Act! CRM vs Salesforce Sales Cloud: 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.
Salesforce Sales Cloud
8.2(3,500 reviews)
The world's #1 CRM platform for enterprise sales teams with AI-powered insights.
Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Act! CRM | Salesforce Sales Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Small businesses needing reliable contact management for 2-10 users | Enterprise sales organizations |
| Pricing Model | Free Trial | Subscription |
| Starting Price | $30/mo | $25/mo |
| Deployment | cloud, on premise | cloud |
| Platforms | WEB, WINDOWS, IOS, ANDROID | WEB, IOS, ANDROID |
| Rating | 7.0/10 | 8.2/10 |
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
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Pros
- Most customizable CRM on the market
- Powerful AI features with Einstein
- Extensive third-party app ecosystem
- Scales to any business size
Cons
- Steep learning curve for new users
- High total cost of ownership
- Can be overwhelming for small teams
- Implementation often requires consultants
Pricing Comparison
| Product | Pricing Model | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| Act! CRM | free trial | $30/mo |
| Salesforce Sales Cloud | subscription | $25/mo |
Our Verdict
Choose Act! CRM if...
You need Small businesses needing reliable contact management for 2-10 users and prefer free trial pricing.
Choose Salesforce Sales Cloud if...
You need Enterprise sales organizations and prefer subscription pricing.
Still Not Sure?
Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.