When one thinks of software giants, Google, Microsoft, or Salesforce come to mind. But there's another firm, which has been founded in India, and has been quietly establishing a huge global footprint — Zoho Corporation.
So, what is Zoho? Zoho is a cloud-based software firm that has over 55 applications for business purposes — ranging from email and CRM to finance, HR, and analytics.
But the real beauty lies in the Zoho story — a story of how an Indian startup, without any venture capital funding, was rechristened as one of the world's most dependable SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) companies.
The blog explores Zoho's history, growth, culture, and global odyssey, recounted in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
Zoho Corporation is a global SaaS company headquartered in Chennai, India, and offices worldwide. It provides affordable software solutions for:
Unlike most of its competitors, however, Zoho sells end-to-end business applications to small and medium-sized businesses. All of its applications are cloud-based, easy to use, and are a fraction of the price global competitors charge.
Zoho now has over 100 million users worldwide and is considered one of the world's greatest bootstrapped success stories.
Zoho offers over 55+ cloud applications spanning almost all aspects of running a business. These applications are made accessible, integrated, and easy to use, making them the top pick for startups, SMEs, and even large corporations.
Here's the division of the major Zoho products and categories:
Zoho CRM: A flagship product that helps companies to handle leads, track interactions with customers, automate sales, and close deals faster. Competes with Salesforce but half the price.
Zoho Bigin: A lightweight CRM aimed specifically at small businesses and start-ups.
Zoho Mail: An ad-free and secure business email hosting service.
Zoho Cliq: A team chat and communications platform, akin to Slack.
Zoho Meeting: Web-based remote video conferencing and webinar software.
Zoho WorkDrive: Cloud-based file-sharing and storage service for collaboration.
Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheet, Zoho Show: Web-based alternatives for Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Zoho Books: Web-based accounting software for invoice management, expense tracking, and compliance.
Zoho Invoice: Freelancer and small business invoicing software free.
Zoho Expense: Expense management app for reporting and tracking business expenses.
Zoho Inventory: Retail and e-commerce inventory and order management.
Zoho Checkout: For creating custom payment pages.
Zoho Subscriptions: Supports recurring billing and subscription-based business management.
Zoho People: Attendance, employee records, and HR payroll management software.
Zoho Recruit: Recruiter and staffing agency applicant tracking system (ATS).
Zoho Payroll: Simplified payroll processing for Indian and other country-based companies.
Zoho Campaigns: Email marketing automation tool.
Zoho Social: Social media management and scheduling platform.
Zoho SalesIQ: Website visitor tracking and live chat software.
Zoho Marketing Automation: End-to-end customer journey marketing platform.
Zoho Commerce: Online store creation and management along with payment integrations.
Zoho Desk: Helpdesk and customer support software.
Zoho Assist: Remote access and remote support software.
Zoho Creator: Low-code platform to build custom business apps without coding.
Zoho Lens: Augmented reality-based remote assistance software.
Zoho Vault: Team password management software.
Zoho Analytics: Business intelligence and data visualization platform.
Zoho Reports: Power reporting tool to create insights out of data.
Zoho Projects: Project management and task tracker software.
Zoho Sprints: Software teams' agile project management tool.
Zoho Notebook: Electronic note-taking software for managing ideas.
Zoho Forms: Online form builder for data collection.
Zoho Survey: Easy-to-use survey creator.
The best-known suite of products is possibly Zoho One, which incorporates 40+ applications under one subscription. It has come to be popularly called the "Operating System for Business" because it allows organizations to run almost all functions — sales, finance, HR, support, and collaboration — within Zoho's system.
Reasonable Pricing: Perfect for startups and SMEs.
Integrated Suite: Applications interact with one another seamlessly, doing away with the need for numerous vendors.
Easy to Use: Ease of design with free trials and easy onboarding.
Secure & Reliable: Utilized by over 100 million users worldwide.
What is unique about Zoho is that it can match the top technology companies of the world like Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce and still be India-based.
Price Advantage: Zoho products are 50–70% cheaper than others.
Extensive Range: Instead of offering one product, Zoho offers the whole suite.
Customer Centricity: Simple UI, free trials, and great customer support.
Zoho became the go-to option for startups, SMEs, and even corporates, who were hunting for budget-friendly solutions.
Its modest beginning has made Zoho one of the world's largest SaaS giants:
Headquarters: Chennai, India & Austin, Texas, USA.
Employees: Over 15,000 worldwide.
Users: Over 100 million in 180+ countries.
Product Portfolio: 55+ business applications.
Zoho has the highest visibility in India, the U.S., and Europe, but is increasing its strength across the world, especially in emerging economies.
Other interesting stories:
Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal Flipkart Success Story
Zoho's success lies in a combination of:
Independence – No VC pressure.
Cost-effective pricing – Appealing to small and medium businesses.
Depth of product – 55+ apps together under one roof.
Long-term vision – Pioneered for sustainability, not instant profits.
Cultural values – Hire from rural India and create a socially responsible environment.
Entrepreneurs, students, and startups can learn some valuable lessons from the Zoho story:
So what is Zoho exactly? It is far more than an enterprise software company. Zoho is a story of innovation, autonomy, and foresight.
The Zoho story teaches us how an Indian startup, with no outside investment, built a global brand that now reaches millions of businesses globally. From its village recruitment programs to challenging world titans, Zoho shows us it is possible to succeed with patience, values, and customer obsession.
Zoho's story motivates entrepreneurs, startups, and dreamers across the globe. If you are looking to publish your story for free, register today at TrueRealStory.com
Zoho provides cloud-based business applications such as CRM, HR, finance, email, and marketing software. It helps businesses manage their business more effectively.
Zoho was founded by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas in 1996.
Zoho is an entirely bootstrapped, independent company with an integrated suite of 55+ apps at affordable prices.
Zoho has over 100 million customers worldwide across 180+ countries.
Zoho's biggest achievement is Zoho One, an integrated suite of business applications, and organic growth without fund-raising from outside.