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CRM · head to head

Freshsales vs Scratchpad

Freshsales logo

Freshsales

CRM

Smart CRM for growing businesses

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Scratchpad logo

Scratchpad

CRM

Faster workspace over Salesforce for sales reps to update pipeline, take notes and manage deals

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Scratchpad has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Freshsales contact scoring, sales sequences and territory management require the Pro plan at $39 per user per month, more than four times the Growth price; Scratchpad scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • They diverge on capability: Freshsales covers Contact management, Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Freshsales and Scratchpad actually diverge.

Attributes where Freshsales and Scratchpad differ
AttributeFreshsalesScratchpad
Starting price$19/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Chrome extension
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (CRM).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Freshsales

  • Contact management
  • Lead scoring
  • Sales pipeline
  • Activity tracking
  • Email sync
  • AI insights
  • Workflow automation
  • Gmail

Only in Scratchpad

  • Spreadsheet pipeline views
  • Call recorder and notetaker
  • AI field updates
  • Deal and account agent
  • Hygiene monitor
  • Notes linked to records
  • Custom prompts
  • Kanban and forecast views

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Freshsales

  • Sales CRM with built in email, phone and chatnot Scratchpad
  • Managing deals, pipelines and sales sequencesnot Scratchpad

Scratchpad

  • A 60-rep Salesforce team whose forecast is unreliable because opportunity fields are updated once a week in a panic before the pipeline callnot Freshsales
  • A rep who wants to update twenty opportunities in a grid rather than opening twenty Salesforce recordsnot Freshsales
  • A sales manager wanting stale and incomplete pipeline records flagged automatically instead of chased by emailnot Freshsales
  • A revenue operations lead trialling AI notetaking that writes back to CRM fields before committing budget, using the free tiernot Freshsales

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Freshsales

  • Contact scoring, sales sequences and territory management require the Pro plan at $39 per user per month, more than four times the Growth price
  • Forecasting insights, custom modules, sandbox and audit logs are Enterprise only at $59 per user per month
  • Every published price requires annual billing
  • The Freddy AI agent is billed separately at $49 per 100 sessions
  • Branded documents are a further $19 per user add on
  • No contact limits are stated for any tier on the pricing page

Scratchpad

  • Scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • AI credits are metered per user per month at 400 on Solo and 800 on Team, which means heavy notetaking use pushes teams towards Enterprise for capacity rather than for features.
  • There is no proper native mobile application, so representatives who wanted to update records from a car park between meetings are back in a mobile browser.
  • Sync with Salesforce and call processing can lag, and a pipeline view showing yesterday state during a forecast call undermines the exact meeting the tool was bought to improve.
  • It creates a second notes surface alongside native Salesforce notes, so organisations end up with deal history split across two places unless they explicitly ban one of them.

Pricing, plan by plan

Freshsales

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Contact & account management
    • Pipeline management
  • Growth$39/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Sales automation
    • Territory management
  • Pro$65/month
    • Everything in Growth
    • Forecasting
    • Advanced customization

Scratchpad

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Workspace limited to 3 views
    • 10 hours a month of call recording and notetaking
    • AI field updates
  • Solo$19/month
    • Unlimited views with sheets and notes
    • Call recorder and notetaker
    • AI field updates
  • Team$49/month
    • Everything in Solo
    • 800 AI credits per user per month
    • Gong integration
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited AI credits
    • White-glove agent services included
    • Enterprise security and administration

Which should you pick?

Choose Freshsales if

  • You need contact management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want lead scoring.
Freshsales review

Choose Scratchpad if

  • You need spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome extension.
  • You also want call recorder and notetaker.
Scratchpad review

Questions people ask

Is Freshsales or Scratchpad better?
Neither clearly leads. Freshsales starts at $19/month and Scratchpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Freshsales or Scratchpad?
Scratchpad has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for Freshsales and Free for Scratchpad.
Does Freshsales or Scratchpad run on more platforms?
Freshsales runs on Web, Ios, Android. Scratchpad runs on Web, Chrome extension.
Can I use Scratchpad for free?
Yes. Scratchpad has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshsales starts at $19/month.
What is Freshsales best used for?
Freshsales is most often used for sales crm with built in email, phone and chat, managing deals, pipelines and sales sequences. Of those, sales crm with built in email, phone and chat and managing deals, pipelines and sales sequences are not what Scratchpad is typically brought in for.
What can Freshsales do that Scratchpad cannot?
Freshsales covers Contact management, Lead scoring, Sales pipeline, Activity tracking. Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views, Call recorder and notetaker, AI field updates, Deal and account agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Freshsales: Is there a free trial for Freshsales?

Yes, Freshsales offers a 21-day free trial with no credit card required and no strings attached.

Source
Scratchpad: Does Scratchpad work with HubSpot?

No. It is Salesforce-only.

Freshsales: How do I learn pricing for Freshsales?

Pricing is not listed on the main product pages. The site directs users to request a demo or sign up for the free trial to discuss pricing with the sales team.

Source
Scratchpad: Is the free plan usable in production?

Yes for an individual: full workspace with three views, 10 hours of recording and 100 AI credits a month. Teams outgrow it on views and credits.

Freshsales: Is a demo required to see pricing?

The site prominently features demo and trial signup options, suggesting that pricing is discussed during the sales consultation process rather than published as standard tiers.

Source
Scratchpad: Does it replace Salesforce licences?

No. Every user still needs their own Salesforce licence; Scratchpad is an interface on top.

Scratchpad: What are AI credits spent on?

Notetaking, summarisation, field update suggestions and agent queries. Enterprise removes the cap.

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