Bigin by Zoho CRM vs Closely: CRM Platform vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare Bigin by Zoho CRM (CRM platform) and Closely (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Compare Bigin by Zoho CRM (CRM platform) and Closely (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Reviewed and updated September 4, 2026
Bigin by Zoho CRM vs Closely: CRM Platform vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Bigin by Zoho CRM (CRM platform) and Closely (sales engagement platform) sit next to each other in many outbound stacks. They are not substitutes for each other on every job, so this comparison covers pricing, features, and integrations for each and points out where the two meet.
The Quick Answer
Bigin by Zoho CRM is a CRM platform for customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking; Closely is a sales engagement platform for multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking. By each vendor's own wording, Bigin by Zoho CRM lists team pipelines and contact management, and Closely lists multichannel campaigns across linkedin and email and conditional sequence builder.
Bigin by Zoho CRM offers a lower entry point at $0/mo compared to Closely at $49/mo.
If your priority is organizing contacts, tracking deals, and forecasting revenue, Bigin by Zoho CRM is the one built for it; for coordinating outreach across email, phone, and social channels, that is Closely. Many teams run one of each.
Understanding the Core Difference
Bigin by Zoho CRM is Bigin is Zoho's simple, AI-powered CRM for small businesses with team pipelines, contact management, email and WhatsApp communication, and AI credits on the higher editions. Priced per user per month with a free single-user edition.
Closely is Outbound platform that runs automated campaigns across LinkedIn and email from a shared sender, with a conditional sequence builder, unified inbox, contact enrichment and AI personalization agents.
The two platforms take different approaches to solving the same core challenge.
Pricing Comparison
Free
Starter
Bigin by Zoho CRM Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | Free |
| Express | $9/mo |
| Premier | $15/mo |
| Bigin 360 | $21/mo |
Source: Bigin by Zoho CRM Pricing
Closely Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $49/mo | 1 LinkedIn account, unlimited email accounts |
| Growth | $127/mo | 3 LinkedIn accounts, unlimited email accounts, 3,000 bonus credits/mo |
| Essential | $205/mo | 5 LinkedIn accounts, unlimited email accounts, 5,000 bonus credits/mo |
| Custom | Contact Sales | Unlimited seats, custom LinkedIn accounts and credits |
Source: Closely Pricing
Pricing Analysis
Bigin by Zoho CRM is more affordable at the entry level ($0/mo vs $49/mo). For teams with tight budgets or those just getting started with customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking and multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking, this price difference matters.
Bigin by Zoho CRM includes a free tier, letting you test the platform before committing financially.
Features Breakdown
- Team pipelines
- Contact management
- AI credits for AI features
- Online booking page for meetings
- Churn risk signals
- Payments collection
- and 2 more listed below
- Multichannel campaigns across LinkedIn and email
- Conditional sequence builder
- Smart Inbox unifying LinkedIn and email replies
- LinkedIn account warmup
- Dedicated residential IP for each LinkedIn account
- OAuth Gmail and Outlook connection plus custom SMTP
- and 4 more listed below
Bigin by Zoho CRM Key Features
- Team pipelines
- Contact management
- AI credits for AI features
- Online booking page for meetings
- Churn risk signals
- Payments collection
- MCP support
- Free onboarding session
Closely Key Features
- Multichannel campaigns across LinkedIn and email
- Conditional sequence builder
- Smart Inbox unifying LinkedIn and email replies
- LinkedIn account warmup
- Dedicated residential IP for each LinkedIn account
- OAuth Gmail and Outlook connection plus custom SMTP
- Email finder with a multi-step fallback process
- Phone number finder
- AI lead scoring and personalization agents
- Export from Sales Navigator, LinkedIn posts and events
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 Bigin by Zoho CRM
- Team pipelines
- Contact management
- AI credits for AI features
- Online booking page for meetings
- Churn risk signals
- Payments collection
- MCP support
- Free onboarding session
Listed only by Closely
- Multichannel campaigns across LinkedIn and email
- Conditional sequence builder
- Smart Inbox unifying LinkedIn and email replies
- LinkedIn account warmup
- Dedicated residential IP for each LinkedIn account
- OAuth Gmail and Outlook connection plus custom SMTP
- Email finder with a multi-step fallback process
- Phone number finder
- AI lead scoring and personalization agents
- Export from Sales Navigator, LinkedIn posts and events
Integration Ecosystem
Bigin by Zoho CRM Integrations
Bigin by Zoho CRM connects with: WhatsApp, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Zoho Books, Outlook, Gmail, Zoho Desk, Zoho Campaigns, Zapier, Zoho Forms, Google Workspace, Zoom.
Closely Integrations
Closely connects with: Salesforce, Pipedrive, HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, SMTP, Webhooks.
Shared Integrations
Both tools integrate with: Gmail.
Integrations listed only by Bigin by Zoho CRM: WhatsApp, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Zoho Books, Outlook, Zoho Desk, Zoho Campaigns, Zapier, Zoho Forms, Google Workspace, Zoom.
Integrations listed only by Closely: Salesforce, Pipedrive, HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Microsoft Outlook, SMTP, Webhooks.
Use Case Recommendations
Best Fit for Bigin by Zoho CRM
- Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable CRM platform
- Organizations with complex tech stacks needing broad integration support (12 integrations)
- Teams that want to start free and scale up as needs grow
Best Fit for Closely
- Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable sales engagement platform
- Teams that need a wide feature set (10 capabilities listed)
- Enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support
Feature Comparison Summary
| Feature | Bigin by Zoho CRM | Closely |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free | $49/mo |
| Top Tier Price | $21/mo | Contact Sales |
| Total Features Listed | 8 | 10 |
| Integrations | 12 | 8 |
Getting Started Checklist
- Define your customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking and multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking requirements and monthly budget
- Estimate your expected contacts and deals and sequences and engagement actions 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
Bigin by Zoho CRM serves the customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking side of an outbound stack and Closely the multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking side. Bigin by Zoho CRM offers a more accessible entry point, while Closely starts at $49/mo. 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 Bigin by Zoho CRM and Closely for current information.
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
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