Microsoft 365 vs. Zoho CRM

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft 365
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is a Microsoft Cloud subscription service that includes Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access). The software can be installed across multiple devices and ensures that users always have the most up-to-date version of the included Office applications.
$5
Per User Per Month
Zoho CRM
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Zoho CRM is a simple, very low-cost CRM option for the smaller end of the SMB segment. The product has several useful integrations with other products, including QuickBooks, and Google Apps and Google Docs. The product also has an integrated project management module.
$14
per month
Pricing
Microsoft 365Zoho CRM
Editions & Modules
Business Basic
$5.00
Per User Per Month
Individual
$5.84
*Per Month
Business - Apps
$8.25
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - F3
$10.00
Per User Per Month
Business Standard
$12.50
Per User Per Month
Business Premium
$20.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E3
$32.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E5
$57.00
Per User Per Month
Standard
$14.00
Per User/Per Month
Professional
$23.00
Per User/Per Month
Enterprise
$40.00
Per User/Per Month
Ultimate
$52.00
Per User/Per Month
Plus
$57.00
Per User/Per Month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft 365Zoho CRM
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup fee$14 /user/month
Additional Details*When billed annually.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft 365Zoho CRM
Considered Both Products
Microsoft 365

No answer on this topic

Zoho CRM
Chose Zoho CRM
We required a full-featured corporate working tool, and Hubspot wasn't the most excellent alternative. We were guaranteed that Zoho CRM may fill up the holes in our earlier framework. Furthermore, Zoho is fantastically cost-effective for indeed the most minor endeavors, giving …
Chose Zoho CRM
Free user access was one reason to use it more than any other software. Also, for a mid-size organization, the Salesforce cost was a little higher, and Pipedrive was almost similar to Zoho. As we were already using Zoho, we found no urgency to switch.
Chose Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is similar to Salesforce in that it integrates well with other platforms. Zoho CRM has a lot more features available and is newer than Salesforce, so it seems like it has better features than Salesforce did. We selected Zoho CRM for the robust options they had …
Chose Zoho CRM
Salesforce CRM would have been my go-to if I had the budget for it. Zoho CRM goes 90% of the way for a much decent price.
Chose Zoho CRM
We are currently evaluating the possibility of moving from Zoho to MS to see if this is a better fit for our business without increasing costs too heavily
Chose Zoho CRM
We looked at Microsoft Dynamics since it would integrate with our Office 365, but the price was too much. Zoho [CRM] had the best reviews and had a better price point.
Chose Zoho CRM
We selected ZOHO over the above - specifically Salesforce - initially because of the price. Secondly, we do not have the technical expertise and budget to do a lot of customization at this time. So, we needed a product that had a good user interface, and that was flexible and …
Chose Zoho CRM
My experience with Zift is that it is cumbersome and hard to use. Also, response time is poor, at least in the implementation I used. I did not select Zoho, but I am pleased with it.
Chose Zoho CRM
Zoho is simple and convenient to use.
Chose Zoho CRM
Zoho is a much more matured product, ready to be deployed with no intensive initial customization needed.
Its favorable pricing model makes it faster to reach a positive ROI (HubSpot is free, but every advanced feature needs an upgrade).
One of our critical requirements was the …
Features
Microsoft 365Zoho CRM
Sales Force Automation
Comparison of Sales Force Automation features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.3
287 Ratings
6% above category average
Customer data management / contact management00 Ratings8.4278 Ratings
Workflow management00 Ratings8.2265 Ratings
Territory management00 Ratings8.6195 Ratings
Opportunity management00 Ratings8.6252 Ratings
Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail)00 Ratings8.6247 Ratings
Contract management00 Ratings8.6202 Ratings
Quote & order management00 Ratings8.0202 Ratings
Interaction tracking00 Ratings8.0248 Ratings
Channel / partner relationship management00 Ratings8.2191 Ratings
Customer Service & Support
Comparison of Customer Service & Support features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.2
220 Ratings
7% above category average
Case management00 Ratings8.3212 Ratings
Call center management00 Ratings7.8171 Ratings
Help desk management00 Ratings8.4188 Ratings
Marketing Automation
Comparison of Marketing Automation features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.4
265 Ratings
8% above category average
Lead management00 Ratings8.4260 Ratings
Email marketing00 Ratings8.3218 Ratings
CRM Project Management
Comparison of CRM Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.3
262 Ratings
8% above category average
Task management00 Ratings8.4247 Ratings
Billing and invoicing management00 Ratings8.2179 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings8.4241 Ratings
CRM Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of CRM Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.3
257 Ratings
8% above category average
Forecasting00 Ratings8.3215 Ratings
Pipeline visualization00 Ratings8.2234 Ratings
Customizable reports00 Ratings8.5248 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.1
276 Ratings
5% above category average
Custom fields00 Ratings8.3274 Ratings
Custom objects00 Ratings8.1221 Ratings
Scripting environment00 Ratings7.9177 Ratings
API for custom integration00 Ratings8.2202 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.3
265 Ratings
1% below category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.3230 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.3260 Ratings
Social CRM
Comparison of Social CRM features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.1
164 Ratings
8% above category average
Social data00 Ratings8.1163 Ratings
Social engagement00 Ratings8.1156 Ratings
Integrations with 3rd-party Software
Comparison of Integrations with 3rd-party Software features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.5
209 Ratings
13% above category average
Marketing automation00 Ratings8.6206 Ratings
Compensation management00 Ratings8.3137 Ratings
Platform
Comparison of Platform features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft 365
-
Ratings
Zoho CRM
8.5
229 Ratings
11% above category average
Mobile access00 Ratings8.5229 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft 365Zoho CRM
Small Businesses
Google Workspace
Google Workspace
Score 9.1 out of 10
Salesmate
Salesmate
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Google Workspace
Google Workspace
Score 9.1 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Score 8.9 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft 365Zoho CRM
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(242 ratings)
8.5
(310 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.5
(6 ratings)
7.6
(42 ratings)
Usability
7.7
(13 ratings)
7.8
(172 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(7 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(8 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(54 ratings)
6.2
(69 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
5.6
(8 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(2 ratings)
5.5
(16 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
5.1
(114 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
9.5
(21 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.1
(5 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
5.8
(6 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(7 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.8
(13 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(13 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft 365Zoho CRM
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Microsoft 365 would be well suited for medium to large enterprises. This is where there are several hundreds or thousands of people. Since most everyone has used one of the applications the learning curve would be reduced. Another reason would be the ability to implement security measures to prevent access to sensitive data. This could justify the cost of an Enterprise license.
Read full review
Zoho
Interfacing with our target clients at the correct minute is crucial in today's society. Another valuable include is its capacity to coordinated with other programs. It helps me in keeping track of the every day work emails I send to my colleagues or get. Zoho CRM makes it straightforward to consequence or send out information agreeing to our needs. Zoho makes a difference keep in mind individuals by means of e-mail and pop-ups, which dispenses with the issue of overlooking follow-ups and reminders. This not as it were helps within the organization of this incredible instrument but moreover within the execution of data.
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Chat with teams and the integrations with the other apps, and many more smaller ones, like to-dos, news, and the recent Outlook integration.
  • Easy embedding on SharePoint to broadcast all the content created in the different tools.
  • The office package is still robust with the good things from the past and new additions.
Read full review
Zoho
  • Hooks into our website and can import data from forms.
  • Has great automation tools built in.
  • Reporting features are great.
  • Easy to learn, makes it easy for us to onboard new users onto it.
  • Fairly customizable. We have fine tuned it to work the way we need it to.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • Forms lack comprehensive features and parameters for detailed questioning for example cannot be directly linked with Power BI
  • Outlook email filters are not handy to use and require more detailing in terms of location past emails
  • Teams requires substantially large amounts of system resources which could be finetuned
Read full review
Zoho
  • Need some way to switch a field type without losing the pre-existing data.
  • The settings controls should be broken out differently - I don't like that I can't keep some users from exporting all contact records (i.e., the entire Contacts module) because if the export function is turned off, the export function of Reports for those same modules is also blocked.
  • Frustrating that only 3 custom lookup fields are allowed per module in our license.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
So far the Microsoft 365 platform provides features and tools that can cater to 100% of present organizations needs considering both technical and business necessities, however most features are not been effectively utilised at present. The current featureset is able to cover for most of the future needs of the business and technical functions.
Read full review
Zoho
i have already renewed my subscription twice. I am in the 3rd Year now. I have been using it for a while and have been recommending to my friends as well.. have attended ZOHOLICs the annual program of zoho and it gave me new insights of managing the crm solutoin.
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
Microsoft 365 is the gold standard for performing project tasks in a professional environment, enabling the quick transfer and exchange of files and ideas for team members who work locally and remotely. Its suite of tools is familiar and has evolved to being cloud based, allowing for files to be updated in real time from near and far.
Read full review
Zoho
The methodology of the 'out of the box' user interface is fairly easy to learn. In some cases however, the interface is not consistent throughout the software. Upgrades to the interface has certainly improved some of this--- but now we are seeing the same kinds of inconsistencies across Zoho apps, particularly those more recently added to their platform. This issue is not major in that everybody on staff seems able to learn how to work the programs--- it's just annoying and less than efficient when inconsistent user interfaces or inconsistent terms are used in the programs and/or the requisite documentation.
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Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
To-date Microsoft 365 platform has offered an amazing uptime and availability percentage per year compared to all other products which provide the stability and overall business resilience of their ecosystem which is a great relief for information technology service entitites which heavy rely on Microsoft offerings as a whole to redeliver their own custom products
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Zoho
In my many years using Zoho, I think there were only 1 or 2 days when there was something happening and I was not able to log in. Sure, it wasn't fun and we all panicked a bit, but right after that, all was well and work-life continued. Being cloud based, I'm never worried about losing my iPhone, iPad or Laptop as I know I can log in anywhere on any device and workflow won't stop.
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Performance
Microsoft
The Microsoft 365 tools expects and demands a substantial amount of system resources to operate at optimal level and even more when integrated with other applications which is a downside, however given that external supporting tech factors such as fibre/broadband speed bandwidth, high speed RAM and ample storage resources are allocated the tools work error free providing robust communication
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Zoho
I don't recall every having any issues with a page not loading due to it being a Zoho issue. Anytime I've had any issues with something being wonky, I clear cache and that has always solved the problem. Or a simply computer reboot and we're back, hard at work. Look, I don't expect any product to delivery 100%, 100% of the time but if I had any consistent ongoing issues, I would have left many years ago. I still keep my eyes open to what is new but after a quick evaluation, I know Zoho will long be my home.
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Support Rating
Microsoft
Over the past 8 years of using Microsoft 365, I have noticed that they change vendors often. This always leads to a poor experience in the beginning, then levels out after some time for the company to get things worked out. As a customer, it is really frustrating because I don't have time when something isn't working to have them "look into my issue" and get back with me. They have even closed a ticket I specifically told them to keep open. Your applications are only as good as the support.
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Zoho
We did the training and that was a huge waste of money. The information provided was basic and the instructor was sloppy (he even forgot to turn off his mic when he used the restroom - no one should ever hear what we heard). I offered up a 9 because we were able to find what we needed on your website.
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In-Person Training
Microsoft
The resellers involved with selling Microsoft products are reluctant to provide in person specialist trainings to consumers due to the fact of costs of economies of scale and is not provided free of charge most of the time. In Person trainings needs to be agreed to at the initiation of projects and implementations for better ROI.
Read full review
Zoho
I attended a Zoho-Holics event in Austin, TX, several years ago, and it blew my mind. So many industries were represented using Zoho in so many different ways. It was unbelievable all that I learned from that experience, as there were features that I wasn't aware of that I immediately started using. Best of all, the trainers were patient and knowledgeable
Read full review
Online Training
Microsoft
The standard training offered with 3rd part resellers are fairly standard and covers the basic workability however the trainings needs to be specifically customised according to unique requirements of the organizations. for example an MSP would need to master specific communications verticals within Microsoft 365 whereas and online store using Microsoft 365 would needs to master a different set of tools within the suite to get the best ROI post implementation.
Read full review
Zoho
There is an endless supply of YouTube videos from Zoho and the many Zoho partners/consultants. Plus, Zoho has it's own library of training videos and webinars to learn from plus an entire community at the ready to answer any questions. While Zoho has been available for many years, there are constantly new training videos and webinars available for the novice and the experienced users.
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
The Microsoft support partners are more than capable of handling implementations and dealing with unprecedented errors during the implementations. Not part of the implementation though the setup was done with minimum misconfigurations which is evident with present live setup which works fine without any bugs and gaps at present context.
Read full review
Zoho
When you switch CRMs, you can automatically assume everything isn’t going to match up correctly. We had used Salesforce for 10+ years and had a ton of data and customizations. It was not a clean transfer, but we were able to sort it all out. The only issue that really bothered me was Zoho support. Even simple questions couldn’t be answered over chat, and we would have some team members try for hours to find the right answer
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Typically I prefer working with companies with Microsoft 365 as their main tool because they're usually a fast growing company with a global presence. I like using it for work because it's easy to collaborate, share, review, comment, reply in any of the tools. The mobile app for Outlook and Teams are lifesavers when we're constantly traveling and you can join meetings on the mobile Teams to never miss a beat.
Read full review
Zoho
Free user access was one reason to use it more than any other software. Also, for a mid-size organization, the Salesforce cost was a little higher, and Pipedrive was almost similar to Zoho. As we were already using Zoho, we found no urgency to switch.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Microsoft
Microsoft pricing is not very expensive and yet not very cheap as well, and it hovers in between the baseline. The charges are mostly based on the tier level partners who charge based on their individual reputation in the market. Power negotiation will lead to cost effective and attractive pricing
Read full review
Zoho
I think Zoho CRM is priced at a reasonable amount. Simply put, you get what you pay for and Zoho does not disappoint. My organization is comfortable with what we pay and pleased with continually renewing the software. The billing frequency is just right. There are no complaints on our end
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Scalability
Microsoft
Multiple tools within the same platform have been deployed successfully within different functional technical and non technical teams such as Devops, SOC, NOC, Shared services, Managed services, Global Information technology, Cloud operations, Finance, Administration, human resources and all these teams collaborate while maintaining central uniformity in terms of global standards who are dispersed in different geographical locations with ease
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Zoho
We're still in the early stages of scaling this across departments. We have high aspirations of doing this, but it takes time to migrate to the new system and to help people get acquainted of doing their work in a different way thru Zoho.
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Professional Services
Microsoft
Have not directly obtained professional services from Microsoft but rather obtained specialized services such as implementations and configurations, setting up and integration support with Microsoft authorized suppliers, 3rd parties, and resellers, which has been a pleasant experience. Again the level of delivery quality on professional services is based on the level of hands on exposure of the 3rd party
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Zoho
In addition to being a user of Zoho CRM, we are a reseller as well. Often, at times our Partners request for on-boarding the platform configuration for them. During such requirements, we have utilized the Professional services team directly from the Zoho CRM team. Our partner feedback was quite positive, throughout.
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • We have a lot of nonprofit users, so they have a good ROI.
  • I like the constant updates without having to purchase the software repeatedly.
  • I used to purchase each Office (insert year here) often, so the software was up to date and had the newest options and connectors. I think my return on investment would have been much better if Microsoft had updated those versions to keep them current; after all, we did pay for them.
  • Microsoft 365's offering a monthly fee or a discount for a year helps, and you can look at it as a free backup if you have everything set to back up to One Drive. (Cloud-based document filing you can access anywhere ( with an internet connection)—you Can't beat that!)
Read full review
Zoho
  • because we are new to the CRM world, we wanted a product that was reasonably priced, yet had the features we were looking for
  • we have found a much higher customer engagement rate and ROI
  • we used to "lose" customers in our makeshift process. Now, all customers are being attended to.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Zoho CRM Screenshots

Screenshot of Deals - Cash in on all opportunities. Close more deals. Great sales management is all about prioritizing, tracking, and monitoring the deals in your pipeline. Zoho CRM gives you everything you need to manage deals across territories and sales structures.Screenshot of Activities - Keep track of all the tasks, meetings, calls, events, or activity records. Neatly organize the numerous records along with the activities associated to them such as follow-up, pre sales and post sales activities, phone conversations etc.