Lucro vs Salesforce
Lucro vs Salesforce: do you need the biggest CRM there is?
Salesforce is the name everyone knows. Big banks run on it. So do airlines, global retailers and most of the companies you’ve heard of. When people start looking for a CRM, it’s often the first one that comes to mind.
That’s also the catch. Salesforce is built to handle huge sales operations, with admins and consultants keeping it running. A team of three doesn’t need any of that. Lucro is built for businesses of one to five people who want their customers and follow-ups sorted without a project to set it up.
Independent comparison · Updated November 2026
The quick verdict
It’s not about which is “better”. It’s about which fits where you are.
Choose Salesforce if…
- You expect to grow into a large sales team in the next few years
- You need deep customisation, forecasting and complex approval steps
- You’ve got someone, or budget for someone, to run it
- Your clients or investors expect you to be on Salesforce
Choose Lucro if…
- You’re a team of one to five and plan to stay small
- You want to be up and running the same day
- You’d rather spend £8 a user than £20 or more
- You want your data imported for you, free
At a glance
| Salesforce | Lucro | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Sales teams of every size, up to global enterprises | Businesses of 1-5 people |
| Free plan | Free Suite with basic features and limits | Free Forever, 1 user, no card |
| Paid plans from | Starter £20 per user a month | Essential £8 per user a month, billed annually |
| Next step up | Pro £80 per user a month, billed annually | Standard £16 per user a month, billed annually |
| Set-up | Configuration, often with an admin or partner | Ready to use straight away |
| Data import | Import tools, or a paid partner | We import it for you, free |
Salesforce prices are as listed on Salesforce’s UK site at the time of writing (November 2026), excluding VAT. Check salesforce.com for the latest.
The detail that matters
What it costs a small team
Salesforce Starter is £20 a user a month. For three people that’s £60 a month, or £720 a year. Lucro Essential for the same three is £24 a month.
The bigger jump comes when you want more. Salesforce Pro is £80 a user, billed annually, so three people pay £240 a month. Lucro Standard, with pipeline analytics, SMS and the QuickBooks link, is £48 for three. That’s nearly £2,300 a year in the difference.
Set-up and who runs it
Salesforce can do almost anything, which is exactly why it takes work. Fields, page layouts, permissions, automations. Bigger firms have a Salesforce admin, or pay a partner to do it. Starter keeps things simpler, but you’re still inside a very big system.
With Lucro you sign up, add a customer and you’re off. No admin, no consultant, no training course. If something’s in a daft place we’d rather hear about it and fix it.
Help when you need it
Salesforce has a huge community and endless documentation. That’s handy if you like digging. Premium support is usually an add-on.
Lucro is a small UK business, and we’ll do the boring bits for you. Send us a spreadsheet or an export from your old CRM and we’ll load it in at no cost, on any plan. Your data sits on encrypted servers in UK data centres.
“The best CRM isn’t the one with the most features — it’s the one you’ll actually use.”
Common questions
Is Salesforce too big for a small business?
Often, yes. Salesforce is built to scale to very large sales teams, and that power brings set-up and cost. Starter is aimed at smaller firms, but a business of one to five usually needs far less than Salesforce offers.
How much does Salesforce cost for a small business?
Starter is £20 per user a month and Pro is £80 per user a month billed annually, at the time of writing. For three users that’s £60 or £240 a month. Lucro is £24 or £48 a month for the same team.
Does Salesforce have a free plan?
Salesforce offers a basic Free Suite with limited features and usage caps, plus a 30-day trial of its paid plans. Lucro’s Free Forever plan covers one user and 100 companies and contacts, with no card needed.
Can I move from Salesforce to Lucro?
Yes. Export your contacts and accounts from Salesforce as a CSV and send it to us. We’ll import them into Lucro free of charge, on any plan.
Do I need an admin to run Lucro?
No. Lucro is designed so a business owner can set it up and run it without technical help. There’s no configuration phase, and we’ll import your existing customers for you.
Which is better for a business of one to five people?
For most, Lucro. It’s cheaper per user, quicker to start and built around everyday customer work. Salesforce makes more sense if you’re planning to build a large sales team and need its depth.
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Salesforce is a trademark of Salesforce, Inc. This is an independent comparison by Lucro. Lucro is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the companies named. All product names and brands belong to their respective owners. Prices and features checked November 2026.