Zoho CRM vs Proton.ai: which CRM should you choose in 2026?

Zoho CRM is free for three users, then from $14 a seat, in a suite of 50+ apps; Proton.ai is an ERP-driven assistant for distributors, priced by quote.

Published 6 October 2026. Prices and features from each vendor's own pages.

The short answer

Zoho CRMPaid from $14/seat

Choose it if you want a free plan for three users or a low price per seat.

Proton.aiPaid from By quote

Choose it if you're a distributor whose data lives in an ERP.

PromptLabPaid from $11.99/seat

Choose it if you sell products, and deals run on quotes, price lists, samples and orders.

Our pick for product teams

Zoho CRM and Proton.ai solve different problems. Zoho CRM is the value pick among the big generalists, free for three users and part of a suite of more than 50 apps. Proton.ai is built for distributors: it reads the ERP and tells reps who to call, what to sell and who is due to reorder.

Below, the two are compared on price, scope, quotes and orders, calls and AI, and messaging. Every figure comes from the vendors' own pages; Zoho's prices are per user a month, billed annually.

Zoho CRM vs Proton.ai at a glance

With PromptLab in the third column, so you can see where it fits.

Zoho CRM vs Proton.ai, with PromptLab: prices and features
Checked on 30 September 2026	Zoho CRM	Proton.ai	PromptLab
Pricing
Paid plans, a month	$14 – $52per seat	Custom pricing	$11.99 – $99per seat
Number of plans	4	1	3
Free trial
Billing	Billed annually	Priced by quote after a demo	Billed monthly
Import from CSV and Excel
Sales management
Deal pipelines
Quotes	From$23/month
Sales orders	From$23/month
Sample tracking
Price lists	From$23/month
Meetings and calls
Meeting recording and transcripts	Via marketplace
AI meeting summaries
AI follow-up email drafts	From$23/month
Meeting scheduler and call dialer	Via marketplace		From$23.99/month
AI and automation
CRM fields filled in from calls	From$40/month
Connect Claude or ChatGPT (MCP)
Workflow automation
API and webhooks			From$23.99/month
Conversations
Gmail and Outlook email sync
WhatsApp conversations
Telegram conversations
Save LinkedIn profiles	From$23/month
Privacy and security
Single sign-on (SSO)	From$40/month		From$99/month

Pricing: free and $14 to $52 against a quote

Zoho CRM is free for up to three users, and its four paid plans run from $14 to $52 a user a month, billed annually. A free trial is available.

Proton.ai doesn't publish prices. Pricing comes by quote after a demo, and there's no free trial, so you can't test it or cost it before you've talked to its team.

A suite against an ERP-driven assistant

Zoho's strength is breadth. Dozens of Zoho apps sit next door, so accounting, a help desk and a CRM can all come from one vendor.

Proton.ai's strength is the ERP link. It connects to systems from SAP and NetSuite to AS/400 green screens, works across catalogues as large as 500,000 SKUs, and shows reps who is due to reorder.

Quotes, orders and price books

Zoho CRM adds quotes, sales orders and price books from $23 a user a month. Proton.ai has quotes and sales orders fed by the ERP, but no price lists.

Neither tracks samples, so trial batches stay outside both.

Calls, meetings and AI

Neither records meetings natively and neither has AI meeting summaries. Zoho reaches call recording and a dialer through marketplace apps; Proton.ai has neither.

Both draft follow-up emails and fill CRM fields from calls, Zoho from $23 and $40 respectively. Proton.ai adds Pronto, an assistant that helps reps prepare for calls and log notes by voice. Zoho supports MCP, so Claude or ChatGPT can connect; Proton.ai doesn't.

Messaging, LinkedIn and sign-on

WhatsApp works with Zoho CRM and isn't supported on Proton.ai. Neither supports Telegram.

Zoho saves LinkedIn profiles from $23 and offers single sign-on from $40. Proton.ai has neither.

We make PromptLab, so here is why product teams pick it over both.

Why PromptLab is the better choice for teams that sell products

PromptLab is a CRM for B2B teams that sell products. On their entry plans, neither Zoho CRM nor Proton.ai includes sample tracking, price lists, meeting recording, AI meeting summaries, Telegram and LinkedIn profile saving. PromptLab has all of them on every plan, from $11.99 a user a month.

Samples, quotes and orders on the first plan
On our $11.99 Basic plan, quotes, sales orders, price lists and sample tracking all sit on the account and the deal. Before quoting, a rep can see which samples went out.
Zoho CRM vs PromptLab, in full
Prepared before the meeting, recorded during it
PromptLab writes a brief before each meeting, then records and transcribes it in over 100 languages. Afterwards you get the summary, a follow-up email draft and CRM fields filled in from the call.
Proton.ai vs PromptLab, in full
Meetings recorded without a telephony app
We record Zoom, Meet and Teams calls ourselves, on every plan, with nothing extra to install. The summary, the follow-up draft and the updated CRM fields are ready when the call ends.
Zoho CRM vs PromptLab, in full

Try PromptLab free14-day free trial on Basic and Professional.

Which should you choose?

Choose Zoho CRM if…

You want a free plan for three users or a low price per seat.
You need price books, quotes and orders from $23.
You want accounting and a help desk from the same vendor.

Choose Proton.ai if…

You're a distributor whose data lives in an ERP.
Reps need prompts on who is due to reorder.
You want quotes and sales orders fed by the ERP.

Choose PromptLab if…

You sell products, and deals run on quotes, price lists, samples and orders.
You want every meeting recorded, summarised and written into the CRM on every plan.
Buyers answer on WhatsApp or Telegram as well as email.

Frequently asked questions

Is Proton.ai more expensive than Zoho CRM?

Proton.ai doesn't publish a price, so it can't be compared directly. Zoho CRM is free for three users and $14 to $52 a user a month, billed annually. Proton.ai quotes after a demo.

Does Proton.ai have a free plan or trial?

No. It has no free trial and prices by quote. Zoho CRM has a free plan for up to three users and a free trial.

Which has quotes and sales orders, Zoho CRM or Proton.ai?

Both. Zoho CRM adds quotes, sales orders and price books from $23 a user a month, billed annually. Proton.ai has quotes and sales orders fed by the ERP, but no price lists.

Which has WhatsApp, Zoho CRM or Proton.ai?

Zoho CRM does. Proton.ai doesn't support WhatsApp, and neither supports Telegram.

Is there an alternative to Zoho CRM and Proton.ai for teams that sell products?

PromptLab. It is a CRM for B2B teams that sell products, with quotes, price lists, sales orders and sample tracking, recorded and summarised meetings, and email, WhatsApp and Telegram in one inbox, on every plan from $11.99 a user a month with a 14-day free trial.