Close CRM Review: Guide to Features, Pricing, and Performance

Sales teams spend too much time switching between different tools just to make a sale. Close CRM offers an all-in-one solution that integrates these features natively, making it easier for teams to manage outreach. This customer relationship management platform stands out by putting communication at the center of the sales process. Instead of forcing sales representatives to juggle multiple applications, Close CRM brings calling, emailing, and text messaging into a single workspace.

The platform serves small to medium-sized businesses that want to increase their sales productivity without the complexity of enterprise-level systems. Close is up to 50% faster than other CRMs—which helps your team work faster and easier. Sales teams can focus on building relationships and closing deals rather than managing complicated software.

What is Close CRM

Close CRM is a sales-focused customer relationship management platform designed specifically for growing teams. The platform was founded in 2012 by Steli Efti, who remains the company’s CEO today.

Key differences from other CRMs:

• Everything works in one place – no switching between apps
• Built-in calling, emailing, and texting tools
• Designed for sales teams, not complicated enterprise needs
• Quick setup that takes hours, not weeks
• Focus on actual selling rather than data management

The software takes a different approach from traditional CRM systems. Most customer relationship management platforms require multiple integrations and third-party tools to handle basic sales activities. Close CRM includes everything sales teams need within the platform itself. This means representatives can make phone calls, send emails, track leads, and manage their pipeline without leaving the application.

Close CRM targets businesses that prioritize relationship-building and direct customer engagement. The platform works best for teams that rely heavily on phone calls, email outreach, and personal communication to close deals. Companies using Close CRM typically engage in outbound sales activities, inside sales operations, or any sales process that requires frequent prospect communication.

The platform operates on a bootstrapped business model, meaning the company focuses on customer needs rather than investor demands. This approach allows Close CRM to develop features based on actual user feedback and market requirements. The company consistently adds new functionality to help sales teams stay competitive in changing markets.

Close CRM Communication

Communication tools form the foundation of Close CRM’s value proposition. The platform combines all essential communication channels into a unified interface that eliminates the need for separate applications.

Email Integration and Management

Close CRM provides comprehensive email functionality that syncs with popular email providers including Gmail and Outlook. Sales representatives can send individual emails or bulk campaigns directly from the platform.

Email features include:

• Automatic tracking of opens, clicks, and responses
• Complete email history stored in each lead’s profile
• Email templates for common scenarios
• Automated email sequences based on prospect actions
• Customizable send times for better engagement

Built-in Calling Features

The calling functionality sets Close CRM apart from many competitor platforms. Close CRM’s built-in calling feature lets you make outbound calls to 200 countries without needing separate phone services.

Calling features include:

• Built-in VoIP system – no additional hardware needed
• Call recording and automatic transcription
• Power Dialer – automatically dials through prospect lists
• Predictive Dialer – optimizes calling for less waiting time
• Call coaching tools for managers
• Pre-recorded voicemail drops

SMS and Text Messaging

Text messaging capabilities allow sales teams to reach prospects through their preferred communication channel. Many customers prefer quick text messages for simple questions or scheduling, making SMS a valuable addition to traditional calling and emailing.

The SMS feature integrates with the overall communication timeline, ensuring all prospect interactions appear in one place. Representatives can send individual texts or bulk messages, depending on their outreach strategy. Message templates help maintain consistent communication while allowing for personalization.

Unified Inbox and Communication History

Close CRM’s unified inbox brings all communication channels together in a single view. Representatives can see emails, call logs, text messages, and voicemail recordings organized chronologically within each lead’s profile. This comprehensive view eliminates the confusion that comes from managing multiple communication tools.

The communication history feature becomes especially valuable for team collaboration. When prospects contact the company through different channels, any team member can quickly understand the complete relationship history. This context helps provide better customer service and more informed sales conversations.

Close CRM Automation

Automation features help sales teams eliminate repetitive tasks and focus on relationship-building activities. Close CRM provides several automation tools that work together to streamline common sales processes.

Workflow Automation

Close CRM’s workflow automation allows teams to create sequences of actions that trigger automatically based on specific conditions.

Workflow capabilities:

• Combine emails, calls, tasks, and SMS in coordinated campaigns
• Time-based triggers (send email after 3 days)
• Action-based triggers (prospect opens email)
• Save successful workflows as templates
• Share workflows across the team

Email Sequence Automation

Automated email sequences help maintain consistent prospect communication without manual intervention. Sales representatives can enroll prospects in multi-step email campaigns that deliver relevant content over time. The system tracks engagement metrics and can automatically adjust sequences based on prospect responses.

Email automation includes sophisticated scheduling options that optimize delivery times for maximum engagement. Teams can set sequences to pause on weekends, adjust for different time zones, or send messages at specific times when prospects are most likely to read them.

Call Assistant and AI Features

Close’s AI assistant automatically handles note-taking during phone calls, so representatives can focus on the conversation.

AI features include:

• Automatic call transcription in 20+ languages
• AI-generated call summaries with action items
• Searchable call records
• Talk time analysis for coaching
• Works on desktop and mobile apps

Task and Reminder Automation

Automated task creation ensures important follow-up activities never fall through the cracks. The system can automatically generate tasks based on prospect actions, time periods, or pipeline stage changes. Representatives receive reminders at appropriate times, helping them stay organized and responsive.

Task automation extends beyond individual activities to include team collaboration. The system can assign tasks to specific team members based on territory, expertise, or availability. This feature helps distribute workload and ensures prospects receive attention from the most appropriate representative.

Close CRM Reporting

Comprehensive reporting capabilities give sales teams and managers the insights needed to make data-driven decisions. Close CRM provides real-time analytics across multiple dimensions of sales performance.

Sales Funnel and Pipeline Reporting

Close provides real-time analytics to help teams understand their sales performance and identify improvement opportunities.

Reporting features include:

• Sales funnel analysis showing conversion rates
• Pipeline health metrics and deal forecasting
• Deal velocity tracking
• Revenue projections based on current activity
• Bottleneck identification in the sales process

Activity and Performance Tracking

Individual and team performance reports track key metrics to help managers understand work patterns and identify areas for improvement.

Performance metrics include:

• Calls made, emails sent, meetings scheduled
• Response rates for different communication methods
• Individual representative comparisons
• Best practice identification
• Coaching opportunity alerts

Customizable Reporting and Dashboards

Close CRM allows teams to create custom reports that focus on their specific metrics and goals. The reporting system includes over 50 different metrics that can be combined and filtered to provide precise insights. Teams can save and share custom reports to ensure everyone focuses on the same key performance indicators.

Dashboard customization helps different roles access the information most relevant to their responsibilities. Sales representatives might focus on daily activity metrics and upcoming tasks, while managers need pipeline health and team performance data. The platform allows each user to configure their dashboard for maximum effectiveness.

Leaderboards and Team Comparisons

Leaderboard features create healthy competition among team members while providing coaching opportunities for managers. The system can rank representatives based on various metrics like calls made, deals closed, or revenue generated. These comparisons help identify top performers and best practices that can be shared across the team.

Team comparison reports help managers understand performance patterns and identify training needs. The system can highlight representatives who excel in specific areas, allowing for peer mentoring and knowledge sharing. This collaborative approach helps raise the overall performance level of the entire sales team.

Close CRM Integration

Integration capabilities allow Close CRM to work seamlessly with existing business tools and workflows. The platform supports both native integrations and third-party connections to create comprehensive business ecosystems.

Native Integrations

Close CRM includes built-in connections to popular business tools that many sales teams already use. The platform integrates directly with Google Workspace, allowing for calendar syncing and contact management. Zoom integration enables video conferencing directly from the CRM, with automatic meeting reminders and recording storage.

Email integration with Gmail and Outlook ensures that all prospect communications appear in the CRM automatically. This two-way sync means representatives can work from their preferred email client while maintaining complete records in Close CRM. Calendar integration helps schedule follow-up activities and ensures important meetings never get missed.

Third-Party Integrations

Close integrates seamlessly with various third-party applications, ensuring smooth data synchronization and enhancing overall functionality. The platform connects with over 100 different tools through native integrations, no-code solutions, and Zapier connections.

Popular integration categories include marketing automation, accounting software, customer support platforms, and business intelligence tools. These connections allow data to flow between systems automatically, reducing manual data entry and ensuring information consistency across platforms.

API Access and Custom Integrations

For businesses with unique integration needs, Close CRM provides API access that allows custom connections to proprietary systems. Development teams can create specialized integrations that connect Close CRM to internal tools or industry-specific software platforms.

The API documentation includes comprehensive guides and examples that make it easier for developers to create robust integrations. This flexibility ensures that businesses can continue using their existing tools while gaining the benefits of Close CRM’s communication and automation features.

Integration Links for Enhanced Context

Integration Links provide one-click access to external information about prospects and customers. Teams can configure links that pass lead data to external websites, databases, or tools for additional research and context. This feature eliminates the need to manually copy and paste information between systems.

Common Integration Link use cases include Google searches for company information, LinkedIn profile lookups, and document generation for contracts or proposals. These links save time and ensure representatives have access to comprehensive information when engaging with prospects.

Close CRM Security

Close CRM implements comprehensive security measures to protect customer information and maintain compliance with relevant regulations.

• SOC 2 Type 2 Compliance: Close maintains strict security and availability standards with state-of-the-art security tools, built-in redundancy, continuous monitoring, and strong authentication and encryption for all customer data.
• GDPR and CCPA Compliance: The platform meets both European and California privacy requirements with strong data protection controls, industry-standard security practices, regular vulnerability testing, and clear data collection policies.
• Role-Based Access and Permissions: Security controls include role-based access that limits user permissions, lead visibility rules to control prospect access, multi-factor authentication options, and automatic session management to prevent unauthorized access.

Data Encryption and Protection

All customer data receives encryption both in transit and at rest. The platform uses industry-standard encryption methods to protect information as it moves between systems and while stored in databases. Regular security assessments ensure these protections remain effective against evolving threats.

Access controls include multi-factor authentication options for additional security. Teams can require strong passwords and regular password updates to prevent unauthorized access. Session management features automatically log out inactive users to prevent security breaches.

What Types of Businesses Use Close CRM

Close CRM works best for specific types of businesses that prioritize direct communication and relationship-based selling.

Ideal business types:

• SaaS Companies – Need multiple touchpoints and relationship building for longer sales cycles
• Remote Sales Teams – Benefit from cloud-based tools and unified communication features
• Outbound Sales Organizations – Value calling efficiency and automation tools
• Inbound Sales Teams – Need quick lead response and communication tracking
• Financial Services – Require security features and compliance capabilities
• Insurance Agencies – Need documentation and follow-up management
• Real Estate Professionals – Manage long buying processes and multiple relationships

Close CRM Plans and Pricing

Close CRM offers flexible pricing designed to grow with your business, starting at just $9/month for solo users and $35/month for small teams. The pricing structure is straightforward with four main tiers that scale based on team size and automation needs. While the Solo and Essentials plans provide core CRM functionality, the real value comes with the Growth plan ($99/month) which adds automated workflows and productivity tools that can significantly boost sales efficiency. For larger organizations requiring advanced permissions and coaching features, the Scale plan ($139/month) provides enterprise-level controls. With annual billing, you can save up to 35% compared to monthly rates, plus Close includes free data migration and a 14-day trial to help teams get started risk-free. Save up to 35% with annual billing compared to monthly rates.

Close CRM Pricing Plans

All plans include 14-day free trial. No setup fees required.

Additional Costs and Add-ons

• Free data migration from other CRMs
• AI Call Assistant – $50/month + $0.02 per minute (automatic transcription and summaries)
• Premium Phone Numbers – $19/month per phone line (with advanced routing)
• Additional organizations – $50/month each (Growth and Scale plans only)

Conclusion

Close CRM proves itself as a communication-focused customer relationship management platform that prioritizes sales efficiency and relationship building. The platform’s integrated approach to calling, emailing, and text messaging eliminates the tool-switching that slows down many sales teams. Built-in automation features help representatives focus on selling rather than administrative tasks, while comprehensive reporting provides the insights needed for continuous improvement.

The platform works best for small to medium-sized businesses that engage in relationship-based selling and frequent prospect communication. SaaS companies, remote sales teams, outbound organizations, and service-based businesses find particular value in Close CRM’s feature set. The security measures and compliance capabilities make it suitable for regulated industries like financial services and insurance.

Close CRM’s pricing structure reflects its focus on growing businesses rather than enterprise organizations. Starting at just $9/month for solo users and $35/month for small teams, it provides significantly more built-in functionality than entry-level options. The communication tools, automation features, and productivity improvements often justify the investment through increased sales efficiency and revenue growth.

Teams considering Close CRM should evaluate their current sales processes and communication needs. Organizations that rely heavily on phone calls, email outreach, and personal relationship building will find the most value. Businesses that need extensive marketing automation or complex customization might require different solutions.