Close CRM alternative
The Close CRM alternative that keeps the CRM you already run
Anyone comparing smrtPhone with Close is really comparing two different decisions. Close is a CRM with calling, SMS and an AI agent built into it, and it is a complete one - which means adopting it moves your system of record. If your deals currently live in Podio, DataSift, Left Main REI or InvestorFuse, Close does not connect to those; it replaces them. smrtPhone is the other half of that choice: the calling and texting layer for the CRM you already run. The other thing worth knowing before you price it is where the dialing sits. Close puts its power dialer on the $109 plan and its predictive dialer on the $149 one.
No card required. No seat minimum.
The short version
- Close is a CRM, not a phone layer. Taking it on means migrating your pipeline off whatever you run now, because it is the system of record rather than something that plugs into one.
- Plans are $19, $49, $109 and $149 a user a month, or $9, $35, $99 and $139 billed annually. The pricing page opens on the annual rates.
- The power dialer starts on Growth at $109 a user; the predictive dialer is on Scale at $149. Automated workflows are not on Solo or Essentials either.
- Close dials one number at a time on Growth - its own description is that the power dialer queues the next call the moment one ends. smrtDialer runs up to four lines.
- Calling and texting are billed at cost on top of the seat: their pricing page quotes around $0.02 a minute and about $1 a month for a number, with no published SMS rate.
smrtPhone vs Close
The Close CRM alternative, feature by feature
Every Close figure below was taken from Close’s own public pricing pages . Prices change; check theirs before you decide.
| What matters when you dial |
|
smrtPhone |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A CRM with calling, SMS and an AI agent built in | A calling and texting layer for the CRM you already run |
| Your system of record | No. Becomes Close. Your pipeline moves | Yes. Stays where it is. Podio, DataSift, Left Main REI and seven more |
| Price a seat | Solo $19, Essentials $49, Growth $109, Scale $149 a user monthly | $29 a seat, plus smrtDialer at $50 or $90 |
| Where dialing a list starts | No. The $109 Growth plan, for every seat on it | Yes. A $29 seat plus $50, for the people who dial |
| Dial lines | Partly. One at a time on Growth. Predictive dialing is on the $149 plan | Yes. smrtDialer, 1 to 4 lines, with AI voice detection |
| Texting | Partly. Built in from Essentials, billed at cost with no published rate | Yes. SMS and MMS in every seat, 1,000 segments, then $0.02 |
| Calling minutes | Yes. Passed through at about $0.02 a minute | 500 a seat, then $0.03. Unlimited at $99 a seat |
| Phone numbers | Yes. From about $1 a month | 1 a seat, then $2 to $5 each |
| Automated workflows | Partly. Growth and Scale only. Not on Solo or Essentials | Your CRM does this |
| A single-person plan | Partly. Solo at $19, capped at one user, 10,000 leads and no workflows | Yes. $29, and nothing is withheld from it |
| Outbound list compliance | Not described on the pricing page | Yes. DNC and DNT lists, DNC applet, DNC API, A2P 10DLC and automatic opt-out, in the base seat |
| AI agents that take calls | Chloe, on every plan, metered in AI credits | smrtAgents answer, qualify and hand off with context |
| Free trial | Free trial, no card, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee | 14 days |
The other side
When Close is the better choice
If you do not have a CRM yet, this is not a close call - Close gives you one, with the calling and texting already inside it, and smrtPhone sells no CRM at all. It also runs a predictive dialer on its $149 plan, which smrtPhone does not offer at all, and an AI agent that answers and qualifies on every tier. For a team buying its first system of record, that is one subscription instead of two decisions.
- You do not have a CRM and want the pipeline and the phone on one bill.
- You are one person and $19 a month for a real CRM is the whole decision.
- You want predictive dialing, which we do not offer at all.
- Your call volume is high and per-minute metering matters more than an allowance.
- You are happy for the record to live in the same product that places the call.
If what you actually want is a CRM
Plenty of people weighing Close against smrtPhone are shopping for a CRM, and smrtPhone is not one and will not pretend to be. Close is a real CRM with the calling built into it, and for a founder or a small sales team with no system of record yet, one bill covering the pipeline, the calls, the texts and an AI agent is a reasonable way to buy. If that is the decision, the products to compare are Close, HubSpot, Pipedrive and the investor CRMs - Podio, InvestorFuse, Left Main REI, DataSift and REsimpli.
We are the alternative for the other case: your CRM is already chosen and already full, and what you need is the calling and texting to happen inside it rather than in a second system you have to migrate to.
Why investor teams keep their CRM and add the phone
-
The CRM was not the thing they wanted to change
An investor team on Podio or DataSift has years of records, custom fields, automations and reporting in it. Close is a good CRM and it is still a migration - the deals, the history and the workflows all have to move, and the team has to relearn where everything is. smrtPhone leaves all of that alone and puts the calling and texting inside it.
Ten native CRM integrations -
The dialer was three plans up
Close puts its power dialer on Growth at $109 a user a month, and that price applies to everyone on the plan, not just the people who dial. smrtDialer is a per-seat add-on at $50 for a single line or $90 for up to four, on top of a $29 seat, so a three-person desk with one caller pays for one dialer.
Dialer from $50, per seat -
One line at a time was the wrong pace
Close describes its power dialer as queueing the next call the moment one ends - one number at a time. Its predictive dialer, the one built for volume, is on the $149 plan. smrtDialer runs one to four lines with AI voice detection from $50 a seat.
Up to four lines, from $50
Built into the CRM you already run
Calls, texts, recordings and dispositions land on the record they belong to, with no connector in between.
Verified reviews
What smrtPhone users say
Everything above is our claim. This is not: these are reviews left on Capterra, where most reviewers are real estate investors.
- 4.7/5
-
5 out of 5. 2+ years in
Integration with Podio and the ability to customize every aspect.
Ryan J. Founder, real estate -
5 out of 5. Under 6 months in
Its ability to dial on 4 different lines simultaneously that no other dialer in the market has.
Chad F. Founder, real estate -
5 out of 5. 6-12 months in
Great customer service with very fast reaction. Also the dialer and the extensions work magnificent.
Javier B. Acquisition manager, real estate
What switching actually involves
Numbers port. The question to settle first is not the phone system at all - it is whether you are moving your CRM. If you are, this is a migration and worth planning as one. If you are not, wiring smrtPhone into the CRM you already run takes an afternoon.
- Port your numbers. They move with you. Nobody has to learn a new number.
- Connect the CRM. Calls, texts, recordings and dispositions start writing to the record.
- Rebuild your call flows. Routing, ring groups, business hours and the DNC applet.
- Run both for a few days. Then move the dialing over once the logging looks right.
How long the port really takes
- Porting takes one to three weeks once the paperwork is in and confirmed. It is faster when your current provider sits on the same underlying carrier we do, and slower if the paperwork comes back rejected over a detail that does not match your carrier record.
- Support does the work. You start it from live chat and the team handles the submission.
- Do not cancel your old provider until the port completes. Your number keeps working throughout.
- Occasionally voice ports a few hours before texting does. It settles by itself.
Questions people ask before switching
How much does Close cost?
Four plans, billed monthly: Solo at $19 a user, Essentials at $49, Growth at $109 and Scale at $149. Billed annually they are $9, $35, $99 and $139, and the pricing page opens on those annual figures. Calling and texting are billed at cost on top - their page quotes around $0.02 a minute and about $1 a month for a number. smrtPhone is $29 a seat a month with smrtDialer at $50 for one line or $90 for up to four.
Does Close work with Podio or my existing CRM?
No, because Close is the CRM. It is the system of record rather than a layer over one, so adopting it means migrating your pipeline off whatever you run now. That is a reasonable trade if your current CRM is not working for you, and a large piece of work if it is. smrtPhone is native to Podio, GoHighLevel, Left Main REI, InvestorFuse, DataSift, Realeflow, Invelo, Carrot, Tape and Salesforce, and writes the call and the text to the record in whichever one you already use.
Which plan do I need to dial a list in Close?
Growth, at $109 a user a month, for the power dialer - and that applies to every seat on the plan rather than only the people dialing. The predictive dialer is a tier higher, on Scale at $149. With smrtPhone the dialer is a per-seat add-on, so a team of three with one caller pays $29 a seat plus $50 or $90 once.
Does Close dial multiple lines at once?
Not on the power dialer. Close describes it as queueing your next call the moment one ends, which is one number at a time. Multi-line calling comes from its predictive dialer on the $149 Scale plan. smrtDialer runs one to four lines with AI voice detection at $50 or $90 on a $29 seat, and does not offer predictive dialing at all.
Do I need a CRM to use smrtPhone?
Yes, and that is the structural difference between these two. Close is the CRM, with the calling and texting inside it. smrtPhone is the calling layer for a CRM you already run - Podio, GoHighLevel, Left Main REI, InvestorFuse, DataSift, Realeflow, Invelo, Carrot, Tape or Salesforce - with every call and text written back to the record. If you have no system of record yet, Close solves a problem we do not.
Ready for something better than Close?
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