Bigin vs Zoho CRM: simplicity or power, which is better with Zoho?
Zoho CRM or Bigin? Sounds like the title of a spin-off, but no: it's a real duel between two solutions... both from the same company. On one side, Zoho CRM, an all-in-one heavyweight. On the other, Bigin, its more agile little brother, designed for very small businesses and sales teams in search of simplicity.
But which to choose in 2025?
If you're hesitating between modular overpower and minimalist efficiency, you've come to the right place. We've analyzed both tools from every angle: functionality, pricing, user experience, integrations... Nothing has been left to chance. Above all, we help you make an informed choice, based on your real business needs.
Spoiler: there are no losers here, just two very different CRMs that aren't in the same league. The question is, which one are you playing in?
What is Bigin?
Bigin overview
Bigin is like an espresso version of CRM: concentrated, fast and with no superfluous features. Designed by Zoho for very small businesses, micro-businesses and the self-employed, it is aimed at those who want to structure their sales pipeline without spending three weeks onboarding.
Its positioning? An ultra-simplified, mobile-first CRM that lets you manage sales from A to Z, without the hassle of unnecessary modules. There's no need for a thousand functions or a sprawling architecture. Just the essentials: a visual pipeline, simple automations, web forms, and rapid integration with everyday tools (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoom...).
As far as customers are concerned, Bigin appeals to a wide variety of profiles: startups in their launch phase, consulting firms, freelancers, or even field salespeople who need a tool that is both mobile and intuitive.
Its promise is clear: to replace spreadsheets (we see you, Google Sheets fans), while remaining much simpler than a traditional CRM.
Bigin's key features
Bigin gets straight to the point. It offers the essential tools to track sales, automate tasks and save time, without complexity.
Here are the main features to remember:
- Visual sales pipeline: drag-and-drop, customizable views, clear steps... the pipeline is simple, but frighteningly effective.
- Lightweight automation: create basic workflows (emails, tasks, status updates), without coding or getting lost in overly complex scenarios.
- Telephony & email integration: calls directly from the interface, synchronization with Gmail, Outlook, etc.
- Web forms & lead capture: automatic lead generation from customized forms.
- Complete mobile application: offline access, calls, push notifications... practical for sales reps in the field.
- Connection to key apps: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoom, Zapier, Slack, Mailchimp...
Bigin's approach: cover the sales cycle from end to end, while remaining accessible right from the start.
Bigin by Zoho CRM
Advantages and disadvantages of Bigin
Bigin has one big advantage: it doesn't do much, but it does it well. And that can be both its greatest advantage... and its greatest limitation.
What we like about Bigin:
- Instant learning , even without being a CRM expert.
- A truly accomplished mobile application (unlike many other tools on the market).
- Unbeatable value for money, with plans starting at €7/month.
- Simple integrations with the tools most commonly used by small businesses.
What we don't like:
- Little advanced customization: perfect for simple uses, less so for complex processes.
- No advanced reporting or native marketing functionalities.
- Unsuitable for structures with several sales teams or siloed processes.
Bigin is therefore an excellent starter CRM for structuring your prospecting in a straightforward way. But if you're aiming for a multi-level sales strategy with advanced automated workflows, it may soon show its limitations.
What is Zoho CRM?
Zoho CRM overview
Zoho CRM is the big brother in the sibling family. It's more mature, more robust, and clearly designed for SMEs, ETIs and large sales teams. Far from the minimalist simplicity of Bigin, it offers a comprehensive, modular CRM suite designed to support complex sales cycles, structured teams and multi-channel strategies.
It's for those who need advanced personalization, detailed reporting , advanced automation scenarios , or a 360° view of their prospects and customers. All in an interface that adapts to almost any sector.
With over 250,000 enterprise customers worldwide, Zoho CRM is well established on the market, often seen as a more accessible alternative to Salesforce or HubSpot, without compromising on functionality.
So it's a solid choice for companies looking for a scalable CRM that can keep pace with their growth... and even provoke it.
Zoho CRM key features
Zoho CRM is clearly a comprehensive tool. It offers a wide range of modules to cover the entire customer relationship cycle, from first contact to customer loyalty.
Here are the key features you need to know about:
- Customizable sales pipeline with advanced management of stages, roles and territories.
- Powerful automations via Blueprint or CommandCenter to manage complex scenarios.
- Advanced dashboards and reports with predictive analysis (Zia AI).
- Marketing campaign management, lead scoring, dynamic segmentation.
- Team collaboration with internal chat, task management, process validation.
- Native connectors with over 500 applications (including Zoho Books, Slack, Google Ads, LinkedIn, etc.).
- Zia artificial intelligence to predict conversions, propose optimal contact times and analyze customer sentiment.
Zoho CRM stands out for its flexibility. Each company can activate only those modules that interest it, making it a scalable tool adapted to different levels of sales maturity.
Zoho CRM
Advantages and disadvantages of Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is like a Swiss Army knife for salespeople: ultra-complete, sometimes almost too complete.
What we like:
- Wide functional coverage, from lead to customer service.
- Great freedom of customization, without the need for a developer.
- Advanced automation scenarios, useful for structured teams.
- Seamless integration with the Zoho ecosystem (Books, Campaigns, Desk...).
- Competitively priced against the likes of Salesforce and HubSpot.
What we don't like:
- Less intuitive than Bigin at first glance, especially for non-technical profiles.
- Longer learning curve, especially if several modules are activated.
- Dense interface, depending on configuration.
Zoho CRM is an excellent choice for growing companies that want to structure their sales on a large scale. But it takes a little time to get the hang of.
Bigin vs Zoho CRM: compare features
One goes for the essentials, the other wants to cover everything. To choose between Bigin and Zoho CRM, you need to compare what really counts: pipeline, automation, reporting, personalization and collaboration.
Here's a summary table before zooming in on each point:
| Functionality | Bigin | Zoho CRM |
| Sales pipeline | Simple and visual | Advanced and customizable |
| Automation | Basic (simple workflows) | Complex (Blueprint, AI) |
| Reporting & analysis | Standard | Complex with AI (Zia) |
| Customization | Limited | Very advanced (layouts, rules) |
| Collaboration & team management | Basic | Advanced |
| Integrations | Targeted selection | Rich ecosystem + API |
Focus 1: Pipeline management
Bigin is all about clarity. A single, drag-and-drop pipeline with simple steps and an easy-to-read interface. Ideal for tracking a single sales line.
Zoho CRM offers much more advanced management: multiple pipelines, by team or by product line, customization of steps, conditional progression rules. Useful when sales cycles become complex.
👉 To remember
Bigin is sufficient for a linear sales cycle. Zoho CRM has the edge when managing multiple offers, teams or territories.
Focus 2: Sales automation
Bigin offers simple workflows: automatically send an e-mail, create a task, update a field... saving time without drowning in conditional logic.
Zoho CRM goes much further. With Blueprint, you can define a real step-by-step sales scenario, with validation, attribution and multiple triggers. And thanks to Zia, our in-house AI, we can even automate based on behavioral predictions.
👉 To remember
Bigin is ideal for automating basic tasks. Zoho CRM is designed for companies that want to industrialize their sales processes.
Focus 3: Reporting and analysis
Bigin provides classic reports: number of opportunities, conversion rate, performance per sales rep. That's enough to keep track of your business without overloading your teams.
Zoho CRM, on the other hand, offers a much richer level of analysis: cross-referenced reports, dynamic tables, sales forecasts... with, as a bonus, intelligent recommendations thanks to AI.
👉 To remember
If you manage your sales at a glance, Bigin will do the job. If you're looking to fine-tune your performance, Zoho CRM is a far more powerful ally.
Focus 4: Tool customization
With Bigin, you can customize a few fields, modify the pipeline steps and add a logo. That's enough to keep things clear, without breaking the ergonomics.
Zoho CRM, on the other hand, is almost like a giant Lego: customized layouts, conditional fields, validation rules, interface by user profile... You can adapt almost anything.
👉 To remember
Bigin deliberately limits options to keep things simple. Zoho CRM adapts to the most specific processes, even if this means a bit of configuration.
Focus 5: Collaboration and team management
Bigin is designed for a small, unified sales team. It features tasks, a shared inbox, and some activity tracking functions.
Zoho CRM deploys a true collaborative space: role assignment, multi-level supervision, access rules, milestone validation, and seamless integration with Zoho Cliq or Zoho Projects.
👉 To remember
For a single, close-knit team, Bigin is sufficient. For a structured sales organization with several levels of reporting, Zoho CRM has a clear advantage.
Bigin vs Zoho CRM: compare prices
Bigin and Zoho CRM follow two very distinct pricing logics. The former is ultra-affordable, the latter more scalable, but also more technical (and more expensive as needs grow).
Here's a detailed comparison of the 2025 offers:
| Plan | Zoho CRM | Bigin |
| Free | 0 €/month - Up to 3 users, contact and task management, simple reporting | 0 €/month - 1 user, 1 pipeline, 500 records, integrated email, mobile application |
| Entry-level | 14/month (Standard) - Lead scoring, dashboards, simple automation, basic integrations | 7/month (Express) - 50,000 records, light automation, calls, web forms, essential integrations |
| Mid-range | 23/month (Professional) - Email marketing, inventory management, blueprint, customized reports | 12/month (Premier) - Multiple pipelines, advanced automation, personalized views, APIs |
| High-end | 40/month (Enterprise) - IA Zia, CommandCenter, multi-pipelines, custom modules, process validation | 18/month (Bigin 360) - Zoho suite integration (Desk, Books...), enriched reports, priority support |
| Premium | 52/month (Ultimate) - Advanced BI, sandbox, extended storage, premium support | - |
👉 To remember
- Bigin does not offer a premium plan equivalent to Zoho CRM's Ultimate. It is limited to a VSE/SME logic.
- Zoho CRM offers a clear ramp-up, but with a steeper learning curve.
Bigin vs. Zoho CRM: which interface is more intuitive?
Between radical simplicity and modular power, the user experience is bound to be different. And it starts right from the login.
Bigin relies on a streamlined interface, centered on a single visual pipeline. No friction: you know immediately where to click, even without training. The whole thing is fluid and mobile-first, with real coherence between web and app.
Zoho CRM, on the other hand, offers a denser interface. Multiple modules, customizable views, interactive dashboards: it's rich, but it can also be intimidating. On the other hand, once properly configured, the tool becomes a real sales war machine. It even allows you to adapt the interface according to user roles and profiles.
| Criteria | Bigin | Zoho CRM |
| Getting started | Immediate, intuitive | More complex, requires configuration |
| Interface customization | Basic (views and fields) | Highly advanced (layouts, profiles, modules) |
| Mobile & accessibility | Fluid, efficient application | Complete mobile application, but denser |
| Learning curve | Very low | Medium to high, depending on depth used |
| Suitable for which profile? | Very small businesses, self-employed, field sales teams | Structured SMEs, multiple teams, advanced uses |
👉 To remember
- Bigin is perfect if you want a simple, ready-to-use tool, with no training required.
- Zoho CRM is aimed at teams who need a tailor-made CRM, at the price of a little more set-up.
Bigin vs Zoho CRM: compare integrations
Bigin and Zoho CRM both integrate with the Zoho ecosystem... but not exclusively. Their ability to connect to third-party apps (Google, Microsoft, Slack, Mailchimp, Zapier...) can make the difference depending on your software stack.
| Criteria | Bigin | Zoho CRM |
| Number of native integrations | ~25 direct integrations (Google, Microsoft, Zoom, Mailchimp, Zoho Desk...) | +500 integrations via Marketplace (Zoho Apps, third-party tools, telephony, social networks, accounting, etc.) |
| Zoho ecosystem | Partial integration (Bigin 360) with Zoho Books, Zoho Desk | Full native integration with all Zoho apps (Campaigns, Books, Desk, Projects, Cliq, Analytics...) |
| Compatibility with external tools | Targeted: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoom, Mailchimp, Zapier | Extensive: Google, Microsoft, Slack, LinkedIn, Facebook Ads, QuickBooks, Xero, WhatsApp Business, VoIP telephony, industry-specific business tools... |
| Automation & connectors | Zapier, Zoho Flow for simple automation (sending mail, adding tasks, etc.) | Advanced connectors via Zoho Flow, Zapier, direct API + integration into native workflows (Blueprint, CommandCenter) |
| Easy to set up | Very simple, plug & play, little configuration required | More complex, requires parameterization, but highly customizable |
| API & openness | API access in paid plans, simple documentation | Rich, well-documented API, webhooks, in-depth access to CRM data (especially for third-party developers or integrators) |
👉 To remember
Bigin is fast and frictionless. Zoho CRM is the large-scale personalization option, but requires a bit of implementation.
When to choose Bigin or Zoho CRM?
Both CRMs are good. But as with any good story, it's all a question of context. Here are some clear scenarios to tip the balance in the right direction.
If this sounds like you... Bigin is for you
- You're just starting out with a CRM and you want to avoid gas factories.
- You work alone or with a small sales team (VSE, freelance, microstructure).
- Your sales cycles are simple and linear.
- You're already using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 and want a tool that's quickly compatible.
- You're looking for a CRM that's quick to set up, with an excellent simplicity/price ratio.
- You want to replace Excel without the complexity of a corporate CRM.
👉 In short: Bigin is an ideal starter CRM, fast, clear and accessible. Perfect for laying the foundations without getting lost in the settings.
If this sounds like you... Zoho CRM is your ally
- You have a structured team, with multiple roles, pipelines or hierarchical levels.
- Your sales cycles are complex, multi-channel or long.
- You need personalization, advanced automated scenarios , or a 360° view of the customer.
- You already use several tools from the Zoho ecosystem (Books, Campaigns, Desk...) or you want to centralize everything.
- You have a data-driven strategy, with extensive reporting requirements.
- Your goal is to scale without changing tools within 12 months.
👉 In short: Zoho CRM is a scalable CRM designed for growing companies that want to professionalize their sales management.
What to learn from the Bigin vs. Zoho CRM battle
We've compared it all: features, price, interface, automation, integrations... And if you're still on the fence, here's a final table to help you match your needs with the right tool.
| Your needs | Recommendation |
| Launching your business or structuring your first sales | Bigin - simple, fast, affordable |
| You have a sales team in the field or on the move | Bigin - fluid mobile app, visual pipeline |
| You manage several pipelines or products | Zoho CRM - multi-pipeline management, roles, automation |
| You need a tool that can be customized at will | Zoho CRM - layouts, rules, advanced automation |
| You work with simple tools (Google, Outlook) | Bigin - plug & play integration |
| You have a rich software stack and advanced needs | Zoho CRM - API connectors, broad integrations, Zoho ecosystem |
| Your budget is ultra-tight | Bigin - from €0, comprehensive Express plan |
| You're looking for a scalable solution to support your growth | Zoho CRM - clear ramp-up, step-by-step plans |
FAQ about Bigin vs. Zoho CRM
1. What is the main difference between Zoho CRM and Bigin?
Zoho CRM is a full-featured CRM, designed for structured companies with multiple teams or processes. Bigin is a lighter version, designed for small businesses or users who want to get straight to the point, without complexity.
2. Is Bigin enough to manage an entire business activity?
Yes, provided your sales cycle is simple and linear. Bigin manages contacts, deals, emails, calls, and even simple automations. But it quickly reaches its limits if you have several teams or offers to manage.
3. Can I start with Bigin and then migrate to Zoho CRM?
Yes, and that's one of the advantages of staying with the same company. Zoho makes it possible to upgrade seamlessly from Bigin to Zoho CRM, with easy data migration.
4. Which is the easiest to learn?
Bigin, without hesitation. The interface is ultra-simple, even for users who have never touched a CRM before. Zoho CRM requires more configuration, but offers more power in the long run.
5. What about customer support?
Both benefit from Zoho support, but Bigin offers lighter support (especially for the first plans). Zoho CRM, starting with Enterprise plans, offers priority support, and even dedicated support with the Ultimate plan.
6. Can I connect Bigin or Zoho CRM to other software?
Yes, Bigin integrates essential tools such as Google, Outlook, Zoom and Mailchimp. Zoho CRM offers over 500 integrations, with a very rich ecosystem and a complete API.
7. Which CRM is right for a fast-growing start-up?
Zoho CRM, because it offers greater scalability, customization and large-scale collaboration possibilities. Bigin, on the other hand, is perfect for getting off to a fast start.
8. Is Zoho CRM a credible alternative to Salesforce or HubSpot?
Absolutely. Zoho CRM is often chosen as a more flexible and affordable alternative, particularly by SMEs and SMBs who want to avoid the red tape of Salesforce or the costs of HubSpot Pro/Enterprise.
Article translated from French