Salesforce vs Workbooks (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Salesforce grades higher than Workbooks: 2.8 against 2.2 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. Workbooks grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Salesforce
CRM platform for sales teams with AI agents and a free 2-user suite
Workbooks
UK-built CRM covering sales, marketing, service and order processing
Which one is for you
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
Pick Workbooks if
- Fits if you want CRM, orders and invoices in one system
- Makes sense if you want the vendor to run the implementation
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want to commit lightly, as the minimum term is 12 months
- Pricey if you add options: audit trail is $9.50 and Outlook sync $11 per user a month
- Watch out: implementation packages are separate, such as SelfStart at $3,600
- Skip it if you want phone support outside weekday office hours
How we grade them
| 2.8GPASalesforceGood | 2.2GPAWorkbooksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$47 a user a month for CRM Edition on a licence of at least 12 months. Orders and invoices need Business at $97. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | DA free trial is offered, but the pricing page doesn't give its length or say whether a card is needed. |
| Features | 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. | BPipeline, quotations, orders, invoices, marketing automation, ticketing and forecasting. Nothing in the listing is missing. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. Implementation is a separate paid service. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, with Microsoft Office 365 and Outlook, and links to accounting and ERP software on Business. |
| Best for | big sales teams that need forecasting and depth | CRM, orders and invoicing in one system |
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: Salesforce and Workbooks. How we grade
Price against what you get
Salesforce starts at $25 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Workbooks starts at $47 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Salesforce scores higher and starts $22 a month lower. Of the other CRM tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Salesforce for less, and 7 score higher than Workbooks 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
- Salesforce also covers AI agents.
- Workbooks also covers marketing automation and invoicing.
At a glance
| Salesforce | Workbooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25 per user / month, billed monthly or annually | $47 per user / month |
| Free plan | 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. | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial with no credit card required; the Starter Suite trial covers up to 10 users | A free trial is offered; its length is not stated on the pricing page |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Salesforce, Inc. | Workbooks Online Inc |
| Price read from | salesforce.com | workbooks.com |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Workbooks
- Minimum subscription is 12 months, with 2, 3, 5 and 7-year terms also sold.
- Add-ons are priced per user per month, for example audit trail $9.50 and Outlook sync $11.
- Implementation is separate: the calculator lists SelfStart at $3,600 and JumpStart for Sales at $6,300.
- Support is by phone or email on weekdays 9am to 5:30pm, and 100GB of storage is included.
Key features
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.
Workbooks
- Pipeline and quotations
- The CRM edition manages opportunities and the pipeline and creates quotations, with a 360-degree view of each customer.
- Orders, invoices and contracts
- The Business edition adds sales order processing, invoices and credit notes, and integration with accounting and ERP software.
- Marketing automation
- The vendor lists automated campaigns and customer journeys as a product area alongside the CRM.
- Ticketing and case management
- Customer service teams can track support cases and tickets inside the CRM edition.
- Reports, dashboards and forecasting
- Dashboards and analytics, plus sales forecasting to monitor and plan against targets.
- Paid options
- Audit trail, custom records, multi-currency documents, advanced security, mapping, Outlook sync, project management and events are add-ons.
Plans
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.
Workbooks
CRM Edition$47
per user / month, from; annual license
Pipeline, quotations, ticketing and case management, and Office 365 integration. Options are extra.
Business Edition$97
per user / month, from; annual license
Adds orders, invoices, credit notes and links to accounting and ERP software.
Ways to pay less
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.
Workbooks
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Salesforce or Workbooks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Salesforce is cheaper to start with: $25 a month for each person, against $47 a month for each person for Workbooks. Salesforce starts at $25 per user / month, billed monthly or annually, and Workbooks starts at $47 per user / month.
Which has a free plan, Salesforce or Workbooks?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Salesforce has a free plan. Workbooks does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Salesforce and Workbooks 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.