Sugar CRM compared with other top CRM products
In the present business scenario, the importance of an open-source solution for CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is something that no organization can afford to neglect. Nevertheless, open-source software is beneficial only for those businesses that are willing to adapt every single aspect of their CRM experience to the current needs of the customers and to the dynamic business environment.
Open-source CRM solutions will make no sense for organizations that rely on complete ‘out-of-the-box’, readymade applications. If it were not for these open-source CRM applications, the CRM buyers would have very limited choices. Although the CRM market is dominated by bigger players like SAP and Oracle Corp, the open-source CRM model has opened up the gateways for new entrants as well. Currently, as per the Source forge list, a total of 369 open-source projects of CRM are active and this number is believed to be increasing continually.
But when it comes to affordable, scalable, and customizable solutions for CRM, there are a few names that you must be aware of. The two most preferred products in this field are SugarCRM and vTiger. Both are highly competitive and selecting the one that will best suit your needs can be difficult. The other major products preferred in the category include SplendidCRM, CentricCRM, Hipergate, Compiere Inc., CentraView CRM, XRMS CRM, Cream CRM, and Tutsena CRM.
SugarCRM vs. vTiger CRM
SugarCRM: One among the most preferred open source CRM solutions today, SugarCRM is the product of SugarCRM Inc, which was established in the year 2004 by Clint Oram, John Roberts, and Jacob Taylor. It is specially designed to be compatible with MySQL database. Written completely in PHP, its open-source code has been downloaded nearly 7 million times till date. It is used by over 12,000 companies, such as BDO Seidman LLP, First Federal Bank, Starbucks Corp, and Honeywell International.
vTiger CRM: Developed on the LAMP/WAMP architecture (L/W=Linux/Windows, A=Apache, M=MySQL, and P=PHP), vTiger CRM exhibits a number of features such as customer service and support, SFA, marketing automation, database support, inventory management, product customization, security management, e-mail integration, and calendaring. Besides, it also features several add-on features, including web forms for customer service, thunderbird extension, Outlook & Office plug-ins. The vTiger CRM is designed to be compatible with MySQL, PostgreSQL, and ADOdb. It has also been written in Visual Basic, PHP, and JavaScript.
Similarities: The two open-source solutions, SugarCRM & vTiger, share a lot of similarities. It is not very difficult to install either of them. They use a similar software package. Besides, they also share the concept of accounts, contacts, leads, and campaigns. Similarly, the security features, including the groups, profiles, roles, and users, are also the same, and so is their inherent ability to alter existing forms and develop new fields in Studio module. Although the response time is more or less same in both, vTiger software is believed to have a better feel and a much cleaner look than SugarCRM.
Differences: Some points of differences between the two are as follows :
- While SugarCRM is written only in PHP, vTiger has been developed in PHP,JavaScript, and Visual Basic.
- SugarCRM is compatible only to MySQL Db, but vTiger CRM is designed with a wider compatibility with MySQL, PostgreSQL, and ADOdb databases.
- The vTiger package is much cleaner and faster than SugarCRM.
- SugarCRM has an in-built mailing list function enabling the users to track the messages, which were opened, bounced, or clicked-through. The vTiger, however, lacks this functionality and that is why many people still prefer SugarCRM over vTiger.
- vTiger is available for free download, but SugarCRM is a much expensive option. Although its Community edition is free of cost, it has very limited features. Its Professional and Enterprise versions are priced at $360 and $600 per user per year respectively.
- While SugarCRM offers no reports, but only the online queries, vTiger offers several reports and analytics.
- SugarCRM is dependent on outside job to release campaign emails. This is not the case with vTiger.
- The additional modules available only in vTiger include Vendors, products, inventory modules, purchase orders, service contracts, sales orders, customer portal, and trouble tickets.
SugarCRM Compared with Other CRM Products
o SplendidCRM: Introduced in 2005, this application has been developed on Microsoft Platform, which includes ASP, C#, SQL Server, ISS, and Windows. It has been specially designed for the system integrators and enables them to add many features, like the NET 2.0 themes, AJAX, and Web Parts, which are user-customizable. Nevertheless, it does share some features, such as the ability of adding custom fields and the Outlook plug-in in common with SugarCRM.
o CentricCRM: Like SugarCRM, it has been designed to be compatible with MySQL Db but it is developed in Java rather than in PHP. Its free version is available along with 5 user licenses. It has numerous complex features that can be turned on whenever needed. Besides, its administrative console is highly customizable.
o CreamCRM: Designed especially for media, CreamCRM is multilingual and allows the user to track shipments, promotional campaign effectiveness, print and online subscriptions, services, sales orders, and payments. It has been developed in JavaScript and Java and is compatible with Windows 2000/XP, Linux, and FreeDSB.
o Hipergate: Believed to be the most comprehensive open-source CRM solution in Java, Hipergate is primarily enterprise-class software. It is OS-independent and has been written in JSP and Java. It is designed to be compatible with Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Databases. The functional modules offered by it includes groupware & collaboration, project management; contact management, e-shopping, tracking of support issues, payment processing, multiple catalogs, and lots more.
o Tutsena CRM: Like Hipergate, it is also designed especially for the enterprise-class firms. It is Microsoft Centric and has been made available in 3 editions – Business, Open-Source, and On-Demand. It can run on Microsoft SQL Db and has been written in JavaScript, .NET, ASP, and C#.
o Compiere: It is a comprehensive ERP & CRM solution, providing support for inventory control, HR, sales, and marketing. It can run on Oracle and JDBC and has been developed in PL/SQL,JavaScript and Java languages.
o XRMS CRM: This application is web-based and offers SFA, CRM, and HR functionalities. It is best suited to mid-sized firms and is also OD-independent. Like SugarCRM, it has also been written in PHP. It can, however, run on SQL, Microsoft SQL, ADOdb, and all the other DBMSs that are network-based.
o CentraView CRM: It offers a threefold functionality of CRM, SFA, and contact management. It can run on MySQL Db and its source code is based on J2EE. It has been written in JSP and Java, and is available in both downloadable and hosted versions
