Salesforce is an enterprise-grade CRM with advanced customization and AI capabilities suited for large organizations, while Freshsales is a streamlined, affordable alternative designed for small-to-mid-market teams prioritizing ease of use and quick implementation.
Salesforce vs Freshsales — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise-grade cloud CRM platform serving 20% of Fortune 500 with extensive customization and integration ecosystem.
Affordable CRM for SMBs with built-in calling, email tracking, and lead scoring starting at $15/user/month.
Starting Price (Monthly). Implementation Time. Customization Depth. AI Sales Assistant. User Learning Curve. Mobile App Quality. Free Trial Duration
Choose Salesforce if your organization has 100+ users, needs deep customization, complex workflows, and advanced AI-driven insights—the investment pays off at scale. Choose Freshsales if you're a small-to-mid-market team (10-50 users) seeking a quick implementation, intuitive interface, and lower total cost of ownership without enterprise complexity.
Salesforce: Enterprise+ (Agentforce) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Limited (separate product needed) | Freshsales: N/A
Monthly Cost (50-person team, full suite)
Salesforce: $24,000-36,000+ | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Advanced (Agentforce + Data Cloud) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Limited (basic offline) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Advanced (Einstein predictive + generative) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 8-16 weeks | Freshsales: 1-2 weeks
Salesforce: Third-party connectors | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Based on licenses + storage SKUs | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Good - full-featured but complex | Freshsales: Good native iOS and Android apps
Salesforce: Advanced - Einstein AI with predictive forecasting | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Very High - unlimited custom objects and code | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: $25/month (Starter Suite) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: $100/month (Pro Suite) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Varies by edition | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 7000+ apps | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 8-16 weeks | Freshsales: 2-3 weeks
Salesforce: Einstein AI in Pro+ tiers | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: iOS, Android, Windows with offline mode | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 12-24 weeks | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 12 months (typical) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Yes (Einstein) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: $2,167-$4,167 | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 6-12 weeks | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Unlimited (enterprise) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Full (Apex, JavaScript, REST API) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 30-60 days | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: ~9 million | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Advanced (generative AI, revenue intelligence, opportunity insights) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Annual commitment typically required | Freshsales: N/A
Average Enterprise Implementation Cost (500+ users)
Salesforce: 35+ industry-specific clouds | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Third-party plugins required | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Unlimited | Freshsales: 50 maximum
Salesforce: Einstein AI (Professional+ tier) | Freshsales: Limited AI lead scoring only
Salesforce: 40-50 hours per admin | Freshsales: 5-8 hours per admin
Salesforce: Unlimited | Freshsales: 5,000+
Salesforce: 8-12 weeks | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 180+ currencies | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Full feature parity with desktop | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 4.4/5 (15,200+ reviews) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Apex Code + declarative tools (unlimited) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: $1,250+ (sales only, marketing separate) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: No (separate $1,250+/month product) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: Advanced (Apex code, Flow, extensive APIs) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 3rd-party AppExchange (6,000+ available) | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 4-6 months | Freshsales: 2-3
Salesforce: 86% | Freshsales: 4.5/5 (2,400 reviews)
Salesforce: Einstein AI with advanced lead scoring, revenue forecasting, and opportunity insights | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 40-60 hours average | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: 23,000+ enterprises globally | Freshsales: N/A
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: 248 reviews
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: €39/user/month
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: +€10/month (€49 vs €39)
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: No (Growth plan minimum)
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: 2 capabilities (basic phone features)
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: Full sync + tracking + AI multi-email tools
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: Yes (Growth plan)
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: Yes, with core CRM features
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: Freddy AI (lead scoring, forecasting, recommendations)
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: 24/7 support, 2-4 hour response
Annual Cost (10-User Team, Standard Plan)
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: Freddy AI with call/email analysis
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: Yes (standard)
Salesforce: N/A | Freshsales: 0.35 million
How to choose between Salesforce and Freshsales
Salesforce vs Freshsales — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Salesforce vs Freshsales. Contains 111 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Salesforce vs Freshsales — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Salesforce vs Freshsales.
Is Salesforce worth the cost for a small team?
No, generally not. For teams under 50 users, Freshsales offers 90% of Salesforce's essential functionality at 1/11th the cost. Salesforce's value emerges at 100+ users where enterprise features, advanced customization, and AI justify the investment. Small teams typically overpay for unused features with Salesforce.
Can Freshsales scale to enterprise size?
Freshsales supports up to 5,000 users but lacks the deep customization depth for complex enterprise workflows that require unlimited custom fields and objects. It's optimal for SMBs (10-500 users). Beyond 500 users with complex requirements, Salesforce is architecturally better suited.
How long does Salesforce implementation typically take?
Standard implementations take 8-16 weeks depending on complexity. This includes data migration, field configuration, workflow automation, and staff training. Freshsales can be live in 1-2 weeks with minimal configuration, making it faster for quick deployment needs.
Salesforce's Einstein AI is significantly more advanced—it offers predictive forecasting, opportunity scoring, automated workflow recommendations, and email insights. Freshsales includes basic AI lead scoring but lacks the depth. If AI-driven sales intelligence is critical, Salesforce is superior.
What's the total cost of ownership difference?
For a 20-person team over 3 years: Salesforce (~$119k) vs Freshsales (~$10.8k) including licenses, implementation, and training. For a 200-person enterprise: Salesforce (~$1.2M) vs Freshsales (~$108k). The cost gap widens significantly at scale, making ROI analysis essential before purchase.
How to Choose Between Salesforce and Freshsales
Starting Price (Monthly): Salesforce has $165, while Freshsales has $15.
Implementation Time: Salesforce has 8-16 weeks, while Freshsales has 1-2 weeks.
Customization Depth: Salesforce has Unlimited custom fields & objects, while Freshsales has Limited to 50 custom fields per module.
AI Sales Assistant: Salesforce has Einstein AI (included in higher tiers), while Freshsales has Limited AI features, no dedicated assistant.
User Learning Curve: Salesforce has Steep (requires training), while Freshsales has Minimal (intuitive interface).
Mobile App Quality: Salesforce has Full feature parity with desktop, while Freshsales has Basic mobile functionality.
Free Trial Duration: Salesforce has 30 days, while Freshsales has 14 days.