Salesforce Sales Cloud alternative
CubeCRM compared with Salesforce
Salesforce can be made to do almost anything. The question is whether you need it to, and who will keep it that way.
- Salesforce, Inc.
- Enterprise CRM platforms
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What Salesforce actually is
Salesforce Sales Cloud is the reference point every other CRM is measured against.
It is sold in editions priced per user, with capability and customisation limits rising by edition, and it sits on a platform that can be extended with custom objects, automation and thousands of apps from the AppExchange marketplace. Larger implementations are typically delivered by Salesforce partners, and many organisations employ or contract a Salesforce administrator to maintain the system once it is live. For a business with complex, global sales operations and the resources to run it properly, it is a formidable choice. People usually talk to us about it from the other end: a smaller team that bought it for its reputation and is paying for far more platform than it uses.
Credit where it is due
What Salesforce 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.
A vast platform: almost any sales, service or marketing process can be modelled on it.
The largest CRM app marketplace and partner ecosystem, so somebody has usually solved your problem before.
Deep capability for large, multi-country sales organisations with complex territories and forecasting.
Enormous market familiarity - many sales professionals and administrators already know it.
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.
- Scale it is built forSalesforceOrganisations of any size, including very large and global onesCubeCRMUK businesses of roughly five to two hundred people
- Editions and add-onsSalesforceSeveral editions priced per user; further capability via add-ons and marketplace appsCubeCRMOne edition. All 12 modules included
- Who implements itSalesforceTypically a Salesforce partner, chosen separatelyCubeCRMThe people who built the platform, in person where it helps
- Ongoing administrationSalesforceCommonly a dedicated administrator for larger configurationsCubeCRMSet up to be maintained by the business, with UK support behind it
- HostingSalesforceGlobal cloud infrastructure; regional hosting options vary by productCubeCRMUK data centres managed by the group
- Pricing shapeSalesforcePer user per edition, plus add-ons and partner feesCubeCRMPer named user, everything included, plus a fixed-price setup
Based on information published by the vendor. Last reviewed 2026-09-24. Check current details with Salesforce, Inc. 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.
Editions decide what you get
Capabilities, API access and customisation limits vary by edition. Map what you need against each edition before you commit, including the features you expect to need in two years.
Configuration needs an owner
The flexibility that makes Salesforce powerful also means it needs looking after. Budget for an administrator, internal or contracted, and ask how changes will be made after go-live.
Add-ons and apps add up
Many businesses extend Sales Cloud with marketplace apps and additional Salesforce products. Each may carry its own licence, so ask for the full cost of the configuration you actually need.
Implementation through a partner
Your experience depends heavily on the partner who configures it. Ask who will support it after go-live and what that costs.
If you run a large or multi-country sales organisation, need highly bespoke processes across sales, service and marketing, or are already invested in the Salesforce ecosystem with an administrator in place, Salesforce is very likely the better answer and we will say so. It is also the safer choice if your parent company or major customers standardise on it.
If you do move
What leaving Salesforce actually involves
- 1
Start with what is actually used
Most Salesforce orgs contain objects, fields and automations nobody uses any more. We list what is live before migrating anything, which usually makes the move far smaller than expected.
- 2
Data first, automation second
Accounts, contacts, opportunities, activities and attachments move first. Automations are rebuilt as simpler rules where they are still needed, rather than copied line for line.
- 3
Mind the contract dates
Salesforce contracts typically run on annual terms. Plan the switch around your renewal date so you are not paying for two systems for long.
Questions
What people ask when comparing us with Salesforce
For a small or mid-sized UK team, usually - largely because everything is included in one edition and there is no administrator to employ. The fair comparison is total cost over three years including editions, add-ons, partner fees and administration. Ask both suppliers for that figure in writing.
No, and we would not claim it can. Salesforce is a vast platform. The question is whether you need what it does beyond core CRM, and for most businesses of our target size the answer is no.
Yes. Accounts, contacts, opportunities, activities, notes and files can be exported from Salesforce and imported into CubeCRM, with custom fields mapped during setup.
For a team of up to fifty with a fairly standard configuration, typically a matter of weeks. Heavily customised orgs take longer, and we scope that at discovery rather than guessing.
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.
Sales Pipeline Software
Every opportunity on one board, by stage, with value, likelihood and next step - so the whole team can see what is live and what is stuck.
Sales Forecasting Software
A forecast built from the deals you actually have, weighted by stage and checked against your real win rates - not a spreadsheet filled in the night before.
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.
Also on the shortlist
Other comparisons people read alongside this one
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales alternativeMicrosoft’s CRM for sales teams, built on the Power Platform and licensed per user in tiers, usually implemented through a Microsoft partner.
- HubSpot alternativeA marketing-led CRM platform with free CRM tools and paid "hubs" for marketing, sales and service, each sold in tiers.
- Zoho CRM alternativeA broad, highly configurable CRM in several per-user editions, part of a very large suite of Zoho business applications.
Salesforce Sales Cloud is a trade mark of Salesforce, Inc.. Cube Systems Limited is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a partner of Salesforce, Inc.. 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.
Salesforce
Get a straight answer before you commit to either
Tell us what you run now and what is not working. If Salesforce is the better fit we will tell you on the call.
