Act! vs ServiceNow Customer Service Management

Salesforce Sales Cloud

HubSpot CRM

Zoho CRM

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application from Salesforce. The platform combines human sales professionals with AI-powered automation, data, and intelligence. This integrated solution is designed to help businesses of all sizes and industries.

HubSpot CRM is a lead management solution that helps businesses with recording calls, logging emails and managing customer data. It has been designed from the ground up and is ready to eliminate manual work and actually help sales teams. It was built ready for the modern world to help users get running and start selling.

Zoho CRM is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) solution that helps businesses of all sizes close deals smarter, better and faster. The solution lets businesses reach customers through every channel, including telephone, email, social media, and live chat.

Manager

Communication, customer support, listening to the questions and answering them specifically to my need providing great guidance for my future use of act and ensuring that I’m a valued customer

IT engineer

As a company who deals with a LOT of different third party vendors, I can genuinely say the customer support at ACT was absolutely top notch and couldnt fault them.

Act! Premium is a powerful, all-in-one CRM and Marketing Automation tool that empowers today’s small and midsize businesses to market better, sell more, and create customers for life.

A/B Testing

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity Dashboard

Activity/News Feed

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

Appointment Scheduling

Autoresponders

Batch Processing

Calendar Management

Calendar/Reminder System

Calendar Sync

Campaign Analytics

Campaign Management

Client Management

Collaboration Tools

Commenting/Notes

Contact Database

Contact Management

Customer Database

Customer Portal

Customer Segmentation

Customizable Branding

Customizable CTAs

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Data Security

Document Management

Document Storage

Drag & Drop

Drip Campaigns

Dynamic Content

Electronic Signature

Email Management

Email Marketing

Email Templates

Email Tracking

Engagement Tracking

Event Triggered Actions

File Sharing

Forecasting

For Insurance Industry

For iPad Devices

For Small Businesses

For Startups

Insurance Management

Interaction Tracking

Kanban Board

Key Performance Indicators

Landing Pages/Web Forms

Lead Capture

Lead Generation

Lead Management

Lead Nurturing

Lead Qualification

Lead Scoring

Marketing Automation

Marketing Calendar

Mobile Access

Mobile App

Multi-Campaign

Multi-Channel Communication

Multi-Channel Marketing

Multivariate Testing

Opportunity Management

Performance Metrics

Pipeline Management

Pipeline Reports

Prospecting Tools

Quotes/Estimates

Real-Time Data

Referral Tracking

Reminders

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

ROI Tracking

Role-Based Permissions

Sales Activity Management

Sales Analytics

Sales Forecasting

Sales Pipeline Management

Sales Reports

Sales Trend Analysis

Search

Search/Filter

Segmentation

Shared Contacts

SMS Marketing

Social Marketing

Social Media Integration

Task Management

Template Management

Territory Management

Third-Party Integrations

Reviews for Act! come from a wide variety of industries, including financial services (7% of reviewers), management consulting (6%), and real estate (6%). The most frequent use case for Act! cited by reviewers is CRM (52% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Some users report that Act! offers many CRM features at a lower price and reviewers appreciate the perpetual license option, which they say is cost-effective for small businesses. However, reviewers indicate frequent upgrades, extra fees, and costly support diminish value.

Value for money

The Act! integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: Microsoft Outlook (an email management product rated 4.2 out of 5 for its integration with Act!) and Microsoft 365 (a document management product, 4.5).

Integrations

Act! is a CRM tool offering key features such as contact database, calendar/reminder system, email management, search/filter, and lead management, among others.

Act!

Web-based

Windows

Android

iPhone

Linux

iPad

Dynamics 365

monday CRM

Pipedrive

Keap

HubSpot Sales Hub

EngageBay CRM

Insightly

Pipeline CRM

SugarCRM

Agile CRM

Act! Advantage Standard 

Act! Advantage Professional 

Act! Advantage Ultimate

Act! Premium Desktop

Act! Email Marketing Plus

Act! Marketing Automation Complete

Unreliable synchronization features

Company director

months later the software still does not synchronise and they cannot give any answer as to when it will be fixed.

59% of reviewers feel negative about synchronization. Users report frequent problems syncing data between devices, platforms, or with cloud services. Some reviewers say that sync failures lead to outdated or missing information, making collaboration difficult. Many mention that syncing with Outlook, Gmail, or mobile devices is inconsistent or requires technical support. Reviewers feel that unreliable synchronization disrupts real-time updates and creates confusion among team members.

Unreliable phone support experience

62% of reviewers feel negative about phone support. Some users report long hold times, unhelpful or poorly trained support staff, and difficulty getting issues resolved over the phone. Reviewers mention frequent transfers, callbacks that never happen, and support representatives who blame other software or escalate issues without follow-up. Many feel frustrated by the lack of responsiveness and the need to repeatedly call for the same problems, which delays resolution and impacts productivity.

Frequent slowdowns and crashes

87% of reviewers feel negative about performance and speed. Some users report that the software is slow to load, often freezes, and consumes significant system resources. Reviewers mention frequent crashes, especially with large databases or when using the web version. Many find that slow performance disrupts their workflow, causes inefficiency, and sometimes leads to data loss. Some users indicate that these issues are persistent across updates and can make the software difficult to rely on for daily operations.

Problematic upgrades and updates

54% of reviewers feel negative about upgrade and update processes. Some users report that upgrades often introduce new bugs, disrupt integrations, or require time-consuming technical support. Reviewers mention that updates can cause downtime, force unwanted changes, or make previously working features unusable. Many find the upgrade process complex, expensive, and poorly communicated, leading to frustration and reluctance to update the software.

Persistent bugs and instability

72% of reviewers feel negative about bugs and issues. Reviewers indicate that the software frequently experiences errors, crashes, and compatibility problems, especially after updates or when integrating with other programs. Some users say that each new version introduces new bugs, requiring ongoing technical support. Many report frustration with unresolved issues, unreliable updates, and instability that disrupts their business processes. Users often feel that technical problems consume excessive time and resources.

Centralized client management

Financial advisor

It helps us stay organized, track client interactions, and manage our sales pipeline efficiently. While it may not have the most modern interface, its functionality and flexibility make it a valuable tool for maintaining strong client relationships and supporting day-to-day operations.

81% of reviewers feel positive about client management. Some users say the software helps them track client interactions, manage sales pipelines, and maintain detailed client histories. Reviewers appreciate having all client information and correspondence easily accessible, which supports relationship building and day-to-day operations. Many mention that the system is user-friendly and supports both individual and team-based client management, making it easier to automate tasks and stay organized.

Robust contact management

82% of reviewers feel positive about contact management. Users think the software efficiently stores and manages large volumes of contact information, allowing them to track interactions, set reminders, and categorize contacts. Some reviewers find it easy to look up and update contact details, which helps them maintain up-to-date records. Many say that having all contact information in one place simplifies their workflow and ensures they never miss important follow-ups or opportunities.

Efficient organization tools

AGM Director of Sales

ACT helps me stay informed and organized during my contracts and groups with a wonderful feature of workflow management.  

Social Media Consultant

The platform offers robust contact management features that enable businesses to store and organize customer information in one centralized location.

83% of reviewers feel positive about organization. Reviewers indicate that the platform helps them keep contacts, leads, and tasks organized in a centralized location. They find features like dynamic groups, workflow management, and advanced search particularly helpful for managing daily work and communication. Some users say the software improves their productivity by providing clear overviews of contact patterns and activities. Many appreciate how it supports both individual and team organization, making it easier to stay on top of business operations.

President

opening new potential contact (downloading lists), Target mailings, keep track of following up calls and prospect to close, Tracking and Reporting Sales.

Owner

I have used the software since 2001, and it has been an essential part of managing my customer relationships, sales activities, and contact database for over two decades.

I wish it was synced to my gmail so that I can created a master document to attach and then automatically add my email communication to ACT

If I had to identify one drawback, it would be that the software can occasionally be a bit finicky—particularly with things like Outlook integration needing to be reset or reconfigured from time to time.

Partner

It has been a dependable tool throughout my professional career, and I continue to view it as a strong CRM solution for businesses that value organization, data integrity, and relationship management.

Marketing Lead

At times, the in-depth customisation capabilities can feel a little clunky and slow, which can add to a loss of efficiency of human capital.

Real Estate Broker

Over the years, I’ve built and maintained a detailed database with all of my property owners, addresses, and sales across more than 50 subdivisions.

I like the ability of creating custom tables for me to capture more information for my business.  

REALTOR

Customization must come with details learning tools so we as customer's can see how these differences will enhance our businesses.

Business Owner and Sales Professional

This is a great tool for keeping my contacts organized, tracking my projects and helping me with marketing.  

Mortgage Loan Officer

Task and calendar integration — Helpful for staying organized with appointments, reminders, and follow-ups.

president

It dumps out .ao files that have no purpose and you ust have to delete them to keep your system from getting cluttered.

sales manager

The ability to keep track of calls, quotes, and emails is a game changer.

Director

I'm not sure there is anything negative I can say about Act, however, the one thing that 'bugs' me is the way it records emails multiple times if there has been more than one addressee.

owner

It's not as robust as it used to be when it was a program you could put on a Mac. And the online version that still does not work very well with Mac

Admin Sales management

Excel imports with blank cells should not write over existing content in a database, it should ignore.

Doctor

From being able to Group my contacts, to scheduling emails, and so much more.

Director of Business Development

Integrates with Outlook - so individual and mass email mailing are easy as well as recorded in history.  

The interface can feel a bit outdated compared to newer CRM platforms, and there is a learning curve when first getting started.

Senior Vice President

tracking buildings rates , vacancy, list broker contact.

to 30 seconds when you do 100 plus activities per day is a waste of time when I could be making sales calls.

Act! vs ServiceNow Customer Service Management Comparison (2026)

Act!

ServiceNow Customer Service Management

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives