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Salesforce Sales Cloud lists prices from €25 (Starter Suite) to €550 (Max) per user per month, billed annually above Starter. A custom CRM costs $6,800 to $22,400 (€6,000–€20,000)excl. VAT once, plus hosting: over 3 years it pays off once a team of about fifteen people needs Pro or a higher edition.
Salesforce is the reference CRM for large accounts, and its pricing shows it: the bigger your team and the higher your edition, the bigger the annual bill. That is not a flaw, it is a business model. Here are the current public prices, an honest 3-year comparison with a custom CRM, and the situations where I would advise you to keep Salesforce.
Salesforce Sales Cloud public pricing
Public prices checked in October 2026 on Salesforce’s Sales Cloud pricing page (French version, in euros), per user per month. According to Salesforce’s general pricing page, only Starter licenses can be paid monthly; other subscriptions are generally paid upfront, every year.
| Edition | Listed price | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Free suite | €0 | n/a |
| Starter Suite | €25 per user per month | monthly or annual |
| Pro Suite | €100 per user per month | annual |
| Core | €195 per user per month | annual |
| Advanced | €395 per user per month | annual |
| Max (with Agentforce for sales) | €550 per user per month | annual |
Salesforce states that the page is for information only and subject to change. These prices exclude the implementation partner who configures the tool, add-ons and third-party AppExchange apps: those costs depend on each project and are not public.
The 3-year cost compared with custom software
Assumptions for this example, to replace with your own: 20 users, no price change over 3 years, no implementation costs on the Salesforce side (which favors Salesforce). For the custom option: a CRM at $20,200 (€18,000)excl. VAT, at the upper end of my business app range ($6,800 to $22,400 (€6,000–€20,000)excl. VAT), plus €3,000 a year for hosting and maintenance.
| Option | Annual cost | 3-year cost |
|---|---|---|
| Salesforce Starter Suite (€25) | €6,000 | €18,000 |
| Salesforce Pro Suite (€100) | €24,000 | €72,000 |
| Salesforce Core (€195) | €46,800 | €140,400 |
| Custom CRM ($20,200 (€18,000)excl. VAT + €3,000 a year) | €3,000 a year, plus the upfront investment | €27,000 |
There are two honest ways to read this table. First, Starter is still cheaper than custom software for 20 people: if its features are enough, there is no financial reason to leave. Second, as soon as your team needs Pro or Core, the gap reaches tens of thousands of euros over 3 years, and it widens with every hire, while the cost of custom software does not depend on headcount.
The full line-by-line method is in the 3-year total cost of SaaS versus custom software. To price your own case, the estimator gives you a range in one minute.
What you lose, what you gain
Replacing Salesforce is not just about changing the bill.
What you lose: an ecosystem of ready-to-connect apps, advanced features (forecasting, territories, built-in AI) developed by a global vendor, and a large pool of consultants trained on the tool.
What you gain: a CRM that follows your sales process instead of the other way around, screens limited to what your reps actually use, direct connections to your ERP and website, and ownership of the code and data. The source code and rights are transferred to you once the project is paid in full.
During scoping, the useful question is not “Salesforce or custom”, but “how much of Salesforce do you actually use”. If the answer is “contacts, the pipeline and three reports”, you are paying for a platform to run a focused CRM.
When to keep Salesforce
I would advise you to stay on Salesforce in these cases:
- Starter or Pro covers your needs and your team is not going to double: the financial gain from replacing it would be small.
- You genuinely use the advanced features: multi-level forecasting, territory management, CPQ, built-in AI. Rebuilding them would cost more than the license.
- Your group mandates Salesforce to consolidate sales data across subsidiaries.
- You depend on AppExchange apps that have no simple equivalent.
There is also a middle path: keep Salesforce for part of the team and build a focused application around it (customer portal, field order taking) connected to its API. That often costs less than adding licenses for occasional users.
What a custom CRM includes
| Building block | What it provides | In the first version |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts, accounts, pipeline | The core of the CRM, adapted to your sales stages | Yes |
| Accounts and roles | Reps, managers, executives, each with their own permissions | Yes |
| Dashboard | The metrics leadership actually tracks | Yes |
| Quotes and documents | PDF quotes generated from the opportunity | Depending on scope |
| Connections | ERP, website, email marketing tool, accounting | Depending on scope |
| Salesforce data migration | Import of accounts, contacts, opportunities, history | Priced during scoping |
The price ranges are explained in the cost of a custom CRM, and the full offer is on the custom CRM page.
Where to start
- Take stock of what your teams use in Salesforce: objects, fields, reports, automations. This is the basis of the requirements document.
- Calculate your real cost: licenses, add-ons, implementation partner, third-party apps, over the last 12 months.
- A 30-minute call to check whether custom software makes sense in your case.
- Scoping (1 to 2 weeks): scope of the first version, data migration plan, fixed quote.
- Mockups, development in batches, switchover: both tools run in parallel while the data is validated.
If the numbers show that Salesforce is still the best choice, I will tell you: scoping is also there to avoid an unnecessary project.
Frequently asked questions
Is Salesforce Starter cheaper than a custom CRM?
Often, yes. At €25 per user per month, 20 users cost €18,000 over 3 years, which is less than a complete custom CRM. If Starter covers your needs, keep it: custom software makes sense when you need the higher editions or business rules that no edition handles.
Can we get all our data out of Salesforce?
Accounts, contacts, opportunities and activities can be exported as CSV or through the Salesforce API. Automations, formulas and reports do not export as-is: they are rebuilt in the new tool, based on their documentation or on how they behave today.
How long does it take to replace Salesforce?
Allow 1 to 3 months for a focused first version, scoping included, and 3 to 6 months if the CRM has to talk to an ERP, a website and accounting. Both tools can run side by side for a few weeks before the switch.
Can a custom CRM include AI features like Agentforce?
Yes, for specific use cases: summarizing an account before a meeting, drafting a follow-up, sorting incoming requests. Integrating a first use case starts at $2,300 (€2,000)excl. VAT, plus the AI API usage billed by the provider.