SugarAI adds ERP insight. Proton is built on it.
SugarAI is a CRM suite for many industries, with ERP analytics from Sugar Predict, formerly sales-i. In Proton, ERP data runs every module: CRM, quoting, order entry and product data.
Distributors growing with Proton
“It’s not just a reporting tool, it’s a sales growth engine. We’re giving the sales team a sports car, not a ball and chain.”Dane LeBelDirector of Inside Sales · VallenRead the case study 
Case study
“The value of Proton for our industry is that right out of the box, it speaks our language. It understands what challenges distribution companies have.”Jason MooreheadVP of Sales · SwishRead the case study Case study
“Proton is the best ROI of any tech investment we’ve made in the past 30 years.”Mike PageFormer CMO & CTO · R.S. HughesRead the case study 
Case study
“We’re seeing a 3x profit return for every dollar spent on Proton software. What makes Proton different is the people and their domain expertise. It feels like we have a partner — a group that’s living and breathing distribution. They understand the unique challenges distributors face.”Erik GershwindFormer CEO · MSCRead the case study 
“Seeing how Proton’s three key components — CRM capabilities, AI-driven insights, and website integration — overlap was eye-opening. Integrating these drives revenue and enhances communication.”Matt CohenPresident · ReplenexCase study
“Proton gets info to our sellers fast and effectively, so they can talk about what’s relevant and what’s important. With Proton, our team has better discussions with customers.”Tim BabcoCIO · ORS NascoRead the case study 
“Before Proton, important info was buried in reports and often overlooked. With Proton, the data is right at our fingertips, easy to access and actionable. It’s a game-changer for our daily routine.”Matt GoldbergRegional Manager · Benco DentalRead the case study Case study
“Beforehand, depending on the amount of SKUs, it could have taken a week, two weeks to gather all the relevant information and images. Now with the PIM, farm to table, it could be a matter of hours.”Ben KuhnsVP of Sales & Marketing · Dakota RiggersRead the case study Case study
“The ‘due to reorder’ feature has made our sales team much more proactive in discussing new sales opportunities with customers, rather than just reacting to incoming orders. This has helped us increase the order size per invoice.”Kyle SchullPresident & Owner · BPIRead the case study Case study
“When a CRM works, everybody gets on board pretty quick. So far, we’ve had a lot of wins. That makes it contagious; if everybody sees that guy got that sale, they want to get the next one.”Eric WessingerPresident & CEO · Richards SupplyRead the case study 
Case study
“It provides better visibility and accountability. We went from a one-dimensional CRM to a three-dimensional one with Proton.”Matthew JamesCEO · Purity LifeRead the case study Case study
“Proton has helped us to greatly reduce ramp-up time for our new sales staff. Today, it’s around 60 to 90 days — just a third of what it used to be.”Guy LaceyVice President · Salon Services ProRead the case study Case study
“Proton’s added one day’s worth of sales per month.”Adam CrewsDirector of Sales · Chattanooga Shooting SuppliesRead the case study Case study
“We used to see large projects quoted by our quotations team, but communication didn’t always reach outside sales for proper follow-up. Proton’s had a big impact helping with that. … It checks all the boxes for us.”Schaun CorbettVice President of Sales · AquiferRead the case study How does Proton compare to SugarAI?
Both read your ERP. SugarAI adds that insight to a CRM for many industries; Proton builds every module on it, for distributors only.
| SugarAICRM with ERP analytics | ProtonAI platform for distributors | |
|---|---|---|
| ERP insight | SugarAIPartial fit: An add-on, Sugar PredictIt analyzes ERP sales history for buying trends, cross-sell gaps and at-risk accounts. | ProtonStrong fit: The base of every moduleOrder history drives the call list and account briefs, and the same data feeds quoting and product recommendations. |
| Built for | SugarAIPartial fit: Many industriesSugarAI sells to manufacturing, wholesale distribution, software, financial services and more. | ProtonStrong fit: Wholesale distribution onlyMade for accounts that reorder, big catalogs and the ERPs distributors run. |
| A rep’s morning | SugarAIStrong fit: A ranked action listSugar Predict ranks accounts by revenue at risk or opportunity, with a one-click snapshot of each. | ProtonStrong fit: Ranked calls, each with a briefPronto, Proton’s AI assistant, preps each call from order history, open quotes and opportunities, then files the notes. |
| Your ERP | SugarAIPartial fit: Your export or Sugar’sIt lists 180+ ERP integrations. Your team uploads ERP files each night, or Sugar’s team extracts them. | ProtonStrong fit: No files for your team to uploadOur engineers build and maintain the connection, for one ERP or several. |
| Platform | SugarAIPartial fit: No product data or PO intakeSugarAI’s products don’t include a PIM, or a way to turn emailed POs into orders. | ProtonStrong fit: CRM plus the order deskPIM, eCommerce AI and Quote & Order Entry Automation draw on the ERP data the CRM uses. |
| CRM suite | SugarAIStrong fit: Sales, marketing and serviceSugar Sell, Market and Serve cover the whole customer lifecycle in one suite. | ProtonPartial fit: Built for sellingNo marketing automation of its own. It connects to tools such as Mailchimp and Klaviyo instead. |
CRM is one module of Proton
SugarAI’s lineup covers sales, marketing, service and ERP analytics. Proton connects its CRM module to PIM, eCommerce AI and order entry, with Order Management, Sourcing, Pricing AI and Inventory AI in early access.
Why distributors choose Proton over SugarAI
ERP insight that reaches the order
Sugar Predict’s analysis lives in the CRM. In Proton, the order history that ranks a rep’s calls also drafts quotes from emailed RFQs and recommends products in your web store. RelaDyne put those recommendations in its customer portal, and regular portal users climbed 67%.
Built for distributors alone
SugarAI serves manufacturing, software, financial services and more. Proton serves wholesale distributors only. MSC’s former CEO reports a 3x profit return for every dollar spent on Proton software.
No nightly files
Sugar Predict works from ERP files your team uploads each night, or that Sugar’s team extracts. Proton’s engineers build and maintain the ERP connection, so nobody on your team runs an export.
Customer story
72% more sales per Vallen inside rep
“I’m seeing reps be more proactive. They’re coming to me with questions like, ‘Hey, I saw this metric in Proton. Can you help me dig into what’s driving it?’ They’re taking ownership of their business and they’re excited about it.”Read the Vallen story
Questions to ask SugarAI before you sign
The answers show what Sugar Predict adds for a distributor, and what it costs.
Is Sugar Predict included in the edition we’re quoted, or priced on top?
Who extracts our ERP data each night, and who fixes it if an export fails?
Can Sugar Predict’s insight reach quoting or our web store, or does it stay in the CRM?
What’s on SugarAI’s roadmap for distributors specifically?
SugarAI or Proton?
SugarAI is a CRM suite for B2B teams in many industries, with ERP analytics from its Sugar Predict add-on. Proton is built only for wholesale distributors, and your ERP data is the base of every module: it drives the CRM’s call list and account briefs, and it runs PIM, eCommerce AI and Quote & Order Entry Automation.
SugarCRM bought sales-i in May 2024, and in April 2026 the company renamed itself SugarAI. sales-i is now called Sugar Predict and is sold in SugarAI’s Precision+ editions. The old sales-i website now forwards to SugarAI.
Yes. Proton has connected to every ERP its customers have brought, legacy and customized systems included, and it can read several at once. Our in-house engineers build the connection. Your ERP stays the system of record; Proton reads the customer, product and order data your team needs.
Vallen’s legacy CRM was more of an order processing tool, and adoption stayed low. Now 70% of its users open Proton every week. Read the Vallen story
SugarAI’s products cover sales, marketing, service and ERP analytics; PIM and order entry automation aren’t among them. Proton has both, connected to its CRM module, so product data and emailed POs are handled in one platform.
It takes planning, but Proton’s in-house team does most of the work. Our engineers build the ERP connection, we agree a rollout plan with you, and a dedicated customer success manager helps your reps adopt it. ORS Nasco went live in 12 to 14 weeks.
More ways to compare CRMs
See Proton next to SugarAI
Bring what your team uses sales-i for today. We’ll show you how Proton handles it, and where that data goes beyond the CRM.
