01 · Overview
At a glance
Below: how we scored them, three-year costs including implementation, and where each one breaks.
Disclosure: EdZola is a Zoho Advanced Partner and also builds on Frappe and open-source stacks. We score Zoho by the same rules as everyone else and say where it is the wrong choice.
- Licence price is rarely the big number. Salesforce gives eligible nonprofits 10 Core licences free, but implementation can run from about US$5,000 to US$50,000+.
- Zoho for Nonprofits is a credit, not a free plan: a one-time US$5,000 wallet credit that pays up to 50% of each subscription bill.
- Bigin is a real starting point for one or two simple pipelines; move to Zoho CRM when you need custom modules, approvals or many relationship types.
- "Free" open source still costs hosting, upgrades and someone who owns them.
- Indian NGOs need 80G, FCRA and CSR fields from day one. US-built donor CRMs don't ship them.
02 · The short answer
The short answer: best CRM by situation
| If you are… | Best fit | Why | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A small Indian NGO (1–10 users), one fundraising pipeline | Zoho Bigin | From ₹400/user/month; set up in days | Low custom-field and pipeline limits |
| An Indian or global nonprofit with several donor types, CSR and grants | Zoho CRM | Custom modules, workflows, Zoho Books link, nonprofit credit | Needs a configured design; out of the box it is a sales CRM |
| A large, multi-programme organisation with budget for a partner | Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud | Deepest nonprofit data model, large partner ecosystem | Implementation and admin cost; steep learning curve |
| A US donor-focused team with no tech staff | Bloomerang | Built for donor retention, unlimited users | Records-based pricing; no Indian or UK tax workflows |
| A membership or advocacy charity that wants to own its data | CiviCRM | Free (AGPL), mature fundraising, events and membership | You or a partner must run hosting and upgrades |
| An organisation already on ERPNext, or needing self-hosted unlimited users | Frappe CRM | Free (AGPL-3.0), unlimited users, ERPNext link | A sales CRM: donations, receipts and Gift Aid must be built |
03 · How we scored them
How we scored them
We weighted seven criteria by what decides success in the nonprofits we work with. The weights lean towards Indian conditions, so we also show a US/UK score where "India fit" is replaced with "local fit" (US tax receipts, UK Gift Aid). Scores are EdZola's judgement, not a lab test.
| Criterion (weight) | Zoho CRM | Zoho Bigin | Salesforce NPC | Bloomerang | CiviCRM | Frappe CRM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donor features out of the box (20%) | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 3-year cost, 10 users, incl. setup (20%) | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Custom and programme data (15%) | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| India fit: 80G, FCRA, CSR, INR (15%) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Easy for a small team to run (15%) | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Integrations and ecosystem (10%) | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Data ownership and exit (5%) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Weighted score, India | 3.60 | 3.35 | 3.40 | 3.25 | 3.20 | 3.10 |
| Weighted score, US/UK (local fit replaces India fit) | 3.45 | 3.20 | 3.55 | 3.85 | 3.50 | 2.95 |
Every option scores between 3 and 4 because each is right for someone. Change the weights and the order changes, which is why the picker asks about you first.
04 · The six CRMs, one honest paragraph each
The six CRMs, one honest paragraph each
Zoho CRM: best value for growing nonprofits that need flexibility
Zoho CRM lists at US$14, 23, 40 and 52 per user per month (Standard to Ultimate, billed annually) on Zoho's own comparison page. Zoho for Nonprofits gives registered nonprofits a one-time US$5,000 wallet credit that covers up to 50% of each bill for up to five years, with direct application in India, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Out of the box it thinks in leads and deals, so it needs a donor design first. NeevJivan Foundation went live in two months with separate pipelines for CSR and individual donors and saves nearly 50 hours a month. See our Zoho CRM for nonprofits page, and Zoho One for nonprofits if you also need HR and finance. Not for you if: nobody will own the configuration, or you want a donor CRM that works on day one without design.
Zoho Bigin: the right first CRM for a small team
Bigin is Zoho's pipeline-first CRM: free for one user (500 records), then US$7, 12 or 18 per user per month for Express, Premier and Bigin 360. In India that is ₹400, ₹720 and ₹1,080, billed annually. Express gives 3 pipelines and 10 custom fields per module; Bigin 360 goes to 15 pipelines and 50 fields. A small team can run it alone. Not for you if: you need custom modules for CSR projects, grant tranches or programme data, or approval chains.
Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud: most powerful, most expensive to run
Salesforce's nonprofit pricing page lists Nonprofit Cloud at US$70 (Sales & Service Core), US$125 (Advanced) and US$285 (Sales Max or Service Max) per user per month. Through Power of Us, eligible nonprofits get 10 Core licences at no cost. The product line has changed: Nonprofit Cloud is now the lead product, Agentforce AI agents are sold as an add-on on Core and Advanced and included on Max, and the older Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) is, in Salesforce's words, something that "will continue to be supported" while new modules point new customers to Nonprofit Cloud. One Salesforce partner puts implementation at about US$5,000 for a basic set-up and US$50,000+ for complex organisations, and you will need an admin. Not for you if: you have no budget for a partner and an admin, or fewer than about 15 users.
Bloomerang: easiest donor CRM for US nonprofits
Bloomerang is built around donor retention. Bloomerang CRM starts at US$125 a month (annual), priced by record count with unlimited users; onboarding and data conversion are in the proposal. For a US team without technical staff it is the easiest handover. Not for you if: you are outside the US, or you need programme data, CSR tracking or Indian tax receipts.
CiviCRM: the mature open-source choice
CiviCRM is free under AGPL-3 and covers fundraising, membership, events and mailings. Its own hosted option, Spark, starts at US$15 a month for up to 10,000 contacts. Most installs run alongside WordPress or Drupal and are looked after by a partner. Not for you if: nobody will own hosting, upgrades and backups.
Frappe CRM: open-source, unlimited users, built for the ERPNext world
Frappe CRM is AGPL-3.0, with no per-user pricing; Frappe Cloud hosting starts at US$5 a month per site. It captures leads from forms, email and WhatsApp and links to ERPNext. It is a sales CRM, so donations, 80G receipts or Gift Aid have to be built. We build on Frappe and ERPNext when large teams make per-user licences expensive or data must stay on your own servers. Not for you if: you want a donor CRM you can switch on next week.
Also worth a look
| Tool | Best for | Published starting price |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Marketing-led US/ANZ nonprofits | 40% off Professional/Enterprise, North America, Australia and NZ only |
| Little Green Light | Very small US donor teams | US$45/month up to 2,500 constituents |
| Neon CRM | US mid-size, all-in-one | From US$99/month, priced on revenue |
| Beacon | Small and mid UK charities | From £33.50/month annual, 3 users |
| Donorfy | UK fundraising with Gift Aid | Priced by constituents; HMRC Gift Aid included |
UK charities looking for a "charity CRM" should demo Beacon or Donorfy first: Gift Aid is built in.
05 · What it really costs over three years
What it really costs over three years
Ten users, three years, list prices in US dollars (November 2026). Implementation is an EdZola planning range, not a quote.
| Licences (3 yrs) | Hosting | Typical implementation | Who runs it after go-live | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Bigin Premier | ~$4,300 | Included | 5–10 partner days, or DIY | A staff member |
| Zoho CRM Professional | ~$8,300 list; ~$4,100 if the nonprofit credit pays half | Included | 20–40 partner days | Staff + light partner support |
| Salesforce NPC Core | $0 for 10 users via Power of Us | Included | ~$5k–$50k+ | Certified admin |
| Bloomerang CRM | from ~$4,500 (record-based) | Included | In vendor proposal | A staff member |
| CiviCRM on Spark | ~$540+ | Included in Spark | Partner-led, varies | Partner or in-house tech |
| Frappe CRM on Frappe Cloud | $0 | from ~$180 | 30–60 partner days to add donor features | In-house tech or partner |
The cheaper the licence, the more you pay in time. Budget as much for setup and first-year support as for licences.
06 · If you're in India
If you're in India: 80G, FCRA and CSR
Three things decide fit for an Indian NGO. Every donation needs a donor ID (usually PAN), mode and receipt number so you can file the annual statement of donations and issue donor certificates by 31 May, now Forms 113 and 114 under the Income-tax Act, 2025 (formerly 10BD and 10BE). Foreign contributions must stay separate from domestic money (FCRA notice). And CSR partners behave like grants, not donors: MoUs, tranches, utilisation certificates and reports. Our nonprofit CRM implementation guide covers the go-live calendar, and receipts can run through FundZola.
07 · Donor CRM or programme system
Donor CRM or programme system?
Keep donor data and beneficiary data apart. A CRM manages people who give you money and time. A beneficiary management system manages the people you serve, often with sensitive data and field access. Salesforce and Zoho can hold both, but mixing them in one pipeline confuses both teams; link them at reporting level instead. CSR and institutional money also connects to grant management and to your books; our grant-to-accounting field guide shows where that handoff breaks.
08 · Migration notes
Migration notes
- Clean before you move. Merge duplicates and agree one ID per donor (PAN or email) before import.
- Map relationship journeys first. In one Bigin project for a Himalayan waste-management nonprofit, the team only decided during testing whether retail and institutional donors needed separate pipelines. Deciding on paper first saves a sprint.
- Don't go live in March or May in India (year-end and donor certificates).
- Run old and new side by side for one receipting cycle, then switch off the spreadsheet.
09 · Proof
Where we have built this
Published case studies from organisations we have worked with.
10 · Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free CRM for nonprofits?
For one person, Bigin's free edition works up to 500 records. For a team that will host its own system, CiviCRM and Frappe CRM have no licence fee but do have hosting and maintenance costs.
Is Salesforce really free for nonprofits?
Eligible nonprofits get 10 Nonprofit Cloud Core licences free through Power of Us. Extra users, add-ons such as Agentforce, implementation and an admin are paid. Budget for those before choosing it.
Should a small NGO start with Zoho Bigin or Zoho CRM?
Start on Bigin if you have one or two simple pipelines, fewer than about ten users and no programme data. Move to Zoho CRM when you need custom modules, approvals or several relationship types.
What is the best charity CRM in the UK?
For small and mid-sized UK charities, Beacon and Donorfy include Gift Aid and UK support. CiviCRM suits charities that want open source. Salesforce suits large charities with an admin.
Does any CRM handle 80G receipts and FCRA tracking out of the box?
Not the global CRMs we compared. You add donor ID, fund type (FCRA or domestic) and receipt fields to Zoho, Salesforce, CiviCRM or Frappe, or connect a receipting tool such as FundZola.