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Introduction
What challenges are you facing in managing customer relationships, and how can a CRM address them? In today’s competitive landscape, businesses need tools to streamline sales, enhance customer interactions, and drive growth. HubSpot is a leading CRM platform known for its integrated ecosystem, offering tools for marketing, sales, customer service, content management, and operations. Freshsales, part of the Freshworks suite, is a sales-focused CRM designed to simplify processes, boost collaboration, and leverage AI for efficiency.
This comparison will guide you through key questions to uncover which platform aligns with your business goals: Do you need a comprehensive GTM platform or a cost-effective, sales-centric solution? We’ll explore pricing, features, AI capabilities, user experience, scalability, user feedback, and 2025 updates to provide a complete picture.%201%20(1).svg)
Winner
SalesForce, for its ability to handle large-scale operations and complex business needs, though HubSpot is scalable for SMBs.
Pricing Comparison
Analysis
- HubSpot: Offers a robust free plan but becomes expensive as you scale, especially with add-ons like Marketing or Service Hubs. Additional costs for customisation ($750/user/month for Operations Hub) and limited phone support in lower tiers can increase expenses.
- Freshsales: Significantly more affordable, with plans starting at $9/user/month and transparent pricing. It includes free onboarding ($500 value), AI features, and 24/5 support, making it cost-effective for small to mid-sized businesses.
Features Comparison
- HubSpot: Excels in managing complex sales processes with a highly customizable pipeline, making it suitable for businesses with intricate B2B cycles.
- Freshsales: Focuses on simplicity, with AI-driven insights to streamline deal tracking and contact management.
Sales Automation
- HubSpot: Offers workflow rules for sales automation but has limited productivity tools (e.g., meeting scheduling, email tracking).
- Freshsales: Leverages Freddy AI for advanced automation, including email composition, lead assignment, one-click phone dialing, and smart workflows.
Key Question: Do you need deep customization for sales workflows, or are AI-driven automation tools more critical for your team?
Marketing Automation
- HubSpot: Robust marketing automation with advanced email marketing, landing page builder (with A/B testing), workflow automation, content management, and social media tools.
- Freshsales: Limited marketing automation, offering basic email marketing, essential landing pages, lead nurturing, and SMS marketing.
Key Question: How important is integrated marketing automation to your strategy? HubSpot is the clear leader here, while Freshsales may require additional integrations for marketing cohesion.
AI Capabilities
|
Feature |
HubSpot |
Freshsales |
|
AI Tools |
Predictive analytics for deal close probability, churn risk, lead scoring, revenue forecasting, account engagement; enhanced with third-party tools like Forecastio |
Freddy AI for automated email composition, next-best-action recommendations, deal insights, contact enrichment, conversation analysis |
|
Focus |
Comprehensive predictive analytics and forecasting |
Immediate task automation and sales productivity |
- HubSpot: Offers advanced AI for strategic insights, ideal for data-driven decision-making.
- Freshsales: Focuses on practical, day-to-day sales automation with Freddy AI, included in all plans.
Key Question: Do you prioritize strategic forecasting or immediate sales task automation?
Integrations
- HubSpot: Over 1,000 pre-built integrations via the app marketplace, robust API, custom development, REST API, webhooks, and extensive documentation.
- Freshsales: Limited integrations (Freshworks suite, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, communication/marketing apps, Zapier), with basic API and webhooks.
User Experience and Ease of Use
How much time can your team dedicate to learning and implementing a CRM? User experience is critical for adoption and productivity.
- HubSpot: Excels for larger organizations needing a full GTM platform, with extensive customization and integrations.
- Freshsales: Scales well for smaller businesses, with affordable plans and integration into the Freshworks ecosystem.
User Feedback and Ratings
- HubSpot: Users appreciate its all-in-one capabilities but note higher costs and a steeper learning curve.
- Freshsales: Users value its simplicity, affordability, and AI-driven features, though some desire more advanced customization.
Testimonials (Freshsales):
- Companies like Lalamove and Blue Nile report reduced no-show rates and high satisfaction due to Freshsales’ simplicity and governance.
Recent Updates (2025)
What new features might influence your decision? Both platforms have evolved in 2025 to stay competitive.
- HubSpot:
- Enhanced AI capabilities, including predictive analytics and account engagement.
- Workflow actions integrated into CRM cards for faster automation.
- Improved user roles, permissions, and CRM data structure.
- Expanded API and integration options.
- New AI-powered pricing model (HubSpot Credits) and smarter Breeze Copilot.
- Freshsales:
- Advanced Freddy AI features for deal insights and next-best-action recommendations.
- Enhanced reporting with customizable dashboards.
- Improved mobile app for better accessibility.
Conclusion
Founder & CEO @ Hubxpert. My goal is to make every company using HubSpot succeed in their marketing organisation and automation.
Ratul Rahman
Table of Contents:
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