Close vs Freshsales: Which Is Better in 2026?
Close is a CRM for inside sales teams that live on the phone and in the inbox. Freshsales is the CRM from Freshworks, with phone, email and chat built into the product instead of bolted on. Close’s strength is high-volume outbound sales by phone and email; Freshsales’s is letting reps call, email and track deals without leaving the CRM.
01Pricing
Close: the Solo plan at $9/user/mo is for a single user; a team of ten needs Essentials, about $350 a month. Freshsales: the Growth plan costs $9/user/mo, about $90 a month for a team of ten. At ten people Freshsales is cheaper by about $260 a month, or $3,120 a year. Close has no free plan; the trial runs 14 days. Freshsales has no free plan; the trial runs 21 days.
| Team size | Close | Freshsales |
|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $175 (Essentials) | $45 |
| 10 users | $350 (Essentials) | $90 |
| 25 users | $875 (Essentials) | $225 |
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | $9/user | $19/user | Limited to 1 user; 10,000 leads maximum; Workflows not included | |
| Essentials | $35/user | $49/user | Workflows not included | Unlimited contacts & leads; Unlimited users; Built-in forms, email, calling, SMS; Centralized inbox |
| Growth | $99/user | $109/user | Automated workflows; Power dialer; Custom activities; Bulk email | |
| Scale | $139/user | $149/user | Role-based access & permissions; Lead visibility rules; Predictive dialer; Unlimited call recording retention |
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Limits | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | $9/user | $11/user | Kanban view; Contact lifecycle stages; Chat, email and phone; Custom fields | |
| Pro | $39/user | $47/user | Contact scoring; Deal insights; Custom sales activities; Territory management | |
| Enterprise | $59/user | $71/user | Forecasting insights; Field-level permissions; Custom modules; Sandbox |
Prices are per month on annual billing. † marks prices taken from the vendor’s documentation or page data instead of its visible pricing page. Close pricing and Freshsales pricing have the full detail.
02The Two Tools
Close
Close is a CRM for inside sales teams that live on the phone and in the inbox. Calling, SMS, email sequences and a power dialer are part of the product, so reps work through a list of leads without switching tools. It is built for speed of outreach, not for marketing or account management.
- Best at
- High-volume outbound sales by phone and email.
- Falls short
- There is no free plan, little for marketing or service teams, and the cost per seat rises quickly on the higher tiers.
Freshsales
Freshsales is the CRM from Freshworks, with phone, email and chat built into the product instead of bolted on. Lead scoring and deal insights come from its AI assistant, and the pricing sits at the affordable end. It suits teams that sell mainly by phone and email and want one tool to do it.
- Best at
- Letting reps call, email and track deals without leaving the CRM.
- Falls short
- The app marketplace is smaller than its larger rivals’, and advanced customization and reporting need the higher tiers.
03Which Fits Your Situation
| If you are | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small Business | Freshsales | Calling and email are included, which saves a small team a separate phone tool. |
| Enterprise | Freshsales | A credible mid-market option with built-in communication tools. |
| Startups | Close | Built for founders and early reps doing outbound by phone and email. |
| Sales Teams | Close | Calling, texting and email sequences in one screen for high-volume outreach. |
| Agencies | Neither | Neither is a natural fit for agencies. |
04Verdict
Choose Close if you run an inside sales team that calls and emails all day. Choose Freshsales if you want calling and email built into an affordable CRM.
05FAQ
Is Close or Freshsales cheaper?
For a team of ten, Close comes to about $350 (Essentials) a month and Freshsales to about $90. Prices are per month on annual billing.
Do Close and Freshsales have free plans?
Close has no free plan; the trial runs 14 days. Freshsales has no free plan; the trial runs 21 days.
Which is easier to learn, Close or Freshsales?
There is little between them: both are moderately involved to set up.
Which is better for small business, Close or Freshsales?
Freshsales. Calling and email are included, which saves a small team a separate phone tool.