CRM comparison

Zoho CRM vs Freshsales: two all-round CRMs compared for Indian sales teams

Zoho CRM vs Freshsales comes up when a growing team wants one CRM that handles sales and a good deal more, and both vendors pitch to everyone from small teams to large companies. Below, the two are set against each other using what Zoho and Freshworks publish about their own products, followed by a plain view of the team each one suits.

Details for both products checked on 2 October 2026 from each vendor's own website; features change, so confirm with them. Neither vendor is affiliated with us. DigiPix Flow, our product, appears only in the section marked as ours.

Zoho CRM and Freshsales, side by side

Zoho CRM compared with Freshsales, topic by topic
Topic	Zoho CRM	Freshsales
What it is	Zoho CRM is an AI-assisted CRM platform that brings lead management, sales automation, omnichannel engagement and analytics together for growing businesses.	Freshsales, also marketed as Freshsales Suite and Freshworks CRM, is an all-in-one CRM that unites sales and marketing around the customer.
Built for	Zoho describes its CRM as serving businesses of all sizes, from freelancers and small businesses to enterprises, across all industries and verticals. Source: zoho.com	Freshworks positions Freshsales Suite for startups, SMBs, growing businesses and mid to large-sized enterprises that want integrated sales and marketing. Source: freshworks.com
Lead capture	Zoho CRM captures leads from web forms, landing pages on WordPress and Unbounce, social media including Facebook Lead Ads, and Google Ads. IndiaMART connectors are listed on its Marketplace. Source: zoho.com	Freshsales captures leads from web forms and website visitor tracking, and creates leads from Facebook and Instagram lead ad submissions once you connect your social account and map form fields. Source: crmsupport.freshworks.com
WhatsApp	Zoho CRM integrates WhatsApp Business so teams can message customers from the CRM, use message templates, receive notifications and trigger WhatsApp messages from workflow rules. Source: zoho.com	Freshworks is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, so WhatsApp messages run through the WhatsApp Business Platform and teams read, reply and send opted-in marketing templates from the CRM. Source: crmsupport.freshworks.com
SMS in India	SMS is added to Zoho CRM through extensions on the Zoho Marketplace, including third-party SMS gateway connectors such as mTalkz and ClickSend, with scheduled sending and SMS history. Source: marketplace.zoho.com	Freshsales offers a Gupshup SMS integration for India that sends one-way text SMS using templates registered on the DLT platform, once DLT sender IDs and templates are in place. Source: crmsupport.freshworks.com
Calling	Zoho CRM offers click-to-dial, automatic call logging against the relevant records, and connections to multiple telephony providers. Source: zoho.com	Freshsales offers click-to-call from the CRM with call logs and recordings through a Freshcaller-powered phone, and its marketplace lists telephony integrations such as Knowlarity and CallerDesk. Source: freshworks.com
Pipelines	Zoho CRM supports multiple sales pipelines for different products, services or geographies, with system-defined deal stages that can be customised to match your sales process. Source: zoho.com	Admins set up multiple deal pipelines with customisable stages, stage probabilities and rotting ages, and use weighted pipelines so managers can forecast expected sales. Source: support.freshsales.io
Automation	Assignment rules distribute leads from web forms, imports and API sources to users, roles or groups in round-robin order, alongside workflow rules and sales cadences. Source: help.zoho.com	Freshsales assigns leads to salespeople across territories using lead-routing rules, with round-robin distribution within a territory, and offers workflows to automate routine tasks. Source: freshworks.com
Reporting	Zoho CRM provides dynamic dashboards, report generation, forecasting and anomaly detection to support sales performance management. Source: zoho.com	Freshsales provides built-in reports and custom dashboards, scheduled report delivery, and reports that compare progress across multiple pipelines. Source: freshworks.com
Mobile app	The Zoho CRM mobile app runs on Android and iOS, with offline updates that sync later, business card scanning, dashboards and the Zia assistant. Source: zoho.com	The Freshsales mobile app runs on iOS and Android, letting reps add records, make and log calls, update deal stages, take voice notes and check in to meetings. Source: support.freshsales.io
Data hosting	Zoho operates data centres in India, with Mumbai as primary and Chennai as secondary, and users choose where their data is stored. Source: zoho.com	Freshworks hosts its SaaS applications on Amazon Web Services with data centre regions that include India, the United States, Europe and Australia. Source: freshworks.com
Sign-in and access	Zoho CRM offers multi-factor authentication, IP restrictions, time-stamped audit logs, and role-based security where roles set data visibility and profiles set permissions. Source: zoho.com	Freshsales supports SAML single sign-on with identity providers such as Okta, two-factor authentication, and roles with module-level permissions that admins can customise. Source: crmsupport.freshworks.com
Integrations and API	Zoho CRM provides RESTful APIs for record operations, bulk APIs, query APIs and notification APIs that report data changes, so it connects with third-party applications. Source: zoho.com	Freshsales documents a RESTful API for reading and changing CRM data, supports webhooks from workflows, and lists integrations such as Gmail, Outlook, Slack, DocuSign, QuickBooks and Zapier. Source: developers.freshworks.com
Getting started	Customers sign up online, with migration assistance and a Jumpstart onboarding service listed on the product page. Source: zoho.com	Freshworks describes the CRM as easy to implement, with quick set-up and team adoption, and lists verified apps on the Freshworks Marketplace for connecting existing tools. Source: freshworks.com

The differences that matter

A product family or a sales-and-marketing suite
Zoho CRM sits inside the wider Zoho family of business apps and describes itself as serving everyone from freelancers to enterprises, in every industry. Freshsales, also sold as Freshsales Suite and Freshworks CRM, is positioned as one CRM that brings sales and marketing together for startups, SMBs and larger companies.
Sending SMS to Indian numbers
Freshsales documents a Gupshup integration for India that sends one-way template SMS once DLT sender IDs and templates are registered. Zoho CRM adds SMS through Zoho Marketplace extensions, including gateway connectors such as mTalkz and ClickSend, with scheduled sends and a record of past messages.
How leads reach the right rep
Freshsales routes leads to salespeople by territory, then shares them out in round-robin order within each territory, with workflows for routine tasks. Zoho CRM uses assignment rules that hand leads from web forms, imports and API sources to users, roles or groups in round-robin order, with workflow rules and sales cadences alongside.
Lead ads and WhatsApp
Zoho CRM captures leads from Facebook Lead Ads, Google Ads, web forms and landing pages, and integrates WhatsApp Business for templates, notifications and workflow-triggered messages. Freshsales creates leads from Facebook and Instagram lead ads once the account is connected and fields are mapped, and Freshworks is an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider.

Which one to choose

Choose Zoho CRM if…

Choose Zoho CRM if you expect to use more of the Zoho product family over time and want the CRM to sit among those apps. It suits teams that like to shape their own pipelines, roles and profiles, want data kept in Zoho's Mumbai and Chennai data centres, and value the IndiaMART connectors on its Marketplace. Sign-up is self-serve, with migration assistance and a Jumpstart onboarding service when you want a hand.

Choose Freshsales if…

Choose Freshsales if marketing and sales should work from the same customer record, with phone, WhatsApp, email and chat in a single CRM. Its territory-based routing suits teams split by region, weighted pipelines give managers a view of expected sales, and the Gupshup integration sends DLT-registered SMS in India. Freshworks hosts on AWS with an India region, and its Marketplace helps connect the tools you already use.

Where DigiPix Flow fits

Our product

DigiPix Flow is our product: a lead management CRM for smaller Indian teams whose sales begin as enquiries from Meta and Google Ads, IndiaMART and website forms. Those enquiries land in one inbox, are assigned by rule or round robin, and are followed up on WhatsApp, email and DLT-checked SMS from the lead's own record, with a specialist setting the workspace up alongside you. If you need sales and marketing in one suite, routing by region, or a CRM among many other business apps, Zoho CRM or Freshsales is the stronger pick.

Talk to an expert Why teams choose DigiPix Flow

Frequently asked questions

Is Zoho CRM or Freshsales quicker to get running?

Both let you start on your own. Zoho CRM lists online sign-up with migration assistance and a Jumpstart onboarding service; Freshworks describes Freshsales as quick to set up and adopt, with verified Marketplace apps for connecting existing tools. How long it takes depends mostly on how much you plan to customise before the team starts using it.

When is Zoho CRM the better choice?

When you want a CRM that grows inside the Zoho product family, need data held in Zoho's Indian data centres, or want IndiaMART connectors from its Marketplace and several pipelines you configure yourselves for different products or regions.

When is Freshsales the better choice?

When sales and marketing share one customer record, leads should be routed by territory before round robin, and you want WhatsApp through an official Business Solution Provider plus template SMS to Indian numbers through Gupshup.

Which of the two handles SMS in India?

Both can reach Indian numbers through partners. Freshsales documents a Gupshup integration that sends DLT-registered template SMS one way; Zoho CRM relies on Marketplace extensions such as mTalkz and ClickSend. Ask each vendor which DLT fields, delivery reports and reply handling the connector you choose supports.

Where do the facts on this page come from?

From Zoho's and Freshworks' own websites and help centres, read on the date printed at the top of this page. Anything we could not confirm on a vendor's own pages appears as "Check with vendor" rather than as a guess. Both products update often, so confirm anything you depend on before you sign.

Why doesn't this comparison list prices?

Editions, add-ons, billing periods and regional pricing change through the year, so a figure printed here would age quickly and could mislead. Zoho's and Freshworks' pricing pages, or a quote from each, will always be more accurate.