MethodCRM vs. Salesforce Starter

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
MethodCRM
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Method:crm is a QuickBooks-integrated, cloud-based CRM platform.
$35
per month per user
Salesforce Starter
Score 9.0 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Salesforce Starter (formerly Salesforce Essentials) is a small business CRM that replaces the former SalesforceIQ product. It is priced at $35 per user, on a monthly basis, or at $25 per month for if billed annually ($300) and can be tried free for 14 days on a trial.N/A
Pricing
MethodCRMSalesforce Starter
Editions & Modules
CRM Quick Start
$35
per month per user
CRM Pro
$59
per month per user
CRM Enterprise
$97
per month per user
CRM Multi-Entity
Custom Quote
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MethodCRMSalesforce Starter
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsDiscount available for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MethodCRMSalesforce Starter
Considered Both Products
MethodCRM
Chose MethodCRM
Method:CRM is a more affordable and user-friendly CRM. It is easier to manage Method:CRM without having to purchase a bunch of add-ons like you do with Salesforce. You get what you see in the demonstration without hidden costs. The ability to create custom fields is great. …
Chose MethodCRM
Method communicates with QuickBooks better than Salesforce did. Method also provides better tools for notes and opportunities than Business Central or ACT!
Chose MethodCRM
Easier to use than Autorask or Manage. Less expensive than Salesforce while still delivering a lot of functionality, 8n a slightly less elegant fashion.
Chose MethodCRM
We were using Quickbooks Desktop Enterprise for a very long time. However, the software is archaic and dated. Method allows us to step into the 21st century. We now have much more online / automated interactions with our customers. We like that Method also lets us customize a …
Chose MethodCRM
We chose Method over Salesforce because we felt as though they were not tailored to our size of the company and our specific needs overall. They offered many things that we found very appealing but at the end of the day, we knew that with most importantly we needed a CRM to …
Chose MethodCRM
Work is essentially a calendar and a set of tasks. Method allows me to set up recurring onboarding task lists and keep track of all customer touchpoint in one place.
Chose MethodCRM
I am not familiar with any other products
Chose MethodCRM
We chose Method:CRM for the QuickBooks integration. It was important for us to have integrations that allowed us to view payments, organize our contacts, and manage our sales force. There were some learning curves, however, such as creating activities, leads, customers and …
Chose MethodCRM
Method is by far the easiest of all platforms. It brings a lot of great features that salesforce has as well as email campaign features like constant contact, all in one. The only thing I would add would be more reporting and custom report capability.
Chose MethodCRM
Method is really designed for those who use QuickBooks. I like there is no cost to integrate with the software. Like other crm the user would have to an additional to integrate, but all features of QuickBooks would not able to integrate especially payments. Method has all …
Chose MethodCRM
I believe that Method:CRM is far superior to Salesforce and the others mentioned above for the following reasons:
  1. It is scalable and affordable.
  2. It doesn't take an engineering degree to learn how to use it.
Chose MethodCRM
I have not used other similar products.
Chose MethodCRM
It's highly customizable and user friendly.
Chose MethodCRM
We also have used a few other tools such as Insightly. Hands down Method: CRM lead management, quickbook automation & notifications wins the game.
Chose MethodCRM
I was not a part of the selection process of Method:CRM but I was part of the decision to cancel the service and I was a part of the decision-making group that found the alternative solution to what Method was doing for us. The thing that set the others apart from Method was …
Chose MethodCRM
Connectwise was a great product it was just not cost effective for our company. We actually really liked how Connectwise worked, it was just WAY too expensive.
Chose MethodCRM
I love the infinite customization available in Method CRM. No other CRM offers as much ROI and flexibility of design of the user interface. However Method's built-in feature set doesn't include many of the extras that might be found in a more niche product. Furthermore, while …
Salesforce Starter
Chose Salesforce Starter
The Zoho system is free and gives a long trial product. The salesforce brand is well known, and I wanted to try a good European crm product. The account manager was South African and very friendly. The system was trained on a demo, whereas Zoho did not offer an account …
Chose Salesforce Starter
more expensive but as an industry leader and go, the learning curve pays for itself in ROI in lost time in onboarding
Chose Salesforce Starter
Salesforce Starter is exactly what it says. It's specific to getting a small business up and running effectively, without unnecessary development or internal overhead required. It doesn't allow for a ton of customization, but it provides more than most other providers across …
Chose Salesforce Starter
We selected SalesforceIQ over insightly because of the email automation they offered. Their app also seemed to be a little more robust. I highly recommend a trial before you make a decision. The trial with SalesforceIQ is what sold us on the product.
Features
MethodCRMSalesforce Starter
Sales Force Automation
Comparison of Sales Force Automation features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
8.0
Ratings
2% above category average
Salesforce Starter
8.7
Ratings
10% above category average
Customer data management / contact management8.30 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Workflow management8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Territory management1.80 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Opportunity management8.30 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail)8.80 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Contract management8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Quote & order management9.20 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Interaction tracking9.00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Channel / partner relationship management10.00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Customer Service & Support
Comparison of Customer Service & Support features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
10.0
Ratings
26% above category average
Salesforce Starter
-
Ratings
Case management10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Call center management9.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Help desk management10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Marketing Automation
Comparison of Marketing Automation features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
8.9
Ratings
14% above category average
Salesforce Starter
7.4
Ratings
5% below category average
Lead management8.80 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Email marketing9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
CRM Project Management
Comparison of CRM Project Management features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
7.5
Ratings
3% below category average
Salesforce Starter
8.2
Ratings
6% above category average
Task management9.20 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Billing and invoicing management10.00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Reporting3.50 Ratings8.70 Ratings
CRM Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of CRM Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
7.7
Ratings
0% above category average
Salesforce Starter
9.0
Ratings
16% above category average
Forecasting8.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Pipeline visualization9.00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Customizable reports6.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
7.5
Ratings
2% below category average
Salesforce Starter
6.9
Ratings
11% below category average
Custom fields6.50 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Custom objects6.50 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Scripting environment9.20 Ratings5.90 Ratings
API for custom integration8.00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
8.2
Ratings
3% below category average
Salesforce Starter
8.7
Ratings
3% above category average
Single sign-on capability8.20 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.30 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Integrations with 3rd-party Software
Comparison of Integrations with 3rd-party Software features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
10.0
Ratings
28% above category average
Salesforce Starter
8.2
Ratings
8% above category average
Marketing automation10.00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Compensation management10.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Platform
Comparison of Platform features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
7.5
Ratings
2% below category average
Salesforce Starter
8.3
Ratings
8% above category average
Mobile access7.50 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Social CRM
Comparison of Social CRM features of Product A and Product B
MethodCRM
-
Ratings
Salesforce Starter
8.6
Ratings
13% above category average
Social engagement00 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Best Alternatives
MethodCRMSalesforce Starter
Small Businesses
Salesmate
Salesmate
Score 10.0 out of 10
Salesmate
Salesmate
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.3 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.3 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
MethodCRMSalesforce Starter
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
4.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
MethodCRMSalesforce Starter
Likelihood to Recommend
Method[:CRM] is well suited when you have a large company that needs to keep track of customers. It also connects with Quickbooks and that has really been nice for our organization. Our company is small so this really helps us stay on track and build our data base of customers.
Read full review
SalesforceIQ is a perfect CRM to start with and get your organization used to tracking customer contact. It was an easy setup and well adopted. It allowed us to rollout completely in just 30 days. We have seen a large increase in our ability to communicate. It may be lacking in some items if you already have a tracking method but was the perfect starting point for us.
Read full review
Pros
  • The customization team is brilliant!
  • The various integrations, QBO & Gmail, help me keep track of all customer interactions.
  • The more organized I am, the more time I have to take care of my clients!
  • I have nothing but praise for the support team and the rest of the crew at Method.
Read full review
  • Sales CRM with built-in guidance and reminders to manage and track opportunities.
  • Self-service for customers and internal employee needs. Integrates forms and chatbots very easily into your existing website.
  • Guided setup with inherent flows to make transitioning from legacy systems to new age cloud-based technologies
  • Integrates with Outlook and Gmail extremely well. Includes the Salesforce Inbox mobile app to link records with calendar and email. Email reminders included automatically.
  • The Salesforce Mobile App comes with Starter, making it super easy to work on the go, even in remote areas.
Read full review
Cons
  • I believe there is room for improvement with scaling down on the customizing (sometimes having too much isn't always a good thing)
  • The estimate creator in Method is not as fluid as making an estimate in QB. (moving lines around, adding lines, etc.)
Read full review
  • Table views can be sorted by column. Filters can be applied, but only to one column. Multi-column filtering like Excel allows would be extremely useful and a big improvement.
  • The ability to quick copy data in a table view would also be helpful, like (ctrl ') in excel.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
The things Method does well - QuickBooks data integration and extreme customization - it does very, very well. If you are looking for a CRM product or any business process automation software that integrates with QuickBooks, you have to look at Method CRM
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Usability
I'm fairly new to the company and have only been using Method for the last year and the ease of use has been a blessing for me. I've self trained on most of the aspects and have incorporated new operations in the company, based on what Method has to offer, that have enhanced the productivity for all associates.
Read full review
easy to use, training is intuitive and can be peer taught if needed. Not overly complex so that users can get started within a very short period of time.
Read full review
Support Rating
The support is great. They are on the line within minutes and share screen to figure out the problem immediately. I would highly recommend this product for that reason. I do wish the customization was a bit easier to use; however, with fewer settings that are available to the end user and an easier way to read the customization.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Be available to learn! There is a huge learning curve to this program. You have to be willing to take it all in. Be available to the Method expert and be patient.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
We were using QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise for a very long time. However, the software is archaic and dated. Method allows us to step into the 21st century. We now have much more online / automated interactions with our customers. We like that Method also lets us customize a great deal of the software to our exact needs and wants
Read full review
Salesforce Starter is exactly what it says. It's specific to getting a small business up and running effectively, without unnecessary development or internal overhead required. It doesn't allow for a ton of customization, but it provides more than most other providers across sales, service, and integration/automating business processes. Some tools are more specific to organizations that want to focus on a specific area to grow or manage their business. That's where the other package types and integrations with specific tools come in
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • Method:CRM has probably saved me about 6-10 hours per week over the past few years.
  • It has likely saved our company several hundred hours in the last 10 years.
  • It has specifically saved us countless hours with better data management vs. having separate spreadsheets for keeping track of things.
Read full review
  • It made the job more efficient for staff so they can spend time doing other tasks rather than configuring and maintaining Salesforce Starter.
Read full review
ScreenShots

MethodCRM Screenshots

Screenshot of a shared customer list.Screenshot of a customer profile.Screenshot of activity logging.Screenshot of a workflow visualization.Screenshot of the automated sales process.Screenshot of a testimonial.

Salesforce Starter Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of