Pipedrive vs. Freshsales: Best CRM for Small Business Sales Teams?
Quick Verdict (TL;DR):
- 🏆 Overall Winner: Pipedrive (Best All-in-One)
- 💰 Best Alternative: Freshsales (Great value)
For small sales teams, a CRM shouldn't be a burden. It should be a jetpack. You don't need the enterprise complexity of Salesforce; you need speed, clarity, and automation.
Pipedrive and Freshsales (part of Freshworks) are the two top contenders for SMBs. Pipedrive is famous for its visual pipeline, built by salespeople for salespeople. Freshsales is the challenger, offering a broader suite of tools including built-in phone and chat.
Which one will actually help you close more deals? Let's break it down.
The Visual Pipeline: Pipedrive's Home Turf
Pipedrive invented the Kanban-style sales pipeline.
Pipedrive
The interface is clean, fast, and laser-focused on moving deals from left to right. It forces you to focus on the actions that drive revenue. If a deal is rotting (no activity for X days), it turns red. This simple visual cue is incredibly effective for keeping sales reps accountable.
Freshsales
Freshsales also has a visual pipeline, and it's good. But the UI feels slightly more cluttered. It tries to do more—showing email tracking, web visits, and chat logs all in one view. For some, this is rich context. For others, it's noise.
Round 1: Automation Limits
You want to automate the busy work: sending follow-up emails, creating tasks, and updating deal stages.
Freshsales
Freshsales is generous with automation. Even on lower tiers, you can set up complex workflows based on behavior (e.g., "If lead visits pricing page, send email"). It also includes "Freddy AI," which scores leads based on engagement.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive's automation builder is visual and easy to use, but they gate it heavily. You get very few automations on the Essential plan. To get serious automation power, you need to upgrade to the Professional plan, which is significantly more expensive.
Round 2: Mobile App Quality
Sales happens on the road.
Pipedrive's app is legendary. It focuses on the "Focus" view—telling you exactly who to call and email today. It syncs calls automatically. It just works.
Freshsales' app is functional but can be buggy. It tries to pack the entire desktop experience into mobile, which can make navigation difficult on a small screen.
Round 3: Pricing & Value
Both offer free trials, but the ongoing cost differs.
| Feature | Pipedrive (Advanced) | Freshsales (Pro) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $34/user/month | $39/user/month |
| Email Sync | 2-way sync | 2-way sync |
| Built-in Phone | Paid Add-on | Included (buy credits) |
| AI Lead Scoring | No (requires upgrade) | Yes (Freddy AI) |
| Chat Widget | No | Yes |
The Value Play: Freshsales includes more "channels" (Phone, Chat) in the base price. Pipedrive forces you to pay extra or integrate 3rd party tools for calling.
Detailed Pros & Cons
Pipedrive Pros
- Focus: "Activity-based selling" methodology forces reps to focus on the actions that close deals.
- Visual Pipeline: The drag-and-drop kanban board is the industry standard for usability and clarity.
- Mobile App: Exceptional mobile app with voice-to-text logging, perfect for field sales.
- Ecosystem: Integrates flawlessly with almost every other tool (Zoom, Slack, Gmail) via a massive marketplace.
Pipedrive Cons
- No Marketing: Strictly a sales CRM; no built-in email marketing automation (requires separate "Campaigns" add-on).
- Pricing: Automation features and phone support are locked behind higher-tier plans.
- Limits: Basic plan is very limited (no email sync), forcing an immediate upgrade.
Freshsales Pros
- 360° View: Unified view of the customer including sales, support tickets, and chat history.
- Built-in Phone: Native cloud telephony allows you to buy numbers and make calls directly from the browser.
- Freddy AI: AI-powered lead scoring and deal insights help prioritize the hottest prospects.
- Free Tier: Generous "Free Forever" plan for small teams (up to 3 users) is a great entry point.
Freshsales Cons
- Clutter: Interface can feel "busy" and overwhelming compared to Pipedrive's minimalism.
- Support: Customer service response times can be slow for lower-tier customers.
- Complexity: Setup for telephony and chat widgets requires more technical configuration.
User Experience & Interface Deep Dive
Adoption is the biggest challenge with any CRM. If your sales reps hate using it, they won't update it, and your data will be useless.
Pipedrive is widely considered the gold standard for CRM UX. It was built by sales pros who hated clunky software. The interface is minimalist and focused. The "Pipeline View" is the default home screen, showing you exactly where every deal stands. Dragging a deal from "Qualified" to "Negotiation" feels satisfying. There is very little clutter. Menus are hidden until you need them. It is designed to get you in, let you log a call, and get you out.
Freshsales is part of the Freshworks ecosystem, and it feels like it. It uses a "360-degree view" approach. When you open a contact, you see everything: emails, chat logs, website visits, and open tickets. This is powerful, but it can be visually overwhelming. The interface is busier, with more colors, tabs, and sidebars. It feels more like a "database" and less like a "pipeline." However, for a support-heavy sales process, having that extra context immediately visible is invaluable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do they integrate with Gmail and Outlook?
Yes, both platforms offer 2-way email sync. You can send and receive emails directly from the CRM, and they will automatically be logged to the correct deal.
Is there a free version?
Freshsales offers a "Free Forever" plan for up to 3 users, which is great for very small teams. Pipedrive does not have a free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
Can I make calls from the CRM?
Freshsales has a built-in cloud telephony system. You can buy a number and make calls directly from the browser. Pipedrive requires an integration or a paid add-on to enable calling features.
Is it good for marketing too?
Freshsales is part of the "Freshsales Suite" which includes marketing automation features. Pipedrive is strictly a sales CRM, though they have a separate "Campaigns" add-on for basic email marketing.
Is the mobile app good?
Pipedrive's mobile app is exceptional, often cited as the best in the industry for field sales. Freshsales has a decent app, but it can be a bit slower and more complex to navigate.
Need to manage your email campaigns? Read our Email Marketing Comparison .
The Final Verdict
Choose Pipedrive if:
Choose Pipedrive if you are a deal-driven sales team that needs a clutter-free, visual pipeline to stay focused on selling activities without getting bogged down in admin work.
Choose Freshsales if:
Choose Freshsales if you want a complete 360-degree view of your customer, combining CRM, email marketing, chat, and phone calls into a single, affordable suite.