Hello, this is Matsubara, CRM Evangelist.

In the previous installment (Part 1) , we categorized the CRM market for 2025-2026 into five categories. In Part 2, we will specifically compare representative products within each category.

This information is organized to help you determine which category is best suited for your company.

[Important Note] The pricing information in this article is a reference value as of April 2026. Prices for each product are subject to change, so please check the official website for the latest information.

Category ①: Large-scale integrated CRM – Comparison of 3 major products

Salesforce SalesCloud

Features: The world's No. 1 CRM. Comprehensive sales opportunity management, predictive analytics, and Einstein AI-powered deal prediction and automation. A huge ecosystem with abundant customization and integration opportunities from partner companies.

Key changes in 2025: Einstein Copilot will be included as standard, enabling CRM operation using natural language. An autonomous AI agent called "Agentforce" will be announced, further advancing the automation of sales activities.

Estimated cost (5 users, monthly): Starter Suite from approximately ¥17,000, Pro Suite from approximately ¥52,000 (excluding tax, subject to change due to exchange rate fluctuations).

Suitable companies: Publicly listed companies, companies with global operations, companies with dedicated Salesforce administrators, and companies with an annual IT budget of 100 million yen or more.

Companies that are not suitable: Small and medium-sized enterprises with 20 or fewer employees, companies without an IT staff, and companies that want to reduce monthly costs.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales

Features: Its greatest strength is its deep integration with Microsoft 365 (Teams, Outlook, Excel). It offers comprehensive meeting summaries, email summaries, and next-action suggestions using Copilot. Custom AI development is also possible through integration with Azure ML.

Key changes in 2025: Copilot will be integrated as a standard feature across all Dynamics 365 products. Sales Copilot will be enhanced to analyze sales representative conversations in real time and provide recommendations.

Estimated costs (5 users, monthly): Sales Professional: approximately ¥32,000 and up; Sales Enterprise: approximately ¥51,000 and up (excluding tax and subject to change due to exchange rate fluctuations).

Suitable companies: Companies that have implemented Microsoft 365 company-wide and companies with a Teams-centric collaboration culture.

Companies that are not suited to this: Companies using ecosystems other than Microsoft's; companies lacking expertise in configuration and management.

Zoho CRM

Features: Offers better cost performance compared to Salesforce and can be integrated with other Zoho business applications (accounting, HR, project management). It also features predictive analytics and optimal communication timing suggestions powered by the AI ​​function "Zia".

Key changes in 2025: Zia AI adds "sentiment analysis" (email tone analysis). BI analysis is enhanced through integration with Zoho Analytics.

Estimated cost (5 users, monthly): Standard: approx. ¥7,000 and up; Professional: approx. ¥11,500 and up (excluding tax; subject to change due to exchange rate fluctuations).

Suitable for: Mid-sized companies looking to integrate multiple SaaS business applications; companies seeking equivalent functionality at a lower cost than Salesforce.

Companies that are not suited to this: Companies that prioritize localization for the Japanese market; companies that prioritize simplicity and ease of use above all else.

Category ②: Inbound Marketing-Type CRM - Comparison of 2 Major Products

Hub Spot CRM

Features: Basic functions are available with the free plan. It is the CRM with the most comprehensive integration with content SEO, email marketing, and MA (marketing automation). AI functions were significantly enhanced with "Breeze," which was released in 2024.

Key changes in 2025: Addition of Breeze Intelligence (automated prospect information gathering) and Breeze Agents (autonomous AI agents). Further automation of content generation, sales opportunity analysis, and customer support.

Estimated costs (5 users, monthly): Free to Starter (approx. ¥13,500 and up), Pro (approx. ¥72,000 and up) (excluding tax, subject to change due to exchange rate fluctuations)

Suitable companies: Companies that prioritize inbound marketing, B2B SaaS companies, e-commerce site operators, and companies that want to automate lead generation.

Companies that are not suitable: Companies that focus on existing customer management, emotional temperature management, and door-to-door sales ( see previous article ).

Pipedrive

Features: A simple CRM specifically designed for "sales pipeline management." Designed for sales teams, it offers intuitive visibility and progress management of sales opportunities. Enhanced AI sales assistant in 2024.

Key changes in 2025: AI Sales Assistant automatically suggests the next action for a deal. Enhanced integration with web forms improves automated lead capture.

Estimated cost (5 users, monthly): Essential: approximately ¥16,000 and up; Advanced: approximately ¥27,000 and up (excluding tax; subject to change due to exchange rate fluctuations).

Suitable for: Small and medium-sized enterprises that want to simplify sales negotiation management; primarily for sales team progress management.

Companies that are not suited to this: Companies that need to deepen relationships with existing customers, manage their emotions, and optimize their field sales efforts.

Category 3: No-Code Business Process CRM - Comparison of 2 Major Products

kintone (Cybozu)

Features: A "business application building platform." It allows you to build not only CRM applications but also various internal business workflows without coding. It offers a wide range of plugins and a high degree of customization flexibility.

Key changes in 2025: Addition of AI function "kintone AI" (available in some plans). Enhanced automation of data entry support and report generation.

Estimated costs (5 users, monthly): Light plan from approximately ¥5,500, Standard plan from approximately ¥9,900 (excluding tax, minimum 10 users).

Suitable for: Companies with unique business processes, mid-sized companies with dedicated IT staff, and companies that want to manage business processes other than CRM on the same platform.

Companies that are not suited to this: Companies that want to use it as a CRM from the start; companies that want to minimize implementation costs.

Microsoft Power Apps (Model-Driven)

Features: Allows you to build custom business applications in a Microsoft 365 environment. Functions as a simplified version of Dynamics 365, with strong integration with SharePoint and Teams.

Key changes in 2025: "Natural language application generation" using Copilot becomes practical. Business applications can now be created without writing code.

Estimated cost (5 users, monthly): Power Apps Per User: approximately ¥22,500 and up (excluding tax; may be included in a Microsoft 365 license).

Suitable companies: Companies that have deployed Microsoft 365 company-wide; companies considering migrating to Dynamics 365 but want to keep costs down.

Category 4: AI-Native Emerging CRMs – 4 Products to Watch in 2025

Clay

Specializing in automating outbound sales. Automatically collects and enriches lead information from over 75 data sources and automatically generates personalized emails. For companies aiming to "automate new customer acquisition."

Twenty (open source)

An open-source CRM available on GitHub. Self-hostable and completely free. Ideal for engineering teams with strong technical skills and a focus on cost-effectiveness.

folk

Manage your network and contacts with an intuitive Notion-like UI. Centralize your team's network and support automated email personalization. Ideal for VCs, startups, and recruitment teams.

Breakcold

Integrate LinkedIn/SNS activity with CRM. Automate "Social Selling"—the method of warming up on social media before making a sales call. For freelancers, individual B2B businesses, and companies using LinkedIn.

Category 5: CRM 4.0 type — EMOROCO CRM Lite

As explained in detail in the previous two installments of this series , let's reiterate the differences between this category and others.

The key difference from the other four categories:

Comparison table across all categories

*Prices are estimates only and may vary depending on exchange rates and plan.

Choose based on "matching your purpose" rather than "number of features."

Looking at this comparison table, some of you may have noticed that "EMOROCO CRM Lite has fewer features in certain areas." Clay is strong in lead enrichment, and HubSpot is strong in content SEO integration.

That's a correct understanding. EMOROCO CRM Lite doesn't aim for the highest score in every function, but rather is most deeply focused on the objective of "helping Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises deepen relationships with existing customers and create organizations where those relationships continue even when personnel change."

The most important question when selecting a CRM is, "What is this tool designed for?" Whether or not the purpose aligns with the tool's objectives will determine its adoption rate and results after implementation.

Next notice

In the third installment, titled "Where does EMOROCO CRM Lite stand amidst the latest CRM trends?", we will explain the CRM trends for 2025-2026 (agent-based AI, emotional AI, and zero-party data) and practical criteria for selecting a CRM in the Japanese market.

Continue reading in the next article: [Part 3] Where does EMOROCO CRM Lite stand amidst the latest CRM trends? – Key considerations for the Japanese market

Related article

• [Latest CRM Tools Series - Part 1] What will happen in the CRM market in 2025-2026? - The overall picture of the tectonic shifts.
• A Thorough Comparison of Free and Low-Cost CRM Tools 2026: Which Customer Management Tool Should Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Choose?
• A comparison of no-code tools: kintone and EMOROCO CRM Lite—the criteria for deciding whether to build from scratch or start with a CRM.
• The limitations of HubSpot's free version: The real reason why your free CRM will eventually become a paid service.
• Reasons for abandoning Salesforce: The decision-making criteria of small and medium-sized businesses switching from high-performance CRMs.