THE BUSINESS SOFTWARE COMPARISON · UK EDITION
GatherCRM vs Zoho One
Short answer: pick Zoho One if you want the widest possible suite (50+ apps, including Zoho's own accounting, payroll and helpdesk) and have time or a partner to configure it. Pick GatherCRM if you want CRM, projects, contracts, invoicing, time tracking and HR in one application, set up for you free, at a flat GBP price for a block of users.
Both are "all-in-one", but in different ways. Zoho One is a bundle of many separate Zoho apps. GatherCRM is a single system whose modules you switch on, switch off and rename. It's built by Giraffe Digital in Milton Keynes and used by more than 200 paying businesses.
At a glance
| GatherCRM | Zoho One (Standard) | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | SMEs that want one configurable system, set up for them | Businesses ready to standardise many departments on the Zoho suite |
| How it's built | One app with modules you toggle and rename | 50+ separate Zoho apps under one licence |
| Pricing model | Flat price per block of users | Per employee (All-Employee) or per user (Flexible) |
| 10 users, monthly billing | £299/month | £450 (All-Employee, £45 each) or £1,000 (Flexible, £100 each) |
| 10 users, annual licensing | n/a (monthly only) | £370 (All-Employee) or £800 (Flexible) |
| Licensing rule | Everyone who logs in counts as a user | All-Employee requires a licence for every employee on payroll |
| Set-up | Free import and set-up by our UK team | Self-serve, onboarding sessions or partners |
Our verdict: Zoho One is unmatched for sheer breadth. If you want accounting, payroll, helpdesk, BI and more from one vendor, it's hard to beat. For an SME that mainly needs CRM, projects, contracts, invoicing (with Xero), time and HR, GatherCRM costs less at 10 users and arrives configured, with UK support and no annual licence.
Full feature comparison
| Feature | GatherCRM | Zoho One |
|---|---|---|
| CRM and pipelines | ✓ Pipelines, targets, health scores, custom fields | ✓ Zoho CRM (and Bigin) |
| Email marketing and journeys | ✓ Email Hub with automated journeys and newsletters | ✓ Zoho Campaigns and Marketing apps |
| Projects and client portal | ✓ Projects, Gantt, milestones, branded client portal | ✓ Zoho Projects |
| Contracts and e-signing | ✓ Built in, multi-signature | ✓ Zoho Sign |
| Invoicing | ✓ Quotes and invoices, Stripe payments, Xero sync | ✓ Zoho's own finance apps (Books, Invoice and others) |
| Accounting ledger | Via Xero integration | ✓ Zoho Books |
| Time tracking | ✓ Time Hub with invoicing | ✓ Available in Zoho apps |
| HR | ✓ Leave, absence, timesheets, payroll export, onboarding, CPD, incidents, expenses | ✓ Zoho People and related HR apps |
| Forms, quizzes and calculators | ✓ Embeddable forms with calculated fields; quizzes and scorecards | ✓ Zoho Forms |
| Cleaning operations | ✓ Cleaning module included | Not a dedicated module |
| AI | ✓ Aiva weekly briefing and business health report; Claude-powered AI reporting | ✓ "AI-powered analytics and BI" listed on Standard |
| Mobile | iOS and Android apps; desktop app | Web and mobile apps |
| Integrations | Zapier, Calendly, Outlook Calendar, Xero, Stripe | Large Zoho ecosystem plus third-party integrations |
| Support and set-up | UK-based, same-day responses, free import and set-up | Documentation, onboarding sessions, Zoho partners |
Pricing in GBP
GatherCRM (ex VAT, monthly, every module included): Starter £149 (1–3 users) · Teams £299 (4–10 users) · Growth £499 (11–30 users) · Enterprise from £750 (31+ users).
Zoho One Standard (ex VAT, from zoho.com on 14 October 2026):
- All-Employee: £45/employee/month monthly, or £37 with annual licensing. You must license all employees on payroll.
- Flexible User: £100/user/month monthly, or £80 with annual licensing.
- Essentials edition: offered, but the GBP price wasn't shown when we checked.
Worked example: a 10-person team
| Monthly cost (ex VAT) | |
|---|---|
| GatherCRM Teams | £299 |
| Zoho One All-Employee (monthly / annual) | £450 / £370 (only if all 10 people on payroll are licensed) |
| Zoho One Flexible (monthly / annual) | £1,000 / £800 |
At 25 users, Gather Growth is £499. Zoho One All-Employee is £1,125 monthly or £925 annual, and Flexible is £2,500 or £2,000.
List prices only. Excludes VAT, add-ons and implementation partner fees.
Which should you choose?
Choose GatherCRM if
- you want one application rather than many connected apps
- you'd like set-up and data import done for you, free
- you use Xero for accounts and want CRM, projects, contracts, time and HR alongside it
- you want monthly terms (30 days' notice) and a flat GBP price per user block
Choose Zoho One if
- you want one vendor for CRM, accounting, payroll, helpdesk, BI and more
- you have in-house IT, or a Zoho partner to configure the apps
- you want a mature ecosystem spanning more than 50 apps
Where Zoho One is stronger: breadth of apps, its own accounting and payroll, and a mature ecosystem.
Moving from Zoho to GatherCRM?
- Book a demo. We'll review which Zoho apps you actually use.
- Export your CRM records (and projects or invoices if needed) as CSV.
- We import them free of charge and configure your modules, fields and pipelines.
- Test everything during your 30-day free trial before you cancel Zoho licences.
Questions, answered
Is GatherCRM cheaper than Zoho One?
For 10 users, yes. Gather Teams is £299 a month, while Zoho One Standard costs £450 a month (All-Employee) or £1,000 (Flexible) on monthly billing, or £370 / £800 with annual licensing (ex VAT; Gather pricing updated 19 October 2026 and competitor pricing checked 14 October 2026).
Does GatherCRM replace as many apps as Zoho One?
No. Zoho One has more than 50 apps, including its own accounting and payroll. Gather covers CRM, email, projects, contracts, invoicing, time tracking, HR, forms, quizzes, reporting and AI in one system, and integrates with Xero for accounting.
What is Zoho One's All-Employee pricing?
It's a lower per-person price that requires a Zoho One licence for every employee on your payroll. Flexible User pricing lets you license only some users, at a higher rate.
Does GatherCRM have HR?
Yes. It covers holiday and leave, absence tracking, timesheets, payroll export, onboarding and offboarding, training and CPD, expenses and incidents.
Is there a mobile app?
GatherCRM has live iOS and Android apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play, plus a desktop app.
How do I switch from Zoho?
Export your data as CSV and we'll import it free, then set up your modules. You can test everything during the 30-day free trial.
See GatherCRM for yourself
Book a demo and we'll show you your business running in one system, set up for you.
Sources (checked 14 October 2026)
- GatherCRM: https://gathercrm.co.uk/ (pricing, FAQ, support), https://gathercrm.co.uk/modules/, iOS app live on the Apple App Store, Android Google Play listing https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.gathercrm.app&hl=en_GB
- Zoho One pricing (GBP toggle, monthly and yearly, rendered from a UK connection): https://www.zoho.com/one/pricing.html, which also confirms "Zoho One prices do not include VAT" and the All-Employee rule
- Not verified: the Zoho One Essentials GBP price (shown as "–"), Zoho's free-trial length (not shown on the pricing page), Zoho UK data residency, and the specifics of Zoho's AI.