Salesforce vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales
Salesforce and Dynamics 365 Sales are candidates for configured organisational sales processes in different application ecosystems. Compare identity, permissions, account and opportunity data, required integrations and the long-term owner of configuration.
Which option fits the requirement?
Salesforce and Dynamics 365 Sales are candidates for configured organisational sales processes in different application ecosystems. Compare identity, permissions, account and opportunity data, required integrations and the long-term owner of configuration.
Seven differences that change the shortlist
| Buying question | Salesforce | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Sales focus | Sales CRM in the Salesforce platform | Microsoft sales CRM application |
| Core records | Leads, accounts, contacts and opportunities | Accounts, contacts, leads and opportunities |
| Pipeline workflow | Configured sales processes and opportunity management | Sales processes in the selected Dynamics deployment |
| Ecosystem context | Salesforce applications and integration ecosystem | Dataverse, Power Platform and Microsoft application context |
| Administration | Configuration, permissions and platform administration | Environment, security-role and application administration |
| Plan checks | Sales application, edition, automation and integration entitlements | Sales licence, integrations and separately licensed Microsoft capabilities |
| Cost components | Selected Salesforce licences, implementation, integrations and support | Selected Sales users, platform capacity, integrations and implementation |
Four worked buying briefs
These are hypothetical scenarios with explicit assumptions. They do not establish equal capabilities, measured usability or a negotiated price.
| Requirement | Proposed exercise | Accept when |
|---|---|---|
| Sales process | Create a copied lead, account and opportunity through the intended stages. | Required relationships, ownership and next actions remain clear. |
| Visibility | Apply a restricted test sales-user role. | The user sees and edits only the intended records and fields. |
| Follow-up | Run a safe example of the required reminder or automation. | The action is supported by the selected edition and records its outcome. |
| Data handover | Export the test records with their important relationships. | The team can reconcile the retained data and plan a rollback. |
Sales process
Can the team create a copied lead, account and opportunity through the intended stages?
Salesforce: With Salesforce, create a copied lead, account and opportunity through the intended stages.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales: With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, create a copied lead, account and opportunity through the intended stages.
Required relationships, ownership and next actions remain clear.
Visibility
Can the team apply a restricted test sales-user role?
Salesforce: With Salesforce, apply a restricted test sales-user role.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales: With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, apply a restricted test sales-user role.
The user sees and edits only the intended records and fields.
Follow-up
Can the team run a safe example of the required reminder or automation?
Salesforce: With Salesforce, run a safe example of the required reminder or automation.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales: With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, run a safe example of the required reminder or automation.
The action is supported by the selected edition and records its outcome.
Data handover
Can the team export the test records with their important relationships?
Salesforce: With Salesforce, export the test records with their important relationships.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales: With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, export the test records with their important relationships.
The team can reconcile the retained data and plan a rollback.
Workflow and product fit
Salesforce and Dynamics 365 Sales are candidates for configured organisational sales processes in different application ecosystems. Compare identity, permissions, account and opportunity data, required integrations and the long-term owner of configuration.
Compare the actual sales application and licence rather than the vendor’s whole portfolio. Contact records, pipelines, automation, reporting, permissions and marketing or service products can sit in different packages. A demonstration should use the organisation’s real sales stages without exposing customer data.
Salesforce product information ↗ · Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales product information ↗
Cost and migration planning
For Salesforce, include selected Salesforce licences, implementation, integrations and support. For Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, include selected Sales users, platform capacity, integrations and implementation. Use the same workload and resilience assumptions, then confirm current vendor terms for the selected configuration.
Clean a copied contact and opportunity sample, preserve owners and relationships, and rehearse import and export. Define the administrator, integrations, training and rollback before moving live sales work.
Questions before you choose
How should we choose between Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales?
Salesforce and Dynamics 365 Sales are candidates for configured organisational sales processes in different application ecosystems. Compare identity, permissions, account and opportunity data, required integrations and the long-term owner of configuration.
Which costs belong in the comparison?
For Salesforce, include selected Salesforce licences, implementation, integrations and support. For Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, include selected Sales users, platform capacity, integrations and implementation. Use the same workload and resilience assumptions, then confirm current vendor terms for the selected configuration.
What should we check before switching?
Clean a copied contact and opportunity sample, preserve owners and relationships, and rehearse import and export. Define the administrator, integrations, training and rollback before moving live sales work.
Turn the comparison into your own evaluation
Use the same criteria and priorities for both products, keep unknowns unassessed and record the plan and evidence behind your ratings.
Build a Salesforce vs Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales scorecard →Keep the assumptions with the figures
Use the date, billing cycle, units and limits with each example. Check current account terms before purchasing. Unverified prices and model costs stay unpriced.
Download the buying examples as JSON ↓Share the comparison
Use these examples when discussing the shortlist with your team.