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CRM · head to head

Copper vs Forethought

Copper logo

Copper

CRM

Gmail-native CRM for growth teams

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Forethought logo

Forethought

Customer Support

AI resolution and ticket triage layered on top of an existing helpdesk

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Copper has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Copper the Basic plan caps at 2,500 contacts and 25 companies, which is small for a CRM at $23 per user per month; Forethought forethought needs roughly 20,000 historical tickets and around 2,000 a month to train usefully, so a support team below that volume is not simply a smaller customer, it is ineligible, and the sales process will tell you so late.
  • They diverge on capability: Copper covers Gmail integration, Forethought covers Solve.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 2 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Copper and Forethought actually diverge.

Attributes where Copper and Forethought differ
AttributeCopperForethought
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
CategoryCRMCustomer Support
Founded2014Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 Copper

  • Gmail integration
  • Contact management
  • Deal tracking
  • Pipeline management
  • Email tracking
  • Automation
  • Gmail
  • Google Calendar

Only in Forethought

  • Solve
  • Autoflows
  • Custom Actions
  • Triage
  • Assist
  • Discover
  • AI QA and Insights
  • Solve and Analytics APIs

What people use each for

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

Copper

  • CRM for teams working inside Google Workspacenot Forethought
  • Pipeline and deal trackingnot Forethought
  • Contact enrichment and activity capturenot Forethought
  • Workflow automation on the higher tiersnot Forethought

Forethought

  • A retailer with 40,000 tickets a year in Zendesk wants order status, returns and refunds resolved end to end without an agent, including the API calls into the order system.not Copper
  • A support operation that already abandoned a rules-based chatbot because the decision trees rotted, and wants resolution logic that does not need rebuilding every time a policy changes.not Copper
  • A team drowning in triage where tickets sit in a general queue for hours before a human reads them and routes them to the right specialist group.not Copper
  • A support leader who needs to know which questions have no knowledge article behind them, ranked by the volume of tickets they generate.not Copper

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Copper

  • The Basic plan caps at 2,500 contacts and 25 companies, which is small for a CRM at $23 per user per month
  • Professional at $59 per user per month still caps at 15,000 contacts and 50 companies
  • Workflow automation, bulk email and reporting all require Professional
  • Email sequences, custom reports and multi-currency are Business tier only at $99 per user per month
  • The advertised prices are the annual rates; monthly billing runs from $29 to $134 per user

Forethought

  • Forethought needs roughly 20,000 historical tickets and around 2,000 a month to train usefully, so a support team below that volume is not simply a smaller customer, it is ineligible, and the sales process will tell you so late.
  • Billing is outcome based per resolution on top of a platform fee, so the invoice rises precisely when the product performs, and forecasting a year of spend requires forecasting your own deflection curve.
  • Channels are tier gated: email, voice and Slack agents sit above the entry tier while the Solve API, Analytics API and knowledge gap detection are Enterprise only, and buyers routinely scope a tier that turns out not to include the channel they came for.
  • Ease of setup is the lowest scored dimension in independent reviews, with 30 to 90 day rollouts, no self-serve path and continual configuration effort to keep flows accurate, which means a named internal owner rather than a set-and-forget deployment.
  • Zendesk acquired Forethought in March 2026, so anyone running a multi-helpdesk estate on Salesforce, Freshdesk or Intercom is buying their neutral AI layer from a direct competitor of their helpdesk vendor, and should get contractual commitments on non-Zendesk connector parity.

Pricing, plan by plan

Copper

Free
  • Basic$undefined/mo
  • Professional$undefined/mo
  • Business$undefined/mo

Forethought

On request
  • Team$undefined/year
    • Solve for chat
    • Triage
    • Standard reporting
  • Professional$undefined/year
    • Adds email, voice and Slack agents
    • Assist for human agents
    • Multibrand add-on available
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Solve API and Analytics API
    • Discover knowledge gap detection
    • Multibrand up to 20 brands

Which should you pick?

Choose Copper if

  • You need gmail integration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want contact management.
Copper review

Choose Forethought if

  • You need solve.
  • You also want autoflows.
Forethought review

Questions people ask

Is Copper or Forethought better?
Neither clearly leads. Copper starts at Free and Forethought at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Copper or Forethought?
Copper has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Copper and On request for Forethought.
Does Copper or Forethought run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Copper for free?
Yes. Copper has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Forethought starts at On request.
What is Copper best used for?
Copper is most often used for crm for teams working inside google workspace, pipeline and deal tracking, contact enrichment and activity capture, workflow automation on the higher tiers. Of those, crm for teams working inside google workspace and pipeline and deal tracking are not what Forethought is typically brought in for.
What can Copper do that Forethought cannot?
Copper covers Gmail integration, Contact management, Deal tracking, Pipeline management. Forethought covers Solve, Autoflows, Custom Actions, Triage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Copper: How much does Copper cost per person?

Basic is $29/month (or $23/month annual). Professional is $69/month (or $59/month annual). Business is $134/month (or $99/month annual). All pricing is per seat in USD, excluding taxes.

Source
Forethought: Does Forethought replace my helpdesk?

No. It installs on top of Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Freshdesk or Intercom and reads their ticket history. You keep paying for the helpdesk.

Copper: What contact limit does each plan allow?

Basic allows 2,500 contacts. Professional allows 15,000 contacts. Business allows unlimited contacts.

Source
Forethought: Is there a free trial?

No. Forethought runs a Proof of Value programme instead, which is a scoped paid or sales-managed pilot rather than a self-serve trial.

Copper: How much can I save by paying annually?

Annual billing saves 14-26% vs. monthly: Basic saves 20%, Professional saves 14%, Business saves 26%. For example, Professional costs $69/month on monthly billing but only $59/month when billed annually.

Source
Forethought: Is it still sold to non-Zendesk customers after the acquisition?

Zendesk says yes. Treat that as a commitment to negotiate rather than a guarantee, and ask for connector parity terms in writing.

Copper: Is there a free trial or free plan?

Yes. Copper offers a 14-day free trial with instant activation and no credit card required. Trial includes full access to all features.

Source
Forethought: How is it priced?

Platform access fee plus outcome-based charging per resolution, with usage overages. Nothing is published; every deal is quoted.

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