Best Salesforce Essentials alternatives in India (2026)
Salesforce Essentials is a crm software product from Salesforce, San Francisco, priced at Free · paid from $25/user/mo with a free plan. We compared 20 alternatives on published price, free plan, platforms and made-in-India support: 20 have a free plan, 11 are built in India.
The closest alternatives to Salesforce Essentials are Zoho CRM (₹800/mo), Freshsales (₹750/mo), Kylas CRM (Free plan), HubSpot CRM (Free plan) and Vtiger CRM (Free plan). Zoho CRM is the top-ranked option with a free plan. Published prices in this list start at ₹750/month.
Why businesses look for a Salesforce Essentials alternative
Indian support and GST
Salesforce Essentials is built in United States. 11 alternatives are made in India, where GST, TDS and UPI are usually handled natively and support runs on IST.
Salesforce Essentials alternatives compared
Ranked by how closely each product matches Salesforce Essentials's category, pricing model, platforms and business size, then by rating. Prices exclude GST.
Work out your sales motion first. High-volume telecalling needs dialler integration, call recording and lead distribution. Long-cycle enterprise selling needs pipeline stages, quote management and forecasting. Very few products do both well.
Check WhatsApp seriously. In India it is the primary sales channel for most SMBs, and 'WhatsApp integration' ranges from a click-to-chat link to a full Business API implementation with templates and automation.
Then check adoption. The best CRM is the one your team actually updates — if data entry takes more than a few seconds per interaction, it will quietly go unused within a quarter.
Salesforce Essentials alternatives — FAQs
What is the best alternative to Salesforce Essentials in 2026?+
The closest matches to Salesforce Essentials on App Advisor are Zoho CRM (₹800/mo), Freshsales (₹750/mo), Kylas CRM (Free plan). They are ranked by how closely their category, pricing model, platforms and target business size match Salesforce Essentials, then by rating. The best choice depends on your team size and budget.
Is there a free alternative to Salesforce Essentials?+
Yes. 20 of the 20 alternatives listed have a free plan or are free: Zoho CRM (₹800/mo), Freshsales (₹750/mo), Kylas CRM (Free plan). Free plans usually cap users, records or transactions, so check the limits against your monthly volume.
What is the cheapest alternative to Salesforce Essentials?+
Among alternatives that publish a price, Freshsales starts lowest at ₹750/mo. Zoho CRM also has a free plan. Prices are read from each vendor's website and exclude GST.
Is there an Indian alternative to Salesforce Essentials?+
Yes. 11 alternatives are built in India, including Zoho CRM (₹800/mo), Freshsales (₹750/mo), Kylas CRM (Free plan). Indian products usually handle GST, TDS and UPI natively and bill in rupees.
Salesforce Essentials vs Zoho CRM: which is better?+
Zoho CRM is the closest match to Salesforce Essentials in our catalogue. Key differences: Built in India (Chennai). Compare them side by side before you book a demo.
How were these Salesforce Essentials alternatives chosen?+
Every product listed sits in crm software or a category Salesforce Essentials also covers, and Salesforce's own products are excluded. Prices, free plans and platforms come from each vendor's official website. App Advisor does not sell any of this software.
Free shortlist
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