A sales CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool is a software solution designed to help businesses manage their interactions with current and potential customers. It typically includes features for tracking leads, managing contacts, organizing sales pipelines, and analyzing customer data. Its importance is underscored by how it helps businesses build stronger relationships with their customers, streamline their sales processes, and drive growth and profitability.

Freshsales shines as a versatile contact management and sales tool ideal for startups, small businesses, and enterprises seeking budget-friendly CRM solutions without compromising on features. Yet, even with its prominence in the market, many users are seeking alternatives, recognizing that like any tool, Freshsales has its strengths and weaknesses.

In this blog post, I will guide you through a comprehensive examination of the top 7 sales CRM software alternatives to Freshsales. These alternatives distinguish themselves in terms of functionality, usability, scalability, and pricing. Whether you're in search of seamless integration, advanced analytics capabilities, or robust customization features, I am convinced that by the end of this post, you'll have been armed with adequate knowledge to find the perfect CRM to boost your sales and drive business growth.

That said,

What is Freshsales?

Freshsales serves as a comprehensive sales automation solution designed to empower businesses of all scales in optimizing various aspects of their operations. This includes streamlining lead management, client interactions, marketing insights, and customer relationship management processes. Notably, the platform empowers organizations to craft customized workflows featuring event-based triggers, thereby automating repetitive tasks efficiently.

One of Freshsales' key features is its capability to enable teams to tailor sales pipelines according to diverse criteria, such as geographical regions, teams, or specific processes. Moreover, it facilitates the maintenance of a product catalog encompassing pricing, discount, and tax information. The platform boasts an array of functionalities, including customizable email templates, sales goals management, predictive contact scoring, sales forecasting, audit logs, and role-based access controls. Administrators benefit from an intuitive analytics dashboard that offers insights into key performance indicators (KPIs), team performance, sales metrics, client communication, and other pertinent data.

Furthermore, Freshsales facilitates seamless integration with a plethora of third-party applications, including Microsoft Outlook, PandaDoc, and Xero, among others. It operates on a subscription-based model, available on both monthly and annual plans, with support provided through various channels such as phone, email, and online assistance measures.

Why might Freshsales be the right fit for your team's Customer Service needs?

• Mobile compatibility.
• Ease of use; Freshsales has a very user-friendly platform which makes it easy to learn all its features and functions.
• With Freshsales you can set up web forms that when filled out by visitors are automatically turned into CRM contacts.
• It provides its users with its library of APIs, which lets you access and update your data and build other functionalities atop the Freshworks platform.
• Freshsales has its artificial intelligence tool (called Freddy) and it helps with processes such as lead management and lead generation.

Why do you need a Freshsales Alternative?

• Mobile app usage is not as seamless as web usage.
• Slow refresh rates and longer loading times.
• Poor customer support.
• Fewer third-party integrations than those offered by competitors.
• Reports are not available in the free plan version.

Top 7 Sales CRM Software Alternatives to Freshsales Making Waves in 2024

1. Distrobird
2. Salesforce Sales Cloud
3. Hubspot Sales Hub
4. Nutshell
5. Zoho CRM
6. Pipedrive
7. LeadSquared

1. Distrobird

Distrobird stands out as a dynamic sales CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool designed to streamline and optimize businesses' sales processes. Offering a comprehensive suite of functionalities, including contact organization, lead management, intuitive sales pipeline visualization, seamless email integration, task scheduling, and in-depth performance analytics, Distrobird equips sales teams with the tools they need to excel.

One of Distrobird's key strengths lies in its ability to empower sales teams to efficiently track leads, nurture relationships, and close deals with precision. By providing a centralized platform for managing customer interactions, Distrobird facilitates seamless communication and collaboration across the sales pipeline, ultimately driving revenue growth and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Moreover, Distrobird takes automation to the next level by leveraging AI-driven technology to enhance prospect engagement. By funneling inbound leads from various channels into tailored multi-channel sequences based on prospect characteristics, Distrobird ensures timely and relevant outreach. Its advanced automation capabilities extend beyond initial sequence replies, dynamically adjusting outreach strategies based on prospect responses and interactions, thereby maximizing engagement and conversion opportunities.

Distrobird best features

• Its free plan allows you to start using Distrobird's best features for free with unlimited teams and users - no demo or credit card required.
• Distrobird allows you to manage your entire sales process in one place thus simultaneously doubling your sales team's output with fewer tools.
• Seamlessly capture leads from your website and funnel them into multi-channel campaigns or sequences that will help close the sale.
• Our customer success team is available to help you import your customer or prospect list, CRM data, templates, automations, and more for free.
• Distrobird extends the familiarity of email clients to every other channel your customers engage with; SMS, voice, and social; this means you can onboard your team and deploy in minutes, not days.
• Distrobird’s contacts data is automatically enriched so your team knows exactly who they’re talking to, and how to keep them delighted.

Distrobird limitations

• Distrobird currently lacks a mobile application.
• Its free plan supports a maximum of 3 users and 4 teams.

Distrobird pricing

• Free plan for the Voice, Sequences, and Shared Inbox products.
• Startup plan for Shared Inbox: $8/month.
• Startup, Growth & Enterprise plans for both the Sequences and Voice products: $25,$50, & $75 respectively.

2. Salesforce Sales Cloud

Salesforce stands as an industry titan in the realm of CRM, often serving as the benchmark against which competitors are measured. Offering an all-encompassing solution, it empowers users to manage leads, contacts, customers, and a plethora of other functions, thereby maximizing their potential to capitalize on business opportunities. For businesses seeking a comprehensive CRM solution, Salesforce proves to be exceptionally feature-rich and capable of meeting extensive operational needs.

Moreover, Salesforce excels in offering abundant customization and integration possibilities. While its setup process may not be straightforward, the platform's support team provides ample assistance, ensuring users can achieve virtually any desired customization within their CRM. Furthermore, Salesforce boasts seamless integration with over 1,000 other platforms, presenting users with a wealth of options to harmonize it with their existing software solutions.

Salesforce best features

• Salesforce offers a high level of customization to suit diverse needs and business models.
• Supports multiple third-party integrations.
• It allows for monitoring risks to customer relationships with incident detection and management tools, this way, you can address issues early on.
• Automates workflows with AI within Service Cloud, streamlining operations, saving time, and reducing costs for your support team.

Salesforce limitations

• Salesforce is quite pricey compared to the other options on this list; businesses that have a small budget or that do not have overly complex sales processes will not likely find Salesforce to be the best solution.
• It takes some time for users to fully grasp how to use the Salesforce cloud, indicating a steep learning curve.
• There are so many new features and functionalities coming out, that it is very hard for a sole administrator to possibly handle them all.
• Many of the software features like AI, omnichannel routing, and self-service platforms come at extra cost.
• Its user interface may pose challenges for those who are not technically inclined, as it may not be the most intuitive.

Salesforce pricing

• Starter: $25 per month per user
• Professional: $80 per month per user
• Enterprise: $165 per month per user
• Unlimited: $330 per month per user
• Eistein 1 service: $500 per month per user.

3. HubSpot Sales Hub

Sales Hub empowers sales teams to index quality over quantity. It equips them with both the connected tools they need to regain productivity and the context they need to deepen customer connections. Plus, it gives sales leaders the intelligence to scale insightfully. Sales Hub is built on the HubSpot CRM platform where customer data, tools, and teams come together to create a single source-of-truth for unprecedented sales rep efficiency. When using the full CRM platform, reps can get richer insights, warmer leads, and aligned enablement materials to help them operate at max efficiency. Plus, tap into our expansive ecosystem of app and solutions partners to craft an exceptional end-to-end customer experience.

You can connect the tools you use with Sales Hub with over 500 apps in the HubSpot App Marketplace, APIs, and solutions partners. Sales Hub is made for growing teams and offers four editions to help those looking to get started or who are growing rapidly.

Hubspot sales best features

• Hubspot sales are easy to use, with a beautifully designed product
• Works well with other HubSpot tools for sales and marketing, giving a complete picture of customer interactions and helping personalize outreach.
• It is highly customizable and has a user-friendly interface.
• Its reporting dashboard lets you stay on top of everything going on.
• Functional knowledge base.

Hubspot sales limitations

• The pricing of HubSpot Sales Hub may be prohibitive for small businesses with limited budgets, especially if they do not require all the features included in the platform.
• You need to use the HubSpot CRM too if you want seamless access to all your customer data.
• Due to its complexities, it can be tricky to navigate without proper education.
• Reporting capabilities may be limited

Hubspot sales pricing

• Free tools: $0 per month.
• Starter: $20 per seat per month.
• Professional: $100 per seat per month.
• Enterprise: $150 per seat per month.

4. Nutshell

Nutshell stands out as a comprehensive CRM and email marketing platform tailored to B2B organizations, facilitating collaborative efforts to secure more deals. Its intuitive interface caters to users of all levels, while its robust features cater to the needs of businesses of any size. Designed for teams wary of managing separate sales and marketing tools, Nutshell eliminates the need for a full-time admin to oversee software operations.

Nutshell seamlessly integrates with popular small business software such as Google Workspace/Gmail, Microsoft Office/Outlook, QuickBooks Online, Intercom, and Slack. Moreover, it provides native iPhone and Android apps, empowering sales representatives to efficiently manage contact information while on the go.

Nutshell best features

• Its sales automation helps to reduce time-wasting tasks.
• Reporting gives you at-a-glance insight into your business, so you can measure performance and pinpoint areas for improvement.
• Contact management helps you store all your contact details, call notes, and email conversations in one place.

Nutshell limitations

• Limited integrations and missing features.
• Clunky system presents a steep learning curve.
• The reporting features may feel limited for businesses requiring more advanced analytics.

Nutshell pricing

• Foundation: $19 per user per month.
• Pro: $49 per user per month.
• Power AI: $59 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $79 per user per month.

5. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is another versatile cloud-based business management platform that offers a comprehensive suite of sales and marketing automation tools alongside helpdesk, analytics, and customer support functionalities, it enables seamless management of various business aspects. At the core of Zoho CRM is its ability to facilitate real-time customer interactions across multiple channels. Powered by AI, Zia, Zoho CRM's sales assistant, aids users in determining the optimal timing to engage with customers. It intelligently analyzes emails for urgency and provides relevant statistics or documents during searches.

Additionally, Zoho CRM's software development kits empower users to create custom functions to enhance the CRM's capabilities according to their specific needs.

Zoho best features

• Zoho CRM allows for automating key sales tasks such as lead conversion and prospect importation with customizable once-click operations.
• Mobile compatibility provides flexibility and responsiveness in customer relationship management.
• Easy customizations and integrations with third-party applications.

Zoho limitations

• Its mobile application does not function optimally.
• Even though the user interface is user-friendly, it takes time to become fully familiar with all the features and customizations available.
• The AI features are only present in the higher versions of this tool.

Zoho pricing

• Standard: $18 per user per month.
• Professional: $30 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $45 per user per month.
• Ultimate: $55 per user per month.

6. Pipedrive

https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/BPnyCMulmERbJSlorVaQfMldj9t1zx-2kL6TyOx9QZFIzTggUVTAuNiQDAa5-1csrGREktiIpPdOQ9eCyNqnY1qmQdAt36mfW8GHsP5PI0GCvxn0dcx11KOPALiPLT6uR0cSUYxiqu6hR-jusKMrXQ

Pipedrive stands as a powerful web-based Sales CRM and pipeline management solution, empowering businesses to strategize their sales activities and oversee deals with precision. Leveraging an activity-based selling methodology, Pipedrive streamlines every aspect of the journey from identifying potential leads to closing successful sales. Its cloud-based nature ensures accessibility around the clock, enabling users to stay connected via any web browser or dedicated mobile app.

Pipedrive offers robust custom sales reporting tools, enabling users to monitor individual and team-level targets, analyze sales data, and generate insightful visual reports. Pipedrive's mailing system seamlessly integrates with leading email services while also integrating smoothly with other CRM tools, facilitating the transfer of contact details, communication history, and other essential information between applications.

Pipedrive best features

• Pipedrive offers a lot of features that can be used to help manage customer relationships, track sales, and organize marketing campaigns.
• It allows you to keep track of all customer information and interactions in one place.
• Its intuitive interface ensures a seamless and enjoyable user experience.
• Pipedrive also offers an AI assistant for sales teams and workflow automation for the sales pipeline.

Pipedrive limitations

• Pipedrive lacks a free version, and its sales feature add-ons can be quite pricey.
• It is not very user-friendly, especially for those who are new to the software.
• While the mobile app provides functionality on the go, users have reported glitches or limitations compared to the desktop version.
• Several users have complained of its limited reporting.

Pipedrive pricing

• Essential: $14 per seat per month
• Advanced: $29 per seat per month
• Professional: $59 per seat per month
• Power: $69 per seat per month
• Enterprise: $99 per seat per month

7. LeadSquared

LeadSquared stands out as a cloud-based solution that seamlessly integrates marketing automation and customer relationship management (CRM) functionalities, catering to businesses of all sizes across diverse industries such as finance, e-commerce, education, health and wellness, marketing, real estate, software, and hospitality. With LeadSquared, users can automate various tasks including lead capture, marketing campaigns, sales CRM activities, as well as reporting and analytics. The platform offers robust features such as lead scoring, customizable landing pages, and in-depth marketing and sales insights.

Furthermore, LeadSquared offers seamless integration with a range of applications including Super-Receptionist, Ozonetel, LiveChat, Olark Connector, Zopim, and GoToWebinar, enhancing its functionality and adaptability to different business needs. LeadSquared is accessible via most web browsers and also provides dedicated Android and iOS applications, ensuring users can manage their marketing and CRM activities on the go with ease.

LeadSquared best features

• LeadSquared’s marketing automation helps push your leads faster down the sales funnel.
• A pipeline report feature that allows you to track the number of leads in each stage of the pipeline for your teams and reps.
• Its customer portal works as a self-serve portal for your customers.

LeadSquared limitations

• LeadSquared set-up process takes longer than expected.
• Slow loading time.
• Limitation on the number of quick filters.

LeadSquared pricing

• Available on request.

Which Customer Relationship Management Software Should You Choose?

A CRM system empowers you with comprehensive insights into your leads, equipping you to effectively nurture them into satisfied, paying customers. Through features like lead scoring and automated lead assignment, you can prioritize leads based on various criteria, identifying those with the highest likelihood of conversion. With a CRM at your disposal, you can consistently make informed, data-driven decisions to optimize your sales process and drive conversions efficiently.

However, selecting the right sales CRM software requires careful consideration of numerous factors, including usability, scalability, available features and add-ons, value for investment, integrations, and more. Distrobird, a robust CRM platform, adeptly addresses these critical considerations and beyond. Boasting an intuitive user interface and flexible pricing plans, Distrobird facilitates a seamless transition for businesses seeking a more efficient CRM solution. Its unique blend of features and usability sets it apart, making it a standout choice for businesses aiming to elevate their sales operations.

In light of its exceptional capabilities and user-friendly approach, I highly recommend Distrobird as your preferred CRM solution.