Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, BestStacked may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects our scores, rankings or verdicts. Full disclosure.
Close Review
Reviewed by Carlos Gil · Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Updated 8 min readEditorially reviewed
Quick facts
- Starting price
- Solo $9/user/mo billed annually ($19 monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Best for
- Founders, SDR teams and small to mid-sized sales teams that sell by phone, email and SMS
- Platforms
- Web app, desktop app (Mac and Windows), iOS and Android apps, REST API, MCP server
Pricing checked against the official Close pricing page on . See every plan or the pricing tracker.
BestStacked Score
Weighted average of 5 categories. Methodology below.
Quick answer
Is Close worth it for an outbound sales team?
Yes, if your team sells by phone. Every Close plan includes calling, SMS, phone numbers, two-way email sync and pipelines, so you don't need a separate dialer to start. Solo costs $9 a month billed annually ($19 monthly) for one user. Teams start at Essentials, $35 per user a month billed annually ($49 monthly). Automated workflows and the power dialer need Growth at $99 ($109 monthly), and the predictive dialer needs Scale at $139 ($149 monthly). Calls and texts are billed separately as usage. There's a 14-day free trial with no card required.
- Cheapest plan
- Solo: $9/mo billed annually or $19 monthly, limited to 1 user and 10,000 leads, with calling and SMS included but no email open tracking or workflows.
- Plan to price
- Growth, at $99/user/mo billed annually ($109 monthly), if you want automated email, SMS and call workflows, the power dialer, bulk email and voicemail drop.
- Extra costs
- Calling and SMS are passed through at cost. Close says most outbound calls are around $0.02 a minute and numbers start at about $1 a month.
- Skip it if
- You need a free plan, marketing automation, or native integrations beyond Close's core set. Slack, for example, connects through Zapier.
The Verdict
Close is built for sales teams whose day is mostly calls, emails and texts, because the phone system is part of the product rather than an add-on. Calling, SMS, phone numbers, call logging, two-way email sync, forms, pipelines, the mobile app and API access are on every plan, including the $9 Solo plan. The limits are clear: email open tracking starts on Essentials, workflows, the power dialer and bulk email start on Growth at $99 per user a month billed annually, and the predictive dialer, call coaching and custom roles need Scale. Usage is billed on top, and AI features run on monthly credits. For a team of two to twenty sellers making real call volume, the trade-off is usually worth it. We score it 9.2/10.
Best for
Founders, SDR teams and inside sales teams that call, email and text leads every day and want it all logged in one place.
Skip if
You sell mostly through inbound marketing, need a free plan, or rely on many native integrations with tools like Slack or accounting software.
AlternativesPipedrive, HubSpot, Salesflare
The Background
What Is Close?
Close is a sales CRM built around communication. Reps call, text and email leads from inside the CRM, and Close logs each call, message and email on the lead automatically. Every plan includes worldwide calling, SMS, rented or bring-your-own phone lines, group numbers, call forwarding, two-way email sync, email templates, Smart Views (saved, filtered lead lists), pipelines, web forms, a meeting notetaker and the mobile app. Growth adds Workflows, which run automated email, SMS and call steps until a goal such as a reply is met, plus the power dialer. Scale adds the predictive dialer, live call coaching and custom roles. Close also includes Chloe, an AI agent that can call leads, qualify them and book meetings, on every plan, paid for with AI credits and calling usage.
The Product
Close Features: What You Actually Get
Built-in calling and phone numbers
Every plan can make and receive calls worldwide, log them automatically, record them and use custom voicemail, group numbers, call forwarding and premium numbers with call routing. Close rents numbers from about $1 a month or lets you bring your own. Call recordings are kept 30 days on Solo and Essentials, 90 days on Growth and without limit on Scale.
A founder rents a local number, calls a list of trial signups from the browser, and every call lands on the lead with its duration and recording.
Power and predictive dialers
The power dialer, on Growth and Scale, calls through any saved Smart View in order and moves on when a number is busy or unanswered. The predictive dialer, on Scale only, dials several numbers at once and connects a rep only when a person answers, skipping voicemails and busy signals.
An SDR team loads a Smart View of 300 new leads and works through it in one session without dialing a number by hand.
SMS and MMS
SMS is included on all plans in over a dozen countries, including the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, using a Close number from the same country. MMS works on US, Canadian and Australian numbers. US texting requires A2P 10DLC registration, which carries one-time and monthly carrier fees. Text scheduling and SMS in workflows need Growth.
A rep texts a meeting reminder from the lead page an hour before a demo, and the reply shows up in the shared inbox.
Workflows (Growth and Scale)
Workflows combine email, SMS, call and task steps with delays, and can update leads, assign owners or create opportunities. They start manually or on triggers such as a form submission, an opportunity change or a call, and stop when a goal is met, such as an incoming email or a booked meeting. Solo and Essentials don't include them.
Every new inbound form lead is assigned to a rep, gets an email within minutes, then a call task and an SMS two days later if there's no reply.
Email inside the CRM
All plans sync Gmail, Microsoft 365 or any IMAP account both ways, with templates, snippets and template tags. Open tracking starts on Essentials. Bulk email, scheduling, sending limits, unsubscribe management and AI rewrite start on Growth. Close notes that high-volume bulk email usually needs a dedicated sending service such as Mailgun or SendGrid.
A rep sends a templated follow-up to every lead who attended a webinar and sees opens on each lead's timeline.
Chloe AI agent and AI credits
Chloe can call leads in batches, qualify them, book meetings and fill in fields after calls. Chat, AI search and the notetaker are free. Voice agent calls, enrichment and auto updates use AI credits: 500 a month on Solo, then 1,000, 1,500 or 2,000 per user on higher plans, pooled up to 10 users. Lead summaries, suggested actions and AI email rewrite need Growth.
A team points Chloe at a list of stale leads to see who is still interested, and reps pick up only the warm conversations.
Smart Views, pipelines and reporting
Smart Views save filtered lead lists for calling, email or workflows. Multiple pipelines, task management, activity reports and the opportunity funnel are on all plans. Leaderboards and workflow reports start on Growth, and custom graphs (Explorer), lead visibility rules and user groups need Scale.
A sales manager builds a Smart View of leads not called in seven days and shares it with the team every Monday.
Feature recap
- Calling, SMS and phone numbers on every plan
- Power dialer on Growth; predictive dialer on Scale
- Two-way email sync with Gmail, Microsoft 365 or IMAP
- Automated email, SMS and call Workflows on Growth and Scale
- Chloe AI agent on all plans, metered by AI credits
- Smart Views, multiple pipelines and web forms
- Call recording kept 30, 90 or unlimited days by plan
- iOS, Android, Mac and Windows apps plus API and MCP server
The Numbers
Close Pricing: Every Plan Explained
Close charges per user per month, plus usage for calls, texts and phone numbers. Annual billing cuts the price by 53% on Solo, 29% on Essentials and less than 10% on Growth and Scale. There's no free plan, but there's a 14-day free trial with no card required and a 30-day money-back guarantee after purchase. Prices checked on October 11, 2026.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Included Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | $19/user | $9/user/mo | 1 user, 10,000 leads, calling, SMS, phone lines, two-way email sync, pipelines, forms, mobile app, API, 500 AI credits. No email open tracking or workflows | Solo founders and single reps |
| Essentials | $49/user | $35/user/mo | Everything in Solo plus multiple users, unlimited leads, email open tracking, call transfer and 1,000 AI credits per user. No workflows | Small teams selling by phone and email |
| GrowthBest value | $109/user | $99/user/mo | Everything in Essentials plus Workflows, power dialer, voicemail drop, bulk email, AI lead summaries, custom activities, 90-day call recording retention and 1,500 AI credits per user | Outbound teams that automate follow-up |
| Scale | $149/user | $139/user/mo | Everything in Growth plus predictive dialer, call coaching, custom roles, lead visibility rules, custom objects, custom graphs, unlimited call recording retention and 2,000 AI credits per user | High-volume calling teams that need admin controls |
Pricing verified . Tools change pricing frequently — confirm at Close before purchasing.
Most teams should price Growth, not Essentials. Essentials covers calling, SMS and email for a team, but it has no workflows, no power dialer and no bulk email, which are the features that make Close faster than dialing by hand. The jump is large: $35 to $99 per user a month billed annually. Because Growth and Scale are only about 9% and 7% cheaper on annual billing, monthly billing costs little extra on those plans and keeps you flexible. Budget for usage too. Calls follow Twilio's pay-as-you-go rates and are rounded up to the next minute, forwarded calls are billed as two calls, and the default monthly spending limit is $100. Call Assistant transcripts cost $50 a month plus $0.02 a minute. Close offers discounts for 10 or more seats on a 12-month commitment.
Pricing scenarios
What Close costs for 1, 3, 5 and 10 users
These are our calculations from Close's published prices on October 11, 2026, not quotes. Call costs use Close's own estimate of about $0.02 a minute for most outbound calls; your real rate depends on the countries and number types involved.
Calculation 1, a solo founder. Solo billed annually is $9 a month ($108 a year), or $19 a month with no annual commitment ($228 a year). One phone line at about $1 a month and 500 minutes of calls at $0.02 adds about $11 a month.
Calculation 2, a three-person team. Essentials is 3 × $35 = $105 a month billed annually ($1,260 a year). Growth, if you want workflows and the power dialer, is 3 × $99 = $297 a month billed annually ($3,564 a year), or 3 × $109 = $327 a month billed monthly.
Calculation 3, five SDRs making 2,000 minutes of calls each a month. Growth is 5 × $99 = $495 a month billed annually. Usage adds about 5 × 2,000 × $0.02 = $200 for calls and 5 × $1 = $5 for numbers, so roughly $700 a month in total. On Scale the seats are 5 × $139 = $695, so roughly $900 a month.
Calculation 4, a ten-person team. Growth is 10 × $99 = $990 a month billed annually ($11,880 a year). Scale is 10 × $139 = $1,390 a month ($16,680 a year). The extra $400 a month buys the predictive dialer, call coaching, custom roles, lead visibility rules and unlimited call recording retention. If your reps work from a power dialer and don't need visibility rules, Growth is the better value.
The Tradeoffs
Close Pros and Cons
What we love
- Calling, SMS, phone numbers and call logging on every plan, including Solo
- Power dialer on Growth and predictive dialer on Scale, built into the CRM
- Workflows mix email, SMS, call and task steps and stop when a lead replies
- Usage passed through at cost, with calls around $0.02 a minute according to Close
- 14-day free trial with no card, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee
- SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and CCPA compliance, with a DPA available
What could be better
- No free plan
- Workflows and the power dialer need Growth ($99/user/mo billed annually)
- Calls, texts, numbers and AI credits are billed on top of seats
- Email open tracking isn't included on Solo
- Slack, Mailchimp and Docusign connect through Zapier rather than natively
- Standard support is email only, weekdays 9AM to 7PM ET
The Audience
Who Should Use Close?
Best for: founders doing their own sales
Solo gives one person calling, SMS, email sync and pipelines for $9 a month billed annually. Upgrade to Essentials when you hire your first rep or want open tracking.
Best for: SDR and inside sales teams
Growth adds the power dialer and multi-step workflows at $99 per user a month billed annually, and Scale adds the predictive dialer and call coaching for high-volume teams.
Skip if: you run an inbound, marketing-led motion
Close has forms and bulk email but no marketing automation suite. HubSpot combines a free CRM with marketing tools, and Salesflare suits relationship-led teams that mostly email.
The Methodology
How We Reviewed Close
This is an editorial review, not a documented hands-on test. We didn't use a Close account. It's based on Close's pricing page (both the monthly and annual toggles), plan comparison table, help center articles on calling and SMS usage, AI credits, workflows, dialers, integrations, billing, cancellation, support and GDPR, and its security page, all checked on October 11, 2026. The cost scenarios are our calculations from published list prices and Close's own estimate of call rates. Close doesn't publish a full per-country calling rate table (it points to Twilio's rates), a seat maximum for its team plans, or a price for Premium Support beyond a starting point, so we say so instead of guessing.
Our editorial evaluation considers product information, official documentation, pricing, features and professional experience. It is not a claim of documented hands-on testing.
Our review methodology →What changed
- : Rebuilt in the full review format. Re-verified plans, monthly and annual prices, usage costs, dialer and workflow availability, AI credits, support and security on Close's pricing page and help center, and corrected the plan details: calling and SMS are on every plan including Solo, and standard support is email only. Score unchanged.
The Field
Close vs The Competition
Close competes with sales CRMs and sales engagement tools. Scores come from each tool's own BestStacked review.
| Tool | Starting Price | Free plan | Best Feature | BS Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | Solo $9/user/mo billed annually ($19 monthly) | No | Built-in calling and phone numbers | 9.2/10 |
| Pipedrive | Lite $14/seat/mo billed annually | No | Visual pipeline and a large app marketplace | 9/10 |
| HubSpot | Free CRM (2 users); paid plans: see HubSpot | Yes | Free CRM that grows into marketing and service | 9.1/10 |
| Salesflare | Growth $29/user/mo billed annually ($39 monthly) | No | Automatic data entry from email and calendars | 8.5/10 |
| Nutshell | Foundation $13/user/mo billed annually ($19 monthly) | No | Live chat support and data import on every plan | 8.6/10 |
| Apollo | Free plan; paid plans: see Apollo | Yes | Built-in B2B contact database for prospecting | 9.2/10 |
Pipedrive: Pipedrive is the better pick if your team manages deals more than it dials. Close is the better pick when calling and texting are the main job, because they're built into every plan.Read our Pipedrive review →
HubSpot: HubSpot's free CRM and marketing tools suit inbound-led companies. Close is simpler and more focused on outbound calling, SMS and email from one screen.Read our HubSpot review →
Salesflare: Salesflare suits small B2B teams that mostly email and meet, and fills itself in from inboxes. It logs calls but doesn't list a built-in dialer. Close fits phone-heavy teams better.Read our Salesflare review →
Nutshell: Nutshell is cheaper per seat and includes live chat support on all plans. Close has deeper calling, with power and predictive dialers built in.Read our Nutshell review →
Apollo: Apollo is mainly a prospecting database with sequences. Many teams find leads in Apollo and work them in a CRM; Close is the CRM and phone system for that second step.Read our Apollo review →
In The Wild
How People Actually Use Close
A SaaS founder selling to trial signups
Rent a local number, call every new trial signup from a Smart View, and text a reminder before demos. Solo covers one person at $9 a month billed annually; move to Essentials when a second rep joins.
A five-person SDR team
Put new leads into a Growth workflow that emails, adds a call task and sends an SMS until the lead replies, then work call lists with the power dialer. About $700 a month with usage, by our calculation above.
An insurance or financial services agency
Route inbound calls with group numbers and call forwarding, keep every call and text on the lead, and use Scale's predictive dialer and call coaching for a large calling floor. Check consent rules for call recording and texting in your market first.
The Ecosystem
Close Integrations
Close says over 100 apps integrate with it, and it connects to many more through Zapier and Make. Email sync, calendar sync, calling and SMS are built in.
- →Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP email (two-way sync)
- →Google Calendar and Outlook calendar sync
- →Zoom, Teams and Meet (Notetaker)
- →Claude and ChatGPT (MCP server)
- →Calendly, SavvyCal and Segment
- →HubSpot sync (through HubSpot's integration)
- →Zapier and Make (Slack, Mailchimp, Docusign, Facebook Lead Ads)
- →REST API with an event log (all plans)
Several common tools, including Slack, Mailchimp, Docusign and Facebook Lead Ads, connect through Zapier rather than natively, which adds another subscription. Close's help center describes Slack as a built-in integration on one page and a Zapier connection on its Slack page, so check the current setup before you rely on it. API access is included on every plan.
Common Questions
Close FAQ
The Final Word
Should You Use Close?
Close puts calling, texting and email in the same place as the pipeline, so reps can work a list and have every touch logged. Solo and Essentials are inexpensive ways to get a built-in phone system, and Growth is where workflows and the power dialer make a team faster. Budget for usage and AI credits on top of seats, and check the integration list if you depend on tools like Slack. Inbound-led teams should look at HubSpot, and email-first teams at Salesflare. We score Close 9.2/10.
Yes, if
Your team calls, emails and texts leads every day and wants calling, SMS and automation built into the CRM.
No, if
You need a free plan, a marketing automation suite, live chat or phone support on a standard plan, or many native integrations without Zapier.
Close Is Part Of These Stack Packs
About the reviewer
Carlos Gil
Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Carlos Gil is the bestselling author of The End of Marketing, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and founder of The Best Network. He brings 15+ years in marketing to practical reviews of AI, SaaS, email marketing, creator, and ecommerce software.
Keep reading
Related to Close
Category
Best CRM for Startups
See how Close ranks against the rest of the category.
Review
Salesflare review
The Low-Admin CRM for Small B2B Teams That Live in Email
Review
Nutshell review
An Easy Small-Business CRM With Support Included on Every Plan
Review
SoftSync review
A B2B CRM Built for AI Assistants, With an MCP Server on Every Plan
Stack Pack
The Sales Pro Stack
Close is part of this stack.
Get the best of BestStacked
The AI tools worth knowing. None of the noise.
- New AI tool and software reviews as they publish
- Head-to-head comparisons and stack breakdowns
- The occasional recommendation worth knowing
No fake urgency. No made-up weekly cadence. Unsubscribe anytime.