Custom CRM or subscription CRM: when to choose which, with prices from 98 quotes
CRM by subscription for a standard process and a small team; custom CRM for telephony, Viber, quotes and invoices in one place. Custom-built costs 3 000-29 300 € based on 98 of our quotes, most often around 8 600 €. HubSpot, Pipedrive, Bitrix24 and Zoho across six criteria.
For sales teams that want customers, quotes, calls and emails in one place and keep track of how much they pay per user.
Ивелин КириловChief Technology Officer (CTO) ·Managing editor:
Владислав БарковManaging Director· Updated A custom CRM from Saitami puts the phone, Viber, email, quotes and invoices for one customer on a single screen, following your sales stages, with no per-user fee as your team grows: such a system costs €3,000-€29,300, most often around €8,600, across 98 of our quotes as of 14 August 2026, as a one-off payment. HubSpot, Pipedrive, Bitrix24 and Zoho can be up and running in days, but you pay per user every month and have to work within their frameworks.
This is the answer. We ourselves managed our customers in HubSpot until 2025, then replaced it with our own system when calls, emails, quotes and invoices all had to stay with one customer on a single screen. Below: the six criteria, the four products our customers use, when a subscription is enough to get started, and the systems you can try.
Custom-built CRM
Makes sense for a specific sales process, a phone in the browser, Viber and WhatsApp in the same list, and quotes and invoices issued from the same system. Paid once, with no per-user fee.
Subscription CRM
Good for a standard process and a small team. Up and running in days, with more features from day one. Compare the fees for integrations, modules and every new user over the next three years.
Comparison by criteria
| Criterion | Custom-built CRM | Subscription CRM | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | One-off €3,000-€29,300, most often around €8,600; support €100-€350 per month separately, with no per-user fee | Monthly per-user pricing for HubSpot, Pipedrive and Zoho; per-organisation pricing for Bitrix24 | It depends on the number of users and the time horizon |
| Sales process | The stages, rules, tasks and documents are yours | Ready-made stages and fields, configurable up to the product's limits | Custom-built for specialised processes |
| Channels | A browser-based phone system with call recording, email, Viber and WhatsApp in the same customer record | The channels available in the product catalogue; telephony and Viber are add-ons or unavailable | Custom-built with phone and Viber |
| Quotes and invoices | They are generated in the same system, with numbering and PDF, and stored with the customer | A separate product or add-on; the invoice is usually created elsewhere | Custom-built when the sale ends with an invoice |
| The interface | Only the fields your team uses | All the product's features that the team has to work around | Custom-built for a small team |
| Starter | Weeks: first the customer and stage lists, then the channels | Days: sign-up, importing contacts, configuring stages | The subscription |
Ready-made products our clients weigh up
The facts come from each product's public page, read on the date next to the link. A figure we could not read there is not included on the page.
| Product | What it is and how you pay | Who it is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | A CRM with a free entry-level tier and paid “hubs” for sales, marketing and service, priced per month on the website. | A small team that sells by email and wants contacts and stages right away. Check the current price on its website. | hubspot.com, pricing as of 14 October 2026 |
| Pipedrive | A CRM built around the sales funnel, with per-user monthly pricing across several plans and a trial period. | A sales team with standard stages that wants to see deals as columns and does not need a phone in the system. | pipedrive.com, pricing as of 14 October 2026 |
| Bitrix24 | CRM, tasks and chat in one product, priced per organisation: free for 1-2 users, Basic for 5 users at 49 US$ per month with annual billing, and Standard for 50 users at 99 US$. | A company with more people and a standard process that is willing to work with the product's screens. | bitrix24.com, pricing as of 14 October 2026 |
| Zoho CRM | A CRM with a free edition for 3 users and paid editions priced per user per month; Zoho CRM Plus starts at 20 US$ per user per month. | A small team with a free starting tier, without a phone, Viber or invoicing in the system. | zoho.com, Zoho CRM pricing as of 14 October 2026 |
When a subscription is enough to get started
A team of two or three that currently has no customer list at all and wants one by the end of the week can start with the free tier of HubSpot or Zoho. The fee starts with the third or fourth user and with every feature beyond the free tier, while calls, Viber and invoices remain outside the CRM.
That is when we reached the point where we switched too: one customer on one screen, with everything that has happened with them, and no per-user fee. An off-the-shelf CRM has many features from day one; a custom system has the ones your team actually uses and adds the next ones when needed.
When custom CRM wins
When sales happen over the phone. In Saitami ERP, the phone is in the browser: the call is recorded, summarised and stored with the client, together with emails, quotes and invoices, while an incoming call opens the client record before you pick up. In Elite Call Center CRM, the system is built around operators: a complete client history, a live dashboard and a supervisor who can listen to the call. Neither is a setting in an off-the-shelf product.
When the team is growing: with per-user pricing, the tenth person costs as much as the first, every month. When the process does not fit: a deal with three quote options, a contract, an invoice for the deposit and one for the balance, each at its own stage, with a deadline reminder. That is our process, so we built it ourselves after working around it in HubSpot.
When you want your data. The customer list is a trading company's most valuable asset. With a subscription, you export it when and how the product allows; with a custom system, the database is yours from day one.
How to compare the three-year cost
Subscription: the per-user price multiplied by the number of people and by 36 months, plus paid add-ons for phone, Viber and quotes, plus the time someone spends copying the invoice into another system. Five users for three years comes to roughly our average price, €8,600, and it grows with every new person.
Custom: the quoted price, plus €100-€350 per month for support over 36 months, plus any changes you request. With two people and a standard process, the subscription is the right choice. With five or more people, or with phone and invoices included, the second figure is lower or close, and at the end the system is yours.
Real systems and solutions you can open
Customers, browser-based telephony with recording, quotes, invoices and tasks in one customer record. Replaced HubSpot.
CRM with a complete customer history, a live dashboard for supervisors and a recording of every call.
Calls, email, chat, Viber and Facebook in one list, tickets with deadlines and outbound campaigns. No registration required.
Send the quote as a link via WhatsApp or email and see who opened it, when and how many times.
Custom-built CRM if:
- the sale goes through the phone and you want the recording stored with the customer
- you need Viber, WhatsApp, quotes or invoices in the same system
- your team is growing and the per-user fee grows with it
- your sales process does not fit the ready-made stages
- you want to own your customer database
Subscription CRM if:
- your process is standard and your team has up to three people
- you sell by email and do not need telephony in the system
- you want to get started within days
- invoices stay in the accounting software
Next step
Considering “Custom CRM system”? Describe what you need.
You describe the project, we come back with questions and a price range, then a demo and a written proposal.
Frequently asked questions
Can a custom-built CRM include phone and Viber?
Yes. We built a browser-based phone with call recording and summaries into Saitami ERP, while the contact center solution shows phone, email, Viber and WhatsApp in one customer timeline. The lines and numbers are yours, with the operator you choose.
What do we lose compared with a subscription CRM?
Features from day one. The ready-made CRM includes templates, reports and a mobile app upon registration. With a custom-built system, we start with the customers, stages and channels you use and add the rest as it is needed. If you will use everything from day one, the subscription is the right choice.
Why does custom-built CRM cost as much as ERP?
Because it is assessed in the same way: by processes, roles and relationships. CRM with telephony, quotes and invoices is a smaller ERP, which is why it falls in the same range, €3,000-€29,300, while a small CRM without telephony is at the lower end.
Can we migrate data from HubSpot, Pipedrive or Excel?
Yes. Contacts, companies, deals and notes are exported from the product and imported before launch, with duplicate checks. We did this for our own customers when we switched from HubSpot; data migration is a separate line item in the quote.
When does a subscription become more expensive than owning a system?
When you multiply the per-user price by the number of people and by 36 months, then add the paid add-ons. For a team of five or more, the figure is in the range of our average price, €8,600, and it grows with every new person, while at the end of the period you own nothing.
Can we start with a ready-made CRM and move to our own system later?
Yes, and for a small team that is the sensible order. The ready-made CRM shows which stages and fields you actually use, and that is half of the specification for a custom-built system. The data is migrated when the time comes.
How long does custom-built CRM take?
The customer, stage and task lists come in the first few weeks; telephony, Viber and quotes follow in later stages, each demonstrated in working form before payment. The exact timeline is in the quote.
