Close vs Keap

Close vs Keap - Features, Pricing & Expert Verdict

Wondering whether Close or Keap is the better fit for Professional Services? We break down features, pricing, and real-world suitability so you can choose with confidence - backed by 12+ of hands-on experience.

Features compared

50+

Clients advised

98%

Client retention

12+

Years experience

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Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature analysis for Close and Keap.

Contact management

Close provides contact management functionality, popular with Professional Services businesses

Keap

Built-in e-commerce features including checkout pages, order forms, and subscription management let small businesses sell directly from the CRM

Keap highlights contact management as a core strength. Close offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Pipeline management

Limitation: Customisation options for pipelines and objects are less flexible than Salesforce, which can be limiting for non-standard sales processes

Keap

Built-in e-commerce features including checkout pages, order forms, and subscription management let small businesses sell directly from the CRM

Keap highlights pipeline management as a core strength. Close offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Email automation

Built-in VoIP calling with call recording, voicemail, and power dialer means sales reps never leave the CRM to make or log calls

Keap

Campaign Builder (formerly Infusionsoft) provides sophisticated marketing automation with visual workflow design, conditional branching, and lead scoring

Both platforms are strong here. Close emphasises this as a core strength, and Keap also invests heavily in email automation. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Reporting and analytics

Close includes reporting and analytics capabilities. Feature depth varies by plan tier

Keap

Keap includes reporting and analytics capabilities. Feature depth varies by plan tier

reporting and analytics capabilities vary by plan tier on both platforms. Confirm the specific features you need are available at your target price point before committing.

Integration ecosystem

Limitation: Smaller integration ecosystem than major CRMs means some connections require Zapier rather than native integrations

Keap

Keap connects with 51+ tools natively, offering one of the broadest integration ecosystems in its category

Both platforms have similar integration breadth (44 and 51 native connectors respectively). Either will connect to the major tools in a mid-market stack.

Mobile app

Close connects with 44+ tools natively, offering one of the broadest integration ecosystems in its category

Keap

Keap connects with 51+ tools natively, offering one of the broadest integration ecosystems in its category

Both Close and Keap address mobile app. The right choice depends on whether you prioritise depth of functionality or breadth of your overall platform.

Custom fields and objects

Limitation: Customisation options for pipelines and objects are less flexible than Salesforce, which can be limiting for non-standard sales processes

Keap

Keap manages contacts, deals, tasks, emails and 5 more object types

custom fields and objects support varies across Close and Keap's plan tiers. Check whether the capabilities you need are on the plan you can actually afford.

Workflow automation

Sales automation with sequences (multi-step email and call cadences) keeps follow-up consistent without manual scheduling

Keap

Campaign Builder (formerly Infusionsoft) provides sophisticated marketing automation with visual workflow design, conditional branching, and lead scoring

Both platforms are strong here. Close emphasises this as a core strength, and Keap also invests heavily in workflow automation. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Team collaboration

Limitation: Calling costs (local and international rates) add to the monthly subscription, which can be significant for teams making hundreds of calls daily

Keap

Keap includes team collaboration features. Multi-user capabilities vary by plan tier

Day-to-day team collaboration workflows feel different between Close and Keap - watch a recorded walkthrough of each before judging which fits your team.

Customer support features

Limitation: Marketing features are minimal compared to HubSpot or ActiveCampaign, so businesses still need a separate tool for email campaigns and nurturing

Keap

Built-in e-commerce features including checkout pages, order forms, and subscription management let small businesses sell directly from the CRM

Keap highlights customer support features as a core strength. Close offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Ease of setup

Close provides onboarding resources. Setup complexity depends on your configuration requirements

Keap

Limitation: Contact limits increase pricing sharply, with the base plan limited to 1,500 contacts before additional fees apply

On paper ease of setup looks similar across Close and Keap, but the admin experience, reporting, and permission model tend to be the real differentiators.

Value for money

Startup from approximately $75/user/month, Professional from approximately $155/user/month, Enterprise from approximately $230/user/month (AUD). Built-in calling has additional per-minute charges. Annual billing discounts available.

Keap

Keap Pro from approximately $299/month (1,500 contacts, 2 users), Keap Max from approximately $399/month (2,500 contacts, 3 users) (AUD). Additional users and contacts incur extra fees. Annual billing discounts available.

Pricing models differ significantly. Compare the total cost of ownership including add-ons and per-user fees, not just the headline price.

Pricing Comparison

General pricing information for each platform.

Close

Prices shown are approximate and may differ based on your plan, team size, and billing cycle. Verify directly with the vendor for current AUD rates.

Keap

Pricing is indicative only and subject to change. We recommend contacting the vendor for a tailored quote based on your Australian business needs.

Pros & Cons

An honest look at the strengths and limitations of each platform.

Close

Pros

Built-in VoIP calling with call recording, voicemail, and power dialer means sales reps never leave the CRM to make or log calls
Unified inbox combines emails, calls, and SMS in a single timeline per lead, giving reps complete conversation context without switching tools
Smart Views with saved filters and dynamic lead lists surface the most relevant prospects automatically, replacing manual list building
Sales automation with sequences (multi-step email and call cadences) keeps follow-up consistent without manual scheduling
Fast, keyboard-driven interface with global search and quick actions is designed for high-volume outreach, reducing clicks per action

Cons

Marketing features are minimal compared to HubSpot or ActiveCampaign, so businesses still need a separate tool for email campaigns and nurturing
Calling costs (local and international rates) add to the monthly subscription, which can be significant for teams making hundreds of calls daily
Customisation options for pipelines and objects are less flexible than Salesforce, which can be limiting for non-standard sales processes
Smaller integration ecosystem than major CRMs means some connections require Zapier rather than native integrations

Keap

Pros

Built-in e-commerce features including checkout pages, order forms, and subscription management let small businesses sell directly from the CRM
Campaign Builder (formerly Infusionsoft) provides sophisticated marketing automation with visual workflow design, conditional branching, and lead scoring
Appointments scheduling is built in with configurable availability, automated reminders, and calendar sync, removing the need for a separate tool
Landing page builder with A/B testing creates lead capture pages without requiring a separate platform like Unbounce or Leadpages
Text message marketing and automation alongside email gives businesses multi-channel outreach from a single platform

Cons

Pricing is premium for a small business tool, starting at approximately $299/month (AUD), which is hard to justify for early-stage businesses
The legacy Infusionsoft campaign builder, while powerful, has a steep learning curve that can take weeks to master effectively
Contact limits increase pricing sharply, with the base plan limited to 1,500 contacts before additional fees apply
The platform has undergone significant rebranding and restructuring (from Infusionsoft to Keap), which has caused confusion about which features exist on which plans

Best For

Which tool suits which use case.

Choose Close if you need

✓ Contact management
✓ Complex data models (leads, contacts, opportunities and more)
✓ Real-time data sync across platforms
✓ Sales pipeline tracking
✓ Professional Services businesses

Choose Keap if you need

✓ Professional Services businesses
✓ Sales pipeline tracking
✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations
✓ Education organisations
✓ Marketing automation

Expert Verdict

Our Harvard-educated consultants' take on this comparison.

Clever Ops Recommendation

Choose Close if inside sales teams that rely heavily on phone and email outreach and want calling, email sequences, and CRM in a single fast interface without toggling between tools. Choose Keap if established small businesses that need CRM, marketing automation, and e-commerce payment collection in a single platform, particularly coaches, consultants, and online course creators. Avoid Close if businesses that need marketing automation alongside CRM, field sales teams that need mobile-first features, or companies wanting a low-cost entry-level CRM. Avoid Keap if businesses on tight budgets where the monthly cost is disproportionate to revenue, or teams that only need basic CRM without built-in payment processing and marketing automation. If you are still weighing the trade-offs, Clever Ops offers a free assessment where our Harvard-educated consultants map your requirements to the right platform.

Migration Notes

What to know about switching between Close and Keap.

Migrating Between Close and Keap

Both Close and Keap offer REST APIs, which simplifies the migration process. Clever Ops builds custom migration scripts that extract data from one platform and import it into the other with full field mapping. We validate every record, run parallel systems during the switch, and provide 3 months of post-migration support.

Close vs Keap FAQ

For Professional Services, the answer depends on your operational model. Close is best for inside sales teams that rely heavily on phone and email outreach and want calling, email sequences, and CRM in a single fast interface without toggling between tools. Keap is best for established small businesses that need CRM, marketing automation, and e-commerce payment collection in a single platform, particularly coaches, consultants, and online course creators. Clever Ops has helped businesses across Professional Services choose the right stack. Book a free assessment for advice specific to your situation.

Yes. Both platforms share 3 common data object types (including contacts, emails, tasks), which simplifies field mapping. Clever Ops runs a structured migration process: discovery, data mapping, test migration, verification, and cutover. Most migrations complete within 4-8 weeks, with 3 months of post-migration support included.

Close: Startup from approximately $75/user/month, Professional from approximately $155/user/month, Enterprise from approximately $230/user/month (AUD). Built-in calling has additional per-minute charges. Annual billing discounts available.. Keap: Keap Pro from approximately $299/month (1,500 contacts, 2 users), Keap Max from approximately $399/month (2,500 contacts, 3 users) (AUD). Additional users and contacts incur extra fees. Annual billing discounts available.. When comparing costs, factor in per-user charges, add-on modules, and implementation costs, not just the headline price. Clever Ops can model the total cost of ownership for your team size during a free assessment.

Close is generally simpler to set up. Keap typically requires more configuration and may benefit from expert implementation support. Clever Ops provides implementation services for both platforms, typically completing setup within 2 weeks.

If both tools are in the same category, you typically choose one as your primary system. However, some businesses run both during migration periods or for different teams. Close and Keap share 3 common data types, making integration feasible. Clever Ops can sync them so your data stays consistent across both platforms.

Close uses a REST + Webhook API (REST API v1 with API key authentication (Basic Auth). Rate limited to approximately 100 requests per minute. Supports pagination via _skip and _limit. Custom fields accessed via the custom object. Webhook support for lead and opportunity events.), while Keap uses a REST API (REST API v1 with OAuth 2.0. Rate limited to 25 requests per second. Supports pagination via offset and limit. Legacy XML-RPC API still available but deprecated. Webhook support for contact and order events.). Close supports 8 core data objects; Keap supports 9. Close supports webhooks for real-time sync. With 12+ of integration experience, Clever Ops can tell you exactly how each API performs in production.

We audit your current workflows, team size, budget, and growth plans, then recommend the platform that fits. Our advice is vendor-neutral: we do not earn commissions from Close, Keap, or any vendor. Our Harvard-educated consultants have helped 50+ businesses make informed technology decisions over 12+. Book a free assessment to get started.

Yes, both platforms are used by Australian businesses. Close is popular with Professional Services and Financial Services in Australia. Keap is widely used by Professional Services and Education. Key Australian considerations include AUD pricing, local support hours, GST handling, and data residency. Close offers Australian-specific pricing. Clever Ops, based in Gippsland, Victoria, factors these nuances into every recommendation.