Freshsales, a CRM that’s part of the Freshworks suite of business software, is a platform designed to streamline and optimize the sales process for businesses of all sizes.
What sets Freshsales apart is its focus on sales-centric features, such as visual sales pipelines, built-in communication tools, and AI-powered insights. One of the best CRM platforms, Freshsales offers a high degree of customization, allowing users to tailor it to their specific needs and workflows. Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, Freshsales aims to provide a comprehensive solution for managing leads, deals, and customer relationships, all while keeping the user experience simple and intuitive.
In this in-depth review, I'll explore the key features, pricing, ease of use, and overall value of Freshsales CRM — based on my experience with the platform. By the end, you'll have a clear understanding of whether Freshsales is the right fit for your business and sales team.
Freshsales core capabilities
Freshsales offers a comprehensive set of tools that cover all the essential aspects of customer relationship management. Its centralized database makes it easy to store, organize, and access customer data from a single place. Meanwhile, the ability to enrich contact profiles with additional information from social media and other public sources is a valuable time-saver.
The platform provides a visual sales pipeline that helps me track the progress of each deal from initial contact to closure. I can easily create and assign tasks, set reminders, and collaborate with my team to nurture leads effectively. I can also customize the deal stages, pipelines, and contact fields to match my specific sales process. The new AI-powered lead scoring is particularly useful, helping to prioritize the most promising opportunities based on their likelihood to convert.
When it comes to sales forecasting and pipeline management, Freshsales offers customizable sales reports and dashboards that provide real-time insights into key metrics such as revenue, win rates, and sales cycle length. I can easily filter and segment data to identify trends, spot bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions when optimizing my sales process. I can track everything from individual rep performance to overall team productivity and revenue growth. The visual dashboards make it easy to digest complex data and share insights with stakeholders across the organization.
For those in the field, Freshsales offers a fully-featured mobile app for iOS and Android devices, allowing me to access customer data, update deals, and communicate with my team on the go. The app also allows me to view and update contact information, log calls and emails, schedule appointments, and even access key reports and dashboards. Applications are well-designed and responsive, making it a seamless extension of the desktop experience.
Another signature selling point of Freshsales is its integration with other tools in the Freshworks ecosystem, such as Freshdesk for customer support and Freshmarketer for marketing automation. It allows me to gain a holistic view of each customer's journey and ensures that sales, marketing, and support are always on the same page. Additionally, the platform supports a wide range of third-party integrations through its open API, allowing me to connect with my favorite productivity tools to simplify my daily workflow.
Beyond these core capabilities, Freshsales offers a range of advanced features that set it apart from other CRM platforms. For example, the built-in phone system allows me to make and receive calls directly from the CRM, with automatic call logging and recording. The email integration is also top-notch, with the ability to send personalized bulk emails, track opens and clicks, and sync conversations with contact records.
How easy is Freshsales to use?
When it comes to user experience, Freshsales features a clean and modern layout that’s very easy to get familiar with. Its dashboard provides a clear overview of key metrics, upcoming tasks, and recent activities, allowing me to quickly access information without feeling overwhelmed. The main menu is well-organized and easy to navigate, with clear labels and icons for each section of the platform.
I can quickly access my contacts, deals, reports, and settings without having to hunt through multiple submenus or click through endless screens. The platform also allows me to tailor the interface to my specific needs and preferences, from rearranging widgets on the dashboard to creating custom fields for contacts and deals. The drag-and-drop functionality for managing deals and pipelines is particularly user-friendly, enabling me to quickly update the status of my sales opportunities with just a few clicks.
When it comes to the onboarding curve, Freshsales offers a wealth of resources to help new users get up to speed quickly. The comprehensive knowledge base includes detailed articles, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides covering every aspect of the platform. Based on my experience with other CRM tools like HubSpot and Salesforce, I’d say that Freshsales stands out for its simplicity without compromising on the core capabilities that sales teams need for their day-to-day.
In addition to the self-service knowledge base, Freshsales also provides a dedicated onboarding program for new users to the platform. This includes a series of interactive walkthroughs that guide you through the key features and functions, as well as best practices for setting up your account and importing data.
Freshsales also offers a range of time-saving features and shortcuts that further enhance its usability. For example, the global search function allows me to quickly find any record or file within the platform, while the bulk editing tools enable me to update multiple records at once. These small but impactful features make a big difference when you have to use the platform everyday.
While Freshsales is generally very user-friendly, I did encounter a few minor challenges. For example, the page timeout feature can be a bit annoying, as it requires you to refresh the page if you need to stay on it for an extended period. But overall, the combination of an intuitive interface, extensive customization options, comprehensive onboarding resources, and time-saving features leave me with a positive impression of the platform’s user experience. I particularly appreciate the inclusion of a proper onboarding program, something that’s sadly missing from a lot of other CRMs.
Freshsales integrations
In my experience with Freshsales, I've found its integration capabilities to be a mixed bag. While the platform integrates seamlessly with other products in the Freshworks suite, such as Freshdesk for customer support and Freshchat for live chat, the number of native integrations with third-party applications is somewhat limited compared to other solutions.
Freshsales offers around 30 pre-built integrations with popular business tools, including Google Calendar, Mailchimp, Twilio, Quickbooks, Xero, and Trello. These integrations allow for streamlined data synchronization and workflow automation, saving time and reducing manual effort. For example, the Google Calendar integration enables me to sync my Freshsales appointments and tasks with my Google Calendar, ensuring I never miss an important meeting or deadline.
However, when compared to other CRM platforms like Pipedrive offering 400 integrations, or HubSpot with over 1,600 third-party app integrations, Freshsales' native integration options seem relatively sparse. This limitation may be a concern for businesses that rely heavily on a wide range of tools and require seamless data flow between them.
Fortunately, Freshsales provides a robust API that allows for custom integrations and extensions. API documentation is comprehensive and well-structured, making it easier for developers to build custom integrations tailored to specific business needs. Additionally, Freshsales offers native connectors for Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat), which enable users to create automated workflows between Freshsales and hundreds of other apps without coding.
Leveraging the Freshsales API and Zapier has allowed me to connect the CRM with several crucial tools in my tech stack. For instance, when a deal is won in Freshsales, I was able to set up a Zap that automatically creates a task in Asana for the customer success team to onboard the new client. This integration helps streamline the handover process and ensures that no critical steps are missed.
While the limited number of native integrations in Freshsales may seem concerning at first glance, the platform's API and compatibility with iPaaS tools like Zapier and Make provide ample opportunities for customization and extension. With a bit of technical know-how or the help of a developer, businesses can create powerful integrations that suit their unique needs and workflows.
How good is Freshsales customer support?
Again with customer support, Freshsales CRM is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, Freshsales offers a variety of support channels, including phone, email, and live chat, which are available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. However, the lack of 24/7 support that competitors such as Monday.com offer, can be a drawback for some, especially those with global operations or customers in different time zones.
However, I appreciate that Freshsales offers phone support across all subscription tiers, a welcome addition of a must-have feature that’s often missing from some competitors’ entry-level plans. Being able to speak with a support representative directly can be invaluable when facing complex issues.
In terms of self-service resources, Freshsales provides a solid foundation with its collection of case studies, how-to videos, and knowledge base articles. These materials cover a wide range of topics, from basic features to advanced workflows, and can be helpful for users looking to troubleshoot issues or learn more about the platform on their own.
Additionally, Freshsales offers an academy program with courses and certifications for admins and agents. This is a great way for users to improve their skills and demonstrate their expertise with the platform, which can lead to better adoption and more effective use of the CRM.
While its customer support is still strong enough, there are more areas where the company could improve. For example, the average first response and resolution times are not readily available, making it difficult to gauge the efficiency and effectiveness of the support team. Similarly, customer satisfaction scores are not publicly disclosed, which could leave users wondering about the quality of support they can expect.
It’s also worth noting that Freshsales’ customer support is only available in English. This may be a barrier for users in non-English speaking countries or those who prefer to communicate in their native language. Expanding support to include more languages could help Freshsales better serve its global user base.
Freshsales pricing and plans
Freshsales’ pricing is flexible and competitive, offering a range of options to suit businesses of various sizes and needs. Its free plan supports up to 100 active contacts, with basic features like contact management, deal tracking, and built-in phone and email. For businesses requiring more advanced features, Freshsales offers three paid plans: Growth, Pro, and Enterprise.
The Growth plan starts at $15 per user per month (billed annually) and includes additional features like AI-powered contact scoring, sales sequences, and workflows. This plan help make Freshsales one of the best CRM of small businesses and startups looking for a cost-effective CRM solution with essential automation capabilities.
As a business grows and requires more sophisticated features, the Pro plan at $39 per user per month (billed annually) offers advanced functionality such as multiple sales pipelines, time-based workflows, and auto-assignment rules. I found this plan to be well-suited for medium-sized businesses with more complex sales processes and multiple teams.
For larger enterprises with extensive customization and governance needs, the Enterprise plan at $69 per user per month (billed annually) provides custom modules, AI-based forecasting insights, audit logs, and other advanced features. While this plan is more expensive, it offers a comprehensive feature set that can scale with the needs of large organizations.
There’s a flat 20% discount on annual subscriptions over monthly ones. Plus, additional discounts and bundles are available throughout the year if you’re looking to save money. For newcomers, Freshsales also offers a generous 21-day free trial for all plans.
Beyond your base plan, businesses can purchase additional bot sessions, phone credits, or configure-price-quote (CPQ) licenses as needed. While this lends more flexibility to the pricing structure, overall costs can add up quickly if you aren’t careful. You should carefully review your needs and factor in the cost of necessary add-ons to make sure you aren’t overspending.
Freshsales review: Final verdict
Freshsales shines in its core capabilities, offering a robust set of features that cater to the needs of sales teams of all sizes. The platform's intuitive interface and customization options make it easy for users to adopt and tailor to their unique workflows.
While the number of native integrations is limited compared to some competitors, Freshsales' open API and compatibility with Zapier and Make provide ample opportunities for extensibility. Customer support is generally strong, with multiple channels available and helpful resources for self-service. However, there is room for improvement in terms of response times and language support. In any case, Freshsales offers excellent value for money, with flexible pricing plans and a generous free trial period, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.
At the end of the day, Freshsales CRM is a powerful and user-friendly platform that offers a compelling blend of features, affordability, and scalability. While there are areas for improvement, particularly when it comes to the quality of support and range of integrations offered, the platform's strengths make it a top choice for businesses seeking a reliable and adaptable CRM.
