SugarCRM Review: Is It Right for Your Business in 2023?
Jess served on the founding team of a successful B2B startup and has used a wide range of sales and marketing tools over the course of her 15-year career. She uses her industry knowledge to deliver the best answers to your questions about sales tools and sales management.
Jill is a writer at Fit Small Business specializing on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
This article is part of a larger series on CRM.
SugarCRM is enterprise-level customer relationship management (CRM) software. We scored it high in areas like general and niche features. It provides users with essential CRM functionalities, including reporting, customizable pipelines, and integrations. It also offers lead scoring and workflow automation. We scored it lower in areas like ease of use as it requires in-depth technical experience to set up and operate.
SugarCRM
Overall Score:
3.60 / 5
Pros
- Offers intelligent tools for lead management, such as lead scoring
- Robust features for sales and marketing automation
- Has specialized features for businesses that need excellent customer support tools
Cons
- No free plan
- Plans are significantly more expensive than other providers in the market
- Only email support and live chat are available; phone support needs to be purchased separately
- Needs in-depth technical knowledge and experience to operate
When to Use SugarCRM
- Advanced sales automation: SugarCRM lets users predict opportunities through AI-powered tools. Read our guide on the best sales automation software for other options.
- Robust marketing automation tools: Its marketing automation features offer email marketing tools and AI-driven analytics. Check out our best CRMs for email marketing for other CRMs with marketing features.
When to Use an Alternative
SugarCRM is a CRM system that provides users with specialized marketing automation, sales automation, and customer service tools. It offers fundamental CRM features like lead and opportunity management and advanced tools like lead analysis, scoring, and prediction. It is best for businesses that need robust sales automation tools—given that they have a budget to spend for a CRM subscription.
SugarCRM Deciding Factors
Supported Business Types | Large companies and enterprises |
Standout Features |
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SugarCRM Pricing |
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Contract Duration | Only annual plans are available |
Key Integrations |
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Customer Support | Live chat and email support; additional premium cost for phone support |
SugarCRM Alternatives
If SugarCRM software doesn’t meet your business needs, below are some alternatives you can consider:
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Best For | Users who need a free CRM with excellent email marketing automation tools | Companies that need an enterprise-level CRM with advanced reporting and analytics tools | Sales teams that want a built-in phone system included in their CRM |
Starting Price | Offers a free plan, while paid plans start at $45 per month for a minimum of two users | Starts at $25 per user, per month | Offers a free plan, while paid plans start at $15 per user, per month |
Reviews |
Interested in learning about other providers that might prove suitable for your business needs? Check out our guide on the best CRM for small businesses.
SugarCRM Pricing
We didn’t give SugarCRM pricing a corresponding score as it doesn’t provide a free plan. Its pricing plans are significantly higher than the average, and it only offers annual plans. SugarCRM price plans (Sell, Serve, and Enterprise) also require a minimum of three users per subscription, further driving the costs up.
SugarCRM costs vary greatly and are based on a business’ specific needs and priorities. The four paid plans start at $49 per user, per month—all billed annually. The increase in pricing doesn’t necessarily mean that all features in the lower-priced plan are included.
For example, SugarCRM’s Sell plan is its general-purpose plan and is the most affordable. Its Serve and Enterprise plans are mid-range plans and almost have the same pricing. However, Serve focuses on customer support, while Enterprise focuses on customer experience tools. Market, its most expensive plan, has features mostly designed for marketing automation.
Plans | Sell | Serve | Enterprise | Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Users needing lead predictions and sales forecasting tools | Users needing omnichannel support for their customers | Users needing sophisticated customer experience (CX) tools | Users needing effective and responsive marketing automation tools |
Annual Pricing ($/Month) | $49 per user | $80 per user | $85 per user | $1,000 |
No. of Users | Unlimited, minimum of 3 users | Unlimited, minimum of 3 users | Unlimited, minimum of 3 users | Unlimited |
Contact Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Lead Management | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Lead Routing | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Sales Email Campaigns | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Lead Analysis & Scoring | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Sales Opportunity Forecasting | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
Social Media Management | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
A notable aspect of SugarCRM is that it offers specialized solutions and tools based on a business owner’s priority area. These include marketing automation, sales automation, and customer service. An important aspect to note is these features are usually grouped in particular plans, so you should be mindful of this when choosing between SugarCRM’s different plans.
Click on the drop-down menu below for more information on its plans:
Sell Plan
SugarCRM’s Sell plan is focused on helping users build meaningful and lasting relationships with their customers. Apart from the basics, its customer relationship-centric features also include lead analysis, scoring, and prioritization. It also offers ideal company profile assessment and win-loss opportunity prediction.
Serve Plan
Its Serve plan provides quick and reliable support to users’ customers. Apart from the fundamental features offered, its customer service-specific features include case routing and ticket management, service reports, and automated customer service workflows. It also has a call deflection feature that allows agents to turn down calls and let their customers resolve basic and common issues independently with a self-service portal and knowledge base.
Enterprise Plan
Its Enterprise plan is focused on delivering tailored on-premise customer experience (CX) applications. Apart from offering essential features, such as contact and lead management, it provides specialized features, like support for MySQL Database, Microsoft SQL Server (2), and Oracle Database (2). It also includes a user management portal and a portal for secure communications with agents.
Market Plan
Its Market plan has features focused on improving lead conversion. Its lead conversion-centric features include lead analysis, scoring, qualification, lead nurturing with real-time statistics, and dynamic list segmentation. You’ll also get all the fundamental features offered in all of SugarCRM’s plans.
SugarCRM Features
Regardless of your chosen plan, SugarCRM includes various features for contact, lead, and project management, managing sales opportunities, and automating repetitive tasks. Its CRM mobile app is also downloadable and accessible for all users—regardless of plan subscription.
We gave SugarCRM general features a score of 5 out of 5 as it offers all fundamental CRM functionality—from managing to nurturing customer relationships. These include tools to track leads and deals, monitor pipelines, analyze sales, and manage customer service activities.
Below are some of the general features of SugarCRM:
- Contact management
- Account management
- Project management
- Lead management
- Customizable CRM dashboard
- CRM reporting
- CRM analytics
We gave it a score of 5 out of 5 for its niche features as it offers specialized and advanced features like lead scoring and email marketing. It also offers workflow automation, which is instrumental in streamlining sales processes and assisting agents in ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Sales Automation
SugarCRM’s sales automation tools help users close deals and predict opportunities using its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered lead conversion tool and Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) feature. Its sales analytics tools let users gain insights and understand the behavior of their customers by assessing their purchase, action, and sentiment history.
SugarCRM’s sales dashboard shows the overall sales status and projected performance of a business. (Source: SugarCRM)
Marketing Automation
Its marketing automation features, mostly found in its Market plan, provide tools that let you connect and engage with your customers easily. It offers inbound and outbound email marketing tools and AI-driven analytics, providing users with an in-depth look at how their contacts interact with their marketing materials. It lets users create conversion-focused emails, landing pages, and forms with intuitive drag-and-drop builders.
SugarCRM provides email templates that can be automated for email marketing campaigns. (Source: SugarCRM)
Customer Service Tools
The platform’s customer service features, mostly found in its Sugar Serve plan, offer users a customer portal and omnichannel support to provide the best support to customers. It lets users route cases intelligently and create customer service workflows. It also allows agents to turn down calls for easy and common issues, compelling customers to resolve the issues independently by directing them to a self-service portal and knowledge base.
SugarCRM’s customer service tools let users closely monitor the progress of customer tickets and queries. (Source: SugarCRM)
Third-party Integrations
SugarCRM has native CRM integration capabilities with select marketing automation and customer experience (CX) tools through its Sugar Integrate functionality. This allows users to synchronize all their customer data with the platform. Users get a 360-degree view of their customers’ profiles where they can sync their marketing data between systems.
SugarCRM’s native integrations include:
- Salesforce CRM
- InforCRM
- Microsoft Dynamics
- NetSuite
- Sage
- Bullhorn
- Google Analytics
- Google Ads
- Google Paid Search
SugarCRM earned a 3.13 out of 5 score for customer support because it only provides email and live chat support. Users who need phone support can purchase it as an add-on for customized pricing. Users can also refer to its community page, SugarClub Community, to answer their questions.
We scored SugarCRM 2.75 out of 5 because it requires some level of technical knowledge and experience to navigate. However, while beginners and new users could experience some degree of a learning curve, there is a rich pool of resources they can refer to on its SugarClub Community page. It also offers extensive tutorial videos on its YouTube channel.
We gave the software an expert score of 4.25 out of 5. Features users highlighted include its robust sales and marketing automation tools as well as its ability to handle and manage a high volume of leads on a daily basis. Users who left negative reviews said the pricing options are expensive. They also said that it requires some level of technical know-how to operate.
At the time of this publication, SugarCRM had the following review scores from popular user review sites:
- G2: 4 out of 5 based on 655 reviews
- Capterra: 3.8 out of 5 based on 386 reviews
- GetApp: 3.8 out of 5 based on 386 reviews
Methodology: How We Evaluated SugarCRM Reviews
As part of writing our software reviews, we test each system ourselves. We look at crucial areas, such as pricing, the core set of features every CRM should have, and the level of customer support and ease of use. We also looked through existing CRM ratings about SugarCRM from credible review sources.
Click through the tabs below for our SugarCRM review evaluation criteria:
10%
Pricing
10%
General Features
30%
Niche Features
20%
Ease of Use
20%
Support
10%
Expert Score
10% of Overall Score
Cost is typically an essential criterion for any business, so it was one of our considerations when evaluating its cost-effectiveness. We usually give a high score to providers that offer a starter plan that costs $30 or less. We also check the availability of a free plan, scalable pricing options, and options to pay monthly or annually.
10% of Overall Score
We looked at overall features necessary for any CRM system, such as integration options, reporting, and analytics tools. We also considered the availability of a SugarCRM mobile app—which is essential for sales reps who are always on the go.
30% of Overall Score
We looked at the niche and targeted features of the software to see the value a user can get by subscribing. We checked if they offer specialized features such as lead scoring, workflow automation, and analytics.
20% of Overall Score
We evaluated the platform’s usability and the level of technical experience needed to use the system. This was analyzed in terms of the expertise needed to set up an account, the learning curve for learning to use its features, and the ease of integrating with other apps.
20% of Overall Score
Support is a critical part of running any CRM tool, especially for small businesses that don’t have in-house technical support. We analyzed the types and availability of support offered by these providers through live chat, email, and phone.
10% of Overall Score
We looked through existing and best CRM reviews on credible sites to measure the level of satisfaction current users have and any problems they typically encounter. We also added our thoughts and expert opinion on key features, value for money, and popularity.
*Percentages of overall score
SugarCRM Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who will benefit most from using SugarCRM?
SugarCRM is ideal for larger companies and enterprises, mostly due to its price points. Users who also need highly specialized plans should consider SugarCRM, especially those who need CRMs that offer features made particularly for marketing automation and customer support.
When should I use a SugarCRM alternative?
- Users who need a free CRM tool should consider other options, as SugarCRM only offers paid subscription options and has higher pricing plans. Check out our guide on the best free CRM software to learn about possible alternatives.
- Users running an online store. Since SugarCRM doesn’t offer specialized features of ecommerce, interested users should consider alternatives from our list of best ecommerce CRM instead.
Bottom Line
SugarCRM is an extensive and sophisticated CRM tool that provides specialized features for particular areas of focus—particularly sales and marketing automation, as well as customer support. For small businesses, their lowest-priced plan is more than enough to manage leads and opportunities. However, businesses needing highly advanced marketing automation tools must spend more on their Market plan.
