How to Choose a Close Alternative
Close is built for inside sales teams that live on the phone, but teams look elsewhere for three main reasons: metered call and SMS credits add to the bill, they need marketing and service beyond outbound sales, or they want a free tier. The right replacement depends on which of those pushed you to look.
If you want a simple pipeline without metered calling, Pipedrive is built for it, while HubSpot adds marketing and a free CRM and Zoho CRM offers more features for the price.
For AI-assisted selling, Freshsales is affordable with a free tier, and for flexible workflows monday fits. Decide whether calling is truly central or you want a broader, cheaper CRM, then compare cost and free tiers.
Close Alternatives Compared
Every published price below was checked against the vendor's own pricing page in 2026. The Close row is included so you can see what each alternative competes against. Note that Close bills call and SMS credits on top of the subscription, which several alternatives avoid.
| Alternative | Best for | Starting price (verified 2026) | Free tier | Why teams switch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pipedrive | Sales teams wanting a simple pipeline | Essential $14/user/mo; up to $99 | No | Visual pipeline, fast adoption |
| HubSpot | Teams wanting an easy all-in-one with marketing | Free CRM; Sales Hub Starter $15/seat/mo | Yes | Free CRM plus sales and marketing in one |
| Zoho CRM | Value-focused teams wanting depth | Free (3 users); Standard $14; Enterprise $40 | Yes | Feature depth at a low cost |
| Freshsales | AI-assisted selling on a budget | Free (3 users); Growth $9; Pro $39 | Yes | Built-in AI and a low entry price |
| Salesforce | Enterprises needing power and ecosystem | Starter $25/user/mo; Enterprise $175 | No | Deepest customization and AppExchange |
| monday sales CRM | Teams wanting a flexible visual workspace | Basic $12/seat/mo; Pro $28 (3-seat min) | No | Customizable boards and work management |
| Zendesk Sell | Support-led teams wanting a sales CRM | From about $19/seat/mo | No | Sales CRM tied to Zendesk support |
| Copper CRM | Google Workspace-first teams | Starter $9/seat/mo; Professional $49 | No | Lives natively inside Gmail |
| Bitrix24 | Teams wanting a free all-in-one suite | Free (unlimited users); paid from about $61/mo | Yes | Free CRM plus a collaboration suite |
| Insightly | SMBs needing CRM plus projects | Plus $29/user/mo; Professional $49 | No | CRM plus project delivery |
| Close (for reference) | Inside sales and calling teams | Solo $9/seat/mo; Essentials $35 | No | The baseline these alternatives compete with |
How We Scored These Alternatives
Match scores weigh four things: how well the tool covers what Close does well, strength where buyers want more (no metered calling, marketing and service, or a free tier), value at typical team sizes, and ease of use. A higher score means a closer fit for the widest range of teams, not that it wins for every use case.
Sources
Pricing verified in 2026 against each vendor pricing page: Pipedrive pricing, HubSpot pricing, Zoho CRM pricing, Freshsales pricing, Salesforce pricing, monday CRM pricing, Zendesk Sell pricing, Copper pricing, Bitrix24 pricing, and Insightly pricing.
Verified on 15 September 2026 by the SaaSRat editorial team. Pricing and contract terms change often; confirm current rates with the vendor before purchasing.
