Technology · head to head
Close vs Shortcut

Close
Technology
The inside sales CRM of choice for startups & SMBs
- From
- $9/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Shortcut 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); Shortcut limited reporting compared to Jira
- They diverge on capability: Close covers Built-in calling, Shortcut covers Stories & epics.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Close and Shortcut actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).
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
- Mobile app
- Segment
Only in Shortcut
- Stories & epics
- Iterations (sprints)
- Kanban boards
- Roadmaps
- Docs
- API & webhooks
- Mobile apps
- GitHub
Both cover
- Reporting
- Zapier
- Slack
- SOC2
- GDPR
- 2FA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Close
- Inside salesnot Shortcut
- Outbound salesnot Shortcut
- Lead managementnot Shortcut
- Sales engagementnot Shortcut
- Pipeline trackingnot Shortcut
Shortcut
- Sprint planningnot Close
- Bug trackingnot Close
- Feature developmentnot Close
- Product roadmappingnot Close
- Team collaborationnot 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
Shortcut
- Limited reporting compared to Jira
- Designed specifically for software teams, not general project management
- Can experience slow loading times with very large projects
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
Shortcut
Free- FreeFree
- Kanban boards
- Sprints
- Roadmaps
- Team$8.5/user/month
- Unlimited users
- Advanced reports
- WIP limits
- Business$12/user/month
- Unlimited workspaces
- OKRs
- Advanced custom fields
- Enterprise$undefined/custom
- Volume discounts
- SSO/SCIM
- Premier 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 Shortcut if
- You need stories & epics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- You also want iterations (sprints).
Questions people ask
- Is Close or Shortcut better?
- Neither clearly leads. Close starts at $9/month and Shortcut at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Close or Shortcut?
- Shortcut has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9/month for Close and Free for Shortcut.
- Does Close or Shortcut run on more platforms?
- Close runs on Web, iOS, Android. Shortcut runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- Can I use Shortcut for free?
- Yes. Shortcut 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 Shortcut is typically brought in for.
- What can Close do that Shortcut cannot?
- Close covers Built-in calling, Email automation, SMS messaging, Pipeline management. Shortcut covers Stories & epics, Iterations (sprints), Kanban boards, Roadmaps. Both handle Reporting, Zapier, Slack, SOC2.
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%.
SourceShortcut: Does Shortcut have a free plan?
Yes, Shortcut offers a free plan for up to 10 users with core features like kanban boards, roadmaps, sprints, and reports. Paid plans start at $8.50 per user per month.
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.
SourceShortcut: Does Shortcut integrate with GitHub?
Yes, Shortcut has native GitHub integration that automatically syncs pull requests and commits to stories, and includes GitLab and Bitbucket support as well.
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.
SourceShortcut: Can I use Shortcut for non-technical projects?
Shortcut is built for software teams, though you can customize workflows for other use cases. Linear and Asana may be better suited for non-technical project management.
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.
SourceShortcut: Does Shortcut support SSO and SCIM?
Yes, SSO and SCIM support are available on the Enterprise plan, allowing centralized identity management for large organizations.
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.
SourceShortcut: What's the difference between Shortcut and Jira?
Shortcut is lighter and faster with less setup required, while Jira offers deeper customization and enterprise features. Shortcut works better for modern software teams wanting simplicity; Jira suits enterprises needing extensive configuration.
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
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