Software · head to head
Close vs Natero
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); Natero acquired by Freshworks in May 2019 and folded into the Freshsuccess product line, so it is no longer sold as Natero
- They diverge on capability: Close covers Built-in calling, Natero covers Predictive health scores.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Close and Natero actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Natero
- Predictive health scores
- Machine learning
- Customer journey analytics
- Playbooks
- Risk detection
- Salesforce
- Freshworks
- Zendesk
Both cover
- Slack
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Close
- Inside salesnot Natero
- Outbound salesnot Natero
- Lead managementnot Natero
- Sales engagementnot Natero
- Pipeline trackingnot Natero
Natero
- Customer Successnot Close
- Predictive Analyticsnot Close
- Machine Learningnot 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
Natero
- Acquired by Freshworks in May 2019 and folded into the Freshsuccess product line, so it is no longer sold as Natero
- natero.com no longer resolves
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
Natero
$800/month- Growth$800/month
- Predictive health
- Playbooks
- Reporting
- Enterprise$2000/month
- Custom ML models
- Advanced API
- Dedicated support
Which should you pick?
Choose Close if
- You need built-in calling.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want email automation.
Questions people ask
- Is Close or Natero better?
- Neither clearly leads. Close starts at $9/month and Natero at $800/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Close or Natero?
- Close starts at $9/month and Natero at $800/month.
- Does Close or Natero run on more platforms?
- Close runs on Web, iOS, Android. Natero runs on Web.
- 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 Natero is typically brought in for.
- What can Close do that Natero cannot?
- Close covers Built-in calling, Email automation, SMS messaging, Pipeline management. Natero covers Predictive health scores, Machine learning, Customer journey analytics, Playbooks. 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%.
SourceClose: 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.
SourceClose: 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.
SourceClose: 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.
SourceClose: 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.
SourceClose: 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.
SourceRelated pages
Keep looking
Other head to heads
- Close vs Intercom
- Close vs Mixpanel
- Close vs Heap
- Close vs Canny
- Close vs Drift
- Close vs Pendo
- Close vs Userpilot
- Close vs Aviso
- Close vs ChurnZero
- Close vs Planhat
- Close vs Catalyst
- Close vs Custify
- Close vs CustomerSuccessBox
- Close vs SmartKarrot
- Close vs Vitally
- Close vs Akita
- Close vs Amity
- Close vs Apttus
- Close vs Better Proposals
- Close vs Chorus.ai
- Close vs ClientPoint
- Close vs ClientSuccess
- Close vs Conga
- Close vs Kapta
- Close vs Lessonly
- Natero vs Intercom
- Natero vs Mixpanel
- Natero vs Heap
- Natero vs Canny
- Natero vs Drift
- Natero vs Pendo
- Natero vs Userpilot
- Natero vs Aviso
- Natero vs ChurnZero
- Natero vs Planhat
- Natero vs Catalyst
- Natero vs Custify
- Natero vs CustomerSuccessBox
- Natero vs SmartKarrot
- Natero vs Vitally
- Natero vs Akita
- Natero vs Amity
- Natero vs Apttus
- Natero vs Better Proposals
- Natero vs Chorus.ai
- Natero vs ClientPoint
- Natero vs ClientSuccess
- Natero vs Conga
- Natero vs Kapta
- Natero vs Lessonly

