TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Sage CRM

    Score8.9 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    Sage CRM is an SMB-oriented CRM platform offered in both SaaS and on-premise editions. Unlike the Sage SalesLogix product, the SaaS version is a true multi-tenant offering. The platform offers excellent integration with Sage ERP and accounting products. It is also a good global solution and is available in many languages and is used by over 12,000 customers worldwide, with many customers in Europe.

    $33

    per month

    Microsoft SQL Server

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft SQL Server is a relational database.

    $1,418

    Per License

    Pricing
    Sage CRMMicrosoft SQL Server
    Editions & Modules
    Sage CRM (cloud)
    $45
    Per User per Month
    Sage CRM (on premise)
    $0
    Lifetime License per Seat
    Subscription
    $1,418.00
    Per License
    Enterprise
    $13,748.00
    Per License
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Sage CRMMicrosoft SQL Server
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsTiered pricing is available for multiple users.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Sage CRMMicrosoft SQL Server
    Considered Both Products
    Sage
    No answer on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    53 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    45 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    53 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    39 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    45 Answers
    Features
    Sage CRMMicrosoft SQL Server
    Sales Force Automation
    Comparison of Sales Force Automation features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    8.8
    17 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Customer data management / contact management9.017 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow management8.616 Ratings00 Ratings
    Territory management8.517 Ratings00 Ratings
    Opportunity management8.917 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail)9.016 Ratings00 Ratings
    Contract management8.614 Ratings00 Ratings
    Quote & order management9.016 Ratings00 Ratings
    Interaction tracking9.216 Ratings00 Ratings
    Channel / partner relationship management8.716 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customer Service & Support
    Comparison of Customer Service & Support features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    8.1
    16 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Case management8.016 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call center management8.215 Ratings00 Ratings
    Help desk management8.214 Ratings00 Ratings
    Marketing Automation
    Comparison of Marketing Automation features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    8.7
    16 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Lead management8.816 Ratings00 Ratings
    Email marketing8.715 Ratings00 Ratings
    CRM Project Management
    Comparison of CRM Project Management features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    9.0
    17 Ratings
    16% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Task management9.016 Ratings00 Ratings
    Billing and invoicing management9.015 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting9.113 Ratings00 Ratings
    CRM Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of CRM Reporting & Analytics features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    8.6
    17 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Forecasting8.716 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pipeline visualization8.416 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable reports8.717 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    8.6
    17 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Custom fields8.517 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom objects8.516 Ratings00 Ratings
    Scripting environment9.016 Ratings00 Ratings
    API for custom integration8.314 Ratings00 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    8.7
    17 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Single sign-on capability8.717 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions8.813 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social CRM
    Comparison of Social CRM features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    9.4
    13 Ratings
    22% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Social data9.513 Ratings00 Ratings
    Social engagement9.313 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrations with 3rd-party Software
    Comparison of Integrations with 3rd-party Software features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    9.0
    14 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Marketing automation9.114 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compensation management8.912 Ratings00 Ratings
    Platform
    Comparison of Platform features of Sage CRM and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Sage CRM
    7.8
    16 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    Mobile access7.816 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Sage CRMMicrosoft SQL Server
    Small Businesses
    Salesflare
    Score10 out of 10
    Amazon RDS
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Kintone
    Score9.7 out of 10
    SingleStore
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Oracle Sales
    Score8.9 out of 10
    SAP IQ
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Sage CRMMicrosoft SQL Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (28 ratings)
    7.9
    (107 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    5.1
    (11 ratings)
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (11 ratings)
    7.6
    (17 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.9
    (8 ratings)
    7.9
    (26 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Sage CRMMicrosoft SQL Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Sage
    as it is a very flexible software that can be adapted to any business model, other functions human resource management, manufacturing and supply chain planning, all these functions are housed in a highly technological interface. I liked this system because it made automating accounts payable so much easier.the control of the basic accounting of any type of company
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft SQL is ubiquitous, while MySQL runs under the hood all over the place. Microsoft SQL is the platform taught in colleges and certification courses and is the one most likely to be used by businesses because it is backed by Microsoft. Its interface is friendly (well, as pleasant as SQL can be) and has been used by so many for so long that resources are freely available if you encounter any issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Sage
    • When in client profile, it is very intuitive, allowing you to easily transcribe notes in the clients profile.
    • Sage allows 3rd party plugins, so if you utilize a particular phone services or would like to import something as simple as google drive, its compatible.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Easy to configure and use with Visual Studio and Dot Net
    • Easy integration with MSBI to perform data analysis
    • Data Security
    • Easy to understand and use
    • Very easy to export database and tables in the form of SQL query or a script
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Sage
    • Reliance on Apache Tomcat causes a lot of headaches. There are common issues trying to start up the server, resulting from Apache Tomcat misconfigurations, or Java. Some forum posts on Sage City address common issues, but digging into server logs seems to be an often occurrence.
    • Support is somewhat lacking, less user install base means error messages are sometimes hard to find quick answers for. Most of the knowledge found on the internet is in the Sage City forum.
    • Integration with Microsoft 365 causes you to have to turn off some security features. This will result in your 365 tenants running lower security standards than recommended, it may put you at risk for targeted attacks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise edition has a high cost but is the only edition which supports SQL Always On Availability Groups. It would be nice to include this feature in the Standard version.
    • Licensing of Microsoft SQL Server is a quite complex matter, it would be good to simplify licensing in the future. For example, per core vs per user CAL licensing, as well as complex licensing scenarios in the Cloud and on Edge locations.
    • It would be good to include native tools for converting Oracle, DB2, Postgresql and MySQL/MariaDB databases (schema and data) for import into Microsoft SQL Server.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Sage
    There are really no other words to say, it is a very easy to use application that is more straightforward and has provided better results with the bulk of features that appeal to a very broad amount of users. There may be other CRM platforms out there that are more prevalent, but I have found them to be much more clunky and less intuitive than Sage CRM.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    We understand that the Microsoft SQL Server will continue to advance, offering the same robust and reliable platform while adding new features that enable us, as a software center, to create a superior product. That provides excellent performance while reducing the hardware requirements and the total cost of ownership of our solution.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Sage
    Excellent integration with the most important social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter) to get leads. The mobile app is quite useful for speeding up the tasks at hand and not relying on the computer or being in the office to get them done.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    SQL Server mostly 'just works' or generates error messages to help you sort out the trouble. You can usually count on the product to get the job done and keep an eye on your potential mistakes. Interaction with other Microsoft products makes operating as a Windows user pretty straight forward. Digging through the multitude of dialogs and wizards can be a pain, but the answer is usually there somewhere.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Sage
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Its does not have outages.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Sage
    Sage works very quickly based on the network you are using it on. It is internet based so if your network is slow, it will perform slowly. Reports seem to run reasonably fast, if there is too much information it is trying to populate that could slow it down a little. When Sage CRM is integrated with a Sage ERP product it doesn't tend to slow down either system at all
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    SSAS data cubes may some time slow down your Excel reports.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Sage
    Support team is really slow and they need to work on this really. Sometimes it takes days to resolve a simple query and there is no way to get it expedited. Rest the product is is amazing but the team should look into the costumer support and get it working
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    We managed to handle most of our problems by looking into Microsoft's official documentation that has everything explained and almost every function has an example that illustrates in detail how a particular functionality works. Just like PowerShell has the ability to show you an example of how some cmdlet works, that is the case also here, and in my opinion, it is a very good practice and I like it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Sage
    Most training would come after a upgrade. Otherwise we would self teach new employees. Training was with a Sage Software partner SWK technologies.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    It was good
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Sage
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    very hands on and detailed training
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Sage
    The implementation and upgrades were rather quick and straight forward. Attempting to link Sage CRM with Sage 100 ERP however was a nightmare and will be avoided by us in the future due to numerous issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Other than SQL taking quite a bit of time to actually install there are no problems with installation. Even on hardware that has good performance SQL can still take close to an hour to install a typical server with management and reporting services.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Sage
    Whilst SAGE CRM was selected around 10 years ago and we became a partner, the main contenders would have been at the time Sales Logix and MS CRM 4.0. However, we had extensive experience of the mid-market CRM's and decided on SAGE CRM since it had a clean, easy to understand interface and importantly offered both workflow automation and Self Service capability, all of which across both the Case and Sales and Marketing functionality was seamless and saved time. As it was pure browser based, access was from anywhere we wanted. In my view, SAGE CRM still stacks up well against all the other mid-market CRM systems and offers good value for money, but more importantly, it is an easy to operate and customisable solution which user like. Again, we can teach administration users very quickly to support and customise themselves since the admin. function are clear as well.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    [Microsoft] SQL Server has a much better community and professional support and is overall just a more reliable system with Microsoft behind it. I've used MySQL in the past and SQL Server has just become more comfortable for me and is my go to RDBMS.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Sage
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SQL server does handle growing demands of a mid sized company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Sage
    • It is very affordable in pricing, compared to competitors
    • Lead management and convertion into prospects is also a very easy process
    • Lead capture from web pages should be available, and better ways to capture leads from tradeshows by uploading directly from scanned business cards
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Increased accuracy - We went from multiple users having different versions of an Excel spreadsheet to a single source of truth for our reporting.
    • Increased Efficiency - We can now generate reports at any time from a single source rather than multiple users spending their time collating data and generating reports.
    • Improved Security - Enterprise level security on a dedicated server rather than financial files on multiple laptop hard drives.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots