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Looking to move beyond Freshsales? The CRM market offers solid alternatives tailored for mid-market B2B teams.
This article differs from generic “best CRM” roundups because it focuses specifically on B2B execution—not enterprise complexity or SMB simplicity. We’ll address the uncomfortable truth: 70% of companies struggle to integrate their sales strategy into CRM. The CRM that wins isn’t the one with the most features—it’s the one your team will actually use to execute your methodology.
Here’s the frustration most Freshsales users experience: you’ve built a solid sales process. Your team understands the methodology. But when you implement the CRM, execution gets messier, not cleaner.
This isn’t a process problem. It’s an execution problem. Approximately 70% of companies fail to effectively integrate their sales plays into their CRM and revenue technologies. In fact, among companies that run structured repeatable sales activities, fewer than 20% actually realize the full value of their CRM. The gap isn’t between intention and strategy—it’s between strategy and execution.
Freshsales users typically leave for three reasons: Freshsales feels over-engineered for their needs, it doesn’t support their sales strategy as seamlessly as it should, or the pricing doesn’t justify the feature set. Mid-market B2B teams (manufacturing, tech, professional services, construction) especially struggle with this misalignment.
We’ve evaluated eight alternatives, specifically ranked for B2B mid-market fit. Along the way, we’ll share why CRM implementations fail, how to avoid that trap, and what makes an alternative worth switching to. The potential payoff is significant—organizations get an average of $8.71 back for every $1 invested in CRM—but that only happens if the execution strategy is solid from day one.
We evaluated eight CRMs using a framework built around mid-market B2B sales execution:
The context matters: about 30% to 35% of CRM projects succeed, and the gap between failure and success is almost always execution, not process design. Teams fail because they can’t translate their sales methodology into the CRM, not because their methodology is flawed.
Our ratings reflect B2B fit, not arbitrary scoring. All eight alternatives meet minimum viability standards. A 4.0 is still a strong choice—context determines whether it’s right for you.
Not every CRM feature matters equally. For mid-market B2B teams, these capabilities separate effective platforms from nice-to-have software:
Post-implementation support and training: The best CRM fails without solid onboarding. Vendor-provided training, implementation specialists, and post-go-live optimization matter more than most teams realize.
Sales automation and workflow capability: Your CRM should automate task assignment, send follow-up reminders, and flag next actions without your team living in the software. If reps spend more time updating CRM than selling, automation isn’t working.
Pipeline visibility and forecasting accuracy: Sales managers need a single, accurate view of the pipeline to forecast revenue. Manual forecasting defeats the purpose of having a CRM.
Sales plays integration and execution support: This is where most CRMs fail. Your CRM should support your defined sales methodology (account-based selling, Sandler method, Challenger Sale, etc.) without forcing you to restructure your process around the tool.
Email integration and communication tracking: Automatic email logging and conversation history keep context visible without manual data entry. When teams have to choose between logging emails and closing deals, deals lose.
Mobile accessibility for field and remote sales teams: Whether your team is in an office or distributed, they need CRM access anywhere. Mobile-first design isn’t optional anymore.
Reporting and activity visibility: Managers need to see what’s happening without requiring reps to write activity reports. Good CRMs surface insights automatically.
Integration ecosystem: Your CRM won’t be the only tool your team uses. Email, calendar, accounting, marketing automation, Slack, Salesforce Data Cloud—your CRM needs connectors that work without IT projects.
| CRM Name | Pricing Range | Sales Plays Support | Ease of Use | B2B Fit | Best for |
| Nutshell | $13–$79/user/mo | ✓ Strong | ✓ Very Easy | ✓ Excellent | Mid-market B2B execution |
| Pipedrive | $19–$89/user/mo | ✓ Good | ✓ Very Easy | ✓ Strong | Visual pipeline teams |
| Monday.com CRM | $15–$33/seat/mo (min. 3 seats) | ✓ Excellent | ✓ Easy | ✓ Good | Custom workflows |
| Zoho CRM | $14–$45/user/mo | ✓ Strong | ✓ Good | ✓ Strong | Feature-rich, integrated |
| Salesforce | $25–$550/user/mo | ✓ Excellent | ✗ Complex | ✗ Enterprise | Large-scale operations |
| Close | $49–$149/user/mo | ✓ Good | ✓ Very Easy | ✓ Good | Inside sales, short cycles |
| Copper | $12–$134/user/mo | ✓ Good | ✓ Very Easy | ✓ Fair | Gmail-native teams |
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 | $65–$150/user/mo | ✓ Strong | ✗ Complex | ✓ Good | Microsoft ecosystem |
Rating: 4.5/5
Best for mid-market B2B teams seeking affordable sales plays integration without enterprise complexity
Nutshell is built specifically for mid-market B2B sales teams that have execution gaps, not process gaps. Unlike Freshsales, which tries to be everything to everyone, Nutshell strips away complexity and focuses on getting your defined sales process into the hands of your sales reps. It’s affordable, approachable, and designed for teams that want to execute their methodology, not redesign it to fit a tool.
Nutshell starts at $13–$79 per user per month, depending on the plan. Volume discounts and annual plans reduce per-user cost. Free trial available.
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Rating: 4.4/5
Best for sales teams that live by visual pipeline management and want simplicity without enterprise overhead
Pipedrive is the visual CRM champion. If your team thinks in deal stages and pipeline flow, Pipedrive’s interface speaks your language. It’s simpler than Salesforce, more affordable, and laser-focused on advancing deals. Pipedrive works especially well for B2B teams with straightforward sales cycles who prioritize deal velocity over complex reporting.
Pipedrive runs $19–$89 per user per month, depending on features. Annual pricing offers a discount. Free trial available.
Rating: 4.2/5
Best for teams that want workflow flexibility and customization without traditional CRM rigidity
Monday.com CRM bridges the gap between rigid CRM tools and flexible project management. If your sales process doesn’t fit standard pipeline stages or you need heavy customization, Monday.com’s builder approach lets you design a system that matches your workflow. It’s less out-of-the-box ready than Pipedrive but far more flexible.
Monday.com CRM starts at $15–$33 per seat per month. Pricing is per-board and team size, so costs can vary. Free trial available.
Rating: 4.1/5
Best for teams seeking comprehensive features and integrations at a lower cost than enterprise CRMs
Zoho CRM offers enterprise-level features at mid-market pricing. It’s powerful, integrates deeply with the broader Zoho ecosystem (email, accounting, helpdesk), and works well for teams that need functionality depth without the complexity or cost of Salesforce. Zoho is particularly well-suited for manufacturing, tech, and professional services teams that benefit from its industry-specific templates.
Zoho CRM ranges from $14 to $45 per user per month, depending on the plan. Volume discounts and annual payments reduce cost. Free version available with limited features.
Rating: 4.0/5
Best for large enterprises with complex sales processes and IT teams to manage implementation
Salesforce is the CRM market leader for enterprises because it handles virtually any sales process at any scale. But that power comes with complexity, cost, and implementation overhead. For mid-market B2B teams, Salesforce is overkill. For large organizations that can afford implementation partners and IT oversight, Salesforce is the safe choice.
Salesforce starts at $25–$550 per user per month for Sales Cloud. Add-ons, implementation services, and customization quickly double or triple the cost. No free trial.
Rating: 3.9/5
Best for inside sales teams with short deal cycles who prioritize rapid follow-up and communication tracking
Close is purpose-built for inside sales. If your team relies heavily on calls and emails and moves deals quickly, Close’s communication-first design is a standout. It’s affordable, easy to use, and built by people who understand inside sales workflows. For account-based selling or long-cycle deals, Close is less relevant.
Close ranges from $49 to $149 per user per month. Annual plans offer a discount. Free trial available.
Rating: 3.8/5
Best for Gmail-native teams in professional services or small enterprises who want CRM without leaving email
Copper is a CRM built inside Gmail. If your team lives in Gmail and wants CRM without context switching, Copper is the pragmatic choice. It’s lightweight, unobtrusive, and keeps deals visible directly in the email environment. For teams not deeply committed to Gmail or needing robust sales management, Copper is limited.
Copper starts at $12–$134 per user per month. Annual plans available. Free trial available.
Rating: 3.7/5
Best for enterprises deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, seeking an integrated ERP and CRM
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the CRM option for enterprises already committed to the Microsoft stack (Office 365, Dynamics ERP, Azure, Power BI). If CRM must integrate seamlessly with accounting, ERP, or other Microsoft tools, Dynamics is the logical choice. For standalone CRM needs, Dynamics adds unnecessary complexity.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 starts at $65–$150 per user per month, depending on plan and add-ons. The true total cost of ownership is significantly higher when accounting for Microsoft ecosystem licensing. Free trial available.
Here’s what keeps teams up at night about CRM: they’ve tried it before. They’ve spent the budget. And it didn’t work.
Remember, 70% of companies fail to effectively integrate their sales strategy into their CRM. But—and this is critical—the failure isn’t because their sales process was bad. The failure occurred because they were unable to execute the process in their CRM.
This is the execution gap.
Most conversations about CRM failure focus on the wrong things. People blame the lack of adoption, poor training, or weak change management. But the real issue is deeper: teams design a solid sales methodology, select a CRM, and then discover the two don’t fit together. The CRM’s workflow expectations don’t match their sales process. Their playbook doesn’t map to the tool’s deal stages. Reporting doesn’t surface the metrics they actually care about.
Rather than adapting the CRM to match their process, teams get stuck in one of two traps:
The antidote is simpler than you think: select a CRM that’s designed to execute your type of sales process, not force you to adapt your process to a generic tool.
This is why Nutshell is a strong alternative to Freshsales for mid-market B2B teams. It’s built specifically for B2B execution—account-based selling, longer sales cycles, multiple stakeholders per deal. It assumes your process is already solid and focuses on removing friction from execution, not redesigning your methodology.
The second ingredient is the implementation strategy. Even the right CRM fails without solid execution planning:
Here’s the metric that separates winners from the 70% failure group: Do your sales reps reach for the CRM to execute their process, or do they treat it as a data-entry chore?
If they reach for it, implementation was successful. If they treat it as a chore, you’re in the 70%.
You’re probably wondering: What specifically do these alternatives do better than Freshsales?
The decision hinges on what’s driving you away from Freshsales. If it’s cost, Zoho and Nutshell both undercut it. If it’s complexity, Pipedrive and Nutshell simplify things. If it’s execution friction, Nutshell is designed to address that specific problem.
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Not all B2B sales are the same. Industry-specific workflows matter.
Manufacturing deals are long-cycle, account-based, and involve multiple stakeholders (plant managers, procurement, and engineering). Both Nutshell and Zoho support complex deal structures and offer industry templates that accelerate implementation. Nutshell’s next-action methodology helps keep deals moving through manufacturing’s typically 6–12 month sales cycles.
Tech sales benefit from simple, visual deal management and strong alignment between sales and marketing. Pipedrive’s visual pipeline works well for teams that move deals quickly. Nutshell’s integrated marketing automation keeps leads warm and nurtures them into sales conversations. Both are affordable enough for startups that scale.
Professional services teams often live in email (Gmail especially). Copper keeps CRM accessible without tab switching. Nutshell works if your team is less Gmail-native but needs visibility into deals across multiple concurrent projects. Both support the longer deal cycles and multi-stakeholder complexity typical of services selling.
Construction sales teams are often mobile and deal-focused. Nutshell’s mobile app and field team focus work well for crews that aren’t office-bound. Close’s simplicity and built-in communication tracking are ideal for teams that close deals through calls and site visits. Both are affordable and quick to implement.
The fear of migration is real. “What if we lose deal data? What if the team can’t find what they need? What if deals stall while we’re switching?”
These concerns are valid, but they’re manageable with a solid plan.
Common mistakes during migration:
Execution gaps, not process design flaws. Teams have a solid sales methodology, but they struggle to execute it within their CRM. The tool doesn’t support their sales strategy. Workflows don’t match their process. Reporting doesn’t show the metrics they care about. Rather than address this gap, teams either force their process into the CRM (which makes it worse) or build workarounds (which create data silos).
Result: teams abandon the CRM or use it minimally. The solution involves selecting a CRM tailored to your type of sales (e.g., B2B vs. SMB, inside sales vs. field sales) and ensuring that implementation includes post-go-live optimization.
Nutshell is built specifically for mid-market B2B sales execution. It includes next-action prioritization (directly addressing the 70% execution gap), native support for longer sales cycles and multiple stakeholders, integrated sales and marketing alignment, and implementation support focused on ensuring you capture that $8.71 ROI. It’s also 25–40% cheaper per user and easier to implement (2–4 weeks vs. 6–12 weeks for complex CRMs). If you’re leaving Freshsales because it feels overengineered, Nutshell removes that friction.
Use Freshsales’ native export tools to download deals, contacts, and history. Map your custom fields to ensure they transfer correctly. Pilot migration with a small team first. Run both systems in parallel for 30 days to verify that no data is lost or falls through the cracks. Establish clear rules about which system is the source of truth during parallel running. Most migrations can be completed in 2–4 weeks of actual transition time, although parallel running adds an additional month of buffer.
Manufacturing and professional services typically benefit from Nutshell or Zoho (longer cycles, complex deals). Tech and SaaS often prefer Pipedrive or Nutshell (visual, fast-moving, sales-marketing alignment). Construction works well with Nutshell or Close (mobile, deal-focused, field teams). The key variable is whether you prioritize simplicity and speed (Pipedrive, Close) or depth and integration (Zoho, Nutshell).
Potential: $8.71 for every $1 invested (Nucleus Research). Risk: 70% of teams don’t achieve this because of execution gaps. Success requires: clearly defined sales plays pre-migration, solid change management and communication, 30-day parallel running to prevent deal loss, and 90+ days of post-implementation optimization. If you skip any of these, you can expect a 30–50% reduction in potential ROI. If you execute all of them, you’ll likely exceed expectations.
Simpler CRMs, such as Pipedrive and Nutshell, run on the faster end of this timeline. Complex CRMs, such as Salesforce and Dynamics 365, can take 6–18 months.
Execution beats features. This is the uncomfortable truth that the CRM market doesn’t advertise.
You can buy Salesforce and get every feature imaginable. You can buy Zoho and get breadth at a lower cost. You can buy Pipedrive and get simplicity. But if you can’t execute your sales methodology in the tool, none of it matters. The 70% failure rate exists because teams prioritize features over execution.
This is why Nutshell stands out as the best Freshsales alternative for mid-market B2B teams. It’s not the most feature-rich CRM. It’s built specifically for B2B execution—the workflows that match manufacturing, tech, professional services, and construction sales cycles. It’s affordable without surprises. It’s implementation-focused, which means your team actually captures that $8.71 ROI instead of falling into the 70% failure bucket.
But Nutshell isn’t right for everyone. If you want visual simplicity, Pipedrive wins. If you need breadth and depth of integration, Zoho or Salesforce might be better options. If you’re Gmail-native, Copper makes sense. The decision depends on your specific workflow, team size, budget, and complexity.
What matters more than the CRM you choose is the implementation strategy you execute. Pick a tool, run the pre-migration checklist, execute parallel running, and commit to 90 days of post-go-live optimization. That’s how you avoid the 70% failure rate and actually realize the $8.71 ROI potential.
Ready to move beyond Freshsales? Request a demo from Nutshell to see how next-action-focused CRM can eliminate execution gaps. Or explore Nutshell’s pricing to compare affordability against Freshsales. If you’re evaluating multiple alternatives, check out Nutshell’s CRM comparison guide to see how it stacks up against competitors.
The best Freshsales alternative isn’t the one with the most features—it’s the one your team will actually use to execute your sales methodology.
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