If you are looking for a CRM built specifically for sales teams, Close CRM is a platform worth considering. Unlike many traditional CRM systems that require multiple integrations for calling, email, SMS, automation, and sales pipeline management, Close brings many of these functions together in one platform.
Close is designed primarily for salespeople, founders, agencies, startups, and businesses that depend heavily on outbound sales. It combines customer relationship management with built-in communication tools, including calling, email, SMS, sales workflows, reporting, and AI-powered features.
In this Close CRM review, we’ll look at its features, pricing, advantages, disadvantages, AI capabilities, and the types of businesses that may benefit from using it.
What Is Close CRM?
Close CRM is a sales-focused customer relationship management platform designed to help businesses manage leads, contacts, opportunities, conversations, and sales activities from one place.
The platform was previously known as Close.io, but it is now branded as Close.
One of its main differences from general-purpose CRMs is its focus on sales communication. Close includes tools for:
- Lead management
- Contact management
- Sales pipelines
- Calling
- SMS
- Sales workflows
- Power dialing
- Predictive dialing
- Reporting
- Task management
- AI-powered sales assistance
- Lead summaries
- Forms
- CRM automation
Close also includes Chloe, its built-in AI sales agent, on all current plans.
This makes Close particularly relevant for sales teams that spend a significant amount of time contacting prospects.
Close CRM Features
Close offers a broad collection of sales and CRM features. Let’s look at some of the most important ones.
1. Lead Management
Lead management is at the center of Close CRM.
You can organize prospects, store contact information, track interactions, and monitor the progress of opportunities through your sales pipeline.
Close also provides activity timelines, allowing salespeople to see previous interactions with a lead.
This can make it easier for sales representatives to understand what has already happened before contacting a prospect.
2. Sales Pipeline Management
Close allows users to create and manage multiple sales pipelines.
You can use pipelines to track opportunities through different stages of your sales process.
For example:
New Lead → Contacted → Qualified → Demo → Proposal → Negotiation → Closed
Sales teams can customize their pipelines around their own processes.
The platform also allows users to track opportunity values and expected values.
3. Built-In Calling
One of Close’s major selling points is its built-in calling functionality.
Instead of relying entirely on a separate phone system, salespeople can make and receive calls from within Close.
Depending on the plan, Close provides features such as:
- Calling
- Call recording
- Power dialer
- Predictive dialer
- Call coaching
- Call history
- Call activity tracking
The Scale plan includes predictive dialing and unlimited call-recording retention, while lower plans have different recording-retention limits.
Calling and SMS are charged separately based on usage, so businesses should consider those costs when calculating their total CRM expenses.
4. Email Marketing and Sales Email
Close also integrates email directly into the CRM.
Users can connect multiple email accounts, send and receive emails, use templates, schedule emails, and track conversations.
Available email features include:
- Two-way email synchronization
- Email templates
- Email snippets
- Dynamic template tags
- Email scheduling
- Email open tracking
- Bulk email
- AI email rewriting
- Unsubscribe management
Some advanced email capabilities depend on the subscription plan. For example, email open tracking starts with the Essentials plan.
5. SMS
SMS is another communication channel built into Close.
Sales representatives can communicate with prospects through text messages while keeping the conversation connected to the relevant CRM record.
This can be useful for businesses that use multiple communication channels during their sales process.
Like calling, SMS usage is billed separately from the CRM subscription.
6. Sales Workflows and Automation
Automation can help sales teams reduce repetitive tasks.
Close’s workflow tools can automate activities involving calls, emails, texts, follow-ups, and other sales actions.
For example, a business could create a workflow where a new lead receives an email, followed by a task for a sales representative to call the prospect.
Close states that its workflow and automation capabilities are available on the Growth and Scale plans.
7. AI Features
AI is now an important part of Close.
The platform includes Chloe, its AI sales agent, across its plans.
According to Close, Chloe can help with activities such as:
- Calling leads
- Qualifying prospects
- Booking meetings
- Updating CRM records
- Enriching lead information
- Answering questions about sales pipelines
Close also provides other AI capabilities, including AI search, lead summaries, email tools, and AI-assisted CRM functionality.
Some AI features use monthly AI credits, while other AI features are available without consuming credits.
8. AI Credit System
One thing prospective customers should understand is that Close separates its CRM subscription, telephony usage, and AI credits.
The included AI credits vary depending on the plan.
| Plan | Included AI Credits |
|---|---|
| Solo | 500/month |
| Essentials | 1,000/month |
| Growth | 1,500/month |
| Scale | 2,000/month |
AI credits reset monthly and don’t roll over.
Businesses that need additional credits can purchase separate AI credit packages.
9. Forms
Close includes a no-code form builder that businesses can use to capture leads from their websites.
This can be useful for companies that want website inquiries to flow directly into their CRM.
Instead of manually transferring leads from a website into a spreadsheet or CRM, forms can help automate the lead-capture process.
10. Task Management
Close includes task-management functionality that allows salespeople to create and assign follow-up tasks.
This is important because sales opportunities can easily be lost when representatives forget to follow up.
Tasks can help teams organize activities such as:
- Call this prospect
- Send proposal
- Follow up after demo
- Contact inactive lead
- Schedule meeting
11. Mobile App
Close also provides mobile applications for iOS and Android.
The mobile experience allows users to manage CRM information and perform sales activities while away from their desktop.
This can be particularly useful for salespeople who travel frequently.
Close CRM Pricing
One of the most important parts of any Close CRM review is pricing.
Close currently offers four main plans:
| Plan | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | $19/user/month | $9/user/month |
| Essentials | $49/user/month | $35/user/month |
| Growth | $109/user/month | $99/user/month |
| Scale | $149/user/month | $139/user/month |
Annual billing provides significant savings compared with monthly billing.
Let’s examine each plan.
Close Solo – $19/month
The Solo plan is designed for individual users.
With annual billing, the price is currently $9 per user per month, compared with $19 when billed monthly.
It includes core CRM functionality along with communication features such as email, calling, and SMS.
This plan may be suitable for:
- Freelancers
- Consultants
- Solo founders
- Individual sales professionals
- Small operators
Close Essentials – $49/month
The Essentials plan costs $49 per user per month when billed monthly or $35 per user per month when billed annually.
It adds capabilities such as:
- Unlimited contacts and leads
- Team collaboration
- Built-in forms
- Calling
- SMS
- Centralized inbox
- Task management
This plan is designed more toward small sales teams.
Close Growth – $109/month
The Growth plan costs $109 per user per month monthly or $99 per user per month annually.
It adds more advanced sales automation, including:
- Automated workflows
- Chloe workflow capabilities
- Power dialer
- Custom activities
- Bulk email
- Additional AI functionality
Growth may be relevant to teams that have moved beyond basic CRM management and want to automate more of their sales process.
Close Scale – $149/month
The Scale plan is the highest standard tier.
It costs $149 per user per month when billed monthly or $139 per user per month when billed annually.
It adds advanced capabilities such as:
- Role-based permissions
- Lead visibility rules
- Predictive dialing
- Unlimited call recording retention
- Live call coaching
- Advanced controls
This plan is targeted toward larger or higher-volume sales organizations.
Does Close CRM Have a Free Trial?
Yes.
Close offers a free trial and states that no credit card is required to start. The company currently advertises a 14-day free trial.
Close also states that purchases are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
This gives prospective customers an opportunity to test the platform before committing to a paid subscription.
Close CRM Pros and Cons
Every CRM has strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of the main considerations when evaluating Close.
Pros
1. Built for sales teams
Close is designed around sales activities rather than trying to serve every possible business function.
2. Calling is built in
Sales representatives don’t necessarily need a separate calling application for basic sales calling.
3. Email and SMS are integrated
Having several communication channels inside the CRM can reduce the need to switch between different applications.
4. Strong automation
Growth and Scale users get access to more advanced workflow functionality.
5. AI features
Close’s AI functionality, including Chloe, adds another layer of automation to sales operations.
6. Multiple pipelines
Businesses can create different pipelines for different products, teams, or sales processes.
7. Mobile access
The mobile apps make it possible to manage CRM activities while away from a computer.
Close CRM Cons
1. Pricing can become expensive
Because Close charges per user, costs can increase as a sales organization adds more employees.
For larger teams, this is something that should be included in the budget from the beginning.
2. Calling and SMS have additional usage costs
The subscription price isn’t necessarily the complete cost of using Close’s communication features.
Calling and SMS are usage-based and billed separately.
3. Advanced features require higher plans
Some important sales capabilities are reserved for Growth or Scale.
For example, workflows and power dialing are not included in the entry-level Solo plan.
4. AI credits need monitoring
Businesses using credit-based AI functionality need to keep an eye on their monthly usage.
Close’s AI credits reset monthly rather than rolling over.
5. May be more CRM than some small businesses need
If your business only needs a simple contact database, Close’s sales-focused communication and automation features may be more than you require.
Close CRM Customer Reviews
Independent review platforms provide another perspective on the software.
Capterra currently lists Close at 4.7 out of 5 based on 164 reviews, with an ease-of-use rating of 4.6 and customer-service rating of 4.5.
Review feedback includes positive comments about the interface and ease of learning, while some reviewers have raised concerns around reporting flexibility.
These reviews are user experiences rather than a guarantee of how Close will perform for every organization.
Who Is Close CRM Best For?
Close is particularly relevant for businesses where sales representatives spend substantial time communicating with prospects.
Potential users include:
SaaS Companies
Software companies can use Close to manage inbound and outbound sales activities.
Sales Agencies
Agencies can organize prospects, communication, follow-ups, and sales pipelines.
Startups
Startups can use Close to centralize their early sales processes.
Consultants
Consultants who regularly sell services can manage prospects and follow-ups from one platform.
Outbound Sales Teams
Teams that make large numbers of calls and send sales emails can benefit from Close’s built-in communication tools.
Who May Not Need Close?
Close may not be the right type of CRM for every business.
You may want to consider other options if you:
- Only need basic contact management
- Don’t make many sales calls
- Don’t need SMS
- Don’t need sales automation
- Have a very limited CRM budget
- Need highly specialized enterprise CRM functionality
The platform’s value is closely connected to how much you use its sales communication features.
Final Thoughts on Close CRM
Close CRM is a sales-focused platform that combines CRM functionality with communication and automation tools.
Its biggest feature set revolves around helping sales teams manage leads and communicate with prospects without constantly switching between different applications.
The platform currently offers four main plans: Solo, Essentials, Growth, and Scale, with annual pricing ranging from $9 to $139 per user per month.
Its combination of CRM, calling, email, SMS, workflows, AI, and sales-dialing functionality makes it a platform worth considering for businesses with an active sales process.
Before choosing a plan, however, compare the features you actually need with the pricing tier and remember that telephony and some AI usage can create additional costs.
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