Arpixa vs Zoho
A focused, AI-native agency operating system against one of the broadest software suites in the world. See how Arpixa’s flat pricing, branded client portal and dual payment rails compare with Zoho’s 45-app ecosystem — so you can pick the right platform for how your team actually works.
Head-to-head scorecard
Our editorial assessment across the surfaces that matter most to agencies. Arpixa leads on pricing, workflow fit and the client portal; Zoho leads on sheer breadth and accounting depth.
ArpixaAI-native, portal-first, flat pricing built for client work.
ZohoVast, mature suite — powerful well beyond agency work.
Six reasons agencies choose Arpixa
The differences that show up in everyday agency work — not just on a feature checklist.
Pricing that stays predictable
Arpixa is one flat price for the workspace, from a permanent free plan to $12/month. Zoho One is billed per employee — and its cheapest tier requires a license for everyone on payroll.
Flat, not per-seatBuilt for agencies, not everything
A proposal becomes a project, deliverables become invoices, and every conversation stays tied to the client. No stitching CRM, Projects, Books, Sign and Forms together yourself.
Purpose-built OSA client portal you control
Give every client one branded dashboard for timeline, deliverables, files, invoices, payments and messages — with visibility set section by section, out of the box.
Per-section controlAI-native workflow
Generate proposals, briefs, replies and summaries from your workspace context, with full review control — woven into the agency workflow rather than spread across separate apps.
AI Drafts built inFast time to value
Sign up, brand your portal and onboard your first client the same day. A full Zoho One rollout typically means configuring and connecting many apps before you go live.
Live in minutesAdd the team without the math
Arpixa Pro includes unlimited collaborators at $29/month flat. On Zoho One, every extra person is another per-employee license to budget for.
Simple team seatsFlat workspace pricing vs per-seat licensing
Arpixa starts free and scales from $12/month for the whole workspace. Zoho is billed per user or per employee, so the cost grows with every seat.
Free
Real plan, not a trial — 1 client, 2 seats, core tools.
Starter
For solo teams and small studios getting organized.
ProPopular
Branded portal, automations, unlimited collaborators.
Advanced
White-label leaning, heavy automation and scale.
CRM Standard
Single-app CRM, per user — not the full agency suite.
Zoho One · All Employee
45+ apps, per employee — license everyone on payroll.
Zoho One · Flexible
License only some users, at a premium per seat.
Prices shown for comparison and may change — check each vendor’s pricing page for current figures. Zoho figures are per user or per employee; the Zoho One All Employee plan requires licensing every employee on payroll. Annual figures are the per-month equivalent when billed yearly.
The full side-by-side breakdown
Every major surface, scored honestly — including where Zoho does something Arpixa does not. Filter by category or focus only on the rows where the two platforms differ.
| Capability | Arpixa | Zoho |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & CRM | ||
| Contact / client CRMCentral records linked to work and billing | Included | Included |
| Lead InboxDedicated inbound pipeline before a client exists | Included | Via CRM setup |
| Proposals & quotesScope, pricing and approval flow | Included | CRM / Quotes |
| E-sign contracts & docsSignable agreements tied to the client | Included | Zoho Sign |
| Delivery | ||
| Projects & tasksBoards, timelines and deliverables | Included | Zoho Projects |
| Docs, briefs & wikiShared delivery knowledge | Included | Writer / WorkDrive |
| Forms & intakeStructured client input | Included | Zoho Forms |
| Milestone & retainer billingScope- and milestone-led invoicing | Included | Across apps |
| Client experience | ||
| Branded client portalOne dashboard for the whole engagement | Included | Per-app portals |
| Per-section visibilityChoose exactly what each client sees | Included | Complex to configure |
| Scheduling & bookingsMeetings and calendar-ready workflows | Included | Zoho Bookings |
| White-label workspaceRemove vendor branding | Advanced plan | Higher tiers |
| Billing | ||
| Invoicing & PDFsBranded invoices and billing context | Included | Invoice / Books |
| Stripe paymentsCard payments on invoices | Included | Included |
| Razorpay paymentsIndia-first payment rail | Native | Via Books setup |
| Full accounting & bookkeepingLedgers, taxes, reconciliation | Not available | Zoho Books |
| AI & access | ||
| AI assistant / draftsGenerated proposals, briefs, summaries | Included | Zia AI |
| Workflow automationsTriggers, rules and status moves | Included | Included |
| Webhooks & API accessConnect external systems | Included | Included |
| Permanent free planNo-cost tier, not a trial | Included | Trial only |
| 45+ app ecosystemMail, HR, Desk, Campaigns and more | Not available | Zoho One |
Where each platform pulls ahead
Beyond the checkmarks — how the two products actually feel across the agency workflow, including the areas Zoho wins.
Flat workspace pricing vs per-seat licensing
Arpixa charges one flat rate for the whole workspace, so your cost is predictable as the team grows. Zoho One is priced per employee — and its lowest rate, the All Employee plan, requires you to license every person on payroll.
- Arpixa Starter is a flat $12/month; Pro at $29/month includes unlimited collaborators.
- Zoho One All Employee is $37/user/month billed annually, for everyone on payroll.
- A permanent free plan lets you validate Arpixa before paying anything.
One agency workflow, not many apps to wire up
Arpixa connects sales, delivery, the client portal and billing in a single model built for agencies. Zoho covers the same ground, but by combining separate apps — CRM, Projects, Books, Sign, Forms — that you configure and connect yourself.
- Proposals flow into projects, and deliverables flow into invoices, automatically.
- Messages, files and payments stay attached to the client record.
- Nothing to integrate across CRM, Projects and Books to see the full picture.
A branded front door you fully control
Arpixa gives every client one branded dashboard for timeline, deliverables, documents, proposals, files, invoices, payments and messages — with visibility set per section. Zoho offers portals, but they live across individual apps and take configuration to unify.
- Per-section visibility keeps internal notes private while sharing the work.
- Clients self-serve status, files and payments instead of emailing for updates.
- One consistent client experience rather than several app-specific portals.
Breadth and depth across the whole company
Credit where it's due: Zoho is a vast, mature ecosystem. If you need software for the entire company — accounting, HR, help desk, email, marketing — Zoho One covers ground Arpixa deliberately does not. Arpixa stays focused on the agency workflow.
- Zoho One bundles 45+ apps including Books, Desk, People, Mail and Campaigns.
- Zoho Books offers full accounting and bookkeeping that Arpixa does not.
- Deep customization via Creator, Deluge scripting and Zoho Analytics.
Pick the platform that fits how you work
No tool wins on everything. Here’s the straight answer on when each one is the better choice.
Choose Arpixa if…
You run an agency or client-service team and want a focused, AI-native operating system.
- You want flat, predictable pricing — no per-seat or per-employee math.
- The client portal matters — one branded, per-section dashboard out of the box.
- You bill globally or in India — native Stripe and Razorpay rails.
- You want to be live today — start free, onboard your first client in minutes.
Choose Zoho if…
You need software for the whole company, not just the agency workflow.
- You want 45+ integrated apps — mail, HR, help desk, campaigns and more.
- Full accounting is essential — Zoho Books handles ledgers, taxes and reconciliation.
- You need deep customization — Creator, Deluge scripting and Zoho Analytics.
- You’re scaling a large org — mature enterprise controls across the suite.
Moving from Zoho to Arpixa
A connected data model makes the agency workflow map cleanly. Here’s the path most teams take.
Map your workspace
List active clients, live projects and open invoices in Zoho so nothing is missed.
Recreate the structure
Set up your Arpixa workspace, branding and client portal sections to mirror your setup.
Bring work across
Move client records, proposals, projects and invoices, keeping billing context attached.
Invite & go live
Add your team and clients, switch the portal on, and run new business through Arpixa.
Still weighing it up? Here’s what teams ask
Straight answers to the questions that come up most when choosing between Arpixa and Zoho.
Arpixa is a focused, AI-native operating system for agencies and client-service teams — CRM, proposals, projects, a branded client portal, invoicing and dual Stripe + Razorpay payments in one flat-priced workspace starting free and at $12/month. Zoho is a vast software suite: Zoho One bundles 45+ apps for the whole company, priced per employee starting at $37/user/month on annual billing.
For most agencies, yes. Arpixa is a flat price for the workspace — a permanent free plan, then $12/month Starter and $29/month Pro with unlimited collaborators. Zoho One is billed per employee, and its cheapest All Employee plan ($37/user/month annually) requires a license for everyone on payroll. A single-app path like Zoho CRM Standard starts around $14/user/month, but only covers CRM.
Yes, and it is worth being clear about. Zoho One spans far more than agency work: full accounting and bookkeeping in Zoho Books, HR in Zoho People, a help desk in Zoho Desk, email, marketing campaigns, and deep low-code customization via Creator and Deluge. Arpixa intentionally stays focused on the agency sales-to-billing workflow rather than being a whole-company suite.
Yes. Arpixa includes both Stripe and Razorpay natively, so teams can collect card payments globally and INR payments through Razorpay with no extra wiring. Zoho supports these too, but through Zoho Payments and gateway setup inside Books or Invoice rather than as a built-in agency billing rail.
No, and it does not try to be. Arpixa handles agency invoicing, payments and billing context tied to your projects and clients. For formal bookkeeping, ledgers, tax filing and reconciliation, Zoho Books is the deeper tool. Many agencies run Arpixa for client work and billing while keeping a dedicated accounting tool for the books.
For most solo operators and small studios, Arpixa is the lighter lift: start on the permanent free plan, then move to $12/month Starter as you grow, with everything an agency needs in one place. Zoho One is powerful but priced per employee and built to run an entire company, which is often more than a small studio needs on day one.
Both can give clients a branded space, but the experience differs. Arpixa ships one connected client portal covering timeline, deliverables, files, invoices, payments and messages, with per-section visibility, out of the box. Zoho offers portals across individual apps (CRM, Projects, Books), which you configure and connect to build a unified client view.
It depends on how much of Zoho you use. If you run Zoho CRM, Projects and Invoice for client work, the structure maps cleanly onto Arpixa’s connected client, project and invoice records. If you rely on Zoho for company-wide accounting or HR, you may keep those and move only the agency workflow to Arpixa. For complex setups, email hello@arpixa.io for guidance.
Arpixa has a real, permanent free plan — not a time-limited trial. It includes 1 active client per month, 2 team collaborators, core features, a one-time AI trial, 500 MB storage and an agency portfolio, so you can validate the full workflow before upgrading. Zoho One offers a 30-day trial of the full suite rather than a permanent free tier.
Arpixa is AI-native rather than AI-bolted-on. It can draft proposals, briefs, replies and summaries from your workspace context, and you keep full review control before anything is sent. Zoho’s Zia AI is capable too, but its assistance is spread across individual apps rather than woven into a single agency workflow.
Arpixa is month-to-month, with annual billing available for a lower effective rate and no long lock-in — upgrade, downgrade or cancel as your client load changes. Zoho offers monthly and annual billing as well; note that Zoho One annual pricing assumes a yearly commitment. Always confirm current terms on each vendor’s pricing page before subscribing.
One workspace for sales, delivery and getting paid
Client work, proposals, projects, the branded portal, invoicing and automations — in one AI-native workspace with flat pricing. Start free.
Try Arpixa nowSee why agencies switch — free to start