Close vs Copper
Side-by-side total cost of ownership: subscription fees, labor, hidden costs, and AI alternatives.
Published pricing
The subscription is only part of the cost.
| Close | Copper | |
|---|---|---|
| Published rate | $35/seat/mo | $23/seat/mo |
| Team size modeled | 10 | 10 |
| Annual subscription | $4,200/yr | $2,760/yr |
What the invoice doesn't show
Close
Close's Essentials plan ($35/user/mo, billed annually) covers basic outreach but includes no workflow automation. Growth ($99/user/mo) adds Workflows, Power Dialer, and AI Email Assistant. Scale ($139/user/mo) is required for predictive dialing and custom objects. A 10-rep team on Growth costs $11,880/year.
Built-in calling minutes are capped by plan tier. Power Dialer requires Growth ($99/user) — a 2.8x markup from Essentials. Predictive Dialer requires Scale ($139/user) — a 4x markup from Essentials. Add-ons for premium phone lines and call coaching push effective per-seat cost to $150–250/rep/month.
Close AI features (call coaching, AI-generated summaries, AI Email Assistant) require Growth or higher plans. The AI stack that defines a competitive sales CRM in 2026 is gated behind a 2.8x price increase from the entry tier.
Close lacks native marketing automation. Teams need separate tools for email sequences beyond sales outreach, lead scoring from marketing sources, and website visitor tracking — creating integration costs not reflected in CRM pricing.
Copper
Copper now has four tiers: Starter ($9/seat/mo, billed annually) caps at 1,000 contacts but lacks workflow automation and reporting; Basic ($29/user/mo, annual) unlocks reporting but still limits contacts; Professional ($59/user/mo) raises contacts to 15,000 and adds email sequences; Business ($99/user/mo) is required for custom reports. The Basic plan jumped from $23 to $29/month between 2025 and 2026. A 10-person team on Professional costs $7,080/year.
Copper is entirely dependent on Google Workspace. If your company uses Microsoft 365 or any non-Google email, Copper is effectively unusable. This creates vendor lock-in to two ecosystems simultaneously.
Users consistently report slow performance and sync delays between Gmail and Copper. Contact and deal updates can take 30-60 seconds to reflect, creating friction in fast-paced sales environments.
Copper's contact cap on lower tiers forces premature upgrades. A growing business that hits 1,000 contacts must jump from $23/user to $59/user — a 2.6x price increase — for what amounts to a database row limit.
What teams are switching to
Replacing Close
Attio
Free, Plus $29/user/mo, Pro $69/user/mo, Enterprise custom
AI-native CRM with automatic data enrichment and relationship intelligence. Flexible data model adapts to any sales process without custom object fees. AI included at every pricing tier.
Apollo.io
Free–$119/user/mo
Combines CRM, prospecting database (275M+ contacts), and AI-powered sequences in one platform. Replaces Close + a separate prospecting tool. Free tier includes 10K email credits/month.
Instantly
$47–$97/mo (unlimited accounts)
AI-powered cold outreach platform focused on email deliverability. Unlimited email accounts, automated warmup, and AI-optimized send times. Replaces Close's outbound sequences at a fraction of the cost.
Replacing Copper
Attio
Free–$86/user/mo (Plus $29/mo annual · $36/mo monthly; Pro $69/mo annual · $86/mo monthly; Enterprise custom)
CRM with AI-powered data enrichment that works with any email provider — not locked to Google. Automatic relationship tracking and flexible data model. Free tier available with no contact caps.
Folk
14-day trial (no free plan), $24/user/mo (Standard, annual) · $30/user/mo (monthly), $48/user/mo (Premium, annual) · $60/user/mo (monthly)
Lightweight CRM that syncs with Gmail, Outlook, and LinkedIn. AI handles contact enrichment and deduplication. No contact limits on paid plans. Designed for relationship-focused teams.
HubSpot Free CRM
Free (core CRM), paid tiers from $20/user/mo
Free CRM with up to 1,000,000 contacts, no user limits, and no Google dependency. Includes email tracking, deal pipelines, and meeting scheduling. Surpasses Copper's paid Starter plan at zero cost.
StackCut doesn't sell or recommend any of these tools. We show them for context. The decision is yours.
Total Cost of Ownership
Subscription fees plus labor and error costs, modeled at $50/hr loaded rate (BLS ECEC).
| Cost Component | Close | Copper |
|---|---|---|
| Annual subscription | $4,200 | $2,760 |
| Labor cost | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Error & rework cost | $3,600 | $3,600 |
| Total Cost of Ownership | $19,800/yr | $18,360/yr |
| Est. AI alternative | $7,788/yr | $7,788/yr |
Labor rate based on BLS ECEC June 2025 ($45.65/hr private industry total compensation, rounded to $50). Team sizes differ because each vendor targets different market segments. Your actual numbers depend on team size, role mix, and usage. Run it with your own data.
Which one fits your team?
Both Close and Coppercost more than their published pricing suggests. The right choice depends on your team size and how you weigh each tool's trade-offs.
Close starts at $35/seat/mo , but watch for Close's Essentials plan ($35/user/mo, billed annually) covers basic outreach but includes no workflow automation. Growth ($99/user/mo) adds Workflows, Power Dialer, and AI Email Assistant. Scale ($139/user/mo) is required for predictive dialing and custom objects. A 10-rep team on Growth costs $11,880/year.
Copper starts at $23/seat/mo , but watch for Copper now has four tiers: Starter ($9/seat/mo, billed annually) caps at 1,000 contacts but lacks workflow automation and reporting; Basic ($29/user/mo, annual) unlocks reporting but still limits contacts; Professional ($59/user/mo) raises contacts to 15,000 and adds email sequences; Business ($99/user/mo) is required for custom reports. The Basic plan jumped from $23 to $29/month between 2025 and 2026. A 10-person team on Professional costs $7,080/year.
An AI-native alternative may replace the workflow at a fraction of the TCO.
See all SaaS cost comparisonsBrowse alternatives for every tool
FAQ
Close vs Copper: quick answers
Is Close or Copper cheaper?
On total cost of ownership, Close runs about $19,800/year (10-person team) versus $18,360/year for Copper (10-person team) once labor and hidden costs are counted, not just the published subscription. Adjust the inputs to your own team to compare them directly.
What can replace Close or Copper?
Close is often replaced by Attio and Apollo.io; Copper by Attio and Folk. StackCut shows the cost case for each AI-first alternative without taking referral fees.
What are the hidden costs of Close and Copper?
Close: Close's Essentials plan ($35/user/mo, billed annually) covers basic outreach but includes no workflow automation. Growth ($99/user/mo) adds Workflows, Power Dialer, and AI Email Assistant. Scale ($139/user/mo) is required for predictive dialing and custom objects. A 10-rep team on Growth costs $11,880/year. Copper: Copper now has four tiers: Starter ($9/seat/mo, billed annually) caps at 1,000 contacts but lacks workflow automation and reporting; Basic ($29/user/mo, annual) unlocks reporting but still limits contacts; Professional ($59/user/mo) raises contacts to 15,000 and adds email sequences; Business ($99/user/mo) is required for custom reports. The Basic plan jumped from $23 to $29/month between 2025 and 2026. A 10-person team on Professional costs $7,080/year.
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