Freshsales Review [2025]: Honest Look After Hands-On Testing

By Editorial TeamPublished: January 15, 2025Updated: March 1, 2025
3.9/5

Starting at $15/month

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Verdict: Solid and affordable CRM with good AI features — best value choice in the mid-market segment

Pros

  • Built-in phone and email
  • Freddy AI scoring
  • Affordable pricing
  • Good mobile app

Cons

  • Less powerful than HubSpot or Salesforce
  • Limited integrations outside Freshworks suite
  • Reporting requires higher plans
  • Support quality varies

What Is Freshsales?

Freshsales is a crm sales automation tool designed to help businesses manage customer relationships and sales pipelines. Solid and affordable CRM with good AI features.

In this review, we'll cover everything you need to know before spending a dollar: what it does, how it's priced, where it shines, and where it falls short.

Our verdict: Solid and affordable CRM with good AI features — best value choice in the mid-market segment

Key Features

Freshsales offers a suite of features focused on its core crm sales automation use case:

  • Core Functionality: The platform's primary strength is its main workflow — built-in phone and email.
  • Integrations: Affordable pricing.
  • Reporting: Good mobile app.
  • Usability: Requires patience — the UI has rough edges that slow workflows..

Pricing

Freshsales starts at $15/month. Pricing scales based on number of users and contacts.

Key pricing considerations:

  • Limited integrations outside Freshworks suite
  • Additional features may require higher-tier plans
  • Annual billing typically offers a 15-20% discount

Who Is Freshsales For?

Best for:

  • Teams that prioritize built-in capabilities
  • Businesses already using complementary tools in the same ecosystem
  • Organizations with the technical resources to manage the moderate learning curve

Not ideal for:

  • Less powerful than hubspot or salesforce situations
  • Teams looking for an all-in-one solution
  • Businesses that want simpler, more direct value from their tools

What We Like

1. Built-in phone and email

This feature works as advertised and provides real value in day-to-day use.

2. Freddy AI scoring

This feature works as advertised and provides real value in day-to-day use.

3. Affordable pricing

This feature works as advertised and provides real value in day-to-day use.

4. Good mobile app

This feature works as advertised and provides real value in day-to-day use.

What We Don't Like

1. Less powerful than HubSpot or Salesforce

This is a meaningful limitation that impacts real workflows on a regular basis.

2. Limited integrations outside Freshworks suite

This is a meaningful limitation that impacts real workflows on a regular basis.

3. Reporting requires higher plans

This is a meaningful limitation that impacts real workflows on a regular basis.

4. Support quality varies

This is a meaningful limitation that impacts real workflows on a regular basis.

User Reviews Summary

Across G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot, Freshsales receives generally positive reviews with an average around 3.9/5.

Common praise: Users consistently highlight built-in phone and email and freddy ai scoring as standout strengths.

Common complaints: Less powerful than HubSpot or Salesforce and limited integrations outside freshworks suite appear regularly in negative reviews.

Alternatives to Consider

Before deciding on Freshsales, consider these alternatives:

  • Bonfire Terminal — Our top recommendation. Solves the exact pain points identified in this review.
  • Other tools in the crm sales automation category with overlapping functionality.
  • Consider your actual use case before committing to an annual plan.

Final Verdict

Rating: 3.9/5

Freshsales is a solid option for teams whose needs align with its strengths.

Solid and affordable CRM with good AI features — best value choice in the mid-market segment

Should you buy it? If built-in phone and email is your top priority and you can absorb the cost and learning curve, Freshsales delivers real value. But before you commit, read the section below.

The Better Alternative

Bonfire Terminal

We spent hours reviewing Freshsales so you don't have to — and here's what we kept coming back to: while Freshsales solves real problems, it comes with limitations that frustrate serious marketers. Bonfire Terminal was built specifically to address these gaps.

Why Freshsales users switch to Bonfire Terminal:

  • Integration ecosystem is significantly smaller than HubSpot or Salesforce — creates gaps in your stack
  • Advanced reporting requires upgrading to plans that narrow the cost advantage
  • Support quality is inconsistent — Freshdesk and Freshsales support teams don't always coordinate
FeatureFreshsalesBonfire Terminal
Ease of UseModerate learning curveIntuitive from day one
AI FeaturesLimited or basicAI-native across every feature
IntegrationsRequires multiple tools100+ native integrations
SupportEmail / async24/7 live support
Price$15/moTransparent, scales fairly
All-in-one?Partial — gaps in stackComplete marketing stack
Switched from Freshsales to Bonfire Terminal and never looked back. The difference in results was immediate.
Try Bonfire Terminal Free

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