How Much Does Salesforce Cost?

Last Updated on October 2, 2024
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

As one of the most popular and powerful CRM platforms, Salesforce provides robust tools for sales, marketing, customer service, and analytics. But what does Salesforce actually cost?

In this guide, we’ll break down Salesforce’s flexible pricing tiers, subscription models, user licenses, and key factors that influence overall costs. Whether you’re a small business or large enterprise, understanding Salesforce pricing empowers you to budget appropriately and choose the right plan aligned with current needs and future growth trajectories.

Read on for an in-depth analysis of what’s included at each tier, how pricing scales, add-on costs, and pro tips to optimize your Salesforce investment.

How Much Does Salesforce Cost?

Salesforce currently offers four core subscription package plans for prospective customers to choose from, that cost anywhere between $25 and $300 per active user per month, billed annually:

• Essentials CRM – $25 per active user/month when billed annually – CRM basics focused on smaller teams
• Professional CRM – $75 per user/month billed annually – Expanded CRM feature set ideal for growing businesses
• Enterprise CRM – $150 per user/month billed annually – Advanced administration and configuration options designed for larger companies
• Unlimited CRM – $300 per user/month billed annually – API access, unlimited customization, and premium support services tailored for large enterprises

The higher tier plans provide progressively more functionality, customization capabilities, scalability, and access to premium support services for larger or more complex mid-size and enterprise businesses.

“Keep in mind various discounts are often available, especially for eligible nonprofits and educational institutions which can reduce standard pricing across all tiers substantially,” notes Gabriella Fu, Salesforce pricing expert.

According to CMC Global, Salesforce’s pricing for its Sales Cloud and Service Cloud platforms begins at $25 per user per month, with premium plans reaching up to $500 per user per month. The Sales Cloud offers multiple pricing tiers, including the Starter Suite at $25, Lightning Professional at $80, Lightning Enterprise at $165, Lightning Unlimited at $330, and Lightning Unlimited+ at $500.

According to Tech.co, Salesforce pricing starts at $25 per user per month for its Sales Cloud and Service Cloud platforms. The Marketing Cloud starts at a significantly higher price of $1,250 per month. The various plans cater to different business sizes and needs, with the Essentials plan designed for teams of five or fewer users.

As detailed by WebFX, Salesforce offers several pricing plans, with the cheapest starting at $25 per user per month. The plans include Essentials for basic features, Professional at around $80 per user per month, Enterprise for about $165 per user per month, and Unlimited for approximately $300 per user per month. The highest tier can exceed $15,000 monthly depending on customization and additional features.

According to an article by Forbes, Salesforce’s pricing remains consistent regardless of business size, with the Starter Suite priced at $25 per user per month. As businesses scale up, they can access more advanced features tailored for larger operations. The pricing structure is designed to accommodate both small businesses and larger enterprises.

Salesforce CRM Overview

Salesforce offers a cloud-based CRM platform with diverse capabilities for:

• Contact management and pipeline tracking
• Sales and marketing campaign automation
• Customer service and support
• Data reporting, dashboards, and business intelligence

Salesforce uses a very straightforward per-user subscription model with flexible monthly or annual billing cycles available. Several pricing tiers are offered to help match needs and scale affordably over time.

“Many businesses don’t realize Salesforce intentionally offers tiered pricing plans tailored for organizations of all sizes and maturity levels,” says Mike Lewis, Salesforce consultant. “Carefully evaluating then matching the ideal plan to your team’s current processes and volumes, with room to scale capabilities up over time, is the key to optimizing Salesforce costs.”

Factors Influencing Salesforce Pricing

While the set per-user subscription fees provide the software foundation, several additional factors also impact overall Salesforce costs:

• Number of user licenses and seats – Monthly subscription fees scale up linearly based on number of Salesforce users in an organization. Licensing the right number of seats for your team prevents overspending.
• Customization, workflows, and add-ons – Activating more apps, creating intricate workflows between objects, and deeper platform customization requires more upfront and ongoing investment.
• Data storage consumption – Storage allotments vary by plan, but additional capacity beyond license levels is $5 per month for each extra gigabyte.
• Overall API usage – Access to Premium tier API usage limits comes with Enterprise and Unlimited plans based on the organization’s scale.

“Avoid paying for shelfware by only activating essential licenses aligned with headcount, additional storage beyond your needs, and maximum API calls ‘just because’ they’re available,” recommends Salesforce platform expert Gabriella Fu. “Carefully analyzing current and projected utilization helps optimize Salesforce costs.”

Salesforce CRM Plan Recommendations

Salesforce’s tiered pricing packages align very naturally with organizations at different maturity stages:

• Early stage and small businesses – The Essentials plan provides core CRM feature foundations at just $25 per user/month. Enough for most teams getting started.
• Growing mid-size companies – The Professional or Enterprise packages in the $75 to $150 per user/month range offer enhanced tools to meet the needs of scaling sales, marketing, and service teams.
• Large enterprises and corporations – Enterprise or Unlimited tiers give large companies the advanced administration controls, customization, and premium support services they require, ranging from $150 to $300 per user/month.

“Don’t over or underestimate your Salesforce plan needs – closely evaluate organically adopting system capabilities against your team’s ever-evolving sales and support workflows and processes to maximize value,” recommends Mike Lewis, Salesforce expert.

You might also like our articles on the cost of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Netsuite, or Clari.

Add-Ons, Products, and Services

In addition to the foundational CRM platform subscription costs, some of the most commonly deployed Salesforce add-ons and extra products include:

• Salesforce Marketing Cloud – For sophisticated email marketing, campaign automation, and social media management. Starts at $400 per month for up to 50,000 contacts.
• Salesforce Pardot – Specialized B2B focused marketing and lead nurturing automation. Pricing starts at $1,250 per month for standard functionality.
• Tableau CRM – Brings robust business intelligence and interactive data visualization capabilities to Salesforce. Tableau CRM starts at $150 per user/month.
• Salesforce Premier Support – Offers 24/7 phone, chat, and email access to senior-level support experts. $500+ per month based on use levels.

When possible, leverage add-ons like these strategically to address specific needs vs enabling a multitude of extras that bloat costs without delivering ROI. Prioritize tools that enhance your team’s unique productivity, system adoption, and desired growth.

Salesforce CRM vs Other CRM Solutions

So how do Salesforce subscription costs stack up against other top CRM software solutions and competitors? Here’s a brief overview at standard list rates:

• HubSpot CRM – Has a free Basic CRM tier, while paid upgrades start at $50 per user/month for the Professional plan gaining more sales and marketing tools.
• Zoho CRM – Very affordable, starting at just $12 per user/month for core features. However, lighter on enterprise customization capabilities versus Salesforce.
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 – Dynamics 365 Sales module starts at $95 per user/month. Integrates tightly with Microsoft’s business productivity stack.

Pricing across the top CRM software vendors aligns reasonably closely for core functionality accessed by most businesses. Salesforce does provide premium capabilities, deep platform extensibility, and access to the vast AppExchange ecosystem that help justify incremental costs for use cases warranting those advantages.

“Keep in mind special pricing is available across all major CRM tools for eligible nonprofits, education institutions, and government entities,” advises Gabriella Fu, CRM pricing expert. “Always inquire with sales reps about discounts you may qualify for.”

Answers to Common Questions

Is there a completely free Salesforce CRM package I can start using?

Unfortunately no – Salesforce requires a paid subscription at all tiers. However, deep discounts of up to 80%+ are provided to eligible nonprofits and educational institutions.

Can I easily switch between Salesforce pricing plans as my team grows over time?

Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your Salesforce subscription plan directly through the administration console with just a few clicks. This provides helpful flexibility to right-size plans as business needs evolve.

Roughly how much does Salesforce cost annually for a smaller business of around 5-10 users on average?

For a 5-10 user small business on the low-end Essentials plan, expect to budget approximately $1,500 – $2,500+ per year at standard rates. Additional discounts can reduce this yearly cost further.

Expert Insights

“Don’t overinflate user licenses – regularly audit who truly needs access to avoid paying for unused seats,” recommends Salesforce admin Mike Lewis. “Scale seats up gradually as adoption and headcount grows.”

“Leverage discounts available for nonprofits, education, and government entities if qualified – can potentially reduce all tier costs by 70%+,” explains pricing analyst Gabriella Fu.

“Only enable incremental capabilities like add-ons that address current pain points and move the revenue needle for your goals,” suggests Mike Lewis. “Avoid unnecessary features bloating costs.”

Final Words

Salesforce represents a powerful CRM platform but also a significant SaaS investment. Diligently track utilization, continually optimize your plan and spend surrounding your team’s needs, and scale judiciously over time. For most mid-market companies, $50-$150 per user monthly provides robust capabilities with room to grow.