An honest, side-by-side comparison for Australian SMEs. We build custom CRMs, so we are biased. But we will tell you when off-the-shelf is the better choice too.
Tell us what you need. We will tell you exactly what we can build, what it costs, and how fast.
Every feature compared. No cherry-picking. We include areas where off-the-shelf platforms genuinely outperform custom builds.
| Feature | Custom CRM (Source Digital) | Salesforce | HubSpot | Zoho |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront Cost | $15K-$40K (one-off) | $5K-$50K+ setup | Free-$5K setup | Free-$2K setup |
| Monthly Cost (10 users) | $0 (you own it) | $1,500-$3,000/mo | $450-$1,200/mo | $140-$520/mo |
| 3-Year Total Cost (10 users) | $15K-$40K | $59K-$158K | $21K-$48K | $5K-$21K |
| Per-Seat Licensing | None | $25-$300/user/mo | $15-$120/user/mo | $14-$52/user/mo |
| Customisation | Unlimited | High (complex) | Medium | Medium |
| AI Features Included | Built-in, no extra cost | $50-$150/user/mo extra | $45/user/mo extra | Basic included |
| Implementation Time | 3-5 weeks | 3-6 months | 1-4 weeks | 1-2 weeks |
| Works Your Way | 100% your workflow | You adapt to Salesforce | You adapt to HubSpot | You adapt to Zoho |
| Data Ownership | Full ownership | Vendor-controlled | Vendor-controlled | Vendor-controlled |
| Integration Limits | Unlimited | Tier-dependent | Tier-dependent | Tier-dependent |
| Ecosystem / App Store | N/A (custom-built) | 4,000+ apps | 1,500+ apps | 800+ apps |
| Community & Training | Direct support only | Trailhead, massive community | Academy, large community | Moderate community |
| Scalability (500+ users) | Possible but not ideal | Enterprise-grade | Enterprise-grade | Good to 200 users |
| Best For | SMEs wanting it their way | Large enterprises | Marketing-led businesses | Budget-conscious teams |
We are not going to pretend custom is always the answer. Here is when each option makes the most sense.
Your workflow is unique and off-the-shelf forces you to change how you work. You have 5-100 users and want to stop paying per-seat fees. You need AI features without enterprise pricing. You want full data ownership and no vendor lock-in. You are tired of paying for features you do not use.
You are a large enterprise with 500 plus users. You need deep ecosystem integrations from 4,000 plus apps. Your team includes Salesforce-certified admins. You have budget for $50K plus implementation and ongoing admin costs. You need enterprise-grade compliance and audit trails.
You have fewer than 5 users with basic CRM needs. You need something running today with zero setup. Marketing automation is your primary use case (HubSpot). You are extremely budget-conscious and need a free tier (Zoho). You are happy adapting your process to the software.
Free strategy call. We will map your workflow, show you what a custom CRM would do, and give you a fixed-price quote. If off-the-shelf is the better option, we will tell you that too.
In most cases, yes. Salesforce costs $25 to $300 per user per month, plus implementation fees of $5,000 to $50,000 or more. For a team of 10, that is $30,000 to $36,000 per year in licences alone. A custom CRM costs $15,000 to $40,000 once, with no per-seat fees. Most businesses break even within 12 to 18 months and save significantly from year two onward.
A core CRM with pipeline, contacts, and dashboards takes 3 to 5 weeks. A more comprehensive system with AI features, integrations, and custom reporting takes 4 to 8 weeks. Compare that to 3 to 6 months for a typical Salesforce implementation.
That is one of the biggest advantages. With a custom CRM, adding features is straightforward because you own the code. With Salesforce or HubSpot, new features often mean upgrading to a more expensive tier or buying add-ons.
Yes. We build integrations with Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Shopify, and any platform with an API. Unlike off-the-shelf CRMs, there are no restrictions on which integrations are available at which pricing tier.
Every custom CRM we build is fully responsive and works on phones and tablets. We can also build native mobile apps if needed, though most businesses find a responsive web app is sufficient.
Yes. You own your data completely. It lives on your servers or your cloud account. There are no data export limitations or proprietary formats. Compare that to the painful process of extracting data from Salesforce.
No. We design custom CRMs to be maintained by non-technical staff. We also offer managed support from $500 per month for businesses that want ongoing maintenance, updates, and feature additions.
You own the code outright. It runs on standard technology stacks that any developer can maintain. There is no vendor lock-in. We provide full documentation and handover as part of every project.
We build AI features directly into your CRM: automatic lead scoring, email drafting, data enrichment, predictive analytics, and natural language search across your contacts and deals. These features cost $50 to $150 per user per month as add-ons in Salesforce and HubSpot.
If you have fewer than 3 users and very basic needs, a free HubSpot or Zoho plan might be sufficient. If you are a large enterprise with 500 plus users already on Salesforce, migration may not be worth the disruption. Custom CRM is ideal for teams of 5 to 100 who need the system to work their way.
"Literally within hours I was getting leads. Blown away with every bit of work from Source Digital - speed, quality and just a real good bloke to deal with."
"Within 2 hours he had a full plan & quote ready. The final project delivery was absolutely phenomenal - 100 times better than we could have ever imagined."
"Source Digital did an exceptional job building our Shopify site. Visually appealing, user-friendly, works across all devices. The final product exceeded our expectations."
Book a free strategy call. We will assess whether custom or off-the-shelf is the right choice for your business.