Freshsales vs Salesforce

Two CRM tools side by side: what each does, what it costs and who it suits.

The verdict Side by side Plans and pricing Who each is for Other options

The verdict

On the data we hold, Salesforce comes out ahead. Here is why, point by point.

What the data says

Both cover 12 of the 12 features we compared.
Only Salesforce has a free plan to start on.
Both have an API and an MCP server, so either works with AI employees.
In our CRM ranking, Salesforce places 1 and Freshsales 2 of 20.

Side by side

Freshsales and Salesforce compared
16 points compared	Freshsales	Salesforce
Starts at	$9/mo	€25/mo
Free plan	No	Yes
API	Yes	Yes
MCP server	Yes	Yes
Automatic contact capture	Yes	Yes
Built-in calling	Yes	Yes
Contact enrichment	Yes	Yes
Custom objects	Yes	Yes
Email sequences	Yes	Yes
Gmail or Outlook sidebar	Yes	Yes
Lead capture forms	Yes	Yes
Sales goals and quotas	Yes	Yes
Sandbox environment	Yes	Yes
Territory management	Yes	Yes
WhatsApp messaging	Yes	Yes
Workflow automation	Yes	Yes
Links	Visit	Visit

Plans and pricing

Freshsales

Growth9 per user per month billed annually.$108/yr/seat
Pro39 per user per month billed annually.$468/yr/seat
Enterprise59 per user per month billed annually.$708/yr/seat

Salesforce

Free SuiteFree CRM suite per user per month with basic sales, service and marketing tools.Free
Starter SuiteEUR 25 per user per month, billed monthly or annually.€25/mo/seat
Pro SuiteEUR 100 per user per month, billed annually; more automation, quoting and forecasting.€1,200/yr/seat
Sales Cloud CoreEUR 195 per user per month, billed annually; built-in AI, Slack and Tableau Next.€2,340/yr/seat
Sales Cloud AdvancedEUR 395 per user per month, billed annually; enhanced security and more AI.€4,740/yr/seat
Sales Cloud MaxEUR 550 per user per month, billed annually; full Agentforce for Sales suite.€6,600/yr/seat

Prices as the vendors list them. They change often; the final price is on their sites.

Who each is for

Choose Freshsales if…

Small and mid-sized B2B sales teams that want a clean CRM with a visual pipeline, lead scoring and built-in email and calling, particularly if they already use other Freshworks products.

Visit Read the review

Choose Salesforce if…

B2B sales teams, from a small team to mid-market and enterprise, that need a CRM they can shape around complex pipelines, partner channels and heavy reporting.

Visit Read the review

Other options worth a look

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HubSpot
Combines CRM, marketing, sales and customer service around a shared contact database with a free tier.
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From $7/mo yearlyFree plan
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Nutshell
Dedicated customer relationship management platform for sales teams managing leads, deals and pipelines.
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From $13/mo yearlyAffiliate link
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Pipedrive
Manage your sales pipeline visually with drag-and-drop deals, contact management and workflow automation.
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From €14/mo yearlyAffiliate link
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Folk
Centralise contacts and deal pipelines in a spreadsheet-like CRM with automatic data enrichment.
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From €22/mo yearlyAffiliate link
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Attio
Build a flexible CRM that mirrors exactly how you sell, not how a vendor says you should.
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From €31/mo yearlyFree plan
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Zoho CRM
Sales management system for leads, deals and customers with built-in forecasting and workflow automation.
CRM
From €14/mo yearlyFree plan
Sign up on Zoho CRM