Portal.io and Zoho are both widely used by AV, IT, and security integrators and for good reason. Zoho provides a flexible CRM and accounting platform, but it wasn’t built for quoting or managing AV product data. That’s where Portal.io fills the gaps. Portal handles everything Zoho doesn’t, including fast quoting, structured product catalogs, proposal approvals, client-facing change orders, and integrated payments. Together, they make a strong team. But if you’re trying to handle quoting inside Zoho alone, here’s what you’re missing and how Portal can help.
About Portal.io
Portal.io is a modern quoting platform designed for AV, IT, and security integration companies. It helps sales teams move faster by eliminating manual work and keeping proposals, pricing, and payments in sync from the start.
Quick, Professional Quotes: Build and send polished proposals with pricing options, client approvals, and built-in payment collection all in one step.
Ready-to-Use Product Data: Quote faster using a fully managed catalog of over 2 million products with live pricing and specs.
Built-in Payments and Invoicing: Collect deposits and final payments directly in the proposal, then sync everything to QuickBooks, Stripe, or Square.
Works with Zoho: Push proposals to Zoho Books and connect deals in Zoho CRM without retyping data or recreating line items.
Ideal For:
Integrators who need a faster way to build proposals, manage product data, and collect payments within AV, IT, or security sales workflows.
About Zoho
Zoho is a suite of cloud-based business tools with solutions for CRM, accounting, quoting, and more. Zoho CRM and Zoho Books are widely used across industries and offer deep customization options for sales tracking, invoicing, and automation.
CRM: Track leads, deals, and accounts with customizable stages, reports, and automation
Zoho Books: Cloud-based accounting software with quoting, invoicing, and product management tools
Workflows and Automation: Build tailored business processes with Zoho’s workflow and scripting tools.
Marketplace Integrations: Connect Zoho to third-party quoting like Portal.io, service, or ERP platforms using prebuilt or custom connectors
Ideal For:
Businesses needing customizable CRM and accounting tools that can be configured to fit broader operational needs.
Feature Comparison Chart
Feature | Portal.io | Zoho |
Proposal Creation | Client-ready proposals with options, e-signature, and payment | Template-driven quotes in CRM or Books, not styled for presentation or sending |
Platform Type | Cloud based | Cloud based |
Product Catalog | Over 2 M SKUs with dealer pricing | Manual catalog entry or custom integrations |
Payments and Invoicing | Full invoice functionality, sync’d with QuickBooks | Manual invoicing through Zoho Books |
AI Capabilities | AI Proposal Builder | — |
CRM | Light CRM, Integrates with Zoho CRM | Full CRM with pipelines and automation |
Change Orders | Client-facing e-signature approvals | Manual updates or plugins |
Scheduling and Task Mgmt | — | Zoho Projects |
Reporting and Analytics | Not yet available | Fully customizable dashboards and reports |
Pricing | Starts at $29/month | Zoho One starts at $105/month |
Conclusion
In this case, the comparison highlights how each platform supports a different part of the workflow. Portal.io is purpose-built for integrators who want a fast and easy way to quote. It handles the parts Zoho does not—product data, proposals, and approvals—and then syncs everything back into Zoho CRM and Zoho Books.