Zoho CRM vs Bigin
Both are Zoho's, so we have no side to take. Here is the honest version, including the tier where Bigin stops making sense.
The Short Answer
Bigin is a pipeline. Zoho CRM is a sales platform. Bigin gets a deal from first contact to closed-won very well and very cheaply. Zoho CRM does that plus territories, forecasting, custom modules, approvals and everything that happens after the sale.
Two things most write-ups get wrong, and they both favour the product we earn less on:
Zoho CRM's free edition supports three users. Bigin's supports one. So for a two or three person business, the full CRM's free tier is the better starting point, which is the opposite of what the naming suggests.
And Bigin 360 at $18 costs more than Zoho CRM Standard at $14, which is a considerably more capable product. If anyone has quoted you Bigin 360, price Zoho CRM first.
What It Actually Costs
| Tier | Bigin | Zoho CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1 user, 500 records | Up to 3 users |
| Entry paid | Express, $7 | Standard, $14 |
| Mid | Premier, $12 | Professional, $23 |
| Top | Bigin 360, $18 | Enterprise $40 / Ultimate $52 |
| Monthly billing | $9 / $15 / $21 | Modest uplift |
| Tier decided by | Record limits | Feature set |
| Seat minimum | None | None |
Per user, per month, billed annually. US list pricing verified October 2026. Bigin record limits are 500 free, 50,000 on Express, 100,000 on Premier and one million on Bigin 360.
Look at the top row of each column. Bigin 360 at $18 is above Zoho CRM Standard at $14. If you have reached the point where Bigin's largest tier is the answer, you have almost certainly outgrown Bigin as a product, not just as a plan. Run your numbers.
What Pushes You Up a Bigin Tier
Unusually for a CRM, Bigin's tiers are gated mostly by record count and pipeline count rather than by features or seats.
| Plan | Records | Pipelines | Automations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 500 | 1 | 3 |
| Express, $7 | 50,000 | 3 | 30 |
| Premier, $12 | 100,000 | 5 | 50 |
| Bigin 360, $18 | 1,000,000 | More | More |
The practical implication: if three pipelines cover your business, Express at $7 remains correct indefinitely regardless of how the team grows.
Where Bigin Is the Right Answer
Your process ends at closed-won
If a sale completes and the record goes quiet, Bigin does that job properly at half the price. Paying for territory management and approval processes you will never configure is not thriftiness, it is waste.
Nobody wants to configure anything
Bigin works on day one. Zoho CRM is more capable and expects more decisions: modules, layouts, profiles, roles. For a five-person business without an operations person, less surface area is genuinely better.
Three pipelines cover you
Express at $7 with three pipelines and 50,000 records is enough for a great many small businesses, permanently. There is no particular virtue in upgrading.
You are moving off spreadsheets
Bigin is the gentler landing. A team that has never used a CRM will adopt it; the same team can bounce off a full CRM and go back to the spreadsheet.
Where Zoho CRM Is the Right Answer
Anything happens after the sale
Renewals, upsells, account management, project handover, support history on the record. Bigin is built around the deal; Zoho CRM is built around the customer relationship over time.
You need forecasting and territories
Pipeline forecasting, territory assignment, scoring rules, approval processes and custom modules all live in Zoho CRM. Once a sales manager starts asking for a forecast, that is the signal.
Two or three users and no budget
Zoho CRM's free edition covers three users against Bigin's one. Start here, not there.
You are being quoted Bigin 360
At $18 it is above Zoho CRM Standard at $14 and below it in capability. Price both before signing anything.
The rest of the suite matters
Zoho CRM's integration with Books, Desk, Projects and Analytics is deeper than Bigin's. If a closed deal should become an invoice and a project, that path is better paved.
Moving From Bigin to Zoho CRM
The easiest migration on this entire site, because both are Zoho products and the data model is related. Worth knowing so the decision feels less permanent than it is.
- Records move cleanly Contacts, companies, deals and activities transfer without the attachment and linkage problems that define migrations from other platforms.
- Pipelines become stages, deliberately Bigin's team pipelines map onto Zoho CRM deal pipelines and stages, but this is the moment to rationalize rather than copy. Most Bigin accounts have accumulated stages nobody uses.
- You gain objects you did not have Zoho CRM separates Leads from Contacts where Bigin does not. Decide where that boundary sits in your process before importing, because it is a business decision rather than a mapping one.
- Start simple on the other side The risk in moving up is configuring everything because you can. Turn on what you needed Bigin to do and add the rest when someone asks for it.
So, Which Should You Pick?
Choose Bigin if
- Your process ends at closed-won
- Three pipelines cover your business
- Nobody will own CRM configuration
- You are coming off spreadsheets
- Express at $7 covers your record count
Choose Zoho CRM if
- Renewals or account management matter
- You need forecasting or territories
- You have two or three users and want free
- You have been quoted Bigin 360
- Deals should become invoices and projects
Common Questions
What is the difference?
Bigin is a pipeline tool from $7. Zoho CRM is a full sales platform from $14 that handles everything after closed-won too.
Is Bigin cheaper?
At Express and Premier, yes. At Bigin 360 it is $18 against Zoho CRM Standard at $14, so no.
Which free plan is better?
Zoho CRM's, for most teams. Three users against Bigin's one.
Is it hard to move from Bigin to Zoho CRM later?
No. It is the easiest migration we handle, since both are Zoho and the data model is related.
Start Smaller Than You Think
Most businesses asking this question need less than they expect, and moving up later is easy. Tell us how many people need access, whether anything happens after a sale closes, and how many pipelines you run. If Bigin Express at $7 covers you, we will tell you that even though it is the smaller engagement.
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