Softwr

CRM · head to head

Close vs SupportBee

Close logo

Close

CRM

The inside sales CRM of choice for startups & SMBs

From
$9/month
Free plan
No
Visit CloseFull review
SupportBee logo

SupportBee

Customer Support

Simple email ticketing for small teams

From
$13/month
Free plan
No
Visit SupportBeeFull review

The short version

  • Close is a sales engagement CRM; SupportBee is a straightforward email ticketing system.
  • Close starts at $9/mo, SupportBee at $13/mo.
  • Only Close lists built-in calling; only SupportBee lists shared inbox.
  • Where Close falls short: no built-in lead lists, company intelligence, or contact enrichment; must source leads separately.
  • Where SupportBee falls short: email-only ticketing, no live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Close and SupportBee actually diverge.

Attributes where Close and SupportBee differ
AttributeCloseSupportBee
Starting price$9/month$13/month
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryCRMCustomer Support
Founded20132010

Identical on both: free tier (No).

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 SupportBee

  • Shared inbox
  • Email ticketing
  • Snippets
  • Customer portal
  • Knowledge base
  • Reports
  • Trello
  • Asana

Both cover

  • Zapier
  • Slack
  • 2FA
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Close

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

SupportBee

  • Email supportnot Close
  • Ticket managementnot 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

SupportBee

  • Email-only ticketing, no live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features
  • Basic reporting and analytics, lacking advanced dashboards and customizable metrics
  • No SLA management capabilities
  • Limited workflow customization compared to enterprise platforms
  • No dedicated mobile app (web interface only)
  • Confusing navigation and UI issues reported by some users
  • Cannot select and snooze multiple emails at once
  • Occasional performance delays

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

SupportBee

$13/month
  • Startup$13/mo
    • Unlimited tickets and inboxes
    • Team inbox with ticket assignment
    • Knowledge base integration (KBee)
  • Enterprise$17/mo
    • All Startup features
    • Advanced integrations
    • Custom roles and permissions

Which should you pick?

Choose Close if

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

Choose SupportBee if

  • You need shared inbox.
  • You also want email ticketing.
SupportBee review

Questions people ask

Is Close or SupportBee better?
Neither clearly leads. Close starts at $9/month and SupportBee at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Close or SupportBee?
Close starts at $9/month and SupportBee at $13/month.
Does Close or SupportBee run on more platforms?
Close runs on Web, iOS, Android. SupportBee 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 SupportBee is typically brought in for.
What can Close do that SupportBee cannot?
Close covers Built-in calling, Email automation, SMS messaging, Pipeline management. SupportBee covers Shared inbox, Email ticketing, Snippets, Customer portal. Both handle Zapier, Slack, 2FA, 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%.

Source
SupportBee: How much does SupportBee cost?

SupportBee offers Startup plan at $13/user/month and Enterprise at $17/user/month, both with unlimited tickets and inboxes. No per-ticket charges. A 14-day free trial is available with no credit card required.

Source
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
SupportBee: Does SupportBee offer live chat or phone support?

No. SupportBee focuses on email ticketing and does not include native live chat, phone support, chatbots, or AI features. It is designed for email-based customer support.

Source
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
SupportBee: What platforms can SupportBee run on?

SupportBee is a web-based platform accessible on desktop and mobile browsers. It does not offer a dedicated desktop or mobile app, but the web interface is responsive and works on phones. Integration with email clients is available.

Source
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
SupportBee: Does SupportBee integrate with Slack?

Yes. SupportBee integrates with Slack to send real-time notifications for new tickets, replies, assignments, and internal comments. Teams can configure which events trigger alerts and organize notifications into dedicated channels.

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
Share

Related pages

More on Close

More on SupportBee

Keep looking

Other head to heads