Zoho CRM is one of the most popular low-cost CRMs in the world, and for good reason. It is affordable, deeply customisable and part of a huge family of business apps. Telagus takes a different approach. Instead of a per-user CRM that you extend with other products, it bundles the CRM with calling, SMS, email marketing, call tracking and website visitor identification in one UK-based platform, priced per team rather than per head.
If you are a small or growing UK business choosing between the two, the right answer depends less on which is better in the abstract and more on how you sell, how many people need access, and how many separate tools you want to manage. This guide compares both on price, features and support, using list prices checked in October 2026.
Quick verdict
- Choose Zoho CRM if you want a free plan for up to three users, need heavy customisation of modules and processes, or already run other Zoho apps.
- Choose Telagus if you want calling, SMS, email marketing and lead tracking working out of the box, predictable team pricing in pounds, and UK-based human support. You can start on the free plan before you pay anything.
Telagus vs Zoho CRM at a glance
| Telagus | Zoho CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per plan, with 2, 5 or 10 users included; billed annually or monthly | Per user, per month |
| Free plan | Forever Free: 1 user, 500 contacts and 100 emails a month | Yes, up to 3 users |
| Entry paid plan | Starter: £340 a year for up to 2 users | Standard: £12 per user per month, billed annually |
| Phone numbers and call minutes | Included on every paid plan | Through third-party telephony integrations |
| SMS and MMS | Credits included on every paid plan | Through integrations or add-ons |
| Bulk email marketing | 60,000 to 600,000 emails a year included on paid plans | CRM mass email with limits; larger campaigns usually run in Zoho Campaigns, a separate product |
| Call tracking | Included | Not built in; needs a third-party tool |
| Website visitor identification | Included (reverse IP tracking) | Via Zoho SalesIQ, a separate product |
| Quotes | Included on all paid plans | Included on paid plans |
| Contracts | Growth and Business plans | Via other Zoho apps or integrations |
| Moving your contacts | Built-in Zoho connector imports Zoho contacts automatically | Not applicable |
| Customisation | Custom fields, forms, dashboards and automation funnels | Very deep: custom modules, layouts and process automation |
| App ecosystem | Smaller, growing list of integrations | Very large: the Zoho suite plus a marketplace |
| Support | UK team by phone, live chat and email | Standard support included; extra consulting on the top tier |
How the pricing works
The biggest difference is the pricing model. Zoho charges for every user, every month. Telagus charges for a plan, and each plan includes a set number of users plus allowances for leads, marketing emails, call minutes, SMS and AI. Paid plans can be billed annually, which is the cheapest option and the price shown below, or month to month. Both have a free plan.
Telagus plans
| Plan | Price (billed annually) | Users | Leads | Marketing emails a year | Phone numbers | Call minutes a year | SMS/MMS credits a year | AI credits a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forever Free | £0 | 1 | 500 contacts | 1,200 (100 a month) | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Starter | £340 a year (£28.33 a month) | Up to 2 | 5,000 | 60,000 | 1 | 1,200 | 600 | 6,000 |
| Growth | £690 a year (£57.50 a month) | Up to 5 | 20,000 | 240,000 | 3 | 3,000 | 1,800 | 12,000 |
| Business | £1,249 a year (£104.08 a month) | Up to 10 | 50,000 | 600,000 | 5 | 6,000 | 3,600 | 18,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5+ | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Starter, Growth and Business are also available month to month at a higher monthly price. Monthly plans get one twelfth of the yearly allowances each month; Starter, for example, includes 5,000 emails, 100 call minutes, 50 SMS/MMS credits and 500 AI credits a month.
Zoho CRM editions
| Edition | Price per user per month (billed annually) |
|---|---|
| Free | £0, up to 3 users |
| Standard | £12 |
| Professional | £18 |
| Enterprise | £35 |
| Ultimate | £42 |
Zoho shows its UK prices excluding tax, and paying month to month costs more than the annual rates above.
What a team actually pays in a year
| Team size | Telagus | Zoho Standard | Zoho Professional |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 users | £340 (Starter) | £288 | £432 |
| 5 users | £690 (Growth) | £720 | £1,080 |
| 10 users | £1,249 (Business) | £1,440 | £2,160 |
List prices, annual billing, excluding VAT. Zoho figures cover the CRM only, with no telephony, SMS or dedicated email marketing tool.
For a two-person business, Zoho is cheaper, and its free plan, for up to three users, is more generous than Telagus Forever Free, which covers one user. From five users upwards, Telagus costs about the same as Zoho Standard while also including a phone system, SMS and email marketing that you would otherwise pay for separately. On the Business plan, ten users works out at roughly £10.41 per user per month. See every plan in full on our pricing page.
Features: what you get out of the box
Calling, SMS and call tracking
Every paid Telagus plan includes at least one dedicated phone number, call minutes and SMS/MMS credits, so your team can call and text leads from inside the CRM and every conversation is logged against the contact. Call tracking numbers can be assigned to campaigns, so you can see which advert or web page actually made the phone ring.
Zoho CRM handles calling through integrations with telephony providers. That works well and gives you a wide choice of providers, but it means a second contract, a second bill and some setup before your first call.
Email marketing and automation
Telagus includes bulk email marketing on every paid plan, from 60,000 emails a year on Starter to 600,000 on Business, with a drag and drop campaign builder and ready-made sales templates. The funnel builder for automated email sequences is included from the Growth plan upwards.
Zoho CRM can send mass emails with limits that depend on your edition. For full newsletter-style campaigns, most Zoho users add Zoho Campaigns, which is priced separately.
Lead capture and website visitors
Both platforms offer web forms that feed leads straight into the CRM. Telagus adds reverse IP tracking on its paid plans, which identifies companies visiting your website so you can follow up with warm prospects who never filled in a form. With Zoho, visitor tracking sits in SalesIQ, another separate product.
Quotes, contracts and projects
Telagus includes a quote builder on all paid plans and a contract generator from Growth upwards, alongside project management and team tools in the wider platform. Zoho CRM includes quotes on its paid editions, and covers projects and HR through separate apps such as Zoho Projects and Zoho People.
Where Zoho CRM is stronger
A fair comparison means being clear about where Zoho wins:
- A more generous free plan. Up to three users can use Zoho CRM for free, indefinitely. Telagus Forever Free covers one user, 500 contacts and 100 emails a month.
- Customisation. Zoho lets you build custom modules, redesign layouts and model complex sales processes. If your process is unusual or highly regulated, that depth matters.
- The ecosystem. Zoho offers dozens of connected apps for accounting, HR, helpdesk and more, plus a large marketplace of third-party integrations. Telagus has a smaller integration list, and integrations and API access are reserved for higher plans.
- Scale. Zoho is a large, global company used by businesses of every size.
Where Telagus is stronger
- Everything in one place. Calling, SMS, email marketing, call tracking and visitor identification are part of the plan, not extra products to buy and connect.
- Predictable pricing. You pay one price for your team, annually or monthly, in pounds, with usage allowances spelled out up front.
- Better lead visibility. Call tracking plus reverse IP tracking shows where leads come from, including the ones who never fill in a form.
- An easy switch from Zoho. The built-in Zoho connector pulls your Zoho contacts into Telagus automatically, so you are not starting from an empty database.
- Human support from a UK team. Telagus is based in Wallington, Surrey. Starter includes email support, Growth adds priority support, and Business adds priority support with training.
- Useful extras. AI credits for writing emails, quotes and contracts, landing pages on Growth and Business, free business templates, and the option to connect Telagus to ChatGPT or Claude.
Which should you choose?
- You are a sole trader or a team of two that only needs to track deals: start on a free plan. Zoho CRM’s covers up to three users; Telagus Forever Free covers one.
- You are a team of 3 to 10 people who call, text and email leads every day: Telagus Growth or Business will usually cost less than Zoho plus a phone system plus an email marketing tool, with less to set up, and the Zoho connector brings your contacts across automatically.
- You need complex custom processes or already run your business on Zoho apps: Zoho CRM is the more natural fit.
- You want to know which marketing channels produce calls and enquiries: Telagus, thanks to built-in call tracking and visitor identification.
Switching from Zoho CRM to Telagus
Telagus has a built-in Zoho connector, so you do not need to export and import your contacts by hand:
- Connect your Zoho account to Telagus using the built-in Zoho connector.
- Your Zoho contacts are pulled into Telagus automatically.
- Check a sample of the imported contacts, and create custom fields for anything unique to your business.
- Bring across any other records you want to keep, such as deals, by exporting them from Zoho as CSV files and importing them.
- Set up your Telagus phone numbers, forms and email templates.
- Run both systems side by side for a week or two before switching off Zoho.
The Telagus team can walk you through the process. Book a tour to see it working with your own sales process.
Frequently asked questions
Is Telagus cheaper than Zoho CRM?
For one or two users, Zoho is cheaper, and its free plan costs nothing. For teams of five or ten, Telagus costs about the same as Zoho Standard and less than Zoho Professional, while including calling, SMS and email marketing that Zoho users usually buy separately.
Does Telagus have a free plan like Zoho?
Yes. Telagus Forever Free covers 1 user, 500 contacts and 100 emails a month, while Zoho’s free plan allows up to 3 users. Telagus paid plans start at £340 a year for up to two users and add phone numbers, call minutes and SMS credits.
Can I make and receive calls in Telagus?
Yes. Every paid plan includes at least one dedicated phone number and a bundle of call minutes, and calls are logged against the lead automatically.
Can I move my data from Zoho CRM to Telagus?
Yes. Telagus has a built-in Zoho connector: connect your Zoho account and your contacts are imported into Telagus automatically. Other records, such as deals, can be exported from Zoho as CSV files and imported, and custom fields can be recreated so nothing is lost.
Which is better for a UK small business?
If you want the lowest possible cost for a very small team, Zoho’s free plan is hard to beat. If your team relies on phone calls, texts and email campaigns to win business, Telagus gives you all of that in one UK-supported platform at a predictable price.
Related reading
- Best CRM software for small business: how to choose
- Telagus vs Salesforce
- Telagus vs Attio
- Telagus vs HubSpot
- How much does CRM software cost?
See Telagus for yourself
Compare the plans on our pricing page, or book a tour and we will show you how Telagus would work for your team.
Pricing note: Telagus prices are the UK prices on our pricing page, which shows prices in your local currency, so visitors outside the UK will see different figures. Zoho CRM UK prices are as listed on Zoho’s UK pricing page and independently verified by ExpertSure (August 2026). All prices exclude VAT and were checked in October 2026. Prices and features change, so check each provider’s website before you buy.
