Software · head to head
Close vs Salesforce
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); Salesforce sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually
- They diverge on capability: Close covers Built-in calling, Salesforce covers Contact management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Close and Salesforce actually diverge.
| Attribute | Close | Salesforce |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9/month | $25/month |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Ios, Android, Api |
| Founded | 2013 | 1999 |
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
- Activity tracking
- Reporting
- Mobile app
- Zapier
Only in Salesforce
- Contact management
- Opportunity management
- Reports & dashboards
- Email integration
- Workflow automation
- Mobile access
- AppExchange
- Microsoft 365
Both cover
- Lead management
- Slack
- Google Workspace
- DocuSign
- SOC2
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Close
- Inside salesnot Salesforce
- Outbound salesnot Salesforce
- Lead managementnot Salesforce
- Sales engagementnot Salesforce
- Pipeline trackingnot Salesforce
Salesforce
- Sales managementnot Close
- Customer servicenot Close
- Marketing automationnot Close
- Lead generationnot Close
- Analytics & reportingnot 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
Salesforce
- Sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually
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
Salesforce
$25/month- Essentials$25/month
- Account & contact management
- Opportunity tracking
- Lead management
- Professional$80/month
- Everything in Essentials
- Complete CRM
- Lead scoring
- Enterprise$165/month
- Everything in Professional
- Workflow automation
- Advanced analytics
- Unlimited$330/month
- Everything in Enterprise
- Unlimited customizations
- 24/7 support
Which should you pick?
Choose Close if
- You need built-in calling.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want email automation.
Choose Salesforce if
- You need contact management.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want opportunity management.
Questions people ask
- Is Close or Salesforce better?
- Neither clearly leads. Close starts at $9/month and Salesforce at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Close or Salesforce?
- Close starts at $9/month and Salesforce at $25/month.
- Does Close or Salesforce run on more platforms?
- Close runs on Web, iOS, Android. Salesforce runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- 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 Salesforce is typically brought in for.
- What can Close do that Salesforce cannot?
- Close covers Built-in calling, Email automation, SMS messaging, Pipeline management. Salesforce covers Contact management, Opportunity management, Reports & dashboards, Email integration. Both handle Lead management, Slack, Google Workspace, DocuSign.
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.
Source