A powerful solution for small businesses

Freshsales vs Zoho CRM: Pay 95% less for an AI-powered CRM

Leave behind the complexity of Zoho CRM today. Switch to Freshsales for a simpler and smarter CRM experience with superior capabilities.   

Try for freeRequest demo

How to choose the right CRM for your business?

For a growing business, choosing a CRM that combines smart features with an easy UI is important. It should be cost-effective and offer stellar customer support, ensuring ROI as your team grows.

Intuitive, easy-to-use interface

A clutter-free interface ensures easier adoption with minimal training.

Reliable and quick support

Support across all channels - email, phone, and chat with quick response rates.

Affordable pricing

Affordable pricing for all team sizes to get the best return on investment.

Fast onboarding for high ROI

Dedicated account planning team to help utilize your CRM right from day 1.

Boost productivity

Automate, simplify, and streamline sales processes with intelligent features.

Powered by AI

AI-powered CRM for personalized engagement and smarter selling.

5 reasons Freshsales wins over Zoho CRM

Advanced AI at an unbeatable price

Why Freshsales wins

Our motto, 'AI for all,' means you can access Freddy AI for just $39.

It forecasts sales, scores contacts, writes emails, and uncovers deal insights, empowering lean sales teams in growing businesses to leverage AI for effective selling.

Why Zoho CRM might not be the right choice for you

With Zoho, you need to pay up to $800/month to access ZIA, their AI offering. 

It is only available for the Enterprise plan and requires a minimum of 20 user licenses, which could make it expensive and impractical for growing companies.

Improved productivity with smart features

Why Freshsales wins

Our top priority is boosting sales team productivity, so we offer unlimited Kanban view across contacts, deals, and accounts. 

This allows sales to instantly access and interact with customer profiles with a single click, boosting productivity by 90%.

Why Zoho CRM might not be the right choice for you

Sales productivity can become complex with Zoho CRM as they offer just 1 Kanban view in the Standard and Professional plans. 

Despite costing 150% more, the Enterprise and Ultimate plans only offer 5 and 10 views, respectively.

Unlimited CPQ options for growth

Why Freshsales Wins

Freshsales offers CPQ customization for just $19 per user. 

Add unlimited products, set unlimited pricing options, and use the built-in e-sign feature to streamline your sales process and drive more deals.

Why Zoho CRM might not be the right choice for you

You can close unlimited deals, but Zoho CRM doesn't allow unlimited products or price lists for deals in any plan.

The Professional plan limits CPQ to 10, while the Enterprise plan, costing 35% more, limits it to 100. E-sign is also an extra paid third-party integration.

Superior email capabilities for $9

Why Freshsales wins

With Freshsales, you get a sales inbox, advanced email tracking, bulk emailing, scheduling, forwarding, and curated templates at just $9.

These features help your team communicate better and close more deals without burning your pocket.

Why Zoho CRM might not be the right choice for you

To get all of Freshsales’ email capabilities in Zoho, you need to pay $41 extra per user for their Enterprise plan. 

This plan can be complex and expensive as it includes features that may not be necessary for small and medium businesses.

All the support you need at no extra cost

Why Freshsales Wins

We offer 24/5 phone, email, and chat support across all plans at no extra cost. 

Plus, we provide $500 worth of onboarding with a Dedicated Account Planning (DAP) team for free to help you get started from Day 1. 

Why Zoho CRM might not be the right choice for you

Zoho CRM charges 20% of your subscription fee for ‘Premium Support’ to access 24/5 support with a 3-hour response time. 

Normal support is limited to 8/5 and has an 8-hour response rate. Dedicated onboarding, done by third-party trainers, is also behind the Premium Support paywall, which could cause delays and frustration.

Freshsales CRM vs Zoho CRM

Decoding the best CRM solution for your business

Criteria

Freshsales CRMZoho CRM

Pricing

Starts at $9/user/month

Starts at $14/user/month

G2 Rating

4.5 out of 5

4.1 out of 5

AI capabilities

No min. license requirements
Freddy AI included Pro plan onwards ($39/month)

ZIA requires min. 20 licenses

Available only from the Enterprise plan ($800/month)

Built-in phone



Workflow templates

25+ ready-to-use templates


Kanban view for records


Offered via extension only for deals

Contact lifecycle stages



List view with one-click for emails, calls, and reminders



Sales sequences


Available only via Workflows

e-Sign in CPQ


Requires Zoho Sign add-on

Deal teams



Out-of-office detection



Talk to an expert. Claim your FREE $500 expert consultation today!

Get a free CRM consult

The Freshworks advantage

Freshworks Neo Platform

Create custom workflows and applications to meet your unique business needs. Scale fast with a marketplace of 1,200+ apps. Unify experience, gather actionable insights, and bring customer context to every interaction.

Learn more

Freddy AI for sales

Get more done in less time with Freddy, your always-available AI assistant. Freddy helps you find potential customers, creates personalized emails, and provides insights to help you close deals faster.

Learn more

Freshsales Suite

Unite sales and marketing with an all-in-one CRM. Deliver seamless engagement across channels with a 360° view of the customer. Understand customer intent and send the right message to close deals faster.

Learn more

Why our customers love us

With Freshsales, we are able to get a holistic view of our customers, have better governance over sales productivity, pipeline and in turn move our business forward.

Brian ShiaHead of Corporate Solutions, Lalamove
Watch video

Reducing our no-show rate was important to have higher utilization of our sales team. With Freshsales, we brought it down to about 20%, and time is money.

Mike HopkinsSenior VP, Sales and Service, Blue Nile
Watch video

Simplicity and power of the tool took us. Freshsales is allowing us to keep going with limited resources, given the shifting environment. It’s an asset.

Greg ArmstrongVP of Sales, Evans Manufacturing
Read Customer Story

We are 100% satisfied with Freshsales. We wanted an out-of-the-box solution that could be used. We have got it.

Kim JohnsenCCO, Kongskilde Industries
Read Customer Story
Trusted by 68,000+ Businesses Worldwide

Recommended by industry experts

FAQs

How do Freshsales and Zoho CRM compare in terms of ease of use?

Freshsales is generally easier to use with a more intuitive interface. Customers often applaud it for its easy UI and quick adoption rates. Zoho CRM can be a bit complex and overwhelming for new users, especially given its unstructured UI. 

Which CRM is more cost-effective: Freshsales or Zoho CRM?

Freshsales is often more cost-effective, especially for growing businesses, with plans starting from as low as $9. Zoho CRM’s starting cost is 30-40% higher than Freshsales's across all plans, and with third-party integrations required for basic features, costs can add up.

What are the key differences between Freshsales and Zoho CRM?

The key difference between Freshsales and Zoho CRM is the AI offering and the user-friendly experience of the products. Freshsales offers a cleaner, simpler UI and advanced AI features, while Zoho CRM can be harder to navigate, and its AI is blocked behind a high paywall. 

Is it easy to switch from Zoho CRM to Freshsales?

Switching from Zoho CRM to Freshsales is easy, with migration tools and dedicated support to help you through the process.

What are the standout features of Freshsales compared with Zoho CRM?

Freshsales stands out with its intuitive interface, advanced Freddy AI features, and seamless integration options.

What is the best feature of Freshsales unavailable in Zoho CRM?

The best feature of Freshsales that Zoho CRM lacks is Freddy AI, which offers smart insights to boost your sales processes at a fraction of the cost.