Close CRM Reviews: The Complete Breakdown for Sales Teams

Close CRM has carved out a solid reputation in the sales CRM space, particularly among outbound-focused teams. With a 4.7/5 rating on both G2 and Capterra from over 1,000 reviews, it's clearly doing something right. But is it right for your team?

I've dug through hundreds of user reviews, tested the platform, and compared it against alternatives to give you the real story-including what Close excels at and where it falls short.

What Is Close CRM?

Close is a sales engagement CRM built specifically for small to medium-sized businesses that rely heavily on outbound sales. Unlike bloated enterprise CRMs, Close focuses on one thing: helping sales reps close more deals faster.

The platform was founded by Steli Efti and Phil Freo out of frustration with manual data entry and overly complex CRM systems. That focus on simplicity and speed still defines the product today.

What makes Close different from most CRMs is its built-in communication tools. Email, calling, SMS, and video are all native to the platform-you don't need to bolt on separate tools or pay for integrations. For teams doing high-volume cold calling, this is a game-changer.

Close CRM Pricing: What You'll Actually Pay

Close uses a tiered pricing structure with four main plans. Here's the breakdown:

PlanMonthly PriceAnnual PriceBest For
Solo$19/user$9/userIndividual users, basic CRM needs
Essentials$49/user$35/userSmall teams needing core features
Growth$109/user$99/userTeams needing automation & power dialer
Scale$149/user$139/userLarger teams with advanced needs

All plans come with a 14-day free trial-no credit card required. Annual billing saves you around 35% compared to monthly.

What Each Plan Gets You

The Solo plan ($9/month annually) is designed for solopreneurs. You get basic CRM functionality but you're capped at 10,000 leads and miss out on follow-up reminders and workflow automation. It's essentially a starter tier to get you hooked.

The Essentials plan ($35/month annually) removes lead limits, adds follow-up reminders, and includes text scheduling. But here's the catch: neither Solo nor Essentials includes workflow automation, bulk email, or advanced calling features.

The Growth plan ($99/month annually) is where Close starts to shine. You get workflow automation, Power Dialer, AI Email Rewrite, and AI Lead Summaries. The jump from Essentials to Growth is significant-both in price (183% increase) and capability.

The Scale plan ($139/month annually) adds role-based permissions, predictive dialing, call coaching, and advanced security features like SSO. This is built for teams that need structure and compliance.

For detailed pricing information, check out our Close CRM pricing breakdown.

Hidden Costs to Consider

While Close's pricing appears straightforward, users report some confusion around billing for phone and text usage. Unlike the base subscription, calling and SMS features consume credits that aren't always clearly itemized on invoices.

One G2 reviewer noted: "I have no idea how billing works with text and phone features. My invoices and receipts are not itemized."

If you're planning high-volume calling or texting, budget for additional usage costs beyond the base plan price. Close doesn't publish exact per-minute or per-message rates publicly, so you'll need to contact sales for specific usage projections.

What Close CRM Does Well

Built-In Calling Is Exceptional

If your team does high-volume cold calling, Close is hard to beat. The Power Dialer automatically moves you to the next number if no one picks up, while the Predictive Dialer routes answered calls to available reps. Managers can silently listen in or join calls, and every call is automatically transcribed by AI.

The calling features are genuinely best-in-class. Most CRMs require you to integrate with third-party dialers, adding complexity and cost. Close bakes it all in.

Understanding Close's Dialer Technology

The Power Dialer is included in the Growth and Scale plans. It queues up your next call the moment one ends, allowing reps to reach more leads without downtime. When a power dialer reaches a disconnected, busy, or unattended number, it automatically calls the next phone number on the contact list.

According to Close's own case studies, teams using the Power Dialer saw a 60% increase in outbound call volume and a 28% increase in call duration after switching from manual dialing.

The Predictive Dialer is exclusive to the Scale plan and represents the pinnacle of calling automation. It dials multiple leads simultaneously and uses algorithms to detect when a real person answers, then routes the call to an available rep. This eliminates dead time from voicemails, busy signals, and unanswered calls.

The predictive technology learns patterns over time-if it determines that only 25% of calls connect, it will dial four numbers simultaneously to optimize rep talk time.

Call Coaching and Quality Management

The call coaching features available on Scale plans allow managers to:

These features transform Close from a simple dialer into a comprehensive sales training platform.

Fast, Clean Interface

Close feels much faster than legacy CRMs. The three-column layout puts most information you need on one screen. Most users can pick up the system in a day-that's rare for CRM software.

Multiple reviewers mention that Close "avoids unnecessary complexity and bloat" while still offering powerful features. It's designed for salespeople, not administrators.

According to Close's own benchmarking, their UI operates up to 50% faster than competing CRMs like Pipedrive and HubSpot. This speed advantage compounds over hundreds of daily interactions, saving reps significant time.

Unified Communication Hub

Email, calls, SMS, and voicemail are all accessible in one unified inbox. No switching between apps. Every interaction is logged automatically, giving you complete context for every lead.

You can link your Zoom account to sync contacts and recordings. Close notifies you 5 minutes before meetings. The calendar sync with Google and Outlook keeps everything organized.

The unified inbox is particularly valuable for teams managing complex, multi-touch sales cycles. Instead of reconstructing conversation history from fragmented sources, reps see a chronological timeline of every email, call, text, and meeting with each lead.

Smart Lead Management

AI-powered search and granular filters help teams surface the right contacts quickly. Smart Views let you save targeted lists that are always one click away for outreach or analysis. There's no limit on the number of Smart Views you can create.

The platform automatically captures and logs all communication activities, eliminating manual data entry. This automation alone saves teams an average of 3 hours per week according to Close user surveys.

Solid Customer Support

Close is known for excellent customer support with email and phone options, plus a comprehensive knowledge base. Multiple G2 reviewers specifically call out the responsive support team.

Close maintains an in-house support team across multiple time zones with an average response time under 2 hours. Unlike many SaaS companies that outsource support, Close's team consists of product experts who can resolve complex technical issues.

Where Close CRM Falls Short

No Free Plan

Unlike HubSpot or even monday CRM (which offers free access for nonprofits/students), Close has no free tier. For very small teams or startups testing the waters, this creates a barrier to entry.

The 14-day free trial helps, but it's not enough time for teams to fully integrate Close into their workflow and evaluate long-term fit. Competitors offering free-forever plans have a distinct advantage for budget-conscious startups.

Limited Marketing Automation

Close falls short on marketing functionality. There's no drag-and-drop email builder, no pre-built templates, and limited engagement tracking. If you need proper marketing automation, you'll need another tool.

The workflow automation is also surprisingly limited. Beyond sales sequences, you're mostly restricted to assigning owners, updating lead status, or creating tasks.

For teams wanting to align sales and marketing in one platform, HubSpot's integrated approach is significantly more robust. Close is laser-focused on sales, which is both its strength and limitation.

Email Tracking Gaps

Close's email tracking only tracks opens-no click tracking, bounce data, or detailed reply tracking. For sales teams trying to measure and improve outreach effectiveness, this is a real limitation.

Competitors like HubSpot and Pipedrive offer more granular email analytics, including click-through rates, link-level engagement data, and A/B testing capabilities.

No Lead Scoring

Close completely lacks native lead scoring capabilities. For teams managing high volumes of leads, the inability to automatically prioritize prospects based on engagement and characteristics is a significant miss.

HubSpot's lead scoring tool, by comparison, analyzes and scores each lead using data points gathered across customer journeys, helping reps prioritize their outreach based on conversion probability.

Integration Limitations

While Close integrates with over 100 applications, it lacks pre-built integrations with major tools like Zendesk, Intercom, and Mailchimp. You may end up routing through Zapier more than you'd like.

The API is well-documented and follows RESTful conventions, making custom integrations possible for technical teams. However, smaller businesses without development resources may struggle to connect Close with their existing tech stack.

Pipeline Limits

You're limited to 1-3 pipelines unless you subscribe to the Business Plan, and even then, you get ten pipelines max. Companies managing multiple sales cycles may find this restrictive.

HubSpot and Pipedrive both offer more flexible pipeline management, allowing teams to create separate pipelines for different products, regions, or customer segments without hitting artificial limits.

Dashboard and Reporting Weaknesses

Multiple users complain that Close's dashboards are "non-existent" or inadequate for visual reporting. One Software Advice reviewer noted: "Dashboards are non existent. You will need to be comfortable with exporting/using zapier/or a few support partners to push your data into a visual appealing place."

For sales leaders who need real-time visibility into team performance, this is a significant drawback. You'll likely need to export data regularly and build custom reports in external tools.

Mobile App Performance Issues

While Close offers mobile apps for both iOS and Android, user reviews reveal significant performance problems. The apps suffer from slow load times, frequent crashes, and limited functionality compared to the desktop version.

One Google Play reviewer complained: "Nearly unusable mobile app. Unreasonably slow, often crashes, can't reliably make calls from the app." An iOS user noted issues with SMS functionality: "When I try to text clients it doesn't load... Less speed = less $$ for my business."

For field sales teams that rely heavily on mobile access, these limitations can be dealbreakers. Close acknowledges these issues and has promised improvements, but as of now, the mobile experience lags significantly behind competitors like HubSpot and Pipedrive.

What Real Users Say

Here's the consensus from G2, Capterra, and other review platforms:

Positive themes:

Negative themes:

Industry-Specific Feedback

Close works exceptionally well for certain industries and poorly for others:

Excellent fit: SaaS companies, B2B services, remote sales teams, financial services, insurance agencies (with caveats), and real estate firms doing outbound prospecting.

Poor fit: Retail businesses, B2C companies, agencies requiring client retention tools, and organizations needing visible address details (Close only displays city and state, not full addresses).

One Capterra reviewer in the insurance industry noted: "This is just one example, there's also not really much functionality for MAINTAINING/RETENTION of clients after the sales aspect. Again, emphasis towards saas sales where the use-case is getting the sale and then passing off the client to another department."

Close CRM Integrations and API

Close offers a robust RESTful API that follows industry-standard conventions, making it relatively developer-friendly for teams needing custom integrations.

Native Integrations

Close integrates natively with popular business tools including:

API Capabilities

The Close API supports:

Authentication works through both API keys (for internal scripts) and OAuth 2.0 (for public applications). The API enforces rate limits based on endpoint groups, with higher limits for lightweight requests.

What's Missing

Notable gaps in Close's integration ecosystem include:

Teams relying on these tools will need to route connections through Zapier or build custom API integrations, adding complexity and potential points of failure.

Close CRM Mobile Experience

Close offers mobile apps for both iOS and Android, but the mobile experience is where the platform shows its weakest performance.

Mobile App Features

The mobile apps theoretically provide:

Mobile App Problems

Despite these features, user reviews consistently report serious issues:

Performance problems: Slow load times, frequent crashes, screens failing to display information for extended periods.

Reliability issues: Inability to make calls consistently, SMS messages not loading, sync failures with desktop data.

Android-specific problems: Notification sounds play on wrong audio channels, breaking phone silent/vibrate settings.

One frustrated iOS user summarized: "Solid platform & one of the best I've used on a laptop or PC. The mobile though? I have an iPhone 14 Pro with a massive amount of storage and the app is consistently glitchy and weird... I feel it's so difficult to use this product on my phone I'd rather cart around my 2014 laptop that weighs like 10 pounds."

Close has acknowledged these performance issues and promised improvements, but as of early January, many problems persist. For sales teams that need reliable mobile CRM access-especially field sales reps-this is a critical weakness.

Close CRM Use Cases: Who It's Built For

Ideal Users

High-volume outbound sales teams: If your reps make 100+ calls daily, Close's Power Dialer and Predictive Dialer will dramatically increase productivity. The platform was purpose-built for this use case.

SMB SaaS companies: Software-as-a-service businesses with transactional sales processes benefit from Close's streamlined approach. The workflow automation handles repetitive follow-ups while reps focus on conversations.

Remote sales organizations: With built-in calling, SMS, email, and video integration, distributed teams can operate from a single platform without cobbling together multiple tools.

Teams prioritizing speed over complexity: If you value quick implementation, fast UI, and minimal training time, Close delivers. Most teams are fully operational within days, not weeks.

Sales-first organizations: Companies where sales drives everything and marketing/support are secondary will appreciate Close's laser focus on closing deals.

Poor Fit Scenarios

Marketing-driven companies: If you need sophisticated email marketing, landing pages, ad tracking, or lead nurturing campaigns, HubSpot is a better choice. Close's marketing capabilities are minimal.

Complex enterprise sales: Organizations with lengthy sales cycles, multiple stakeholder involvement, and intricate approval processes need more robust opportunity management than Close provides.

B2C businesses: Retail companies, consumer-focused agencies, and B2C operations will find Close's features poorly suited to their needs. The lack of post-sales retention tools is particularly limiting.

Field sales teams: Given the mobile app's performance issues, teams that rely heavily on mobile CRM access should seriously consider alternatives until Close resolves these problems.

Data-driven sales leaders: If you need comprehensive dashboards, visual analytics, and real-time reporting, Close's weak reporting capabilities will frustrate you. You'll spend time building custom reports externally.

Teams requiring extensive customization: Close offers limited customization compared to platforms like Salesforce or even HubSpot. If you need highly tailored workflows, custom objects, and complex automation logic, look elsewhere.

Who Should Use Close CRM?

Close is ideal for:

Close is NOT ideal for:

Close CRM vs. Alternatives

If Close doesn't fit your needs, consider these options:

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot offers a forever-free tier and integrates with 1,500+ tools. Better for teams that need marketing and sales in one platform. More scalable but more complex.

Pros vs. Close:

Cons vs. Close:

Best for: Companies needing integrated sales and marketing, teams with diverse needs across departments, organizations planning long-term growth.

Check our best CRM software roundup for more details.

Pipedrive

Similar sales focus with better reporting dashboards and more advanced marketing tools. More intuitive visual pipelines but less robust calling features.

Pros vs. Close:

Cons vs. Close:

Best for: Visual pipeline managers, teams needing flexibility over raw power, organizations wanting better value at entry-level pricing.

monday CRM

More flexible and customizable with advanced project management functionality. Free version available (for nonprofits/students). Less built-in communication features than Close.

Pros vs. Close:

Cons vs. Close:

Best for: Teams wanting flexibility, organizations needing cross-departmental collaboration, companies with unique workflow requirements.

See our monday.com review.

Less Annoying CRM

Higher ratings on G2 (4.9/5) with dead-simple pricing at $15/user/month. Better for teams that want simplicity over power features.

Pros vs. Close:

Cons vs. Close:

Best for: Micro-businesses, solopreneurs, teams wanting absolute simplicity, budget-conscious startups.

Salesforce

The enterprise standard with unlimited customization but comes with complexity and cost.

Pros vs. Close:

Cons vs. Close:

Best for: Large enterprises, companies with complex sales processes, organizations with dedicated Salesforce admins.

For a broader comparison, read our CRM software comparison guide.

How Close Compares on Key Features

Built-In Communication

Winner: Close - No other CRM in its price range offers native calling, SMS, and email with Close's level of integration. HubSpot requires paid add-ons for comparable calling features.

Marketing Automation

Winner: HubSpot - Close isn't even in the same conversation. HubSpot's marketing hub is comprehensive with email builders, landing pages, ad management, and nurture campaigns.

Ease of Use

Winner: Tie (Close/Pipedrive) - Both offer intuitive interfaces with minimal learning curves. Close edges ahead for calling-focused teams, while Pipedrive's visual pipeline is unmatched for deal tracking.

Mobile Experience

Winner: HubSpot/Pipedrive - Close's mobile apps are currently too buggy to recommend. Both HubSpot and Pipedrive offer stable, feature-rich mobile experiences.

Reporting and Analytics

Winner: HubSpot - With 90+ pre-built reports and AI-powered forecasting, HubSpot dominates. Close's reporting is adequate but not impressive.

Value for Money

Winner: Depends - For calling-focused teams, Close offers excellent value despite higher pricing. For general CRM needs, Pipedrive or Less Annoying CRM provide better value.

Scalability

Winner: HubSpot/Salesforce - Close works well for SMBs but has limitations for enterprise growth. HubSpot and Salesforce scale much further.

Implementing Close CRM: What to Expect

Onboarding Timeline

Close prides itself on fast implementation. Most teams are fully operational within one week:

Day 1-2: Data import and account setup. Close offers free data migration assistance, and their team can import data from spreadsheets, other CRMs, or manual entry.

Day 3-4: User training and configuration. The intuitive interface means most reps need only 2-3 hours of training to become productive.

Day 5-7: Workflow automation setup, Smart Views creation, and integration configuration.

This is significantly faster than HubSpot (2-4 weeks typical) or Salesforce (1-3 months for complex implementations).

Best Practices for Success

Clean your data first: Before importing, deduplicate leads, standardize formatting, and verify contact information. Close's duplicate detection helps, but starting clean is better.

Start with basic features: Don't try to implement every feature on day one. Get comfortable with lead management and communication tools before adding complex workflows.

Leverage Smart Views: Create filtered views for your most common searches (hot leads, follow-ups needed, specific industries). These saved searches dramatically speed up daily workflows.

Set up templates early: Create email templates, SMS templates, and call scripts during setup. This ensures consistency and saves time once you're operating at scale.

Configure integrations properly: Take time to set up calendar sync, email integration, and any third-party connections correctly from the start. Fixing integration issues later is more time-consuming.

Training Resources

Close provides:

Close CRM Security and Compliance

For teams handling sensitive customer data, security matters. Close offers:

Data encryption: All data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256).

SOC 2 Type II certified: Close undergoes regular third-party security audits.

GDPR compliant: Features for data subject requests, consent management, and data portability.

Role-based permissions: Available on Scale plan to control access to sensitive information.

SSO support: Single sign-on integration with major identity providers (Scale plan).

Two-factor authentication: Optional 2FA for all user accounts.

Regular backups: Automated daily backups with point-in-time recovery options.

However, Close doesn't offer some enterprise security features like IP whitelisting or advanced audit logging that larger organizations might require.

The Bottom Line

Close CRM delivers exactly what it promises: a fast, communication-focused CRM for sales teams that live on the phone. If your business runs on cold calling and outbound sequences, Close is genuinely one of the best options out there.

But if you need marketing automation, advanced lead scoring, or a free tier to get started, look elsewhere. Close knows its lane and stays in it-which is both its greatest strength and its limitation.

The pricing is fair for what you get, but the jump from Essentials to Growth (where the real power features live) is steep. Budget accordingly.

Final Recommendations

Choose Close if: You're an outbound-focused SMB or startup doing high-volume calling, you value speed and simplicity over feature breadth, you're primarily B2B, and you can work around the weak mobile app with desktop access.

Choose HubSpot if: You need integrated sales and marketing, you want a free tier to start, you require sophisticated reporting, or you need a proven platform that scales to enterprise.

Choose Pipedrive if: You want better value at entry-level pricing, you prioritize visual pipeline management, or you need more flexible customization than Close offers.

Skip all of them if: You're primarily B2C, you need extensive post-sales customer management, you require a mobile-first solution, or you're looking for an all-in-one business platform beyond just CRM.

Try Before You Buy

The best way to know if Close fits your workflow is to test it. The 14-day free trial gives you full access to explore features without commitment.

During your trial:

Try Close CRM free for 14 days and see if it fits your workflow. No credit card required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Close CRM have a free plan?

No, Close does not offer a free plan. The lowest tier starts at $9/user/month (billed annually) or $19/month (billed monthly). However, they do offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Can I use Close CRM for marketing?

Close has limited marketing capabilities. While you can send bulk emails and create basic sequences, it lacks features like landing page builders, lead nurturing workflows, and comprehensive email marketing analytics. Teams needing robust marketing automation should consider HubSpot or integrate Close with a dedicated marketing platform.

Does Close integrate with Salesforce?

Close and Salesforce can be connected through third-party integration platforms like Zapier, but there is no native integration. Most teams use one or the other, not both simultaneously.

How many users can I have on Close?

There is no maximum user limit. Close charges per user per month, so you can add as many team members as needed. There are also no minimum user requirements-even the Solo plan works for individual users.

Can I port my existing phone number to Close?

Yes, Close allows you to port existing phone numbers into their system or purchase new numbers through the platform. This gives you flexibility while keeping all sales calls centralized in the CRM.

Does Close work for international calling?

Yes, Close supports outbound calling to nearly 200 countries. You can also purchase international numbers for local presence in different regions, which can improve answer rates for international prospecting.

What happens to my data if I cancel Close?

You can export all your data from Close at any time through their export features or API. It's recommended to export your data before canceling to ensure you retain all historical information.

Can Close replace my phone system?

For most sales teams, yes. Close's built-in calling features can replace traditional phone systems or VoIP services like RingCentral. However, Close is optimized for outbound sales calling, not general business phone needs like customer support queues or complex IVR systems.

How does Close's predictive dialer compare to standalone dialers?

Close's predictive dialer is competitive with standalone solutions but is only available on the expensive Scale plan ($139/user/month). Dedicated dialer platforms like JustCall or Aircall might offer more flexibility at lower price points if calling is your only need.

Is Close suitable for inbound sales teams?

Close works for inbound sales but isn't optimized for it. The platform shines with outbound prospecting. Teams primarily handling inbound leads might find better value in CRMs with stronger lead routing, chatbot integration, and form builder capabilities.