Groundbase vs Zoho Bigin — what each plan includes for one person

For one person, Zoho Bigin costs less than Groundbase on three of its four plans. Bigin is free for one user, US$9 a month on Express, US$15 on Premier and US$21 on Bigin 360, or US$7, US$12 and US$18 a month paid yearly. Groundbase is $19 a month or $199 a year, and there is only one plan.

So this comparison isn't about price. It's about what each price includes, because Bigin and Groundbase draw that line in very different places.

Prices and plans checked October 2026 on Bigin's pricing page, which showed US dollars, and its full feature comparison. Check there before deciding; prices change.

What Bigin does well

Bigin is Zoho's CRM for small businesses, and it's good. It deserves a fair account before anything else.

• It's polished. Zoho has been building CRMs for a long time, and it shows. The screens are fast and well considered.
• A real free plan. One user, 500 records, one pipeline, three automation rules, a booking page, built-in calling, and API access. That's enough to find out whether a CRM fits how you work.
• Apps everywhere. Bigin lists apps for iOS, iPadOS, Android and macOS on every plan, including Free.
• More than one pipeline. Express has 3, Premier 5 and Bigin 360 15. Groundbase has one.
• Calling without setup. Bigin's built-in phone (calls, recording, call routing) is on the Free plan. Groundbase asks you to connect your own Twilio account first.
• Room to grow. Express and up have no user limit. Add a person and you add a licence.

What each Bigin plan includes

This is the part that matters for a one-person business, so here it is from Bigin's own pages:

A few things that table doesn't say on its own:

Email isn't connected on Free. Bigin's comparison table ticks two-way email integration for Express and up only. Free gets a Gmail add-on and 50 individual emails a day.

Scheduled automation starts at Premier. Express gets 30 automation rules, but date-based scheduled actions and stage transition rules are Premier features.

Invoicing is a different product. Bigin doesn't have its own invoices. From Express up it integrates with Zoho Invoice and Zoho Books, and adds payment links through Stripe, PayPal and others. Neither page mentions quotes.

Signing is a different product too. E-signatures come through Zoho Sign, from Express up.

Campaigns may be a separate subscription. Built-in mass email is capped per day (150 on Express). Bigin also lists "Advanced Campaign Management through Zoho Campaigns" on every plan, with an asterisk saying it "may require a separate active subscription".

I couldn't find texting. Neither of Bigin's pricing pages mentions SMS. WhatsApp starts at Express.

None of this is hidden. Bigin's model is a focused CRM at a low price, with Zoho's other apps alongside for the rest. If you already use Zoho Books, that's a strength. If you don't, it's more accounts to set up and possibly more subscriptions.

What's in Groundbase's one plan

Groundbase has no tiers. Everything below is in the $19, with no caps on contacts, deals, tasks or notes, and no second product to subscribe to.

Email from your own mailbox. Connect Gmail, Outlook or any IMAP account, read it in a unified inbox, and send from your own address with templates and merge tags.

Texting and calling. Two-way texts, scheduled texts, calls from the browser, the Windows app or Android, call recording, voicemail with transcripts, and voicemail drops. All of it runs through your own Twilio account (more on what that costs below).

Workflows. "When this happens, do that." A form comes in, so text the lead and open a deal. A deal is won, so create the onboarding tasks. A Wait step can stop the run if the person replies, books a meeting or opts out, so nobody gets chased after they've said yes. (Why that check lives in Workflows.)

Campaigns and newsletters. Email and text campaigns to a tag or a saved view, drips that stop when someone replies, A/B tests with up to four versions, and a newsletter designer. (Email and text campaigns in your CRM.)

Booking links. Calendly-style pages, with no cap on how many meeting types you make. Confirmation emails, reminders by email and text, Yes/No/Maybe buttons, and a link to reschedule or cancel. Two-way Google Calendar sync. (Booking links.)

Quotes and invoices. Quotes with an accept link and an optional card deposit, invoices in many currencies, recurring invoices, credit notes, receipts and payment reminders. Card payments go through your own Stripe account and Groundbase takes no cut. Logged time goes straight onto invoice lines. (Invoicing inside your CRM.)

Documents and e-signatures. Upload a PDF, place signature, initials, date, text and checkbox fields, and send it. Signers don't need an account. The signed PDF comes back with a signature certificate. No per-document fee. (Documents and e-signatures.)

An AI assistant that can act. Groundbase has a remote MCP server, so Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor can do nearly everything you can do in the app: find and update contacts, send texts and email, book meetings, create and send invoices, quotes and documents, run workflows. (What you can do with a CRM connected to Claude.) Bigin lists MCP support on every plan too, so this isn't about who has one; it's about what yours can reach. In Groundbase, that includes texting, invoicing and signing, because they're in the same app.

What Groundbase costs on top

Being plain about this, because the $19 doesn't cover everything:

• Texts and calls are billed by Twilio, on your own account. About US$20 to load your Twilio balance the first time, about US$1.15 a month for a number, and roughly 1 to 2 US cents a text once carrier fees are in. (What sending an SMS actually costs.)
• Campaign email goes through your own Resend account: a free plan to start, US$20 a month for 50,000 emails.
• Card payments carry Stripe's own fees.

Groundbase takes no cut of any of it. But Bigin's built-in phone works without a second account, and Groundbase's doesn't.

Where Bigin is the better pick

I'd rather name these than have you find them after signing up.

You want it free. Bigin's Free plan is a real product. Groundbase has a 14-day trial and then it's paid.

You live on an iPhone. Groundbase has no iPhone app. The web app works in Safari, and the Android app installs from the website rather than Google Play. Bigin has native apps on both.

You need more than one pipeline. Groundbase has one pipeline with your own stages. Bigin has three from Express.

You'll hire. Groundbase is for one person: no second login, no shared accounts. Bigin adds a user for the price of a licence.

You already run on Zoho. If Zoho Books does your accounts, Bigin plugs straight into it.

You want calling with no setup. Bigin's phone is ready on day one. Groundbase's needs a Twilio account, and texting US numbers needs A2P 10DLC registration as well. (What that involves.)

You mostly need a pipeline. If contacts, deals, email and a few automation rules are the whole job, Express at US$7 a month paid yearly is a good deal and I'd tell you to take it.

The decision

Pick Bigin if:

• You want a free plan, or a very cheap paid one
• You need iPhone apps, several pipelines, or room for a second person
• You already use Zoho Books, Zoho Sign or Zoho Campaigns
• You want calling that works without connecting anything

Pick Groundbase if:

• You're a business of one and plan to stay that way
• You text and call customers, and want it on the customer's record
• You send quotes, invoices or documents to sign, and want them in the same place
• You want campaigns, booking pages and workflows without choosing a tier
• You'd rather your AI assistant could send, invoice and book, not only look things up

Who Groundbase is and isn't for goes further into the second list.

Trying it

Groundbase is $19 a month or $199 a year, one plan, with a 14-day trial. A card is required to start, and you're not charged until day 15. Bigin's trial is 15 days with no card, and drops to the Free plan when it ends. Trying both costs you nothing but an afternoon.

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Questions about this one? Email me directly: blog-bigin@groundbasecrm.com — I read every one.