Salesforce CRM Pricing Explained

One of the big selling points of Salesforce – and there are a lot of selling points for CRM systems this good – is the price factor;  they offer five different editions available at 5 different price ranges to suit your needs. This makes Salesforce accessible to a number of company sizes and budgets.

With so many features and functions, they only charge you based on what you genuinely need. Naturally, they can’t ‘hit home’ in every instance; a company using the least expensive option may need one – and not all 10 – features in the next biggest package. Other times, it may be worth it to go one tier up.

 (So, when it comes to Salesforce CRM pricing, it may be a good idea to look at what all the editions have to offer, before deciding that being a very small business guarantees the cheapest one is perfect for you.)

Now, Salesforce CRM pricing is clearly listed, in a simplified infographic on their site, but sometimes, that may not be enough to make an informed decision. So let’s look at each echelon of Salesforce, and talk about the benefits of using that edition.

#1 – Contact Manager (5 Dollars)

The cheapest edition, ‘Contact Manager’, costs five dollars per user, per month, for a year’s subscription.  It offers account and contact management, task and event tracking, outlook and Google email integration, mobile support, a content library, custom reports and chatter.

You can also design custom reports, use automated mailing on a single unit level, and track logistics. But you can’t mass mail, or integrate other systems very easily with it. It’s the most bare bones edition, and if you’ve read any of our Salesforce tutorials, you will notice that many of the advanced features we show you how to use, are not included in this edition. Nevertheless, it’s a great option for a small company or startup…and you can always upgrade…

#2 – Group (25 Dollars)

‘Group’ is the next step up; it includes all the features of Contact Manager, plus opportunity tracking and email templates. You can also design email systems with Visualforce.

‘Group’ tracks pretty much all data types, then allows for distribution and labeling. It also offers lead scoring, routing and assignment. This edition is what you want if you’re a small business with a bit of a better software budget.

#3 – Professional (65 Dollars)

‘Professional’ is the package that’s most commonly used (and it’s where you’ll find all those advanced applications that we’ve shown you how to use). Compounding the features of the previous two, this edition features: mass mailing, campaign designs and dashboard customization.

‘Professional,’ as the name suggests, lets you get things done quickly, while maintaining a very professional feel.

#4 – Enterprise (125 Dollars)

Now we’re getting into the territory of medium to large businesses. ‘Enterprise edition’ allows automation for workflows and approval, web service API integration and a lot of customization. Examples of customization include profiles, page layouts, and app development.

Enterprise is where you can take advantage of the app exchange, Apex development and full automation. These features were designed to make Salesforce efficient yet easy to use. If your company grows, you’ll almost certainly need to upgrade to this.

#5 – Unlimited (250 Dollars)

Yeah, that’s a lot of money per user per month, isn’t it? Good heavens. What does this ‘Unlimited Edition’ have to offer that justifies doubling the price?

It offers twenty four hour toll free support, multiple development sandboxes, mobile customization and administration, unlimited access to over one hundred admin services, and unlimited app development and access.

This ultimate version allows you to do anything and everything that is capable within  Salesforce; from full automation and onboard integration, to complete UI overhauls to procedural automation.

You need to be a big company to pay the expensive fee, but man, if you can afford it – it’s worth it. (Be warned though, that as of the end of 2013, this will not be available to new customers, in favor of an as yet unannounced new edition, that will replace it, so if you want this exact package, act quickly)

Salesforce CRM pricing is broken down into 5 editions. Some of these editions are basic, while others are pricey. The best way to figure out what works best for you is to go through each edition, check out the features they offer and factor in whether the price is acceptable for your company’s budget. find out how to how to check salesforce edition. I hope I helped you out with this process, good Luck!

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Amanda is the Lead Author & Editor of Rainforce Blog. Amanda established the Rainforce blog to create a source for news and discussion about some of the issues, challenges, news, and ideas relating to Salesforce usage.