Close Reviews: 4.7/5 — Highly Rated

Close is a CRM built around the phone rather than the database, and that single design decision explains almost everything about it. Calling, SMS, and email are native, activity logging is automatic, and reps spend less time on data entry than in any general-purpose CRM. If your team sells by talking to people, that is a genuine productivity advantage. If your team sells any other way, you are paying for a dialer you will not use.

• What it is: A sales CRM with a built-in power and predictive dialer, SMS, email, and sequencing, aimed at inside sales teams.
• Best for: Small to mid-size outbound and inside sales teams, particularly in B2B and SaaS, where call volume drives revenue.
• Pricing: Solo $9, Essentials $35, Growth $99, Scale $139 per user per month on annual billing. Calling and SMS are billed separately at cost. Verified on Close’s pricing page in July 2026.
• The honest catch: Automated workflows, the sequencing engine that makes an outbound CRM worth buying, are not included until Growth at $99 per user.

What Is Close?

Close launched in 2013, originally as Close.io, built by a team that had run its own outbound sales operation. That origin shows. Most CRMs are databases that later added communication features. Close was designed as a communication tool that keeps records as a byproduct, and the difference is visible within minutes of using it.

The practical consequence is that a rep can work a list of leads without leaving one screen: call from the browser, log the outcome automatically, send a follow-up email or text, and move to the next record. Competing setups usually achieve this by bolting a separate dialer onto a CRM, which introduces sync problems and an extra bill.

In 2026 Close has added Chloe, an AI agent available on every plan, alongside AI credits allocated per user per month. As with most AI additions this recent, treat them as a bonus rather than a reason to buy.

The independent scores are excellent and among the highest of any CRM we have reviewed: 4.7 out of 5 on Capterra across 164 reviews, with 96% positive sentiment. The review base is smaller than HubSpot’s or Pipedrive’s, which is worth noting, but the consistency is striking.

How Close Works

• The dialer is the centrepiece. Power dialer on Growth works a list sequentially. Predictive dialer on Scale calls several numbers at once and connects a rep when someone answers. Reviewers repeatedly single out the dialer and call transcripts as best in class.
• Automatic activity logging. Calls, emails, and texts attach to the lead record without anyone remembering to log them. This is the feature that most reliably saves reps time, and the main reason data quality tends to stay high.
• One inbox for everything. Email, SMS, and call tasks in a single centralized view with a task list, so a rep works one queue rather than switching tools.
• Workflows. Multi-step sequences with branching and automated follow-up. This is the outbound engine, and it starts at Growth.
• Search and filtering. Advanced lead filtering is unusually strong and is praised specifically in reviews as the thing that makes list-building fast.

Close Pricing

Close prices per user with a large annual discount, and bills calling and SMS separately. Figures verified on Close’s pricing page in July 2026.

What actually determines your cost:

• Workflows start at Growth, and that is the whole story. Essentials at $35 gives you calling, SMS, and email but no automated sequences. For an outbound team, sequencing is not a nice-to-have, so the realistic entry price is $99 per user per month, not $35.
• Calling and SMS are extra. Usage is passed through at roughly $0.02 per minute for outbound calls, with phone numbers around $1 per month. This is honest pricing rather than a markup, but it is a variable cost that reviewers report underestimating.
• Annual billing saves up to 50%. The gap is unusually wide at the bottom of the range: Solo halves from $19 to $9, and Essentials drops from $49 to $35.
• Solo is genuinely for one person. One user, 10,000 leads, no workflows. Useful for a founder doing their own selling, and not a team plan.
• Predictive dialing is a Scale feature. If maximum call throughput is the goal, budget $139 per user.

There is a 14-day free trial with no credit card, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee. Reviewers describe the trial as short for a proper evaluation, so the refund guarantee is arguably the more useful of the two.

Who Should Use Close

• Outbound and inside sales teams. The clearest case. If your reps make dozens of calls a day, the dialer, automatic logging, and one-screen workflow compound into real time savings.
• B2B and SaaS sales organizations. Close is explicitly designed around this motion, and reviewers note it fits less naturally in B2C or retail contexts.
• Small teams that want to avoid a separate dialer. Replacing a CRM plus a standalone dialer with one tool usually simplifies both the stack and the bill.
• Teams that value data hygiene. Automatic logging means the CRM stays accurate without discipline, which is rare.

It fits poorly for teams that sell without calling, where the dialer premium is wasted, and for ops-heavy organizations that need deep custom reporting, which reviewers identify as Close’s weakest area. Some reviewers also describe outgrowing it as their company scales, so if you expect to become a large enterprise sales organization, factor that in.

Honest Pros and Cons

Strengths

• Best-in-class calling. The dialer, call recording, and transcripts are singled out repeatedly in reviews as the standout feature.
• Automatic activity logging. Saves reps meaningful admin time daily and keeps records accurate without relying on discipline.
• Genuinely easy to learn. Reviewers consistently describe fast onboarding and minimal training, which matters when you are hiring reps regularly.
• Powerful search and filtering. Building and working targeted lists is fast, and this is called out specifically by users.
• Excellent independent rating. 4.7/5 with 96% positive sentiment is among the strongest scores in the CRM category.
• Responsive support. Praised across multiple review platforms.

Limitations

• Workflows are gated to Growth. The single most important pricing detail, and it triples the effective entry price for an outbound team.
• Reporting is the weak spot. Limited customization and difficulty comparing data over time are the most consistent complaints from ops-minded reviewers.
• Calling and SMS costs are variable. Passed through at cost, but easy to underestimate at high call volume.
• A modest review base. 164 Capterra reviews is a much smaller sample than the thousands behind HubSpot or Smartsheet, so the excellent score carries slightly less statistical weight.
• Mobile is adequate, not polished. Noted by reviewers as functional but behind the web experience.
• Some teams outgrow it. Scalability concerns appear in reviews from companies that grew substantially.
• Integration gaps. No native Apollo connector, for example, which means routing data through Zapier.

Close Alternatives and How It Compares

• Pipedrive is cheaper and stronger on visual pipeline management, with calling as an add-on rather than the core. Better for pipeline-first teams, worse for call-heavy ones.
• HubSpot Sales Hub has a free tier and much stronger marketing integration, and is widely reported as thinner on dialing and sequencing at scale.
• Salesflare shares Close’s automatic-capture philosophy at a lower price, with a lighter calling capability.
• monday CRM is the pick if customization matters more than call throughput.
• Outreach and Salesloft are the comparison if you want a dedicated sales engagement platform alongside an existing CRM, at considerably higher cost.

For a broader survey see our guide to the best CRM software.

The Verdict

Close is one of the best products in its category, and the 4.7/5 across 164 reviews with 96% positive sentiment is deserved. For a team whose revenue depends on call volume, the combination of a genuinely excellent dialer, automatic activity logging, and a single working screen produces measurable gains in rep productivity. Very few CRMs earn that claim.

The pricing needs to be understood correctly, though. Essentials at $35 per user looks like the sensible team plan and is not, because it excludes automated workflows. For an outbound team that is a disqualifying gap, which means the real price is Growth at $99 per user per month, plus calling and SMS usage on top. At that level Close is a considered purchase rather than an easy one, and it should be compared against a cheaper CRM paired with a dedicated sequencing tool.

Do that comparison honestly and Close usually still wins for call-driven teams, because the integration is the product. But if your reps rarely pick up the phone, or if custom reporting is central to how you run the business, this is the wrong tool and the money is better spent elsewhere. Use the 30-day money-back guarantee rather than the 14-day trial as your real evaluation window.

FAQ

How much does Close CRM cost in 2026?

On annual billing, Solo is $9 per user per month, Essentials $35, Growth $99, and Scale $139. Monthly billing costs $19, $49, $109, and $149 respectively. Calling and SMS are billed separately at cost, roughly $0.02 per minute for outbound calls, with phone numbers around $1 per month.

Does Close include automated workflows on all plans?

No. Workflows are excluded from both Solo and Essentials, and start on the Growth plan at $99 per user per month. Since automated sequencing is the core of most outbound sales processes, this makes Growth the realistic entry tier for teams rather than the advertised $35 Essentials plan.

Is calling included in Close’s subscription price?

The dialer is included, but the calls themselves are not. Close passes calling and SMS costs through at approximately $0.02 per minute for outbound calls, plus around $1 per month per phone number. Reviewers commonly report underestimating this variable cost, so model it at your team’s actual call volume.

Does Close have a free plan?

No. Close offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Several reviewers describe the trial as too short for a thorough evaluation, so the refund guarantee is often the more practical way to test it properly.

What is Close best for?

Small to mid-size B2B and SaaS inside sales teams whose revenue depends on call volume. Its distinguishing strengths are a best-in-class built-in dialer and automatic activity logging that keeps CRM data accurate without relying on rep discipline.