What will I actually be paying per year?
Annual billing is often tempting because it offers a per user price that is slightly lower than monthly billing. However, annual billing requires you to pay for a full year either in advance, or by the end of the service year. As such, the true cost of annual billing should factor in the entire year.
The prices bolded below are the total upfront cost for a full year, for the minimum number of users for that tier.
Act! Premium Cloud
- $30/user/month
- Because you are billed annually, your minimum upfront cost is 30 x 12 = $360 (for a single user)
Act! Premium Desktop
- $37.50/user/month
- Because you are billed annually, your minimum upfront cost is 37.50 x 12 = $450 (for a single user)
When should I pay monthly instead of annually?
While there are many reasons why you would opt to pay monthly instead of annually (for example, the ability to switch CRMs whenever you want), one of the more straightforward reasons would be the duration of time you plan on using a CRM.
Listed below is the maximum duration of time you would need to use a CRM tier before it is more "worth it" to pay for a full year instead.
The only difference between the two tiers is whether you want a desktop version or a version that syncs with the Cloud. Alternatively, there is a $40/user/month option that includes both the Cloud and desktop syncing.
Many CRMs offer a free version of their software with severe feature limitations. While appealing to small businesses or solopreneurs, most free versions are simply marketing tools to introduce new users to a paid tier and are not designed to be scalable.