Software · head to head
People.ai vs Zoho CRM
The short version
- Only Zoho CRM has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: People.ai pricing per user adds up quickly for large sales teams; Zoho CRM free tier limited to 3 users only
- They diverge on capability: People.ai covers Activity capture, Zoho CRM covers Lead management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which People.ai and Zoho CRM actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 People.ai
- Activity capture
- Deal intelligence
- AI coaching
- Revenue analytics
- Salesforce
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Zoom
- Web support
Only in Zoho CRM
- Lead management
- Deal tracking
- Sales automation
- Analytics
- Mobile CRM
- Email marketing
- AI assistant (Zia)
- G Suite
Both cover
- Contact management
- Slack
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
People.ai
- Customer Successnot Zoho CRM
- Ai Intelligencenot Zoho CRM
- Activity Capturenot Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM
- Sales automationnot People.ai
- Lead managementnot People.ai
- Customer supportnot People.ai
- Marketing automationnot People.ai
- Analytics & reportingnot People.ai
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
People.ai
- Pricing per user adds up quickly for large sales teams
- Setup requires deep CRM configuration and change management
- Activity capture can generate noise without proper filtering and customization
- Forecasting accuracy depends on data quality and proper configuration
Zoho CRM
- Free tier limited to 3 users only
- Steep pricing when scaling beyond 10 users
- Limited offline capabilities compared to some competitors
- Setup and configuration can require significant customization
Pricing, plan by plan
People.ai
$50/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the People.ai review.
Zoho CRM
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 3 users
- Basic modules
- Standard dashboards
- Standard$14/month
- Sales forecasting
- Custom dashboards
- Workflow automation
- Professional$23/month
- Inventory management
- AI predictions
- Advanced customization
- Enterprise$40/month
- Zia AI assistant
- Multi-currency
- Advanced analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Zoho CRM if
- You need lead management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want deal tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is People.ai or Zoho CRM better?
- Neither clearly leads. People.ai starts at $50/month and Zoho CRM at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, People.ai or Zoho CRM?
- Zoho CRM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $50/month for People.ai and Free for Zoho CRM.
- Does People.ai or Zoho CRM run on more platforms?
- People.ai runs on Web. Zoho CRM runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- Can I use Zoho CRM for free?
- Yes. Zoho CRM has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. People.ai starts at $50/month.
- What is People.ai best used for?
- People.ai is most often used for customer success, ai intelligence, activity capture. Of those, customer success and ai intelligence are not what Zoho CRM is typically brought in for.
- What can People.ai do that Zoho CRM cannot?
- People.ai covers Activity capture, Deal intelligence, AI coaching, Revenue analytics. Zoho CRM covers Lead management, Deal tracking, Sales automation, Analytics. Both handle Contact management, Slack.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
People.ai: What is People.ai's core functionality?
People.ai automates activity capture from emails, calls, and meetings, then uses AI to provide pipeline visibility, forecasting insights, and engagement analytics.
SourceZoho CRM: Does Zoho CRM have a free tier?
Yes. Zoho CRM offers a free plan for up to 3 users that includes core CRM functionality like lead, contact, and account management, basic workflow automation, and customizable dashboards.
SourcePeople.ai: What is the starting price for People.ai?
People.ai pricing starts at 50 USD per user per month, with free PeopleGlass tier available for Salesforce users.
SourceZoho CRM: What does Zoho CRM cost for a paid plan?
Zoho CRM pricing ranges from $14 per user per month for the Standard plan up to $52 per user per month for the Ultimate plan when billed annually. Most sales teams use the Professional plan around $23/user/month or Enterprise at $40/user/month.
SourceZoho CRM: Is Zoho CRM independent or owned by another company?
Zoho CRM is part of Zoho Corporation, which is independent and bootstrapped. The parent company was founded in 1996 as AdventNet, rebranded to Zoho in 2009, and has never accepted external venture funding.
SourceRelated pages
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