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What to use instead of Russian online services

This article is 4 years old — prices and terms may have changed.

What to use instead of Russian online services

For two years now, since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, people around the world have been giving up Russian services. There are several reasons for that. First, anyone who uses Russian services for work or personal tasks and pays for them is funding the Russian economy, the military industry included. Second, it is unsafe for the users themselves: information can be lost or, worse, end up in the aggressor's hands.

In this article we have gathered a list of software products that can replace Russian services. For our readers' convenience we have split the selection into several segments:

  • Services for building websites. What to use instead of Nethouse, Tilda, uCoz, LPgenerator, uKit and InSales.
  • CMSs that can replace Bitrix and its equivalents.
  • What to use instead of 1C and other accounting systems.
  • Services for online marketing.
  • CRM systems. What to use instead of Bitrix24 and amoCRM

Services for building websites. What to use instead of Nethouse, Tilda, uCoz, LPgenerator, uKit and InSales

  1. Wix — a well-known platform for building websites and online shops, with a large template library and SEO tools.
  2. The website builder from Host4Biz — a simple, convenient platform for building landing pages, websites and online shops.
  3. HOROSHOP — a Ukrainian platform for building and running online shops.
  4. Shop-Express — another Ukrainian platform for building online shops and integrating them with marketplaces.
  5. Weblium — a service for building landing pages and other kinds of sites.
  6. TemplateMonster — an American company with Ukrainian roots that supplies web solutions for sites: site templates, WordPress themes, presentations, graphic templates, plugins and much else.

CMSs that can replace Bitrix and its equivalents

A large community and a whole ecosystem have grown up around Bitrix. In the present circumstances, though, it makes sense to change the CMS a site runs on. Here is a brief look at the main alternatives.

  1. WordPress. This platform did not become the most popular one by accident. Thousands of plugins and themes let you build corporate sites, online shops, topical portals, miniature social networks and much more on WordPress. A WordPress site can be integrated with CRM systems, analytics tools, omnichannel marketing systems, payment tools and tools for financial and management accounting.
  2. OpenCart. An open-source CMS built specifically for shops. Most of the functions e-commerce needs are handled at CMS level: quick integrations with payment systems, multilingual support, order management.
  3. PrestaShop. A CMS with a wide set of themes and plugins. Suitable for building online shops. Its drawback is that most components and templates are paid.
  4. ModX. A universal open-source CMS. You can build any type of website on it, and there is a wide set of themes and plugins for customisation. Compared with other platforms, though, it can feel complicated.

What to use instead of 1C and other accounting systems

The 1C accounting system is familiar to most Ukrainian entrepreneurs. It handles warehouse, management and financial accounting. In none of those areas, however, is the product unique. Let us look at the alternatives.

  1. Debet Plus — a Ukrainian program that already comes configured for accounting under Ukrainian law. It runs on both Windows and Linux, which is very convenient.
  2. Vchasno — a Ukrainian document management service with electronic signatures, a document archive and support for secure media.
  3. M.E.Doc — a service for reporting and document management, with integrations for software-based cash registers.
  4. Finmap — financial accounting for small and medium businesses, with clear charts and analytics.
  5. BOOKKEEPER — an online accounting program developed in Ukraine. With it you can keep the books and also prepare and file reports for companies and sole traders under any tax regime, from any device. One advantage of BOOKKEEPER is that it can produce account statements from PrivatBank and Monobank.
  6. Dynamics 365 Business Central — an application from Microsoft. It brings the sales, service and finance departments together.

Services for online marketing

Many marketers grew used to working with Russian services, and now face the question of what to replace them with. Let us look at the options across different areas of marketing.

Web analytics services. What to use instead of Yandex Webvisor

  1. Plerdy — a Ukrainian platform that helps site owners, marketers, SEO specialists and UX/UI specialists in their work. It offers a mass of analysis tools: click heatmaps, goal tracking, site SEO analysis, A/B testing tools and much more.
  2. Lucky Orange — a large collection of tools for usability analysis and site optimisation. Lucky Orange helps you work out why more than 95% of your visitors do not become customers. The service offers many tools, including dynamic heatmaps, session recordings, surveys and more.

Email marketing services. What to use instead of Unisender, Mindbox, SendSay, Mailganer and Notisend

  1. SendPulse — a marketing platform specialising in chatbots, web push notifications, landing pages, email, SMS and Viber campaigns, sales automation through a CRM and the creation of online courses.
  2. Snovio — a platform for lead generation and cold outreach. You will find plenty of tools here for finding email addresses, verifying them and running triggered campaigns.
  3. eSputnik — a CDP (customer data platform), that is a single database for a business. It offers a mass of tools: profile information, customers' order history, behavioural data, and tools for creating sales emails and campaigns.
  4. MailChimp — one of the most popular email services. A huge number of templates for laying out emails, and automatic unsubscription of dead addresses. Its subscription forms can be embedded on almost any site and on social media pages.

SEO services. What to use instead of Semrush, Labrika, PromoPult and SiteAnalyzer

  1. Serpstat — a multifunctional SEO platform made up of several modules: rank tracking, backlink analysis, site SEO audit, keyword analysis and competitor analytics.
  2. SE Ranking — a set of tools for online marketers and SEO specialists. Its most popular modules are rank checking, backlink monitoring, SEO audit, keyword research and search volume, a marketing plan and a report builder.
  3. Netpeak Software — develops tools that solve everyday SEO tasks quickly and effectively: Netpeak Spider for a full site audit, Netpeak Checker for analysing and comparing sites, and the Netpeak Launcher desktop application for working with both.
  4. Ahrefs — a service for SEO specialists and site owners that helps identify competitors and analyse a resource. It also helps you find the reasons behind a low ranking in search results and improve the quality of your traffic.

CRM systems. What to use instead of Bitrix24 and amoCRM

A CRM is a program for running a business: sales, marketing, the work of account managers. These are large, complex systems. When you choose one for your business, you have to understand which functions you will actually need.

So let us look at these systems more closely. There are several options to replace Russian CRM systems. We will start with the ones you can deploy on virtual servers from Host4Biz and use free or for a small fee. Here is what some of these programs can do.

SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM — a free CRM with a fairly wide set of functions. Among them:

  • sales management
  • marketing management
  • tracking what account managers do
  • project management and so on.

We looked at what SuiteCRM can do in more detail in a separate blog article.

Perfex CRM

Perfex CRM has to be installed on a physical server or a VPS. Its set of functions is very broad. It includes:

  • lead and sales management
  • control of income and expenditure
  • a builder for commercial proposals with extra visual elements
  • recording and tracking payments
  • tracking assigned tasks
  • surveys and questionnaires for customers
  • a feed of important updates for every CRM user
  • a convenient report builder and so on.

Keepin CRM

Keepin CRM — a product from Ukrainian developers. It is very convenient to use. Among its advantages:

  • a wide choice of integrations with CMSs, marketplaces and online marketing tools
  • a convenient, clear interface
  • a large set of functional modules
  • professional, attentive customer support.

The system's main functions:

  • lead and customer management
  • assigning tasks to account managers and tracking their completion
  • automated deal management
  • financial management
  • warehouse accounting
  • configuring SMS messages
  • integration with Binotel.

Perfectum CRM+ERP

Perfectum CRM is available in boxed and cloud versions. There is also a wide choice of industry editions, adapted to the needs of companies in many niches:

  • trade (online shops, retail, wholesale)
  • PR and advertising (web studios, SEO agencies, outsourcing companies, internet providers)
  • finance (insurance companies, consulting, banks, credit companies)
  • services (translation agencies, manufacturing companies, construction businesses, law firms and the like).

Among Perfectum's functions:

  • document management for a company of any size
  • HR management
  • monitoring and optimising marketing processes
  • managing finances and sales
  • analytics of the company's processes.

Another interesting feature of the system is its no-code tools. Working with them requires no programming skills. They include:

  • an advanced business process builder
  • a report builder
  • a builder for new modules
  • a dashboard builder.

SalesDrive

SalesDrive — a convenient, capable CRM for online trade. The system integrates with Opencart and WordPress, with the Prom and Rozetka marketplaces, with the PrivatBank and Monobank payment tools, and with the accounts of Ukrposhta, Nova Poshta, Justin and others. It also has functions for recording orders, generating and sending receipts and working with dropshippers.

Conclusions

There are plenty of services and programs that let you give up Russian online services. It will of course take some time to get to grips with them or to move a business onto other software.

But let us remember: when you build and grow your business with European and Ukrainian services, you are helping the Ukrainian economy at its hardest moment. Take care of your business, and Host4Biz will take care of keeping your sites online.