Software Alternatives & Startups

Groundbase VS Close

Compare Groundbase VS Close and see what are their differences

Groundbase

A CRM for a business of one. $19 a month flat, every feature included: texting, calling, email campaigns, newsletters, invoicing and an MCP server, sent through your own Twilio and Resend accounts with no markup on messages.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Paid Free trial $19 / Monthly (Flat rate — all features included)
Close

A CRM with built-in calling, SMS, and email

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Close seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 8 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 8
MCP Servers popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
28 vs 240+

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Groundbase
Close
Website groundbasecrm.com close.com
Pricing
Paid Free trial $19 / Monthly (Flat rate — all features included) Official pricing
Platforms
Web Windows Android
—
Company Startup from Canada · 1 - 9 employees · 2026 Startup from the United States
Listed in

About Groundbase and Close

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Groundbase
Close

Groundbase is a CRM built for one person running their own business: a realtor, a freelancer, a consultant, a tradesperson. It's $19 a month (or $199 a year) with every feature on the one plan. No tiers, no per-seat pricing, no add-ons. What's in it: - Contacts, companies, tags, custom fields and...

Read more about Groundbase

No description of Close yet.

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Groundbase 15 features
Close 5 features
  • Web-Based Platform
    Works in any modern browser at app.groundbasecrm.com
  • Android App
    Direct .apk download, near-full feature parity with desktop
  • Windows
    Native desktop app (.exe installer)
  • BYO Twilio
    Connect your own Twilio account. No markup on SMS or voice — you pay Twilio's published rates directly.
  • BYO Resend
    Connect your own Resend account for email. No platform markup, no imposed sending limits.
  • MCP Server
    Model Context Protocol server — Claude, Chatgpt, or any MCP client can read and act on your CRM data.
  • Flat Pricing
    $19/month. No per-seat, no tiers, no usage-based billing.
  • Deal Pipeline
    Drag-and-drop kanban board with custom stages.
  • Bulk SMS
    Send to filtered contact lists through your own Twilio number.
  • Email & SMS Campaigns
    Drip sequences, A/B testing, and analytics pulled from your own Resend account.
  • Cadences
    Multi-step outreach sequences mixing SMS, email, tasks, and tags.
  • Automations & Webhooks
    Trigger-based workflows plus inbound and outbound webhooks.
  • Softphone
    In-browser calling and voicemail drops via Twilio Voice.
  • Custom Fields
    Unlimited custom fields on contacts, companies, and deals.
  • Google Calendar Sync
    Two-way sync plus public booking pages.
  • Unified Interface
    Close provides a complete customer relationship management solution with a robust set of features including email, calling, and SMS integration, all within one platform, which enhances workflow efficiency.
  • Automation Features
    The platform includes extensive automation capabilities such as automated emails, task reminders, and follow-ups, helping to streamline repetitive tasks and improve productivity.
  • Ease of Use
    Close is known for its user-friendly interface and intuitive design, making it accessible for users of varying technical skill levels.
  • Excellent Support
    Close has a strong reputation for providing excellent customer support, including comprehensive onboarding assistance and a wealth of online resources and documentation.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Close integrates seamlessly with numerous other tools and platforms, including popular options like Slack, Zoom, and Zapier, enhancing its functionality and versatility.

Possible disadvantages

  • Pricing
    The cost of Close can be relatively high compared to other CRM solutions, particularly for small businesses or startups operating on limited budgets.
  • Limited Customization
    Some users may find the customization options within Close to be somewhat limited, which can be a drawback for businesses with highly specific needs.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its overall ease of use, some features can have a steeper learning curve, potentially requiring additional time for new users to become fully proficient.
  • Mobile App Limitations
    The mobile application currently offers fewer functionalities compared to the desktop version, which can be restrictive for users who need to manage workflows on the go.
  • Reporting Features
    While Close offers basic reporting capabilities, some users may find the depth and flexibility of reporting features to be less comprehensive compared to other advanced CRM solutions.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Groundbase
Close

No analysis of Groundbase yet.

Overall verdict

  • Close is considered a highly effective CRM tool for sales-oriented teams. It offers a range of powerful features that streamline the sales process, though it might be considered expensive for teams not heavily focused on aggressive sales tactics.

Why this product is good

  • Close (close.com) is a customer relationship management (CRM) software designed specifically for sales teams. It is appreciated for its intuitive interface, robust automation features, and efficient communication tools such as email and calling integrations. Users find it especially beneficial for small to medium-sized businesses looking to optimize their sales processes and improve productivity.

Recommended for

    Close is ideal for sales-driven organizations, especially small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that require efficient lead management, streamlined communication, and actionable insights to enhance their sales performance.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Groundbase 0 videos + Add
Close 3 videos + Add

No Groundbase videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Close Netflix Review

More videos

  • - CLOSE (2019) - Netflix Original Movie - One Minute Movie Review
  • - Close: Netflix: Ending Explained + Real Life Story Of The Female Bodyguard To The Rich And Famous

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Groundbase
Close
100% 100%
0% 0%
2% 2%
CRM
98% 98%
0% 0%
100% 100%
5% 5%
95% 95%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Groundbase and Close.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Groundbase's answer

The API and the MCP server run on Cloudflare Workers, in TypeScript with no backend framework. The database is Turso (libSQL), and billing goes through Stripe. Texts and calls go through Twilio and email through Resend, both on the customer's own accounts, not mine.

The web app is React on Vite, the Windows desktop app is Electron, and the Android app is React Native. All three work from the same cloud data. The MCP server uses Streamable HTTP, and the marketing site is Next.js.

Most of it runs on Cloudflare because of how costs grow. At a flat $19 a month, I can't have a hosting bill that rises with bandwidth on several fronts at once.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

Groundbase's answer

  • Groundbase is new and deliberately small: it's used by people running a business of one, like realtors, freelancers and consultants. None of them are "big customers", and I don't list anyone without their permission.

What makes your product unique?

Groundbase's answer

Two things.

First, it sends things itself, through accounts you own. Texts and calls go through your own Twilio number, campaign email through your own Resend account, card payments through your own Stripe account. You pay those companies directly, on invoices with your name on them, and nothing is marked up.

Second, it has an MCP server. Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor and your assistant can actually do the work in your CRM: "text the three people I quoted last week" ends with three texts sent, not a draft for you to copy.

And it's $19 a month, flat. One plan, one person, every feature included. Nothing is held back for a higher tier.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Groundbase's answer

Groundbase is built for a business of one, not a sales team scaled down. Most CRMs charge per seat and split the useful parts across tiers and add-ons. Groundbase is one flat price ($19/month or $199/year) with everything included: contacts and deals, tasks and a calendar, invoices and quotes with time tracking, booking links, email and text campaigns, and workflows.

Texting and calling run through your own Twilio account, and campaigns through your own Resend account. You pay those providers directly at their rates, with no markup, and the phone numbers stay yours if you ever leave.

It also works with the AI assistant you already use. Groundbase runs an MCP server with 134 tools, so Claude or ChatGPT can look things up, update records, and draft or send messages in your real account.

It runs on the web, Windows and Android. There's no iOS app yet.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Groundbase's answer

People running a business of one. A realtor working their sphere, a freelancer, a consultant, a tradesperson, a coach: someone who does their own follow-up and wants the CRM to send the text, the email or the invoice, not just remind them to.

Two things tend to be true of them. They don't want to pay per-seat or team prices for features built for teams, and they're willing to spend fifteen minutes connecting their own Twilio and Resend accounts so they never pay a markup on messages.

It isn't for teams, or for anyone who needs lead routing, permissions or manager reporting. There are better tools for that, and I'd rather say so up front.

What's the story behind your product?

Groundbase's answer

I built the CRM I wanted and couldn't find. Everything out there either assumed a sales team I didn't have, or was the cheap entry tier of someone else's upsell funnel.

The part worth telling is what I removed. Groundbase originally had a credits system: customers topped up a wallet, sent texts through my Twilio account, and I marked up the rate. That was supposed to be platform revenue.

I killed it. Texting compliance for many businesses on one account is brutal for one person to manage, every credits system generates "where did my $10 go" emails, and refunding partial balances is miserable. But the real reason was simpler: I built this to get away from platforms that mark up Twilio, and there I was marking up Twilio. So customers connect their own account now. I lost the markup revenue and got back a product I'd actually buy.

User comments

Share your experience with using Groundbase and Close. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Groundbase no reviews yet
Close no reviews yet

We have no reviews of Groundbase yet. Be the first one to post

  • Leadey vs Close
    www.leadey.ai · Oct 2026

    Switching Move from Close in a day. 012 minutes Connect Close Paste a Close API key in Settings → Migration. Leadey checks it and reads your account; nothing changes in Close. 025 minutes Choose what to bring Pick the...

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Groundbase 0 mentions
Close 8 mentions

Tracking Groundbase since Aug 2026.

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (March 2024)
    Close (https://close.com) | Multiple Product & Engineering Roles | REMOTE (US) Close is a bootstrapped, profitable, completely remote, ~90 person team of thoughtful individuals who value autonomy and impact. Since 2013, we’ve been... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (February 2024)
    Close (https://close.com) | Multiple Product & Engineering Roles | REMOTE (US) Close is a bootstrapped, profitable, completely remote, ~90 person team of thoughtful individuals who value autonomy and impact. Since 2013, we’ve been... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Why this simple email template can help with your sign-ups conversion
    This sign-up sales email from Close.io (now close.com) will likely increase your conversion rate. Here's why it works well:. Source: over 3 years ago

View more

Alternatives to Groundbase and Close

When comparing Groundbase and Close, you can also consider the following products.

  • Attio

    Attio is a radically new type of CRM that is real-time, entirely customizable and intuitively collaborative. Using Attio, your team can create, build and deploy your CRM exactly as you want it.

    Compare Attio to Groundbase or Close:

  • Pipedrive

    Sales pipeline software that gets you organized. Helps you focus on the right deals, so easy to use that salespeople just love it. Great for small teams.

    Compare Pipedrive to Groundbase or Close:

  • Salesflare

    B2B sales CRM with automatic contact and activity capture for less CRM admin and easier follow-up.

    Compare Salesflare to Groundbase or Close:

  • Zoho CRM

    Omnichannel CRM for Businesses of all sizes

    Compare Zoho CRM to Groundbase or Close:

  • OnePageCRM

    OnePageCRM is a powerful contact management system for small businesses. With this CRM, you can easily focus on what needs to be done next, follow up with every lead and client, keep the team on the same page, and close more deals.

    Compare OnePageCRM to Groundbase or Close:

  • HubSpot

    Grow Better With HubSpot: Software that's powerful, not overpowering. Seamlessly connect your data, teams, and customers on one CRM platform that grows with your business.

    Compare HubSpot to Groundbase or Close: