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Salesforce

CRM platform for sales teams with AI agents and a free 2-user suite

Free plan · from $25/moCRMChecked Oct 5, 20264.8 on the App Store
Salesforce, as pictured on salesforce.com
How Salesforce presents itself. Image from salesforce.com.

Salesforce report card

3.2GPA

Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 9, 2026

Best for big sales teams that need forecasting and depth

Salesforce is the CRM the others get measured against, and for a big sales team it does the lot: forecasting, territories, quotes, automation and now AI agents. There's a free suite for two people and a $25 Starter plan, so small teams can get in the door. The trouble is the next step. Pro Suite is $100 a seat on a yearly contract, and the top edition is $550.

Who Salesforce is for

  • Great if you run a sales team that needs forecasting, territories and lots of customising
  • Handy when there are just two of you and you want a free CRM with reports and dashboards
  • Good for companies that want sales, service and marketing on one platform

Who Salesforce is not for

  • Pricey if you outgrow Starter, since Pro Suite is $100 a seat, billed yearly, on a contract
  • Skip it if you want AI agents on a budget, as Agentforce is an add-on from $125 a seat below Max
  • Not for you if you want something simple, because commenters keep calling it overly complex

Why Salesforce gets a 3.2

Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.

  • CValue for moneyStarter Suite is $25 a seat, about what a CRM usually costs. Then it quadruples. Quoting and forecasting wait for Pro Suite at $100 a seat on an annual contract, and the API is another $25 a seat there unless you go up to Core at $195.
  • BFree plan and trialThe 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 at least once every 60 days to keep it free.
  • AFeaturesLeads, accounts, opportunities, quotes, forecasting, territories, drag-and-drop automation, dashboards, and Agentforce AI agents on the top edition. That's the whole job and then some. Just note how much of it starts at Pro Suite or higher.
  • BEase of use4.75 from about 353,000 App Store ratings, which would normally be an A. But Hacker News commenters call the platform overly complex, and reviewers say the phone app buries everyday actions several steps deep.
  • APlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone, iPad and Android, plus a browser extension from Pro Suite. Every edition connects to Slack, and it works with Tableau, Gmail, Outlook and MuleSoft. There's an API, but it's included from Core and costs extra on Pro Suite.

What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Salesforce's own pages on 5 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.

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Salesforce: 3.2 GPA on ToolGPA

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What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is a cloud CRM platform. Its Sales Cloud product covers lead, account, contact and opportunity management, forecasting, quoting and process automation, with Agentforce AI agents on the higher editions. Very small teams can start on the Free Suite or the Starter and Pro suites, which combine sales, service, marketing and commerce tools, while the Core, Advanced and Max editions are aimed at larger sales organizations.

Salesforce has a free plan. Paid plans start at $25 per user / month, billed monthly or annually. See every plan

Good for

  • Sales organizations that need forecasting, territories and deep customization
  • Very small teams that want a free CRM for 2 users
  • Companies that want sales, service and marketing on one platform
  • Teams planning to put AI agents to work across the sales cycle

Worth knowing

  • 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

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.

Salesforce pricing

Starts at
$25 per user / month, billed monthly or annually
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.
Free trial
30-day free trial with no credit card required; the Starter Suite trial covers up to 10 users
Free Suite$02 user licenses with lead, opportunity and case management, simple email marketing and connected Slack conversations.
Starter Suite$25per user / month, billed monthly or annuallyLead, account, contact and opportunity management, built-in sales flows and lead routing, email marketing and the mobile app.
Pro Suite$100per user / month, billed annuallyEverything in Starter plus more customization and automation, sales quoting and forecasting, and access to AgentExchange.
Core$195per user / month, billed annuallySales Cloud with advanced forecasting and pipeline management, API access, Premier Success, Slack Business+ and Tableau Next.
Advanced$395per user / month, billed annuallyAdds enhanced security, Sales Programs, predictive forecasting, lead scoring, a full sandbox and 1 GB of data storage per user.
Max$550per user / month, billed annuallyAdds Agentforce for Sales, Salesforce Spiff, Sales Planning, Salesforce Maps, Slack Enterprise+ and 2.75M Flex Credits a year.

Read from salesforce.com on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Salesforce before you buy.

Pricing in detail

Ways to pay less

  • Nonprofit10 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.

    Stated on salesforce.com

What people say about Salesforce

4.8

out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app

  1. 5 stars83%
  2. 4 stars12%
  3. 3 stars4%
  4. 2 stars<1%
  5. 1 star<1%

353,414 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 7, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing

Often praised

  • Some commenters who have worked with the platform defend its engineering, given how many heavily customised customer setups it has to keep running. Hacker News 1, 2, 3

Often criticised

  • Commenters call it overly complex, with one saying it tries to be everything to everyone and another that a small part of it would satisfy most of its users. Hacker News 1, 2, 3
  • Developers in the comments describe connecting other systems to it and working with its data as painful, from many overlapping APIs to custom fields whose meaning is hard to trace. Hacker News 1, 2, 3
  • Reviewers of the phone app say it is much harder to get around than the desktop version, with records and everyday actions buried several steps deep. App Store reviews

Based on 10 App Store reviews of the phone app, seven of them more than three years old, and about 25 Hacker News comments from September and October 2026, most in one thread about an outage, read Oct 7, 2026. These are themes summarised in our words, not our own verdict. Follow the links to read what was said.

Discussions worth reading

Salesforce reviews, and where to read more

Works with

Who makes Salesforce

Salesforce's CRM is made by Salesforce, Inc., a listed company that sells sales, service, marketing and data software to businesses and also owns Slack. It earns money mostly from subscriptions and support: $10.8 billion of the $11.3 billion revenue it reported for the quarter that ended in July 2026.

Founded
1999salesforce.com
Based
San Francisco, Californiasalesforce.com
Ownership
Publicly traded. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CRM, as its annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission states.sec.gov
Team
83,334 employees across the whole company as of January 31, 2026, according to its annual reportsec.gov
Founders and leaders
Partner program
Salesforce Partner Program with a consulting track and an ISV track for companies that sell apps on AgentExchange. ISVs pay Salesforce a share of net revenue; consultants' benefits include referral incentives. No rates are published on the page.salesforce.com

Read on Oct 7, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.

Salesforce alternatives

Common questions

Is Salesforce free?

Salesforce has a 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. Paid plans start at $25 per user / month, billed monthly or annually.

How much does Salesforce cost?

Salesforce lists 6 plans. Free Suite: $0. Starter Suite: $25 per user / month, billed monthly or annually. Pro Suite: $100 per user / month, billed annually. Core: $195 per user / month, billed annually. Advanced: $395 per user / month, billed annually. Max: $550 per user / month, billed annually. Prices were read from salesforce.com on Oct 5, 2026.

What platforms does Salesforce work on?

Salesforce is available on Web, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.

Does Salesforce offer any discounts?

Salesforce publicly lists the following: 10 free Nonprofit Cloud licenses.

How is Salesforce rated?

Salesforce's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 353,414 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 7, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.

Is Salesforce any good?

We have not tested Salesforce, so this is what reviewers say. Often praised: Some commenters who have worked with the platform defend its engineering, given how many heavily customised customer setups it has to keep running. Often criticised: Commenters call it overly complex, with one saying it tries to be everything to everyone and another that a small part of it would satisfy most of its users. The reviews page has every theme with its sources.

Does Salesforce have a Windows app?

No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Salesforce is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Does Salesforce have a macOS app?

No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Salesforce is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Is Salesforce open source?

Salesforce is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.

Does Salesforce have an API?

Yes. Salesforce offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Salesforce integrate with?

Salesforce's listing names Slack, Tableau, Gmail, Outlook and MuleSoft. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Does Salesforce have a free trial?

Yes. 30-day free trial with no credit card required; the Starter Suite trial covers up to 10 users.

Who makes Salesforce?

Salesforce is made by Salesforce. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CRM, as its annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission states. The company was founded in 1999.

What are the alternatives to Salesforce?

The closest alternatives to Salesforce in our directory are HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive and Freshsales. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Salesforce.

Sources for this page

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.