Mailbox plans cover storage per user. The CRM add-on is priced per organization and sits on top of your workspace. Understanding CRM vs email plans early prevents buying the wrong thing first.
Two products, two bills
| Mailbox storage | AzAd CRM add-on | |
|---|---|---|
| Billed | Per mailbox / tier | Per organization |
| Typical display price | 15 GB ≈ US$2.86/mo (800 PKR ÷ 280) | US$10/mo or US$100/yr |
| Includes webmail | Yes | No |
| Includes pipeline / invoices | No | Yes |
| Can start alone | Yes — /start/ | Yes — /start/crm/ |
List prices are PKR; USD above is approximate reference only.
Buy mail first when…
- Branded email is the urgent problem (leaving consumer Gmail, shared inboxes, or a failed host)
- Most people need a mailbox, not a CRM login
- You are evaluating AzAd as a Google Workspace alternative for email
Mail includes webmail, contacts, and admin. IMAP/SMTP and Android entitlement apply on eligible tiers (typically 15 GB+). Essential 5 GB is webmail-focused.
Buy CRM first when…
- Pipeline, estimates, and invoices are the urgent problem
- Only a few people need CRM and mailboxes can wait
- You want a flat org price instead of per-seat CRM tax
Shipped AzAd CRM (Phase 17) includes companies and people, deals, proposals, estimates, invoices, payments, projects, tasks, tickets, knowledge base, contracts, expenses, reports, and client portal invoice share links. It is a practical CRM for small organizations — not Salesforce parity marketing.
Buy both when…
Sales lives in email and needs a shared system of record. A common pattern: stabilize mail in month one, add CRM in month two. Another pattern: CRM-only trial first, then add storage so the same org can send and receive.
See the dedicated CRM vs email plans page and the AzAd CRM product page for module detail.
A simple decision checklist
- Count mailbox seats vs CRM users (they are often different numbers).
- Pick the painful job: inbox reliability or revenue process.
- Run the matching trial (mail trial is card-required with 15 GB).
- Add the second product only after the first is trusted.
- If Google/Microsoft MX must stay for some users, read hybrid mail before a forced cutover.
Objections
“CRM should be free with email.” Bundling CRM into every mailbox seat makes mail-only users subsidize sales tooling. AzAd keeps CRM optional and flat per org.
“We only need a shared inbox.” Start with mail. Add CRM when deals and invoices outgrow spreadsheets.
Worked examples (numbers are display USD, PKR ÷ 280)
Six mailboxes, no CRM yet: 6 × US$2.86 ≈ US$17.16/mo for 15 GB mail — webmail, admin, IMAP on eligible tiers.
Six mailboxes + CRM: same mail line plus US$10/mo CRM org add-on ≈ US$27.16/mo total — not six CRM seats.
CRM-only founders: US$10/mo org CRM while mail waits; add two 15 GB mailboxes later when the domain is ready without rebuilding pipeline data.
Hybrid Google: mail storage only for AzAd-hosted addresses; Google MX stays; CRM optional at org price. Routing details on hybrid mail.
Sequencing that works
Month one: stabilize mail (DNS, clients, offboarding). Month two: CRM if sellers will update deals weekly. Month three: Android rollout or IMAP standardization if mobile was deferred. Changing MX and introducing CRM the same week doubles helpdesk load — avoid that unless you have spare IT time.
What CRM does not replace
CRM is not a mailbox. It does not send bulk marketing mail, replace transactional SMTP policy, or become your archive. Sellers still live in inbox for day-to-day threads; CRM holds estimates, invoices, and pipeline stages. When both matter, buy both — but buy mail first if deliverability is the burning problem.
Trial reminders
Mail trial: card-required, 15 GB, cancel before end if not continuing. CRM trial: separate /start/crm/ path. Adding the second product later does not recreate the organization — billing shape is what changes.
Finance presentation tip
Show mailbox count × tier on one slide and “1 × CRM org” on the next. Avoid blending into a single “per employee” metric — that hides the flat CRM advantage.
Hybrid and CRM together
Hybrid mail does not change CRM org pricing. Sellers on AzAd mailboxes can use CRM while other staff stay on Google — see hybrid mail before you force MX cutover the same month you adopt CRM.
Essential path reminder
Essential 5 GB is webmail-focused. If sellers need IMAP or Android, budget 15 GB (~US$2.86/mo display USD) before promising client access.
Annual vs monthly mail
Yearly mailbox tiers lower effective monthly cost — confirm on pricing before finance approves CRM monthly while mail stays monthly (or align both on yearly).
Support burden
Mail trials generate DNS and client tickets; CRM trials generate “empty pipeline” failures when nobody owns data entry. Assign owners for each trial type before you start both at once.
Next step
Open pricing for current numbers, then start mail at /start/ or CRM-only at /start/crm/.