Freshsales vs monday Sales CRM (2026) Compared
Both cost less than Salesforce. Both promise simplicity. But they're built for different kinds of sales teams.
The Short Version
Freshsales is better for traditional sales teams that want a dedicated CRM with built-in phone, email, and AI lead scoring. monday Sales CRM is better for teams that already use monday.com for project management and want lightweight deal tracking without switching platforms. Freshsales is a real CRM that happens to be affordable. monday Sales CRM is a project management tool with a CRM layer bolted on.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Freshsales | monday Sales CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $9/user/mo | $12/seat/mo |
| Free Plan | Yes (3 users) | No |
| Contract | Monthly available | Monthly available |
| Built-in Phone | Yes (Freshcaller) | No |
| Email Sequences | Yes (built-in) | Basic email tracking |
| AI Lead Scoring | Yes (Freddy AI) | No |
| Pipeline Management | Dedicated CRM pipeline | Kanban-style boards |
| Project Management | No | Yes (core feature) |
| Job Demand | 1 posting | 7 postings |
| Best For | SMB sales teams | monday.com users |
| The Big Risk | Limited marketplace | Not a full CRM |
Deep Dive: Freshsales
What They're Selling
Freshsales is Freshworks' CRM play, positioned as the affordable alternative to Salesforce and HubSpot. It's part of the Freshworks suite (Freshdesk, Freshmarketer, Freshchat), so if you're already in their ecosystem, the integrations are tight. The product focuses on giving small sales teams the tools enterprise CRMs offer without the enterprise price tag or complexity.
What It Actually Costs
The free plan supports up to 3 users with basic contact management. Growth tier at $9/user/mo adds pipeline management, sequences, and the AI assistant. Pro at $39/user/mo unlocks multiple pipelines, AI forecasting, and advanced workflows. Enterprise hits $59/user/mo with custom modules and audit logs. No surprise add-on costs for phone or email, which are built into the platform.
What Users Say
Users consistently praise the onboarding experience and built-in communication tools. The integrated phone and email feel more polished than what you'd get by stitching together separate tools. Complaints center on reporting limitations (it's not Salesforce-level), occasional sync issues with third-party integrations, and a smaller app marketplace than HubSpot.
Pros
- Built-in phone, email, and chat at no extra cost
- Free plan available for up to 3 users
- AI lead scoring (Freddy AI) even on mid-tier plans
- Clean, intuitive interface that reps actually use
- Part of Freshworks suite for support and marketing
Cons
- Small third-party app marketplace
- Reporting is basic compared to HubSpot or Salesforce
- Limited brand recognition means fewer consultants and resources
- Workflows can be rigid for complex sales processes
- International support quality varies
Deep Dive: monday Sales CRM
What They're Selling
monday Sales CRM isn't trying to be Salesforce. It's monday.com's answer to teams that were already using their work management boards to track deals. If your company runs on monday.com, this keeps everything in one platform. The CRM inherits monday's visual, board-based approach: drag-and-drop deal stages, customizable columns, and automations that connect sales activities to the rest of your operations.
What It Actually Costs
Pricing starts at $12/seat/mo for the Basic tier (minimum 3 seats, so $36/mo minimum). Standard at $17/seat/mo adds more automations. Pro at $28/seat/mo unlocks advanced analytics and integrations. Enterprise is custom-priced. Note: you need at least 3 seats on any plan. The CRM is technically an add-on to the monday.com Work OS, so some teams pay for both the CRM and the project management platform.
What Users Say
Users love the visual pipeline and the flexibility to customize boards for their workflow. The integration with monday.com project management is the top reason teams choose it. Criticism focuses on CRM-specific gaps: no built-in phone dialer, limited email sequence capabilities, and reporting that's more suited to project tracking than sales analytics. It feels like a project management tool wearing a CRM hat.
Pros
- Tight integration with monday.com project management
- Visual, drag-and-drop pipeline management
- Flexible board customization
- Good automation builder
- Familiar interface if team already uses monday.com
Cons
- Not a full-featured CRM (no built-in phone or advanced email)
- Minimum 3 seats on all plans
- Limited email sequencing capabilities
- Sales reporting is basic
- CRM features feel secondary to project management
Which Should You Pick?
The Honest Take
Freshsales is a legitimate CRM that competes on value. monday Sales CRM is a project management tool that added deal tracking. If you're choosing between them purely as a CRM, Freshsales wins on sales-specific features. If you're choosing between adding a separate CRM or extending your existing monday.com platform, the calculus changes. Neither will give you Salesforce-level customization or HubSpot-level marketing integration. Both will cost significantly less.
Questions to Ask Before Buying
- Does your team already use monday.com for project management?
- Do your reps need a built-in phone dialer?
- How many email sequences do you run per month?
- Do you need AI-powered lead scoring?
- How many custom reports do you run weekly?
- Will you need integrations beyond the basics (Slack, Gmail, Outlook)?
- Are you planning to scale beyond 50 users in the next 2 years?
- Do you need multi-currency or multi-pipeline support?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Freshsales really free?
Freshsales has a free plan for up to 3 users that includes contact management, built-in phone and email, and mobile app access. It's genuinely usable for very small teams, not just a trial.
Can monday Sales CRM replace a dedicated CRM?
For small teams with simple sales processes, yes. For teams that need advanced email sequences, phone integration, lead scoring, or deep reporting, it falls short compared to dedicated CRMs like Freshsales or HubSpot.
Which has better integrations?
monday.com has a larger integration marketplace overall, but Freshsales has deeper CRM-specific integrations. Freshsales connects natively with the Freshworks suite (support, marketing, chat), while monday connects with project and collaboration tools.
Which is better for a growing sales team?
Freshsales scales better as a CRM. Its higher tiers add territory management, AI forecasting, and custom modules. monday Sales CRM's growth path is more about adding project management capabilities than sales-specific features.