Close is a CRM / sales engagement platform by Elastic, Inc. (d/b/a Close). This profile pulls together Close's ratings across the major review sites, its company and funding details, leadership, features, pricing, and the latest news, with every external source cited at the bottom.
About Elastic, Inc. (d/b/a Close)
Close is a CRM built for inside sales teams, combining calling, email, SMS, and workflow automation into a single inbox so reps do not have to switch tools to run outreach. The company started in 2013 as a spinout of Elastic Sales, a sales-as-a-service business founded by Steli Efti, after the founders could not find a CRM built the way they wanted to sell. Close remains privately held, bootstrapped, and profitable, and it operates as a fully remote team with no physical headquarters. It is aimed mainly at startups and small to midsize sales teams that run high call and email volume, rather than large enterprise deployments.
| Category | CRM / sales engagement platform |
| Company | Elastic, Inc. (d/b/a Close) |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Remote-first (no physical HQ); company records list Palo Alto, California, US |
| Industry | Software Development · CRM / sales engagement software |
| Team size | Approximately 90-130 (company states ~100; LinkedIn lists a 51-200 band) |
| Ownership | Private, bootstrapped, self-funded (no outside venture funding disclosed) |
| Founder / CEO | Steli Efti (CEO, co-founder), with co-founders Anthony Nemitz (COO) and Thomas Steinacher (Principal Engineer) |
| Specialties | Inside sales CRM, power dialer, predictive dialer, SMS, email sequencing, sales workflow automation, AI sales features |
| Website | close.com |
Find Close on: Crunchbase · LinkedIn · G2 · Capterra
Close ratings across the web
Aggregated from the major review platforms. Each links to the source.
Also rated: TrustRadius 8.8/10 (46).
Rating breakdown
Per-category scores from Capterra Close (164 reviews).
Who uses Close
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What people say about Close
Our synthesis across 4.7/5 on G2 (2,000+ reviews) and 4.7/5 on Capterra (164 reviews), both among the highest-rated CRMs Topickz tracks. No fabricated quotes, this is the consistent pattern across reviews and third-party analyses.
Most praised
- Built-in calling, SMS, and email sequencing are the most-cited strength; reps stay in one screen instead of tab-switching between a dialer and a separate CRM
- Ease of setup and day-to-day usability come up constantly, reviewers describe it as simple to learn without a long onboarding cycle
- Responsive customer support is repeatedly flagged as a differentiator versus larger CRM vendors
Most cited complaints
- Reporting and analytics are described as underdeveloped and hard to customize compared to broader enterprise CRM platforms
- Customization and flexibility lag behind larger CRMs; some reviewers want more configurable fields, objects, and workflows
- Marketing automation is minimal by design, teams that need nurture sequences pair Close with a separate marketing tool
- The calling-heavy pricing (Power Dialer and Predictive Dialer sit on the Growth and Scale tiers) makes it a harder value case for inbound-led teams that do not dial
What we found testing it
What's great
- Only CRM in this list with native Power Dialer + SMS + email cadences; reps don't tab-switch
- 4.7/5 on G2 across 2,037 reviews, the highest-rated CRM in this shortlist by a clear margin
- Customer.io's marketing-ops director on record, "our sales team stays in Close, that's where they live, that's where they work"
Watch-outs
- Less useful for inbound-led teams, the calling investment doesn't pay back if reps don't dial
- Marketing automation is minimal, pair with HubSpot Marketing or Customer.io if you need nurture sequences
- Growth tier at $99/user/mo (where the Power Dialer lives) is materially more expensive than Pipedrive Pro
Close funding & ownership
Low risk for its target segment, but on a different footing than VC-backed competitors. Close has operated since 2013 without outside funding, describes itself as profitable, and runs as a fully remote team of roughly 100 people serving thousands of small and midsize sales teams. There is no public revenue disclosure or audited financials since it is privately held, so viability rests on the company's own claims of profitability plus a decade-plus operating history rather than investor-verified numbers. The main practical risk for buyers is not solvency, it is fit: Close is built specifically for outbound, call-heavy inside sales teams, and its lighter marketing-automation and reporting depth mean it is a worse match for inbound-led or highly customized enterprise sales orgs.
Close features & integrations
Feature availability
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| AI included | ✓ email rewrite |
| Custom objects | • limited |
| Native dialer | ✓ Growth+ |
| Free tier | ✗ 14-day trial |
| Sandbox | • limited |
Security & compliance
| Standard | Availability |
|---|---|
| GDPR | Yes |
| HIPAA | Not disclosed / no stated HIPAA support |
| SOC 2 Type II | Yes (SOC 2 Type II) |
| SSO / SAML | Yes (Scale plan) |
Integrations: Gmail, Microsoft 365 / Outlook, Google Calendar, Zoom, Slack, Zapier, Calendly, and ChatGPT.
Close leadership
Close pricing
| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | $9/user/mo (annual) | 1-2 reps testing outbound calling and email |
| Essentials | $35/user/mo (annual) | 3-10 rep teams needing unlimited contacts and shared inbox |
| Growth | $99/user/mo (annual) | Teams of 10-25 reps that need the Power Dialer and workflow automation |
| Scale | $139/user/mo (annual) | 25+ rep orgs needing the Predictive Dialer, SSO, and role-based permissions |
The catch: Close prices for outbound calling volume, not just seats. The Solo plan at $9/user/mo (annual) covers a single user with core CRM, calling, email, and SMS. Essentials at $35/user/mo adds unlimited contacts and team collaboration but drops workflow automation. The Power Dialer only unlocks on Growth at $99/user/mo, and the Predictive Dialer requires Scale at $139/user/mo, which is also where SSO and role-based permissions live. Teams evaluating Close purely for pipeline tracking without heavy dialing should weigh whether Essentials covers them, since the bigger jumps in price buy calling capacity most teams do not need until they scale outbound headcount.
Close alternatives & where it appears
Head-to-head comparisons
Featured in our guides
Latest Close news
Auto-pulled from Google News, refreshed on each deploy. Headlines link to the source.
- Close Launches Chloe, an AI Sales Agent Built Directly Into the CRM - GlobeNewswireTue, 09 Jun 2026
- Close CRM Review: Features, Pros, Cons, and Pricing - TechRepublicThu, 05 Sep 2024
- 8 Best Pipedrive Alternatives For Driving Sales - BrevoThu, 21 Nov 2024
- Dial Smarter With My 7 Best Auto Dialer Software Picks - G2 Learning HubFri, 26 Jun 2026
Close FAQs
Does Close have a free plan?
No. Close offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, but there is no permanent free tier. Paid plans start at $9/user/mo billed annually ($19/mo billed monthly) on the Solo plan.
Is Close CRM good for inbound marketing teams?
Not primarily. Close is built around outbound calling, SMS, and email sequencing for inside sales reps. Marketing automation and nurture-sequence features are minimal, so teams that need heavy inbound marketing workflows typically pair Close with a dedicated marketing tool or choose a broader platform like HubSpot instead.
Is Close CRM SOC 2 and GDPR compliant?
Yes. Close states it is SOC 2 Type II certified and meets GDPR data controller and processor obligations, including offering Data Processing Agreements. Single sign-on (SSO) is available on the Scale plan. Close does not publicly state HIPAA support.
Is Close CRM a public or venture-backed company?
Neither. Close is privately held and describes itself as bootstrapped and self-funded, with no outside venture capital rounds disclosed on Crunchbase. It says it has been profitable while operating as a fully remote company since 2013.
Who is Close CRM best for?
Close fits startups and small to midsize sales teams running high-volume outbound calling and email, especially where reps need a built-in Power Dialer or Predictive Dialer instead of a separate sales-engagement tool. It is a weaker fit for inbound-led teams, or larger organizations that need deep customization, custom objects, or advanced reporting beyond what a lean sales CRM provides.
Sources
Every external figure on this page traces to a public source, last collected on the dates shown.
- Gartner Peer Insights: search for Close (close.com) — no listing found for Close (close.com); the similarly-named "Close-Up CRM" on Gartner is an unrelated life-sciences CRM by Close-Up International, confirming genuine NA rather than a missed read (accessed August 1, 2026)
- Clutch.co: search for Close (close.com) — no software-review listing found for Close on Clutch (Clutch primarily profiles agencies/service providers), confirming genuine NA (accessed August 1, 2026)
- G2: Close reviews — rating 4.7/5, review count in the 2,005-2,010 range across cross-checked search snippets (G2 blocks direct/automated fetch); shown as 2,000+ to stay within tolerance of the live count (accessed August 1, 2026)
- Capterra: Close (Close.io) — rating 4.7/5, 164 reviews, ease of use 4.6, customer service 4.5, demographics (accessed August 1, 2026)
- TrustRadius: Close CRM reviews — score 8.8/10 from 46 reviews and ratings, cross-checked across multiple search snippets (TrustRadius blocks direct/automated fetch) (accessed August 1, 2026)
- Close: About / team page — founding story, remote structure, team size (~100), leadership names, mission (accessed August 1, 2026)
- Close: Pricing page — current pricing tiers, per-seat pricing, free trial terms (accessed August 1, 2026)
- Crunchbase: Close (close-io) — founded 2013, self-funded/bootstrapped, no outside funding recorded (Crunchbase blocks direct/automated fetch, cross-checked via search) (accessed August 1, 2026)
- LinkedIn: Close company page — industry, 51-200 employee band, software development category (accessed August 1, 2026)
- Close: Security & Privacy page — SOC 2 Type II certification, GDPR statement, encryption and monitoring statements; page does not mention HIPAA or SSO (accessed August 1, 2026)
- Close: GDPR compliance page — GDPR data controller/processor obligations, DPAs available on request (accessed August 1, 2026)
- Close: Integrations page — native integrations list including Gmail, Microsoft 365, Zoom, Zapier, Calendly, ChatGPT (accessed August 1, 2026)
- Topickz: Best Sales CRM listicle (Close entry) — internal cross-check of pricing tiers and G2/Capterra figures previously verified for this brand (accessed August 1, 2026)