Softwr

Software · head to head

Close vs Gong

Close logo

Close

Software

The inside sales CRM of choice for startups & SMBs

From
$9/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Gong logo

Gong

Software

Revenue intelligence platform

From
$1600/user-per-year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Close hidden costs beyond subscription: calling charges (~$0.02/minute), SMS usage fees, phone numbers ($1-5/month), AI call assistant ($50/month + $0.02/min transcription); Gong pricing not published; custom quotes and high platform fees make budget forecasting difficult
  • They diverge on capability: Close covers Built-in calling, Gong covers Call recording.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Close and Gong actually diverge.

Attributes where Close and Gong differ
AttributeCloseGong
Starting price$9/month$1600/user-per-year
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud-based SaaS
Founded20132016

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Close

  • Built-in calling
  • Email automation
  • SMS messaging
  • Pipeline management
  • Lead management
  • Activity tracking
  • Reporting
  • Mobile app

Only in Gong

  • Call recording
  • AI transcription
  • Deal intelligence
  • Market intelligence
  • Team coaching
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Zoom

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Close

  • Inside salesnot Gong
  • Outbound salesnot Gong
  • Lead managementnot Gong
  • Sales engagementnot Gong
  • Pipeline trackingnot Gong

Gong

  • Call analysisnot Close
  • Deal forecastingnot Close
  • Sales coachingnot Close
  • Win/loss analysisnot Close

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Close

  • Hidden costs beyond subscription: calling charges (~$0.02/minute), SMS usage fees, phone numbers ($1-5/month), AI call assistant ($50/month + $0.02/min transcription)
  • No built-in lead lists, company intelligence, or contact enrichment; must source leads separately
  • Limited marketing automation compared to competitors like HubSpot; lacks lead scoring and nurturing campaigns
  • Calling cost at scale can double effective monthly cost for high-volume SDR teams making 50+ calls per day
  • Limited customization of data model compared to Salesforce; cannot create fully custom objects or complex relationships

Gong

  • Pricing not published; custom quotes and high platform fees make budget forecasting difficult
  • Built for sales calls only; limited contact center and multi-channel conversation coverage
  • Forecasting and Engage modules use keyword-based analysis with 20-30 minute processing delay, not generative AI
  • Conversation analysis cannot capture internal buyer meetings or decision-making discussions

Pricing, plan by plan

Close

$9/month
  • Solo$9/month (annual)
    • 1 user only
    • 10,000 leads max
    • Calling, email, SMS
  • Essentials$35/month (annual)
    • Unlimited contacts
    • Team collaboration
    • 1,000 AI credits/month
  • Growth$99/month (annual)
    • Automation workflows
    • Power dialer
    • Bulk email
  • Scale$139/month (annual)
    • Role-based permissions
    • Predictive dialer
    • Unlimited recording

Gong

$1600/user-per-year

No published plan breakdown. See the Gong review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Close if

  • You need built-in calling.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want email automation.
Close review

Choose Gong if

  • You need call recording.
  • You work on Web, Cloud-based SaaS.
  • You also want ai transcription.
Gong review

Questions people ask

Is Close or Gong better?
Neither clearly leads. Close starts at $9/month and Gong at $1600/user-per-year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Close or Gong?
Close starts at $9/month and Gong at $1600/user-per-year.
Does Close or Gong run on more platforms?
Close runs on Web, iOS, Android. Gong runs on Web, Cloud-based SaaS.
What is Close best used for?
Close is most often used for inside sales, outbound sales, lead management, sales engagement. Of those, inside sales and outbound sales are not what Gong is typically brought in for.
What can Close do that Gong cannot?
Close covers Built-in calling, Email automation, SMS messaging, Pipeline management. Gong covers Call recording, AI transcription, Deal intelligence, Market intelligence. Both handle Slack, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Close: What are Close's pricing plans and what do they include?

Close offers four plans: Solo ($9-19/user/month), Essentials ($35-49), Growth ($99-109), and Scale ($139-149). All include calling, email, SMS, and Chloe AI agent access. Essentials adds unlimited contacts and team collaboration. Growth adds automation, power dialer, and custom activities. Scale adds role-based permissions and unlimited recording. Annual billing saves up to 50%.

Source
Gong: How much does Gong cost?

Gong pricing starts around $1,600 per user per year, with a mandatory platform fee of $5,000-$50,000 annually. Exact pricing is custom and requires a sales consultation.

Source
Close: What are the hidden costs in Close's pricing beyond the subscription?

Close charges usage-based fees for calling (~$0.02 per minute), SMS charges per message, and phone number rentals ($1-5/month). The AI Call Assistant add-on costs $50/month plus $0.02 per minute for transcription. Heavy outbound calling teams can see their total costs increase 30-50% beyond the base seat price.

Source
Gong: Does Gong integrate with Salesforce?

Yes. Gong integrates with Salesforce via REST API to import account data and export conversation summaries, enabling searchable calls by CRM fields.

Source
Close: What is Chloe, Close's AI sales agent, and what can it do?

Chloe is an AI sales agent built into Close that automatically calls leads, qualifies prospects through real conversations, and can book meetings while updating the CRM automatically. Chloe features AI-generated call summaries, transcripts, and action items automatically logged to contacts.

Source
Gong: What conversations can Gong capture?

Gong was built primarily for sales call analysis and captures calls through integrations with major dialer systems. Coverage for contact center and multi-channel conversations is limited.

Source
Close: Does Close include lead lists, data enrichment, or contact information?

No. Close does not provide built-in lead lists, company intelligence, or contact enrichment features. Organizations must source leads separately or use third-party data providers. This differs from platforms like HubSpot which include integrated lead databases.

Source
Gong: Does Gong have an on-premise option?

Gong is a cloud-based SaaS platform without an on-premise deployment option. All conversation analysis and storage occurs in Gong's cloud infrastructure.

Source
Close: What communication features does Close include?

Close includes built-in calling with automatic call logging, email templates and bulk email capabilities, SMS messaging with tracking and automation, email syncing with Gmail, and automated follow-up workflows. All communication happens within the CRM platform.

Source
Close: Does Close have marketing automation capabilities?

Close's marketing automation features are limited compared to HubSpot. It includes basic email sequences, task reminders, and workflow automation, but lacks advanced lead scoring, nurturing campaigns, and detailed marketing analytics. Organizations requiring extensive marketing automation need separate tools.

Source
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