Salesforce Just Went Free. Here’s What It Really Means — and How BFJ Delivers Salesforce-as-a-Service That Actually Works

1. What Salesforce Announced

Salesforce has entered the SMB space again by launching a free CRM package designed to rival HubSpot Free and Zoho’s entry-level tools. It’s a strategic shift aimed at rebuilding early-stage adoption and widening the top of their funnel. The offer is intentionally generous — enough features to get teams onboard, but limited enough that most will eventually upgrade. For a platform historically associated with enterprise cost and complexity, this move changes the narrative and reopens Salesforce to businesses that previously dismissed it as “too big” or “too expensive.”

Key inclusions in the free tier:

• Accounts, contacts, leads
• Tasks, email, activity tracking
• Mobile app
• Basic automation
• 3 users
• Simple reporting
• AppExchange access (limited)

2. What’s Good About Salesforce Free

The free tier gives small teams access to a robust CRM structure without any upfront licence fees. For businesses starting from spreadsheets or fragmented systems, it offers credibility and scalability without the financial risk. The platform itself is still Salesforce at its core — meaning if the business grows, the CRM grows with it. And unlike lighter-weight tools, there’s no need to rebuild the entire CRM the moment complexity increases.

Why it’s a strong starting point:

• Good for businesses not ready for HubSpot’s onboarding costs
• Strong data model designed for future scale
• Access to the broader Salesforce ecosystem
• Predictable upgrade path as needs evolve

3. The Catch: Salesforce Free Still Needs Setup, Data, and Governance

Despite being free, Salesforce doesn’t magically run itself. Out of the box, it’s a framework — not a finished system — and most businesses don’t have the internal capability to turn it into a reliable revenue engine. This is where implementations fail: the platform has power, but without structure, governance, and automation, the data becomes messy and adoption stalls.

Common gaps:

• No proper pipeline setup
• No automation tied to business workflows
• No marketing integration
• No attribution or revenue reporting

4. Why BFJ Offers Salesforce-as-a-Service

Salesforce going free reinforces what we already know: the value isn’t in the licence, it’s in how well the system is implemented and maintained. BFJ sits in the middle of marketing, operations, sales processes, and data — which is exactly what a CRM needs to succeed. When we manage Salesforce, it becomes the operational heartbeat of the business rather than a glorified contact database.

What BFJ brings:

• Full CRM architecture
• Process mapping
• Automation design
• Commercial reporting
• Attribution and integration
• Ongoing administration

5. Why Salesforce Alone Isn’t Enough for Most Businesses

Most teams want a CRM because they’re looking for clarity on performance, handover, sales behaviour, and marketing ROI. Salesforce Free won’t give them that unless it’s configured with intention. Businesses that treat it as a “simple contact system” quickly hit a ceiling and start making decisions on partial data. This is exactly where BFJ’s expertise becomes essential — we design Salesforce to reflect how the business actually works.

Limitations without proper setup:

• No revenue or pipeline insight
• No data governance
• No first-party data activation
• No attribution stitched to media spend

6. What BFJ SalesForce-as-a-Service Includes

Our Salesforce service isn’t theoretical. It’s practical, commercial, and built for real-world workflows. We design the CRM around the business, connect the marketing stack, build automation that reduces admin, and deliver reporting that shows revenue clearly. It functions like having an internal CRM and RevOps team — without the overhead.

Included in our approach:

• CRM design and architecture
• Sales/marketing automation
• Website, media, and attribution integrations
• Reporting and dashboards
• Revenue visibility
• Ongoing optimisation and admin

7. Who Salesforce Free Is Actually For

Salesforce Free is not designed for everyone. It works best for businesses with straightforward sales cycles, smaller teams, and limited marketing complexity — but who want room to scale later. For these teams, it’s a safer long-term foundation than HubSpot Free, which becomes costly quickly once features unlock.

Best-fit scenarios:

• Small teams (<10)
• B2B services
• Franchise or distributed sales models
• Businesses starting from scratch

8. BFJ’s View: Salesforce Free vs HubSpot Free

Both platforms solve different problems. HubSpot is quick, friendly, and marketing-first. Salesforce is deeper, more customisable, and built for operational scale. When both are “free,” the deciding factor becomes business model, sales complexity, and long-term plans. BFJ already supports both platforms, which means we guide clients into the right choice — not the convenient one.

Our view:

• Choose HubSpot for simple marketing + CRM alignment
• Choose Salesforce for long-term operational scale
• BFJ configures both so the business sees value immediately

9. Why Partnering with BFJ Matters

A CRM succeeds or fails based on implementation, not features. BFJ comes from a technical, commercial background — which means we build CRM systems that match how teams work, integrate the real data sources, and tie everything back to ROI. This is the gap most agencies miss. They treat CRM like software. We treat CRM like infrastructure.

Why BFJ is different:

• We translate business requirements into automation
• We build data flow from ads → CRM → revenue
• We maintain the system long-term
• We are technical enough to customise anything

10. CRM Free Tier Comparison: Salesforce vs HubSpot vs Zoho

11. Final Takeaway

Salesforce going free is a smart move that reshapes the CRM market, but businesses shouldn’t confuse “free software” with “free value.” The platform still needs structure, automation, integration, and ongoing support — and that’s where BFJ delivers the outcome. CRM isn’t about the tool; it’s about the system running reliably behind the scenes. Free just makes the barrier to entry lower. What matters next is implementation.

The tech is now free.

The transformation still requires expertise.