Basic Online

What Basic Online does

Basic Online, operated by Basic Business Systems Ltd, is a UK-based private SaaS vendor founded in 1979 that delivers an integrated suite of eight web-based business applications to small and medium-sized businesses. The suite comprises CRM X, Project Management X, Timesheets X, Holiday & Leave Manager X, Personnel & HR, Service Desk X, Expenses X, and Asset Management X, all accessible through a single sign-on portal with a shared workflow engine configurable for up to five serial approvers. Underlying the product is a multi-tenant architecture supported by hardware, software, and internet infrastructure owned and operated by Basic Online at its own data centre in the Midlands, UK, with deployment options spanning cloud-hosted, on-premise private cloud, and on-premise client install.

The company's go-to-market combines a product-led self-service motion — free demo and trial registration through basiconline.net — with a three-tier partner program comprising Cloud Resellers (full sales and billing control), Cloud Affiliates (up to 10% commission on referred sales), and Cloud Referrers (5% on introductions). A direct sales-assisted motion handles bespoke enterprise quotes. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; each customer receives a custom quote based on requirements, typically structured as a multi-year subscription. Customer evidence is limited to a single published testimonial from a solo PR professional, and the company asserts a global customer base despite operating from a single Nottingham office.

Basic Online is privately held with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no public listing. It also offers IT services, support, and hardware/software supply outside its core SaaS suite. The company is GDPR-compliant under the UK Data Protection Act 2017, acts as both data controller and processor depending on the engagement, and is registered in England (company number 01459294). There is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, no disclosed revenue, and no management team information in the public data.

Name

Basic Online

Legal name

Basic Business Systems Ltd

Website

https://basiconline.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Basic Online is a UK-based SaaS vendor offering an integrated eight-module business application suite (CRM, project management, timesheets, HR, expenses, service desk, leave, and asset management) primarily to small and medium-sized businesses, delivered from its own UK data centre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cloud Business Applications

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B SaaS & Enterprise Personalization (CRM, Sales, Support) (HDAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Cloud business software
• Workforce management software
• Timesheet tracking software
• Customer relationship management
• Expense management software

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription Services: Software as a Service subscription model providing access to cloud business applications. Pricing is tailored to each customer based on their specific requirements rather than published generic pricing tiers.
2. Partner/Reseller Program: Partners earn commissions (up to 10% for affiliates, 5% for referrers) on verified software and subscription sales they introduce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Basic Online provides a unified cloud-based SaaS suite of eight integrated business applications accessible via a single login: CRM X, Project Management X, Timesheets X, Holiday & Leave Manager X, Personnel & HR, Service/Help Desk X, Expenses X, and Asset Management X. The suite is offered as cloud-hosted (in the company's own UK Midlands data centre), on-premise private cloud, or offline client installation. It targets B2B customers needing streamlined workflow automation across sales, project, time, HR, support, expense, and asset operations.

Product overview

Basic Online is a unified cloud-based business application suite (Software as a Service) offering eight integrated modules: CRM X for customer relationship management, Project Management X for project and task coordination, Timesheets X for time tracking and billing, Holiday & Leave Manager X for absence management, Personnel & HR for employee lifecycle management, Service/Help Desk X for customer support ticketing, Expenses X for expense tracking and approval workflows, and Asset Management X for physical asset tracking. All applications share a single sign-on portal and can be deployed as cloud-hosted (in Basic's own UK data centre), on-premise private cloud, or on-premise client install. The suite is designed for B2B businesses requiring integrated business process management tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CRM X

Quantifiable outcome

• Streamlined monthly billing process through centralized time and expense tracking
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Cloud Reseller PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReseller partners have total control of the sales process, account management, and billing. Free to join with easy application process. Partners sell Basic Online applications to their own customers.
• Cloud Affiliate PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate partners earn up to 10% commission on verified software and subscription sales they refer. Zero administration burden - Basic Online handles all support calls. Easy application process, free to join.
• Cloud Referrer PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferrers simply introduce customers and receive 5% return on any application their referral purchases. No formal signup required.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zoho: Zoho is a direct competitor offering an integrated suite of cloud-based business applications (CRM, Projects, People, Desk, Books, etc.) targeting SMBs globally with a single-sign-on ecosystem. It is the canonical comparison point for Basic Online's integrated-suite SMB strategy.
• Odoo: Odoo provides an integrated open-source suite of business applications (CRM, Project, Timesheets, Leave, HR, Helpdesk, Expenses, Assets) targeting SMBs with both cloud and on-premise deployment. The product surface and deployment flexibility directly overlap with Basic Online's offering.
• Bitrix24: Bitrix24 offers an all-in-one business suite covering CRM, project management, HR, helpdesk, and timesheets aimed at SMBs with a free/low-cost tier. It directly competes with Basic Online's integrated approach and SMB target segment.

Broad incumbents

• HubSpot: HubSpot provides an integrated CRM, marketing, sales, service, and operations platform for SMBs. Its all-in-one SMB philosophy and free-tier PLG motion directly parallel Basic Online's positioning, but at vastly larger scale.
• monday.com: monday.com is a broad work management platform covering project management, CRM, service desk, and HR use cases for SMB and mid-market. Its Project Management X overlap makes it a relevant competitor in the project/timesheet workflow category.
• Freshworks: Freshworks offers an integrated SaaS suite including Freshsales (CRM), Freshdesk (service desk), Freshservice (IT service management), and HR/IT asset modules. Its multi-product SMB suite strategy directly parallels Basic Online's.
• Sage Group: Sage is a long-established UK-headquartered provider of business software for SMBs, covering accounting, payroll, HR, and CRM. It is a broad incumbent in the same UK SMB software market where Basic Online competes, with much greater scale and brand recognition.
• Salesforce: Salesforce is the dominant cloud CRM platform with expanded offerings including Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, and workflow automation, overlapping with Basic Online's CRM X and Service/Help Desk X modules at much greater scale.

Emerging players

• Toggl Track: Toggl Track is a focused time-tracking and timesheet SaaS for SMBs and freelancers. While narrower in scope, it competes directly with Basic Online's Timesheets X in the time-recording-and-billing use case that anchors the company's value proposition.
• Asana: Asana is a leading project and task management platform with workflow capabilities targeting SMB and mid-market. Its overlap with Basic Online's Project Management X and task-tracking workflows makes it a relevant emerging competitor in the project/time-tracking space.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Basic Online