⚡ Quick Verdict:
- Pricing: Both start at $9/user/month, but Monday CRM scales differently than Freshsales CRM.
- Best for: Monday CRM for visual project management tools and sales activities; Freshsales CRM for AI-driven sales teams that want Freddy AI built in.
- Key difference: Monday is built on flexible boards with project management software DNA, while Freshsales is a pure crm software with deeper sales features.
- Our pick: Monday CRM for most teams — its work management tools, kanban board, and gantt chart make it a great tool for cross-functional work.
Choosing between Freshsales CRM vs Monday CRM comes down to one question.
Do you want a focused customer relationship management tool or a flexible work platform?
Both platforms help businesses manage sales, leads, and customer data.
But they serve very different teams with different needs.
Freshsales focuses on sales activities, freddy ai, and deal tracking.
Monday acts as both a CRM and a project management software in one.
Overview
This comparison covers pricing, key features, and ease of use.
We also break down who each tool works best for.
Our sources include published specs, documentation, and verified user reviews.
By the end, you’ll know which platform fits your business.
What is Monday CRM?
Monday CRM is a sales tool built on monday’s broader work platform.
It serves over 152,000 customers in more than 200 countries.
The platform helps you manage contacts, deals, and customer relationship management in one place.
It blends database software with project management software in a clean interface.
Most users pick monday because it handles managing projects and sales together.
Monday CRM
Monday CRM combines visual sales pipelines with work management tools. Trusted by 152,000+ customers across 200+ countries. Get started in just a few clicks.
Monday CRM Pricing
Here’s what monday costs in 2026. Let’s break it down.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $9/user/month | Smaller teams testing the basic plan |
| Standard | $12/user/month | Most small businesses and team members |
| Pro | $19/user/month | Sales teams needing advanced reporting and time tracking |
Pricing verified May 2026.
Free trial: Yes, monday offers a 14-day free trial on paid plans. No credit card required to start. Sign-up takes a few seconds and you can be on the site properly using boards within minutes.
Money-back guarantee: Monday does not advertise a money-back guarantee. The free trial is the main way to test before paying.
📌 Note: Monday also has a free version that allows two team members and three boards. Storage space starts at 5GB on the basic plan and reaches 100GB on monday’s pro plan. The enterprise plan uses custom pricing and adds 1TB of file storage and advanced features.
⚠️ Warning: Some users find monday’s pricing structure confusing. The cost depends on team size, and adding one extra user can push you to a higher tier. Plans renew yearly unless you cancel.
Key Benefits of Monday CRM
Here’s what makes Monday CRM worth considering. The free version unlocks all the features you need to test core workflows, including creating boards from scratch.
- Customizable boards: Create boards from scratch or use customizable templates. Define columns and pick options for each one.
- Multiple project views: Switch between gantt chart view, kanban board, timeline, and calendar views. Pick the view that fits your work.
- Workflow automation: A built-in automation builder lets new users create custom rules. No coding needed.
- Third party integrations: Connects with over 50 apps including Slack, Google Calendar, Google Sheets, and Microsoft Teams. The platform’s feature set grows through the apps marketplace.
- Custom dashboards: Build custom dashboards to track project progress at a glance. Visualize all the data your team needs.
- Collaboration features: Discuss work in real time through comments and updates. File sharing keeps everyone on the same page.
- Time tracking: Built-in time tracking on monday’s pro plan and above. Helps with software development, research team work, and billable hours.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer signed up for monday and spent several days exploring the platform. Here’s what stood out from that hands-on time:
Monday CRM Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Incredibly intuitive interface with a clean and tidy layout
- Highly customizable for a wide variety of teams
- Multiple views including kanban board, gantt chart, and calendar
- Strong workflow automation and automation features
- Knowledge base with hundreds of video tutorials
❌ Cons
- Pricing structure feels confusing to new users
- Free plan is quite limited (only 2 team member slots)
- Steep learning curve for advanced features and custom fields
- Time tracking and guest access locked to higher paid plans
What is Freshsales CRM?
Freshsales CRM is an AI-powered crm software from Freshworks.
It launched in 2016 and now serves part of Freshworks’ 67,000+ customers.
The tool is designed for small business and medium sized businesses.
It centralizes customer data, sales activities, and customer interactions.
Freddy AI scores leads, predicts deal risks, and suggests next best actions.
Freshsales CRM
Freshsales CRM is part of the Freshworks suite. It pairs Freddy AI with built-in phone, email, and chat. Try the 21-day free trial — no credit card required.
Freshsales CRM Pricing
Here’s what freshsales costs in 2026. Let’s break it down.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | $9/user/month | Small business and arising sales teams |
| Pro | $39/user/month | Growing teams that want freddy ai and sales sequences |
| Enterprise | $59/user/month | Larger sales teams needing advanced reporting |
Pricing verified May 2026.
Free trial: Yes, freshsales offers a 21-day free trial across all paid tiers. No credit card required to start a new account on the freshsales website.
Money-back guarantee: Freshsales does not list a formal money-back guarantee. The 21-day free trial gives you time to test before paying.
📌 Note: Freshsales offers a free plan for up to 3 users with most features included. The platform also gives 24/5 support across all plans through phone, chat, and email. This is excellent value for small teams that want a real CRM.
⚠️ Warning: Add ons and other freshworks products bring more cost. The base price is good, but features like deeper marketing or Freshdesk OMNI sit on separate add ons. Plan your budget for the full freshworks products you’ll actually use.
Key Benefits of Freshsales CRM
Here’s what makes Freshsales CRM worth a look:
- Freddy AI Co-Pilot: Scores leads based on behavior and profile. It also suggests the next best action to close deals.
- 360-degree customer view: Shows a complete history of every touchpoint. Sales reps see emails, calls, chats, and deals in one place.
- Visual sales pipelines: Track deal progress and spot bottlenecks fast. The visual layout works like a kanban board for sales.
- Built-in communication: Phone, email, chat, and SMS in one unified inbox. Connects with WhatsApp Business, Facebook Messenger, and LINE.
- Sales sequences: Send personalized bulk emails and monitor activities on those emails. Sales reps stop losing deals to slow follow-up.
- Reports and AI insights: Around a dozen predefined sales reports that are fully customizable. Helpful for forecasting revenue.
- Mobile app: iOS and Android apps support offline access and call logging. Field reps stay productive away from their browser.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer hasn’t had extensive hands-on time with Freshsales yet.
Note: The information above is based on Freshworks documentation, pricing pages, and verified user reviews on Capterra and G2. Public review averages sit around 4.5/5 across platforms.
Freshsales CRM Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Excellent value for small business and medium sized businesses
- Freddy AI scores leads and suggests next best actions automatically
- 21-day free trial across all plans, no credit card required
- Built-in phone, email, chat, and SMS in unified inbox
- Tight connection with other freshworks products like Freshdesk and Freshmarketer
❌ Cons
- Cluttered navigation and slower page loading times
- Around 385 third party integrations — fewer than HubSpot or Salesforce
- Some key functionality missing compared to bigger competitors
- Limited native connectors outside the Freshworks suite
Feature Comparison
Ready for a side-by-side look at Freshsales CRM vs Monday CRM? We’ll cover 8 key features that matter most for sales teams and businesses.
| Feature | Monday CRM | Freshsales CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $9/user/month | $9/user/month |
| Free Plan | ✅ (2 users) | ✅ (3 users) |
| Visual Pipeline | ✅ | ✅ |
| Project Management | ✅ | ❌ |
| AI Lead Scoring | ❌ | ✅ (Freddy AI) |
| Built-in Phone & Chat | ❌ | ✅ |
| Gantt Chart View | ✅ | ❌ |
| Workflow Automation | ✅ | ✅ |
| Free Trial | 14 days | 21 days |
| Best For | Cross-functional sales + work management | Pure sales teams wanting AI |
1. Visual Pipeline & Sales Pipeline
Monday CRM: Pipelines live on customizable boards that look like spreadsheets with superpowers. You drag deals across stages on a kanban board or switch to a calendar view. Custom fields let you track anything — deal value, owner, close date, source.
Freshsales CRM: Visual sales pipelines come built-in for tracking deal progress. The layout helps sales reps spot bottlenecks fast. It feels purpose-built for sales rather than adapted from a project tool.
2. AI & Automation Features
Monday CRM: The platform’s automation features run through a simple builder. New users can create rules in just a few clicks — no human coding needed. Automations handle status changes, notifications, and date-based triggers across the team. An activity log tracks every change.
Freshsales CRM: Freddy AI is the standout feature here. It scores leads, predicts deal risks, and recommends next best actions to respond to. Freshsales also automates repetitive sales activities so sales reps focus on selling.
⚠️ Warning: Monday’s automation runs on workflow logic, not predictive AI. If you want AI-driven lead scoring, freshsales has the edge.
3. Project Management & Work Management
Monday CRM: This is where monday pulls ahead by a wide margin. Monday work management ships with task dependencies, gantt charts, time tracking, and full project management platforms behavior. You can run sales, software development, event planning, human resources, and managing tasks from one platform.
Freshsales CRM: Freshsales focuses on sales — not project management. It has task management for sales activities and follow-ups. But software teams or a research team needing project timelines and task dependencies will hit limits fast.
4. Communication & Customer Relationship Management
Monday CRM: Communication happens through comments, mentions, and updates on individual items. The conversation panel keeps discuss work in context. Email syncing exists but isn’t as deep as a pure CRM.
Freshsales CRM: Built-in phone, email, chat, and SMS in a single unified inbox. Omnichannel reach extends to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and LINE. The 360-degree view shows every touchpoint with each contact in one timeline.
5. Views, Dashboards & Reporting
Monday CRM: Multiple project views are a strong selling point. Switch between gantt chart view, kanban board, calendar, and timeline. Custom dashboards pull data from any board to track project progress at a glance.
Freshsales CRM: Around a dozen predefined sales reports come ready to customize. Reports cover team performance, revenue forecasting, and pipeline health. Reporting is solid for sales but doesn’t extend across project work.
6. Integrations
Monday CRM: Connects with over 50 apps via the integrations center. Popular ones include Slack, Google Calendar, Google Sheets, and Microsoft Teams. The apps marketplace lets developers add more, and monday’s integration with everyday tools is generally smooth.
Freshsales CRM: Around 385 integration and apps at the time of writing. Connects with Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, and Zoom. Tight integration with other freshworks products like Freshdesk and Freshmarketer is a real advantage if you already live inside the Freshworks suite.
7. Collaboration & Team Features
Monday CRM: Collaboration tools are central to the experience. File sharing, real-time updates, and guest access (on Standard plan and up) make it strong for cross-team work. Smaller teams stay on the same page with comments and live updates.
Freshsales CRM: Collaboration centers on the deal and contact level. Teams share notes, tag teammates, and assign sales activities. Less developed for non-sales work but well-built for sales-only teams.
8. Support, Knowledge Base & Resources
Monday CRM: Live chat support runs around the clock. The knowledge base holds hundreds of video tutorials. There’s also an active community forum. Premium support kicks in on higher tiers.
Freshsales CRM: 24/5 customer support across all plans through phone, chat, and email. The knowledge base and community forum cover most setup questions. Customer support response is generally quick — useful when you need a fast respond.
Pricing & Cost
Let’s compare the pricing plans side by side.
| Plan | Monday CRM | Freshsales CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | 2 users, 3 boards | 3 users, most features |
| Entry Tier | Basic — $9/user/month | Growth — $9/user/month |
| Mid Tier | Standard — $12/user/month | Pro — $39/user/month |
| Top Tier | Pro — $19/user/month | Enterprise — $59/user/month |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | $59/user/month |
Monday CRM: Pricing scales gradually from $9 to $19 per user. The big advantage is that you also get full project management software baked in. Price tiers are based on per user counts and team size.
Freshsales CRM: Starts at the same $9 entry point. But freshsales pricing jumps higher faster — $39 for Pro and $59 for Enterprise. You’re paying for Freddy AI and deeper sales features, not project tools.
Different Scenarios
| If You Need… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tight budget | Monday CRM | Cheaper mid-tier ($12 vs $39) |
| AI lead scoring | Freshsales CRM | Freddy AI built in |
| Project + sales | Monday CRM | Full work management tools |
| Built-in phone & chat | Freshsales CRM | Unified communication inbox |
| Visual workflows | Monday CRM | Boards, gantt, kanban |
| Pure CRM focus | Freshsales CRM | Sales-first design |
| Beginner-friendly | Monday CRM | Incredibly intuitive interface |
💰 Your Budget
Monday’s mid-tier costs $12 per user. Freshsales jumps to $39 per user for the same level of features. For tight budgets, monday wins.
🔌 Your Tech Stack
Already using Freshdesk or Freshmarketer? Freshsales connects natively. If your tech stack centers on Slack, Google Calendar, and Microsoft Teams, monday is the cleaner fit.
📝 Your Sales Process
If you run a structured sales cycle with calls, emails, and SMS, freshsales gives sales reps the tools in one inbox. If your sales mix with project work or client onboarding, monday handles both at once.
🎓 Your Experience Level
New users hit fewer roadblocks on monday. The interface is incredibly intuitive. Freshsales is also easy to learn, but its sales-only focus means you’re stuck once you outgrow it.
🆓 Free Trials and Demos
Both offer no-friction trials. Freshsales gives a 21-day free trial with no credit card required. Monday gives 14 days plus a free version with two team members and three boards.
🛟 Support Options
Monday offers 24/7 live chat, a community forum, and hundreds of video tutorials. Freshsales gives 24/5 customer support across phone, chat, and email on every plan.
Switching Guide
Already on one of these tools? Here’s what changes if you switch.
🔄 Switching from Monday CRM to Freshsales CRM?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Freddy AI lead scoring and deal risk predictions
- Built-in phone, email, chat, and SMS in one inbox
- Tight integration with the Freshworks suite
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Project management software and gantt charts
- Customizable boards for non-sales work
- Wide variety of project views (kanban, gantt, calendar)
📋 How to switch:
- Export contacts and deals from monday as CSV
- Create a new account on freshsales and start the free trial
- Import the CSV through Freshsales’ contact import wizard
🔄 Switching from Freshsales CRM to Monday CRM?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Full project management tool with task dependencies
- Multiple project views including gantt chart view and kanban
- Customizable templates for sales, marketing, and beyond
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Freddy AI predictive scoring and recommendations
- Built-in calling and unified inbox features
- Predefined sales reports for forecasting
📋 How to switch:
- Export contacts, deals, and notes from Freshsales as CSV
- Create a new monday account and pick a CRM template
- Import the CSV using monday’s import tool, then map fields
What Our Review Didn’t Cover
This comparison focused on small business and medium sized businesses. We didn’t test enterprise plan workflows for 500+ user deployments. Custom pricing tiers, advanced security needs, and Cloudflare-style verifying human checks for high-traffic web forms weren’t part of this review. We also didn’t test the platform’s behavior under “verification successful waiting” or “ray id” challenges that some users hit on heavy traffic days. If you’re running large sales or a research team with custom integration requirements, your needs may differ.
Final Verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 💰 Pricing | Monday CRM |
| 🚀 Core CRM Features | Freshsales CRM |
| 🎯 AI & Automation | Freshsales CRM |
| 📊 Project Management | Monday CRM |
| 👶 Ease of Use | Monday CRM |
| 🔌 Integrations | Freshsales CRM (volume) / Monday (depth) |
| 📞 Communication Tools | Freshsales CRM |
| 🏆 Overall Winner | Monday CRM |
🏆 WINNER: MONDAY CRM
Monday CRM wins 4 out of 7 categories.
Best for: small businesses needing CRM + project management, sales teams that also handle event planning or marketing, cross-functional teams
Monday CRM and Freshsales CRM are very different products under the same crm category. Monday is a flexible work platform that does customer relationship management well. Freshsales is a true sales-first crm software with stronger AI built in.
Freshsales is excellent for sales teams that want Freddy AI, built-in phone, and a 360-degree view of customer interactions. These are the standout features that justify the higher Pro and Enterprise pricing. If your team’s only job is selling, freshsales delivers more sales-specific power per dollar at the entry tier.
However, if you need one platform to handle sales, marketing, project management, and managing tasks across teams, Monday CRM is the better choice. The platform’s automation features, multiple views, and clean interface make it a great tool for arising businesses growing past 10 people.
More of Monday CRM Compared
Here’s how Monday CRM stacks up against other competitors:
Monday CRM wins on: Lower entry pricing, multiple project views (gantt chart, kanban board), customizable boards beyond sales
HubSpot wins on: Marketing automation depth, free CRM tier with unlimited users, native ad management
Monday CRM vs Pipedrive
Monday CRM wins on: Project management tool capabilities, work management tools, broader app use cases beyond sales
Pipedrive wins on: Pure sales focus, leaner pipeline UI, sales-specific reporting and forecasting
Monday CRM vs ClickUp
Monday CRM wins on: Cleaner interface, lower learning curve, better-polished CRM templates
ClickUp wins on: More features in the free version, cheaper paid plans, deeper task management for software teams
Monday CRM wins on: Faster setup, simpler pricing structure, friendlier for new account onboarding
Salesforce wins on: Enterprise plan depth, advanced reporting and analytics, larger marketplace of add ons
More of Freshsales CRM Compared
Here’s how Freshsales CRM stacks up against other competitors:
Freshsales wins on: Lower per user pricing at entry, Freddy AI scoring, built-in phone and SMS
HubSpot wins on: Marketing tool depth, larger library of third party integrations, content management features
Freshsales wins on: Cleaner UI, better mobile app, faster Freddy AI implementation
Zoho CRM wins on: Larger feature set across plans, deeper customization, more bundled apps in Zoho One
Freshsales wins on: AI features at lower tiers, omnichannel communication, native Freshmarketer link
Pipedrive wins on: Simpler pipeline-only design, faster onboarding for sales-only teams, lighter learning curve
Freshsales wins on: Lower price for small business, faster implementation, easier learning curve
Salesforce wins on: Enterprise depth, larger app marketplace, broader analytics and AI options
Frequently Asked Questions
Is monday a CRM tool?
Yes, monday offers a dedicated CRM product on top of its work platform. It handles contacts, sales pipelines, and customer relationship management. The platform also pulls in project management tools to manage projects alongside sales.
Is Freshsales a real CRM?
Yes, Freshsales is a full crm software designed for sales teams. It centralizes customer data, automates sales activities, and includes Freddy AI for lead scoring. It’s part of the Freshworks suite of business tools.
Is monday CRM good for small businesses?
Yes, monday is well-suited for small businesses thanks to its incredibly intuitive interface and free version. The free plan covers two team members and three boards. Paid plans start at $9 per user per month.
What is the maximum number of users allowed in the free plan of FreshSales?
The free plan supports up to 3 users with most features included. This makes it a strong starting point for very small teams. Once you outgrow it, the entry-level Growth plan starts at $9/user/month.
Which is better for sales teams: Monday or Freshsales?
For pure sales teams, Freshsales has the edge because of Freddy AI, built-in phone, and unified communication. For teams that handle sales plus marketing, project management, or operations, Monday CRM is the better fit. Pick based on whether your team’s job is selling only or selling plus running the business.
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