Salesforce editions compared.
Salesforce sells five editions: Starter, Pro Suite, Professional, Enterprise and Unlimited. The practical dividing line is API access and automation, which is why most UK organisations that integrate Salesforce with anything else end up on Enterprise. This guide sets out what each edition allows, where teams hit the ceiling first, and what an upgrade actually involves.
Which edition do you need?
One team, out of the box. A simple pipeline, email and basic reporting with almost nothing to configure. The right answer when the alternative is a spreadsheet.
Starter with room to move: more customisation, quoting and light automation. Suits a growing team that has outgrown Starter but is not integrating anything yet.
One sales process, light automation, no integration as standard. Small teams who need a shared pipeline and reporting rather than a platform.
Different processes per team, integration with finance or ERP, approval flows, sandboxes for safe change. Where most mid-market organisations belong.
Heavy customisation, many integrations, higher platform limits and bundled premier support. Justified by scale, not ambition.
In practice, the vast majority of Ignyto customers choose Enterprise or Unlimited. The flexibility and capability of those editions is what makes the platform worth owning — full API access, record types, custom profiles, real automation and sandboxes — and clients on them consistently report a far higher return on their Salesforce investment than those constrained by a lower edition. Time and again the money saved on a cheaper licence is spent several times over on workarounds for the things it will not let you do.
The limits that decide it.
Do not make a buying decision based on this page. Ignyto does not control the capabilities, limits, packaging or pricing of any Salesforce edition, and Salesforce changes all of them regularly. Entitlements also differ by contract, region and purchase date, so what applies to one organisation may not apply to yours. This comparison is general information, correct at the time of writing and nothing more. Before you buy, upgrade, renew or build anything that depends on a particular entitlement, contact Salesforce directly for current information and check your own contract. Ignyto accepts no liability for decisions taken on the basis of this page.
Related guides.
The feature-by-feature comparison, and the questions that settle it.
The limits you hit first, and what changes after the upgrade.
Licences are rarely the number that surprises people.
Getting value from the edition you already pay for.
Editions, answered.
What is the difference between Salesforce Professional and Enterprise Edition?
Professional Edition covers a straightforward sales or service process with limited automation and no API access as standard. Enterprise Edition adds full API access, advanced automation, record types, custom profiles and sandboxes — which is what most organisations need once processes differ between teams.
Which Salesforce edition do I have?
In Salesforce, go to Setup and search for Company Information. The Organization Edition field names your edition. Your licence contract and invoice will also state it.
Do I need Enterprise Edition for API access?
In practice, yes. API access is standard in Enterprise and Unlimited. On Professional it is a paid add-on where available, which matters as soon as you connect Salesforce to an ERP, finance system or your website. See Salesforce integration services.
Can you upgrade editions without losing data?
Yes. An edition upgrade changes what your Salesforce is allowed to do rather than replacing it, so records, history and configuration stay in place. The work sits in taking advantage of what the new edition allows, and in retiring the workarounds built to live within the old limits.
Is Unlimited worth it over Enterprise?
Unlimited adds higher platform limits, more sandboxes and bundled premier support. It earns its cost for large, heavily customised systems and many integrations. Most mid-market UK organisations run well on Enterprise.
Ignyto is a Salesforce Summit partner. We will tell you which edition you need, including when the answer is the cheaper one.