with email templates and one-click bulk emailing.
- Sales automation
- Growth adds lead assignment rules and custom stage goals, and Pro adds sales automation for routine pipeline tasks.
- Reporting and quotas
- Growth adds activity reports and sales quotas, and Pro unlocks advanced reporting. Enterprise includes read-only SQL access to the data.
- AI outcomes and assists
- AI outcomes cover call and meeting summaries, lead research and email campaign drafts, metered at 10 to 150 per user a month by plan. Lighter AI assists are unlimited.
- Forms, chat and email marketing
- Every plan includes a form builder, landing pages, web chat with an AI chatbot and 150 free marketing emails a month. Larger email volumes and SMS are paid add-ons.
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
Nutshell
Foundation$13
per user / month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
Unlimited contacts and storage, email and calendar sync, AI chatbot, form builder and landing pages. 1 pipeline and 100 active leads.
Growth$25
per user / month, billed annually ($32 billed monthly)
Adds activity reports, sales quotas, lead assignment rules, custom stage goals and hot leads, with unlimited active leads.
Pro$42
per user / month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
Adds 5 custom pipelines, advanced reporting, sales automation, AI lead recaps and next steps, and a meeting scheduler.
Business$59
per user / month, billed annually ($67 billed monthly)
Adds 10 custom pipelines, the advanced meeting scheduler, audit log and changelog, and additional teams and territories.
Enterprise$79
per user / month, billed annually ($89 billed monthly)
Adds unlimited pipelines and custom fields, enterprise SSO, read-only SQL data access and phone support.
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
Nutshell
- Annual discount
Lower per-user price with annual billing
The pricing toggle advertises 15% off for annual billing. Listed savings run from $6 to $10 per user a month: Foundation is $13 instead of $19, Enterprise $79 instead of $89.
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.
