Nutshell vs SugarCRM pricing: which is cheaper for your team?
Nutshell's cheapest paid tier (Foundation) lists at $7/user/month, which beats the other on entry pricing. Mid-tier and enterprise math can flip the answer — use the per-tier table below to see the real cost for your team size at each tier.
Calculate the cost for your team
Nutshell pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | $13 | $7 | user/month | Core contact and pipeline management. |
| Growth | $25 | $18 | user/month | Sales automation and reporting. |
| Pro | $42 | $35 | user/month | Advanced reporting and forecasting. |
| Business | $59 | $51 | user/month | Custom roles, multiple pipelines, audit log. |
| Enterprise | $79 | $69 | user/month | API access, enterprise SSO, premium support. |
SugarCRM pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59 | $59 | user/month | Min 15 users; accounts, opportunities, quotes, pipeline. |
| Advanced | $85 | $85 | user/month | Min 15 users; case/bug tracking, Sugar Intelligence, sales-i. |
| Premier | $135 | $135 | user/month | Min 15 users; geo mapping, 2x storage, enhanced support. |
Feature by feature
The non-pricing differences that drive the real decision.
| Capability | Nutshell | SugarCRM |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | user/month | user/month |
| Pricing model | Per-user tiered CRM with bolt-on marketing modules | Per-user enterprise CRM with seat minimum |
| Cheapest paid tier | Foundation at $7/user/month | Standard at $59/user/month |
| Mid-tier benchmark | Pro at $35/user/month | Advanced at $85/user/month |
| Total paid tiers published | 5 | 3 |
| Last verified | 2026-05-17 | 2026-05-17 |
Best for…
Hand-picked use cases mapped to the winner.
| Use case | Winner |
|---|---|
| Lowest entry price (10-person team) | Nutshell Foundation |
| Most pricing tiers (room to grow) | Nutshell (5 tiers) |
| Predictable per-seat billing | Either (both per-seat) |
| Most recently verified pricing | Nutshell |
Choose Nutshell when
- Transparent per-user pricing, but the real costs surface when adding Marketing, Engagement, and IQ Prospecting modules.
- Entry tier (Foundation) at $7/user/month is your budget ceiling.
- Enterprise is published at $79/seat; no published volume discount but custom contracts are available through sales.
Choose SugarCRM when
- Enterprise CRM with a 15-seat minimum.
- Entry tier (Standard) at $59/user/month is your budget ceiling.
- Premier is the public ceiling; multi-product Sugar Sell + Serve + Market bundles negotiated direct with sales for committed-spend discounts.
Switching considerations
Watch the hidden fees on both sides. Nutshell: Marketing add-on starts at $49/month. SugarCRM: 15-user minimum across all tiers locks in a floor price of $885/month even at Standard. Always confirm with the vendor before purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for a 10-person team, Nutshell or SugarCRM?
At entry tier and 10 seats on annual billing: Nutshell Foundation comes to $70/mo; SugarCRM Standard comes to $590/mo. Nutshell is the cheaper entry-tier choice at this team size.
Does Nutshell have more pricing tiers than SugarCRM?
Nutshell publishes more paid tiers (5 vs 3). More tiers usually means more granular ways to grow without re-platforming.
Which pricing was verified more recently?
Nutshell's pricing was last verified 2026-05-17; SugarCRM's on 2026-05-17. Both pages link to the vendor's official pricing source so you can re-check before committing.