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SAP CRM vs SugarCRM Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP CRM
Ranking in CRM
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Local Government CRM (2nd), Marketing Management (3rd)
SugarCRM Platform
Ranking in CRM
24th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
CRM Customer Engagement Centers (8th), Marketing Automation (8th), Sales Force Automation (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the CRM category, the mindshare of SAP CRM is 11.1%, up from 10.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SugarCRM Platform is 0.4%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
CRM
 

Q&A Highlights

it_user128490 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 18, 2016
 

Featured Reviews

GodfreyNoel - PeerSpot reviewer
Excellent user experience with ease of use and reliable technical support
When SAP CRM does the maintenance, it can take a long time, which can impact business continuity because we have to wait for the maintenance team to finish their work. Maybe if SAP could establish how you can access the tool using a cloud-based environment that would be virtualization, that would be better.
Styliana Araouzou - PeerSpot reviewer
Customizable, easy to configure, and reliable
My company is considered a customer and an end-user. I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using right now. It's a company that offers lots of user manuals and you can find most of your stuff there before starting development. I'd advise potential new users to go through everything. I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. By default, it comes with a really good model where you can start working with it without having a lot of developers in your team. It's a system that includes everything related to the client and you can see everything under one screen without having a different product or system. It's been great, for the most part.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I have found the most valuable feature of the SAP CRM system is its ability to integrate with other modules. SAP CRM is all about integrating with other modules. For example, SuccessFactors is their learning management. This is one use case that SAP CRM themselves use. Their lead generation versus their sales from their educational services. You can instantly receive insight into how many leads have been generated and how much it turned into real business or revenue for them. I was told in one of the seminars that the data transfer from the lead generation to sales is only 24 hours in SAP CRM."
"SAP CRM is a scalable solution."
"The features that are used most are the lead model and the opportunity model. We can create many different pipelines with many phases. These features improved our process in the States very well."
"The user interface is excellent."
"We use SAP CRM for customer service improvement. The main idea is to make sure our team has the right information when talking to customers. This helps them process things like price approvals for quotes faster. The goal is to make the product more efficient, and faster, and, in the end, provide better customer service."
"The primary use case for us is lead creation and data management."
"We are using the HANA Z database for CRM, which enhances the products we are currently using by making the system more efficient. Everything is connected to CRM, so we can use the data for analytics, sales forecasting, and data modeling."
"SAP is very easy to use."
"It works well with Jira. You can customize it to fit your needs."
"The most valuable feature is relation capability, which allows us to relay customers with invoice orders."
"The most valuable aspect of this solution is its low cost."
"It has sales email campaigns, plus integration with Active Directory."
"The most valuable features of the SugarCRM platform include its flexibility in customizing fields, layouts, and dashboards."
"The most valuable features of Sugar Enterprise are the exports of graphics, statuses, complaints, and tasks."
 

Cons

"The product's pricing could be better."
"There is a lot of missing data and data latency issues between the different modules of SAP CRM, which creates a lot of problems."
"Our users are using it primarily from their laptop browser and very few are using it on their mobile because the mobile is not that user-friendly."
"Previously, the SAP CRM used to use simple servers, but now SAP uses HANA. The problem with the HANA databases is their interoperability with other solutions. SAP CRM could improve by working better with other solutions."
"The implementation and integrations could be better. After we went into the production environment, we had some issues. Most of them were with the ERP integration. Many other issues were around the client's integrations between the ERP and CRM platforms. It could be more user-friendly. It wasn't very user-friendly initially, but now it's easier for them to use. Now, the users can use that platform better than at the beginning. We would like to see reports with more analytic features and artificial intelligence in the next release. For example, show more metrics and KPIs and more dynamic dashboards. Because the platform has some models, but it's not easy to use. It's a little complex."
"What I see as a challenge against our competitor is that Salesforce comes with more flexibility, for enhancement purposes, whereas the SAP CRM Cloud is more robust and rigid. It's not flexible to implement any bespoke solution."
"In terms of stability, there are some latency issues."
"The product is very expensive."
"I would appreciate it if SugarCRM could support us in on-premise implementation."
"In the next release, I would like to see personalization of information about customers or specific businesses or opportunities."
"While it is already user-friendly, a slight enhancement in UI design, especially in terms of color combinations, could make the platform more visually appealing and comfortable to use."
"It lacks customization, and this is the main reason that we are switching to a different solution."
"You cannot include all your entities under one instance at the moment."
"Sugar Enterprise could improve by removing bugs and glitches. For example, a comment was made but in the comment section, it was never displayed. However, the problems we faced might not be the fault of the solution."
"I would like to see more integration on a mobile platform in the next release."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have to pay a yearly licensing fee for SAP CRM, which is expensive."
"The pricing from SAP is good but it takes time to realize the investment."
"SAP CRM is not suitable for smaller businesses because it is expensive. The larger businesses would be able to handle the cost."
"SAP CRM costs approximately a couple of thousand a month."
"Every user needs to have a license."
"There is a license required to use SAP CRM."
"There is a license required for the solution and most of my clients purchase an annual license."
"The licensing model for SAP CRM is customer-based."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
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Answers from the Community

it_user128490 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 18, 2016
Jan 18, 2016
Hello Pratyush. Now that you are 1.5 years out from this post, just wondered how the project is working for you. Sounded like you were leaning towards Salesforce with custom development. Is that where you ended up? Are you meeting your goals? Looking forward to your reply. Steve
2 out of 11 answers
it_user131094 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 26, 2014
I will respond over the weekend
it_user105723 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 26, 2014
Hi, I can only really comment on Oracle Siebel, interesting why it isn’t on your list? Regards Simon Collins
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
31%
Engineering Company
15%
Computer Software Company
13%
Real Estate/Law Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SAP CRM?
Getting the right information at the right time across different programs is important. These programs lack interaction between them. IPA is a good option to bring them together.
What needs improvement with SAP CRM?
One area for improvement is the security model, especially regarding records management retention and the audit and legal holds. Since we're in the middle of a cloud digital transformation, it's es...
What do you like most about Sugar Enterprise?
The most valuable features of the SugarCRM platform include its flexibility in customizing fields, layouts, and dashboards.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sugar Enterprise?
All are almost the same pricing. Maybe the cheapest is Salesforce, I believe.
What needs improvement with Sugar Enterprise?
The only challenge was that we implemented it in our on-premise data center instead of using it in the cloud. That was a little bit of a challenge. But it was overcome with the help of SugarCRM com...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Brau Union Osterreich AG, Nu Skin Enterprises Inc., AOK Bundesverband, RAK Ceramics, NHS 24, Wholesale Sports Outdoor Outfitters, FC Bayern Munchen AG, Tumi, The Kellogg Company, MVV Energie AG, Anglian Water Services, German Football Association (DFB), Nebraska Book Company Inc.
Redglaze Group, TengoInternet, Hilco, Bancvue, Vet Adivsor
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP CRM vs. SugarCRM Platform and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
846,617 professionals have used our research since 2012.