Bigin by Zoho CRM

Bigin by Zoho CRM is a pipeline-focused CRM for small businesses and MSMEs, particularly teams of one to 20 people. It suits organisations that want sales tracking, messaging, automation and AI in one service without a complicated rollout. The free tier is genuinely usable for one person, while growing teams will need a paid edition to escape its tight capacity limits.

Overview

Bigin organises customer work around visual sales pipelines, combining email synchronisation, marketing and workflow automation, and AI assistance. The product comes from a maker founded in 2020; Zoho says its broader platform has over 30 years serving businesses and 150 million users. Bigin says initial setup takes about 30 minutes, making it a practical starting point for smaller operations.

CRM, professional-services and sales-automation buyers can also browse CRM Software, Professional Services CRM Software and Sales Force Automation Software.

Key features

Pipeline and automation

Visual pipelines make deal progress the primary workspace. Workflow automation is included, but capacity is edition-dependent: the free plan allows three automations, Express 30, Premier 50 and Bigin 360 100. Paid tiers also support multiple team pipelines, which matters once several people need separate or parallel sales processes.

Email, marketing and messaging

Email sync and email marketing keep correspondence connected to sales activity. WhatsApp integration supports sending messages, receiving replies and retaining conversation history, useful for teams whose customers prefer messaging over email. Integrations cover Zoho Books, QuickBooks, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Shopify, Mailchimp and Zapier.

AI and administration

Zia-powered tools provide writing assistance, summaries, reply suggestions and churn analysis. AI credits are reserved for higher plans: Premier includes 1,000 per month and Bigin 360 includes 3,000. Paid editions add user profiles, roles and team administration. Zoho describes infrastructure certified for ISO 27001, GDPR, SOC 2 and HIPAA, says customer data is not sold or used for advertising, and allows export at any time.

Pricing

Free

The free edition costs nothing and is billed free for one user. It permits one user, one pipeline, 500 records and three automations. That is a sensible solo CRM, but the single-user and 500-record ceilings rule it out for a shared team or a growing database.

Express

Express costs $84 per user per year ($7.00 per user/month, billed annually). It raises capacity to three team pipelines, 50,000 records, 30 automations and 10 custom fields per module. This is the practical entry point for a small sales team, though it has no stated monthly price in the plan listing.

Premier

Premier is $144 per user per year ($12.00 per user/month, billed annually), with five team pipelines, 100,000 records, 50 automations, 25 custom fields per module and 1,000 AI credits monthly. Choose it when richer data capture and regular AI use justify the extra spend.

Bigin 360

Bigin 360 costs $216 per user per year ($18.00 per user/month, billed annually). It expands to 15 team pipelines, one million records, 100 automation rules, 5 GB file storage and 3,000 AI credits per month, targeting organisations with substantial volume or complex processes.

Paid editions offer monthly and annual billing, with annual pricing saving up to 35%. A 15-day trial requires no credit card; cancellation is allowed anytime, and Bigin provides free onboarding plus a 100% money-back guarantee. Paid onboarding includes webinars, admin training, data-import help and support. Phone, email and live chat support operate 24 hours a day, five days a week.

Platforms

Apps are available for iOS, iPadOS, Android and macOS, including dedicated iOS and Android mobile apps. The range suits teams that move between desktop and mobile devices.

Who it's for

Bigin is best for small businesses and MSMEs that need a structured sales pipeline, shared team processes and connected communication without enterprise-scale complexity. The free plan fits an individual testing a process; Express suits a compact team; Premier and Bigin 360 fit organisations needing more records, automation, customisation or AI capacity. It is a poor fit if one free account must serve several users or if 500 records is insufficient.

Pros and cons

• Pro: The free edition has no subscription cost and covers a complete one-user, one-pipeline workflow.
• Pro: Paid tiers scale clearly from 50,000 to one million records and add up to 15 team pipelines.
• Pro: WhatsApp history, email sync and broad business integrations reduce communication silos.
• Pro: No-card trial, free onboarding and a money-back guarantee lower adoption risk.
• Con: The free plan is strictly capped at one user, 500 records, one pipeline and three automations.
• Con: AI credits and file storage appear only in upper tiers, so advanced assistance costs more.

Alternatives

Choose Odoo CRM instead if open-source deployment, Odoo Online or a free one-app plan with unlimited users is more important. SuiteCRM suits buyers wanting open-source, self-hosted infrastructure control. Pick EspoCRM for an open-source CRM with web and desktop-platform support and plans starting at three users. Bitrix24 CRM is preferable when a free plan for one or two users includes 5 GB storage and basic CRM. Freshsales fits teams seeking a free tier for up to three users. Zoho CRM is the broader Zoho alternative, with a free plan for three users. The Agency CRM targets agency workflows, while Capsule CRM offers a free two-user plan with 250 contacts and one pipeline.

Verdict

Choose Bigin for a small business that wants visual pipelines, connected messaging and graduated automation at a low annual price. Its strongest case is the combination of a useful solo free tier, transparent paid capacity and mobile coverage. Look elsewhere if you need several free users, self-hosting or a CRM whose entry plan offers broader storage and collaboration without upgrading.