SMART CRM: A Reliable Alternative to Bitrix24

A few years ago, a significant portion of CRM systems in the Eastern European region were of russian origin. Among them, Bitrix24 was particularly popular and widely used by businesses.

However, concerns around data security, compliance, and operational risks have made reliance on russian-origin software increasingly problematic. For example, recent trends show that the use of such CRMs has dropped to around 14% of companies.

This shift created an opportunity for local CRM solutions, such as SMART CRM, to gain traction by offering secure, modern, and fully compliant platforms.

In this article, we’ll explore the risks associated with using russian-origin CRM systems and outline key factors to consider when choosing a contemporary, safe alternative to Bitrix24 and similar software.

What is Bitrix24?

Bitrix24 is a CRM system for managing business processes, developed by the russian company 1C-Bitrix. Until 2022, Bitrix24 held a significant share of the CRM market across Eastern Europe, with particularly strong adoption among small and medium-sized businesses. This was largely because the solution offered a basic set of tools for communication, task management, and sales. At first glance, this all-in-one approach seemed convenient, especially for companies that could not invest in specialized standalone systems. At the same time, the universal nature of the platform often came with limited flexibility, support challenges, and significant risks related to the origin of the developer.

A Brief Overview of Bitrix24: Key Features and Drawbacks for Businesses

For a long time, Bitrix24 positioned itself as an all-in-one solution for organizing internal company processes. The basic package includes functionality for managing customer databases (CRM), task assignment and tracking, telephony integrations, email and internal chats, organizing workspaces for team collaboration, and more.

Despite its broad functionality, today Bitrix24 is more often associated with risks and limitations than advantages — especially for companies operating under international legal frameworks.

Key Drawbacks of Bitrix24:

1. russian origin — Bitrix24 was developed by 1C-Bitrix, which has russian roots. This system is associated with risks to national security and can undermine trust in the domestic market.
   Potential consequences: Companies risk losing the trust of partners, clients, and government contractors, as using russian software may be perceived as unacceptable. Additionally, this dependency complicates entry into international markets where compliance with sanctions and ethical business policies is mandatory.
2. Data storage and processing risks — There is no clear information about the physical location of Bitrix24 servers or under which jurisdiction they fall. There is a high likelihood that data is stored or transmitted through russia, allowing russian authorities potential access to confidential information. This applies not only to technical administration but also to possible requests from security agencies or influence from the regulator of the aggressor country.
   Potential consequences: Uncontrolled access to internal business data, compromise of client databases, financial information, or internal documentation by third parties connected to russia. This may lead to data leaks, financial losses, or unwanted legal implications, such as:
   • Violation of data protection laws — If a company cannot guarantee that data is stored and processed exclusively within secure jurisdictions (such as EU), it may potentially violate laws like the GDPR or CCPA, which could result in fines or bans in certain markets.
   • Compliance issues (ISO/IEC, SOC 2, etc.) — Many companies undergo audits for compliance with international information security standards. Having russian-origin software in the IT infrastructure automatically creates a risk of non-compliance.
   • Potential claims from clients or partners — In case of a data breach or unauthorized access, the company may face claims, reputational pressure, or lawsuits from business partners.
3. Overly complex interface — The Bitrix24 interface is often cluttered with extra buttons, features, and sections that are not always intuitive for users. This increases the learning curve and requires additional resources to train employees.
   Potential consequences: CRM implementation takes longer, and team productivity decreases as employees spend more time adapting to the tool.
4. Lack of deep integration with local services — Bitrix24 does not provide direct, full integration with popular platforms for accounting, reporting, and communications. As a result, companies often need to process data outside the system or invest in complex custom integrations.
   Potential consequences: Process automation remains incomplete, increasing the risk of errors and adding extra costs for integrations or duplicate manual work.
5. Limited data export options — Migrating data from Bitrix24 can be challenging: automatic export is restricted, requiring additional tools and resources. Data is often exported in fragments, with no convenient way to fully extract the complete history of interactions, tasks, files, emails, and more.
   Potential consequences: Businesses lose flexibility and fall into a “digital lock-in”, with limited control over their own data and dependence on a single vendor.
6. Complicated licensing structure — Pricing depends not only on the number of users but also on access to core functionality, which is sometimes hidden behind additional packages.
   Potential consequences: It is harder to predict the actual CRM costs, making budgeting more complicated.
7. Moral and ethical risks — Using a product from a country with a problematic reputation may conflict with corporate social responsibility principles, particularly if the company wants to promote an ethical or socially responsible image.
   Potential consequences: Negative brand perception among employees, partners, clients, and even international stakeholders. This is another important reason to consider a Ukrainian alternative to Bitrix24.

For companies, using Bitrix24 has long gone beyond a simple technology choice — it has become a matter of risk and reputation. Having ties to the russian developers carries not only potential legal and compliance issues but also deeper consequences: from losing the trust of partners and clients to facing challenges in entering international markets. In a business environment where digital security is a strategic priority, continuing to rely on this software creates an uncontrolled zone of vulnerability: limited technical support, restricted updates, unexpected failures, or account blocks. With increasing demands for transparency in business processes, such a tool can do more harm than good, making the choice of a secure alternative to Bitrix24 a necessity today.

SMART CRM — a Secure Alternative to Bitrix24 Built on International Technologies

SMART CRM is SMART business’s proprietary solution, built on Microsoft Power Platform. The system combines customer-focused design with the reliability of global IT giant Microsoft, offering businesses tools for sales, marketing, and service management that meet modern security standards and support efficient business processes.

The platform is designed for both B2B and B2C segments, enabling a smooth transition from legacy or russian software, making it the best Ukrainian alternative to Bitrix24.

SMART CRM ensures GDPR and CCPA compliance and provides ready-made integrations with popular local services and applications. Implementation takes between one and three weeks, and thanks to the platform’s flexibility, each company can customize it to meet its unique needs.

Core functionality and capabilities of SMART CRM:

• Unified customer database — stores all information about customer interactions in a single secure environment.
• Integration with business applications — allows connection to modern communication channels and payment services without additional development costs.
• Real-time analytics — provides extensive tracking of key metrics and current trends to support timely management decisions.
• Template-based business processes — includes ready-made solutions for B2B and B2C workflows, with flexible customization to fit the company’s specific needs.
• Team collaboration tools — accelerates internal communication and simplifies information sharing across departments.
• Preservation of corporate knowledge — centralizes and safeguards accumulated expertise without the risk of data loss.

Four key SMART CRM solutions:

• SMART Sales — automates B2B sales from first contact to deal closure. Features include customer and sales management, communications, product catalogs, addresses, tasks and notifications, as well as advanced analytics and reporting.
• SMART Customer Care — ensures efficient service through a single-window interface. Handles requests in real time, supports multiple channels, integrates popular messengers via SMART Chat, monitors SLAs, and generates reports.
• SMART Order Management — provides full control over the order fulfillment process. From order receipt to delivery, it automates allocation, processing, and execution, minimizing customer wait times.
• SMART Marketing — enables live omnichannel marketing: audience targeting, customer segment management, automated campaigns, content management, and campaign performance analytics.

As a Ukrainian alternative to Bitrix24, SMART CRM also supports enhanced capabilities through additional tools like SMART Chat, which consolidates communications from Facebook Messenger, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber, and Instagram into a single CRM window for personalized interactions.

What Sets SMART CRM Apart from Bitrix24 Alternatives: Key Advantages

• Complete data security and control thanks to Microsoft cloud technologies.
• Fast migration from russian or legacy systems without losing critical information.
• Ready-made integrations and modules — no additional development costs.
• Flexible customization for businesses of any size.
• Reduced time on operational processes and increased team productivity.
• Ability to scale functionality as the company grows.

In short, SMART CRM is an ideal Bitrix24 alternative. The SMART business platform combines international standards, Ukrainian expertise, and rapid implementation, providing a secure, modern, and effective tool for managing customer interactions.

SMART CRM vs. Bitrix24: Key Feature Comparison

To objectively assess how well SMART CRM meets the needs of modern businesses, it’s useful to compare its capabilities directly with Bitrix24. Check out the table summarizing the key features of both platforms.

Case Study: Successful Migration from Bitrix24 to SMART CRM

AQUA PLUS — a leading Ukrainian company in water treatment and comprehensive water purification services — faced growing client demands and needed a tool to systematically manage customer relationships. Their previous experience with Bitrix24 was unsatisfactory: setup was done in-house, functionality didn’t match the company’s processes, and data security remained a concern. These factors became decisive in the search for a more flexible and reliable Bitrix24 alternative.

Key selection criteria included full data migration with interaction history, advanced customization capabilities, user-friendliness for managers, and a high level of data protection. A demonstration of SMART Order Management by SMART business convinced the AQUA PLUS team that the system could cover the company’s core needs and scale for future challenges.

The result was the migration of all processes into SMART Order Management, including the full client database and communication history. Data management became faster and more transparent, order processing more automated, and customer communication more efficient thanks to the SMART Connector for GMS, which automates bulk and triggered communications via SMS and Viber directly from the CRM. The company gained not just a high-quality Ukrainian alternative to Bitrix24, but a flexible tool that easily adapts to new ideas, goals, and internal changes, allowing the team to focus on what matters most — excellent service and business growth. Read more about the implementation results here.

Conclusion:

The case study and comparative analysis clearly demonstrate that SMART CRM significantly outperforms Bitrix24 in key areas — from data security and scalability to business process automation. Seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, AI-powered tools, and flexible customization options make SMART CRM a more reliable and forward-looking solution for companies that want to adapt quickly to change while maintaining high efficiency.

Although Bitrix24 offers broad functionality, it falls short in depth of customization, stability during scaling, and compliance with international security standards. Additionally, limitations in free tiers, a more complex implementation process, and less focus on localization reduce its appeal for medium and large businesses.

For organizations focused on long-term growth, scalability, and robust data protection, SMART CRM is a smart and strategically sound choice.

Request consultation