Softwr

CRM · head to head

Bigin vs Richpanel

Bigin logo

Bigin

CRM

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Richpanel logo

Richpanel

Customer Support

AI-native helpdesk for e-commerce customer support

From
$99/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bigin has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Richpanel primarily focused on e-commerce, not ideal for other industries
  • They diverge on capability: Bigin covers Multiple pipelines, Richpanel covers AI-native agent.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bigin and Richpanel actually diverge.

Attributes where Bigin and Richpanel differ
AttributeBiginRichpanel
Starting priceFree$99/month
Pricing modelPer user per monthPer-seat plus per-conversation for AI agents
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOSWeb, Mobile, API
CategoryCRMCustomer Support
FoundedUnknown2020

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Richpanel

  • AI-native agent
  • Multi-channel inbox
  • E-commerce integrations
  • QA Agent
  • Social Media Agent
  • Self-Service Portal
  • AI Safety features
  • Copilot mode

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 Richpanel
  • 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 Richpanel
  • 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 Richpanel
  • 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 Richpanel

Richpanel

  • Automating e-commerce customer support with AInot Bigin
  • Resolving returns and exchanges automaticallynot Bigin
  • Responding to social media inquiries at scalenot Bigin
  • Providing full customer context across all support channelsnot Bigin
  • Reducing support costs while improving response timesnot 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.

Richpanel

  • Primarily focused on e-commerce, not ideal for other industries
  • AI conversation pricing ($0.20 per conversation) requires monitoring to control costs
  • Minimum $200 monthly charge for AI agents may not suit small businesses
  • Heavy emphasis on e-commerce integrations (Shopify, Recharge) limits flexibility
  • No published pricing for enterprise or custom plans

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

Richpanel

$99/month
  • Helpdesk Seat$99/month
    • Unified inbox across all channels
    • Round-robin assignment
    • CSAT reporting
  • AI Agent$0.2/conversation
    • End-to-end conversation resolution
    • Multi-channel automation
    • Customer context from Shopify, Recharge, Loop, Yotpo
  • Returns & Exchanges$99/month
    • Automated returns and exchange policies
    • Exchange incentives
    • Fraud prevention

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 Richpanel if

  • You need ai-native agent.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, API.
  • You also want multi-channel inbox.
Richpanel review

Questions people ask

Is Bigin or Richpanel better?
Neither clearly leads. Bigin starts at Free and Richpanel at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bigin or Richpanel?
Bigin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bigin and $99/month for Richpanel.
Does Bigin or Richpanel run on more platforms?
Bigin runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOS. Richpanel runs on Web, Mobile, API.
Can I use Bigin for free?
Yes. Bigin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Richpanel starts at $99/month.
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 Richpanel is typically brought in for.
What can Bigin do that Richpanel cannot?
Bigin covers Multiple pipelines, Teampipes, Built-in telephony, Email integration. Richpanel covers AI-native agent, Multi-channel inbox, E-commerce integrations, QA Agent.

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.

Richpanel: What is the guarantee on AI automation?

Richpanel guarantees 50% automation within 30 days, or refunds every dollar back. The company also guarantees 30% lower bills compared to competitive AI and helpdesk stacks.

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.

Richpanel: How much does AI cost per conversation?

AI-handled conversations cost $0.20 each with a $200 minimum monthly charge. This covers all AI features including QA Agent, Social Media Agent, and Copilot functionality.

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.

Richpanel: Which e-commerce platforms does Richpanel integrate with?

Richpanel integrates with Shopify, Recharge, Loop, and Yotpo to provide full customer context during support interactions.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on Bigin

More on Richpanel

Keep looking

Other head to heads