Prices, features, advantages and disadvantages

SuiteCRM is an open source customer relationship management tool that can be ideal for startups and small businesses. This is because the core features of SuiteCRM are available for free, but businesses can pay for add-ons to get additional features as they continue to grow. The platform also allows for customization to fit a company's specific needs.

That said, support may be lacking for those who opt for the free version of the product. Users may also find that some tasks lack certain automation capabilities. Finally, internal communication can be a challenge without paying for an add-on.

SuiteCRM Pricing

Although the base product can be used for free, SuiteCRM offers additional services at different costs. These services include consulting, hosting, support, migration and training. Some of these services, such as training, require a personalized quote.

Listed below are pricing structures for CRM hosting and support, none of which require custom quotes. Although SuiteCRM lists prices on its website in British Pounds, we also show the approximate amount in US dollars.

CRM hosting

Companies that cannot or do not want to host SuiteCRM on their own servers can pay for these services from within SuiteCRM itself. Companies can choose between the following three levels:

• Initial plan: It costs £100 per month (approximately $109). Recommended for 1 to 10 users, 5GB storage, hourly scheduled tasks, and more.
• Business plan: It costs £400 per month (approximately $433). Recommended for 5 to 50 users, 40 GB of storage, tasks scheduled every 4 minutes, and additional support and backup options.
• Premium plan: It costs £600 per month (approximately $649). Recommended for between 10 and 150 users, it comes with 120GB of storage and premium levels of support and backup options.

Supporting services

Companies that do not want to rely on community support can pay for the support services of SuiteCRM engineers. It is available in three different levels:

• Silver Plan: Priced at £3,000 per year (approximately $3,242). It comes with 20 hours of support and a response time between 2 hours and 10 days depending on the severity level.
• Gold plan: Priced at £4,500 per year (approximately $4,862). It comes with 30 hours of support and a response time between 1 hour and 10 days depending on the severity level.
• Platinum Plan: Priced at £7,500 per year (approximately $8,104). It comes with 50 hours of support and response times between 1 hour and 5 days depending on severity.

SuiteCRM Key Features

Control panel and customizable fields

SuiteCRM features a dashboard that allows users to quickly get an overview of important data, such as calls, meetings, and leads (Figure A). Users have the ability to customize this panel, as well as other fields within SuiteCRM, to meet their specific needs. In comparison, some other CRM platforms force users to use pre-configured dashboards and fields.

Report generation

Instead of simply choosing from a list of existing report types, users have the ability to create custom reports based on multiple data fields within the SuiteCRM system (Figure B). This allows teams to see only the data most relevant to their role in the company.

Workflow automations

SuiteCRM users can automate a wide range of tasks. Some examples include automatically emailing reports to certain users on a recurring basis (Figure C), automatically set up follow-up phone calls, send introductory emails, and request signatures for contract renewals. The customization available with SuiteCRM allows businesses to create workflows for their unique needs, something that may not be available with other platforms.

Activity management

While some CRM platforms have limitations in helping users keep track of tasks, SuiteCRM contains different modules that allow you to easily manage a variety of these elements. These modules can help with calls, meetings, notes, invoices, documents, and more (Figure D). Calendars can also be used to manage appointments and other events and can be set up as personal or shared items.

Advantages of SuiteCRM

Highly customizable

SuiteCRM comes equipped with a configuration studio that allows system administrators to customize the tool based on company-specific use cases. Users can modify fields and customize layouts, as well as create new modules for more features. Individual users can also modify dashboards to view the information most relevant to their roles.

The base product is free.

Companies that are unsure if SuiteCRM is the right tool for their organization can not only try a free online demo of the product, but can also implement the tool for free. SuiteCRM is an open source software and its core features can be used free of cost. Some of their premium services, such as hosting services, offer a 30-day free trial.

Even though the base product is free, SuiteCRM still offers a variety of features to help with automations, documents, reports, emails, calls, meetings, invoices, contracts, and events.

Ideal for startups and growing companies

Users can choose to start with the free basic set of features provided and purchase add-ons as the business continues to grow. This makes it ideal for businesses that hope to continue expanding, as well as businesses that may need to adapt to fluctuating conditions in their industry.

Disadvantages of SuiteCRM

UI and some plugins may be outdated

Many users report that the SuiteCRM user interface is outdated, sometimes making it difficult to use. Additionally, because SuiteCRM is open source, businesses may find that some older tools lack update frequency and reliability.

Few plugins are free

Although SuiteCRM has the flexibility to grow with a business thanks to the ability to get add-ons, very few of them are free. Most have their own pricing structure, so companies may be limited to annual subscriptions. The advantage, however, is that virtually all plugins come with a free 30-day demo.

Limited support

Businesses looking to use SuiteCRM for free will find that support is usually limited to their online forum. However, companies have the ability to pay for premium support. Depending on the level of support selected, SuiteCRM can offer 24/7/365 support with response times of up to one hour via phone, portal, or email.

Alternatives to SuiteCRM

If you try SuiteCRM but find that it doesn't meet your needs, the alternatives listed below have other features that might make them a better fit for your business.

Sales force

Salesforce is another CRM product that typically starts at $25 per user and is a good alternative to consider for businesses looking for a platform that can offer more functionality. For example, while it doesn't have free options like SuiteCRM, it can offer a more robust set of features including artificial intelligence, better support, a more modern interface, and more third-party integrations.

SEE: For more details, check out our Salesforce product review.

odoo

Odoo is an open source CRM that businesses can use for free. Businesses can get AI-powered lead scoring, something SuiteCRM doesn't offer. Odoo also has a mobile-friendly interface for those who are constantly on the go, a modern interface, and emergency support options. Users can also pay to use other Odoo apps for finance, sales, HR, productivity, and marketing.

SEE: For more information, read our Odoo product review.

HubSpot

HubSpot offers free CRM software for up to 2,500 users. It can be a good alternative to SuiteCRM for businesses that want more call logging capabilities. Key features include call tracking with conversation intelligence, sales guides, and analytics. However, customization is limited and live support is not available for free users.

SEE: For a closer look at its capabilities, explore our HubSpot CRM review.

Review methodology

The SuiteCRM demo was used to determine its overall usability, features, functionality, and user experience. We also reviewed their separate how-to guides for users, developers, and administrators to understand how different teams can use the platform. User opinions and ratings were also taken into account.

Using a rubric that considered all of the above factors, SuiteCRM received a score of 4.01 out of 5 stars. The following is the breakdown of the criteria used to rate ZoomInfo:

• Cost: It weighted 25% of the total score.
• Main features: It weighted 25% of the total score.
• Easy to use: It weighted 10% of the total score.
• Customer Support: It weighted 10% of the total score.
• Personalization: It weighted 15% of the total score.
• Integrations: It weighted 15% of the total score.