Softwr

CRM · head to head

Bigin vs Folk

Bigin logo

Bigin

CRM

Zoho pipeline CRM for small businesses, priced well below Zoho CRM itself

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Folk logo

Folk

CRM

The CRM that works for you, not the other way around

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bigin the plan limits are the product boundary, not a soft guideline: three pipelines on Express and thirty automations will constrain any business with more than a couple of distinct sale types, and the only fix is to pay up a tier.; Folk no native mobile app, only works through mobile browser which is not optimized for phones
  • They diverge on capability: Bigin covers Multiple pipelines, Folk covers Contact management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bigin and Folk actually diverge.

Attributes where Bigin and Folk differ
AttributeBiginFolk
Pricing modelPer user per monthUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOSWeb
FoundedUnknown2020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (CRM).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bigin

  • Multiple pipelines
  • Teampipes
  • Built-in telephony
  • Email integration
  • Workflow automation
  • Mobile apps
  • Zoho ecosystem
  • Free onboarding

Only in Folk

  • Contact management
  • Email tracking
  • Mail merge
  • Chrome extension
  • Tags & groups
  • Notes & activities
  • Import/export
  • Search & filters

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bigin

  • A five-person sales team wants a real CRM for under 50 US dollars a month total and will never use the territory management or forecasting depth in Zoho CRM.not Folk
  • A business already running Zoho Books or Zoho Mail wants a CRM in the same account with native links rather than a bridged third-party tool.not Folk
  • A services firm wants to run client onboarding and delivery as pipelines alongside sales, which is what Teampipes exists for, without buying a separate project tool.not Folk
  • A buyer evaluating Zoho CRM Standard should price Bigin first, because for straightforward pipeline selling it is roughly a third of the cost on the same platform.not Folk

Folk

  • Contact managementnot Bigin
  • Sales outreachnot Bigin
  • Networkingnot Bigin
  • Recruitmentnot Bigin
  • Investor relationsnot Bigin

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bigin

  • The plan limits are the product boundary, not a soft guideline: three pipelines on Express and thirty automations will constrain any business with more than a couple of distinct sale types, and the only fix is to pay up a tier.
  • Outgrowing Bigin means migrating to Zoho CRM, a different product with different objects and configuration, so the cheap start becomes a project later rather than a plan upgrade.
  • The free plan is one user with 500 records and no automation, which makes it a trial rather than a usable free tier of the kind Zoho CRM competitors offer.
  • Reporting and analytics are basic compared with Zoho CRM, with no serious forecasting, territory management or custom module building, so sales operations functions have nothing to work with.
  • Zoho runs two overlapping CRMs and has an obvious incentive to keep Bigin limited, so features that would make it a genuine competitor to Zoho CRM are unlikely to arrive however much customers ask.

Folk

  • No native mobile app, only works through mobile browser which is not optimized for phones
  • Limited workflow automation capabilities compared to enterprise CRMs
  • No automatic phone call tracking, requires manual entry
  • Limited reporting and analytics features
  • Monthly caps on email sends and enrichment credits on lower tiers
  • LinkedIn Chrome extension sometimes has synchronization problems
  • Email sent through Folk sometimes doesn't appear as sent in user's Outlook account

Pricing, plan by plan

Bigin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • One user only
    • 500 records
    • One pipeline
  • Express$7/month
    • Three pipelines
    • 50,000 records
    • 30 workflow automations
  • Premier$12/month
    • Five pipelines
    • 100,000 records
    • 50 workflow automations
  • Bigin 360$18/month
    • Fifteen pipelines
    • One million records
    • 100 workflow automations

Folk

Free
  • Standard$24/month
    • Pipeline management
    • Email campaigns
    • Contact enrichment
  • Premium$48/month
    • Custom objects
    • Email sequences
    • Dashboards
  • Enterprise$80/month
    • Dedicated account manager
    • Custom integrations
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Bigin if

  • You need multiple pipelines.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOS.
  • You also want teampipes.
Bigin review

Choose Folk if

  • You need contact management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want email tracking.
Folk review

Questions people ask

Is Bigin or Folk better?
Neither clearly leads. Bigin starts at Free and Folk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bigin or Folk?
Bigin starts at Free and Folk at Free.
Does Bigin or Folk run on more platforms?
Bigin runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOS. Folk runs on Web.
Can I use Bigin for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Bigin best used for?
Bigin is most often used for a five-person sales team wants a real crm for under 50 us dollars a month total and will never use the territory management or forecasting depth in zoho crm., a business already running zoho books or zoho mail wants a crm in the same account with native links rather than a bridged third-party tool., a services firm wants to run client onboarding and delivery as pipelines alongside sales, which is what teampipes exists for, without buying a separate project tool., a buyer evaluating zoho crm standard should price bigin first, because for straightforward pipeline selling it is roughly a third of the cost on the same platform.. Of those, a five-person sales team wants a real crm for under 50 us dollars a month total and will never use the territory management or forecasting depth in zoho crm. and a business already running zoho books or zoho mail wants a crm in the same account with native links rather than a bridged third-party tool. are not what Folk is typically brought in for.
What can Bigin do that Folk cannot?
Bigin covers Multiple pipelines, Teampipes, Built-in telephony, Email integration. Folk covers Contact management, Email tracking, Mail merge, Chrome extension.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bigin: Is Bigin the same as Zoho CRM?

No. It is a separate, cheaper product on its own domain with its own pricing, aimed at small businesses, and it is deliberately capped so it does not compete with Zoho CRM.

Folk: What are Folk's pricing plans?

Folk offers three plans: Standard at $24/month per member (billed annually), Premium at $48/month with custom objects and email sequences, and Enterprise from $80/month with advanced security and dedicated support. New workspaces get a 2-week free trial with all Premium features.

Source
Bigin: How much cheaper is it?

Express is 7 US dollars per user per month annually against Zoho CRM Standard at a higher rate, and the gap widens against the upper Zoho CRM tiers.

Folk: Does Folk offer a mobile app?

Folk does not have native iOS or Android apps. The web interface technically works on mobile browsers but is built primarily for desktop use.

Source
Bigin: What happens when I outgrow the pipeline limits?

You move up a Bigin tier to five or fifteen pipelines, and beyond that you migrate to Zoho CRM, which is a data and configuration migration rather than a switch.

Folk: Does Folk track phone calls automatically?

No, Folk does not automatically track phone calls. All call interactions must be manually entered into the system.

Source
Bigin: Is the free plan usable?

Only for one person with a very small contact list. It is one user, 500 records, one pipeline and no automation.

Folk: What integrations does Folk support?

Folk supports over 5,000 integrations through platforms like Zapier and Make. It includes native email, calendar, and WhatsApp sync, LinkedIn extension, and can enrich contact data using its built-in enrichment tool.

Source
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