Head-to-head · Customer Relationship Management - Small Business Software
Freshsales vs Act!
Freshsales leads on 2 checks, Act! on 0, and 0 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 2 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreFreshsales · 9.1/10
- Lowest starting priceFreshsales · $9/user/mo
- Free planonly Freshsales
- Free trialboth
Freshsales scores higher on our rubric for customer relationship management - small business software: 9.1 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #6.
Freshsales offers free plan; Act! doesn't. Freshsales is cheaper to start at $9/user/mo against $30/user/mo.
Freshsales is the better fit for small teams seeking affordable, AI-assisted selling. Act! is the better fit for growing SMBs seeking CRM and marketing tools.
- Freshsales fits best
Small teams seeking affordable, AI-assisted selling
- Act! fits best
Growing SMBs seeking CRM and marketing tools
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Side by side
| Feature | Freshsales 9.1/10 Visit ↗ | Act! 8.9/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 9.1 | 8.9 |
| Ranking | #4 in Customer Relationship Management - Small Business Software | #6 in Customer Relationship Management - Small Business Software |
| Best for | Small teams seeking affordable, AI-assisted selling | Growing SMBs seeking CRM and marketing tools |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $9/user/mo (best) | $30/user/mo |
| Free plan | ✓ (best) | — |
| Free trial | 21 days | 14 days |
| Free trial length | 21 days · no card needed | 14 days · no card needed |
| Deployment | Cloud, Mobile | Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Support | Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs | Email, Live chat, Phone, Tickets, Docs |
| Compliance | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR | SOC 2, GDPR, 2FA |
| Integrations | 100+ integrations | 14 integrations |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Solo, Small business, Mid-market |
| Features Freshsales 0/4 · Act! 0/4 | ||
| Workflow automation | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Email marketing | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Lead scoring | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Sales forecasting | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Specs | ||
| Sales pipelines | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Contact limit | Not checked yet | Not checked yet |
| Our review | ||
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Our verdict | Freshsales brings contacts, accounts, activities, communications, deals, and sales pipelines into a cloud CRM for sales teams and growing businesses. Its free plan supports up to 3 users, making it a practical starting point for a small… Read the review → |
Act! brings contact management, sales opportunities, communications, and reporting together with email marketing tools. It is aimed at small businesses and relationship-focused teams, including independent professionals and growing… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Freshsales — where it wins
- Free CRM access for up to 3 users
- Growth adds pipeline views, email templates, and basic workflows
- Pro includes Freddy AI contact scoring and deal insights
Where it doesn't
- Growth starts at $9 per user monthly with annual billing
- Advanced sales tools such as sequences start at Pro
- Marketing automation is documented for Freshsales Suite, not clearly standalone
Act! — where it wins
- Combines visual sales pipelines with email campaigns and marketing automation.
- Integrates with Outlook, Google, accounting, ecommerce, and support tools.
- Offers web, mobile, cloud, and self-hosted deployment options.
Where it doesn't
- No free plan; annual plans start at $30 per user per month.
- Marketing automation and lead scoring require the Ultimate plan.
- The tiered feature set may be more than a CRM-only team needs.
- Freshsales9.1/10 · Free plan · 21-day trial
A flexible sales CRM with a free entry point and AI insights on paid plans.
Visit FreshsalesFull verdict → - Act!8.9/10 · 14-day trial
A broad CRM and marketing toolkit, with annual paid plans starting at $30 per user monthly.
Visit Act!Full verdict →
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All customer relationship management - small business software comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update







