A Zoho CRM alternative, if what you need is the tax.
Zoho is a large, capable, configurable suite. SimplCRM is a smaller product that treats Indian tax and multi-branch structure as part of the design rather than as something you configure. Which is right depends on which problem you have.
- GST engine in every plan
- A database per customer
- Cloud or on-premise
SimplCRM is an alternative to Zoho CRM for Indian businesses whose difficulty is tax and branch structure rather than breadth. It applies CGST, SGST and IGST from place-of-supply rules on every quotation line, gives each branch its own GSTIN, includes the tax engine in every plan, and provisions a separate database per customer.
Where SimplCRM differs from Zoho CRM
We do not list other vendors’ prices or feature ticks here. They change, and a table that is wrong about a competitor is worth nothing to you. Ask both vendors these questions and compare the answers you get.
When is a configurable suite the better answer?
When you need many applications sharing one account — helpdesk, books, campaigns, projects — and you have somebody whose job includes configuring them. Breadth is a real advantage and SimplCRM does not match it. If that is your situation, a suite is the right purchase and this page is not for you.
When is a purpose-built product the better answer?
When the difficulty is that you sell from three states under three registrations and the tax has to be right without anybody choosing it. Rules built into the product behave the same on the two-hundredth quotation as on the first; rules configured into a general one behave the same until somebody edits the configuration.
What should I actually compare?
Raise the same quotation in both: your own state to a customer in another, three line items with real HSN codes, one of them a service. Check the tax without helping either system. Then look at what each quoted you for, including the modules you would have to switch on.
Can I move my data across?
Accounts, contacts, deals and products import from CSV, which is what any CRM will export. Bring your open pipeline and your product list; historical closed deals are rarely worth the migration effort, though you can bring them if you want them.
What SimplCRM commits to
Our own column, stated plainly, so you can hold us to it.
- GST by place of supply
- Applied per line, automatically, on every quotation
- GSTIN per branch
- Yes, with no company-wide override
- Tax handling in base price
- Yes, in every plan
- Money arithmetic
- Exact decimals to the paisa, computed in the database
- Customer isolation
- A separate database per customer
- On-premise option
- Yes, the same product on your own servers
- Data export
- CSV for every object, plus a full REST API
- Implementation partner
- Not required
Questions people ask
Is SimplCRM a drop-in replacement for Zoho CRM?
No, and it does not try to be. Zoho CRM is part of a broad suite with many adjacent applications. SimplCRM is a single product covering the commercial cycle up to the invoice, with Indian tax and multi-branch structure built in rather than configured. It replaces the CRM, not the suite.
Can I import my data from Zoho CRM?
Yes. Export accounts, contacts, deals and products to CSV and import them into SimplCRM, where duplicates are matched against what is already there. Bringing the open pipeline and the product catalogue is usually enough; historical closed deals rarely earn the effort.
How does the pricing compare?
Compare the quote you would actually pay, not the headline tier. Ask both vendors for a figure that includes tax handling, the number of branches you have, email sync and API access. In SimplCRM the GST engine is in every plan, so the pricing page figure already covers it.
Run both trials side by side.
Raise the same inter-state quotation in each. The difference shows up in about ten minutes.