Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales alternative
CubeCRM compared with Dynamics 365 Sales
If your business runs on Microsoft, Dynamics feels like home. It also behaves like an enterprise platform.
- Microsoft Corporation
- Enterprise CRM platforms
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What Dynamics 365 Sales actually is
Dynamics 365 Sales is Microsoft’s CRM application, built on the Power Platform and Dataverse, and licensed per user in several tiers with capability rising by tier.
It integrates deeply with Outlook, Teams, Excel and the rest of Microsoft 365, and can be extended with Power Apps and Power Automate. It is usually sold and implemented through Microsoft partners, and larger deployments often combine it with other Dynamics 365 applications for service, marketing and finance. For organisations standardised on Microsoft with the appetite for a platform-level project, it is a strong fit. Smaller businesses sometimes find the licensing and configuration heavier than the problem they are trying to solve.
Credit where it is due
What Dynamics 365 Sales does well
These are the real reasons it has the customers it has. If two or more of them describe something you need, weight them heavily.
The deepest integration with Outlook, Teams, Excel and the wider Microsoft 365 estate.
Built on the Power Platform, so it can be extended with Power Apps and Power Automate by people who know them.
Part of a broad family of Dynamics 365 applications for service, marketing, finance and operations.
A large UK partner network and Microsoft’s UK data centre regions.
Side by side
The differences that actually change the decision
Not a feature checklist. These are the structural differences - licensing, scope, who implements it - that determine whether a system fits, and they are the ones nobody tells you until month four.
- Where it startsDynamics 365 SalesA platform application within the Microsoft ecosystemCubeCRMA focused CRM for UK businesses, integrated with Microsoft 365
- Tiers and modulesDynamics 365 SalesSeveral per-user tiers; related capability in other Dynamics 365 appsCubeCRMOne edition. All 12 modules included
- Who implements itDynamics 365 SalesA Microsoft partner, chosen separatelyCubeCRMThe people who built the platform
- Microsoft 365 integrationDynamics 365 SalesNative and very deepCubeCRMTwo-way email, calendar and contact sync, plus Microsoft sign-in
- Pricing shapeDynamics 365 SalesPer user per tier, plus partner implementation and supportCubeCRMPer named user, everything included, plus a fixed-price setup
- Room to growDynamics 365 SalesOther Dynamics 365 applicationsCubeCRMUpgrade to CubeERP on the same records
Based on information published by the vendor. Last reviewed 2026-09-24. Check current details with Microsoft Corporation directly before making a decision.
Worth checking
Questions to put to them before you sign
None of these are faults. They are design decisions with consequences, and every one of them is answerable - so ask.
Licensing needs mapping
Dynamics 365 licensing has several tiers and combinations with other Dynamics and Power Platform products. Ask your partner to map exactly which licences each role needs.
The partner shapes the result
Configuration quality and ongoing support depend largely on the partner you choose. Ask who supports it after go-live and on what terms.
Platform projects take platform time
Extending Dynamics through the Power Platform is powerful and needs skills to maintain. Plan for who will own changes.
Storage and capacity
Dataverse storage is allocated by licence, with additional capacity available. Check how your data volumes and attachments fit.
If your organisation is standardised on Microsoft, has or wants Power Platform skills in house, and expects to combine CRM with other Dynamics 365 applications, Dynamics 365 Sales is very likely the better choice. It is also the natural option where a parent company already runs Dynamics.
If you do move
What leaving Dynamics 365 Sales actually involves
- 1
Keep Microsoft 365
Moving CRM does not mean leaving Microsoft. CubeCRM syncs with Outlook and uses Microsoft sign-in, so day-to-day work in Outlook stays the same.
- 2
Export from Dataverse
Accounts, contacts, opportunities, activities and notes can be exported and imported into CubeCRM with custom columns mapped to fields.
- 3
Review the Power Automate flows
List the flows that touch CRM data before switching. Most become simple rules or webhooks in CubeCRM; a few may need rebuilding.
Questions
What people ask when comparing us with Dynamics 365 Sales
Yes. CubeCRM syncs two ways with Outlook email, calendar and contacts and uses Microsoft sign-in. You do not need Dynamics to have a CRM that works well with Microsoft 365.
For a small or mid-sized team, usually, once partner implementation and support are included. Compare the full three-year cost with both suppliers in writing.
Custom fields, pipelines, templates and workflows are standard, and the REST API and webhooks allow bespoke extensions. It is not a low-code application platform in the way the Power Platform is.
Typically weeks for a standard configuration. Heavily extended Dynamics environments take longer and are scoped at discovery.
Relevant to this comparison
The parts of the platform people are usually weighing up
CRM Software
Contacts, enquiries, pipeline, quotes, follow-ups and service in one shared customer record - built in the UK for growing businesses.
B2B CRM Software
A CRM built around companies, sites and buying groups rather than individual consumers - for long sales cycles, repeat business and accounts with many people in them.
Sales Management Software
Targets, activity, pipeline and results for every salesperson and team, from the same live data - so managing sales is coaching rather than chasing spreadsheets.
Account Management Software
Plan, grow and protect your most valuable customers - with account plans, contact coverage, renewals and every conversation on the same record.
Also on the shortlist
Other comparisons people read alongside this one
- Salesforce Sales Cloud alternativeThe best-known CRM platform in the world. Enormously capable and configurable, sold in editions per user and usually implemented with a partner.
- Zoho CRM alternativeA broad, highly configurable CRM in several per-user editions, part of a very large suite of Zoho business applications.
- HubSpot alternativeA marketing-led CRM platform with free CRM tools and paid "hubs" for marketing, sales and service, each sold in tiers.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales is a trade mark of Microsoft Corporation. Cube Systems Limited is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a partner of Microsoft Corporation. This comparison is based on information published by the vendor and was last reviewed on 2026-09-24. Product capabilities and pricing change - verify current details with the vendor before making any decision. If you believe anything here is inaccurate, contact us at hello@cubecrm.co.uk and we will correct it.
Dynamics 365 Sales
Get a straight answer before you commit to either
Tell us what you run now and what is not working. If Dynamics 365 Sales is the better fit we will tell you on the call.