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Technology · head to head

Close vs Sinch

Close logo

Close

Technology

The inside sales CRM of choice for startups & SMBs

From
$9/month
Rated
-
Sinch logo

Sinch

Telecommunications

Messaging, voice and email APIs with a fully published per-country rate card

From
On request
Rated
-

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); Sinch much of the portfolio arrived through acquisition, so a customer buying messaging and email should check how consistent the consoles, APIs and support processes actually are across those specific products.
  • They diverge on capability: Close covers Built-in calling, Sinch covers Published per-country rate card.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Close and Sinch actually diverge.

Attributes where Close and Sinch differ
AttributeCloseSinch
Starting price$9/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownPer message and per minute, priced by destination country
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, APIs, Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP, C#
CategoryTechnologyTelecommunications
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Sinch

  • Published per-country rate card
  • Global SMS and RCS
  • Voice and US termination
  • Verification
  • Transactional email

What people use each for

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

Close

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

Sinch

  • Enterprises consolidating messaging, voice and transactional email with one suppliernot Close
  • Teams that need to model per-country cost precisely before committing to a vendornot Close
  • US voice traffic where termination on an owned network reduces costnot Close
  • Buyers who want a supplier whose financial position is publicly reportednot 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

Sinch

  • Much of the portfolio arrived through acquisition, so a customer buying messaging and email should check how consistent the consoles, APIs and support processes actually are across those specific products.
  • Product overlap from acquisitions means the right Sinch product for a use case is not always obvious and sales guidance varies.
  • Integrating acquired businesses is a continuing programme, so account handling and support contacts can change under a customer mid-contract.
  • The published rate card is a list price, so organisations at volume still negotiate and small senders pay the advertised rate without leverage.
  • US A2P messaging carries 10DLC registration fees and per-segment carrier surcharges on top of the published rates, as it does with every provider.

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

Sinch

On request
  • Pay as you go$undefined/month
    • Published per-country and per-network rate card in USD, EUR and GBP
    • Registered US 10DLC traffic priced below standard US rates
    • Outbound PSTN voice priced by route

Which should you pick?

Choose Close if

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

Choose Sinch if

  • You need published per-country rate card.
  • You work on Web, APIs, Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP, C#.
  • You also want global sms and rcs.

Questions people ask

Is Close or Sinch better?
Neither clearly leads. Close starts at $9/month and Sinch at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Close or Sinch?
Close starts at $9/month and Sinch at On request.
Does Close or Sinch run on more platforms?
Close runs on Web, iOS, Android. Sinch runs on Web, APIs, Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP, C#.
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 Sinch is typically brought in for.
What can Close do that Sinch cannot?
Close covers Built-in calling, Email automation, SMS messaging, Pipeline management. Sinch covers Published per-country rate card, Global SMS and RCS, Voice and US termination, Verification.

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
Sinch: Does Sinch publish its prices?

Yes, unusually completely for a vendor of its size. It publishes a per-country and per-network rate card in US dollars, euros and sterling, with a stated price date, covering both messaging and voice.

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
Sinch: Is MessageBird part of Sinch?

No. MessageBird, now trading as Bird, is a separate Amsterdam company and a direct competitor. It does not appear anywhere in Sinch's own published acquisition history.

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
Sinch: Can we see Sinch's financials before signing?

Yes. Sinch trades on the Nasdaq Stockholm Large Cap list under the symbol SINCH, so revenue, margins and retention are publicly reported.

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
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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