Apptivo, Freshsales, and Insightly are all SMB-friendly CRMs, but they optimize for different jobs. Apptivo is the broadest, low-cost suite, bundling CRM with…
Freemium · From Free
Best for: Budget-conscious SMBs that want CRM bundled with help desk, field service, and campaign tools in one no-code platform.
Freemium · From Free (up to 3 users); paid plans start at $9/user/month billed annually
Best for: Sales teams that want an AI-assisted deal pipeline with built-in phone and email, especially those already using other Freshworks products.
Subscription · From $29/user/month (billed annually)
Best for: Teams that need CRM and project management combined natively, such as agencies or professional-services firms handing closed deals to a delivery team.
| Apptivo | Freshsales | Insightly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary category | CRM | CRM | CRM |
| Rating | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starting price | Free | Free (up to 3 users); paid plans start at $9/user/month billed annually | $29/user/month (billed annually) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Windows | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Team collaboration | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| AI features | Not documented | Yes | Yes |
| Public API | Yes | Yes | Yes |
All-in-one operations suite
Apptivo goes beyond core CRM with dedicated help desk, field service, and campaign modules, plus no-code customization, letting small teams run several business functions from one system instead of stitching together separate tools.
Apptivo
AI-assisted sales pipeline
Freshsales bakes built-in phone and email into the CRM and layers on Freddy AI for lead scoring, sales sequences, and AI-powered forecasting insights, aimed squarely at sales teams that want automation without a separate tool.
Freshsales
CRM plus native project management
Insightly is the only one of the three with built-in project management alongside the CRM, plus an AI Copilot and pre-built business intelligence dashboards, which suits teams that need to track work after a deal closes.
Insightly
Free access varies sharply
Apptivo offers a permanently free Starter tier and Freshsales is free for up to 3 users, while Insightly has no free tier at all, only a 14-day trial, so ongoing no-cost usage is not an option with Insightly.
Apptivo, Freshsales, Insightly
Advanced features are tier-gated across all three
Freshsales' Freddy AI lead scoring requires the Pro tier or higher, Insightly's REST API, webhooks, and AI Copilot require the Professional tier or higher, and Apptivo's deeper automation and reporting need its higher-priced plans, so entry-level plans are noticeably lighter everywhere.
Apptivo, Freshsales, Insightly
| Feature | Apptivo | Freshsales | Insightly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deal and pipeline management | Available | Available | Available |
| Built-in phone and email | Not documented | Available | Limited |
| Feature | Apptivo | Freshsales | Insightly |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI lead scoring or copilot | Unavailable | Available | Available |
| Workflow automation | Available | Available | Available |
| Feature | Apptivo | Freshsales | Insightly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native project management | Not documented | Unavailable | Available |
| Help desk and field service modules | Available | Unavailable | Not documented |
| Feature | Apptivo | Freshsales | Insightly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanently free plan | Available | Available | Unavailable |
| REST API and webhooks | Not documented | Not documented | Available |
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Apptivo's Starter tier and Freshsales' free tier (up to 3 users) are both permanently free. Insightly does not offer an ongoing free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
Freshsales bundles a native phone system directly into the CRM. Insightly offers bidirectional email sync but does not document a native phone feature, and Apptivo's phone capability is not documented in its listed features.
Insightly is the one built with native project management alongside the CRM. Apptivo covers adjacent operations like help desk and field service, but not project management specifically, and Freshsales is a sales-only pipeline tool.
Freshsales has Freddy AI for lead scoring and AI-powered forecasting, available from the Pro tier up. Insightly offers an AI Copilot from its Professional tier up. Apptivo does not advertise AI-driven sales features.
Not with Insightly, whose REST API and webhooks require the Professional tier or higher. API availability is not documented for Apptivo or Freshsales in their published feature sets.
Apptivo, since it natively bundles help desk and field service modules alongside its CRM, whereas Freshsales and Insightly are focused on sales and, in Insightly's case, project delivery.
Read the full Apptivo review · Read the full Freshsales review · Read the full Insightly review