Zoho Catalyst partner in the USA · Los Angeles, CA
Write the code. Catalyst runs it right next to your Zoho data.
We’re a Zoho Catalyst Partner and a certified Zoho Advanced Partner in Glendale, in the Los Angeles area. On Catalyst we build custom APIs between Zoho and your other systems, lead forms that post into Zoho CRM, customer portals, background jobs and AI (now also called SI, super intelligence) agents. We’re an AWS Partner too, so if your code is better off on AWS, we’ll say so.
Advanced Partnerand Zoho Catalyst Partner
01Why Zoho Catalyst
Zoho Catalyst is Zoho’s serverless platform. Functions, databases, file storage, hosting, sign-in, an API gateway and AI / SI services sit in one console, under the same Zoho account as your CRM. For a business that already runs on Zoho, that means less wiring, fewer vendors and one bill. These six are the reasons we reach for it.
Write Basic I/O, Advanced I/O, event, cron or integration functions in Node.js, Python or Java. There are no servers to patch, and long jobs and full web services can run on AppSail, including your own container image.
A relational Data Store you query with ZCQL, NoSQL for JSON documents, an in-memory Cache and Stratus for files. Per-table permissions are set right in the console.
On AWS: separate services to wire up
Catalyst Signals lists Zoho CRM as a built-in event source, custom modules included. A record changes in CRM, and an event function runs.
Deploy React, Next.js, Vue, Angular and more from GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, with free SSL, custom domains and a preview before anything goes live.
API Gateway checks rate limits and credentials before a request reaches your function. Catalyst Authentication handles user sign-up and login for portals, so we don’t bolt on another identity service.
Lambda: API Gateway and Cognito are separate services
Zia services read documents, analyze text and scan barcodes. QuickML builds models and RAG pipelines without code, and ConvoKraft runs chat bots. Simple AI / SI features don’t need another vendor.
Where AWS is the better call. Catalyst’s free compute is 25,000 GB-seconds a month, smaller than Lambda’s 400,000. If you already run a lot of code on AWS, need services like Bedrock or SageMaker, or want a private VPC, we’ll build it on AWS instead. We’re partners on both, so the choice is about your app.
02One request, end to end
A Zoho Catalyst app is a few small pieces passing one request along. Here’s a quote request from a customer portal, step by step. Scroll, and the diagram lights up as each piece does its job. The data is a sample.
A dental group in Ohio asks for pricing on your customer portal, hosted on Slate.
Node.jsPOST /server/create-lead · 6 fieldsRate limits come first, then the API key. A bot hammering the form stops here and never touches your code.
gateway · throttle ok · key okAn Advanced I/O function in Node.js checks required fields, drops spam and cleans up the phone number and state.
fn create-lead · 201 · 142 msOne row in a relational table, so there’s a record of every submission even if another system is down.
datastore · Leads · insertRowThe same function creates the lead in Zoho CRM, with the source and campaign fields filled in.
zoho crm · Leads · createdSignals picks up the new CRM record and runs an event function. A Zia AutoML model trained on your past deals writes a score back to the lead.
signals · crm lead created → score 82At 7 am Pacific, a cron function reads yesterday’s leads from the Data Store and posts a summary to the sales channel in Zoho Cliq.
cron daily-digest · 07:00 PT · 23 leads03Try a function
A Catalyst function takes a small JSON input, does one job and sends JSON back. Pick one of three we build often, change the inputs and press Run. It’s a simulation that runs in your browser, so nothing is sent anywhere, but the shape of the response and the logs match what you’d see in the Catalyst console.
Sample · simulated, runs in your browser
POST/server/create-leadAdvanced I/O · Node.js
Simulated for illustration. Real response times depend on your code, your data and the services it calls.
04What we build
Most of our Zoho Catalyst development falls into one of these five shapes. Pick one to see how it runs, step by step. If the job is mostly forms, records and approvals, Zoho Creator is often faster. Catalyst is for when you need real code.
Fields we’d add: UTM source · Consent time · Spam score · Zoho CRM record ID
Fields we’d add: Customer ID · Role · Last sign-in · Open requests
Fields we’d add: Partner ID · Request ID · Payload version · Status code
Fields we’d add: Last run · Records changed · Retry count · Error reason
Fields we’d add: Prompt version · Approved by · Action · Model cost
Building something else? Tell us what it needs to do and we’ll sketch it on a discovery call.
05Zoho Catalyst pricing in the US
Zoho Catalyst has no per-user license. Building and testing in the development environment is free. Every account gets $5 of free usage a month in production, and once a live project goes past it you pay a $5 minimum for that project plus usage. If you’d rather have one fixed number, plans run from $10 to $100 a month. New accounts can also get up to $250 in trial credits for the first six months.
Development environment, free for good
Free tier for the whole account, every month
Pay as you go, plus usage
Lite to Elite, $5 of usage added to each
While we build it
$0
/month in the development environment
Dev is for building and testing only.
Once it’s live
Production
$0
/month while it stays inside the free tier. Past it: $5 minimum for the project, plus usage
A form that gets a few hundred leads a month often stays inside the free tier.
Plan my lead formWhile we build it
$0
/month in the development environment
Dev is for building and testing only.
Once it’s live
Production
$5
/month minimum once past the free tier, plus what the portal uses
Hosting, sign-in, the database and file storage all count. We size it from your expected logins and uploads.
Plan my portalWhile we build it
$0
/month in the development environment
Dev is for building and testing only.
Once it’s live
Production
$5
/month minimum once past the free tier, plus compute and requests
A nightly sync is light. One that runs every minute adds up faster, so we schedule jobs only as often as the business needs.
Plan my integrationWhile we build it
$0
/month in the development environment
Model costs from your AI provider still apply while testing.
Once it’s live
Production
$5
/month minimum once past the free tier, plus usage
Calls to OpenAI, Claude or Gemini are billed by that provider, on top of Catalyst.
Plan my AI / SI agentZoho bills Catalyst usage to your own account, so you always see what the app costs to run. Our Zoho Catalyst development is a separate quote, fixed before work starts and based on what the app does, how many systems it talks to and how much data it moves. We also set usage alerts, so a busy month never comes as a surprise.
06Zoho Catalyst vs the alternatives
All five let you start free and pay by usage later. The real differences are what’s in the box, how much free compute you get, and whether there’s a fixed monthly floor. We’re an AWS Partner as well as a Zoho Catalyst Partner, so we build on both and pick per project.
| Platform | Free to start | Paid basis | Smallest fixed charge | What’s in the box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Zoho Catalyst | $0Dev environment + $5 of usage a month | Usageor plans $10–$100/month | $5per live project, past the free tier | Functions, Data Store, NoSQL, hosting, sign-in, API Gateway, cron, Zia AI / SI and Zoho CRM events |
| AWS Lambda | $01M requests + 400K GB-s a month | Usage$0.20 per 1M requests + compute | $0no minimum | Functions only. Database, hosting and sign-in are separate AWS services |
| Google Firebase | $0Spark plan, no Cloud Functions | UsageBlaze, 2M invocations free | $0no minimum | Functions, Firestore, hosting, auth. Strong for mobile and real-time apps |
| Azure Functions | $01M executions + 400K GB-s (Consumption) | Usageor Flex Consumption | $0no minimum | Functions only. Pairs with other Azure services and Microsoft 365 |
| Supabase | $02 projects, pauses after a week idle | $25Pro, per organization / month | $25Pro, $10 compute credit included | Postgres database, auth, storage and edge functions |
The math: Catalyst is a $5 minimum × 12 months, Supabase Pro is $25 × 12. The floor is small everywhere. What really costs money on a custom app is building and looking after it, and that’s where having Zoho events, a database, hosting and sign-in in one console saves hours.
Where another platform can make sense: if you already have a team and a lot of code on AWS, or you need services like Bedrock, SageMaker or a private VPC, AWS Lambda is usually the better home, and we’ll build it there. Firebase suits consumer mobile apps with real-time sync. Supabase is a good pick if you want plain Postgres and open source. A Microsoft shop may be happier on Azure. Show us your current stack on the first call and we’ll say where your code should live.
List prices in USD for US accounts. Usage-based services also bill for storage, data transfer and other items not shown here. Zoho adjusts Catalyst’s per-component rates and plan tiers from time to time, so we re-check them against your expected traffic before you go to production.
07Migration centre
Pick what you run today. This is how each piece maps into Zoho Catalyst. Our Zoho Catalyst migration work starts with an inventory, rebuilds in the development environment, and runs old and new side by side before we switch. If some of it should stay where it is, we leave it there and connect the two.
Moving from AWS Lambda? See every Zoho migration →
| In AWS | In Zoho Catalyst |
|---|---|
| Lambda functions | Basic I/O & Advanced I/O functions |
| API Gateway | Catalyst API Gateway |
| EventBridge schedules | Cron & job scheduling |
| SQS / SNS triggers | Signals & event functions |
| DynamoDB or RDS | NoSQL or Data Store |
| S3 buckets | Stratus file storage |
| Cognito | Catalyst Authentication |
| CloudWatch logs | Logs & app performance monitoring |
Moving from Firebase? See every Zoho migration →
| In Firebase | In Zoho Catalyst |
|---|---|
| Cloud Functions | Catalyst functions |
| Firestore | NoSQL or Data Store |
| Firebase Authentication | Catalyst Authentication |
| Firebase Hosting | Slate hosting |
| Cloud Storage | Stratus file storage |
| Scheduled functions | Cron |
| ML Kit & Vertex AI calls | Zia services & QuickML |
| Cloud Messaging | Push notifications |
Moving from Heroku? See every Zoho migration →
| In Heroku | In Zoho Catalyst |
|---|---|
| Web dynos | AppSail or Advanced I/O functions |
| Worker dynos | Job functions |
| Heroku Scheduler | Cron |
| Heroku Postgres | Data Store, or keep Postgres and connect it |
| Redis add-on | Catalyst Cache |
| Config vars | Environment variables |
| Review apps | Development environment |
| Log drains | Catalyst logs |
Moving from Zapier or Make? See every Zoho migration →
| In Zapier or Make | In Zoho Catalyst |
|---|---|
| Zaps & scenarios | Event functions, or Zoho Flow for the simple ones |
| Triggers | Signals & webhooks |
| Webhooks | Advanced I/O endpoints |
| Schedules | Cron |
| Code steps & formatters | Functions in Node.js, Python or Java |
| Storage & data stores | Data Store |
| Per-task billing | Usage-based billing |
| Error emails | Logs, retries & alerts |
08Connects to what you use
Catalyst is where we put the glue code. These are the Zoho Catalyst integrations we build most for US teams, from Zoho CRM, Zoho Books and Zoho Desk to Stripe, QuickBooks and the AWS services you already run. Hover any tile to see what connects.
Zoho Catalyst
Zoho CRMForms, portals and partner APIs create and update leads, deals and accounts. CRM events trigger functions.
Zoho CreatorCreator apps call Catalyst functions for heavy logic and long jobs.
Zoho FlowSimple no-code steps stay in Flow and hand off to Catalyst when they need code.
Zia servicesText, document and image reading built into Catalyst.
Zoho MCPAI agents take approved actions across your Zoho apps.
OpenAI & other modelsFunctions call OpenAI, Claude or Gemini with your Zoho data as context.
Zoho CliqIntegration functions power Cliq bots, commands and alerts.
PythonData work, file parsing and AI scripts run as Python functions.
StripePayment webhooks update orders, invoices and Zoho CRM.
QuickBooksScheduled syncs keep customers and invoices matched with Zoho.
PostgreSQLKeep an existing database and read or write it from Catalyst.AWS servicesCode that stays on AWS and code on Catalyst call each other securely.09Four project shapes
Each project gets its own scope and a fixed price in a signed BRD, but most look like one of these four. Already on Zoho? We usually start with the integration or form that’s causing the most manual work. Some teams just want a Zoho Catalyst consultant to review their setup; that works too. After launch we stay on for Zoho Catalyst support, fixes and training for your developers.
Forms & APIs
Fixed price, agreed in a signed BRD
Customer portal
Fixed price, agreed in a signed BRD
Migration
Fixed price, agreed in a signed BRD
AI / SI agents
Fixed price, agreed in a signed BRD
10Questions developers and owners ask
Straight answers on Zoho Catalyst pricing, AWS, migration and AI / SI. Wondering how your own functions or data would run on Catalyst? Bring the details to the first call, which is free.
Zoho Catalyst is Zoho’s serverless, full-stack cloud platform. It gives developers functions, a relational Data Store, NoSQL, Cache, Stratus file storage, scheduled jobs, Signals events, Slate web hosting, user sign-in, API Gateway, Zia AI services, QuickML and ConvoKraft bots in one console. It runs in several Zoho data centers, including the US.
Building and testing in the development environment is free. In production, every account gets $5 of free usage a month. Once a live project goes past the free tier you pay a $5 minimum for that project each month, plus usage. You can choose a fixed monthly plan instead, from $10 (Catalyst Lite) to $100 (Elite), each with $5 of extra usage a month. New accounts can get up to $250 in trial credits for the first six months. Building your Catalyst app with us is its own fixed price, written into a signed BRD before the first function is deployed.
Yes. Every Catalyst project has a development environment and a production environment. Development is free of charge, with some limits per component, so we can build and test your app for as long as it takes before anything is billed. Charges start only when the project is deployed to production.
Yes. Catalyst Signals includes Zoho CRM as a built-in event source, custom modules included. When a record is created or updated in Zoho CRM, Signals can run an event function in Catalyst, for example to score a lead, sync it to another system or alert a team.
Yes. Zia services cover OCR, text analytics, barcode scanning, face analytics, image moderation and AutoML. QuickML builds machine learning models and RAG pipelines without code, and ConvoKraft builds chat bots. For more advanced agents we call OpenAI, Claude or Gemini from Catalyst functions.
Yes. Slate, Catalyst’s front-end hosting, deploys React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Svelte and other frameworks straight from GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, with free SSL, custom domains and a preview of each deployment. Full web services can run on AppSail, including your own container image.
Choose Zoho Catalyst if your business runs on Zoho and you want functions, database, hosting and sign-in in one place, right next to your Zoho data. Choose AWS Lambda if you already have a large AWS setup, need services like Bedrock or a private VPC, or expect very heavy compute, since Lambda’s free tier is larger. We are both a Zoho Catalyst Partner and an AWS Partner, so we build on either and recommend honestly.
Yes. We list every function, schedule, trigger and secret, rebuild and test it in the Catalyst development environment, run the old and new setups side by side, and then switch over. Anything that should stay where it is, we leave in place and connect to Catalyst.
It depends on what the app does, how many systems it connects to and how much data it moves. The signed BRD lists each function, data table, integration and the production cutover with a date, so you know when the app goes live before we write code.
Zoho CRM events reach Catalyst through Signals, Zoho Cliq has its own integration functions, and Zoho Creator, Flow, Books and Desk connect through their APIs. With code, Catalyst connects to almost anything with an API: Stripe, QuickBooks, Shopify, PostgreSQL databases, AWS services and AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.
Yes. Zoho Catalyst for small business works well: you can build and test for free, and many small apps such as lead forms or simple syncs stay inside the monthly free tier in production. You only pay once usage grows, starting at a $5 minimum per live project per month, or a fixed plan from $10 a month.
Use Zoho Creator for business apps built mostly from forms, records, reports and approvals, with low-code Deluge scripting. Use Zoho Catalyst when you need real code in Node.js, Python or Java, custom APIs, background jobs, customer-facing portals or AI agents. Many of our projects use both.
Yes. After launch we provide ongoing Zoho Catalyst support: monitoring, fixes, new features and usage reviews. We also train your developers on the Catalyst CLI, environments and deployment, online or on-site in Southern California.
Catalyst functions are written in Node.js, Python or Java. On the front end, Slate deploys React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Svelte and other frameworks, and AppSail runs full web services, including your own container image.
Yes. We build AI agents on Catalyst that use OpenAI, Claude or Gemini, read context from your Zoho apps and act through Zoho MCP, with a person approving key steps and every action logged. For simpler needs, Catalyst’s built-in Zia services, QuickML and ConvoKraft bots may be enough.
SI stands for super intelligence. In September 2026 a US executive order asked federal agencies to use “super intelligence” or “SI” in place of “artificial intelligence” in official communications. Most businesses still say AI, so we use both terms.
11Before a line of code
Four steps pin down what we’re building and what it costs, in writing, before development starts. A single form or API is often scoped from the first call. Bigger work, like moving a whole AWS or Heroku setup, may need a paid scoping and BRD phase, and we’ll quote that up front.
Catalyst builds happen over screen share and shared repos with teams across the US, Canada and Latin America, and we can work next to your developers in Southern California.
From kick-off to go-live, the rest of the process is on one page. See how we work →
12Let’s talk
Book a free consultation with Elite Tech Global. We review your Zoho, AWS, Shopify or WordPress setup, show where AI / SI agents can save time, and agree the next step. If we work together, every requirement and a fixed price go into a signed BRD before the build starts.
Real people, one team. Led by co-founders Ikramul Karim and Khris Kakosimidi, and a 40+ member team across Zoho, AWS and AI.
Thanks, we’ve got it.
We’ll review your request and email you to set up your free consultation. Prefer to pick a time now?
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