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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    VanillaSoft

    Score3.7 out of 10
    Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
    VanillaSoft is a lead optimization platform designed to assist fast-response sales teams in maximizing their conversion rates. By providing a structured and efficient approach to lead management, VanillaSoft aims to ensure that every potential customer receives the attention they deserve. This platform is beneficial for sales teams that operate in high-pressure environments where timely follow-ups can significantly impact sales outcomes. The primary audience for VanillaSoft…N/A

    Zoho CRM

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AZoho 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
    VanillaSoftZoho CRM
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    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
    VanillaSoftZoho CRM
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup fee$14 /user/month
    Additional DetailsVanillaSoft offers several add-ons to use in conjunction with our base platforms including: Auto Dialing Call Recording VoIP SmartCaller ID SMS
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    VanillaSoftZoho CRM
    Considered Both Products
    VanillaSoft
    Chose VanillaSoft
    VanillaSoft offers more features at a cheaper rate with a more user-friendly and professional platform. Also, the assistance given while setting up the software as well as ongoing assistance made me a loyal and satisfied customer for life.
    Incentivized
    Chose VanillaSoft
    I had used Salesforce before and VanillaSoft is better. Zoho looks obscenely amateur by comparison. The cadence structure is by far my #1 favorite feature. We have built it over 20 email templates deep at times.
    Incentivized
    Zoho
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    82 Answers
    93%
    Would buy again
    232 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    65 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    233 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    81 Answers
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    238 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    55 Answers
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    189 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    55 Answers
    87%
    Implementation went as expected
    187 Answers
    Features
    VanillaSoftZoho CRM
    Sales Force Automation
    Comparison of Sales Force Automation features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.7
    289 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Customer data management / contact management00 Ratings8.7280 Ratings
    Workflow management00 Ratings8.6267 Ratings
    Territory management00 Ratings8.9197 Ratings
    Opportunity management00 Ratings8.4254 Ratings
    Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail)00 Ratings8.4249 Ratings
    Contract management00 Ratings8.8204 Ratings
    Quote & order management00 Ratings9.0204 Ratings
    Interaction tracking00 Ratings8.9250 Ratings
    Channel / partner relationship management00 Ratings8.7193 Ratings
    Customer Service & Support
    Comparison of Customer Service & Support features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.8
    222 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Case management00 Ratings8.7214 Ratings
    Call center management00 Ratings8.5173 Ratings
    Help desk management00 Ratings9.3190 Ratings
    Marketing Automation
    Comparison of Marketing Automation features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.5
    267 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Lead management00 Ratings8.8262 Ratings
    Email marketing00 Ratings8.3220 Ratings
    CRM Project Management
    Comparison of CRM Project Management features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.5
    264 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Task management00 Ratings8.3249 Ratings
    Billing and invoicing management00 Ratings8.6181 Ratings
    Reporting00 Ratings8.7243 Ratings
    CRM Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of CRM Reporting & Analytics features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.6
    259 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Forecasting00 Ratings8.7217 Ratings
    Pipeline visualization00 Ratings8.2236 Ratings
    Customizable reports00 Ratings8.8250 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.4
    278 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Custom fields00 Ratings8.7276 Ratings
    Custom objects00 Ratings8.1223 Ratings
    Scripting environment00 Ratings9.2179 Ratings
    API for custom integration00 Ratings7.7204 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.2
    267 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings7.7232 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.7262 Ratings
    Social CRM
    Comparison of Social CRM features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.5
    166 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Social data00 Ratings8.7165 Ratings
    Social engagement00 Ratings8.3157 Ratings
    Integrations with 3rd-party Software
    Comparison of Integrations with 3rd-party Software features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.8
    211 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Marketing automation00 Ratings8.9208 Ratings
    Compensation management00 Ratings8.8139 Ratings
    Platform
    Comparison of Platform features of VanillaSoft and Zoho CRM
    Feature
    VanillaSoft
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho CRM
    8.3
    231 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Mobile access00 Ratings8.3231 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    VanillaSoftZoho CRM
    Small Businesses
    HubSpot Sales Hub
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Salesflare
    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Mixmax
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Kintone
    Score9.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Groove (legacy product)
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Oracle Sales
    Score8.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    VanillaSoftZoho CRM
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.3
    (88 ratings)
    9.1
    (312 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    7.6
    (42 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    7.8
    (172 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.8
    (7 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.5
    (8 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (3 ratings)
    6.1
    (69 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    5.5
    (8 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    5.6
    (16 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    5.1
    (114 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.5
    (21 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.2
    (5 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    5.7
    (6 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.3
    (7 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.7
    (13 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.8
    (13 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    VanillaSoftZoho CRM
    Likelihood to Recommend
    VanillaSoft
    VanillaSoft is well suited for any marketing operations or sales operations team looking for a tool to help them efficiently reach prospects and engage with them through a streamlined method. This can be a great way to manage that engagement, measure it, and keep track of various aspects of prospects.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    VanillaSoft
    • Our employees love it - very user friendly, easy to grasp, very little down time to learn it. They feel very confident immediately.
    • Great technical support - I can get solutions to customer problems that make our company look more responsive to our clients. Our clients appreciate our solving their problems immediately.
    • Because of the real time analytics - we can address immediate issues with marketing campaigns to make our client's personnel look great to their superiors.
    • Because of all the functionality - we can provide a turnkey approach from a small company with big company capabilities.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    VanillaSoft
    • It really needs an "undo" button. I can't tell you how many times I was typing notes etc and hit a wrong button and all was gone so I had to start over.
    • This may be the way we have it set up....we have term codes which are how the callers terminate a call they were on. They finish the call, then type notes in the notepad section of what happened, then they terminate the call. But there are times that I need to go onto a record and just leave a note but don't need to terminate it as anything. If there is a way to do that, it would make my life a lot easier.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    VanillaSoft
    We have no reason not to renew. VanillaSoft has been the best CRM (for us) that we have ever used. The value is great, we love the system, and it's easy to get assistance from VanillaSoft team when needed. Our team is so used to the calling and admin functions there is no desire to change.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    VanillaSoft
    The entire system is set up so perfectly. It makes training callers much quicker, and admin tools are so easy to navigate when you get used to using it. Also, if there is ever something I cannot figure out, I can get support from VanillaSoft very quickly to resolve and get my task accomplished.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    VanillaSoft
    It is very rare that we have system issues. Maybe a handful of times over the years, we had to contact support about being unable to access. It was always a quick response from the VanillaSoft team, and they would clearly explain the issue and usually give time frame on fixing, or have it fixed immediately.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    VanillaSoft
    I work on all aspects for VanillaSoft for our company. The pages overall do load very quickly. Reports are amazing, I can get quick report, customized reports, and anything I may need to present to client in very little time. It has made my job so much simpler. As far as I know, integration goes smoothly as well.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    VanillaSoft
    Response time was acceptable for the relatively few problems any of our users may have encountered. Fortunately, such occasions were rare.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    VanillaSoft
    It was very helpful and informative. The learning of the tool is something anyone can do, as the setup is so well thought out.
    Incentivized
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    VanillaSoft
    It was very thorough. VanillaSoft team did not rush us. They explained the various functions clearly and were open to any and all questions we had as we began to learn the system. Also, once training completed, if we encountered anything we could not figure out, the support team was fantastic in helping us out.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    VanillaSoft
    Our implementation was very easy.
    Incentivized
    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
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    VanillaSoft
    VanillaSoft stacks up against Microsoft Power BI very well by allowing the data visualization in a more effective way, Power BI has positioned itself as one of the more robust and intuitive tools for business intelligence and data presentation. VanillaSoft and Microsoft Power BI are a great bundle for the report and analytics team.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    VanillaSoft
    No answers on this topic
    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
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    VanillaSoft
    VanillaSoft has been great. The flexibility of the system is wonderful. The scalable software options are impressive as well. I would strongly support VanillaSoft's capabilities in this area. You really can do just about anything to get the setup and or integrations you may desire for your company needs.
    Incentivized
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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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Professional Services
    VanillaSoft
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    VanillaSoft
    • Ability to contact more clients each day.
    • The ability to save my correspondence and notes on each interaction allowing for the appearance to the customer that I am very engaged when we are speaking.
    • Increased sales from the calendar setting and saving my notes.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    VanillaSoft Screenshots

    Screenshot of the VanillaSoft Call Activity Dashboard, used to to monitor sales campaigns.Screenshot of where to build reports using the VanillaSoft Web Reports Wizard.Screenshot of where VanillaSoft offers the ability to arrange modules into four panels for access to almost everything in one screen.Screenshot of VanillaSoft's caller screens, which can be displayed in three panels.

    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.