Quick answer
Ready-made SaaS CRMs charge per user every month (commonly ₹1,500 to ₹7,000 per user), while a custom CRM is a one-time build that typically starts around ₹1,00,000 to ₹2,50,000 with no per-user fees. For teams of about 10 or more users over three years, custom is usually cheaper.
"How much will a CRM cost us?" is the first question almost every business owner asks us — and the honest answer is: it depends on how many people will use it, how unusual your sales process is, and how long you plan to keep it. This guide explains both pricing models available in India, what actually moves the price, and a simple way to compare them for your own team.
The two ways to pay for a CRM
Every CRM in India is bought in one of two ways. Ready-made (SaaS) CRMs are rented: you pay a monthly or yearly fee for each user. Custom CRMs are built for your business: you pay once for development, own the software, and pay optionally for hosting and maintenance.
| Ready-made SaaS CRM | Custom CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Per user, every month or year | One-time development + optional maintenance |
| Typical cost driver | Number of users and plan tier | Features, integrations and workflows |
| Fits your process | You adapt to the software | Software adapts to you |
| Data location | Vendor's servers | Your own server or Indian cloud |
| Ownership | Rented — stops when you stop paying | You own the source code |
| Time to start | Same day | Typically 4–8 weeks for a core CRM |
What ready-made CRMs cost
Popular SaaS CRMs used in India commonly charge somewhere around ₹1,500 to ₹7,000 per user per month for the plans growing businesses actually need (automation, reports, integrations). Entry plans look cheap, but features such as workflow automation, custom modules, API access or WhatsApp integration usually sit in higher tiers or paid add-ons.
What a custom CRM costs in India
At BrainTech, a focused custom CRM for lead and sales management typically starts around ₹1,00,000 to ₹2,50,000. Larger systems with telephony, multi-branch access, inventory or billing modules and a dedicated mobile app cost more depending on scope. There are no per-user fees, so adding the 21st or the 200th user costs nothing extra.
What increases the price of a custom CRM
- Integrations — WhatsApp Business API, IndiaMART, JustDial, Meta and Google lead ads, IVR/telephony, Tally and payment gateways.
- Automation depth — auto-assignment rules, escalations, drip follow-ups and approval workflows.
- Modules beyond sales — quotations and invoices, inventory, service tickets, HR or accounts.
- Mobile app — a native Android/iOS app for field teams instead of a mobile-friendly web app.
- Data migration — cleaning and importing years of leads from Excel or another CRM.
Compare the 3-year cost, not the first invoice
The fair way to compare is total cost over three years. Use your own numbers in this simple formula:
- SaaS: users × monthly price per user × 36 months + add-ons + setup/consultant fees
- Custom: one-time development + (yearly maintenance & hosting × 3)
| Cost item | SaaS at ₹2,000/user/month | Custom CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ₹4,80,000 | Development (e.g. ₹2,00,000) + hosting |
| Year 2 | ₹4,80,000 | Maintenance & hosting only |
| Year 3 | ₹4,80,000 | Maintenance & hosting only |
| Pattern | Grows with every new user | Flat, regardless of team size |
For very small teams (2–5 users) with a standard sales process, a SaaS CRM is often the sensible, cheaper choice. Once a team grows past roughly 10–15 users — or needs workflows the SaaS tool can't handle — a custom CRM usually becomes cheaper over three years and fits the business far better.
Which option is right for your business?
- Choose SaaS if you have a small team, a standard B2B pipeline and need to start today.
- Choose custom if you have many users, leads from Indian portals and WhatsApp, unusual stages or commissions, or need your data on your own server.
- Start small, grow later — many clients begin with lead management software and extend it into a full CRM once the team adopts it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the price of CRM software in India?
Ready-made SaaS CRMs commonly cost around ₹1,500 to ₹7,000 per user per month for growth-ready plans. A custom CRM from BrainTech typically starts around ₹1,00,000 to ₹2,50,000 as a one-time build with no per-user fees.
Is a custom CRM cheaper than Zoho or Salesforce?
For small teams with standard processes, SaaS is usually cheaper. For teams of roughly 10–15 users or more, or businesses needing custom workflows and integrations, a custom CRM is often cheaper over three years because there are no per-user fees.
How long does it take to build a custom CRM?
A core lead and sales CRM typically goes live in 4 to 8 weeks; larger systems with integrations and mobile apps take 8 to 16 weeks.