Technology · head to head
Close vs Visual Studio

Close
Technology
The inside sales CRM of choice for startups & SMBs
- From
- $9/month
- Free plan
- No

Visual Studio
Developer Tools
IDE for .NET and C++ development on Windows
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Only Visual Studio 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); Visual Studio community edition is free only for individual developers, classroom use, academic research and open-source contribution, not general commercial use
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Close and Visual Studio actually diverge.
| Attribute | Close | Visual Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web |
| Category | Technology | Developer Tools |
| Founded | 2013 | Unknown |
Identical on both: 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 Visual Studio
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 Visual Studio
- Outbound salesnot Visual Studio
- Lead managementnot Visual Studio
- Sales engagementnot Visual Studio
- Pipeline trackingnot Visual Studio
Visual Studio
- Managing complex, large-scale projects across multiple platformsnot Close
- Commercial development in small businessesnot Close
- DevOps and automated deployment workflowsnot Close
- Windows/SQL Server developer and tester rolesnot Close
- Short-term or month-to-month IDE access needsnot 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
Visual Studio
- Community edition is free only for individual developers, classroom use, academic research and open-source contribution, not general commercial use
- Monthly subscriptions are $45 per user per month for Professional and $250 per user per month for Enterprise, and do not include perpetual use rights the way annual Standard subscriptions do
- A standalone perpetually licensed Visual Studio Professional 2022 costs $499 as a one-time purchase, separate from the subscription tiers
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
Visual Studio
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Visual Studio review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Close if
- You need built-in calling.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want email automation.
Questions people ask
- Is Close or Visual Studio better?
- Neither clearly leads. Close starts at $9/month and Visual Studio at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Close or Visual Studio?
- Visual Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9/month for Close and Free for Visual Studio.
- Does Close or Visual Studio run on more platforms?
- Close runs on Web, iOS, Android. Visual Studio runs on Web.
- Can I use Visual Studio for free?
- Yes. Visual Studio 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 Visual Studio is typically brought in for.
- What can Close do that Visual Studio 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%.
SourceVisual Studio: What are the pricing differences between subscription types?
Standard subscriptions include access to more benefits, such as Azure dev/test pricing, monthly Azure individual credit, software and download access, services, training, and support. Monthly subscriptions offer flexibility but fewer benefits.
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.
SourceVisual Studio: Are discounts available for startups?
There aren't any discounts available to start-ups, however an unlimited number of users within an organization can use Visual Studio Community for specific scenarios like open source work.
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.
SourceVisual Studio: Who can use Visual Studio Community for free?
In non-enterprise organizations, up to five users can use it. Enterprise organizations (greater than 250 PCs or greater than $1M annual revenue) cannot use it beyond academic/open-source scenarios.
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.
SourceVisual Studio: What's the renewal pricing structure?
Enterprise standard renews at $214.09/month (after initial $499.92); Professional at $66.59/month (after $99.99).
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
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