Close, Copper, and Nutshell all serve small and mid-sized B2B sales teams, but each leans into a different strength: Close bundles native calling, SMS, and an…
Subscription · From $9/user/month (billed annually)
Best for: Outbound-heavy sales teams and solo founders that want native calling, SMS, and an AI assistant included in every plan without a separate dialer tool
Best for: Teams already running their business inside Gmail and Google Workspace that want a CRM which auto-captures email and calendar activity with minimal setup
Subscription · From $13/user/month (billed annually)
Best for: Small and midsize B2B sales teams that want CRM, flexible pipeline visualizations, and optional email marketing or sales-engagement add-ons in one platform
At a Glance
Close
Copper
Nutshell
Primary category
CRM
CRM
CRM
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Subscription
Subscription
Subscription
Starting price
$9/user/month (billed annually)
$23/user/month
$13/user/month (billed annually)
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Not documented
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android
Web, iOS, Android
Web, iOS, Android
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Yes
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Yes
Yes
Standout Differences
Calling, SMS, and AI included at every tier
Close bundles native calling, SMS, and the Chloe AI assistant into all four pricing tiers, while Nutshell's comparable AI layer, Nutshell IQ, is sold as a separate paid add-on.
Close, Nutshell
Deepest native Google Workspace integration
Copper automatically logs emails, calls, and calendar events against the correct contact and syncs bidirectionally with Google Contacts and Calendar, and is a Google-recommended CRM in the Workspace Marketplace.
Copper
Multiple pipeline views including a map
Nutshell offers board, list, chart, and geographic map pipeline visualizations, which is useful for territory-based sales teams and goes beyond the pipeline views documented for Close or Copper.
Nutshell
Email marketing bundled as an add-on, not built in
Nutshell's Marketing Pro add-on brings email campaigns, drip sequences, and landing pages onto the same contact data as the CRM, a capability neither Close nor Copper documents.
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Close
Solo — $9/user/month (annual) / $19/user/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Essentials — $35/user/month (annual) / $49/user/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Growth — $99/user/month (annual) / $109/user/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Scale — $139/user/month (annual) / $149/user/month (monthly) monthly or annual
Copper
Basic — $23/user/month (annual) / $29/user/month (monthly) Monthly or annual
Professional — $59/user/month (annual) / $69/user/month (monthly) Monthly or annual
Business — $99/user/month (annual) / $134/user/month (monthly) Monthly or annual
Nutshell
Foundation — $13/user/month billed annually ($19/user/month billed monthly) Monthly or annual
Growth — $25/user/month Annual
Pro — $42/user/month Annual
Business — $59/user/month Annual
Enterprise — $79/user/month Annual
Marketing Pro (add-on) — $49/company/month Monthly
Engagement Pro (add-on) — $16/user/month Monthly
Nutshell IQ (add-on) — $37/company/month for 100 credits Monthly
Pros & Cons
Close
Pros
Calling, SMS, and email are native to the product, removing the need for a separate dialer tool
Predictive and Power Dialers can meaningfully increase outbound call volume per rep
Transparent, publicly published pricing with no forced sales calls to see costs
Fast setup compared to heavier enterprise CRMs
Cons
Calling and SMS usage costs are billed on top of the monthly subscription
Predictive Dialer and Workflows are locked to the two highest-priced tiers
Fewer built-in marketing-automation features than some all-in-one revenue platforms
Notable price jump from the Solo plan to the team-oriented Essentials plan
Copper
Pros
Deep, native integration with Gmail, Calendar, and the broader Google Workspace suite
Low learning curve for teams already working daily inside Gmail
Automatic activity capture significantly reduces manual data entry
Officially recommended CRM within the Google Workspace Marketplace
Cons
No permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial
Less deeply customizable than enterprise-grade CRMs like Salesforce
Best suited to Google Workspace users; less compelling for Microsoft 365-centric organizations
Contact and custom field limits on lower tiers may require upgrading as a business grows
Nutshell
Pros
Fast to set up and easy for non-technical sales reps to learn compared with enterprise CRMs.
Combines CRM, email marketing, and sales engagement in one subscription rather than requiring separate tools.
Multiple pipeline visualizations, including a map view, help territory-based sales teams.
Responsive customer support with free data migration and guided onboarding on most plans.
Transparent, predictable per-user pricing with five tiers to grow into.
Cons
Advanced marketing automation and AI insights are sold as paid add-ons rather than included at every tier.
Reporting and customization are less deep than enterprise-grade CRMs such as Salesforce.
Higher-tier plans (Business and Enterprise) can get expensive for very small teams.
Some users report a learning curve when configuring multi-step sales automation.
Third-party integration marketplace is smaller than larger CRM competitors.
Use Cases
Choose Close: Outbound-heavy sales teams and solo founders that want native calling, SMS, and an AI assistant included in every plan without a separate dialer tool
Choose Copper: Teams already running their business inside Gmail and Google Workspace that want a CRM which auto-captures email and calendar activity with minimal setup
Choose Nutshell: Small and midsize B2B sales teams that want CRM, flexible pipeline visualizations, and optional email marketing or sales-engagement add-ons in one platform
Close
Outbound cold-calling teams — Use the Power or Predictive Dialer to run high-volume outbound calling campaigns directly from the CRM.
Solo founders and consultants — Manage a personal sales pipeline with built-in calling and email without paying for a full team plan.
Scaling B2B sales teams — Replace a patchwork of separate dialer, email, and CRM tools with one connected system as the team grows.
Copper
Google Workspace-native sales teams — Sales teams already operating inside Gmail and Google Calendar adopt Copper to manage pipelines without switching context to a separate app.
Relationship-driven B2B agencies — Agencies and consultancies use Copper's automatic activity capture to track client relationships with minimal manual logging.
Low-friction CRM adoption for growing businesses — Small businesses that struggled with CRM adoption due to manual data entry use Copper's automation to improve rep compliance and pipeline visibility.
Nutshell
Small business sales pipeline management — Sales teams of 2-50 reps use Nutshell to track leads through a visual pipeline, automate follow-up tasks, and forecast revenue without a dedicated CRM administrator.
Combined CRM and email marketing — Marketing and sales teams that want to manage contacts, deals, and email campaigns in one system add Marketing Pro to run newsletters and drip sequences directly from CRM contact data.
Territory-based field sales — Field sales organizations use Nutshell's map view to plot prospects and customers geographically and plan efficient in-person visit routes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these three CRMs bundles email marketing automation?
Nutshell offers email marketing through its Marketing Pro add-on, which adds a campaign builder, drip sequences, and landing pages on the same contact and deal data as the CRM. Close and Copper do not document built-in email marketing tools.
Which has a geographic or map-based pipeline view?
Nutshell is the only one of the three that documents a map pipeline view, alongside board, list, and chart views, which is useful for territory-based sales teams.
Which is best for teams that live in Gmail?
Copper offers the deepest native Google Workspace integration of the three, automatically capturing email, calendar, and contact activity from Gmail.
Which includes native calling in its base subscription?
Close includes native calling and SMS in every plan. Nutshell's click-to-call is part of its paid Engagement Pro add-on, and Copper does not document native calling.
Which is the most affordable to start with?
Nutshell's Foundation plan starts at $13 per user per month, the lowest published starting price among the three, though Close's Solo plan at $9 per user per month is cheaper on paper before usage-based calling and SMS charges.
Do any of these charge extra for AI features?
Yes. Nutshell IQ is a paid add-on at $37 per company per month for 100 credits. Close includes its Chloe AI assistant in every plan at no extra cost, and Copper does not document AI assistant features.