Going to implement marketing automation and considering SalesForce? We advice to view similar platforms to make a decision.

When clients choose marketing automation software, in most cases they are looking for functionality for email builder, marketing lead database, landing page builder, lead scoring, segmentation etc.

Comparing SalesForce with competitors people pay attention to the automation builder, customer data platform, chatbots, conversations, survey builder, segmentation, number of triggers and actions and so on.

We’ve compiled a list of top 10 competitors that are very resembling in cost and features to SalesForce. The list is based on popularity, so if SalesForce doesn’t suit you in any way, here you can easily select the best variant for you.

E2 Shop System

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We help shops and manufacturers of all kinds and sizes work smarter for improved efficiencies, greater flexibility and bigger profits.

Maximizer CRM

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Maximizer CRM is a customer relationship management software suitable for businesses of all sizes, which includes sales management tools, a customer service system and marketing automation features.

FULL FABRIC

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FULL FABRIC is an all-in-one recruitment, admissions and CRM platform built for higher education institutions to manage the entire student lifecycle from initial enquiry to alumni relations.

Zoho One CRM

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Zoho One CRM is an integrated, smart, customizable business software designed to escalate your business way faster than before. Zoho One CRM is the ideal tool for operating your small business.

Realvolve

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Realvolve is a Real Estate contact relationship manager (CRM) that helps agents manage contacts, listings, escrows, tasks, files, and important dates. Realvolve keeps real estate agents and brokers organized, effective, and mobile.

OfficeClip

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OfficeClip LLC is a leading provider of web-based business solutions for small and medium businesses. We provide integrated solutions to manage customers, employees, and projects. OfficeClip has a suite of different applications like Timesheet and Expense tracker, Contact Manager, and Support Desk.

Zendesk

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Zendesk is a service-first CRM company that builds software designed to improve customer relationships. As employees, we encourage each other to grow and innovate. As a company, we roll up our sleeves to plant roots in the communities we call home.

PipeDrive

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Pipedrive is a Flexible, highly focused on driving the sales, and easy-to-use CRM software built by salespeople and marketing professionals with a single goal – to simplify your sales process and assist salespeople in clinching the deals. Using Pipedrive CRM you can focus on the right people at the right time and convert those people into deals.

Creatio

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Creatio is a global software company providing a leading low-code platform for process management and CRM. The company has been highly recognized as a market leader by key industry analysts. Its intelligent products accelerate sales, marketing, service and operations for mid-size and large enterprises.

Equisoft

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Equisoft is another CRM solution specifically designed for financial advisors. It is the only CRM that aggregates client and product data from gateways with insurance and investment platforms—giving advisors a full view of all client data at a glance.

Neon CRM

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NeonCRM is a cloud-based software suite for nonprofit organizations. Its core functionality includes a constituent relationship management (CRM) system, dashboards, custom reporting, events management, volunteer management, and email marketing tools. NeonCRM also offers tiered packages with additional tools including membership management, peer-to-peer fundraising, and online store functionality.

How to choose SalesForce substitute

Many marketing automation platforms are resembling each other. Software with the same features can differ in cost by 2 times. The first feature you should look at is the availability of node interface. This is a basic feature of marketing automation apps and if it doesn’t include this feature, most likely this software isn’t ready yet. All node interfaces look almost identical. It's important not to pay attention to the UI, but look at the features.

In a month, you'll get used to the UI, but the missing features will always annoy you. Changing marketing automation software is very time-consuming. If you have the usual email chains set up, it's not that hard to change platform. But if you've already set up integrations, workflow, and have complex funnels, it can take years to replace the tool. That's why you should be attentive to study SalesForce competitors.

What to pay attention to when investigating the flow builder? It has 4 important features categories.

1. Triggers. For example, "Form submit" is a trigger that starts a funnel. The most often used triggers are: opening an email, clicking a link in an email, reaching a goal, adding or removing a tag, closing a deal, visiting a page, etc. In each system for marketing automation this set may differ. The more, the better.
2. Action. For instance, "Send email". This is the most standard action you can have. The most popular actions are: add or remove a tag, send a text message, send a messenger message, set a salesperson task, update a transaction, notify someone by email, move a transaction to another stage, etc.
3. Delay. For example, "Wait 3 days. Subscriber submit the form on the website and get in the marketing automation app (Trigger), the system sends a Welcome email (Action). After that the tool waits 2 hours (delay) and sends a second email. This is the most simple automation. But there are other variants. For example, "Wait until something happens". Or wait until January 20th, or wait until 10 PM in the subscriber’s time zone.
4. If/else. For example, "If a lead, has the tag "Purchased product #1", send the email, if the subscriber doesn't have the tag "Purchased product #1", wait 4 days and send the email. The most often used if/else parameters are: visited the site page, bought certain items, opened certain emails, user field the user card matches some requirements. This is information according to which you can segment the subscriber base.

Analyzing the automation builder, you should look carefully at all four categories of features. The more, the better. Usually it appears that powerful marketing automation software with the greatest number of features look uncomfortable. New platforms look nice, but they have few features. You look into the tool you want to use very deeply. Otherwise, it will be very hard to change it in the future.

After you've analyzed the automation builder, you need to whether there are integrations with the platforms you need. Fortunately, Apiway can help you. In most cases, apps like SalesForce are the core of business IT infrastructure. It's like a digital hub for all your customer. This type of app is like an tree, which is putting its tentacles into other software. Software like SalesForce has to integrate with most other ones. Or you’ll have to spend a lot of money and time making custom integrations.

Also those who are looking for alternatives to SalesForce use tools from other categories like chatbot software, helpdesk software, CRM system, lead management software