We get a lot of inquiries from folks asking to compare NetSuite vs. Salesforce, but it’s not exactly a straightforward comparison, as NetSuite has all-in-one capabilities. Many people also want to know if NetSuite’s built-in CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is as capable as Salesforce is. For a full comparison between NetSuite ERP and Salesforce, download our comparison guide for both software platforms.

Perhaps the most important difference is that NetSuite is primarily an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software with an included CRM system. On the other hand, Salesforce is only a CRM  software solution with no ERP included.

1. The Key Difference in NetSuite Versus Salesforce:

To illustrate the difference between an all-in-one solution like NetSuite and a CRM-only system like Salesforce, we use the ageless example of comparing apples and oranges.

You can see that Salesforce is 100% CRM, represented by the orange, whereas NetSuite appears on the surface as an ERP system, represented by the apple. but incorporates a CRM system within their suite of services, as represented by the orange center of the apple.

If you are interested in a true ERP comparison between cloud and on-premise software, you should check out our NetSuite vs. Sage ERP comparison.

2. How Integration Plays a Role:

One of the key advantages of NetSuite is that all the tools (CRM, ERP, marketing automation) are integrated right out of the box, just like a Swiss Army Knife.

Having all your tools integrated like this can save you lots of integration expenses.

Salesforce does not come standard with anything but CRM. Because of this, you will need to integrate a separate ERP platform. ERP platforms (i.e. Sage and Dynamics GP) are capable of operating at the same level as NetSuite’s ERP suite, but only if they are integrated with Salesforce properly.

3. Download our Comparison White Paper: NetSuite ERP vs. Salesforce CRM

Editor’s Note: This blog post was updated on July 6, 2018 to reflect new pricing and features.