The affordable Salesflare alternative

Salesflare is a modern, smart CRM that stands out with intelligent data capture and automation. It was designed specifically for small B2B teams and offers a clean, well-organized user interface. However, at €29–99 per user, it is significantly more expensive than Customermates, and many power features such as permission management are only available in higher plans. Customermates gives you all essential CRM features at a fair price – without artificial feature barriers between plans.

Setup & onboarding

Customermates is ready to go in two minutes. The interface is intuitive, clearly structured, and requires no onboarding. You can start working with real data immediately, without setting up complex integrations first.

Salesflare positions itself as an “intelligent CRM” that automatically pulls data from emails, calendars, and LinkedIn. This sounds convenient, but it also means you first need to configure integrations, connect email accounts, and give the system time to scan your contacts. Setup typically takes 1–2 days instead of weeks, but it is still noticeably more involved than with Customermates. In addition, Salesflare requires a credit card to even start the 14-day trial.

Pricing & cost model

Customermates costs €12 per user – a transparent fixed price for all features. Salesflare starts at €29 per user for the Growth plan, increases to €49 for Pro, and €99 for Enterprise. That is more than double the price of Customermates.

On top of that, many key features are only available in higher plans. Permission management is only included in Enterprise (€99), and advanced workflow automation only from Pro (€49). Salesflare does not impose artificial data limits, but it does impose feature limits – and those cost money.

Another cost factor: lead credits. Salesflare includes lead search functionality, but it is limited. Additional lead credits cost €39 for 250, €69 for 500, or €129 for 1,000 leads per month. These costs add up quickly.

Automation vs control

Salesflare’s main selling point is automation: the system automatically extracts contact data from emails, enriches information from LinkedIn, and suggests follow-ups based on your calendar. This sounds powerful, but it comes with trade-offs.

First, automation only works if you give Salesflare access to all your email accounts, calendars, and social networks. That means less data control and greater dependence on external integrations.

Second, AI-based data recognition is not perfect. Contacts can be assigned incorrectly, meetings misinterpreted, and follow-up suggestions may not always be relevant. The system requires regular monitoring and correction.

Customermates prioritizes conscious control over automatic data collection. You decide which data enters the system, how it is structured, and when follow-ups make sense. It is less “magical,” but more reliable and privacy-friendly.

Functional differences

Both systems offer core CRM functionality: contacts, deals, pipelines, tasks, and email integration. The difference lies in the approach.

Salesflare is strongly focused on sales and automation. It offers email sequences, lead scoring, LinkedIn integration, and AI assistance. This is powerful for pure B2B sales teams. However, if you need a broader CRM for customer support, projects, or services, Salesflare is more limited.

Customermates is more flexible. It covers not only sales, but also customer service, task management, and team collaboration – all in one system, without switching between multiple tools.

Data protection & hosting

Customermates hosts exclusively in the EU or Germany and provides full GDPR compliance.

Salesflare hosts in Belgium (EU) and is GDPR compliant. However, the system automatically collects data from external sources such as LinkedIn, emails, and calendars. This means your customer data is not only stored in the CRM, but actively pulled and synchronized from multiple sources. For companies with strict data protection policies, this can be a concern.

Integrations & API

Both systems offer API access and extensive integrations. Salesflare shines with deep native integrations into email clients, LinkedIn, and Zapier. The LinkedIn integration is particularly strong, allowing you to add and enrich contacts directly from LinkedIn.

Customermates relies on n8n integration, enabling more flexible, self-configured workflows. You are not limited to predefined integrations and can build your own automations – without expensive Zapier fees or restricted triggers.

Team features & permission management

One critical limitation: permission management in Salesflare is only available in the Enterprise plan (€99 per user). If you have a team and need to restrict access to certain data or pipelines, you must choose the most expensive plan.

Customermates includes permission management in all plans – at no extra cost. Teams can work in a structured way from day one, assign access rights, and protect sensitive data.

Who is each system for?

Salesflare is right for you if:

• You are a pure B2B sales team
• You rely heavily on LinkedIn and social selling
• You are willing to pay €29–99 per user
• You prioritize automation over data control
• You do not need advanced permission management (or are willing to pay €99)

Customermates is right for you if:

• You are a small business or startup
• You need a flexible CRM for sales, service, and projects
• You require permission management at no extra cost
• You prefer an affordable, transparent pricing model