Close CRM vs SmartSuite
Close CRM is built specifically for selling and centralized sales outreach. SmartSuite is a flexible Work OS managing workflows across the entire organization. You must decide if you need a specialized sales tool or a customizable platform. Close CRM offers sales depth, but SmartSuite offers organizational breadth.
Best for: Sales teams needing unified communication tools and centralized pipelines, Small teams or solo entrepreneurs focused purely on sales outreach
Best for: Organizations needing a single source of truth for all departments (IT, Marketing, Sales), Teams managing complex compliance or GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance) requirements
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.
Configurable Workflow Hub for Teams
We found SmartSuite to be a powerful platform focused on boosting operational efficiency and organizational alignment. It offers deep customization, strong automation features, and clear tiered pricing, allowing teams to build flexible solutions without requiring coding expertise. Overall, this is a robust option for organizations moving beyond simple task management toward complex process workflow management.
Pros
- Deep process customization for highly tailored solutions.
- Powerful automation engine using triggers, AI, and webhooks.
- Flexible pricing structure that includes a permanent free tier.
- Extensive integration capability (20+ native, 6,000+ via Zapier).
Cons
- Paid plans require a minimum number of billable users, starting at three.
- Higher tiers can become substantially expensive for very large organizations.
- The vast array of features may present a steep initial learning curve.
- File storage limits are modest on lower-tier plans.
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.
AboutSmartSuite
SmartSuite is a powerful, flexible platform designed to streamline operations across your entire organization. It focuses on turning complex, siloed departmental work into integrated, manageable workflows.
Whether you’re handling compliance, managing IT tickets, or driving sales, SmartSuite allows teams to build customized solutions without requiring any dedicated coding. It’s built for businesses looking to gain speed, accountability, and essential visibility in handling their daily tasks. 💡
Highlights
Feature Comparison
Features Overview
We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.
Core Purpose & Focus
Close CRM is built specifically for selling; SmartSuite is a customizable organization management tool.
Close CRM focuses on centralized communication, pipelines, and closing deals faster. It’s designed purely for the busy sales professional. SmartSuite is designed as a Work OS, building customized solutions for any department. It handles GRC, IT, finance, and specialized marketing workflows. SmartSuite offers organization-wide breadth, while Close CRM offers sales specialty. The better tool depends entirely on your team's primary function.
Workflow Automation
Close CRM automates sales processes natively; SmartSuite offers a powerful, organization-wide automation engine.
Close CRM focuses on replacing third-party automation tools like Zapier for core sales tasks. This creates reliable, internal data flows, reducing integration costs. SmartSuite’s powerful engine uses triggers, webhooks, and AI to automate complex processes across multiple teams. It is built to achieve vast complexity and scalability. SmartSuite integrates easily with Zapier and Make for syncing with 6,000+ additional apps. SmartSuite offers a much broader and deeper automation capability across the business.
AI Capabilities
Close CRM has integrated AI for notes and writing; SmartSuite uses AI primarily within its automation engine.
Close CRM features tools like AI Notetaker, AI Enrich, and AI Email Rewrite Assistant for sales reps. It also provides explicit integration with Claude and ChatGPT for smarter conversations. SmartSuite leverages AI primarily to power its complex automation engine and workflow execution. SmartSuite’s AI features are not intended for the same instant, user-facing sales support. If your team needs AI for fast conversation support (notes/summaries), Close CRM is the superior choice.
Customization & Flexibility
Close CRM customizes the sales process; SmartSuite lets you build entire applications and unique non-CRM solutions.
Close CRM provides a sales-first design, strictly optimizing workflows for managing customers and deals. Customization is limited to enhancing the sales process. SmartSuite allows users to design customized solutions and workflows for any business need. This includes specialized modules for IT, Finance, or compliance without requiring code. You can create a specialized sales CRM, a hiring tracker, and a finance system all in one place within SmartSuite. SmartSuite is far more flexible for non-sales tasks.
Integration Ecosystem
Close CRM focuses on native communication tools; SmartSuite integrates with thousands of external applications.
Close CRM offers core integrations with tools like Zoom, Calendly, and Segment, emphasizing fewer external dependencies. Close CRM promises to lower your Zapier costs by handling communication tasks itself. SmartSuite supports 20+ native business app integrations right out of the box. It also connects to over 6,000 additional apps using popular tools like Zapier and Make. SmartSuite is the clear winner for organizations relying on diverse, interconnected software stacks.
Scalability & Compliance
SmartSuite provides enterprise-grade compliance and security features that Close CRM does not highlight.
SmartSuite maintains certifications including SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, critical for larger organizations. SmartSuite offers SAML-based Single Sign-On and EU Data Residency for its Enterprise plans. Close CRM mentions SOC2 Type 2 compliance but focuses mostly on sales features. For organizations with high security, auditing, and compliance requirements, SmartSuite is the better option.
Pricing Model
Close CRM is more accessible for solo users; SmartSuite requires a minimum of three billable users for paid plans.
Close CRM offers a highly accessible Solo plan starting at $0/year, supporting one user and 10,000 leads. SmartSuite offers a permanent Free plan for up to three users and five solutions. However, SmartSuite’s paid Team plan requires a minimum of three billable users to start. Close CRM provides a smoother, lower-cost entry point for individual founders and solo entrepreneurs. SmartSuite scales up faster once you move beyond the free tier.
Sales Specialization
Close CRM is a dedicated sales platform; SmartSuite requires customizing a solution to function as a sales CRM.
Close CRM is purpose-built with sales workflows already optimized and ready to use immediately. It centralizes calling, emailing, and lead management in one tool. SmartSuite allows you to build a custom CRM solution with a flexible pipeline. Building a similar sales environment in SmartSuite requires initial configuration effort. If immediate sales ROI is the goal, Close CRM offers specialized features and a faster startup time.
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
SmartSuite costs between $0 and $45 per user, per month with five plans: Free at $0, Team at $12 (annually), Professional at $30 (annually), Enterprise at $45 (annually), and the custom Signature Plan.
SmartSuite aims to simplify your decision by offering plans that truly grow with you.
Free
Price: $0 PER USER / MONTH Best For: Individuals or small teams just getting started with SmartSuite Other Features:
- 3 Users
- 5 Solutions
- 1,000 Records per Solution
- 100MB of File Storage
- 14 Days Recycle Bin
- 3 Users
- 5 Solutions
- 1,000 Records per Solution
- Min 3 Billable Users
- Unlimited Solutions
- 5,000 Records per Solution
- Min 5 Billable Users
- Unlimited Solutions
- 100,000 Records per Solution
- Min 10 Billable Users
- Unlimited Solutions
- 400,000 Records per Solution
Pricing Notes
- Close CRM offers a highly accessible starting point with its $0/year plan and flexible user minimums.
- SmartSuite also includes a permanent free plan but requires a minimum of three billable users for all paid tiers.
- SmartSuite's annual billing provides significant savings compared to monthly rates on all paid plans.
- Close CRM emphasizes cost reduction, specifically claiming to help users cut their Zapier integration expenses.
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.
We were unable to incorporate specific user reviews from Trustpilot or Capterra for this assessment. The provided inputs contained the necessary URLs but lacked concrete user snippets detailing external sentiment.
Consequently, this section cannot report on recurring themes regarding support responsiveness, data reliability, or the user experience with onboarding and integrations. We know that platforms like SmartSuite, which focus heavily on comprehensive workflow management and deep customization, often provide excellent structural power.
Our Verdict
The core decision is specialization versus organization-wide power. Close CRM is a specialized, sales-focused tool for busy reps. SmartSuite is a flexible workflow engine for your entire business. The choice depends strictly on your immediate functional requirements. Close CRM shines in dedicated sales environments and outreach operations. It includes native AI features like note-takers and summaries for sales conversations. Close CRM aims to cut high costs by replacing tools like Zapier with reliable native automation. Use Close CRM if your only immediate problem is boosting sales team efficiency and communication. SmartSuite is built for flexibility and company alignment across multiple verticals. It lets you build custom solutions for IT, Finance, or GRC teams, not just sales pipelines. SmartSuite handles complex compliance needs and large-scale enterprise security features. SmartSuite helps manage every complicated workflow under one collaborative roof. The key difference is breadth versus deep sales depth. If you need intense specialization in sales communication, choose Close CRM. If you need a flexible platform to manage workflows across five different departments, pick SmartSuite. SmartSuite wins for broad organizational efficiency and customization power. Choose Close CRM if you are strictly a sales team needing AI-assisted communication and built-in automation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for small sales teams: Close CRM or SmartSuite?
Close CRM is purpose-built for sales and offers a $0/year plan for solo users. SmartSuite’s paid plans require a minimum of three billable users. For dedicated sales communication and ease of use, Close CRM is generally the better choice.
Does Close CRM offer the same level of customization as SmartSuite?
No, SmartSuite is a significantly more flexible no-code platform and Work OS. Close CRM is limited to customization within the sales pipeline structure. SmartSuite allows you to build solutions for GRC, IT, and specialized finance tracking.
Which platform is better for complex IT or Compliance workflows?
SmartSuite clearly wins this comparison due to its Work OS design. SmartSuite handles detailed workflows, enterprise security, and compliance certifications like ISO 27001. Close CRM is not designed for these complex organizational functions.
Can SmartSuite really replace my dedicated CRM?
SmartSuite allows you to build a highly customized sales pipeline management solution easily. However, Close CRM provides dedicated, native sales features like the AI Notetaker and Dialer. SmartSuite offers the powerful structure; Close CRM offers the specific sales tooling.
Which tool is cheaper to start with for a solo user?
Close CRM is cheaper for solo users with its $0/year Solo plan. SmartSuite also has a permanent Free plan, but you must pay for a minimum of three users to access paid tiered benefits.
How does the AI in Close CRM compare to SmartSuite’s automation?
Close CRM's AI focuses on enhancing sales tasks like conversation summaries and email rewriting. SmartSuite uses AI primarily to power its complex, cross-departmental automation engine and workflows. Close CRM’s AI is directly user-facing for daily sales tasks.
Ready to Choose?
Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.