Key takeaways
- Keep the new business CRM separate in your head from the platform you use to deliver client work.
- A pitch involves several people at the prospect, so the CRM must link many contacts to one deal.
- Pre-pitch research takes real time before every pitch, so check how each tool brings it into the record.
- Pebbles Ai researches a prospect with citations, but it offers no white-labelling or client sub-accounts.
What an agency CRM has to track
An agency CRM has to track pitches rather than transactions: an enquiry, a brief, a credentials meeting, a proposal and a decision, often spread over months.
Each prospective client brings a marketing lead, a procurement contact and a sponsor, and the agency fields a strategist, a creative lead and a managing partner. A CRM that ties one contact to one deal will lose the thread halfway through.
- Deal stages that match your pitch process, from brief to decision
- Several contacts per deal, each with a role noted
- Notes and tasks the whole pitch team can see
- Prospect research stored with the record
- A quick view of which pitches are live this quarter
New business CRM or client marketing platform
A new business CRM helps you win the client, while a client marketing platform delivers work for them, so keep the two apart when you compare tools.
GoHighLevel describes itself as an AI-powered business operating system, and its site lists CRM and pipelines, funnels and websites, email and SMS, and sub-accounts with white-labelling. That makes it a tool for running campaigns on behalf of clients, which is a separate decision from how you track your own pitches.
How CRMs for marketing and creative agencies compare
Five of these tools are sales CRMs that can hold a pitch pipeline, and GoHighLevel is listed for contrast. Each note reflects the vendor's own site.
- HubSpot Sales Hub: free tools for up to two users, then paid seats, as part of a wider marketing and service platform around the CRM.
- Pipedrive: a visual pipeline with automations and forecasting reports, plus the LeadBooster add-on, prospecting and Campaigns.
- Attio: a data-driven CRM with automatic enrichment, email and calendar sync, and an API and webhooks for custom workflows.
- folk: a lightweight relationship CRM with a LinkedIn extension, a natural fit for partner-led new business built on introductions.
- Close: built-in calling and SMS with pipelines, for agencies whose new business team works the phone.
- GoHighLevel: client delivery, with funnels, websites, email and SMS, Conversation and Voice AI, and white-labelled sub-accounts.
Where Pebbles Ai fits agency pitching
Pebbles Ai fits the research and outreach work around a pitch, with a Beta CRM to hold the deal. Ask the Strategy assistant about a prospective client and you get a brief with inline numbered citations and a source list, while Company Intel keeps your agency's offer, approach and brand voice ready for every message.
Each pitch becomes a deal with stage, amount, currency, close date and probability, and the people at the prospect sit in the CRM with notes and tasks. To reach more of the buying group, Find fresh leads searches a named prospect by role and location, up to ten companies a run.
When an agency should look elsewhere
Look elsewhere if you need white-labelled client accounts, built-in calling or forecasting, because Pebbles Ai offers none of them.
An agency that already runs HubSpot for its own pipeline may prefer to keep it there. Pebbles Ai has no native HubSpot connection, so it would work beside that CRM as the research and writing layer rather than inside it.
Agency CRMs and platforms at a glance
Each product's category, whether its site lists a free plan, and any client account features its own site names.
| Category | Free plan | Client accounts named on its site | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Sales Hub | CRM platform with sales software | Yes | See their site |
| Pipedrive | Pipeline-focused sales CRM | No | See their site |
| Attio | Modern data-driven CRM | Yes | See their site |
| folk | Lightweight relationship CRM | No | See their site |
| GoHighLevel | All-in-one marketing platform for agencies | No | Sub-accounts and white-labelling |
| Close | Sales CRM with built-in calling | No | See their site |
| Pebbles Ai | Go-to-market workspace with AI assistants and a CRM labelled Beta | No | No client sub-accounts; built for your own new business |
Entries reflect each vendor's site at the time of checking; ask the vendor how its plans handle agency teams. Pebbles Ai has no free plan; Pro and Team start with a 1-month free trial.
The products compared
HubSpot Sales Hub
CRM platform with sales software
A CRM-centred sales suite with free tools, seat-based paid tiers, sequences, calling, forecasting, a prospecting agent and AI features, part of HubSpot's wider marketing and service platform.
Best for: Companies that want one mature CRM across marketing, sales and service, with the HubSpot Marketplace of apps and free tools for up to 2 users.
Pricing model: Free tools, then Starter, Professional and Enterprise priced per seat; onboarding fees on higher tiers. Source: HubSpot Sales Hub pricing
Read the comparison with HubSpot Sales Hub Visit HubSpot Sales Hub
Pipedrive
Pipeline-focused sales CRM
A sales CRM built around visual pipelines, with an AI sales assistant and email writer, automations, forecasting reports and add-ons for lead generation and campaigns.
Best for: Small companies and growing sales teams that track deals on a kanban board and want AI help and task automation without a long set-up.
Pricing model: Plans and prices are on their own pricing page. Source: Pipedrive pricing
Attio
Modern data-driven CRM
A flexible, data-model-first CRM with automatic enrichment, email and calendar sync, sequences and call intelligence on Pro, and a free tier.
Best for: Startups and scale-ups that want a customisable CRM with enrichment and a developer-friendly API.
Pricing model: Free, Plus, Pro and Enterprise, per user, with seat and workspace credits. Source: Attio pricing
folk
Lightweight relationship CRM
A lightweight CRM for relationship-driven teams, with contact enrichment, email campaigns, AI assistants and a LinkedIn extension, priced per member with a two-week trial.
Best for: Founders and small teams managing relationships and simple campaigns.
Pricing model: Standard, Premium and Enterprise, per member, monthly or annual. Source: folk pricing
HighLevel (GoHighLevel)
All-in-one marketing platform for agencies
A business platform it calls the AI-powered business operating system, bundling CRM and pipelines, funnels and websites, email and SMS marketing, calling, conversation AI and white-label sub-accounts for agencies.
Best for: Marketing agencies and service businesses that want CRM, funnels, messaging and calling under one roof, often resold to clients through sub-accounts.
Pricing model: Starter, Unlimited, Founder (called Pro in the FAQ) and Enterprise, month to month or annual, with usage-based charges for telecom and AI and paid add-ons. Source: HighLevel (GoHighLevel) pricing
Read the comparison with HighLevel (GoHighLevel) Visit HighLevel (GoHighLevel)
Close
Sales CRM with built-in calling
A sales CRM for small teams with built-in calling, a power dialler on higher plans, SMS, pipelines and an AI sales agent named Chloe, priced per seat with a free trial.
Best for: Small inside sales teams that live on the phone and email.
Pricing model: Solo, Essentials, Growth and Scale, per seat, monthly or annual. Source: Close pricing
We make Pebbles Ai. Facts about other products come from their own public pages, checked on .
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityResearch & analysisResearch a prospective client before the pitch and get a brief with inline numbered citations and a source list.
- CapabilityProspecting & customer recordsTrack each pitch as a deal in the Beta CRM and add people at the prospect by role and location with Find fresh leads.
- FoundationCompany IntelCompany Intel holds your agency's offer, approach and brand voice, so outreach to a new stakeholder starts from what you sell.
Common questions
Is GoHighLevel a CRM for agencies?
It includes a CRM and pipelines, but its site also lists funnels, websites, email and SMS marketing and white-labelled sub-accounts for running client work. An agency can use a tool like it for client delivery and a separate CRM for its own pitches.
How should an agency track a pitch in a CRM?
Create one deal per pitch, link every stakeholder at the prospect with their role, and move it through stages that mirror your process from brief to decision.
Does Pebbles Ai offer white-labelling for agencies?
No. Pebbles Ai has no white-labelling or client sub-accounts; it supports your own new business with research, leads, outreach drafts and a Beta CRM.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
