SaaS · head to head
Close vs Userpilot
The short version
- Only Userpilot 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); Userpilot starter tier limited to 2,000 monthly active users; even small-to-medium products may require Growth tier
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Close and Userpilot actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (SaaS).
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 Userpilot
Nothing recorded that Close does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Close
- Inside salesnot Userpilot
- Outbound salesnot Userpilot
- Lead managementnot Userpilot
- Sales engagementnot Userpilot
- Pipeline trackingnot Userpilot
Userpilot
- SaaS companies optimising user onboarding and activationnot Close
- Product teams collecting user feedback and identifying churn drivers via session replaynot Close
- Customer success teams using in-app guides and contextual helpnot Close
- Growth teams orchestrating multi-channel campaigns across email and in-appnot Close
- Product managers measuring adoption and engagement across user cohortsnot 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
Userpilot
- Starter tier limited to 2,000 monthly active users; even small-to-medium products may require Growth tier
- Large price jump from Starter ($299/mo) to Growth ($849/mo), nearly 3x increase
- Growth tier scales to 100,000 MAU but does not publish pricing for higher volumes, requiring Enterprise negotiation
- Session replay and mobile engagement are optional add-ons in Growth tier, not included in base pricing
- Enterprise pricing not published; custom negotiations required for large-scale deployments
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
Userpilot
Free- Starter$299/month
- Up to 2,000 monthly active users
- In-app engagement
- User segmentation
- Growth$849/month (marked 'Most Popular')
- 2,000 to 100,000 monthly active users
- All Starter features
- Advanced product analytics
- Enterprise$null/variable
- Custom monthly active user levels
- All Growth features
- Premium integrations
Which should you pick?
Choose Close if
- You need built-in calling.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want email automation.
Choose Userpilot if
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Questions people ask
- Is Close or Userpilot better?
- Neither clearly leads. Close starts at $9/month and Userpilot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Close or Userpilot?
- Userpilot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9/month for Close and Free for Userpilot.
- Does Close or Userpilot run on more platforms?
- Close runs on Web, iOS, Android. Userpilot runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
- Can I use Userpilot for free?
- Yes. Userpilot 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 Userpilot is typically brought in for.
- What can Close do that Userpilot cannot?
- Close covers Built-in calling, Email automation, SMS messaging, Pipeline management.
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%.
SourceUserpilot: What is included in the free trial?
Userpilot offers a free 14-day trial without requiring a credit card, providing full access to the Starter tier features.
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.
SourceUserpilot: Does Userpilot include session replay?
Session replay is available in the Growth tier as an optional add-on for watching real user sessions and identifying friction points.
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.
SourceUserpilot: What integrations does Userpilot support?
Userpilot integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Segment, Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Heap, Zendesk, Intercom and Google Tag Manager. Additional integrations can be requested.
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