Freshsales is a full sales suite from Freshworks, with lead scoring, sequences, built-in phone, and AI insights for sales teams, priced per seat. Orbit is a simple, solo-first CRM with an AI assistant, Hiro, that drafts follow-ups, writes proposals, and manages tasks on your approval. Freshsales arms a sales team with tools. Orbit keeps it simple for one person.
Freshsales is a well-rounded sales suite. It packs in contact and deal management, AI-based lead scoring, email sequences, a built-in phone, and dashboards, all under one roof with the polish you expect from Freshworks. Its AI assistant, Freddy, suggests next best actions and flags deals at risk.
For a small to mid sales team, that breadth is the appeal. Reps get sequences and a dialer, managers get scoring and forecasts, and the whole thing ties into the broader Freshworks ecosystem for support and marketing. If you are staffing and managing a sales function, Freshsales is a serious option. Check their site for current per-seat plans.
Side by side on what matters when you are the only one selling.
| Orbit | Freshsales | |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistant that drafts and does the busywork | Hiro drafts follow-ups, proposals, and invoices on your approval | AI insights and scoring, not one assistant that acts for you |
| All-in-one: invoices, proposals, and booking pages | Included, free plan covers the basics | |
| Lead scoring | Simple pipeline and smart views, no scoring engine | AI lead scoring, a core feature |
| Email sequences | Campaigns and sequences on Pro, Hiro drafts, you approve | Built-in sequences for reps |
| Nothing sends without your approval | Every Hiro draft waits for you to approve first | Not applicable, reps act |
| Built for one person | Yes, solo-first | Built for sales teams |
| Built-in email inbox with tracking | Free inbox, open and click tracking on Pro | Yes, check their site |
| Free plan | Free CRM plan, no credit card | Limited free tier, then per seat, check their site |
| Pricing model | Free CRM, Pro $14/mo or $112/yr, AI included free | Per seat, per month, check their site |
Freshsales gives reps better tools and managers better visibility. Orbit asks a different question: what if there are no reps? Then you do not need a suite with scoring, dialers, and forecasts, you need a simple CRM and one assistant to take the busywork. Ask Hiro to draft the follow-up, write the proposal, turn a call recording into a recap, or send an invoice, and it returns a draft you approve.
The result feels less like a suite of tools and more like one calm workspace. The built-in email inbox keeps every message on the contact timeline, and campaigns and sequences on Pro let you follow up at scale, with Hiro drafting and you approving. Getting a quick, personal reply out is what a busy solo operator struggles to do by hand, and it is often the difference between a booked call and a cold lead. See speed to lead for why the first reply matters.
Nothing sends on its own, and Orbit does not make phone calls. The free plan covers 250 contacts, one pipeline, unlimited tasks, a calendar, notes, a built-in email inbox (100 sends a month), and basic Tables, plus 10 invoices and 10 proposals. Hiro runs on free monthly AI credits, included on every plan, no API key to paste.
Freshsales arms a sales team with tools. Orbit keeps it simple for one person, with an assistant that drafts and you approve.
Yes, if you sell alone. Orbit replaces a rep-focused suite with a simple CRM and one assistant, Hiro, that drafts follow-ups, proposals, and invoices, all with your approval, plus built-in email. Freshsales is the better pick if you manage a sales team and want lead scoring, sequences, and dashboards across reps.
Freshsales offers a limited free tier and then charges per seat. Check their site for current details. Orbit has a free CRM plan with no credit card: 250 contacts, one pipeline, unlimited tasks, and a built-in email inbox. Pro is $14/mo or $112/yr, with an optional 30-day free trial (card required).
No. Freshsales scores leads for a human rep to prioritize. Orbit keeps things simple with a pipeline and smart views, and Hiro can help you decide what to follow up on next. Orbit focuses on drafting the work rather than ranking it.
No. Orbit does not make phone calls. It is a CRM with one assistant, Hiro, that drafts emails, follow-ups, proposals, and invoices for your approval, and a built-in email inbox that sends from your own Orbit address. If you need a dialer, Freshsales includes a built-in phone.
AI credits are included free every month on every plan, with no API key to paste and nothing to configure. You can top up with credit packs, and paid plans can bring their own AI key when credits run out.
Orbit's CRM is free, no credit card. Start a 30-day Pro trial (card required), let Hiro draft with the AI credits already included, and approve every draft before it sends.
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