Compare
Not a CRM. Not a help desk. Here is where Navoqo fits.
Most small businesses keep clients updated with email and a spreadsheet, or with a big tool built for something else. This is an honest look at each option, including when Navoqo is the wrong choice.
Side by side
What each kind of tool is built for
| Navoqo | Spreadsheet and email | Sales CRM | Help desk | Client portal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Keeping each client informed while you deliver | Anything, by hand | Winning new deals | High volumes of support tickets | Sharing files and invoices |
| Client sees progress without asking | Yes, on a private page | No | No | Ticket status only | Sometimes |
| Client needs an account | No | No | No | Often | Yes |
| Ask the client to confirm or approve | Yes, with reminders | By email | By email | By reply | Often |
| Client questions kept until answered | Yes, with escalation | Only in your memory | Rarely | Yes | Rarely |
| Payment due shown next to the work | Yes | No | Sometimes | No | Often |
| Setup | About 10 minutes | None | Days to weeks | Hours to days | Hours to days |
Features vary by product within each category. This table describes what each kind of tool is usually built for, not any one vendor.
When each one is the right choice
Spreadsheet and email
You have a handful of clients and the time to write to each one. It costs nothing and you already know it. It stops working when clients multiply.
A sales CRM
Your hard problem is winning new clients: leads, deals, follow-ups before the sale. Navoqo starts after the yes.
A help desk
You answer many short questions every day from customers you may never talk to again. Navoqo is for a few questions per client, during longer work.
A client portal
Clients need to exchange files and sign documents with you. Navoqo does not store files; many businesses use both.
An all-in-one business suite
You want proposals, contracts, invoicing and scheduling in one tool, and you have time to set it up.
Navoqo
Your work takes days or weeks, clients wait on you (and you on them), and you want every client to know where they stand without writing more email.
The short answer
Choose Navoqo if
- Clients ask “where are we?” more than you would like
- You wait on clients for answers and approvals
- You want something running this week, not next quarter
- You care how clients feel during the wait
Choose something else if
- You need a sales pipeline
- You handle hundreds of tickets a day
- You need to store and exchange documents
- You need invoicing or payment processing
Comparison questions
Can I use Navoqo next to my CRM or invoicing tool?
Yes. Many businesses do. Navoqo covers the client’s view of the work; your other tools keep doing their jobs.
Why not just use a client portal?
Portals ask clients to create an account and log in. Many never do. A Navoqo page opens from a link in one tap.
Is Navoqo cheaper than a CRM?
Navoqo is free for 10 active projects and one simple paid plan after that. The pricing page has the current price.
Guides and templates
- Client portal vs CRM: which one does a small service business need? →What a CRM does, what a client portal does, what each one costs you in time, and a lighter third option: one private status page per client, with no login.
- CRM vs simple client follow-up software →CRMs are built to win new business. Follow-up tools are built to keep existing clients informed. A decision framework for which problem you actually have.
Give your clients the service you want to give.
Add a client, send one update, and watch the “where are we?” emails slow down. It takes an afternoon.
Free for 10 active projects · No credit card · No time limit