Close

Close launched in 2013 with a focus on building the CRM that inside sales teams actually use: one tool combining calling, email, SMS, and pipeline management rather than separate Pipedrive plus Twilio plus Mailchimp. By 2026 Close serves thousands of SMB and mid-market inside sales teams with the Chloe AI sales agent as the flagship 2026 capability and a fully remote distributed team philosophy that influences the product's design.

Who Close is right for

This is a vertical product for inside sales. The clearest fit in 2026 is SMB and mid-market inside sales teams (5 to 100 reps) that prioritize calling-heavy workflows and want one CRM plus calling tool rather than separate Pipedrive plus Twilio. Strongest fits are B2B SaaS startups with high outbound calling volume, services businesses, financial services sales teams, and sales-led SaaS scaling rapidly. Close is the wrong choice for marketing-aligned teams (HubSpot fits), enterprises needing maximum customization (Salesforce fits), or sales teams that primarily email rather than call.

Close pricing in 2026

Verified on 2026-06-19 against the official Close pricing page. Usage-based pricing for calls and SMS beyond included credits. No fixed Enterprise tier; custom pricing for complex needs.

Hidden costs to know about

Two watch-outs. First, usage-based pricing for calls and SMS beyond included credits adds material cost for high-volume outbound teams; budget per-minute call rates and per-message SMS rates honestly. Second, AI credits scale by tier with overages billing separately; heavy AI users should plan tier upgrades to access higher credit allowances rather than absorbing overage costs.

Close vs alternatives at a glance

Integrations

Native integrations cover Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, calendar sync, accounting tools (QuickBooks, Xero). 100+ Zapier integrations for the long tail. REST API for custom integrations. Integration set is intentionally narrower than HubSpot or Salesforce; Close prioritizes depth in calling and core sales workflows.

Pros and cons

What works: Built-in calling, email, SMS on every plan eliminates the multi-tool stack. Solo tier at $9 is the cheapest serious CRM in the category. Chloe AI included on all tiers (not gated to enterprise). Predictive dialer on Scale tier scales high-volume outbound. Distributed remote team philosophy reflects in fast feature shipping. Mobile apps work for reps in transit.

Where it strains: Usage-based pricing for calls and SMS adds material cost for heavy outbound. Growth-to-Scale price jump ($99 to $139) is meaningful. Smaller third-party ecosystem than HubSpot. Customization depth lighter than Salesforce. Less suitable for non-call-heavy workflows where built-in calling adds cost without proportional value.

What real buyers say

Operator reviews on SoftwareAdvice, SelectHub, and the r/sales subreddit cluster around three wins: built-in calling eliminates the Twilio plus Pipedrive stack, Chloe AI on every tier delivers value not gated to enterprise, and Solo tier at $9 is the cheapest serious CRM with included calling. Common pushback is on usage-based pricing for high-volume callers, Growth-to-Scale price jump, and the call-focused positioning limiting fit for email-primary teams.

Field guide

Buyer action plan

Start with the 14-day free trial on Essentials tier (the most common starting point for working inside sales teams). Connect calling and email. Import contacts. Build sequences. Run real outbound calling for two weeks. Measure call volume and conversion. Decide between Solo, Essentials, Growth, or Scale based on AI credit needs, workflow automation, and predictive dialer requirements. Budget usage-based costs for calls and SMS honestly.

2026 updates

The headline 2026 development is Chloe AI sales agent expansion across all tiers with deeper conversational queries, call summarization, and pipeline insights. Predictive dialer on Scale tier matured for high-volume outbound. Integration ecosystem grew through Zapier expansion. Mobile apps received continued investment for reps managing pipeline from outside the office.

Security and compliance

Cloud platform with TLS in transit, encryption at rest, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR support, role-based access controls, audit logging on Scale tier, two-factor authentication. EU data residency available. PCI-compliant payment processing for billing. Distributed remote team operations follow distributed security practices.

Customer support

Email, in-app live chat, knowledge base, Close Academy training content. Priority support on Scale tier. Response times during US and EU business hours are fast given the distributed team. r/sales and LinkedIn inside sales communities have active Close peer support discussions.

Who can use Close

Best fit: SMB and mid-market inside sales teams 5 to 100 reps prioritizing call-heavy workflows. Reasonable fit: any sales team wanting one tool for CRM plus calling plus email plus SMS. Not a fit: marketing-aligned teams (HubSpot fits), enterprises needing maximum customization (Salesforce fits), or sales teams primarily email-driven.

Mobile app

Native iOS and Android apps support inside sales workflows including pipeline, contacts, calling, email, SMS, and Chloe AI. Mobile experience works for reps in transit but heavy outbound is best from desktop where the keyboard and screen real estate accommodate high-velocity sequences and predictive dialer workflows.

How to get started with Close

Sign up for the 14-day free trial at the official Close pricing page. Connect Gmail or Outlook plus your calling number. Import contacts via CSV. Build one outbound sequence. Run real calls for two weeks. Test Chloe AI on call summaries. Decide between Solo, Essentials, Growth, or Scale based on team size, AI credit needs, and predictive dialer requirements. Budget usage-based call and SMS costs honestly.

Top alternatives to Close

Pipedrive is the pipeline-first alternative without built-in calling. HubSpot Sales Hub is the marketing-aligned alternative with free CRM tier. Salesloft is the enterprise sales engagement alternative. Freshsales is the AI-included SMB alternative. Apollo.io is the alternative for teams that want data plus outreach combined. Aircall plus Pipedrive is the unbundled alternative for teams that already have a CRM.

How to cancel Close

Cancellation is self-serve from account settings. Monthly subscriptions cancel at end of billing period. Annual subscriptions cancel at renewal with prorated refund where applicable. Data export available via CSV and REST API. No cancellation fee.

Bottom line

Close is the right pick for an SMB or mid-market inside sales team 5 to 100 reps that prioritizes call-heavy workflows and wants one tool combining CRM plus calling plus email plus SMS plus AI rather than separate Pipedrive plus Twilio plus Mailchimp. Essentials tier at $35/user/month annual is the standard starting point for working teams. Scale ($139) adds the predictive dialer for high-volume outbound motions. For email-primary teams, alternatives fit better. For call-heavy inside sales, Close is hard to beat on bundled value.

Verified on 2026-06-19. Pricing verified from the official Close pricing page.