Act! CRM vs Bigin by Zoho CRM: Complete Comparison 2026
An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.
Act! CRM
Legacy CRM with 35+ years of history offering desktop and cloud options for small business contact management.
Bigin by Zoho CRM
8.0(450 reviews)
Lightweight CRM from Zoho designed for small businesses that find full CRM platforms too complex.
Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Act! CRM | Bigin by Zoho CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Small businesses needing reliable contact management for 2-10 users | Micro-businesses and solopreneurs needing their first CRM under $10/month |
| Pricing Model | Free Trial | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $30/mo | Free |
| Deployment | cloud, on premise | cloud |
| Platforms | WEB, WINDOWS, IOS, ANDROID | WEB, IOS, ANDROID |
| Rating | 7.0/10 | 8.0/10 |
Pros & Cons
Act! CRM
Pros
- 35+ years of proven contact management expertise
- Desktop version provides offline access and local data control
- Built-in marketing automation saves on separate tools
- Strong activity tracking with 14-day interaction history
- One-time purchase option available for desktop version
Cons
- Interface looks and feels dated compared to modern CRMs
- Mobile apps are limited and lack feature parity
- Third-party integrations require Zapier or workarounds
- Reporting capabilities are basic without add-ons
- Marketing automation feels bolted on rather than native
Bigin by Zoho CRM
Pros
- Incredibly affordable at $7/user/month for the Express plan
- Setup takes under 30 minutes with minimal learning curve
- Clean mobile app with built-in dialer and business card scanner
- One-click migration path to full Zoho CRM when you outgrow it
- Connected pipelines let you manage sales, onboarding, and support together
Cons
- No advanced reporting or custom analytics dashboards
- Automation limited to basic rules without complex workflow branching
- No custom modules - you work with what Bigin provides
- Free plan restricted to just 1 user and 500 contacts
- Teams over 15-20 people will likely outgrow it within a year
Pricing Comparison
| Product | Pricing Model | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| Act! CRM | free trial | $30/mo |
| Bigin by Zoho CRM | freemium | Free0 |
Our Verdict
Choose Act! CRM if...
Small businesses needing reliable contact management for 2-10 users
Choose Bigin by Zoho CRM if...
Micro-businesses and solopreneurs needing their first CRM under $10/month
Still Not Sure?
Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.