Key takeaways
- Close is a sales CRM built around calling, SMS and email for small inside teams.
- HubSpot Sales Hub and Zoho CRM also list calling inside a broader CRM; Klenty is a dialler-led engagement tool beside your CRM.
- Pipedrive and Attio suit teams whose selling is less phone-led.
- Pebbles Ai has no dialler: it covers research, lead finding, a CRM labelled Beta, outreach drafts and inboxes for email and social chats.
Why do teams look for Close alternatives
Teams look for Close alternatives when their channel mix changes. Close is a sales CRM for small teams with built-in calling, SMS, a power dialler from its Growth plan, pipelines and an AI assistant named Chloe.
If your team calls less and emails, researches or uses LinkedIn more, a calling-centred CRM can feel like the wrong shape. Others outgrow it the other way, needing marketing and service on the same records.
What should you look for in a Close alternative
Look at how your team's hours split across phone, email, social and research, then match the tool to the biggest share.
For example, an invented recruitment agency selling to warehouse operators might make most first contact by phone, so dialling and call logging stay essential. An invented consultancy selling to finance directors might rarely cold call and spend its time on research and written outreach.
- Calling: a built-in dialler, power dialling and local numbers.
- Messaging: SMS, email and LinkedIn in one place.
- CRM depth: pipelines, reports and forecasting.
- Prospecting: finding leads inside the tool or elsewhere.
- Integrations with the tools you already pay for.
How do the main Close alternatives compare
The main alternatives split into CRMs that keep calling inside, a dialler-led engagement tool and options built around other channels. Each line says where calling sits in the product; the cards further down link to each site.
- Pipedrive: a visual pipeline CRM with automations, forecasting reports and an AI sales assistant.
- HubSpot Sales Hub: a full CRM with sequences, calling and forecasting, plus marketing and service hubs and free tools.
- Zoho CRM: a configurable CRM with built-in calling and cadences on Standard, forecasting and a free edition.
- Klenty: a sales engagement platform for phone-first SDR teams, with a parallel and power dialler, cadences and CRM plugins.
- Attio: a flexible CRM with enrichment, email and calendar sync, and call intelligence and sequences on Pro.
- Pebbles Ai: a workspace for research, lead finding and outreach drafting, with a Beta CRM and inboxes for email and social chats.
How is Pebbles Ai different from Close
Pebbles Ai differs by focusing on research and written outreach rather than calling; it has no dialler, calling or SMS. Its Marketing and Strategy assistants find leads at named companies, research accounts with citations and draft email and LinkedIn outreach from Company Intel.
Leads land in a Beta CRM with deals, Kanban boards, saved views, tasks and notes. Smartbox handles Gmail and Outlook mail, and Socialbox brings LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram chats into one inbox, where you write every message yourself.
Can you keep calling and add research
Yes: phone-led teams can keep Close or another dialler for calls and use Pebbles Ai to prepare and follow up.
For example, a seller could ask an assistant to research tomorrow's call list from public sources, then draft a follow-up email for each call, saved as a draft in the connected mailbox. Contacts exported from Close as CSV import into the Pebbles Ai CRM.
Close alternatives at a glance
Who each option suits and whether its own site lists a free plan.
| Best for | Free plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Pipedrive | Sales teams that manage deals stage by stage on a pipeline board, with automations and an AI sales assistant. | No |
| HubSpot Sales Hub | Companies that want marketing, sales and service on one CRM, starting from free tools. | Yes |
| Zoho CRM | Companies that want a configurable CRM with forecasting, calling and automation, especially if they already use other Zoho apps. | Yes |
| Klenty | SDR teams that make a lot of calls and want dialling, cadences and email outreach in one tool connected to their CRM. | No |
| Attio | Teams that want to shape their own CRM data model, with enrichment, an API and webhooks. | Yes |
| Pebbles Ai | Teams that research and write more than they call; it has no dialler, calling or SMS. | No |
Best for is our own summary of each product's public pages, and the free plan column is what each site lists. Pebbles Ai has no free plan; Pro and Team start with a 1-month free trial. Plans change, so check their sites before you decide.
The products compared
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
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
Zoho CRM
CRM platform
A per-user CRM from Zoho with a free edition, sales automation, forecasting, cadences, built-in calling and the Zia AI assistant, part of a wider suite of Zoho business apps.
Best for: Small and mid-sized companies that want an affordable, configurable CRM with forecasting, calling and automation, especially if they already use other Zoho apps.
Pricing model: Free, Standard, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate, per user per month, with a discount for yearly billing; CRM Plus is a separate bundle. Source: Zoho CRM pricing
Klenty
Sales engagement platform
A sales engagement platform built around phone-first SDR teams, combining multichannel cadences, an AI parallel and power dialler, email outreach, data credits and CRM integrations.
Best for: SDR teams that make a lot of calls and want dialling, cadences and email outreach in one tool connected to their CRM.
Pricing model: Starter is a flat plan with unlimited users and mailboxes; Growth and Plus are per user per month; all billed annually, with dialling and local presence add-ons. Source: Klenty 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
We make Pebbles Ai. Facts about other products come from their own public pages, checked on .
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityResearch & analysisResearch each account on your call list from its website and public sources, with numbered citations you can check.
- CapabilityProspecting & customer recordsFind leads at up to ten named companies by role and location, and keep contacts, segments and deals in a CRM labelled Beta.
- CapabilitySocialboxSocialbox brings LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram chats into one inbox, with LinkedIn network tools and search.
Common questions
Can Close users keep their dialler beside Pebbles Ai?
Yes, and phone-led teams should. Pebbles Ai has no dialler, calling or SMS, so Close or another calling tool stays for calls while Pebbles Ai prepares the research and follow-up emails.
Which Close alternatives include calling?
Klenty is built around a parallel and power dialler, and HubSpot Sales Hub and Zoho CRM both list calling. Check each plan, since calling is often tied to a tier.
How do I move contacts from Close to Pebbles Ai?
Export them from Close as CSV and import the file into the Pebbles Ai CRM. Plan separately for deals and call history.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
