Salesforce vs. SAP: The direct comparison

Salesforce and SAP are two giants in the business software market. But what actually sets them apart?

Salesforce focuses on a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) system and, as the market leader, offers a high-performance portfolio in this area. Its products are becoming increasingly relevant in the context of digitalization.

SAP, on the other hand, offers the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system SAP S4/HANA in its core business, which is used worldwide as an on-premise or cloud solution. SAP complements this portfolio with the CRM functions of the SAP Customer Experience suite (SAP CX).

Salesforce and its advantages in detail

The US company Salesforce has been offering a powerful and flexible CRM system since 1999. This is available to users as Software as a Service (SaaS) on a central cloud platform.

The platform collects and monitors relevant CRM data for precise analyses and well-founded decisions. Numerous applications and tools can be put together flexibly according to the company's requirements and adapted again and again. This makes Salesforce suitable for companies of all sizes from small start-ups to large companies and for all industries.

It supports collaboration in sales, marketing and service so that teams can concentrate fully on their customers. It offers intelligent solutions for complex sales structures and large marketing departments in particular.

Individual, autonomous AI agents from Salesforce Agentforce and predictive and generative artificial intelligence (AI) from Salesforce Einstein further enrich the CRM system.

Who is Salesforce suitable for?

• Companies of any size

• All sectors

• Innovation-driving companies

• Complex sales and marketing processes

• Teams that need flexible modules

• Internationally active companies

SAP and its advantages in detail

SAP was founded in 1972 in Baden-Württemberg and is now one of the world‘s leading software manufacturers. Its core business is the ERP solution SAP S/4HANA. It is provided as licensed software and offers users specialized modules for areas such as finance, logistics and HR.

SAP complements its product portfolio with CRM applications from the SAP CX Suite. They can be used to optimize and automate processes in marketing, sales, customer service and e-commerce.

SAP CX can be integrated into existing systems via numerous interfaces – both SAP and non-SAP systems. However, integration into SAP S/4HANA is much easier. This is particularly interesting for organizations that already map established, complex company structures there.

SAP offers its solutions in the cloud and as on-premise software for companies that want to use their own IT infrastructure.

Who is SAP suitable for?

• Medium and large companies

• Organizations with established processes

• Complex corporate structures

• Users with offline requirements

• Customized solutions

• Companies with on-premise requirements

How do CRM systems use artificial intelligence?

Salesforce is integrating innovative AI functions into its CRM system with the autonomous AI agents from Agentforce and the Einstein platform. They automate processes, take over routine tasks and assist users with real-time evaluations and intelligent recommendations.

SAP also uses AI for comprehensive analyses, automation and predictions, but does not have as much experience in the CRM environment as Salesforce.

How are the user interface and adaptability?

What sets Salesforce apart from other CRM systems is its intuitive user interface and high level of customizability. While standard adaptations are simple and often possible without programming knowledge, more complex adaptations can be implemented directly at code level using the JAVA-like APEX programming language.

On the other hand, there is SAP. Its products can be configured even more flexibly, but this goes hand in hand with greater complexity. As a result, they are often perceived as less user-friendly and require more specialist knowledge to find their way around.

How compatible are the CRM systems?

Salesforce offers extensive options for integration with third-party systems. Point-to-point integrations can be set up both unidirectionally and bidirectionally. The integration options can be expanded using middleware such as MuleSoft.

Standardized API types are available for incoming callouts, which can be easily addressed thanks to the cloud-based structure. If required, user-defined interfaces can be implemented, for example with APEX.

Outgoing callouts are realized via HTTP calls and can be flexibly designed with the help of APEX. These integrations run directly in the same cloud instance and enable seamless communication with external APIs.

The integration of homogeneous systems is generally straightforward with SAP. However, middleware is usually required to connect heterogeneous systems.

What about data security and system maintenance?

For Salesforce, all data and processes are backed up in the cloud, which reduces administrative effort and makes high-performance servers in the company superfluous.

Contrary to frequent fears, data security at Salesforce is rated as very high, as strict security protocols are implemented. System maintenance and regular updates are automated and available to all users.

SAP also offers high security standards and regular updates in the cloud, some of which can be scheduled flexibly. SAP‘s on-premise solution, on the other hand, requires a high-performance IT infrastructure as well as independent system maintenance and servicing by the company. This has a significant impact on both costs and complexity.

What do CRM systems cost?

Salesforce und SAP konzentrieren sich auf unterschiedliche Kerngeschäfte. Das hat Einfluss auf die Kostenmodelle.

Das CRM-System von Salesforce steht als SaaS gegen eine jährliche Gebühr im Abomodell zur Verfügung. Die Wahl der Cloud-Lösungen, der Funktionsumfang und die Anzahl der Nutzer:innen beeinflussen dabei den Preis.

Die Kosten für SAP CX lassen sich hingegen nicht pauschal festlegen. Sie variieren je nach Bereitstellungsmodell, Unternehmensgröße und Anpassungsumfang von Kunde zu Kunde. Für Cloud-Lösungen bietet SAP ähnlich wie Salesforce Abomodelle an. On-Premise-Installationen umfassen häufig einmalige Lizenzkosten mit zusätzlichen Wartungsgebühren.

Salesforce does not have to be seen as a competitor to SAP. On the contrary, companies can utilize the strengths of both providers by combining the CRM solution from Salesforce with the ERP system from SAP.

With the right integration via middleware such as MuleSoft, bidirectional data exchange is made possible in real time – for example for customer data, order status, invoices or product information.

Salesforce improves customer interaction in sales, marketing and customer service, while SAP ERP can supplement information from accounting, logistics or production planning, for example. This allows companies to create new synergies and make the most of the potential of both systems to optimize their business processes.