Artisan vs Close: Sales Engagement Platform vs CRM Platform Comparison
Compare Artisan (sales engagement platform) and Close (CRM platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Artisan is a sales engagement platform built around Ava, an AI BDR that runs autonomous multi-channel outreach and books meetings, while Close is a CRM platform built for inside sales teams with built-in calling, SMS, and pipeline tracking. Close starts at $19/mo, while Artisan uses custom, contact-sales pricing. Many teams run both together.
Key takeaways
- Close publishes an entry price of $19/mo for its Solo plan, while Artisan uses custom, contact-sales pricing across all three of its tiers.
- Close offers 4 pricing tiers (Solo, Essentials, Growth, Scale) compared to Artisan's 3 tiers (Team, Scale, Enterprise).
- Artisan's Team plan supports roughly 2,500 leads contacted per month, and its Scale plan supports roughly 6,000 leads contacted per month.
- Close's Solo plan is limited to 10,000 leads, and Close's paid tiers include Essentials at $49/mo, Growth at $109/mo, and Scale at $149/mo.
- Artisan integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, and Webhooks, while Close integrates with Zapier, Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Zoom, HubSpot, Segment, and Calendly.
Reviewed and updated September 2, 2026
Artisan vs Close: Sales Engagement Platform vs CRM Platform Comparison
Artisan is a sales engagement platform; Close is a CRM platform. Whether you need one, the other, or both depends on which part of the workflow you are buying for: multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking on one side, customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking on the other. This guide lays out what each vendor publishes.
The Quick Answer
Artisan is a sales engagement platform for multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking; Close is a CRM platform for customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking. By each vendor's own wording, Artisan lists ava, the ai bdr and ai-powered prospect identification, and Close lists built-in calling with power dialer and native sms messaging.
Close publishes an entry price of $19/mo; Artisan uses custom pricing, so the two cannot be compared on list price.
If your priority is coordinating outreach across email, phone, and social channels, Artisan is the one built for it; for organizing contacts, tracking deals, and forecasting revenue, that is Close. Many teams run one of each.
Understanding the Core Difference
Artisan is AI BDR platform whose agent Ava finds leads, runs autonomous email and social campaigns from your own sending domains, handles replies and books meetings, with a dialer add-on for reps.
Close is A CRM built specifically for inside sales teams, with built-in calling, SMS, and email functionality. Close focuses on reducing manual data entry and increasing sales velocity with features like Power Dialer, predictive dialing, and workflow automation.
The two platforms take different approaches to solving the same core challenge.
Pricing Comparison
Team
Solo
Artisan Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Contact Sales | ~2,500 leads contacted/mo |
| Scale | Contact Sales | ~6,000 leads contacted/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact Sales | - |
Source: Artisan Pricing
Close Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | $19/mo | Limited to 10k leads |
| Essentials | $49/mo | - |
| Growth | $109/mo | - |
| Scale | $149/mo | - |
Source: Close Pricing
Pricing Analysis
One or both platforms use custom or contact-based pricing for some tiers. Reach out to their sales teams for exact quotes based on your usage needs.
Close offers 4 pricing tiers compared to Artisan's 3, giving you more granularity as you scale.
Features Breakdown
- Ava, the AI BDR
- AI-powered prospect identification
- Autonomous email and social campaigns with calls queued
- Intent signal campaigns
- CRM reengagement and cross-sell campaigns
- Autonomous replies and meeting booking
- and 4 more listed below
- Built-in calling with Power Dialer
- Native SMS messaging
- Email sequences and templates
- Automated workflows
- Predictive dialing
- AI Email Assistant
- and 2 more listed below
Artisan Key Features
- Ava, the AI BDR
- AI-powered prospect identification
- Autonomous email and social campaigns with calls queued
- Intent signal campaigns
- CRM reengagement and cross-sell campaigns
- Autonomous replies and meeting booking
- 250M+ verified B2B contacts
- Two-way Salesforce and HubSpot sync
- AI dialer add-on, per seat
- Send approvals with tone locks and banned phrases
Close Key Features
- Built-in calling with Power Dialer
- Native SMS messaging
- Email sequences and templates
- Automated workflows
- Predictive dialing
- AI Email Assistant
- Pipeline and activity reporting
- Role-based access and permissions
The two lists below are a diff of each vendor's own feature list by exact wording, so a capability both tools offer can appear on either side under a different name.
Listed only by Artisan
- Ava, the AI BDR
- AI-powered prospect identification
- Autonomous email and social campaigns with calls queued
- Intent signal campaigns
- CRM reengagement and cross-sell campaigns
- Autonomous replies and meeting booking
- 250M+ verified B2B contacts
- Two-way Salesforce and HubSpot sync
- AI dialer add-on, per seat
- Send approvals with tone locks and banned phrases
Listed only by Close
- Built-in calling with Power Dialer
- Native SMS messaging
- Email sequences and templates
- Automated workflows
- Predictive dialing
- AI Email Assistant
- Pipeline and activity reporting
- Role-based access and permissions
Integration Ecosystem
Artisan Integrations
Artisan connects with: Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Webhooks.
Close Integrations
Close connects with: Zapier, Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Zoom, HubSpot, Segment, Calendly.
Shared Integrations
Both tools integrate with: HubSpot, Slack.
Integrations listed only by Artisan: Salesforce, Webhooks.
Integrations listed only by Close: Zapier, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Zoom, Segment, Calendly.
Use Case Recommendations
Best Fit for Artisan
- Teams that need a wide feature set (10 capabilities listed)
- Enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support
- SDR teams running multi-channel outreach sequences
- Sales managers tracking team engagement metrics
Best Fit for Close
- Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable CRM platform
- Organizations with complex tech stacks needing broad integration support (8 integrations)
- Sales teams tracking deals from first touch to close
- Managers who need pipeline visibility and forecasting
Feature Comparison Summary
| Feature | Artisan | Close |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Contact Sales | $19/mo |
| Top Tier Price | Contact Sales | $149/mo |
| Total Features Listed | 10 | 8 |
| Integrations | 4 | 8 |
| Founded | N/A | 2013 |
Getting Started Checklist
- Define your multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking and customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking requirements and monthly budget
- Estimate your expected sequences and engagement actions and contacts and deals to find the right tier
- List the integrations your team currently relies on
- Sign up for free trials or demos of both platforms
- Run a small test with each tool before making a commitment
- Evaluate the onboarding experience and support quality
Final Thoughts
Artisan serves the multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking side of an outbound stack and Close the customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking side. Close publishes an entry price of $19/mo, while Artisan uses custom pricing for its plans, so compare on features and on the quote you receive. Your decision should weigh pricing against the specific features that matter most for your workflow.
Start with a trial of each to see which platform fits your team's daily process. The best tool is the one your team actually uses consistently.
Pricing and features verified as of September 2026. Visit Artisan and Close for current information.
Frequently asked questions.
Frequently asked questions- What is the main difference between Artisan and Close?
- Artisan is a sales engagement platform focused on multi-channel outreach and engagement tracking, centered on an AI BDR called Ava. Close is a CRM platform focused on customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking, with built-in calling and SMS. They solve different parts of the sales workflow, and many teams use both.
- How much does Close cost compared to Artisan?
- Close publishes an entry price of $19/mo for its Solo plan, with additional tiers at $49/mo, $109/mo, and $149/mo. Artisan does not publish list pricing and instead uses custom, contact-sales pricing across its Team, Scale, and Enterprise plans, so the two cannot be directly compared on list price.
- Does Artisan or Close have more pricing tiers?
- Close offers 4 pricing tiers (Solo, Essentials, Growth, Scale) compared to Artisan's 3 tiers (Team, Scale, Enterprise). This gives Close more granularity for teams scaling their usage over time.
- What integrations does Artisan support versus Close?
- Artisan connects with Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, and Webhooks. Close connects with Zapier, Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Zoom, HubSpot, Segment, and Calendly. Both tools share HubSpot and Slack integrations, but Close lists a broader integration ecosystem overall.
- Which tool is better for a budget-conscious team?
- Close is positioned as the better fit for budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable CRM platform, starting at $19/mo. Artisan is better suited to enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support, or SDR teams running multi-channel outreach sequences.
About the author.
Tim Carden is CMO / CTO at RevenueFlow, which builds and operates outbound revenue engines for B2B companies. Studied at McGill University.
Tim Carden · CMO / CTO
Connect on LinkedIn →Explore more.
Ready to scale your outreach?
We build GTM engines that book real meetings. See the receipts.
Related articles.
Vocus.io vs Zeliq: Cold Email Platform vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare Vocus.io (cold email platform) and Zeliq (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
LeadIQ vs Skylead: Data Enrichment Tool vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare LeadIQ (data enrichment tool) and Skylead (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
LeadMagic vs Revenue.io: Data Enrichment Tool vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare LeadMagic (data enrichment tool) and Revenue.io (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Koncert vs Skylead: Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare Koncert and Skylead side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to choose the right sales engagement platform for your needs.
La Growth Machine vs Meet Alfred: Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare La Growth Machine and Meet Alfred side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to choose the right sales engagement platform for your needs.
Salesforge vs Skylead: Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare Salesforge and Skylead side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to choose the right sales engagement platform for your needs.