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startbuddi vs Bigin: an honest comparison

Bigin by Zoho is a pipeline-first CRM for small businesses, with contacts, pipelines, automations, a built-in phone, web forms, booking pages and payment links, priced per user with a free single-user plan; startbuddi covers the CRM alongside a shared inbox, invoices, contracts, client portals and marketing, so pick Bigin for a low per-user CRM with native apps and Zoho connections, and startbuddi if you want client work, invoicing and customer conversations in one workspace.

We make startbuddi, so we're biased. We've tried to be fair: we list where Bigin is stronger, every fact about Bigin links to its source, and anything we couldn't confirm on their own site is marked "not published". Checked in September 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.
startbuddi

startbuddi is best for

Small service businesses that want CRM, inbox, bookings and invoices in one workspace

Bigin logoBigin

Bigin is best for

Small teams that want a simple, low-cost pipeline CRM that connects to other Zoho apps

At a glance

Best for
startbuddiSmall service businesses that want CRM, inbox, bookings and invoices in one workspace
BiginSmall teams that want a simple, low-cost pipeline CRM that connects to other Zoho apps
Free plan
startbuddiYes, the Free plan
BiginYes, Free
First paid plan
startbuddiStarter, $29 a month
BiginExpress, $7 USD per user per month, billed yearly ($9 billed monthly)
Checked
startbuddiPrice book, October 2026
BiginSeptember 2026

Where each one is stronger

The short version. Bigin first, because it does some things better than we do.

Bigin logoBigin is stronger at

Low per-user priceBigin's paid plans are priced per user and there is a free plan for one user.
Native apps and phoneBigin has apps for iOS, iPadOS, Android and macOS, a business card scanner and a built-in phone that records calls.
Zoho and third-party connectionsBigin connects to Zoho Books, Zoho Invoice, Zoho Sign, QuickBooks, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, Zapier and ad lead forms, and offers developer APIs.
Pipeline depthpaid plans add team pipelines, stage transition rules, multiple currencies and AI record summaries.

startbuddi is stronger at

Client work built incontracts with e-signature, proposals, invoices and client portals are part of the workspace rather than separate Zoho apps.
Customer conversations in one inboxWhatsApp, email, SMS, website chat, Instagram and Facebook messages sit on the same client record as invoices and deals.
Invoices move dealswhen an invoice on a deal is paid, the deal is marked won and the move is logged.
Paystack for African paymentsclients pay invoices and booking deposits by card, bank transfer or USSD through Paystack, or by card through Stripe.
Projects and marketing on the same recordWork projects, and email, WhatsApp and SMS campaigns on paid plans, share the contact list.

Feature by feature

Each Bigin value links to where we found it. Anything their site doesn't state is marked "not published".

startbuddi and Bigin, feature by feature
FeaturestartbuddiBigin
Free planFree: 1 seat, 250 contacts, 5 invoices a month Yes Yes, single userSource (opens in a new tab)
Free plan limitsBigin counts every pipeline, contact, activity and note row as a record 250 contacts 500 records, 1 pipeline, 3 automationsSource (opens in a new tab)
Deals pipeline Yes Yes; 3 to 15 team pipelines on paid plansSource (opens in a new tab)
Web forms Yes YesSource (opens in a new tab)
Booking pagesBooking pages with deposits on every plan Yes 1 on Free to Premier, 100 on Bigin 360Source (opens in a new tab)
InvoicesPaystack or Stripe; a paid invoice marks the deal won Yes Through Zoho Invoice or Zoho BooksSource (opens in a new tab)
Payment links Paystack, Stripe Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Paytm (Express and up)Source (opens in a new tab)
Contracts with e-signatureSigned on startbuddi's own signing page Yes Through Zoho Sign (Express and up)Source (opens in a new tab)
Client portalsClients sign in with an email link Paid plans Not listedSource (opens in a new tab)
Automations Starter plan and up 3 on Free, 30 on Express, up to 100Source (opens in a new tab)
WhatsAppWhatsApp campaigns on paid plans Shared inbox and campaigns WhatsApp Business integration (Express and up)Source (opens in a new tab)
Mobile apps Web only IOS, iPadOS, Android and macOSSource (opens in a new tab)

What each one looks like

Real screens, captured by us or taken from the official press kit, each dated.

startbuddi: Deals on the sales pipeline
startbuddi · Deals on the sales pipeline. Captured from our own account, personal details blurred.
startbuddi: Contacts with their full history
startbuddi · Contacts with their full history. Captured from our own account, personal details blurred.
startbuddi: One inbox for email, WhatsApp and chat
startbuddi · One inbox for email, WhatsApp and chat. Captured from our own account, personal details blurred.

Bigin's own screens are on Bigin's website. We don't show another company's product without a dated capture from a trial or its press kit.

Pricing side by side

List prices as each company publishes them. We never convert currencies.

See startbuddi pricing

startbuddi

  • FreeFree
  • Starter$29 a month
  • Growth$79 a month
  • Scale$199 a month

Prices in US dollars, billed monthly. From our pricing page, updated 3 Oct 2026.

Bigin logoBigin

Checked in September 2026. Check Bigin's site for current plans.

Switching from Bigin

What moving across involves.

  1. Export your data from BiginBigin's feature table lists data import and export. Export your contacts, companies and pipeline records to CSV files.
  2. Import your clients as contactsIn startbuddi, go to Customers → Contacts → Import, upload the CSV, map the columns and review before importing.
  3. Set up your pipelineRecreate your stages in Customers → Pipeline. Default stages are New Leads, Qualified, Proposal Sent, Negotiation, Won and Lost, and you can rename them.
  4. Rebuild forms and automationsRecreate your web forms in Forms and your workflows in Automations. Bigin automations don't transfer.

Sources

Checked in September 2026. startbuddi prices come from our own price book. Bigin's website.

Questions people ask

Is Bigin free?

Bigin has a free plan for a single user with 500 records, one pipeline and three automations. Paid plans are priced per user, with a 15-day free trial.

Can I send invoices from Bigin?

Bigin lists Zoho Books and Zoho Invoice integrations and payment links from its Express plan; in startbuddi, invoices are part of Money Manager on every plan.

Does startbuddi have a mobile app?

Not a native one. It is a web app that works in a phone's browser, while Bigin has iOS, iPadOS, Android and macOS apps.

Does startbuddi connect to QuickBooks?

No. Money Manager covers invoices, expenses, cash flow and simple profit and loss, but it has no QuickBooks or Xero sync.

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Try startbuddi alongside Bigin.

Start on the free plan with a copy of your contacts and see how it fits before you decide.

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Free plan available. Every paid plan starts with a 30-day trial.