Freshsales vs Zoho CRM Comparison
Compare Freshsales vs Zoho CRM features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Freshsales
6.7/10
Freshworks' sales CRM, with Kanban pipelines, built-in chat, email and phone, and Freddy AI lead and deal scoring, aimed at small and mid-sized sales teams.
Zoho CRM
7.2/10
Cloud CRM from Zoho for small and mid-sized sales teams, with a free plan for 3 users and four paid per-user editions.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.7/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $11/user/mo Growth | $20/user/mo Standard |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $110/mo Growth | $200/mo Standard |
| Features | ||
| Contact Management | ||
| Lead Management | ||
| Sales Automation | ||
| Reporting & Analytics | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Mobile Access | ||
| Built-in Calling | ||
| Opportunity Management | ||
| Collaboration | Not listed | |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Freshsales
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: $110/mo vs $200/mo
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Zoho CRM
- Has a free plan (Freshsales does not)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Integration score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (6/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
Freshsales
Pros
- Chat, email and phone are built in from the entry Growth plan, so small teams don't need a separate dialer or inbox tool.
- The annual per-user price of $9 on Growth and $39 on Pro is low next to most mainstream sales CRMs.
- Freddy AI contact scoring and deal insights on Pro help reps decide which leads and deals to work first.
- It links well with Freshdesk and Freshchat for companies already using Freshworks for support.
- The vendor publishes SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO certification materials.
Cons
- Sales sequences, custom reports, multiple pipelines and territory management all require Pro, which limits Growth.
- Sandbox, audit logs, field-level permissions and custom modules are Enterprise-only.
- Reviewers say reporting is shallow, especially email metrics, and customization is limited.
- Support quality is reported as uneven, and Trustpilot reviews of Freshworks cite billing, renewal and cancellation disputes.
- Phone credits, numbers and AI agent sessions cost extra beyond the seat price.
Zoho CRM
Pros
- The free edition supports 3 users with mobile apps and basic workflows, so very small teams can use it at no cost.
- Annual billing for Standard costs about 14 USD per user per month, which is low for a CRM that includes forecasting and built-in calling.
- Reviewers praise how closely it works with other Zoho apps such as Desk, Campaigns and Analytics.
- Admins can heavily customize it with custom modules, Blueprint processes, widgets and custom functions.
Cons
- Monthly billing costs roughly 25 to 52 percent more per seat than annual billing.
- Reviewers report a learning curve, especially when building workflow automation.
- Advanced automation often needs developers or custom functions.
- Reviews often mention slow or limited customer support and occasional sluggish performance.
- Zia AI is only included from the Enterprise edition up.
