Zay CRM vs Freshsales
For 5-15 person teams who don't want to spend a lot on big systems. Honest comparison: $400/mo flat for 15 seats vs Freshworks Freshsales's per-seat ladder. We call out where Freshsales wins.
Freshsales (part of Freshworks) is a sales-led CRM with a built-in phone, email sequences, and AI ("Freddy"). Decent UI, fair pricing at the bottom, jumps fast at Pro+. AI features mostly paywalled.
- You're 6+ people (math flips fast against Freshsales Pro at $47/seat)
- You want e-sign + social inbox + managed A2P SMS bundled
- You want to bring your own AI keys (no per-credit caps)
- You prefer flat pricing and month-to-month
- You're 1-5 seats and want a free or near-free CRM
- You already use other Freshworks tools (Freshdesk, Freshchat)
- You want a built-in dialer with per-minute billing
- You don't need e-sign, social inbox, or A2P-managed SMS
Pricing snapshot for 5-15 person teams
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Zay CRM | Freshsales |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat tier — ${tGrowth.monthly}/mo for ${tGrowth.seats} | Per seat × seat count, mostly annual |
| 10 seats (Growth tier) | ${tGrowth.monthly}/mo flat | ~$11/seat × 10 = ~$110/mo |
| 10 seats (Pro tier — when you need automation) | ${tGrowth.monthly}/mo flat | ~$47/seat × 10 = ~$470/mo |
| 15 seats (Pro tier) | ${tGrowth.monthly}/mo flat | ~$47/seat × 15 = ~$705/mo |
| E-signature contracts | Included on every tier | Not native — third-party |
| AI assistant | Included on Growth+ (BYO key, no markup) | Freddy AI — capped per tier, more on Enterprise |
| Built-in phone | Zay Phone — included on Growth (1 line) | Freshcaller — included on all paid tiers, minute-based billing |
| A2P 10DLC SMS management | Managed — included on Growth | Bring-your-own Twilio |
| Unified social inbox (IG + FB) | Included on Growth | Not native |
| Email sequences | Included on Growth+ | Included on Growth+ (bulk on Pro) |
| Workflow automation | Server-side triggers on Growth+ | Strong on Pro+ tier |
| Reporting depth | Solid custom dashboards | Strong dashboards on Pro+ |
| Integration marketplace | ~20 native + Zapier | 100+ integrations + Freshworks suite |
| Annual contract | No — month-to-month | Required for advertised pricing |
| Custom domain / white-label | Included on Pro | Enterprise only |
Updated May 31, 2026. Freshworks Freshsales pricing reflects published list prices at freshworks.com/crm/sales/pricing as of May 2026. Volume discounts and bundle pricing may differ.
FAQ
Should a 5-person team pick Zay CRM or Freshsales?+
Edge case for Freshsales's cheapest tier. At 5 seats on the cheapest Freshsales tier, line-item price is often lower than Zay CRM Starter at ${tStarter.monthly}/mo. The trade-off is what's bundled. Zay Starter includes pipeline, contracts + e-sign, CSV import, and Zapier from day one. Freshsales's cheapest tiers cap features. The moment you need e-sign, AI, social messaging, or A2P SMS, the cost flips.
Should a 10-person team pick Zay CRM or Freshsales?+
Usually Zay. Freshsales per-seat math escalates fast once you need automation + AI + reporting (the tier where most 10-person teams land). Zay CRM Growth is ${tGrowth.monthly}/mo flat for ${tGrowth.seats} — five extra seats included. Freshsales prices reflect freshworks.com/crm/sales/pricing as of May 2026.
What does Freshsales do better than Zay CRM?+
Freshsales (part of Freshworks) is a sales-led CRM with a built-in phone, email sequences, and AI ("Freddy"). Decent UI, fair pricing at the bottom, jumps fast at Pro+. AI features mostly paywalled.
When does Freshsales beat Zay CRM on price?+
At 1-5 seats on the Growth tier (~$11/seat × 5 = ~$55/mo) Freshsales is the cheaper line item. The moment you need workflow automation, AI, or 6+ seats, you cross into Pro at ~$47/seat and Zay CRM Growth at ${tGrowth.monthly}/mo flat for ${tGrowth.seats} starts winning. By 10 seats on Pro, Freshsales is ~$470/mo and Zay Growth is ${tGrowth.monthly}/mo flat.
Can we migrate from Freshsales to Zay CRM?+
Yes. Freshsales lets you export contacts, accounts, deals, and notes to CSV. Drop the files into Zay CRM Settings → Import. Field mapping is automatic for standard properties.
Are these Freshsales prices real?+
They reflect freshworks.com/crm/sales/pricing list prices as of May 2026. Freshsales runs volume discounts and bundle deals through sales — your actual quote may differ. We do not have access to those private discounts, so we compare against published list.
Why is Zay CRM cheaper than Freshsales?+
Freshsales maintains a broader product surface area, larger integration marketplace, and an enterprise sales motion. That costs money to operate, and customers pay for it. Zay CRM is one focused product, built for 5-15 person teams. We do not have to support 200-rep sales floors, so we do not price like we do.
Other CRMs we get asked about.
Run the math. Then run a trial.
$400/mo flat for $15 seats. 7-day trial. Month-to-month. CSV import from Freshsales included.
Start 7-day Zay CRM trial →