Zoho CRM vs monday.com: Which CRM is Best for Your Business in 2025?
Choosing a CRM in 2025 is about total cost of ownership, time-to-value, and how far you need to go beyond Sales. monday sales CRM is a polished, visual tool that sales teams adopt fast. Zoho CRM (and especially Zoho One) bundles Sales, Service, Finance, BI and Campaigns into one predictable price and a single data model—so you don’t keep layering paid add-ons as you scale.
At Goldstar IT, we work with ambitious SMBs and mid-market firms every day. As a Zoho Premium Partner, we’ve seen first-hand how the right CRM can transform a business — and how the wrong one can hold you back.
Our comparison series for CRM includes: Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Freshsales, PipeDrive, HubSpot and monday.com. If there is a specific CRM you’d like a Zoho CRM comparison with then let us know…
So, which is right for you? Let’s break it down.
| What matters | Zoho CRM / Zoho One | monday sales CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Cost / TCO | Zoho One: £37/employee/mo (annual) or £45 (monthly). Flexible User £80/£100 (ex-VAT). Suite includes CRM, Desk, Books, Analytics, Campaigns (45+ apps). | 14-day trial; paid Standard / Pro / Enterprise tiers. AI available on Standard+; per-seat pricing; marketing/lead features may require extra modules. |
| AI | Zia: lead/deal scoring, forecasts, anomaly alerts, content & call/chat summaries; spans the Zoho stack. | monday AI: email drafting/summaries, auto-fill columns, assistants/agents; admin-enabled on Standard/Pro/Enterprise. |
| Automation / process | Low-code workflows + Blueprint (stage-gates) and cross-app flows across Zoho apps. | No-code automations (triggers/actions, ready-made/custom recipes) for pipeline hygiene and handoffs. |
| Reporting / BI | Native reports + Zoho Analytics for full BI/cross-department dashboards (included with Zoho One). | Insights/dashboards focused on sales; extend via marketplace/BI if needed. |
| Ecosystem | Unified suite (CRM, Desk, Books, Analytics, Campaigns…) on one data model. | Strong work-management base with CRM modules and large integrations marketplace. |
| Data residency & GDPR | GDPR-ready; EU hosting via zoho.eu. | EU data region available; note some processing may occur in the US (SCCs) and Israel (adequacy). Enterprise offers more control. |
| Best fit | Cost-conscious teams needing multi-department capability and BI. | Sales-led teams wanting a visual CRM and are OK adding modules over time. |
👉 Bottom line: Need end-to-end capability and the lowest predictable TCO? Choose Zoho CRM (ideally Zoho One). Want a visual, pipeline-first tool and don’t mind layering extras? monday sales CRM fits.
Pricing & ROI: The Numbers That Matter
Zoho One (suite): £37/employee/month (annual) or £45 (monthly); Flexible User £80/£100 (ex-VAT). 45+ apps included (CRM, Desk, Books, Analytics, Campaigns).
monday sales CRM: 14-day trial; AI on Standard/Pro/Enterprise; per-seat pricing by tier (confirm in portal).
Illustrative 10-user scenario
- Zoho One (all-employee) ≈ £370/mo for CRM + Desk + Books + Analytics + Campaigns.
- monday sales CRM = seats × plan + any marketing/lead modules you add; model this early to avoid surprise TCO.
👉 If you’ll expand into service, finance, email, BI, Zoho One’s suite economics usually stay cheaper and simpler than stacking monday modules over time.
Let’s talk about how Zoho CRM can work for you!
Ease of Use & Implementation
- Zoho CRM: Designed for SMBs and mid-market teams. Rollouts are smooth, with phased onboarding and quick wins. Goldstar IT’s Discovery Workshop tailors the system to your workflows from day one — minimal disruption, maximum adoption.
- monday sales CRM: Very easy for sales-only teams — clean, visual UI and fast self-serve setup. For broader processes or journeys, expect to add modules/integrations as you grow.
AI, Automation & Reporting in 2025
- Zoho (Zia): Scoring, forecasts, anomaly alerts, content & call/chat summaries; workflows + Blueprint and Zoho Analytics deliver cross-department automation and BI (in Zoho One).
- monday: AI for email/summaries/auto-fill; no-code automations (triggers/actions); sales dashboards with extension options.
👉 Want AI + automation + BI across Sales/Service/Finance without extra licences? Zoho (Zoho One). Need pipeline-centric AI and swift in-tool automations? monday is strong.
Data Security & Compliance
- Zoho: GDPR-ready; zoho.eu keeps customer data in EU DCs; standard DPA/SCCs.
- monday: EU data region exists, but some Customer Data may still be processed in the US (SCCs) and in Israel (adequacy). For sensitive cases, validate region/DPA and consider Enterprise controls.
Best Use Cases in 2025
- Choose Zoho CRM / Zoho One when… you want suite value (CRM + service + finance + analytics), predictable costs, and one data model.
- Choose monday sales CRM when… you want a visual, sales-first tool with quick adoption and you’re comfortable adding modules for marketing/journeys later.
The Goldstar Difference: Working with a Zoho Premium Partner
Choosing Zoho CRM is smart. Choosing the right Zoho Premium Partner to implement it is smarter.
Here’s what Goldstar IT adds:
- Tailored to you: We design your CRM around your processes, not the other way round.
- Faster ROI: Our agile rollouts mean your team sees value in weeks, not months.
- Local, personal support: We’re UK-based and treat your business like it’s our own.
- Long-term partnership: From training to ongoing optimisation, we grow with you — not just “install and leave”.
Make Zoho CRM drive sales – not just record them!
Boosting ROI with an existing Zoho deployment
If you already use Zoho Books, Desk, or Analytics, adding Zoho CRM supercharges your ROI:
- Sales sees invoices and support tickets in one place.
- Finance gets accurate, live revenue forecasts.
- Leaders access cross-department reporting at a glance.
👉 Result: Switching on more Zoho apps results in fewer errors, faster decisions, happier customers, and bigger profits.
Check out some of our other clients and see how multiple Zoho apps have worked for them!
Zoho CRM vs Salesforce FAQs
Zoho CRM: Lower TCO, especially with Zoho One bundling 45+ apps.
monday: Clear tiers and a 14-day trial, but costs rise as you add modules/AI seats.
Zoho CRM: Free tier (up to 3 users) + trials.
monday: 14-day trial; then paid plans.
Zoho: Zia + workflows/Blueprint + Zoho Analytics (suite).
monday: AI on Standard+; no-code automations; sales dashboards.
Both are GDPR-ready. Zoho.eu uses EU DCs; monday offers an EU region but may process some data in the US (SCCs) and Israel — confirm your region/DPA.
Zoho: Phased onboarding, partner-led tailoring.
monday: Very quick for sales teams; add modules as you broaden use.
In conclusion which is better in 2025 – Zoho CRM or monday.com?
If you want capability beyond Sales with the lowest predictable TCO, choose Zoho CRM (ideally Zoho One). If you want a visual, pipeline-first CRM and you’re fine adding modules later, choose monday sales CRM.
👉 Want numbers? Book a free cost comparison call with Goldstar IT
👉 Not ready to talk? Download a free Zoho CRM trial
👉 Need more info? Visit our CRM resources hub