Why teams leave Freshsales
Freshsales' main draw is its entry price. The search for an alternative usually starts when the team outgrows Growth and sees what the next step costs:
- The Growth-to-Pro jump. Multiple pipelines, sequences and custom reports all start on Pro. Going from $9 to $39 per user raises a five-person team's bill from $540 to $2,340 a year.
- Growth's automation is basic. It includes 20 basic workflows and 250 bulk emails a day; the free plan has no workflows at all.
- Custom modules are Enterprise-only. If your data does not fit the standard record types, you need Enterprise at $59 per user, which allows 10 custom modules.
- AI costs extra. Freddy AI is an add-on at $49 per 100 sessions.
- Monthly billing adds up. Growth, Pro and Enterprise cost $11, $47 and $71 on monthly billing.
| Limit | Free | Growth | Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per user/month (annual) | $0 (up to 3 users) | $9 | $39 | $59 |
| Workflows | None | 20 basic | 50 basic + 50 advanced | 100 basic + 100 advanced |
| Multiple pipelines | No | No | 10 | 25 |
| Sequences per user | No | No | 10 (1,000 emails/day) | 25 (2,000 emails/day) |
| Bulk email per day | Not listed | 250 | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| Custom reports | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Custom modules | No | No | No | 10 |
For a full price breakdown, see Freshsales pricing explained.
Freshsales alternatives at a glance
| CRM | Paid plans from (per seat/month, annual) | Free plan | Cheapest plan with email sequences | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshsales (for reference) | $9 (Growth) | Up to 3 users; 21-day trial | Pro: $39 | Low entry price |
| Zoho CRM | $14 (Standard) | Free forever for 3 users | Standard: $14 (cadences) | More features per dollar |
| Pipedrive | $14 (Lite) | No; 14-day trial | Growth: $39 | Pipeline-first selling |
| HubSpot | $20 (Sales Hub Starter) | Up to 2 users | Professional: $90 + $1,500 onboarding | Marketing, sales and service together |
| Close | $9 (Solo, 1 user) / $35 (Essentials) | No; 14-day trial | Growth: $99 | Calling-heavy sales |
| Copper | $23 (Basic) | No; 14-day trial | Business: $99 (email series) | Google Workspace teams |
Freshsales vs alternatives: first-year cost for 3, 5 and 10 users
The useful comparison is not Growth against other entry plans, but Freshsales Pro against the cheapest plan on each alternative that also includes email sequences.
| Plan | 3 users | 5 users | 10 users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshsales Growth (no sequences, for reference) | $324 | $540 | $1,080 |
| Freshsales Pro | $1,404 | $2,340 | $4,680 |
| Zoho CRM Standard | $504 | $840 | $1,680 |
| Pipedrive Growth | $1,404 | $2,340 | $4,680 |
| HubSpot Sales Hub Professional | $4,740 | $6,900 | $12,300 |
| Close Growth | $3,564 | $5,940 | $11,880 |
| Copper Business | $3,564 | $5,940 | $11,880 |
Zoho CRM Standard is the only option that costs less than Freshsales Pro for the same job: $840 for five users against $2,340. Pipedrive Growth costs exactly the same as Freshsales Pro, while HubSpot, Close and Copper cost more than twice as much. Model your own team in the CRM pricing calculator.
Zoho CRM
Best for teams that have outgrown Freshsales Growth
- Paid plans from
- $14/user/month (Standard, billed annually)
- Free plan
- Yes, free forever for 3 users
Zoho CRM fixes the Growth-to-Pro problem most cheaply. Standard costs $14 per user, $25 less than Freshsales Pro, and includes 5 pipelines, cadences for automated follow-up, 30 workflow rules per module, 100 custom reports and 10 custom modules. In Freshsales, custom modules need Enterprise at $59.
Professional at $23 still undercuts Freshsales Pro and adds unlimited custom reports and Zia AI scoring. The trade-off is setup: Zoho has more settings, and its limits are counted per module.
Strengths
- Free forever for 3 users, the same as Freshsales
- 5 pipelines, cadences and 100 custom reports on Standard ($14)
- 10 custom modules on Standard, versus Enterprise-only in Freshsales
- 15-day free trial
Watch out for
- More configuration to learn and maintain
- Only 15 of Standard's 30 workflow rules per module can be active
- Free edition has only the default pipeline and no cadences
HubSpot vs Zoho CRM →Zoho CRM alternatives →Zoho CRM official site ↗
Pipedrive
Best for sales teams that want a simpler, pipeline-first CRM
- Paid plans from
- $14/seat/month (Lite, billed annually)
- Free plan
- No; 14-day free trial, no credit card
Pipedrive is built around a visual pipeline where every deal carries a next activity. Even Lite, at $14 per seat, includes customizable pipelines and 15 reports per seat, which Freshsales keeps for Pro. If your team needs separate pipelines for new business and renewals but little automation, Lite is the cheaper fix.
For automation, Growth costs $39, the same as Freshsales Pro, with two-way email sync, 50 automations and forecasting. Freshsales Pro gives more sequences, though: 10 per user against 5 for the whole company on Pipedrive Growth.
Strengths
- Customizable pipelines and reports on every plan, from $14/seat
- Simple, pipeline-first interface
- Growth adds two-way email sync, 50 automations and revenue forecasting
- Free Import2 migration for up to 1,000,000 records
Watch out for
- No free plan
- Lite has no automations or sequences
- Only 5 sequences per company on Growth
Pipedrive pricing →Pipedrive vs Zoho CRM →Pipedrive official site ↗
HubSpot
Best for teams that need marketing and service on the same record
- Paid plans from
- $20/seat/month (Sales Hub Starter list price)
- Free plan
- Yes, up to 2 users, no time limit
HubSpot is the move when the problem is not the sales plan but everything around it: marketing campaigns, forms and support tickets that should share one customer record. The free tools cover 2 users, and Starter at $20 per seat adds 15 pipelines and 500 calling minutes a month in supported countries.
Expect to pay much more for sales automation. Sequences, 100 custom reports and forecasting need Professional at $90 per seat plus $1,500 onboarding: $6,900 for five users in year one, against $2,340 on Freshsales Pro.
Strengths
- One record shared by marketing, sales and service hubs
- Free tools for 2 users with no time limit
- Starter: 15 pipelines and no HubSpot branding
- View-only seats are free
Watch out for
- Sequences need Professional ($90/seat + $1,500 onboarding)
- Free tools cover 2 users, one fewer than Freshsales Free
- Custom objects only on Enterprise
Freshsales vs HubSpot →HubSpot pricing →HubSpot official site ↗
Close
Best for outbound teams that spend the day calling and emailing
- Paid plans from
- $9/month (Solo, 1 user); $35/seat (Essentials)
- Free plan
- No; 14-day trial, no credit card
Close is a sales CRM built around calling and email, with calling included in the product rather than bolted on. It suits teams whose day is measured in calls and follow-ups rather than pipeline reviews. Solo costs $9 a month for a single user and Essentials $35 per seat.
Workflows (Close's sequences) and the power dialer start on Growth at $99 per seat, and the predictive dialer and custom objects on Scale at $139. That is a big step up from Freshsales Pro, so switch for the calling workflow, not the price.
Strengths
- Calling built into the CRM
- Power dialer and sequences from Growth ($99/seat)
- 14-day trial with no credit card
Watch out for
- No free plan
- Sequences cost $99/seat, against $39 on Freshsales Pro
- Predictive dialer and custom objects only on Scale ($139/seat)
Copper
Best for teams that live in Gmail and Google Workspace
- Paid plans from
- $23/seat/month (Basic, billed annually)
- Free plan
- No; 14-day trial, no credit card
Copper is built around Google Workspace, so it fits teams that run their day from Gmail and Google Calendar. Basic costs $23 per seat with 2,500 contacts and task automation only. Workflow automation, bulk email and reporting start on Professional at $59 with 15,000 contacts, and email series and custom reports on Business at $99.
Copper costs more than Freshsales at every level, so choose it only if working inside Google Workspace is the main requirement.
Strengths
- Designed around Gmail and Google Workspace
- 14-day trial with no credit card
- Professional ($59) adds workflow automation, bulk email and reporting
Watch out for
- No free plan
- Basic has task automation only and a 2,500-contact cap
- Email series and custom reports need Business ($99/seat)
When to stay with Freshsales
- Upgrading costs less than switching. Moving one user from Growth to Pro adds $360 a year. Every alternative also means exporting data, rebuilding workflows and retraining the team.
- You run heavy sequences. Freshsales Pro allows 10 sequences per user with 1,000 emails a day. Pipedrive Growth allows 5 per company, and HubSpot and Close charge far more for theirs.
- You are a team of three on a tight budget. The free plan covers up to 3 users, more than HubSpot's 2, and Growth at $9 is the cheapest paid seat here for a team of more than one.
Not sure which way to go? Score Freshsales and your top alternative against the same requirements with the CRM scorecard, or see how it compares with the wider field in the best CRM for small business.
How to switch from Freshsales without losing data
List what will not move
Workflows, sequences and custom reports are configuration, not data. Copy the text of every sequence email and note each workflow's trigger and actions so you can rebuild them.
Export each record type
Export each record type you use, such as contacts, companies, deals, notes and open tasks, as a separate file, keeping the original record IDs so you can check associations after import.
Import in order and test small
Set up pipelines and fields in the new CRM, then import companies, contacts, deals and activities in that order. Pipedrive's spreadsheet importer handles up to 200,000 rows per file and can revert an import within 48 hours; its Import2 option is free for up to 1,000,000 records.
Run both briefly, then cancel
Stop editing in Freshsales at cutover and keep it until record counts and a sample of deals match, and check your renewal date with the SaaS contract checklist. The CRM migration checklist covers mapping, cutover and reconciliation in detail.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Freshsales?
For most small teams, Zoho CRM. Its $14 Standard edition includes 5 pipelines, cadences, 100 custom reports and 10 custom modules, features Freshsales keeps for Pro at $39 or Enterprise at $59. Choose Pipedrive for a simpler pipeline-first CRM, HubSpot when marketing and service need the same record, and Close for calling-heavy sales.
Is Freshsales cheaper than HubSpot?
Yes. Freshsales Growth costs $9 per user per month billed annually against $20 for HubSpot Sales Hub Starter, and Freshsales Pro with sequences costs $39 against $90 plus a $1,500 onboarding fee for HubSpot Professional. For five users that is $2,340 a year on Freshsales Pro versus $6,900 on HubSpot Professional in year one.
Is Zoho CRM better than Freshsales?
Zoho CRM is better value once you outgrow a single pipeline: Standard at $14 per user includes 5 pipelines, cadences and custom reports, which need Freshsales Pro at $39. Freshsales is cheaper at the very bottom, with Growth at $9 including 20 basic workflows. Both have free plans for 3 users.
Does Freshsales have a free plan?
Yes. Freshsales is free for up to 3 users, but the free plan has no workflows, sequences, multiple pipelines or custom reports. Paid plans cost $9 (Growth), $39 (Pro) and $59 (Enterprise) per user per month billed annually, or $11, $47 and $71 billed monthly, and there is a 21-day free trial.
Is Pipedrive better than Freshsales?
Pipedrive is better if you need several pipelines and reports on a cheap plan: Lite at $14 includes customizable pipelines and 15 reports per seat, which Freshsales gates to Pro at $39. Freshsales gives more automation per dollar: Growth includes 20 workflows, and Pro allows 10 sequences per user against 5 per company on Pipedrive Growth.
Sources
Prices and plan limits come from each vendor's own pricing pages and documentation, checked on the dates shown. Vendors change packaging often, so confirm the final figure in your own quote.
- Freshsales pricing — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Freshsales plan comparison — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Zoho CRM pricing — checked Oct 29, 2026USD figures from the pricing data the page loads; our EU view rendered the same numbers in euros.
- Zoho CRM complete feature list — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Zoho CRM free trial sign-up — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Pipedrive pricing and plan comparison — checked Oct 29, 2026Checked from the EU (EUR). US-dollar annual prices recorded on Oct 2, 2026 showed the same figures.
- Pipedrive Support: Usage limits in Pipedrive — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Pipedrive Support: Multiple pipelines — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Pipedrive Support: Importing data from a previous CRM using Import2 — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Pipedrive Support: Importing data with spreadsheets — checked Oct 29, 2026
- HubSpot Sales Hub pricing — checked Oct 29, 2026
- HubSpot free tools pricing and FAQ — checked Oct 29, 2026
- HubSpot Product & Services Catalog: products — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Close pricing — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Copper pricing — checked Oct 29, 2026
- Copper free trial sign-up — checked Oct 29, 2026