Our Verdict
Bigin is Zoho’s answer to the question: what if we built a CRM specifically for very small businesses that don’t need everything in Zoho CRM? The result is a clean, pipeline-first CRM at $7/user/mo that handles contacts, deals, tasks, and basic automation – backed by Zoho’s infrastructure. For micro-businesses and freelancers who want something more structured than a spreadsheet but less complex than full CRM software, Bigin hits the right balance.
Who Bigin by Zoho Is Best For
- Freelancers and solo consultants who need a simple visual pipeline without paying for features they will never use
- Very small retail or service businesses managing under 500 contacts who want a clean CRM without a steep learning curve
- Early-stage startups on tight budgets that need structured deal tracking and basic contact management from day one
- Small agencies juggling multiple client pipelines who want affordable multi-pipeline support without committing to enterprise CRM pricing
- Existing Zoho users running lean operations who want a lightweight entry point that connects natively with their current Zoho stack
Who Should Look Elsewhere
- Teams that need marketing automation alongside CRM - Zoho CRM or HubSpot cover both
- Businesses with 50+ contacts needing advanced segmentation - Zoho CRM goes deeper
- Companies needing built-in calling or email sequences - Freshsales includes these at similar price
- Teams that need the simplest possible interface with no Zoho ecosystem - Less Annoying CRM is even simpler
Features Breakdown
Pipeline Management
Bigin’s pipeline view is a Kanban board with customizable stages and cards representing contacts, companies, or deals. Multiple pipeline types let you manage different workflows – a sales pipeline, an onboarding pipeline, a support pipeline – in the same account without overlap. Cards show key fields at a glance. Stage automation moves deals and creates tasks when conditions are met.
Contact & Record Management
Bigin stores contacts, companies, and deals with custom fields configurable per pipeline type. Record linking connects contacts to their company and associated deals. The activity timeline shows every interaction – email, call, note – chronologically. Google and Outlook contacts sync bidirectionally. The record interface is intentionally clean – fewer fields and less nesting than full CRM platforms.
Workflow Automation
Express plan automation handles basic triggers: when a deal stage changes, create a task, send an email, or update a field. The automation builder uses if-then logic without code. Webhooks on Premier allow pushing data to external tools. The automation capability is intentionally limited compared to Zoho CRM – Bigin covers repetitive task creation and notifications, not complex multi-step campaign logic.
Integrations
Bigin connects natively to Zoho Books, Zoho Desk, Zoho Campaigns, Zoho Meeting, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365. Zapier integration extends connectivity to thousands of third-party apps. For businesses using the Zoho ecosystem, Bigin plugs in cleanly – a contact in Bigin can be connected to their invoice in Zoho Books and support ticket in Zoho Desk without manual data entry.
Bigin by Zoho Pricing (Verified June 2026)
Prices verified June 2026. Always confirm on the vendor's site before purchasing.
| Plan | Type | Starting Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Solo | $0 | 1 user, 500 records, 1 pipeline, basic features - for individual use |
| Express | Small Team | $7/user/mo | 5 pipelines, 50,000 records, workflow automation, email templates, custom fields |
| Premier | Growth | $12/user/mo | 25 pipelines, custom dashboards, advanced analytics, multiple teams, webhooks |
| Pricing is annual billing - monthly billing is slightly higher |
What We Like
- $7/user/mo Express plan is the lowest price among credible pipeline CRMs
- Free plan for 1 user - genuinely useful for solo evaluation
- Backed by Zoho's infrastructure - reliability and security of a large vendor
- Connects to Zoho Books, Zoho Desk, and other Zoho products seamlessly
- Clean, fast interface designed specifically for simplicity
- Multiple pipeline types - manage sales, support, onboarding, and other workflows in parallel
Watch Out For
- Feature ceiling is intentional - growing teams will outgrow Bigin
- 15% one-time commission is lower value than recurring affiliate programs
- Free plan limited to 1 user and 500 records - useful only for evaluation
- Less community and third-party resource ecosystem than standalone CRM tools
- Customer support is Zoho's standard support - less personalized than LACRM or Nutshell
Frequently Asked Questions
Before You Buy — Know This
- Bigin is designed to grow into Zoho CRM. When your business outgrows Bigin's feature set, migration to Zoho CRM is straightforward - a useful path if you're choosing between the two.
- The free plan supports 1 user only. For teams of 2 or more, Express ($7/user/mo) is the starting tier.
- Multiple pipeline types are a genuine Bigin differentiator - most simple CRMs have one sales pipeline. Bigin lets you run separate pipelines for different customer journeys: sales, support, onboarding.
- Annual billing is required for the advertised price. Monthly billing is available but higher. Verify current rates at bigin.com before selecting a plan.