Planhat
Salesforce
Core Architecture
Core Architecture
End-to-End Commercial AI Platform servicing CRM, CSP & PSA use cases.
End-to-End Commercial AI Platform servicing CRM, CSP & PSA use cases.
Enterprise CRM designed for linear sales process management, optimized for converting leads to closed-won opportunities.
Enterprise CRM designed for linear sales process management, optimized for converting leads to closed-won opportunities.
Implementation Time
Implementation Time
8 weeks.
8 weeks.
Complex deployment, typically takes months and often requires external consultants.
Complex deployment, typically takes months and often requires external consultants.
AI Strategy
AI Strategy
Native Embedded AI and Bring-Your-Own LLM.
Native Embedded AI and Bring-Your-Own LLM.
Einstein AI offers depth, but typically requires heavy configuration and additional license costs.
Einstein AI offers depth, but typically requires heavy configuration and additional license costs.
Admin Complexity
Admin Complexity
Managed easily by in-house GTM or Ops teams: no need for certified technical admins to maintain or modify workflows.
Managed easily by in-house GTM or Ops teams: no need for certified technical admins to maintain or modify workflows.
Very high, flexibility comes at the cost of requiring full-time certified administrators for ongoing maintenance.
Very high, flexibility comes at the cost of requiring full-time certified administrators for ongoing maintenance.
Scalability
Scalability
Enterprise-grade track record: top-rated for scalability by Gartner, supporting billions of time-series records for global teams—with support in 12+ languages—without lag.
Enterprise-grade track record: top-rated for scalability by Gartner, supporting billions of time-series records for global teams—with support in 12+ languages—without lag.
Scales to large multi-region deployments, but involves considerable administrative overhead.
Scales to large multi-region deployments, but involves considerable administrative overhead.
Automation Capabilities
Automation Capabilities
Visual & Logic-Based: a modern, visual automation builder handles complex triggers and multi-step workflows with zero code.
Visual & Logic-Based: a modern, visual automation builder handles complex triggers and multi-step workflows with zero code.
Developer-dependent, advanced automation typically requires certified admins or technical resources to build and maintain.
Developer-dependent, advanced automation typically requires certified admins or technical resources to build and maintain.
Customer Collaboration
Customer Collaboration
Rich collaborative Customer Portals with Vanity URLs: clients can directly access and collaborate on plans, tasks, and dashboards in real-time — as if they were colleagues.
Rich collaborative Customer Portals with Vanity URLs: clients can directly access and collaborate on plans, tasks, and dashboards in real-time — as if they were colleagues.
Requires purchase of Experience Cloud, a significant additional cost that typically requires developers to build and maintain.
Requires purchase of Experience Cloud, a significant additional cost that typically requires developers to build and maintain.
Localization
Localization
Considerable presence with sales, service and support across 12 countries in 8 languages, and localized UX for global teams.
Considerable presence with sales, service and support across 12 countries in 8 languages, and localized UX for global teams.
Strong global compliance capabilities, but architecture is often described as rigid across regions.
Strong global compliance capabilities, but architecture is often described as rigid across regions.
Integrations
Integrations
Flexible, modern integrations and native CRM sync to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and more.
Flexible, modern integrations and native CRM sync to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and more.
Broad ecosystem, but data is often siloed between Clouds.
Broad ecosystem, but data is often siloed between Clouds.
User Experience
User Experience
Fully personalized workspaces and collaborative customer portals frequently described as slick and modern.
Fully personalized workspaces and collaborative customer portals frequently described as slick and modern.
Optimized for pipeline management, often described as cluttered for post-sales use cases.
Optimized for pipeline management, often described as cluttered for post-sales use cases.
Lifecycle Coverage
Lifecycle Coverage
Native workflows for onboarding, adoption, health tracking, renewals and expansion, enabling the full customer lifecycle.
Native workflows for onboarding, adoption, health tracking, renewals and expansion, enabling the full customer lifecycle.
Designed for linear pre-sale funnels; post-sale lifecycle management typically requires custom objects, custom code and third-party tools.
Designed for linear pre-sale funnels; post-sale lifecycle management typically requires custom objects, custom code and third-party tools.
Data Structure
Data Structure
Native time-series architecture tracks every data point over time, for proactive risk analysis and trend detection.
Native time-series architecture tracks every data point over time, for proactive risk analysis and trend detection.
Relational database with snapshot-based reporting, trend detection typically requires custom data models and external BI tooling.
Relational database with snapshot-based reporting, trend detection typically requires custom data models and external BI tooling.
Total Cost of Ownership
Total Cost of Ownership
Low operational overhead, no certified admins or external consulting agencies typically required to manage the platform.
Low operational overhead, no certified admins or external consulting agencies typically required to manage the platform.
Significant hidden costs for full-time certified admin FTEs, external consulting agencies, and license fragmentation across multiple Clouds.
Significant hidden costs for full-time certified admin FTEs, external consulting agencies, and license fragmentation across multiple Clouds.
“
Partnership with Planhat has enabled us at Telia Cygate to get the customer data and the visibility we need to actually scale the customer experience to all customers at all times. That's unprecedented for us.”
Fredrik Sidmar
Cygate
“
Partnership with Planhat has enabled us at Telia Cygate to get the customer data and the visibility we need to actually scale the customer experience to all customers at all times. That's unprecedented for us.”
Fredrik Sidmar
Cygate
“
I would say we were 80/20 reactive, so we were reactive a majority of our day—and now I can confidently state we're 70% proactive.”
Adam Cooney
Jolt
“
I would say we were 80/20 reactive, so we were reactive a majority of our day—and now I can confidently state we're 70% proactive.”
Adam Cooney
Jolt
“
I had my own Notes pages that I was tracking data for different customers going into different sources of communication, whether it was email or Teams or Slack. And with Planhat, it's all kind of integrated into one place.”
Kelly Poydence
Basis Technologies
“
I had my own Notes pages that I was tracking data for different customers going into different sources of communication, whether it was email or Teams or Slack. And with Planhat, it's all kind of integrated into one place.”
Kelly Poydence
Basis Technologies
“
Planhat is the utility knife by which we're able to interact with every single customer and provide them with a deep sense of value from the platform.”
Brandon Ramsey
Vice President of Customer Success
OnSiteIQ
Watch
“
Planhat is the utility knife by which we're able to interact with every single customer and provide them with a deep sense of value from the platform.”
Brandon Ramsey
Vice President of Customer Success
OnSiteIQ
Watch
The only Salesforce alternative that delivers for teams of every size.
The only Salesforce alternative that delivers for teams of every size.
“
The open rate on those emails, because they're coming from the CSM, are 38% percent, whereas a typical marketing email that would invite the customer to the same event would have a 1-2% percent open rate.”
Tracy Shouldice
Director of Customer Success
Trend Micro
Watch
“
The open rate on those emails, because they're coming from the CSM, are 38% percent, whereas a typical marketing email that would invite the customer to the same event would have a 1-2% percent open rate.”
Tracy Shouldice
Director of Customer Success
Trend Micro
Watch
Can Planhat replace Salesforce entirely?
Is Planhat faster to implement?
How do they compare on workflow automation?
How do customer portals compare?
How does Planhat's AI compare to Salesforce Einstein?
Can Planhat work alongside Salesforce?
Which is better for cross-functional teams?