SugarCRM Review: Pricing, Features & What the Data Shows
Mid-market CRM with open-source roots that balances customization depth with reasonable pricing.
What SugarCRM Does
SugarCRM is a mid-market CRM platform that traces its roots to the open-source movement — originally launched in 2004 as an open-source alternative to Salesforce. The company discontinued the open-source edition in 2014 and pivoted to a fully commercial model, but the DNA remains: SugarCRM offers significantly more customization depth than most CRMs at its price point, with the ability to modify workflows, data models, and business logic that platforms like Pipedrive or Copper simply don't allow.
The platform covers three core modules: Sugar Sell (sales automation), Sugar Market (marketing automation), and Sugar Serve (customer service). This consolidated approach means mid-market companies can run their entire customer-facing operation on a single vendor — pipeline management, email campaigns, lead scoring, case management, and knowledge bases — without stitching together separate tools. The Premier tier bundles all three modules, positioning SugarCRM as a mini-Salesforce for companies that can't justify Salesforce's pricing or ecosystem complexity.
SugarCRM's workflow automation engine is where the platform punches above its weight. The visual process designer handles complex multi-step workflows — approval chains, conditional field updates, escalation rules, and cross-module automations — that would require expensive add-ons or custom development on simpler CRMs. For companies with specific business processes that can't fit into rigid pipeline stages, this flexibility matters. SugarCRM also offers on-premises deployment for organizations with data sovereignty requirements, a feature that most modern CRMs have abandoned.
The practical buyer consideration is ecosystem and talent. SugarCRM's integration library is a fraction of Salesforce's, and finding experienced SugarCRM developers and administrators is significantly harder. Companies that rely on a broad ecosystem of third-party tools — data enrichment, marketing automation, analytics — will find fewer native integrations and more Zapier workarounds. The CRM itself is capable, but the surrounding ecosystem limits what you can build without custom development.
SugarCRM Key Features
Workflow Automation (SugarBPM)
Visual process designer for building multi-step business workflows. Handles approval chains, conditional routing, escalation rules, and automated field updates. More sophisticated than Pipedrive's or Copper's automation builders and comparable to Salesforce Flow for mid-complexity scenarios. The visual canvas shows the complete workflow logic, making it easier to understand and modify processes. Available on Standard tier and above.
Sugar Sell (Sales Automation)
Core CRM for sales teams: contact and account management, opportunity tracking, pipeline visualization, and activity logging. Includes lead and opportunity scoring, quote generation, and territory management. The module supports custom fields, layouts, and modules — you can add entirely new data objects to the CRM without code. Reporting covers pipeline analytics, conversion rates, and activity metrics. Less polished than Salesforce's UI but more configurable than Pipedrive or HubSpot at comparable price points.
Sugar Market (Marketing Automation)
Email campaigns, lead scoring, landing pages, web forms, and basic nurture sequences. Adequate for mid-market marketing needs — automated email workflows, form-based lead capture, and scoring models that route hot leads to sales. Doesn't match HubSpot or Marketo for marketing sophistication — no advanced personalization, limited A/B testing, and basic analytics. But having marketing automation native to the CRM eliminates integration complexity for companies that don't need best-in-class marketing features.
Sugar Serve (Customer Service)
Case management, SLA tracking, customer portal, and knowledge base for support teams. Cases are linked to CRM accounts and contacts, giving support agents full customer context. The module includes routing rules, escalation workflows, and satisfaction surveys. Less capable than Zendesk or Freshdesk for dedicated support operations, but useful for companies that want support data integrated directly into their CRM without a separate tool.
On-Premises Deployment
Available for organizations that can't or won't put CRM data in the cloud. On-premises deployment gives complete control over the infrastructure, data location, and security configuration. This is increasingly rare in the CRM market — Salesforce, HubSpot, and most modern CRMs are cloud-only. For regulated industries (government, defense, healthcare) with strict data residency requirements, the on-premises option can be a deciding factor.
Customization Depth
Studio and Module Builder tools allow deep customization of fields, layouts, relationships, and entirely new modules without writing code. For more advanced customization, the PHP-based architecture supports custom logic, integrations, and UI modifications at the code level. This customization depth — inherited from SugarCRM's open-source origins — exceeds what most mid-market CRMs offer. Companies with unique business processes that don't fit standard CRM templates can mold SugarCRM to match their workflows.
Who Uses SugarCRM
Mid-Market Companies with Complex Workflows
The core SugarCRM buyer. Companies with 50-500 employees that have specific business processes — multi-step approval chains, custom deal stages with conditional logic, or industry-specific compliance workflows — that simpler CRMs can't accommodate. SugarCRM's workflow engine and customization depth let these organizations build the CRM around their processes rather than changing processes to fit the CRM. A typical mid-market deployment on Advanced ($85/user/month) costs $20,400/year for a 20-person team — roughly half of Salesforce Professional for comparable customization capability.
Consolidated Sales + Service Platform
Companies that want sales CRM and customer support on one platform without managing multiple vendors. The Premier tier bundles Sugar Sell, Sugar Market, and Sugar Serve at $135/user/month. For a 30-person organization with 15 sales reps and 15 support agents, this consolidation eliminates the need for separate Salesforce + Zendesk subscriptions while keeping all customer data in one system. The trade-off is that each individual module is less capable than best-of-breed alternatives.
Regulated Industries Requiring On-Premises CRM
Government agencies, defense contractors, healthcare organizations, and financial institutions with strict data residency or security requirements use SugarCRM because it supports on-premises deployment. The CRM data stays entirely within the organization's infrastructure, under their security controls. This use case is narrow but decisive — if regulatory requirements prohibit cloud CRM, SugarCRM is one of the few modern-era options available alongside Microsoft Dynamics 365 On-Premises.
SugarCRM Pricing
Essentials
Basic CRM, contact and account management
Standard
Sales automation, reporting, email integration
Advanced
Forecasting, pipeline analytics, advanced workflows
Premier
Full platform with Sugar Market, Serve, and Sell
SugarCRM's pricing is competitive for the mid-market, with clear tiers and no hidden fees. Essentials at $19/user/month provides basic CRM — contacts, accounts, and deal tracking. Standard at $59/user/month adds sales automation, reporting, email integration, and workflow capabilities. Advanced at $85/user/month includes forecasting, pipeline analytics, and advanced automation. Premier at $135/user/month bundles all three modules (Sell, Market, Serve) into one platform.
Annual billing is required, and there's a minimum of 3 users on most plans. Sugar Market (marketing automation) is priced separately unless you're on Premier — standalone Sugar Market pricing starts around $1,000/month for 10,000 contacts.
For a 20-person sales team, annual costs: Standard costs $14,160, Advanced costs $20,400, Premier costs $32,400. Compared to Salesforce Professional ($19,200) and Enterprise ($39,600) for the same team, SugarCRM delivers comparable customization depth at lower or equivalent pricing.
The hidden cost is talent. SugarCRM administrators and developers are harder to find than Salesforce professionals. Organizations that need ongoing customization and maintenance may face higher per-hour consulting rates ($150-250/hour for SugarCRM specialists) or longer hiring cycles. This talent scarcity should be factored into total cost of ownership calculations.
Job Market Demand for SugarCRM
SugarCRM appears in 5 job postings across 2 companies in our database of 23,338+ analyzed job postings. The average salary range for roles requiring SugarCRM: $100K - $116K.
Department
- Regional Sales Manager - West Pennsylvania
- Regional Sales Manager - South Texas & Louisiana
- Regional Sales Manager - South Florida
- dynatron software (4)
- sugarcrm (1)
Commonly Used With SugarCRM
Based on job posting co-occurrence data, these tools are most frequently mentioned alongside SugarCRM:
Pros & Cons
Pros
- More customizable than most CRMs at this price point due to open-source heritage
- Consolidated sales, marketing, and service in one platform
- Pricing is significantly lower than Salesforce for comparable features
- Strong workflow automation and process management tools
- On-premise deployment option available for companies with data sovereignty needs
Cons
- Smaller integration ecosystem than Salesforce or HubSpot
- Harder to find SugarCRM admins and developers than Salesforce talent
- UI feels less modern than newer CRM platforms
- Marketing automation features lag behind dedicated MAPs like HubSpot
- Limited community resources and third-party content compared to market leaders
Best for: Mid-market companies (50-500 employees) that need deep CRM customization without Salesforce-level pricing
Not ideal for: Companies that rely heavily on third-party integrations, or teams that need a large talent pool for ongoing CRM administration
SugarCRM Alternatives
| Tool | Starting Price | Job Mentions | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salesforce CRM | $25/user/mo | 1,694 | Mid-market to enterprise B2B companies with dedicated RevOps or Salesforce admin resources |
| HubSpot CRM | $0 | 432 | Marketing-led B2B companies with 10-200 employees who want CRM + marketing automation in one platform |
| Zoho CRM | $14/user/mo | 20 | Bootstrapped SMBs and cost-sensitive teams who want an all-in-one suite without enterprise pricing |
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 | $65/user/mo | 65 | Enterprise organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, especially in regulated industries |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SugarCRM still open source?
Not really. SugarCRM started as an open-source project, and the community edition existed for years, but the company discontinued the open-source version in 2014. The current product is fully commercial. However, the open-source DNA means the platform is more customizable and extensible than most proprietary CRMs at its price point.
SugarCRM vs Salesforce: when does SugarCRM make sense?
SugarCRM makes sense when you need real CRM depth (not just deal tracking) but can't justify Salesforce pricing. A 20-person team on SugarCRM Advanced pays roughly $20K/year compared to $40K+ on Salesforce Enterprise. If you don't need the Salesforce ecosystem and AppExchange, SugarCRM delivers comparable core CRM functionality at a lower cost.
Can SugarCRM handle marketing automation?
Sugar Market, their marketing automation module, covers email campaigns, lead scoring, landing pages, and basic nurture sequences. It's adequate for mid-market needs but doesn't match HubSpot or Marketo for sophisticated marketing workflows. If marketing automation is your primary need, a dedicated MAP is usually a better choice.
Our Verdict on SugarCRM
SugarCRM is the right choice for mid-market companies that need genuine CRM customization depth — workflow automation, custom modules, conditional logic — without paying Salesforce Enterprise pricing. The platform's open-source heritage delivers configurable architecture that simpler CRMs can't match, and the consolidated Sell/Market/Serve offering eliminates the need for multiple vendors. For companies with 50-300 employees and specific process requirements, SugarCRM hits a sweet spot between Pipedrive's simplicity and Salesforce's complexity.
The trade-off is ecosystem and talent. SugarCRM's integration library is narrow compared to Salesforce or HubSpot, meaning more custom integration work for complex tech stacks. Finding experienced SugarCRM administrators is harder and potentially more expensive than finding Salesforce talent. The UI, while functional, feels less modern than HubSpot or Pipedrive. Companies that need deep third-party integrations, a large community of resources, or a CRM that users will adopt without training should look elsewhere.
SugarCRM appears in 5 job postings across 2 companies in our database, with an average salary range of $100K-$116K. The concentrated distribution and all-remote posting pattern suggest SugarCRM is adopted by specific organizations rather than broadly demanded across the market. This low job market visibility reflects the platform's mid-market niche — it's a capable CRM that doesn't generate the hiring demand that Salesforce or HubSpot create.