Freshsales
The budget CRM from Freshworks that's fine until it isn't — affordable entry, frustrating when things break
Visit WebsiteGTM Pipeline Position
The Verdict
“Freshsales is the best CRM value proposition on the market for SMBs. Starting at $9/user/month with AI capabilities on the Pro plan, it offers 80% of what Salesforce does at a fraction of the cost. Ideal for growing sales teams that want simplicity without sacrificing intelligence.”
Best For
Very small businesses and startups who need a CRM right now for minimal cost and are willing to switch if they outgrow it
Not Great For
Growing sales teams who need reliability — Reddit reports of bugs, getting kicked out, and band-aid support suggest the 'budget' comes at a cost
Overview
Freshsales is an AI-powered CRM by Freshworks that helps sales teams manage pipelines, automate workflows, and close deals faster. It features Freddy AI for lead scoring, deal insights, and email assistance, along with built-in phone, email, and chat.
SMB sales teams, startups, growing businesses
small team/mid-market
Capabilities
Key Features
- AI-powered lead scoring (Freddy AI)
- Built-in phone, email, and chat
- Visual sales pipeline (Kanban)
- Sales sequences
- Freddy AI email writing
- Territory management
- Deal insights and forecasting
- 360° customer view
- Workflow automation
Benefits
- Get started quickly with an easy-to-use CRM
- Let Freddy AI prioritize your best leads
- Communicate with prospects directly from the CRM
- Affordable alternative to Salesforce for growing teams
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Incredibly affordable starting at $9/user/month
- +Freddy AI is genuinely useful for lead scoring
- +Built-in phone/email/chat reduces tool sprawl
- +Easy to set up and use
Cons
- -Less customizable than Salesforce
- -Limited third-party integrations compared to HubSpot
- -AI features require Pro plan ($39/user)
- -Part of Freshworks ecosystem — can push upsells
Outbound Use Cases
Financials & Scale
| Plan | Price | Limits | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | $9/user/month (annual) | Basic features | Kanban view, Contact lifecycle stages, Built-in chat, email, phone, Email templates, Custom fields, Basic workflows, Product catalog, Mobile app, 24x5 support |
| Pro | $39/user/month (annual) | Advanced features + AI | Everything in Growth, Freddy AI contact scoring, Custom sales activities, Auto-assignment rules, Territory management, Sales sequences, Freddy AI emails, Multiple pipelines, Deal insights by Freddy AI |
| Enterprise | $59/user/month (annual) | Advanced customization + governance | Everything in Pro, Custom modules, AI-powered forecasting, Audit logs, Dedicated account manager |
Freshsales starts free and paid plans run $9-69/user/mo. Pipedrive is $14-99/user/mo. HubSpot is free, then $100+/user/mo for professional. Close is $49-139/user/mo. Freshsales wins on sticker price but Reddit users report increasing bugginess — cheap becomes expensive when things don't work.
The Reddit Pulse
Community Pros
- +Affordable pricing, good for small businesses
- +Part of broader Freshworks ecosystem
- +Built-in phone and email features
- +Good AI-powered lead scoring
Community Cons
- -Increasingly buggy - users kicked out frequently
- -Support suggests clearing cookies as fix (band-aid solutions)
- -Data display issues and system instability
- -Less mature than HubSpot or Salesforce
Reddit Questions
- ? Is Freshsales a viable alternative to HubSpot for small teams?
- ? Why is Freshsales so buggy recently?
- ? Is Freshworks reliable enough for growing sales teams?
Thinking of Switching?
Competitive Landscape
Technical Stack
Integrations
Head-to-Head Comparisons
Company Intel
Don't practice on live leads.
Role-play Freshsales scenarios, test your outbound messaging, and refine your pitch in a safe environment.
Try SalesDojo for Free