Original research · Which CRMs does AI recommend to small businesses?
How often AI recommends Freshsales
We asked Claude 25 buyer questions about small business CRM, on 3 separate days. Here is where Freshsales came up, and who was named instead.
Data collected 31 October – 2 November 2026 · 75 answers · Claude with web search · run 3 of 3
Freshsales at a glance
- Named in
- 20%15 of 75 answers
- Rank
- #8of 36 CRMs named
- Average position
- 5.1where it appears in the list
- Site read
- 0%answers that read freshworks.com
Against the most named
Share of all 75 answers that named each CRM.
Freshsales20%
HubSpot CRM94.7%
Pipedrive82.7%
Zoho CRM82.7%
Question by question
Each question was asked once per run. “Most named” is the CRM the answers to that question named most often, other than Freshsales.
| Question | Type | Freshsales | Most named |
|---|---|---|---|
| What's the best CRM for a small business? | shortlist | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| Which CRM should a 10-person startup use? | shortlist | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| What are the top CRM tools for small businesses in 2026? | shortlist | Named 3 of 3 · best #5 | HubSpot CRM |
| Best CRM for a small sales team of 5 people | shortlist | Named 1 of 3 · best #4 | Pipedrive |
| What CRM do most small B2B companies use? | shortlist | Named 2 of 3 · best #7 | HubSpot CRM |
| Best free CRM for a small business | constraint | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| Cheapest CRM that's still good for a small business | constraint | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| Best CRM for a small business that's easy to set up without IT help | constraint | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| Best CRM for a small agency managing client projects and deals | constraint | Not named | monday sales CRM |
| Best CRM for small businesses that integrates with Gmail and Google Workspace | constraint | Not named | Copper |
| Best CRM for a small business using Microsoft 365 and Outlook | constraint | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| Best CRM for a small real estate team | constraint | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| Best CRM with built-in email marketing for a small business | constraint | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| Best CRM for a small business in the UK with GDPR in mind | constraint | Not named | Capsule CRM |
| Best CRM for a small business that sells mostly over the phone | constraint | Named 2 of 3 · best #2 | Close |
| What are the best alternatives to Salesforce for a small business? | alternatives | Named 3 of 3 · best #5 | Salesforce Starter |
| HubSpot is getting too expensive. What CRM should a small business switch to? | alternatives | Named 1 of 3 · best #3 | HubSpot CRM |
| Alternatives to Pipedrive for a small team | alternatives | Named 2 of 3 · best #4 | Pipedrive |
| HubSpot vs Pipedrive for a small business | comparison | Not named | Pipedrive |
| Zoho CRM vs HubSpot for a startup | comparison | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| Pipedrive vs monday sales CRM for a small sales team | comparison | Not named | Pipedrive |
| Is HubSpot's free CRM good enough for a small business? | validation | Named 1 of 3 · best #4 | HubSpot CRM |
| Is Zoho CRM good for small businesses? | validation | Not named | Zoho CRM |
| Is Pipedrive worth it for a small business? | validation | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
| I run a 20-person B2B services company and need a CRM. What would you recommend and why? | shortlist | Not named | HubSpot CRM |
By kind of question
| Question type | Answers naming Freshsales |
|---|---|
| Shortlist | 33% |
| Constraint | 7% |
| Alternatives | 67% |
| Comparison | 0% |
| Validation | 11% |
Want to move this number?
We run this check for Freshsales across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, show why the leaders get chosen, and fix what keeps you out of the answers. The full method is in the report.