Comparison
Custom CRM vs Salesforce: enterprise pricing, or a system you own.
Salesforce charges $25 to $300 per user, per month, plus consultants to set it up. A custom CRM costs $25,000 to $50,000 one time and the code, the database, and the data are yours. Here is the honest math.
The Math
5-year cost for a small business team.
Salesforce range assumes 5 to 15 seats on Professional or Enterprise tiers with common add-ons. Custom range is TrustedHire's fixed build fee.
| Salesforce | Custom CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $15,000 – $60,000 | $25,000 – $50,000 |
| Year 2 | $15,000 – $60,000 | $0 |
| Year 3 | $15,000 – $60,000 | $0 |
| Year 4 | $15,000 – $60,000 | $0 |
| Year 5 | $15,000 – $60,000 | $0 |
| 5-year total | $75,000 – $300,000 | $25,000 – $50,000 |
| At the end | You own nothing | You own everything |
Beyond Cost
What changes when you own the system.
You own the code and data
No, you rent it
Yes, always
Built around your workflow
You adapt to theirs
It adapts to you
Per-seat pricing
$25 – $300/user/month
Unlimited users, $0
Setup and configuration
Consultants, often $10K+
Included in the build
AI features
Premium add-on tiers
Included, tuned to you
Custom reports
Constrained by platform
Anything you want
Unused features you pay for
Most of the platform
None, built to spec
Data if you leave
Export and lose structure
It is your database
Salesforce details reflect published pricing and commonly reported plans. Verify current pricing with Salesforce directly.
Your Salesforce data moves with you.
Contacts, accounts, deals, notes, and activity history. Migrations under 5,000 records are included free with a build. See a live custom system, the same one TrustedHire runs daily, in the interactive demo.
FAQ
Common questions.
How much does Salesforce actually cost for a small business?
Salesforce pricing runs $25 to $300 per user per month depending on edition, and most small teams land on Professional or Enterprise tiers. With 5 to 15 seats plus common add-ons, small businesses typically spend $15,000 to $60,000 per year. Implementation consultants often add $10,000 or more up front. Over five years that is $75,000 to $300,000 with nothing owned at the end.
How much does a custom CRM cost compared to Salesforce?
A custom CRM from TrustedHire costs $25,000 to $50,000 one time, delivered in 6 to 10 weeks. No per-seat fees, no annual license, unlimited users. Most businesses recoup the build cost in 12 to 24 months of avoided Salesforce fees.
Can I migrate my Salesforce data to a custom CRM?
Yes. TrustedHire includes full data migration: contacts, accounts, deals, notes, and activity history. Migrations under 5,000 records are included free. Larger or more complex migrations run $3,500 to $15,000 depending on volume and custom objects.
Is a custom CRM better than Salesforce for a small business?
For most small and mid-sized businesses, yes. Salesforce is built for enterprises, which is why small teams end up paying for features they never use and hiring consultants to configure it. A custom CRM contains exactly your workflow: your pipeline stages, your fields, your reports, your integrations, with no per-seat math limiting who gets access.
Who maintains a custom CRM after launch?
You choose. Many clients run it themselves after a training handoff since there is nothing to license. TrustedHire also offers support retainers from $1,500 to $3,500 per month covering hosting, monitoring, new features, and integrations.
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