5 Best Freshsales Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 17 min read
Freshsales is a popular tool for teams wanting built-in communication in their crm. While it offers a free tier (Free plan available), its paid plans start at $9/user/mo. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 5 best Freshsales alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 5
- Free alternatives: 2 (HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM)
- Best overall: HubSpot CRM
- Best free: HubSpot CRM
Why Look for Freshsales Alternatives?
People commonly look for Freshsales alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Freshsales has a free tier, its paid plans starting at $9/user/mo can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Limited integrations and less customizable are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Freshsales overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Data ownership: Organizations wanting data sovereignty prefer open-source, self-hosted alternatives.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshsales | ✓ Free plan available | $9/user/mo | ⭐ 4.2 | No | Teams wanting built-in communication in their CRM |
| HubSpot CRM | ✓ Free CRM with unlimited users | $20/mo (Starter) | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Growing businesses wanting free CRM with marketing tools |
| Pipedrive | ✗ No | $14/user/mo | ⭐ 4.3 | No | Sales-focused SMBs |
| Zoho CRM | ✓ Up to 3 users | $14/user/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | No | SMBs wanting value-for-money CRM |
| Salesforce | ✗ No | $25/user/mo | ⭐ 4.2 | No | Large enterprises with complex sales processes |
| Close | ✗ No | $29/user/mo | ⭐ 4.3 | No | Inside sales teams |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
HubSpot CRM
Free CRM platform with marketing, sales, and service hubs.
HubSpot CRM is a free, powerful CRM platform that forms the foundation of HubSpot's suite of business tools. It offers contact management, deal tracking, email tracking, and basic reporting at no cost. The paid Marketing, Sales, and Service Hubs add advanced features for growing businesses.
Pros
- ✓ Generous free tier
- ✓ All-in-one platform
- ✓ Easy to use
- ✓ Great marketing tools
Cons
- ✗ Expensive at scale
- ✗ Limited free reporting
- ✗ Contacts can get pricey
- ✗ Complex pricing
Pipedrive
Sales CRM designed by salespeople, for salespeople.
Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM known for its visual pipeline management and ease of use. Designed by salespeople for salespeople, it emphasizes activity-based selling and provides clear visibility into the sales process. It's particularly popular among small and medium-sized businesses.
Pros
- ✓ Very intuitive
- ✓ Great pipeline view
- ✓ Affordable
- ✓ Good mobile app
Cons
- ✗ Limited free plan
- ✗ Basic reporting
- ✗ Limited marketing tools
- ✗ No built-in phone
Zoho CRM
Comprehensive CRM platform part of the Zoho ecosystem.
Zoho CRM is a feature-rich customer relationship management platform that's part of the larger Zoho ecosystem of 50+ business apps. It offers excellent value for money with features like AI-powered sales assistant, multichannel communication, and advanced analytics at competitive prices.
Pros
- ✓ Great value
- ✓ Zoho ecosystem
- ✓ AI features included
- ✓ Good customization
Cons
- ✗ Interface can be clunky
- ✗ Steep learning curve
- ✗ Support can be slow
- ✗ Complex setup
Salesforce
The world's leading CRM platform for sales, service, and marketing.
Salesforce is the world's #1 CRM platform, trusted by over 150,000 companies worldwide. It offers comprehensive solutions for sales, customer service, marketing automation, analytics, and application development. While incredibly powerful, Salesforce is known for its complexity and high cost, making it a prime target for businesses seeking alternatives.
Pros
- ✓ Most powerful CRM
- ✓ Extensive ecosystem
- ✓ Highly customizable
- ✓ Market leader
Cons
- ✗ Very expensive
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Steep learning curve
- ✗ Requires admin expertise
Close
CRM built for inside sales teams with built-in calling and email.
Close is a CRM specifically designed for inside sales teams. It stands out with its built-in calling, SMS, and email functionality, eliminating the need for separate communication tools. Close focuses on helping salespeople close deals faster with power dialer, email sequences, and pipeline management.
Pros
- ✓ Built-in phone and email
- ✓ Great for inside sales
- ✓ Fast and efficient
- ✓ Good API
Cons
- ✗ No free plan
- ✗ Expensive
- ✗ Limited marketing features
- ✗ Less known
🏆 Our Recommendations
Best Overall Alternative:
HubSpot CRM — Growing businesses wanting free CRM with marketing tools
Best Free Alternative:
HubSpot CRM — Free CRM with unlimited users
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Freshsales?
The best free alternative to Freshsales is HubSpot CRM, which offers Free CRM with unlimited users.
Is there an open-source alternative to Freshsales?
There are no widely-used open-source alternatives to Freshsales at this time, but several affordable options exist.
What is the cheapest alternative to Freshsales?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $14/mo.
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