Salesforce is the enterprise standard — and priced like it. Here's what a growing B2B team actually pays, and what Kola replaces it with.
Salesforce is the most powerful and most customizable CRM on this list — and the most expensive, with pricing that scales fastest as you add seats and AI usage. A 10-person team on Salesforce's Starter Suite runs roughly $3,000/year before any AI costs; Kola Professional is $297, once, with AI included.
| Feature | Kola Professional | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Price model | One-time purchase | $25–550/user/month depending on tier; Core, Advanced and Max repriced up 11–13% on Sept 3, 2026 |
| 10-user, Year 1 cost (Starter Suite) | $297 | ~$3,000 |
| 10-user, Year 3 cost (Starter Suite) | $297 | ~$9,000 |
| 25-user, Core tier (replaced Enterprise) | $497 (Business, unlimited users) | ~$58,500/year |
| Per-seat billing | No — flat tiers | Yes, every tier |
| Pricing transparency | Three prices, listed | Usually requires a sales call to quote |
| AI | ||
| Built-in AI assistant | ✓ All tiers (BYOK) | Agentforce, bundled into the Core/Advanced/Max seat price |
| AI cost to you | ~$2/year (your own key) | A credit allotment built into an 11–13% seat-price increase; usage past it is billed again |
| Your AI queries stay under your own account | ✓ | ✗ — routed through Salesforce's Agentforce infrastructure |
| Data & Ownership | ||
| Data lives on your server | ✓ | ✗ — Salesforce's cloud |
| No vendor lock-in | ✓ | ✗ — migrating off Salesforce typically needs a consultant |
| Multi-entity contacts (Customer/Supplier/Sub/Partner) | ✓ Native | Possible via custom objects — needs admin/developer work |
| Flexibility | ||
| Cancel and keep using the software | ✓ Always | ✗ — access revoked |
No AI surcharge baked into every seat. On September 3, 2026, Salesforce replaced its Enterprise, Unlimited, and Agentforce 1 editions with three new tiers - Core, Advanced, and Max - and raised list prices 11 to 13 percent along the way (Core: $195 per user per month, up from $175; Advanced: $395, up from $350). The increase folds in a bundled allotment of AI credits, but usage beyond that allotment still bills separately. Every seat costs more now, whether or not that person ever touches the AI. Kola charges once, flat-rate, with no per-seat scaling - and its AI runs on your own API key, at cost, direct to Anthropic or OpenAI. About $2 a year. Not a subscription. Not a credit pool. Not us marking it up.
No sales call required to know the price. Salesforce pricing typically requires talking to sales before you know your real cost. Kola has three listed prices — no negotiation, no surprise implementation fees.
Nothing to migrate off later. Salesforce implementations are notoriously hard to leave once your data and workflows are built in. Kola's data lives on your own server from day one, so there's no lock-in to escape.
How much does Salesforce cost compared with Kola?
Salesforce Starter Suite is $25 per user per month - about $3,000 a year for 10 users. Its Core tier is $195 per user per month after the September 3, 2026 repricing, about $58,500 a year for 25 users. Kola Professional is $297 once for up to 10 users, and Kola Business is $497 once for unlimited users. Self-hosting typically costs $6-12 a month on a server you choose, paid to your host, not to Kola.
Is Kola a replacement for an enterprise Salesforce deployment?
Usually not. Salesforce is built for heavy customization, complex permissions and large integration estates. Kola fits small and mid-sized teams that want core pipeline and contact management without per-seat billing.
How does AI pricing compare?
Salesforce bundles a base Agentforce credit allotment into its Core, Advanced and Max seat prices and meters usage beyond it. Ask Kola runs on your own Anthropic or OpenAI API key on every tier. You pay the provider directly - typically a few dollars a year - and Kola adds no markup or credit cap.
Can I move my data from Salesforce to Kola?
Yes. Kola includes CSV import, so contacts and deals exported from your current CRM can be brought in. Optional White Glove Setup ($97, Professional and Business) installs and secures Kola on your server for you.
Competitor pricing checked against each vendor's published USD pricing on November 2, 2026. Vendors change prices often - confirm on their site before you buy.
Three tiers, one payment each. No seat count to negotiate, no sales call required.