Close CRM vs Salesflare
Close CRM and Salesflare both target sales teams needing efficiency, but they take incredibly different routes. Close CRM centralizes operations to cut costs and busywork using powerful built-in AI tools. Salesflare excels at automatic B2B lead tracking and provides strong, deep integrations with LinkedIn, Gmail, and Outlook. This comparison shows you whether you need AI firepower or seamless data automation.
Best for: Sales teams prioritizing speed and centralized communication, Organizations looking to cut external tool costs (like Zapier bills)
Best for: Small and medium B2B sales teams (SMBs), Reps struggling with manual data entry who need automatic tracking
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.
Simple, Powerful CRM for B2B Success.
We note that Salesflare successfully delivers on its promise of simplifying CRM tasks through strong built-in automation features that cut down on administrative work. The overwhelmingly positive user feedback regarding reliability, ease of use, and speedy customer support increases our confidence in the platform's high value proposition. Overall, Salesflare is a well-priced, effective solution ideal for small and medium-sized B2B teams focused on streamlining follow-up and maximizing efficiency.
Pros
- Automated data input significantly cuts required administrative time.
- Customer support is highly responsive and tailors solutions to specific needs.
- The platform is reported as highly reliable, with users citing years without downtime.
- Simple interface that is deemed very easy to use for startups and small teams.
Cons
- The Enterprise plan requires a minimum commitment of five users to start.
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.
AboutSalesflare
Salesflare is an intelligent CRM built specifically for small and medium-sized businesses selling B2B. This platform is designed to be simple yet powerful, ensuring the whole sales team truly benefits from using it. It delivers higher sales results and happier customers by making tracking effortless. Salesflare has been adopted by over 10,000 companies to help them manage contacts and relationships better. ✨
Highlights
Feature Comparison
Features Overview
We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.
Generative AI Tools
Close CRM offers deep native AI integration; Salesflare focuses AI on passive data suggestions.
Close CRM builds its platform around powerful AI for smarter conversations. It offers native integration with both Claude and ChatGPT for advanced tasks. It includes dedicated AI Notetaker, AI Summaries, and an AI Email Rewrite Assistant. These tools streamline high-velocity outreach and internal reporting. Salesflare uses AI for suggestions and semi-automatic data enrichment. Its focus is strictly on keeping lead data current and guiding next steps. If generative content creation and conversational boosting is your goal, Close CRM provides unmatched power here.
Data Automation & Capture
Salesflare excels at auto-tracking leads; Close CRM focuses on workflow reliability and data refinement.
Salesflare offers automatic lead tracking and proactive follow-up reminders. It uses semi-automatic data filling to reduce manual entry significantly. It captures external activities like emails, web tracking, and social interactions seamlessly. This means reps spend less time copy-pasting customer history. Close CRM focuses on building reliable, centralized workflows and using AI Enrich to refine existing data. It improves the integrity of data flows. Salesflare is better if you prioritize data entry automation; Close CRM is better if you prioritize AI refinement and workflow consistency.
Integration Ecosystem
Salesflare offers superior B2B integrations; Close CRM focuses on centralization to reduce external tool usage.
Salesflare shines with deep, native integrations for B2B reps. It connects strongly with LinkedIn, Gmail, and Outlook. These integrations often include sidebars, eliminating the need to jump between windows or copy text. This keeps the team aligned instantly. Close CRM's main value is reducing your reliance on fragmented integrations, particularly aiming to cut high Zapier bills. It offers API access. If your sales team lives inside their email and LinkedIn, Salesflare provides a massively workflow-friendly experience.
Platform Value Proposition
Close CRM is built to consolidate tools; Salesflare is built for user adoption and simplicity within SMBs.
Close CRM is marketed as ‘One tool for all communication,’ simplifying sales operations significantly. It improves reliability by centralizing communication and data. It has a ‘sales-first design’ built specifically for managing customers and closing deals faster. Closing the deal is the primary focus of Close CRM. Salesflare, designed for SMBs, boasts that it’s ‘The CRM your team loves to use.’ Its automatic tracking promotes higher user adoption across the team. Salesflare emphasizes relationship intelligence and a clear, visual pipeline to improve collaboration and coaching efforts.
Pricing Structure
Close CRM’s top-end cost is lower ($250/year); Salesflare offers flexible usage-based lead credits.
Close CRM plans run from a Free plan up to an advertised $250/year rate. This suggests a potentially lower entry point for growth stage businesses. However, Close CRM lacks transparency on high-volume limits for emails and calls, which might incur hidden costs. Salesflare offers tiered pricing but also provides usage-based “Lead Credits” for extra capacity. Its top-end Enterprise plan is significantly more expensive (up to $1000/month). If you expect variable outreach volumes, Salesflare’s usage credits offer flexibility, while Close CRM seems to promise simpler, bundled pricing up front.
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
Salesflare costs between $29 and $99 per user per month (billed annually) with three plans: Growth at $29/month, Pro at $49/month, and Enterprise at $99/month.
Now, let's look closer at the features included in each option, focusing on the USD annual rates.
Growth
Price: $29/user/month (Billed Annually) Best For: Teams starting out with sales automation and core CRM needs Other Features:
- Automatic contact and company data input
- Email, link, and website visit tracking
- LinkedIn sidebar and mobile app access
- Send personalized email campaigns
- 5 lead credits included monthly
- Automated CRM data input
- Track emails, links and website visits
- LinkedIn sidebar, email sidebar & mobile app access
- Send personalized email campaigns
- All features on the Growth plan
- Send workflows of multiple emails (email flows)
- Set user permissions and access controls
- Create custom dashboards
- All features on the Pro plan
- Full setup and tailor-made training
- Data migration done for you
- Dedicated account manager
Pricing Notes
- Close CRM offers a free plan and a very attractive high-end price point of $250/year, per the current data.
- Salesflare's pricing structure is more complex, involving per-user fees plus optional usage-based 'Lead Credits' for extra capacity.
- Both Close CRM and Salesflare offer a free tier/plan and a free trial to test the software before committing.
- Salesflare is transparent about its 30-day free trial; Close CRM only states a 'Try for free' option.
- The Enterprise tier for Salesflare includes free onboarding and help with data migration, which is crucial for large teams.
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.
Salesflare earns exceptionally positive feedback, primarily highlighting its suitability for B2B sales and startups. Users frequently praise the platform's reliability, with some noting they have used it for years “without downtime.” A strong recurring theme is the excellent customer service; the team is described as responsive, accessible, and willing to adjust the product based on user input, ensuring the CRM meets unique business needs.
Users call Salesflare easy to use, intuitive, and a “Flawless CRM.” Its ability to automate data input, manage flexible pipelines, and run effective email campaigns is consistently highlighted as adding significant value. Furthermore, users recognize the pricing as reasonable, offering strong capabilities for the cost.
This is the best CRM for small businesses and startups. The product is great and very easy to use. I also appreciate that the Salesflare team is small and easily accessible.
Our Verdict
The decision between Close CRM and Salesflare hinges on whether you need AI power or passive automation. It truly is a choice between streamlining internal productivity versus seamless external data collection. Close CRM is the clear winner if you need powerful, integrated AI functionality built right into your workflow. It offers native Claude and ChatGPT integration to enhance outreach and documentation instantly. Close CRM is designed as a sales-focused communication hub, helping you reliably cut costs on fragmented tools like Zapier. Salesflare is the champion of passive automation and B2B engagement efficiency. It tracks leads and enriches data semi-automatically, meaning your reps rarely manually update records. Its deep integrations with LinkedIn, Gmail, and Outlook are perfect for B2B teams focused on relationship building. If your sales process relies on powerful generative AI tools consolidated into one platform, you absolutely must pick Close CRM. Conversely, if your reps despise data entry and live inside social/email, Salesflare offers superior passive data capture, leading to excellent adoption. Therefore, choose Close CRM for high-velocity teams prioritizing reliable, AI-driven speed and centralization. Pick Salesflare if you run an SMB B2B team prioritizing seamless automatic data tracking and internal relationship intelligence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for B2B relationship tracking: Close CRM or Salesflare?
Salesflare is significantly better for B2B relationship complexity. Salesflare includes Relationship Intelligence, which maps out who knows whom within your team. Close CRM focuses more on high-velocity deal management rather than internal network mapping.
Does Close CRM or Salesflare offer better native AI capabilities?
Close CRM is the definitive win for native AI capabilities. It incorporates dedicated AI Notetaker, Summaries, and direct integration with Claude and ChatGPT. Salesflare uses AI mainly for background data enrichment and general suggestions.
Which software helps reduce reliance on external automation tools like Zapier?
Close CRM directly addresses the pain point of rising Zapier costs and flaky integrations. It positions itself as a single tool for communication, centralizing functions for better reliability. Salesflare relies more on deep synchronization with existing external tools (Gmail/LinkedIn).
Are Salesflare’s integrations deeper than Close CRM’s?
Yes, Salesflare boasts deeper, more proactive B2B integrations. Its specialized sync with LinkedIn, Gmail, and Outlook includes sidebars and automatic activity tracking. Close CRM integrations are more focused on API access for custom setups.
Which CRM is best suited for small business owners based on pricing?
Both offer a free tier. Close CRM has a notably lower maximum advertised price, topping out at $250/year per user per the data provided. Salesflare’s top-tier Enterprise pricing goes significantly higher, up to $1000/month.
Ready to Choose?
Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.