Kommo vs Zoho Bigin: CRM Comparison for Small Business in 2026

Short answer: Zoho Bigin works for micro-teams of up to 10 people who need a simple pipeline without messenger integrations. Kommo is for teams of 10 and above that sell via WhatsApp, Instagram, or Telegram and want a unified inbox across all channels. If your sales happen in messaging apps - Bigin will not cut it.

Zoho Bigin is Zoho’s lightweight CRM: simplified UI, minimal customization, a fixed feature set. Pricing starts at $0 (1 user) and goes up to $15/user/mo. The target audience is freelancers and micro-businesses who find Zoho CRM too complex. Kommo (formerly amoCRM) is a messenger-first CRM with a unified inbox for WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, and email. Pricing ranges from $15/user/mo (Base) to $45/user/mo (Enterprise).

Quick Comparison

Pipelines and Deal Flow

Kommo: multiple pipelines within a single account, custom stages, lost-deal reasons, and close probability. Visual kanban board. Pipeline limits: Base - 1, Advanced - unlimited.

Zoho Bigin: a pipeline-centric model - multiple pipelines per account (from the Team plan up). Each pipeline has its own set of stages. Simple kanban with drag-and-drop. No close probability and no revenue forecasting in base plans.

Messengers - The Key Difference

Kommo is built around a unified inbox: WhatsApp Business, Instagram Direct, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and email - all incoming messages in one window. A sales rep can reply to a client’s WhatsApp message directly from within the deal card.

Zoho Bigin has no messenger integrations out of the box. Email is available via Zoho Mail, but WhatsApp and Instagram are not supported natively. For messenger connectivity you need to upgrade to Zoho CRM (the senior product) or use external integrations via Zapier or Make.

This is a fundamental architectural choice: Bigin is built around the email-plus-calls sales model, while Kommo is built around chat-based selling.

Automations

Kommo (Advanced plan and above): triggers on stage changes, time-based triggers, and contact action triggers. Actions include: send an email, create a task, add a tag, fire a webhook. Visual Digital Pipeline builder.

Zoho Bigin: Workflow Rules - triggers on field changes or record updates. Actions include: send a notification, update a field, create a task. No webhooks on the base plan. More limited overall compared to Kommo Advanced.

API and Integrations

Kommo API: a full REST API with webhooks and OAuth2. Supports creating and updating deals, contacts, notes, and tasks via API. Well-documented. For more on integration capabilities, see the Kommo CRM overview.

Zoho Bigin API: REST API, but with limitations - some operations are only available through the Zoho CRM API (Bigin runs on the same underlying platform). Fewer native webhook events.

2026 Pricing

Kommo:

• Base: $15/user/mo - basic pipeline, 1 inbox
• Advanced: $25/user/mo - automations, multiple pipelines
• Enterprise: $45/user/mo - extended permissions, analytics

Minimum 2 users. Billing: annual only (unless enterprise).

Zoho Bigin:

• Free: $0 - 1 user, 1 pipeline, 500 records
• Express: $7/user/mo - 1 user, 3 pipelines
• Team: $12/user/mo - unlimited users, automations
• Premier: $20/user/mo - advanced analytics, scoring

Zoho Bigin is significantly cheaper, especially for small teams.

When to Choose Kommo

• Your sales happen via WhatsApp, Instagram, or Telegram
• You have a team of 5-10 or more reps handling inbound chats
• You need messenger bots and auto-replies
• You require integrations with specific regional services
• You are already on amoCRM and looking for the international version

When to Choose Zoho Bigin

• Team of 1-5 people, email-based sales without messengers
• Limited budget ($0-$7/user/mo)
• You already use other Zoho products (Zoho Mail, Zoho Books) - ecosystem fit
• You need a simple CRM without extra features
• Your clients are primarily in the US or EU, where email is more prevalent than messaging apps

Migrating Between Platforms

From Bigin to Kommo: export via CSV (Deals, Contacts, Accounts), then import into Kommo using the standard import tool. You will lose: activity history, notes, and integration-specific data.

From Kommo to Bigin: similarly via CSV. Kommo also supports full API export, so a custom script can handle a more complete data transfer. For more on migrating data into Kommo, see moving your database to Kommo CRM if you are considering the reverse path.

Real-World Case

An 8-person agency was selling through Instagram and WhatsApp. They tried Bigin: Instagram messages landed in a separate inbox with no connection to Bigin deals. Reps were switching between 3 windows. They switched to Kommo: Instagram Direct and WhatsApp unified in a single Kommo inbox, with deals created automatically. Lead response time dropped from 2 hours to 15 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Zoho Bigin available in languages other than English?

Zoho Bigin is available in English and 12 other languages, but does not include Russian. Kommo is available in Russian, including the interface and support. If your team needs Russian-language support, this is an important factor in your decision.

Can you upgrade from Zoho Bigin to Zoho CRM without losing data?

Yes - Zoho Bigin and Zoho CRM share the same underlying platform. Upgrading via Zoho One or an account upgrade preserves all data: Deals, Contacts, and Activities. This is one of Bigin’s advantages - it serves as an entry point into the Zoho ecosystem.

How do Kommo and Bigin compare on mobile?

Both have iOS and Android apps with full CRM access. Kommo Mobile is the primary working environment for many teams, thanks to messenger integrations built directly into the app. Bigin Mobile is fully functional for pipeline management but lacks messenger support.

Summary

Kommo vs Zoho Bigin comes down to one question:

• Do you sell via messengers (WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram)? -> Kommo: native unified inbox, auto-replies, bots
• Do you sell via email and calls, team of up to 5, budget is tight? -> Zoho Bigin: $0-$12/user/mo, simple pipeline

Bigin and Kommo are not direct competitors: Bigin is for micro-businesses without messenger sales, Kommo is for teams running chat-based sales. If the choice is difficult or you need an assessment of your current stack - describe your situation to the Exceltic.dev team.