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CRM · head to head

Bigin vs SharpSpring

Bigin logo

Bigin

CRM

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SharpSpring logo

SharpSpring

CRM

Marketing automation for agencies

From
$50/month
Rated
-
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.; SharpSpring still operates under the SharpSpring brand name (footer copyright SharpSpring 2026) as a Constant Contact product, serving over 2000 agencies and 10000 businesses per the vendor site
  • They diverge on capability: Bigin covers Multiple pipelines, SharpSpring covers Contact management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bigin and SharpSpring actually diverge.

Attributes where Bigin and SharpSpring differ
AttributeBiginSharpSpring
Starting priceFree$50/month
Pricing modelPer user per monthsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOSWeb
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: 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 SharpSpring

  • Contact management
  • Email marketing
  • Landing pages
  • Marketing automation
  • CRM
  • Reporting
  • White labeling
  • Zapier

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 SharpSpring
  • 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 SharpSpring
  • 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 SharpSpring
  • 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 SharpSpring

SharpSpring

  • Marketing automationnot Bigin
  • Lead generationnot Bigin
  • Client managementnot 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.

SharpSpring

  • Still operates under the SharpSpring brand name (footer copyright SharpSpring 2026) as a Constant Contact product, serving over 2000 agencies and 10000 businesses per the vendor site

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

SharpSpring

$50/month
  • Professional$50/month
    • Contact management
    • Email marketing
    • Landing pages
  • Agency$100/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Client management
    • White labeling
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Everything in Agency
    • Custom integration
    • Dedicated 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 SharpSpring if

  • You need contact management.
  • You also want email marketing.
SharpSpring review

Questions people ask

Is Bigin or SharpSpring better?
Neither clearly leads. Bigin starts at Free and SharpSpring at $50/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bigin or SharpSpring?
Bigin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bigin and $50/month for SharpSpring.
Does Bigin or SharpSpring run on more platforms?
Bigin runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOS. SharpSpring runs on Web.
Can I use Bigin for free?
Yes. Bigin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SharpSpring starts at $50/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 SharpSpring is typically brought in for.
What can Bigin do that SharpSpring cannot?
Bigin covers Multiple pipelines, Teampipes, Built-in telephony, Email integration. SharpSpring covers Contact management, Email marketing, Landing pages, Marketing automation.

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.

SharpSpring: Does SharpSpring offer different pricing for agencies versus enterprise customers?

SharpSpring explicitly tailors pricing to three customer segments: SMBs, Agencies, and Enterprise. Agencies receive month-to-month plans with flexible billing, while enterprise customers get custom plans designed to scale.

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.

SharpSpring: Are SharpSpring's agency plans billed monthly?

Yes. The site specifically mentions that agencies receive affordable month-to-month plans, indicating monthly billing flexibility rather than annual-only contracts.

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.

SharpSpring: What payment options are available for SharpSpring?

The site does not specify payment methods or models. Specific pricing details and payment options require contacting SharpSpring directly or visiting their dedicated pricing pages.

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.

SharpSpring: Is SharpSpring more affordable than competitors?

SharpSpring describes itself as offering a full feature set for a fraction of the cost of leading competitors, particularly for SMBs. However, specific pricing amounts are not disclosed on the homepage.

Source
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