Close vs Zoho CRM

Close

• Sales teams that spend most of the day calling, texting and emailing leads
• Solo sellers who want a low-cost CRM with calling built in
• Teams that want an AI agent to call and qualify leads for them

Zoho CRM

• Small teams that want a free CRM for up to 3 users
• Businesses that want detailed customization and process automation
• Companies already using other Zoho apps

Close

• There is no free plan; the 14-day trial is followed by a paid subscription.
• Calling, SMS and phone numbers are billed by usage on top of the per-user price.
• Workflows and the power dialer need Growth; the predictive dialer and role-based permissions need Scale.
• Solo is limited to 1 user and 10,000 leads, and does not include email open tracking.

Zoho CRM

• The Free edition is limited to 3 users, 5,000 records and 5 workflow automations.
• Monthly billing costs more: Standard is $20 instead of $14 per user, and Professional $35 instead of $23.
• CPQ and inventory management start at Professional; territory management, custom functions and customer portals need Enterprise.
• Prices exclude local taxes, and the CRM Plus and Zoho One bundles are priced separately from Zoho CRM.

Close

Built-in calling and SMS

Calls and texts are made from the CRM and logged on the lead. Usage is billed at cost on top of the plan: most outbound calls are about $0.02 a minute and phone numbers start at about $1 a month.

Chloe, the AI teammate

Chloe calls and qualifies leads, books meetings and drafts follow-ups. Each plan includes monthly AI credits, from 500 on Solo to 2,000 per user on Scale, which do not roll over.

Email and automated workflows

Email is sent and tracked from Close alongside calls and texts. Growth and Scale add automated workflows, which Chloe can take part in, and bulk email sending.

Power and predictive dialers

Growth includes a power dialer and Scale a predictive dialer for working through call lists. Both need the desktop version; the mobile app cannot run them.

Pipelines and reporting

Opportunities are tracked through pipelines next to the calls, emails and texts behind them, with reports on leads and activity. Not every report is available in the mobile app.

Call Assistant add-on

Transcribes and summarizes voicemails and recorded calls longer than 30 seconds. It costs $50 a month per organization plus $0.02 per transcribed minute.

Zoho CRM

Lead, contact and deal management

Leads, accounts, contacts and deals are tracked through the sales cycle. Paid editions add multiple pipelines and sales forecasting, and Enterprise adds territory management.

Workflow and process automation

Workflow and assignment rules handle routine updates, cadences run sequences of follow-ups, and Blueprint holds a team to a structured sales process.

Zia AI

Zia gives predictions and recommendations, rewrites emails and flags anomalies. The pricing page lists AI agents from Standard and an AI sales assistant from Enterprise.

Analytics and forecasting

Reports, dashboards and forecasts track sales performance, with anomaly detection on top. The Free edition is limited to standard reports.

Canvas and customization

Layouts and fields can be customized, and Canvas redesigns record pages without code. Enterprise adds custom functions, wizards and customer portals.

Mobile apps with offline mode

iPhone, iPad and Android apps can add, edit and delete records offline and sync when back online. They also include a business card scanner.

Close

• Solo$9

  per user / month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)

  Core CRM for a single user and up to 10,000 leads, with 500 AI credits a month. Workflows are not included.

• Essentials$35

  per user / month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)

  Unlimited contacts and leads, team collaboration, built-in forms, email, calling and SMS, and 1,000 AI credits per user a month.

• Growth$99

  per user / month, billed annually ($109 billed monthly)

  Adds automated workflows, Chloe in workflows, the power dialer, custom activities and bulk email, with 1,500 AI credits per user a month.

• Scale$139

  per user / month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)

  Adds role-based permissions, lead visibility rules, the predictive dialer, live call coaching and unlimited call recording retention.

Zoho CRM

• Free$0

  Up to 3 users and 5,000 records, with lead, contact and deal management, standard reports and the mobile apps.

• Standard$14

  per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)

  Workflows and assignment rules, cadences, reports and dashboards, sales forecasting, AI agents and self-service kiosks.

• Professional$23

  per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)

  Adds CPQ, email intelligence, process automation, widgets, inventory management and Google Ads integration.

• Enterprise$40

  per user / month, billed annually ($50 billed monthly)

  Adds the AI sales assistant, journey orchestration, territory management, custom functions, wizards and customer portals.

• Ultimate$52

  per user / month, billed annually ($65 billed monthly)

  Higher feature limits, custom AI and ML models, data preparation, and consulting and migration assistance.

Close

• Annual discount

  Lower per-user price with annual billing

  Billed annually, Solo is $9 per user a month instead of $19, Essentials $35 instead of $49, Growth $99 instead of $109 and Scale $139 instead of $149.

• Other savings

  Discounts for 10+ seats on a 12-month term

  Close's help center says it offers discounts to customers with 10 or more seats who commit for 12 months or longer. The amount is not published; it is quoted by Close's team.

• Other savings

  30-day money-back guarantee

  The pricing page promises a full refund within 30 days, no questions asked, in addition to the free trial.

Zoho CRM

• Annual discount

  Save up to 34% with yearly billing

  Zoho's pricing page says yearly plans save up to 34%. Standard is $14 per user a month billed annually versus $20 monthly, and Professional is $23 versus $35.