Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Customer Relationship Management - Small Business Software

Freshsales vs Act!

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 2 checks side by side
Higher score Freshsales #4 in Customer Relationship Management - Small Business Software 9.1/10 Free plan · 21-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Freshsales
Act! #6 in Customer Relationship Management - Small Business Software 8.9/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit 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

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

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
  • 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
  • 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.
Cons
  • 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
  • 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.
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 →
  1. FreshsalesCustomer Relationship Management - Small Business Software 9.1Free plan · 21-day trial
  2. Act!Customer Relationship Management - Small Business Software 8.914-day trial

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 →

More comparisons

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update