Palby CRM

Zoho CRM alternative

A Zoho CRM alternative that opens on who to follow up today

Palby CRM opens on the customers due a follow-up, with their WhatsApp chats on the record.

Book a walkthrough

30 minutes. You choose the day and the time.

The short version

Stay with Zoho if you want a low price per user, a phone line inside the CRM, or room to grow from Bigin into Zoho CRM and other Zoho apps. Pick Palby CRM if your customers message your own WhatsApp number and what you need is the list of who to follow up today.

Who should pick which

Stay with Zoho if

  • You want a free plan to begin with: Bigin for one user, Zoho CRM for three
  • You want to call, take calls and record them from inside the CRM, as Bigin's built-in phone does
  • You like building your own modules, fields and automations, or already use other Zoho apps

Pick Palby CRM if

  • Your customers message your own WhatsApp number, and you'd rather link it from your phone than set up a WhatsApp integration
  • You want one list of everyone due a follow-up today or overdue
  • You want a pipeline that starts with your trade's stages, not modules to build

Side by side

Compared onPalby CRMBiginZoho CRMSource
Built forPeople in Singapore who sell one to oneSmall businesses. Zoho says 50,000+ run on itBusinesses that shape their own CRM. Zoho says 300K+ use itBigin by Zoho siteZoho CRM site
Today's follow-upsThe first view on every pipeline lists everyone due today or overduePipelines with stages you set, beside contacts, tasks and callsWorkflows, cadences that run follow-up sequences, and forecastingBigin by Zoho pricingZoho CRM pricing
WhatsAppLink the number you already use. Each chat sits on the customer's recordEmail and WhatsApp Business integration from the Express planA WhatsApp integration with templates and notifications inside the CRMBigin by Zoho pricingZoho CRM site
SetupStarts from one of eight stage sets by tradeSet up in minutes, its home page says, with free onboardingTeams build their own modules, with free onboardingBigin by Zoho pricingZoho CRM pricingZoho CRM site
PriceNo public price yet. You get one on the walkthroughFree for one user. Express S$9, Premier S$16 and Bigin 360 S$24 a user a month, billed yearlyFree for up to 3 users. Standard S$17, Professional S$28 and Enterprise S$50 a user a monthBigin by Zoho pricingZoho CRM pricing
To startBook a 30-minute walkthroughThe free plan, or a 15-day trialThe free edition, or a trialBigin by Zoho pricingZoho CRM pricing
As of November 2026. Zoho's details are from its own Bigin and Zoho CRM pages, read on 2 November 2026 from Singapore, so prices show in Singapore dollars. Plans and prices change, so check them before you pay.

Where Zoho is strong

Zoho sells two CRMs to small businesses. Bigin calls itself "the no-nonsense CRM solution for small businesses". It's free for one user and from S$9 a user a month billed yearly, with a built-in phone, apps for iOS and Android, a business card scanner, web forms and a booking page. Zoho says 50,000+ businesses run on it. Zoho CRM is free for up to three users and grows with you: teams build their own modules, with workflows, cadences, forecasting and reports. Zoho says 300K+ businesses use it. Both connect to WhatsApp, and Bigin works with Zoho Books and other Zoho apps. If you want a low price per user and room to grow inside Zoho, Zoho is the safer pick.

The three differences that matter

Open on today's follow-ups

Every pipeline comes with ten ready-made views. The first, Next activity due, lists everyone whose follow-up is due today or overdue, by the Singapore calendar. A date you missed yesterday stays on the list until you change it.

Keep the WhatsApp chat on the customer

Link the number your customers already message, from your phone: Settings, Linked devices, Link a device. Each chat then sits on the customer's record, beside their notes, tasks and deals. There's no Business API, so there are no templates to get approved.

Start with your trade's stages

A new pipeline starts from one of eight stage sets: general sales, services and agencies, property, tuition, clinics and beauty, home services, recruitment, or insurance and financial advice. Rename any stage, and add your own fields when you need them.

Switching in three steps

  1. Book a 30-minute walkthrough, and bring your contacts as a CSV file.
  2. Import up to 2,000 rows. AI matches the columns, and one tap takes back the new contacts if something looks wrong.
  3. Give each open customer a follow-up date, and tomorrow's list is ready when you open it.

Before you switch

Questions people ask about leaving Zoho CRM or Bigin

Start tomorrow with a list of who to follow up

Bring your contacts as a CSV file.

Book a walkthrough

30 minutes. You choose the day and the time.

Sources

Every page read on 2 November 2026. Nothing about a competitor on these pages comes from anywhere else.