SugarCRM was founded in 2004 by Clint Oram. The company is headquartered in Cupertino, California, with other offices across the United States, as well as in Mexico, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. This CRM platform has more than 2 million users across 120 countries and is focused on expanding globally. SugarCRM provides business insights that customers can use to predict their sales and provide customers with updates. SugarCRM offers cloud-based as well as on-premise plans, so users can choose which platform suits their needs better.
Popular CRM Software
SugarCRM allows your sales, marketing, and service teams to collaborate on your business’s customer experience. The CRM helps you capture leads, manage your contacts, and automate the sale of renewals for subscription businesses. SugarPredict, the CRMs artificial intelligence engine will identify conversion opportunities for your team.
SugarCRM offers a variety of paid plans to suit the specific needs of both small and enterprise businesses. The pricing starts at $52 per user per month for the Sugar Professional plan and tops out at $1,000 per month for the Sugar Market plan.
These plans will give you access to tools that boost your sales, marketing, and service teams’ efforts through the use of automation, tracking, and analytics. SugarCRM captures leads from activities on your website and customer data extracted from emails and conversion-optimized forms created using the drag and drop builder.
SugarCRM requires a year-long commitment and a minimum of 10 users.
SugarCRM is best for:
Larger enterprises
Businesses requiring plenty of customization
SugarCRM is not recommended for:
Businesses with less than ten employees
Small businesses with limited funds
SugarCRM offers a marketing automation solution to help you grow your business's customer base through lead capture and data analytics. The CRM has an artificial intelligence engine that provides insights on your customers' behavior and interaction with your website to help you make informed decisions about your marketing and sales techniques.
SugarCRM allows you to customize your CRM with third-party plug-ins and custom fields and layouts. The flexible design of the CRM allows businesses to better fit the customer relationship management tool to their specific needs. Plus, SugarCRM provides an option for on-premise deployment at its Sugar Enterprise tier that gives larger businesses even more control over their CRM system.
Professional reviews also note that since SugarCRM is an open-source software, large enterprise businesses can have developers create fully customized CRM solutions to suit their specific business needs.
SugarCRM is not recommended for small businesses seeking a CRM on a budget. It requires a year-long subscription and you need at least ten users to set up an account. If you’re looking for a CRM to fit your small business’s needs, check out our Best CRM for Small Businesses of 2024 rating.
Comparison of the Best CRM Software
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
|
Company | On-Premise | Cloud-Based | Free CRM | Language Support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SugarCRM » | Over 30 Languages | ||||
| Less Annoying CRM » | English | ||||
| Nimble » | English | ||||
| Freshworks CRM » | Over 10 Languages | ||||
| HubSpot » | 7 Languages |
SugarCRM offers five pricing plans to cater to different company needs and company sizes.
Sugar Professional
Sugar Professional is suitable for small businesses. The plan offers a cloud-based system that can easily be upgraded. The CRM helps you manage customer relationships through sales automation, customer data management, and integrations.
Sugar Enterprise
Sugar Enterprise offers flexibility to large businesses that seek complete control of their CRM with on-premise deployment that gives you greater customization capabilities to help you stay compliant with any policies that apply to your industry. It also includes SugarBPM, a tool that allows you to design automations for your specific business needs.
Sugar Serve
Sugar Serve is equipped with SugarLive, a feature that connects with Amazon Connect to give you an omnichannel approach to connecting with customers. It also includes self-service portals that allow customers to find the answers they need quickly without the need to call support phone numbers.
Sugar Sell
This SugarCRM plan keeps customer data organized and uses AI features like SugarPredict to analyze the data and direct your company’s team on how to increase sales. Sugar Sell can integrate with several apps and help you manage leads, transactions, and sales seamlessly, thereby improving customer relationships.
Sugar Market
Sugar Market provides features such as the drag-and-drop campaign builder and advanced analytics to collate leads and score customer interactions. These features make sure that you deal with leads promptly and correctly to improve your conversion rate.
CRM Price Comparison Chart
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| |||||
|
Company | Yearly Cost - Billed Monthly | Yearly Cost - Billed Annually | Cost Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SugarCRM » | N/A | $624 | N/A | |
| Less Annoying CRM » | $180 | $180 | $0 | |
| Nimble » | $300 | $228 | $72 | |
| Freshworks CRM » | $420 | $348 | $72 | |
| HubSpot » | $600 | $540 | $60 |
SugarCRM offers five CRM plans that you can subscribe to annually. The plans require at least ten users, except the Sugar Market plan at $1,000 per year. Compared to the other companies on our list of Best CRM Software for 2024, the Sugar CRM pricing is quite expensive.
SugarCRM offers a seven-day free trial for the Sugar Sell plan, and you won’t need a credit card to get started.
Sugar Professional: $52
Sugar Serve: $80
Sugar Sell: $80
Sugar Enterprise: $85
Sugar Market: $1,000
Users can pay additional fees for extra integrations, like Customer Journey Plug-in and Connect, that expand the functionality of their CRM.
Similar CRM Software
Best CRM for In-Person Training
- Monthly Plan Cost
- $25/User & Up
- Annual Plan (Per User)
- $45/Month
- Subscription Plan
- Monthly or Annual
- Mobile App
- Monthly Plan Cost
- $15/User & Up
- Annual Plan (Per User)
- $12.50/Month
- Subscription Plan
- Monthly or Annual
- Mobile App
Best Free CRM of 2024
- Monthly Plan Cost
- $35/User & Up
- Annual Plan (Per User)
- $29/Month
- Subscription Plan
- Annual
- Mobile App
If you think SugarCRM might be the right CRM for you, start by creating an account online. You’ll fill out some of your company information then click “Request a Demo.” The demo will allow you to gain a better sense of the software and start your seven-day free trial. Read up on the details of each individual plan before deciding which to purchase at the end of your trial. On the website’s Pricing page, you’ll see there is an option to contact the sales team. With this option, you can fill out a form with some personal information (name, job title, company name and size, and your contact information including phone number and email) then you’ll be directed to a representative who can answer your questions.
Or, if you would rather speak on the phone with an agent, you can call the number provided on the global directory page. Once you complete your free trial, a representative from SugarCRM can help you convert your information into a full-time subscription. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
- Visit the website. Browse through the SugarCRM website, and see how it compares to other CRMs you have researched.
- Decide which plan you want. Explore the various plans and prices under the Pricing tab on the SugarCRM website.
- Request a demo. Click the “Request a Demo” button on the right-hand corner of the screen.
- Start your seven-day free trial. After learning more about SugarCRM with the demo, start your seven-day free trial. Use this time to make sure you like the product and see if it fits your needs.
- Reach out with questions. Fill out the online form or call the customer service number to ask further questions about the program.
- Make your official purchase. Buy your plan online and start improving your business.
For more information on selecting a CRM see our page to How to Choose a CRM.
Comparison of CRM Training Methods
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
|
Company | Online Courses | In-Person Courses | Video Tutorials | Training Guides | API Documentation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SugarCRM » | ||||||
| Less Annoying CRM » | ||||||
| Nimble » | ||||||
| Freshworks CRM » | ||||||
| HubSpot » |
Once you have officially made your SugarCRM purchase, it’s time to learn more about the software itself so you can fully take advantage of all its benefits. For an in-depth training program, visit Sugar University where you’ll find a variety of programs ranging in price from free to $499. This online educational guide consists of mixed media presentations about general topics like How to Manage Your Lead and Contact Cards or more specific lessons relevant to one occupation like Sugar for Solution Architects. Users from around the globe will benefit as Sugar University is available in more than 30 languages.
To gather some more background knowledge on the CRM software, users can visit the Resources section of the website. There, you’ll find free access to various blog posts detailing software updates and goings-on within the SugarCRM community. There are also analyst reports, white papers, e-books and case study videos so you can see how other companies use SugarCRM.
Depending on what plan you purchased, you’ll probably have a few team members dedicated to communicating with SugarCRM representatives who can answer any questions regarding plug-ins, the service’s multiple APIs, the online community or just the platform in general.
The platform also offers a mobile app if you need to access the tools when you’re on the go.
The level of customer service SugarCRM users receive depends on which plan they have purchased. Most users are encouraged to look for answers on the Sugar Support website in their Knowledge Base, Documentation, Sugar University, and Community tabs.
For more complex issues, each plan is allotted one or more support-authorized contacts.The number will depend on the Sugar product you’ve subscribed to. These contacts are representatives from your business who will be the ones to contact SugarCRM for more guidance.
- Monthly Plan Cost: $15/User & Up
- Annual Plan (Per User): N/A
Less Annoying CRM Is Best For:
Small businesses that want to manage their sales pipeline with their CRM
Teams that want simple customization options
Businesses that want phone and email support
Less Annoying CRM Is Not Recommended For:
Businesses that want to manage marketing with their CRM
Companies that link project delivery with their sales process
Large enterprises with complex CRM requirements
Companies that want to integrate with many 3rd party services
- Subscription Plan:
- Monthly
- Mobile App:
SugarCRM vs. Less Annoying CRM
SugarCRM and Less Annoying CRM offer similar features like mobile access and contact management. However, Less Annoying CRM targets small businesses, while SugarCRM is better suited for larger enterprises.
The Sugar Enterprise plan includes features like Sugar BPM that are designed for advanced customization and enable the flexibility needed to build a CRM platform with automation that is specific to the company’s brand and its industry’s policies.
Less Annoying CRM offers a single pricing plan that costs $15 per month, while the pricing plan for SugarCRM ranges from $52 to $1,000 per month and requires an annual subscription for at least ten users. This pricing scheme makes Less Annoying CRM a more affordable option for small businesses.
Learn more in our Less Annoying CRM review.
- Monthly Plan Cost: $25/User & Up
- Annual Plan (Per User): $45/Month
HubSpot CRM Is Best for:
New CRM users
People who want free CRM tools
Companies that want to take their marketing to the next level
Small businesses
HubSpot CRM Is Not Recommended for:
Businesses that want the most robust CRM software available
Users who don’t plan to invest time or effort in the software
People who want a lot of assistance over the phone
- Subscription Plan:
- Monthly or Annual
- Mobile App:
SugarCRM vs. HubSpot CRM
SugarCRM and Hubspot CRM are helpful for medium-sized businesses. They provide features such as sales automation, lead qualification, and reporting, which improve customer interaction and direct a company’s actions.
SugarCRM provides an on-premise deployment option, as opposed to Hubspot, which only offers cloud hosting. On-premise CRM systems allow companies greater control over their system, and the additional customization it provides can be desirable to large enterprises.
HubSpot CRM offers a free version that provides essential CRM tools for small businesses while SugarCRM doesn't. However, SugarCRM offers a seven-day free trial of their Sugar Sell plan, so you can still test out the CRM and see if it is right for you.
Though SugarCRM has a lower monthly cost per user, you’re required to purchase an annual contract for ten users, which may be too pricey for small businesses.
Learn more in our HubSpot CRM review.
- Monthly Plan Cost: $35/User & Up
- Annual Plan (Per User): $25/Month
Salesforce CRM Is Best for:
Large or growing businesses
Users ready to invest time and money in CRM
Companies that want CRM software with lots of customizations
Salesforce CRM Is Not Recommended for:
Businesses seeking free CRM software
Small businesses that want access to expert support
Users who just want a few easy-to-use features
- Subscription Plan:
- Annual
- Mobile App:
SugarCRM vs. Salesforce CRM
Since both CRMs offer similar features, including lead management, social monitoring, sentiment analysis, social media integration, and marketing automation, you need to consider which one of them caters to your unique needs.
Most startups seek a cheap CRM solution to improve their customer relationships and grow their revenue. Salesforce CRM offers monthly billing as low as $25 per user per month for its base plan, called Essentials. This is a good option for startups stepping into online operations. SugarCRM on the other hand requires a year-long commitment of at least 10 users for its base plan, Sugar Professional. This means that if you are a small business or a startup, you may find it difficult to pay the $52 per user per month for 10 employees, which comes out to $6,420 a year. Therefore, Salesforce is likely your better bet if you’re on a budget.
Learn more in our Salesforce review.
Learn more
For more information on CRM software, please see our pages:
Other CRM Software
Before choosing a CRM software for your business, look at our other reviews to determine which CRM is most suitable for your unique business needs.
Other Ratings from 360 Reviews
For more insight into other business services to help grow your company size, look at our other reviews.
How U.S. News Evaluated CRM Software
We explain what matters most when it comes to buying a CRM software by sourcing consumer and professional reviews. U.S. News researched the most important features of CRM services to provide an unbiased evaluation of CRM software. Our goal is to empower businesses with the information and tools they need to make informed decisions. More information about our 360 Reviews methodology for evaluating CRM software is available here.