Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Salesforce: which CRM will drive your growth?
When it comes to CRM, two giants have been vying for the limelight for years: Salesforce, the Californian pioneer, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, the outsider that has become indispensable thanks to its Microsoft ecosystem.
But in 2025, the choice is no longer so clear-cut. Between the hyper-personalisation of Salesforce and the powerful integration of Dynamics into the Microsoft suite, the two solutions have very different ambitions... for needs that are often very similar.
So how do you decide?
Which tool is best suited to your sales cycle, your team size and your productivity challenges?
And above all: which will give you the best return on investment?
We've looked at features, prices, integrations, ergonomics (and even customer reviews) to give you a clear, well-sourced, no-nonsense comparison.
Spoiler: there is no universal winner. But there is the right choice for you.
What is Microsoft Dynamics 365?
Overview of Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is aimed at medium-sized to large businesses, often already equipped with the Microsoft ecosystem. Its positioning? To offer a unified platform for managing the entire customer value chain: from prospecting to customer loyalty, including support and finance.
Its main advantage: native complementarity with Microsoft 365 (formerly Office), Outlook, Teams, Power Platform and Azure. Clearly, if you already live in the Microsoft world, Dynamics 365 fits in like a perfectly-tailored piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
In terms of use cases, Dynamics 365 shines in complex B2B environments where sales processes require coordination, automation and cross-functional monitoring. It is widely used in the manufacturing, professional services, healthcare and financial sectors, where customer data flows between several teams.
Its flagship customers include HP, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, BMW Group and UNICEF. Proof that Dynamics is not there to play the extras.
Key features of Microsoft Dynamics 365
Dynamics 365 isn't just a CRM: it's a modular hub. You activate only what you need, making it a particularly powerful à la carte solution.
Here are the key features that make the software so powerful:
- Sales: advanced opportunity management, lead scoring using AI (Sales Insights), dynamic sales forecasts, automation of sales tasks.
- Marketing: multi-channel campaigns, large-scale personalisation, native integration with Customer Insights for data-driven marketing.
- Customer Service: ticket management, self-service portal, chatbot integration, knowledge base, intelligent routing of requests.
- Field Service: service scheduling, field technician management, predictive maintenance, mobile application for agents.
- Finance and Operations (ERP): invoicing, accounting, supply chain, stock management, regulatory compliance.
- Power Platform: automation (Power Automate), reporting (Power BI), low-code application development (Power Apps) - all native.
The modular approach means that the solution can be gradually scaled up, with a unified technical foundation. The solution can therefore be developed at the pace of the business, without the need to rebuild the entire system at each stage.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Advantages and disadvantages of Microsoft Dynamics 365
We're not going to beat around the bush: Dynamics 365 impresses with its power. But like all powerful software, it also has its drawbacks.
What we like:
- Nativeintegrationwith the Microsoft suite (Teams, Outlook, Excel, SharePoint...): a dream for teams already in the ecosystem.
- Modular approach: you activate only the bricks you need.
- Intelligent automation via Power Automate and AI-powered insights.
- Scalability: suitable for ambitious SMEs and multinationals alike.
- Extensive customisation thanks to Power Platform and Azure.
Possible drawbacks:
- Slightly steep learning curve, especially without an integrator partner.
- Less fluid user experience than some competitors, especially on mobile devices.
- Complex pricing: you have to juggle modules, licences and options.
- Fewer community resources for developers and administrators than Salesforce.
What is Salesforce?
Overview of Salesforce
Salesforce is a kind of all-terrain CRM aimed at both ambitious SMEs and large, ultra-structured companies. Its strength? A clear positioning: to help companies sell better, faster and smarter, based on unified customer data.
The software offers a suite of interconnected business clouds (Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, etc.) covering the entire customer lifecycle. All orchestrated by the company's own artificial intelligence, Einstein AI, to boost personalisation, productivity and anticipation.
Salesforce also stands out for its ultra-active global community (developers, partners, consultants, users), and its AppExchange ecosystem of applications, a rich marketplace for easily extending its functionalities.
In terms of use cases, Salesforce is particularly powerful in high-volume B2C environments, or in sales, customer service and marketing-oriented sectors such as retail, tech, telecoms or financial services.
Among its customers? Amazon, Spotify, Renault, Accor, IBM, as well as thousands of scale-ups and SMEs that want to accelerate without sacrificing personalisation.
Key features of Salesforce
Salesforce is like the Swiss Army Knife of CRM... the luxury version. Each brick is designed for a specific business, but they all communicate with each other in a Customer 360 approach: a unified view of the customer at every point of contact.
Here are the most striking features:
- Sales Cloud: opportunity management, sales automation, intelligent forecasting, lead scoring via Einstein AI, customisable pipelines.
- Marketing Cloud: omnichannel campaigns, automated customer journeys, dynamic personalisation, integration with social networks, behavioural scoring.
- Service Cloud: support centre, intelligent routing, chatbots, knowledge base, SLA, multi-channel management (email, telephone, social networks).
- Experience Cloud: creation of customer portals, partner extranets, personalised online communities.
- Tableau & Einstein Analytics: advanced data visualisation, predictive AI, personalised and interactive dashboards.
- AppExchange: thousands of third-party apps validated by Salesforce to enrich its platform.
One of Salesforce's greatest strengths is its ability to adapt to all sectors, thanks to its industry-specific modules and templates (health, finance, education, NGOs, etc.).
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Advantages and disadvantages of Salesforce
Salesforce is like the Messi of CRM: ultra-talented, visionary, but not necessarily accessible to all teams from the first half.
What we like about it:
- Modern, intuitive interface, designed for end users and admins alike.
- Ultra-rich AppExchange ecosystem for extending functionality without coding.
- Active global community, with a huge resource base (Trailhead, forums, webinars, etc.).
- Einstein AI to really boost sales and marketing campaigns with predictive intelligence.
- Extreme flexibility: very high level of business customisation, even on complex architectures.
Possible drawbacks :
- High prices, especially when you add several clouds or advanced options.
- Lengthy implementation if starting from scratch or without external support.
- Too much choice kills choice: the wealth of functions can overwhelm teams if you don't prioritise.
- Not very natural with Microsoft 365, unless you go through integrators or third-party apps.
Feature comparison: Dynamics 365 vs Salesforce
| Comparison axis | Dynamics 365 strengths | Salesforce strengths | Things to remember |
| Lead & pipeline management | Scoring with LinkedIn, native automation, fair lead attribution | Einstein Lead Scoring, campaign attribution, predictive conversion | Dynamics integrates LinkedIn well, Salesforce dominates in AI. |
| Reporting & analysis | Native integration with Power BI, customised reports | Tableau + Einstein Analytics, interactive dashboards | If you're already on Microsoft, Power BI gives you an edge. |
| Customisation & automation | Power Automate + Power Apps, low-code/high-modality logic | Flow Builder, Apex, complex but flexible logic | Dynamics is more accessible for non-developers, Salesforce more powerful for complex architectures. |
| Third-party integrations & ecosystem | AppSource + deep integration with Microsoft 365, Azure | Very rich AppExchange, numerous connectors | Salesforce wins out over the third-party catalogue, Dynamics over Microsoft consistency. |
| Specialised functionalities (service, field, marketing) | Field Service, ERP modules, integrated service | Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud | Dynamics offers a complete package with ERP, Salesforce excels in specialised marketing. |
Focus 1: Lead management & pipeline
Dynamics 365 benefits from LinkedIn integration (Sales Navigator), which automatically enriches the prospect file - a valuable asset in B2B. For its part, Salesforce offers Einstein Lead Scoring, which predicts which leads are most likely to convert, using algorithms based on historical data.
👉 To remember
Salesforce excels in predictive scoring, but Dynamics offers a more integrated approach if you're already in the Microsoft world.
Focus 2: Reporting and analysis
Dynamics 365 directly integrates Power BI, making it possible to move from CRM to analytical dashboards with a single click. On the other hand, Salesforce relies on Tableau + Einstein Analytics, a comprehensive solution for demanding users.
👉 To remember
For strong analytical needs, both respond - but Dynamics shines if Power BI is already in place.
Focus 3: Customisation & automation
In Dynamics, you have Power Apps and Power Automate for building workflows without coding. Salesforce offers Flow Builder (and Apex for the more advanced), which makes customisation almost infinite, but often more complex.
👉 To remember
If you want rapid customisation without a developer, Dynamics is more affordable; for highly advanced business architectures, Salesforce offers more scope.
Focus 4: Integrations & third-party ecosystem
Dynamics 365 fits naturally into the Microsoft ecosystem (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Azure...) plus AppSource for extensions. Salesforce has a huge AppExchange catalogue, with thousands of modules ready to plug in.
👉 To remember
For the wealth of third-party extensions, Salesforce dominates. For technological consistency, Dynamics is unbeatable if you live in Microsoft.
Focus 5: Specialised functions (service, field, marketing)
Dynamics includes modules such as Field Service, ERP and Integrated Customer Service, making it an all-in-one suite. Salesforce shines in marketing (Marketing Cloud) and service (Service Cloud), with highly specialised capabilities for campaigns, customer portals and communities (Experience Cloud).
👉 To remember
Dynamics is a complete platform with a native ERP advantage, while Salesforce offers more specialised and mature tools for marketing and customer service.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 vs Salesforce: compare prices
Prices are shown as annual payments.
| Offer / level | Microsoft Dynamics 365 (Sales) | Salesforce (Sales Cloud, etc.) | Key features included / comments |
| Basic / entry | 60.80 excl. VAT / user / month - Dynamics 365 Sales Professional | 25 excl. VAT / user / month - Salesforce Starter (SME offer) | Basic sales automation, standard reporting |
| Intermediate / standard | 98.30 excl. VAT / user / month - Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise | 100 / user / month ("Suite Pro" package) or €175 / user / month ("Large Groups" package) | Advanced customisation functions, AI / insights integration |
| Premium / advanced version | 140.40 excl. VAT / user / month - Dynamics 365 Sales Premium | 350 / user / month for "Unlimited / top-of-the-range" editions (before the 2025 increase) | Includes AI, advanced modules, high expansion capabilities |
Software 1 vs Software 2: which interface is more intuitive?
When you invest in a CRM, you're not just buying functionality. You're also buying a user experience. And Salesforce and Dynamics 365 don't play this game quite the same way.
One relies on a streamlined, ready-to-use interface.
The other relies on extensive customisation... even if it means losing a little simplicity along the way.
Here's what we can learn from our analysis:
| Criteria | Microsoft Dynamics 365 | Salesforce |
| Getting started | Less immediate, especially without training; business process-oriented logic | More intuitive for sales and marketing staff; well-defined user path |
| General ergonomics | Sober, sometimes dense interface; highly consistent with other Microsoft apps | Modern, fluid, end-user-oriented design; responsive & mobile-optimised |
| UI/UX customisation | High potential via Power Apps; low-code accessible for creating custom interfaces | Ultra-flexible with Lightning App Builder and Flow; often requires technical expertise |
| Onboarding & integrated help | Little in-app support, but good support via Microsoft Learn | Trailhead: gamified training, integrated tutorials, active community |
| Mobile experience | Good mobile application, but less fluid than Salesforce | Very good mobile application, well rated, with optimised navigation |
👉 To remember
- Dynamics 365 will appeal to companies that are already comfortable with the Microsoft environment, but will take some getting used to.
- Salesforce, on the other hand, focuses on user-friendliness and fluidity, particularly for non-technical teams.
Software 1 vs Software 2: compare integrations
A CRM rarely stands alone in the world. It needs to be able to talk to your business tools: ERP, messaging, customer support, marketing tools, etc.
In this area, Salesforce and Dynamics 365 each offer a strong ecosystem... but not always with the same philosophy.
| Criteria | Microsoft Dynamics 365 | Salesforce |
| Number of integrations available | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (rich AppSource but more Microsoft-centric) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (AppExchange = over 4,000 validated apps) |
| Ease of integration | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (pre-existing connectors with Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, etc.) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (intuitive interface, multiple connectors, but sometimes complex without an integrator) |
| Automation & workflow | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (native Power Automate, no-code logic accessible) | ⭐⭐⭐��☆ (Flow Builder powerful, but more technical to get to grips with) |
Quick analysis:
- Salesforce wins on the richness of the catalogue (AppExchange is a goldmine) and offers highly targeted integrations by sector.
- Dynamics 365 focuses on the depth of integration with the Microsoft environment, which saves time if you're already using Teams, Outlook or SharePoint.
And when it comes to automation, Microsoft Power Automate shines in its simplicity: you can create workflows without a single line of code, which is not always the case with Salesforce Flow.
👉 To remember
Salesforce offers more integrations, while Dynamics 365 offers more native consistency.
For accessible automation and simple business workflows, Dynamics has a slight advantage. But for a varied or SaaS-oriented tech stack, Salesforce remains more open.
When should you choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Salesforce?
Let's be honest: both CRMs are excellent. But depending on your environment, your objectives and your teams, one can clearly tip the balance.
Here are some concrete scenarios to help you see things more clearly.
When to choose Dynamics 365
If you already make extensive use of Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Excel).
Dynamics 365 can be integrated as a natural extension of your current stack. You gain in consistency and fluidity, and you limit the duplication of tools.
If you need a unified CRM + ERP.
The power of Dynamics also lies in its ERP capabilities (Finance, Supply Chain, HR), integrated into the same platform. If you're looking for end-to-end operations management, it's hard to beat it.
If you're looking for a modular, scalable solution.
With Dynamics, you can start small (e.g. just Sales or Field Service) and gradually expand as needed, without starting from scratch.
If you have automation needs that are accessible to non-techies.
Power Automate lets you create simple, efficient workflows without touching a single line of code. A nugget for operational teams.
If your sales cycles are complex and B2B.
With its business process-oriented tools, Dynamics is formidable when it comes to structuring long sales cycles involving several stakeholders.
When to choose Salesforce
If you're a scale-up or a large company with autonomous sales/marketing teams.
Salesforce will appeal to you because of its user-friendliness, ease of use and powerful tools for sales and marketing staff.
If you're going all out for marketing automation and customer personalisation.
With Marketing Cloud, Pardot and Einstein AI, Salesforce offers an arsenal of high-performance functionalities for segmenting, automating and personalising on a massive scale.
If you need an ultra-flexible, segmented CRM.
Thanks to its industry-specific Clouds (healthcare, education, finance, NGOs, etc.), Salesforce can adapt precisely to your sector of activity.
If you want to benefit from a very broad application ecosystem.
The AppExchange is a veritable supermarket of validated integrations: electronic signature, event management, e-commerce, HR, etc.
If you have in-house developers (or a dedicated integrator).
Salesforce offers almost unlimited customisation power with Apex, Flow, LWC... but you need to have the technical resources to take advantage of it.
Things to remember about the Microsoft Dynamics 365 vs Salesforce battle
We've seen some heavyweight, modular, AI, integration galore... But let's just sum up.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the logical solution if you already live in the Microsoft ecosystem, with a need for consistency, simple automation and a CRM that can evolve into an ERP.
Salesforce is the ultimate solution for companies that want to move fast, personalise their customer journey to the max, and draw on a hyper-active global community.
| Your needs | Our recommendation |
| Do you already use Outlook, Teams, SharePoint or Excel? | Microsoft Dynamics 365: native integration, fluid logic |
| Are you looking for an integrated CRM + ERP solution? | Dynamics 365: the Finance/Operations component is already there |
| Do your sales reps want a tool that's quick and easy to learn? | Salesforce: more modern interface, top ergonomics |
| Are you banking on marketing automation and hyper-personalisation? | Salesforce: Marketing Cloud + AI Einstein, the winning combo |
| Want to start small and grow over time? | Dynamics 365: modular approach, gradual ramp-up |
| Need a CRM tailored to a specific sector (healthcare, education, etc.)? | Salesforce: ready-to-use business clouds |
| Do you have a technical team or an expert integrator? | Salesforce: extreme customisation via Apex, Flow, LWC |
| Do you prefer simple automation without dev? | Dynamics 365: Power Automate = powerful no-code automation |
FAQ on Microsoft Dynamics 365 vs Salesforce
1. Which CRM is easiest for SMEs to learn?
Salesforce, particularly with its Starter package, designed for small organisations. Its interface is fluid, intuitive and well-guided.
Dynamics 365, which is more powerful but less immediate, is aimed more at SMEs that are already comfortable with the Microsoft environment.
2. Which of the two is best suited to a company already on Microsoft 365?
Without hesitation: Microsoft Dynamics 365. Native integration with Outlook, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, Power BI, etc. Result: less friction, more productivity.
3. Is Salesforce really more expensive?
Yes... and no. The entry ticket is low (€25/month for the Starter package), but as soon as you move up the range, costs can rise quickly. Dynamics 365, on the other hand, has more stable prices but a modular pricing structure that's harder to predict.
4. Which CRM offers the best customisation?
Salesforce, without question. Between Apex (proprietary language), Flow and Lightning App Builder, everything is customisable.
Dynamics 365, with its Power Platform, also offers good customisation, but is more 'low-code' for non-developers.
5. Is it easy to automate tasks in both tools?
Yes, but with a different approach. Dynamics 365 shines with Power Automate, which is very accessible. Salesforce is more powerful (Einstein Automate, Flow), but more technical to set up.
6. Which solution is best for marketing teams?
Salesforce, with its Marketing Cloud, which offers omnichannel customer journeys, fine-grained segmentation and advanced AI capabilities. Dynamics Marketing remains solid, but a notch below in terms of functional richness.
7. Which solution is best suited to an industrial B2B company?
Dynamics 365, for its ability to manage long sales cycles, its Field Service module and its proximity to ERP tools. Perfect for complex, multi-team, multi-process environments.
8. What if I want to get started quickly, without an integrator?
Salesforce Starter offers a turnkey version, easy to deploy in just a few clicks. This is one of its major advantages for small teams or rapid testing.
Article translated from French