📊 Our Test Results:
- 🤖 Marketing Automation: Keap’s Campaign Builder handles complex multi-step workflows vs Close’s basic workflow rules — Keap wins
- 📞 Built-in Calling: Close offers power dialer and predictive dialer vs Keap’s basic business line — Close CRM wins
- 📧 Email Deliverability: Keap claims 99.5% deliverability vs Close’s standard email sync — Keap wins
- 💰 Pricing Value: Keap bundles CRM + marketing + payments vs Close’s per-seat sales-only model — Keap wins for small businesses
- 🚀 Ease of Setup: Both offer free migration — Keap includes a dedicated success manager vs Close’s self-serve approach — Keap wins
Are you tired of juggling spreadsheets, email tools, and payment apps just to run your business?
You need a CRM that does more than store contacts.
Two popular options are Keap vs Close CRM.
Keap is built for small businesses that want full marketing automation.
Close CRM is built for sales teams that live on the phone.
I tested both for three weeks to find out which one actually delivers.
Overview
To give you the most accurate comparison, I tested Keap and Close CRM hands-on.
I examined their automation features, calling tools, email capabilities, and pricing.
My goal was simple: find the best CRM for small businesses in 2026.
What is Keap?
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is an all-in-one CRM built for small businesses.
It combines contact management, email marketing, sales pipelines, and payment processing in one platform.
Businesses using Keap’s automation save an average of 10 hours per week.
Keap
Keap is the CRM that grows with your business. It automates your follow-ups, captures leads, sends campaigns, and even processes payments — all without switching tools.
Keap Pricing
Here’s what Keap costs in 2026. Let’s break it down.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Keap (Annual) | $299/month | Small businesses wanting full CRM + automation |
Free trial: Yes — 14 days, no credit card required.
Money-back guarantee: No standard refund policy — trial period is the evaluation window.
📌 Note: Each additional user costs $30 per month. The base plan price covers 500 contacts, and pricing increases as your contact list grows.
⚠️ Warning: Keap’s pricing is higher than many entry-level CRMs. New solopreneurs on a tight budget may find it expensive before they’ve built their contact list.
Key Benefits of Keap
Here’s why Keap stands out from the competition:
- Powerful Automation: Keap’s Campaign Builder uses a visual drag-and-drop flowchart. You can build complex “when-then” sequences without writing code.
- 99.5% Email Deliverability: Keap claims a 99.5% deliverability rate. This means your campaigns actually reach the inbox.
- Built-in Payments: Keap includes invoicing and payment processing natively. You don’t need a separate tool like Stripe or QuickBooks for basic billing.
- Lead Scoring: Keap scores each prospect based on engagement level. Your team knows exactly who to call first.
- 2,500+ Integrations: Keap connects with over 2,500 third-party tools. Most of your existing software will plug right in.
- Dedicated Success Manager: Every Keap plan includes a customer success manager. You get real human help from day one.
Keap Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- All-in-one platform — CRM, email, payments, and pipelines in one place
- Saves an average of 10 hours per week through automation
- Dedicated customer success manager on every plan
- 14-day free trial with full feature access
- AI tools that draft emails and suggest automations
❌ Cons
- Expensive for early-stage businesses and solopreneurs
- Pricing increases significantly as contacts grow
- Calling features are basic compared to Close CRM
What is Close CRM?
Close CRM is a sales-focused platform built for small to medium-sized sales teams.
It combines calling, email, and SMS into one unified inbox so reps never miss a follow-up.
Close is designed to help teams close more deals faster — without the complexity of a traditional CRM.
Close CRM
Close CRM puts your phone, email, and pipeline in one place. It’s built specifically for sales reps who make a lot of outbound calls and need to track every conversation without manual data entry.
Close CRM Pricing
Here’s what Close CRM costs in 2026. Let’s break it down.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $35/seat/month | Small sales teams getting started |
| Growth | $99/seat/month | Growing teams needing advanced automation |
| Scale | $139/seat/month | High-volume teams with call coaching needs |
Free trial: Yes — 14 days with full feature access, no credit card required.
Money-back guarantee: No standard refund — use the trial period to evaluate.
📌 Note: Close CRM charges per seat, so costs scale quickly with team size. A 5-person team on Growth would pay $495 per month.
⚠️ Warning: Annual billing saves money on Close CRM — Essentials drops to roughly $29/seat/month. Always check the annual rate before committing monthly.
Key Benefits of Close CRM
Here’s why Close CRM stands out for sales teams:
- Best-in-Class Calling: Close lets you dial directly from your browser. No separate phone system needed.
- Power and Predictive Dialers: Close offers both power and predictive dialer options. This dramatically increases the number of calls your reps can make per day.
- Unified Inbox: Every email, call, and text appears in one inbox. Your reps never have to switch apps mid-conversation.
- Live Call Coaching: Managers can listen in and coach reps during live calls. This feature is only available on higher-tier plans and is rare in CRMs.
- Smart Views: Close lets you filter leads by specific criteria automatically. Your reps always work the hottest leads first.
- Free Migration: Close offers a free one-click migration tool. Switching from another CRM takes minutes, not weeks.
Close CRM Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Best calling features of any CRM at this price point
- Unified inbox reduces manual data entry dramatically
- Quick onboarding — teams can set up in days
- Live call coaching helps managers train reps in real time
❌ Cons
- Weak reporting — hard to analyze sales performance in depth
- No built-in marketing automation or email campaigns
- Per-seat pricing gets expensive fast for larger teams
- Only 80+ integrations vs Keap’s 2,500+
Feature Comparison
Ready to dive into a detailed comparison of Keap vs Close CRM?
We’ll explore 9 key features to help you decide which platform best suits your needs.
| Feature | Keap | Close CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $299/month | $35/seat/month |
| Free Trial | ✅ 14 days | ✅ 14 days |
| Marketing Automation | ✅ Advanced | ❌ Basic only |
| Built-in Calling | ✅ Business line | ✅ Power + Predictive Dialer |
| Email Campaigns | ✅ Full campaigns | ✅ Sequences only |
| Invoicing & Payments | ✅ Built-in | ❌ Not included |
| Lead Scoring | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Integrations | ✅ 2,500+ | ✅ 80+ |
| Best For | Small business marketing | High-volume sales teams |
1. Marketing Automation
Keap: Keap’s Campaign Builder is a visual drag-and-drop tool for creating automated sequences. You can build multi-step campaigns triggered by form submissions, purchases, or tags — all without coding. Users report saving 10 hours per week through these automations.
Close CRM: Close offers basic workflow automations like automated follow-up reminders and email sequences. However, it’s not designed for full marketing campaigns. It works well for sales follow-ups but can’t replace a dedicated marketing automation tool.
⚠️ Warning: If you need advanced marketing automation with landing pages, email broadcasts, and lead nurturing sequences, Close CRM alone won’t cut it.
2. Built-in Calling
Keap: Keap includes a dedicated business phone line for calls and texts. This keeps your personal and professional numbers separate. It’s useful but basic — no power dialer or live coaching features.
Close CRM: Calling is where Close absolutely dominates. It offers both a power dialer (queues calls automatically) and a predictive dialer (dials multiple numbers at once). Managers can listen in and coach reps live during calls. You dial directly from the browser — no separate phone system needed.
✅ Test Result: Close CRM’s calling stack is best-in-class for a CRM. If phone-based sales is your core activity, this is a major differentiator.
3. Email Marketing
Keap: Keap’s email marketing is full-featured. You can send broadcast campaigns, build automated drip sequences, and target contacts using CRM tags and segments. Keap claims a 99.5% deliverability rate, which is exceptional for email-heavy businesses.
Close CRM: Close includes bulk email and email sequences for sales outreach. It syncs with your Gmail or Outlook so every sent email is logged automatically. However, it’s designed for 1:1 sales emails — not broadcast marketing campaigns to large lists.
4. CRM & Contact Management
Keap: Keap’s CRM stores all contact data, purchase history, tags, and custom fields in one place. The lead scoring feature ranks prospects by engagement level so your team knows who to prioritize. Every interaction is logged automatically.
Close CRM: Close captures all sales activity automatically on each contact’s timeline. Smart Views let you filter leads by any combination of criteria — activity level, deal stage, last contacted date. This makes prioritization fast and effortless for sales reps.
5. Sales Pipeline Management
Keap: Keap provides a visual pipeline view to track deals at every stage. You can set up automated follow-ups when a deal moves to a new stage. Multiple pipelines are supported, which works well for businesses with different sales processes.
Close CRM: Close also offers a visual pipeline view with multiple pipeline support. It’s designed to identify bottlenecks quickly. Unlike Keap, Close ties pipeline stages directly to call and email activity logged in the unified inbox.
6. Landing Pages & Lead Capture
Keap: Keap includes a landing page builder with drag-and-drop tools. You can connect multiple landing pages to capture leads directly into your CRM. Web forms and checkout forms are also built in.
Close CRM: Close does not include a landing page builder or web form tool. It’s designed to manage leads after they enter your system — not to capture them from scratch. You’d need a separate tool like a form builder or ad platform.
⚠️ Warning: If lead capture is part of your workflow, Close CRM will require additional tools. Keap handles this natively, which reduces the number of apps you need to manage.
7. Reporting & Analytics
Keap: Keap offers reporting across campaigns, pipeline stages, and revenue. You can track conversion rates, email open rates, and automation performance. Reports are solid for small business needs.
Close CRM: Close provides quick KPI reports for sales activity — call volume, email sent, deals won. However, reporting is considered a weak point. Users report that custom graphs and deep analysis require workarounds or exporting to other tools.
8. Invoicing & Payment Processing
Keap: Keap includes built-in invoicing and numerous payment processing integrations. You can send invoices, accept payments, and track revenue all inside your CRM. This is a major advantage for service-based small businesses.
Close CRM: Close does not include invoicing or payment tools. It’s purely a sales CRM. You’d need to connect a separate billing tool like Stripe or QuickBooks to handle payments.
9. Pricing & Cost
Let’s compare the pricing plans side by side.
| Plan | Keap | Close CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level | $299/month (annual) | $35/seat/month |
| Mid-Tier | N/A | $99/seat/month |
| Top Tier | N/A | $139/seat/month |
| Free Trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Extra Users | $30/user/month | Per seat pricing |
Keap: At $299/month, Keap looks expensive at first glance. But it bundles CRM, email marketing, automation, landing pages, and payments into one flat fee. For a solo operator or small team using all those features, it can replace four or five separate tools.
Close CRM: Close starts at $35/seat/month, which sounds affordable — but costs multiply fast. A 5-person team on Growth spends $495/month. You also need to budget for separate marketing and payment tools that Close doesn’t include.
Different Scenarios
| If You Need… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Full marketing automation | Keap | Campaign Builder is built for it |
| High-volume outbound calling | Close CRM | Power and predictive dialers |
| Built-in invoicing and payments | Keap | Payments included natively |
| Live call coaching for sales teams | Close CRM | Manager listen-in feature |
| Lead capture with landing pages | Keap | Landing page builder included |
| Tightest budget per seat | Close CRM | Starts at $35/seat/month |
| All-in-one small business platform | Keap | Replaces 4–5 separate tools |
💰 Your Budget
Keap’s $299/month covers a lot of tools in one. Close CRM costs less per seat but doesn’t include marketing or payments, so your total bill may be higher once you add those tools.
🔌 Your Tech Stack
Keap integrates with 2,500+ tools, making it easy to plug into almost any existing workflow. Close works with 80+ integrations, which covers most sales essentials but may leave gaps for marketing or e-commerce tools.
📞 Your Sales Process
If your team makes dozens of calls per day, Close CRM’s power dialer and live coaching will save hours and improve performance. If you rely more on email campaigns and automated nurturing, Keap is the better fit.
🎓 Your Experience Level
Both platforms offer 14-day free trials and free migration help. Keap gives you a dedicated success manager. Close has a faster self-serve onboarding process for teams that want to move quickly.
🆓 Free Trials and Demos
Both Keap and Close CRM offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Test the actual features you’ll use daily before spending a dollar.
🛟 Support Options
Keap offers 24/7 chat support, phone support on weekdays, and a dedicated customer success manager on every plan. Close provides a strong help center and proactive onboarding support but lacks the dedicated manager model.
Switching Guide
Already using one of these tools? Here’s what to expect if you switch.
🔄 Switching from Keap to Close CRM?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Best-in-class calling with power and predictive dialers
- Live call coaching for sales managers
- Lower per-seat entry price for small sales teams
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Full marketing automation and email broadcast campaigns
- Built-in landing page builder and web forms
- Native invoicing and payment processing
📋 How to switch:
- Export your contacts and tags from Keap as a CSV file
- Use Close CRM’s free one-click migration or CSV import tool
- Rebuild your email sequences as Close workflows and set up your dialer
🔄 Switching from Close CRM to Keap?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Full marketing automation with the visual Campaign Builder
- Built-in landing pages, web forms, and lead capture tools
- Native invoicing and payment processing — no extra tools needed
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Power and predictive dialer functionality
- Live call coaching for managers
- The unified inbox that ties calls, emails, and SMS together
📋 How to switch:
- Export your leads and contacts from Close CRM as a CSV
- Sign up for Keap’s 14-day trial and import your contact list
- Work with Keap’s success manager to rebuild pipelines and automations
Final Verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 💰 Pricing Value | Keap |
| 🤖 Marketing Automation | Keap |
| 📞 Calling Features | Close CRM |
| 📧 Email Marketing | Keap |
| 🎯 Lead Capture | Keap |
| 📊 Reporting | Keap |
| 👶 Ease of Onboarding | Tie |
| 🏆 Overall Winner | Keap |
🏆 WINNER: Keap
Keap wins 5 out of 7 categories in this comparison.
Best for: Small businesses, solopreneurs, and service-based companies that want one platform to handle CRM, marketing, and payments.
Keap and Close CRM serve two very different types of businesses.
Keap is the better all-in-one platform for small businesses that need marketing automation, lead capture, and billing under one roof.
Close CRM is the better choice if your team’s primary job is making outbound calls and closing deals over the phone.
Close’s calling stack is genuinely excellent — no CRM at this price beats it.
But for most small businesses that need to grow their audience, automate follow-ups, and get paid — Keap wins by a wide margin.
Now go test them both for free and pick the one that fits your workflow.
More of Keap Compared
Here’s how Keap stacks up against other competitors:
Keap vs GoHighLevel
Keap wins on: Ease of use, dedicated success manager, established brand trust
GoHighLevel wins on: White-label options, agency features, lower price for unlimited contacts
Keap vs Pipedrive
Keap wins on: Marketing automation, built-in payments, email campaign tools
Pipedrive wins on: Sales pipeline visualization, lower entry price, more integrations
Keap vs ActiveCampaign
Keap wins on: Built-in CRM, invoicing tools, dedicated onboarding support
ActiveCampaign wins on: Email marketing depth, lower starting price, more automation templates
Keap wins on: Flat pricing, invoicing features, simpler setup for small teams
HubSpot wins on: Free CRM tier, marketing analytics, name recognition
Keap vs ClickFunnels
Keap wins on: Full CRM functionality, email marketing, contact management
ClickFunnels wins on: Funnel building, conversion-focused design, checkout optimization
Keap vs Folk
Keap wins on: Automation depth, email deliverability, payment processing
Folk wins on: Simplicity, modern UI, lower price for basic contact management
Keap vs Instantly
Keap wins on: Full CRM features, sales pipeline, built-in payments
Instantly wins on: Cold email volume, inbox rotation, price per email account
Keap wins on: Marketing automation, CRM depth, email campaign tools
ClickUp wins on: Project management, free plan, task and team collaboration
Keap wins on: Email automation, invoicing, lead scoring
Monday CRM wins on: Visual dashboards, team collaboration, customizable workflows
Keap vs Capsule CRM
Keap wins on: Automation, email campaigns, payment features
Capsule CRM wins on: Simplicity, affordable entry price, clean interface
Keap wins on: Marketing automation depth, landing pages, dedicated support
Insightly wins on: Project management features, Google Workspace integration
Keap wins on: Email marketing, automation builder, payment tools
Freshsales wins on: Free plan, built-in phone, AI lead scoring on lower tiers
Keap wins on: Ease of setup, flat pricing, built-in marketing tools for small teams
Salesforce wins on: Enterprise customization, analytics depth, app marketplace
Keap vs Zendesk
Keap wins on: Sales automation, email marketing, lead nurturing
Zendesk wins on: Customer support ticketing, help desk functionality
More of Close CRM Compared
Here’s how Close CRM stacks up against other competitors:
Close CRM wins on: Calling features, power dialer, live call coaching
GoHighLevel wins on: Marketing automation, white-label options, agency tools
Close CRM wins on: Outbound calling, sales pipeline, unified inbox
ActiveCampaign wins on: Email marketing, advanced automation, lower entry price
Close CRM wins on: Built-in calling depth, sales-focused features, simpler UI
HubSpot wins on: Free tier, marketing tools, name recognition and ecosystem
Close CRM wins on: CRM depth, calling, sales pipeline management
ClickFunnels wins on: Funnel building, landing pages, checkout tools
Close CRM wins on: Calling features, automation, pipeline management
Folk wins on: Simpler UI, lower price, lightweight contact management
Close CRM wins on: Full CRM features, calling, deal tracking
Instantly wins on: Cold email volume, inbox warming, cost per account
Close CRM wins on: Sales CRM features, built-in calling, email sequences
ClickUp wins on: Project management, free plan, team task management
Close CRM wins on: Sales calling tools, unified inbox, deal management
Monday CRM wins on: Visual workflow boards, team collaboration, dashboards
Close CRM wins on: Calling, automation, pipeline management for sales teams
Capsule CRM wins on: Simplicity, lower price, small team friendliness
Close CRM wins on: Calling, sales focus, unified inbox
Insightly wins on: Project management, Google Workspace integration
Close CRM wins on: Power dialer, live coaching, outbound calling depth
Freshsales wins on: Free plan availability, AI scoring on lower tiers
Close CRM wins on: Simplicity, fast setup, built-in calling at no extra cost
Salesforce wins on: Enterprise customization, analytics, app marketplace scale
Close CRM wins on: Sales pipeline, outbound calling, deal management
Zendesk wins on: Customer support ticketing, help desk workflows
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Keap used for?
Keap is an all-in-one CRM built for small businesses. It handles contact management, email marketing, sales pipelines, automation, invoicing, and payment processing. It’s especially popular with solopreneurs and service-based businesses that want to automate repetitive tasks.
What is Close CRM used for?
Close CRM is a sales-focused platform designed for inside sales teams. It combines calling, SMS, and email into one unified inbox so reps can manage all outreach without switching tools. It’s best known for its built-in power and predictive dialer features.
Is Keap easy to use?
Yes — Keap is considered user-friendly for a platform with this many features. Most users can set up the basics in under 20 minutes. Keap also assigns a dedicated customer success manager to help new users get started quickly.
How much is Close CRM per month?
Close CRM has three plans: Essentials at $35/seat/month, Growth at $99/seat/month, and Scale at $139/seat/month. Annual billing reduces those rates. A 14-day free trial is available with no credit card required.
Is Keap a good CRM?
Yes — Keap earns a 4.2/5 rating and is a strong CRM for small businesses that need automation, email marketing, and payments in one platform. It’s less suited for enterprise teams or businesses that do primarily phone-based outbound sales.
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