While both share some common features they also differ in many respects, including pricing and target market.
History
Salesforce is the older and more established of the two, beginning life in 1999 when Marc Benioff, cofounder, decided to make a CRM as easy to use as Amazon. In 2009, Destination CRM reported that the company had more than 63,000 accounts totaling more than 1.5 million subscribers, and was generating more than $1.2 billion in annual revenue. Against serious odds, Salesforce.com has become the leader of the market it helped create.
Highrise, on the other hand, started much later in 2007. Created by Signals37, it’s an offshoot of their overlapping project management tools such as Basecamp and Campfire.
Similarities
Both systems incorporate basic contact management, including the ability to store customer data like phone, email and address. Both offer activity management via tasks, notes and events. Deal or opportunity management are common to both, including options to send customer proposals and record “Won” or “Lost” stages. Both offer software plug-ins via an online marketplace, although Salesforce is more mature in this respect, and, more expensive.
Differences
Salesforce has an edge over Highrise in calendar management and advanced reporting. It’s more scalable, allowing a company to build custom objects at will. Highrise tends to promote social networking through the use of “conversation” and complementary products such as Campfire. Salesforce is attempting to move in this direction with its new offering called “Chatter” but has yet to reach critical mass. Generally, Salesforce outguns Highrise in the range and breadth of features it offers.
Highrise is aimed at smaller businesses. Salesforce primarily caters to enterprise level businesses or small companies with complex business processes. Generally, a person who purchases Highrise will have experimented with other Signals37 products such as Backpack or Campfire. The software is designed for a company who is still fine-tuning their business model. Once their business matures, they often end up migrating their data to Salesforce.
Pricing
Without doubt, Salesforce is the most expensive of the two not only in terms of users but in other areas such as buying extra disk space or plug-in software from their online marketplace. Packages such as the Unlimited Edition retail at $250 per user per month.
A similar package from Highrise retails at $149 per month for unlimited users. However, price needs to be balanced with features offered and Salesforce has an advantage in this area.
Conclusion
A small company considering an entry-level CRM will most likely gravitate towards Highrise. Over time, as the product matures, it could challenge Salesforce in a number of areas including calendar management and customization. However, if a company is looking for maximum firepower, especially at an Enterprise level, they would be better served selecting Salesforce to drive their customer database.
References
-eWeek: Salesforce.com Unveils Force.com Cloud Computing Architecture
-CMS Wire: 37Signals Launches Highrise CRM, Big Deal
-Destination CRM: After the Revolution
-CRM for writers: Salesforce, Highrise, Outlook reviews
