Folk vs SugarCRM: Find Your Best Fit in 2025

Picking the right CRM is tough, right?

You’ve got tons of customer info, and keeping it organized feels like a giant puzzle.

Maybe you’re using spreadsheets, and they’re just not cutting it anymore.

You’re losing track of leads, and it’s slowing your business down.

Don’t worry; we’re here to help.

This article breaks down Folk vs SugarCRM in simple terms. 

Overview

We dove deep into both platforms, testing their features, user interfaces, and customer support.

Our hands-on experience, combined with real user feedback, allows us to provide a clear, unbiased comparison to help you choose the right CRM.

What is Folk?

Folk is a modern CRM. It’s built for teams.

It helps you manage contacts.

It’s easy to use. It’s all about collaboration.

Also, explore our favorite Folk alternatives…

Key Benefits

• Organize up to 5000 contacts in one place.
• Share contact lists with up to 10 team members.
• Send personalized emails to 250 contacts per day.
• Integrate with over 1000 apps via Zapier.
• Create 5 custom contact fields.

Pricing

All the plans will be billed annually.

• Standard: $20/member/month.
• Premium: $40/member/month.
• Custom: $80/member/month.

What is SugarCRM?

Now, let’s talk about SugarCRM.

It’s a powerful tool.

Think of it as a super flexible CRM.

It allows you to build a system that meets your needs.

This is excellent for businesses wanting considerable control.

Also, explore our favorite SugarCRM alternatives…

Key Benefits

• Open-source platform: Gives you greater flexibility and control.
• Robust sales automation: Streamline your sales processes and boost productivity.
• Excellent reporting tools: Gain valuable insights into your sales performance.
• The mobile app includes access to your CRM data on the go.
• Large community: Tap into a wealth of resources and support.

Pricing

All the plans will be billed annually.

• Essentials: $19/user/month, three users minimum.
• Standard: $59/user/month, ten users minimum.
• Advanced: $85/user/month, ten users minimum.
• Premier: $135/user/month, ten users minimum.

Feature Comparison

Let’s break down the core features of these two CRM platforms.

We’ll examine how they stack up in key areas that matter most to your business, from basic contact management to advanced automation.

1. User Interface and User-Friendly Design

Folk aims for a modern, intuitive design, especially for those familiar with social media interfaces like LinkedIn.

SugarCRM, while powerful, can feel more complex, particularly for new users accustomed to more streamlined crm software like HubSpot.

2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Functionality

Both offer solid customer relationship management tools, but they differ in focus.

Folk excels at contact organization and networking, while SugarCRM provides deeper customization for complex sales processes and can integrate with Salesforce.

3. Sales Automation and Pipeline Management

For sales automation, SugarCRM provides highly customizable pipeline views and automation rules.

Folk offers simpler, visual pipeline tracking, which is great for smaller teams.

Both platforms offer strong features for managing your sales pipeline.  

4. Marketing Automation and Template Usage

SugarCRM has robust marketing automation features, allowing for complex campaign creation and detailed analytics.

Folk’s marketing is more basic, focused on email campaigns and template usage for simple outreach.  

5. Integrations and Third-Party Tools

SugarCRM offers extensive third-party integrations, including connections to Zendesk and many other enterprise tools.

Folk focuses on core integrations like Google Workspace and LinkedIn and less on complex systems.  

6. Reporting and Dashboard Functionality

SugarCRM’s reporting and dashboard tools are highly customizable, offering in-depth insights.

Folk provides simpler, visually appealing dashboards for quick overviews.  

7. Workflow and Customer Experience

SugarCRM excels at complex workflow automation, handling intricate business processes.

Folk focuses on improving the customer experience through streamlined contact management and communication.

Both platforms are strong crm solutions but differ in their approach to complex workflows.

What to Look For When Choosing CRM Software?

• Scalability: Can it grow with your business?
• Integration: Does it connect with your existing tools?
• Reporting: Can you easily track key metrics?
• Mobile Accessibility: Is it usable on the go?
• Support: Does the vendor offer reliable assistance?
• Training: Is there adequate training and onboarding?
• Security: How well does it protect your customer data?
• Industry Specifics: Does it cater to your industry’s needs (Our Pick)

Final Verdict

So, which one wins? It depends on you.

If you need lots of fancy tools and big company features, SugarCRM is strong.

But, for most folks, we pick Folk.

It’s easier to use.

It looks nice and helps you keep track of your contacts without all the headaches.

We tested both, and Folk just feels simpler and more useful for everyday work.

We think you’ll like it too.

We’ve spent the time to understand these systems so you don’t have to.

More of Folk

Here’s a brief comparison of Folk with these software solutions:

• Folk vs GoHighLevel: Folk emphasizes collaborative contact organization and ease of use, while GoHighLevel is a comprehensive sales and marketing platform with robust automation and lead generation.
• Folk vs Pipedrive: Folk focuses on user-friendly contact management and customization, whereas Pipedrive excels in visual sales pipeline management for sales-focused teams.
• Folk vs Keap: Folk offers a simple, collaborative interface for contact management, while Keap provides powerful sales and marketing automation with extensive customization.
• Folk vs ActiveCampaign: Folk provides a user-friendly, collaborative contact management system, while ActiveCampaign boasts robust marketing automation, segmentation, and detailed analytics.
• Folk vs Hubspot: Folk offers a straightforward, simple CRM experience with predictable pricing, whereas HubSpot provides a comprehensive marketing, sales, and service suite with tiered pricing.
• Folk vs Clickfunnels: Folk is a contact management CRM, while ClickFunnels is a sales funnel builder designed for creating landing pages and automating sales processes.
• Folk vs Instantly: Folk focuses on contact management and enrichment; Instantly specializes in automated cold email campaigns and high-volume outbound sales outreach.
• Folk vs ClickUp: Folk is a specialized contact relationship management tool, while ClickUp is an all-in-one workspace that combines project management, task tracking, and CRM features.
• Folk vs Monday: Folk offers a simple, collaborative contact system, while Monday CRM provides highly customizable visual workflows and robust team collaboration.
• Folk vs Capsule: Folk is a modern, customizable CRM for managing contacts; Capsule CRM is a simplified contact manager primarily focused on tracking sales opportunities.
• Folk vs Insightly: Folk is a straightforward collaborative contact management solution; Insightly provides a more robust CRM with advanced sales pipeline and project management features.
• Folk vs Freshsales CRM: Folk focuses on intuitive relationship management and visual pipelines; Freshsales offers a comprehensive CRM with advanced automation and in-depth reporting for sales.
• Folk vs Salesforce: Folk provides a user-friendly CRM for simple relationship management, while Salesforce is a highly customizable, scalable, and complex enterprise-level CRM with extensive features.
• Folk vs Zendesk: Folk prioritizes simple, collaborative contact management for smaller teams, while Zendesk is a comprehensive customer service platform focused on ticketing and support.

More of SugarCRM

Here’s a brief comparison of SugarCRM with these software solutions:

• SugarCRM vs Gohighlevel: SugarCRM is a comprehensive CRM focused on sales, marketing, and service, offering extensive customization; GoHighLevel is an all-in-one platform for agencies, emphasizing marketing automation, lead generation, and sales tools.
• SugarCRM vs Pipedrive: SugarCRM provides broad customization and flexible deployment for various business needs; Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM with a visual pipeline, prioritizing ease of use for small to medium businesses.
• SugarCRM vs Keap: SugarCRM offers robust, highly customizable CRM features for sales and marketing automation, scaling for larger teams; Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is a marketing automation and sales CRM designed primarily for small businesses.
• SugarCRM vs ActiveCampaign: SugarCRM focuses on extensive sales management and customization for complex pipelines; ActiveCampaign excels in user-friendly marketing automation, email campaigns, and lead segmentation.
• SugarCRM vs HubSpot: SugarCRM provides deep customization and flexible deployment for tailored solutions; HubSpot offers an intuitive, integrated suite of marketing, sales, and service tools known for its ease of use.
• SugarCRM vs Clickfunnels: SugarCRM is a robust customer relationship management platform; ClickFunnels is a specialized tool for building sales funnels, landing pages, and automating sales processes.
• SugarCRM vs Instantly: SugarCRM offers a broad CRM solution for sales force automation and customer management; Instantly specializes in automated cold email outreach and lead generation campaigns.
• SugarCRM vs ClickUp: SugarCRM is a dedicated CRM for sales, marketing, and service automation; ClickUp is a versatile work management platform that includes CRM functionalities alongside project and task management.
• SugarCRM vs Monday: SugarCRM offers extensive customization and robust automation for sales and marketing; Monday CRM provides highly visual, customizable workflows for various business processes, including CRM.
• SugarCRM vs Capsule CRM: SugarCRM delivers a highly customizable and scalable CRM with advanced features; Capsule CRM is a simpler, more affordable contact management solution for small to medium-sized businesses.
• SugarCRM vs Insightly: SugarCRM offers extensive customization for complex sales processes and reporting; Insightly combines CRM with project management, focusing on ease of use for small to medium businesses.
• SugarCRM vs Freshsales: SugarCRM provides deep customization and advanced automation for sales and marketing; Freshsales CRM offers an intuitive interface with AI-powered lead scoring and integrated sales automation.
• SugarCRM vs Salesforce: SugarCRM offers an open-source option with significant customization potential; Salesforce is a leading cloud-based CRM with extensive features, broad integrations, and a vast ecosystem, albeit at a higher complexity.

Frequently Asked Questions