Bigin by Zoho CRM vs EngageBay: Complete Comparison 2026
An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.
Bigin by Zoho CRM
8.0(450 reviews)
Lightweight CRM from Zoho designed for small businesses that find full CRM platforms too complex.
EngageBay
Affordable all-in-one CRM with marketing automation, sales tools, and helpdesk for small businesses.
Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Bigin by Zoho CRM | EngageBay |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Micro-businesses and solopreneurs needing their first CRM under $10/month | Small businesses wanting HubSpot-level features at 10-20% of the cost |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Deployment | cloud | cloud |
| Platforms | WEB, IOS, ANDROID | WEB, IOS, ANDROID |
| Rating | 8.0/10 | 7.9/10 |
Pros & Cons
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
EngageBay
Pros
- Free plan supports 15 users — the most generous in the CRM market
- All-in-one marketing + sales + service at 80-90% less than HubSpot's equivalent
- Landing page and email builders are genuinely easy to use
- Built-in live chat and helpdesk ticketing at no extra cost
- Predictive lead scoring available on the Basic plan ($12.74/mo)
Cons
- Contact limits are tight on free (250) and Basic (500) plans
- Reporting and analytics lack the depth of HubSpot or Salesforce
- Integration ecosystem is small — around 30 native integrations
- Email deliverability can be inconsistent on shared IPs
- Documentation and learning resources are sparse compared to larger CRMs
Pricing Comparison
| Product | Pricing Model | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bigin by Zoho CRM | freemium | Free0 |
| EngageBay | freemium | Free0 |
Our Verdict
Choose Bigin by Zoho CRM if...
Micro-businesses and solopreneurs needing their first CRM under $10/month
Choose EngageBay if...
Small businesses wanting HubSpot-level features at 10-20% of the cost
Still Not Sure?
Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.