Act! CRM vs Freshsales: Complete Comparison 2026
An in-depth comparison of features, pricing, and user experience to help you make the right choice.
Act! CRM
Legacy CRM with 35+ years of history offering desktop and cloud options for small business contact management.
Freshsales
8.4(1,450 reviews)
Modern sales CRM with built-in phone, email, and AI-powered lead scoring for growing teams.
Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Act! CRM | Freshsales |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Small businesses needing reliable contact management for 2-10 users | Small to mid-sized sales teams wanting modern UX |
| Pricing Model | Free Trial | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $30/mo | Free |
| Deployment | cloud, on premise | cloud |
| Platforms | WEB, WINDOWS, IOS, ANDROID | WEB, IOS, ANDROID |
| Rating | 7.0/10 | 8.4/10 |
Pros & Cons
Act! CRM
Pros
- 35+ years of proven contact management expertise
- Desktop version provides offline access and local data control
- Built-in marketing automation saves on separate tools
- Strong activity tracking with 14-day interaction history
- One-time purchase option available for desktop version
Cons
- Interface looks and feels dated compared to modern CRMs
- Mobile apps are limited and lack feature parity
- Third-party integrations require Zapier or workarounds
- Reporting capabilities are basic without add-ons
- Marketing automation feels bolted on rather than native
Freshsales
Pros
- Modern, intuitive interface that sales reps actually enjoy
- Built-in phone and email reduces tool sprawl
- Freddy AI provides genuinely useful insights
- Quick implementation - most teams are live in days
Cons
- Reporting and analytics could be more robust
- Third-party integration library is smaller than competitors
- Free plan is quite limited for real use
- Advanced customization requires higher tiers
Pricing Comparison
| Product | Pricing Model | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| Act! CRM | free trial | $30/mo |
| Freshsales | freemium | Free0 |
Our Verdict
Choose Act! CRM if...
Small businesses needing reliable contact management for 2-10 users
Choose Freshsales if...
Small to mid-sized sales teams wanting modern UX
Still Not Sure?
Explore more alternatives or read in-depth reviews to make your decision.