Zoho CRM vs. Freshworks: A data-backed comparison

Explore Zoho CRM and Freshworks’ features, pricing, adoption trends, and ideal use cases to help you determine which CRM best fits your team.

Zoho CRM vs. Freshworks at a glance

Zoho CRM offers robust automation, workflow management, and deep integration with a broad business app ecosystem. Freshworks (through its CRM called Freshsales) delivers AI-powered sales automation, multichannel outreach, and unified sales-marketing-support tools.

Zoho CRM excels for teams seeking tailored workflows and broad business process support, while Freshworks is ideal for businesses prioritizing modern UX and integrated communication channels.

Metrics

Zoho CRM

Freshworks

Relative cost

69% lower cost than category average

60% lower cost than category average

Adoption trend

9% QoQ adoption growth

11% QoQ adoption growth

Primary user segment

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Best for

Small and medium-sized businesses that need comprehensive CRM functionality and sales automation without the high costs of enterprise-level solutions.

Mid-market and enterprise businesses that need comprehensive customer experience and business software suites without the complexity of custom enterprise solutions.

Zoho CRM overview

Zoho CRM provides end-to-end customer management with advanced automation, analytics, and integration capabilities, making it suitable for businesses requiring custom workflows and collaboration across departments. Its broad suite supports teams managing complex sales and support processes.

Zoho CRM key features

Features

Description

Lead and Contact Management

Centralizes and segments leads and contacts for targeted outreach and better conversion tracking.

Sales Pipeline and Deal Tracking

Visualizes deal stages and progress with customizable pipelines to manage sales workflows effectively.

Marketing Automation

Automates repetitive marketing tasks like email campaigns and lead scoring to nurture prospects efficiently.

AI-Powered Sales Assistant

Uses AI to provide deal insights, task reminders, and predictive analytics to optimize sales performance.

Customer Support Integration

Links customer service interactions to CRM data for seamless sales and support collaboration.

Integration and Extensibility

Connects with a wide range of third-party applications to extend CRM functionality and integrate workflows.

Freshworks overview

Freshworks, through its Freshsales CRM, offers AI-driven lead management, automation, and multichannel communications. It’s designed for teams seeking a user-friendly platform to unify sales, marketing, and support, and benefit from intelligent workflow automation.

Freshworks key features

Features

Description

Contact and Deal Management

Centralizes customer data and tracks sales pipelines visually for better deal management.

Email Automation and Sequences

Automates personalized outreach with scheduling and analytics.

AI-Powered Lead Scoring

Prioritizes leads based on behavior and engagement signals.

Multi-Channel Communication

Manages email, phone, chat, and social messages within a single workspace.

Analytics and Reporting

Provides dashboards and reports on sales activity and performance metrics.

Integration and API

Connects to external business apps and supports custom workflow automation.

Pros and cons

Tool

Pros

Cons

Zoho CRM

  • Comprehensive sales automation and pipeline management.
  • AI-powered sales assistant for predictive insights.
  • Extensive third-party integrations and customization.
  • Scalable plans for growing teams.
  • User-friendly interface and mobile apps.
  • Advanced features come at higher price tiers.
  • Support quality varies depending on the plan.
  • Limited out-of-the-box industry-specific templates.
  • Steeper learning curve for complex customizations.
  • Some reporting features require additional configuration.

Freshworks

  • Intuitive interface with minimal learning curve.
  • AI-powered lead scoring and sales automation.
  • Supports multiple communication channels in one platform.
  • Detailed analytics for pipeline and performance tracking.
  • Limited deep customization for complex workflows.
  • Some advanced features locked behind higher-tier plans.
  • May lack specialized industry modules for niche markets.
  • Reporting can be basic compared to specialized BI tools.

Which tool is better?

Zoho CRM is best for organizations needing deep integration and end-to-end process automation. Freshworks is the better fit for teams that want a unified CRM experience.

When Zoho CRM is the better choice

  • Your team needs customizable workflows and advanced process automation.
  • Your team needs deep integration with a wide range of business tools.
  • Your team needs end-to-end analytics and reporting for growth management.
  • Your team needs a platform supporting cross-team collaboration.

When Freshworks is the better choice

  • Your team needs AI-driven lead scoring and workflow automation.
  • Your team needs an intuitive interface and fast onboarding.
  • Your team needs to engage customers across phone, email, and chat in one CRM.
  • Your team needs unified sales, marketing, and support tools for collaboration.

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