Bigin by Zoho CRM vs Close CRM
Choose Bigin by Zoho CRM if you need a lower-cost CRM for managing customers and multiple business processes; choose Close CRM if your team’s priority is sales outreach by phone, email, and SMS. Both offer pipelines, calling, mobile apps, and automation, but their plans differ substantially in price, record limits, and when advanced sales tools become available.
Last updated October 31, 2026.
At a glance
| Dimension | Bigin by Zoho CRM | Close CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Customer-facing pipelines and contact management | Sales outreach and opportunity management |
| Free plan | Free for one user | 14-day free trial; no free plan listed |
| Paid plans | Express $7, Premier $12, Bigin 360 $18 per user/month, billed annually | Solo $9, Essentials $35, Growth $99, Scale $139 per user/month, billed annually |
| Communication | Built-in phone; email and WhatsApp integration on Express | Built-in calling, email, and SMS |
| Sales dialers | Built-in phone; 100+ third-party telephony integrations | Power Dialer on Growth; Predictive Dialer on Scale |
| Automation | 3 automations on Free; 30 on Express | Automated Workflows on Growth and Scale |
| AI | AI writing and record features on Premier and Bigin 360 | Chloe AI agent access and monthly credits on every plan |
| Data limits | 500 records on Free; 50,000 on Express | 10,000 leads on Solo; unlimited leads on Essentials and above |
| Pipelines | 1 on Free; 3 on Express; 5 on Premier | Multiple opportunity pipelines on all plans |
| Integrations | Zoho apps, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Zapier | 100+ app integrations, including Zapier and Calendly |
| Apps | Web, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and macOS | Web, desktop, iPhone, iPad, and Android |
| Support | Phone, email, and live chat on paid plans | Email support and knowledge base on all plans |
Scroll the table sideways to compare each row.
Which should you choose?
Choose Bigin by Zoho CRM if
- Solo operators who need a free CRM
- Small teams managing sales and other customer-facing processes
- Businesses already using Zoho apps
- Teams that need paid pipelines at a lower published starting price
Choose Close CRM if
- Sales teams working leads through calls, email, and SMS
- Teams that want an AI agent to call and qualify leads
- Outbound teams that need a power or predictive dialer
- Teams that need unlimited leads on a paid multi-user plan
The verdict
Bigin is the better fit for a small business that wants a free starting point or affordable paid pipelines for customer-facing work beyond sales. Close is the better fit for a sales team that will use its built-in SMS, AI sales agent, and, on higher plans, automated outreach and dialers. The deciding factor is whether your CRM primarily organizes customer operations or drives high-volume sales conversations.
Bigin by Zoho CRM vs Close CRM: common questions
- Is this comparison worth publishing?
- Yes. Bigin by Zoho CRM and Close CRM both offer purchasable CRM plans for managing contacts and pipelines, and both publish enough plan and feature detail for a meaningful comparison.
- Does either Bigin by Zoho CRM or Close CRM have a free plan?
- Bigin by Zoho CRM has a free plan for one user with 500 records. Close CRM offers a 14-day free trial but does not list a free plan.
- Which costs less for a small team?
- Bigin by Zoho CRM’s Express plan is $7 per user per month billed annually. Close CRM’s first multi-user plan, Essentials, is $35 per user per month billed annually; its $9 Solo plan is limited to one user.
- Can I call customers from either CRM?
- Yes. Bigin by Zoho CRM and Close CRM both offer built-in calling. Close also includes built-in SMS, while Bigin lists email and WhatsApp integration on its Express plan. Calling usage and phone numbers can incur additional charges.
- Which CRM has a sales dialer?
- Close CRM includes a Power Dialer on Growth and a Predictive Dialer on Scale. Bigin by Zoho CRM publishes built-in calling and third-party telephony integrations, but does not list those dialers as built-in plan features.
- Which CRM offers automation on its entry-level plan?
- Bigin by Zoho CRM includes three automations on its free plan and 30 on Express. Close CRM does not include Automated Workflows on Solo or Essentials; they start on Growth.
- How do the record limits compare?
- Bigin by Zoho CRM allows 500 records on Free and 50,000 on Express; its records include data across pipelines, contacts, activities, and notes. Close CRM limits Solo to 10,000 leads and lists unlimited leads from Essentials upward. The two vendors count different types of data, so these figures are not directly equivalent.
- Which CRM should a team choose for AI-assisted sales?
- Close CRM gives every plan access to Chloe, an AI sales agent that can call leads, qualify prospects, and book meetings, with monthly AI credits included. Bigin by Zoho CRM lists AI writing and record features on Premier and Bigin 360. Close’s Growth and Scale plans add more advanced AI workflow capabilities.