With the SaaS revolution at full steam, not only has there been an explosion of new niches that have become practical to develop to a science, but in each niche, competition has been fierce, like sharks fighting over a pound of tuna. This kind of competitive action is excellent for progress and for keeping prices reasonable. It’s something that other industries have lost sight on, such as television and gaming. But, there are always those specific brands or designs that sit on top, even in fiercely competitive markets. In the case of CRM, those are Salesforce and Netsuite. But, there are so many good Netsuite alternatives out there.
The thing is, those dominate lists because SEO is kind of governed by the most trending companies, which means most bloggers and reviewers, who make their living by following SEO, will give them top billing. Now, to have the clout to be a top billing entry in the first place means that Netsuite and others of its ilk have done something to more than deserve it.
But, what of the Netsuite alternatives out there that are very well made, but can’t outshine their competition? Well, we’re going to look at some very, very briefly, and point out why they’re worth considering.
#1 – Zoho
Zoho is built for small and medium businesses, though it can grow to accommodate big businesses too. But, it’s a little more closed-ended than Netsuite, or Salesforce, which means that it’s a commitment to Zoho services and Zoho compliant external services if you go with it.
However, in recent times, Zoho has been growing, so that extended functionality can be user-created, and more third party services can be made to play nice with it.
It’s a great alternative to Netsuite for medium businesses.
#2 – Microsoft Dynamics
Dynamics is made by the big M, so you know it at least has to work, right? Sure, they’ve dropped the ball on operating systems once or twice, but their business and technical software has almost always been shiningly excellent.
Well, Dynamics gives Force.com a run for their money, featuring Microsoft standard API, macro compatibility, WPF compatibility and a widely-standard programming environment millions of C# and Visual Basic programmers can readily accommodate.
It’s pricier, but it’s a good alternative.
#3 – Sugar CRM
Sugar CRM is an open source alternative with a low price point. Now, unlike others on this list, it’s all about CRM, not extended functionality. However, it’s an interesting alternative to Netsuite, or one of the others on this list for one specific set of reasons.
You see, that open source nature means you can make it integrate with anything you want, with a little elbow grease. This means that it makes for the backbone of a fantastic totally branded SaaS infrastructure that does what you want exactly how you want it (and plays nicely with what external services you bring in).
But, the other Netsuite alternatives are far more viable than this one for most. You might be smacked over the head with Netsuite and Force.com, which are indeed excellent choices as well. But, in the wake of this assault, know you have choices, and competent ones at that.