Platform comparison
Custom AI agents vs Salesforce Agentforce
Choose Salesforce Agentforce when trusted CRM data and Salesforce sales, service, or operational actions are the center of the workflow. Choose a custom agent when the workflow is broader than Salesforce, requires specialized orchestration, or needs an independently operated runtime.
Agentforce is usually stronger when
- Salesforce is the system of record
- The agent primarily supports sales or service users
- Standard Salesforce actions and governance cover the workflow
- CRM-native administration is a priority
Custom agents are usually stronger when
- The workflow spans several systems of record
- Non-Salesforce channels or infrastructure are central
- Custom evaluation, memory, orchestration, or deployment is required
- The organization wants to reduce platform dependency
A hybrid option
A custom agent can coordinate broader work while Salesforce remains the governed CRM action layer. Conversely, Agentforce can own the CRM-facing experience and call external services for specialized capabilities.
Evaluation checklist
- CRM data quality and access model
- Required actions inside and outside Salesforce
- Human approval and audit requirements
- Evaluation, monitoring, and incident ownership
- Licensing, integration, and maintenance cost
- Portability and source-code ownership