
CRM for Professional Services With Long Sales Cycles
A practical CRM buying guide for consultants, agencies, accountants, engineers and other service firms with slow B2B deals.
Learn moreRatings, pricing and all 12 key features, side by side. Open either profile for the full review.
| Editor rating | 4.4 | 4.3 |
| Starting price | Free / $9 per user | $19 per user |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Best for | Startups and inside-sales teams that call and email all day | SDR and inside-sales teams that make hundreds of calls a week |
| Key features | ||
| Ease of use | 4.5 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Features | 4.3 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Value for money | 4.6 / 5 | 4.0 / 5 |
| Customer support | 4.4 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Visual sales pipeline | Yes | Yes |
| Two-way email sync | Yes | Yes |
| Workflow automation | Yes | Yes |
| Email sequences | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in calling | Yes | Yes |
| Lead scoring | Yes | No |
| Sales forecasting | Yes | Yes |
| Custom reports | Yes | Yes |
| Marketing campaigns | No | No |
| Quotes and invoices | Yes | No |
| AI assistant | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile apps | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | 300+ | 100+ plus Zapier |
| Mobile | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
| Support | 24/5 chat, email and phone | Email and chat, fast response times |
| Founded | 2016 · San Mateo, CA | 2013 · Remote-first, USA |
| View Freshsales profile | View Close profile |
Startups and inside-sales teams that want calling, email and AI scoring in one affordable package.
Skip it if: organizations that depend on niche integrations or need highly customized reporting.
Freshsales is the best value for a team that works the phones. The Growth plan at $9 is hard to argue with; check integrations before committing if your stack is unusual.
Small and midsize inside-sales and SDR teams whose revenue depends on outbound calls and fast follow-up.
Skip it if: businesses that rarely sell by phone or that want marketing tools included.
Close is the most focused tool on this list. If outbound calling drives your revenue, it pays for itself; if it does not, pick something broader.

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