Close CRM vs Hubspot
Close CRM and Hubspot both target business growth, but their approaches are vastly different. Close CRM is a centralized, sales-first communication tool designed to cut tool sprawl and costs. Hubspot is an extensive, integrated customer platform built on a foundational Smart CRM. You need to decide if deep focus or broad unification wins for your specific business.
Best for: Sales teams prioritizing fast, centralized communication and deal management., Small businesses that want to drastically cut external automation costs (Zapier bills).
Best for: Businesses needing a combined marketing, sales, and service platform (full customer lifecycle)., Organizations requiring integration with 1,900+ third-party business applications.
Simple CRM with mixed user experiences.
We find Close CRM offers a solid, all-in-one platform for small sales teams needing built-in calling, email, and AI automation. Overall, it's a capable tool, but its reliability and support responsiveness have drawn significant criticism from some users, making it a mixed bag for certain teams.
Pros
- All-in-one platform for calling, email, SMS, and pipeline management.
- AI agent (Chloe) automates follow-ups and lead engagement.
- Built-in Power and Predictive Dialers for high-volume teams.
- Straightforward UI that's easy to learn without complex training.
Cons
- Auto-security system can lock trials or accounts without warning, causing data access issues.
- Support sometimes provides generic, copy-paste responses instead of personalized help.
- Recent interface updates have introduced bugs, high latency, and missing functions for some users.
- iPhone app has been reported as slow and prone to call stuttering.
AI power, significant user friction.
We recognize the expansive feature set and powerful underlying Smart CRM offered by HubSpot, which unifies marketing, sales, and service. However, overwhelming user feedback reports severe issues with customer support responsiveness and problematic, aggressive billing practices, particularly concerning automatic contact tier upgrades. Overall, the platform holds significant potential based on features, but we urge extreme caution regarding contract terms and financial fairness.
Pros
- Comprehensive AI-powered customer platform built on a powerful Smart CRM.
- Deeply integrated ecosystem with 1,900+ available apps.
- Allows businesses to start immediately using robust, free tools.
- Unifies marketing, sales, and service data effectively for growth teams.
Cons
- Support is widely reported as unresponsive, slow, and incapable of solving long-standing issues.
- Users frequently complain about aggressive pricing practices and automatic tier upgrades without clear consent.
- Contracts are restrictive, featuring difficult cancellation processes and automatic annual renewal terms.
- Reported functional reliability issues; features promised by sales sometimes fail to work correctly (e.g., email sequences).
AboutClose CRM
Close is a sales CRM built for teams that sell. It combines calling, email, SMS, pipeline management, reporting, and an AI sales agent named Chloe into a single platform. ✅ It's designed for sales teams who want to act on their sales data quickly and efficiently, rather than juggling multiple tools. The platform is trusted by over 11,500 sales teams.
AboutHubspot
The HubSpot Customer Platform is a comprehensive system built around the Smart CRM. This Smart CRM acts as your single source of truth for all business data. It helps go-to-market teams—marketing, sales, and customer service—work together seamlessly. Over 268,000 customers across more than 135 countries already use it to scale their operations. The platform offers specialized Hubs that connect to everything you need to create content, find leads, close deals, and grow revenue. 💡
Highlights
Feature Comparison
Features Overview
We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.
Core Focus & Design
Close CRM is strictly sales-focused; Hubspot is a full customer growth platform.
Close CRM is built for selling and reducing tedious data entry for sales teams. The goal is managing customers and closing deals within one reliable tool. It centralizes communication complexity for efficiency. Hubspot unifies the entire business—marketing, sales, and service—on its Smart CRM foundation. Hubspot aims for cohesive growth and alignment across all customer-facing teams. This breadth makes its scope significantly larger. Close CRM is a sales specialty tool; Hubspot is an organizational powerhouse. Choose based on whether you need a deep tool or a wide platform.
AI Capabilities
Close CRM AI assists specific tasks; Hubspot AI acts as autonomous, widespread agents.
Close CRM AI helps sales reps with notes, contact enrichment, summaries, and email rewriting. It also integrates directly with external tools like Claude and ChatGPT. Hubspot uses Breeze AI Agents that work 24/7 as always-on teammates across the platform. AI Agents resolve over 65% of customer inquiries automatically and accelerate sales outreach. Close CRM AI helps with sales preparation; Hubspot AI actively performs large-scale business tasks. Hubspot offers a broader, more autonomous application of AI. For high-volume customer support automation, Hubspot's AI provides superior leverage.
Integration Ecosystem
Close CRM centralizes communication; Hubspot integrates with virtually everything else.
Close CRM supports key tools like Zoom, Calendly, and Zapier, emphasizing API access for customization. The platform is designed to reduce dependencies on many external tools and complexity. Hubspot supports connection with over 1,900 available app integrations in its ecosystem. It is designed to work well with almost any tool your business already relies on. Hubspot’s integration capability is designed for massive external connectivity, while Close CRM prioritizes internal self-sufficiency. If third-party integration is critical, Hubspot is the clear choice. Close CRM promises to lower costs by cutting Zapier bills, while Hubspot acts as a hub for hundreds of applications.
Pricing & Transparency
Close CRM has clear pricing; Hubspot’s paid tiers lack public cost clarity.
Close CRM pricing is clearly defined in tiered plans, starting at $0/year for its free access plan. The simple structure allows for predictable cost scaling for sales teams. Hubspot offers robust free tools to start, but specific pricing for paid bundles is Not explicitly stated. You must contact sales for details on the Small Business Bundle or Premium Plans. Close CRM offers maximum price transparency and predictable scaling costs. Hubspot faces frequent user complaints regarding aggressive pricing practices and automatic tier upgrades. For budget-sensitive users who hate surprise bills, Close CRM provides undeniable financial clarity.
Scope Complexity
Close CRM enables speed and focus; Hubspot requires managing significant organizational complexity.
Close CRM is built for sales teams, focusing exclusively on managing deals and communication efficiently. Its goal is less busywork and faster onboarding for new reps. Hubspot is a complex, comprehensive system integrating Marketing, Sales, Service, and Commerce Hubs. User reviews often describe the interface as clunky and restrictive for small teams. Close CRM is streamlined; Hubspot is sprawling. Scaling with Hubspot requires dedicated staff to manage its broad functionality. Simplicity and focus make Close CRM instantly more accessible for specialized sales users.
Data Management
Close CRM enriches sales data; Hubspot provides a dedicated hub for organizational data hygiene.
Close CRM uses AI Enrich to boost contact details and manage reliable data flow in sales communications. It helps maintain a single source of truth for communication data. Hubspot features a dedicated Data Hub to combine, clean, and activate customer information across departments. It ensures unified, actionable intelligence for all teams. Close CRM focuses on data quality within the CRM context. Hubspot addresses enterprise-level data silos and cleanliness across the entire business platform. If consistent data across marketing, sales, and service is a struggle, Hubspot’s Data Hub offers superior capabilities.
Customer Support
Close CRM support is standard; Hubspot support is widely reported as severely poor.
Close CRM provides standard 24/7 knowledge base and email support options. The provided data contains no negative user sentiment regarding its service quality. Hubspot reviews frequently report that support is unresponsive, slow, and incapable of resolving long-standing issues. Poor support is a major liability for Hubspot users. Close CRM shows reliability in the absence of complaint data; Hubspot shows a high risk of poor post-sale support. This user sentiment gap is critical. If reliable support is essential for your operations, Close CRM appears significantly safer based on user reports.
Close CRM costs between $9 and $139 per user/month with 4 plans: Solo at $9, Essentials at $35, Growth at $99, and Scale at $139.
Here is a quick breakdown to help you pick the best tier for your sales workflow.
Solo
Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually) Best For: Founders and solo reps who need a CRM instead of a spreadsheet Other Features:
- Includes 500 AI credits per user each month
- Limited to 1 user and up to 10,000 leads
- Core CRM tools for email, calling, and SMS
- Includes 500 AI credits per user/month
- Use Chloe & AI features
- 500 credits/month, refreshes monthly
- Limited to 1 user
- Limited to 10k leads
- Includes 1,000 AI credits per user/month
- Shared pool: 1,000 credits/user, up to 10,000/month
- Unlimited contacts & leads
- Team collaboration features
- Built-in forms, email, calling & SMS
- Includes 1,500 AI credits per user/month
- Shared pool: 1,500 credits/user, up to 15,000/month
- Automated workflows
- Use Chloe in Workflows
- Power dialer
- Includes 2,000 AI credits per user/month
- Shared pool: 2,000 credits/user, up to 20,000/month
- Role-based access & permissions
- Lead visibility settings
- Predictive dialer
We understand you need clear pricing information before committing. Here is an overview of the structured purchasing options we know are available, though most exact numerical details are not public.
Free Tools
Price: Free or $0 Refund Policy: Not applicable
This level allows new businesses to start immediately, focusing on core functionality without any initial financial commitment. Since HubSpot explicitly mentions providing these free tools, this is an excellent, zero-risk way to explore the platform's basic features and integrations before considering any paid subscription.
- Starter edition of each product
- Consolidated single price
Pricing Notes
- Close CRM offers clear, published pricing starting at $0/year for its plans, promoting transparency.
- Hubspot offers robust free tools, but paid tier pricing is Not explicitly stated and requires contacting sales for custom quotes.
- Close CRM aims to lower total cost of ownership by reducing reliance on external tools like Zapier.
- Hubspot reviews frequently complain about aggressive pricing practices and automatic, substantial tier upgrades.
- Close CRM provides simple, predictable cost scaling compared to Hubspot's complex pricing structure.
Pricing Head-to-Head
User Reviews
On Trustpilot, Close CRM holds a rating of 2.8/5. Users praise its straightforward UI, built-in calling and SMS, and responsive support that resolves issues quickly.
Many appreciate it as a simple alternative to complex tools like HubSpot. However, recurring concerns include unreliable auto-security systems that lock trials or accounts without warning, poor onboarding with copy-paste support responses, and occasional bugs in the AI search and newer interface.
Close is an amazing CRM and company. Our users found other CRMs complicated and over featured. The features we needed like SMS, Calling, and call recording are built in, so you don't need to figure out how to setup and support that. And speaking of support, their support team is incredible.
User reviews for HubSpot present a highly critical picture, primarily revolving around customer service and billing complexity. While the platform is acknowledged as a solid or capable system by some long-term users, many consumers report significant dissatisfaction.
Frequent issues include rapacious pricing practices and unauthorized contact tier upgrades that substantially increase costs without clear notice. Support responsiveness is a major pain point; reviewers describe customer service as terrible, often robotic, or incapable of resolving long-standing problems.
Horrible customer service. Their system glitched and locked me out for over a month and I couldn't access my paid subscription. They are completely incapable of solving basic problems.
Our Verdict
Choosing between Close CRM and Hubspot comes down to focus versus sheer functional volume. If you need a deep, focused sales tool, Close CRM is the answer. If you need a vast, sprawling business platform that handles everything, you must choose Hubspot. Close CRM is the transparent, sales-focused choice built for pure speed and communication reliability. It aims to cut chaos and lower your costs by centralizing communication tools. Close CRM gives you clear tiered pricing starting at $0/year, ensuring predictable scaling without budget surprises. Hubspot is the massive, integrated system unifying every customer-facing team function. It handles marketing, sales, and service, integrating with over 1,900 apps. Hubspot uses powerful Breeze AI Agents that actively resolve 65% of customer inquiries automatically for scale. The critical differentiator is cost assurance and complexity versus scope. If you need clean pricing and fast, simplified sales flow, Close CRM is superior. If you need dedicated Marketing and Service Hubs, you must accept Hubspot’s potential aggressive billing and complexity. For small to medium sales teams prioritizing budget control in one tool, Close CRM is the clear choice. Hubspot is only recommended for larger enterprises needing the full marketing/service suite who can afford its complexity and financial risks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for small, growing sales teams: Close CRM or Hubspot?
Close CRM is built specifically for sales teams and their workflow efficiency. It’s highly focused on centralizing communication and minimizing data entry busywork. Hubspot can be overly complex and clunky for smaller businesses without dedicated administrative staff.
Does Close CRM have marketing automation features like Hubspot?
No, Close CRM is primarily a sales and communication CRM. Hubspot offers a dedicated, comprehensive Marketing Hub designed for attracting leads and running campaigns. Close CRM focuses its features narrowly on closing deals, not large-scale marketing.
Is Hubspot worth the potential high cost over Close CRM?
Hubspot is only worth the cost if you critically need the integrated marketing and service functionality. Close CRM offers drastically better value with its transparent pricing and anti-Zapier cost savings. Hubspot users frequently complain about hidden, aggressive cost increases.
Which platform offers better AI capabilities, Close CRM or Hubspot?
Hubspot offers superior, autonomous AI agents (Breeze AI) that automate sales outreach and customer service at scale. Close CRM uses AI for assistive tasks like summarizing, enriching data, and rewriting emails. Hubspot’s AI is broader and more proactive.
How does the integration ecosystem compare between Close CRM and Hubspot?
Hubspot boasts a vast integration ecosystem with over 1,900 supported apps. Close CRM integrates with key tools like Zoom and Calendly, offering reliability and API access. Close CRM emphasizes reducing dependency on external tools, while Hubspot connects to everything.
Which tool is more secure: Close CRM or Hubspot?
Close CRM specifically states it is SOC2 Type 2 compliant and supports Google SSO. Hubspot does not explicitly state its compliance certifications in the public data. For compliance clarity, Close CRM currently offers more upfront detail.
Ready to Choose?
Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.