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The GTM Stack
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Founder-Friendly
CRMSales EngagementOutbound Sequencing

The no-BS CRM with built-in calling that small sales teams actually love using — simple, fast, and doesn't try to be Salesforce

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GTM Pipeline Position

Prospect
Enrich
Sequence
Deliver
Engage
Analyze
Close

The Verdict

Close is the best CRM for small sales teams that prioritize speed and simplicity. The built-in multichannel communication (call, email, SMS) is a genuine differentiator. AI features are practical and well-integrated. If you're a small team that mostly does outbound, Close should be your first CRM.

Best For

SMB sales teams (5-30 reps) doing high-velocity inside sales who want calling, SMS, and email in their CRM without integrating 5 tools

Not Great For

Enterprise teams or companies that need heavy marketing automation — Close is purpose-built for sales, not marketing

Overview

Close is a CRM built specifically for small sales teams, with built-in calling, email, and SMS directly inside the CRM. It automates follow-ups, provides AI-powered features like notetaking and enrichment, and is designed to help teams sell faster without the complexity of enterprise CRMs.

Target Users

Small to mid-size sales teams, startups, scaling businesses

Team Size

small team (2-10)

Capabilities

Key Features

  • Built-in calling with Power Dialer and Predictive Dialer
  • Email, SMS, and calling from CRM
  • AI Notetaker for call transcription
  • AI Enrich for prospect data
  • AI Email Rewrite
  • Workflow automation
  • Meeting Notetaker (free in beta)
  • Pipeline management
  • Custom Objects and Activities
  • Call coaching (listen/whisper/barge)

Benefits

  • 50% faster than big CRMs (Pipedrive, HubSpot, Salesforce)
  • All communication channels in one tool — no context switching
  • Automation handles follow-ups so reps focus on selling
  • AI handles notetaking, enrichment, and email writing
AI Features
AI Notetaker for call transcription/summaries, AI Enrich for lead data, AI Lead Summaries, AI Email Rewrite
Ease of Use
Easy — designed to be simple, sign up and start selling in an hour

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • +Built-in calling, email, and SMS — truly all-in-one for small teams
  • +50% faster than competing CRMs
  • +Power and Predictive Dialer included
  • +AI features (notetaker, enrichment, email rewrite) are genuinely useful
  • +14-day free trial, no contracts

Cons

  • -Limited marketing automation features
  • -Not suitable for large enterprise needs
  • -Custom Objects only on Growth+ plans
  • -Call recording retention limited on lower tiers
  • -Smaller integration ecosystem than HubSpot/Salesforce

Outbound Use Cases

Cold calling with Power/Predictive DialerEmail sequence automationSMS outreachPipeline management for outbound deals

Financials & Scale

Pricing Model
per-seat
Starting Price
$19/user/mo
Price per Seat
$19/user/mo
Cost at Scale
$99-139/user/mo
Total Funding
$3.7M
Free Trial
Yes
PlanPriceLimitsFeatures
Base$19/user/moUp to 10,000 leads, 3 email accountsEmail sync, Built-in calling, Task management, Pipeline management, Mobile app, 14-day free trial
Startup$49/user/moUnlimited leads, 3 email accountsAll Base features, Workflows (email/SMS automation), Power Dialer, Custom Activities
Growth$99/user/moUnlimited leads, 10 email accountsAll Startup features, Predictive Dialer, Call coaching (listen/whisper/barge), Custom Objects
Scale$139/user/moUnlimited leads, 10 email accountsAll Growth features, Customizable roles & permissions, Lead visibility settings, Unlimited call recording retention
Free Tier Limits
14-day free trial with $5 calling/enrichment credits
Pricing Comparison Note

Close runs $49-139/user/mo with built-in calling, SMS, and email. HubSpot is free but Professional is $100/user/mo. Pipedrive is $14-99/user/mo but you'll add a dialer. Close's value is having communication tools built in — no Aircall or Kixie add-on needed.

The Reddit Pulse

Sentiment: positive

Community Pros

  • +Simple and direct UI
  • +Built-in calling/SMS
  • +Great for small outbound teams
  • +Good API

Community Cons

  • -Limited marketing features
  • -Not ideal once you outgrow SMB stage
  • -Reporting less robust than Salesforce/HubSpot

Reddit Questions

  • ? Close vs HubSpot for SMB?
  • ? Is Close good for outbound-heavy teams?

Thinking of Switching?

HubSpot
Free tier and bigger ecosystem — but more complex and eventually more expensive
Pipedrive
Similar simplicity with strong visual pipeline — less calling features
Freshsales
Cheaper but buggier — part of the Freshworks ecosystem
Attio
More modern and flexible, but less built-in communication tools
Salesforce
The enterprise standard — only switch when you absolutely have to

Competitive Landscape

HubSpot CRMPipedriveFreshsalesSalesforceBreakcold

Technical Stack

API Access
Compliance
SOC 2 Type II
Clay Integration
HTTP API
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android

Integrations

ZoomSegmentZapierCalendlyHubSpotMailchimp
Zapier / Make / n8n
Zapier
Data Export
CSV, API

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Company Intel

Headquarters
San Francisco, CA (Remote)
Founded
2013
Leadership
Steli Efti (CEO & Co-founder)
Employees
51-200

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Frequently Asked Questions

Resources & Links

Support Channels
emaildocs
#crm#built-in-calling#sms#email-sequences#sales-automation#small-business#ai-powered#power-dialer#predictive-dialer