Technology · head to head
Close vs Salesforce Flows

Close
Technology
The inside sales CRM of choice for startups & SMBs
- From
- $9/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Salesforce Flows has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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 Flows not suitable for highly complex scenarios with intricate decision-making or bulk data processing
- They diverge on capability: Close covers Built-in calling, Salesforce Flows covers Visual flow builder.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Close and Salesforce Flows actually diverge.
| Attribute | Close | Salesforce Flows |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9/month | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Salesforce Cloud, Web, Mobile |
| Category | Technology | Automation Integration |
| Founded | 2013 | 1999 |
Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Salesforce Flows
- Visual flow builder
- Approvals
- Scheduled actions
- Screen flows
- Multi-step workflows
- Conditional logic
- Error handling
- Salesforce native
Both cover
- GDPR
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Close
- Inside salesnot Salesforce Flows
- Outbound salesnot Salesforce Flows
- Lead managementnot Salesforce Flows
- Sales engagementnot Salesforce Flows
- Pipeline trackingnot Salesforce Flows
Salesforce Flows
- Workflow Automationnot Close
- Data Integrationnot Close
- Process Automationnot Close
- App Integrationnot Close
- API Connectivitynot 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 Flows
- Not suitable for highly complex scenarios with intricate decision-making or bulk data processing
- No automatic record locking, causing conflicts when multiple users update same records
- Limited error handling compared to Apex
- Requires Enterprise edition or higher for full capabilities
- Auto-launched Flows cannot display screens to users
- Complex dependency management and configuration challenges when deploying between environments
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 Flows
Free- Salesforce FreeFree
- 2 user licenses
- Basic workflows
- Limited automation
- Starter$25/user/month
- Sales flows
- Lead routing
- Email marketing analytics
- Professional$100/user/month
- Sales quoting
- Forecasting
- AppExchange access
- Enterprise$165/user/month
- Full Flow Builder
- Custom objects
- Sandboxes
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 Flows if
- You need visual flow builder.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Salesforce Cloud, Web, Mobile.
- You also want approvals.
Questions people ask
- Is Close or Salesforce Flows better?
- Neither clearly leads. Close starts at $9/month and Salesforce Flows at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Close or Salesforce Flows?
- Salesforce Flows has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9/month for Close and Free for Salesforce Flows.
- Does Close or Salesforce Flows run on more platforms?
- Close runs on Web, iOS, Android. Salesforce Flows runs on Salesforce Cloud, Web, Mobile.
- Can I use Salesforce Flows for free?
- Yes. Salesforce Flows has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Close starts at $9/month.
- 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 Flows is typically brought in for.
- What can Close do that Salesforce Flows cannot?
- Close covers Built-in calling, Email automation, SMS messaging, Pipeline management. Salesforce Flows covers Visual flow builder, Approvals, Scheduled actions, Screen flows. Both handle GDPR, Cloud deployment, 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%.
SourceSalesforce Flows: Which Salesforce editions include Flows?
Salesforce Flow Builder is included in Enterprise Edition ($165/user/month) and above. Professional Edition lacks advanced automation capabilities and Flow Builder access. Starter and lower editions have limited Flow support.
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.
SourceSalesforce Flows: What are the main limitations of Salesforce Flows?
Flows are limited by DML operations (max 150 data elements that modify data), SOQL queries (max 100 data elements that retrieve data), and are not designed for bulk processing. Auto-launched Flows do not support screens and have limited error handling compared to Apex.
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.
SourceSalesforce Flows: Can Salesforce Flows integrate with external systems?
Yes, through MuleSoft connectors and Salesforce API Catalog. Pre-built connectors exist for systems like Asana, and admins can create custom connectors. Complex integrations may still require Apex or third-party platforms.
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.
SourceSalesforce Flows: When was Salesforce Flow redesigned?
Flow Builder was introduced in Spring '19 as a replacement for the previous Flow Designer, providing a more familiar interface similar to other Salesforce Lightning Builder tools.
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
More on Salesforce Flows
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- Salesforce Flows vs Autonoly
- Salesforce Flows vs n8n
- Salesforce Flows vs Paragon
- Salesforce Flows vs Integromat
- Salesforce Flows vs Workato
- Salesforce Flows vs Blue Prism
- Salesforce Flows vs Informatica
- Salesforce Flows vs jBPM
- Salesforce Flows vs Kogito
- Salesforce Flows vs Letta
- Salesforce Flows vs Lytics

