Close vs Groove by Clari: Cross-Category Comparison
Compare Close (crm platform) and Groove by Clari (sales engagement platform) side by side. Understand how these tools fit different stages of your sales workflow.
Close is a CRM platform designed for inside sales teams, priced from $19/month, focused on pipeline tracking and deal management with built-in calling and SMS. Groove by Clari is a Salesforce-native sales engagement platform with enterprise pricing that automates multi-channel outreach sequences. They serve different workflow stages—Close manages the full customer lifecycle while Groove orchestrates the outreach phase—making them complementary rather than competitive.
Key takeaways
- Close starts at $19 per month for its base plan, while Groove by Clari requires contacting sales for pricing.
- Close offers 8 integrations including Zapier, HubSpot, and Calendly, while Groove by Clari provides 9 integrations including Salesforce and LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
- Both tools share 4 common integrations: Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, and Zoom, enabling them to work together in the same tech stack.
- Close provides built-in Power Dialer and predictive dialing as native CRM features, while Groove by Clari maintains Salesforce-native architecture with no data sync required.
- The tools have minimal feature overlap because Close focuses on customer relationship management across the full lifecycle while Groove specializes in outreach orchestration.
Reviewed and updated February 6, 2026
Close vs Groove by Clari: Cross-Category Comparison
Teams building a B2B sales stack often face a choice between investing in customer relationship management (Close) or multi-channel sales outreach (Groove by Clari). This comparison helps you understand what each tool does, where they overlap, and how they fit into your workflow.
Why Compare These Two Tools?
CRMs track the entire customer lifecycle and deal pipeline, while sales engagement platforms focus on the outreach phase. Many teams debate whether to invest in a CRM with built-in engagement features or use separate best-of-breed tools.
Close is a crm platform focused on customer relationship management. 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.
Groove by Clari is a sales engagement platform focused on multi-channel sales outreach. Salesforce-native sales engagement platform (now part of Clari) that automates email sequences, logging, and analytics while keeping all activity data natively in Salesforce.
Where Each Tool Fits in Your Workflow
| Aspect | Close | Groove by Clari |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CRM Platform | Sales Engagement Platform |
| Workflow Stage | Pipeline and deal tracking | Outreach orchestration |
| Primary Focus | Customer relationship management | Multi-channel sales outreach |
| Starting Price | $19/mo | Contact Sales |
| Features Listed | 8 | 10 |
| Integrations | 8 | 9 |
Pricing Comparison
Close Pricing (as of February 2026)
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Base | $19/mo |
| Startup | $49/mo |
| Professional | $99/mo |
| Enterprise | $139/mo |
Source: Close Pricing
Groove by Clari Pricing (as of February 2026)
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Groove | Contact Sales |
Source: Groove by Clari Pricing
Pricing Context
These tools serve different purposes, so a direct price comparison requires context. Pricing varies by plan. Contact each vendor for quotes based on your specific needs.
Feature Highlights
Close Key Capabilities (CRM Platform)
- 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
Groove by Clari Key Capabilities (Sales Engagement Platform)
- Salesforce-native architecture (no data sync needed)
- Multi-channel engagement flows (email, phone, LinkedIn)
- Auto-logging of all activities to Salesforce
- Email tracking with open and click analytics
- Dialer with call logging and recording
- Meeting scheduler with calendar integration
- Analytics dashboards for sequence performance
- Template and snippet management
- Revenue intelligence (via Clari platform)
- Account-based engagement workflows
Feature Overlap
These tools have minimal feature overlap, which makes sense given their different categories. They are more complementary than competitive.
Integration Ecosystem
Close Integrations
Close connects with: Zapier, Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Zoom, HubSpot, Segment, Calendly.
Groove by Clari Integrations
Groove by Clari connects with: Salesforce, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft 365, Google Calendar, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Clari, Zoom, Slack.
Shared Integrations
Both tools integrate with: Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Zoom. This shared ecosystem means they can work together in your tech stack.
When to Choose Close
- Your biggest gap is in pipeline and deal tracking
- You already have a solid sales engagement platform and need specialized customer relationship management capabilities
- You want an affordable entry point ($19/mo)
- Your team's primary bottleneck is customer relationship management
When to Choose Groove by Clari
- Your biggest gap is in outreach orchestration
- You already have a crm platform and need better multi-channel sales outreach
- You need enterprise-grade multi-channel sales outreach features
- Your team's primary bottleneck is multi-channel sales outreach
Using Both Together
Many sales teams use both a crm platform and a sales engagement platform as part of their complete workflow. Close handles pipeline and deal tracking while Groove by Clari covers outreach orchestration.
Since both tools integrate with Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, connecting them in your workflow is straightforward.
Decision Framework
- Map your workflow gaps. Which stage needs the most improvement: pipeline and deal tracking or outreach orchestration?
- Check your existing stack. Do you already have a tool covering one of these categories?
- Consider your budget. Can you invest in both, or do you need to prioritize one?
- Trial both. Sign up for free trials to evaluate each tool in your actual workflow.
- Measure ROI separately. Track the impact of each tool on its specific workflow stage.
Related Reading
- Best Close Alternatives in 2026
- Best Groove by Clari Alternatives in 2026
- Close vs Salesforce: CRM Platform Comparison
- Close vs HubSpot CRM: CRM Platform Comparison
- Groove by Clari vs Outreach: Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Pricing and features verified as of February 2026. Visit Close and Groove by Clari for current information.
Frequently asked questions.
Frequently asked questions- What's the main difference between Close and Groove by Clari?
- Close is a CRM platform that manages the entire customer lifecycle, pipeline, and deal tracking, while Groove by Clari is a sales engagement platform that focuses specifically on automating multi-channel outreach sequences. Close handles relationship management from first contact through closed deals, whereas Groove orchestrates the outreach phase with email, phone, and LinkedIn workflows. They operate at different stages of the sales workflow, making them complementary rather than competitive tools.
- Can I use Close and Groove by Clari together?
- Yes, many sales teams use both tools as part of their complete workflow. Close handles pipeline and deal tracking while Groove by Clari covers outreach orchestration. Both tools integrate with Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, and Zoom, making it straightforward to connect them in your workflow. This combination allows you to use Groove for executing outreach campaigns and Close for managing the resulting relationships and deals through your pipeline.
- How much does Close cost compared to Groove by Clari?
- Close offers transparent pricing starting at $19 per month for the Base plan, with Startup at $49/month, Professional at $99/month, and Enterprise at $139/month. Groove by Clari uses enterprise pricing that requires contacting their sales team for a quote. The pricing structures reflect their different market positions—Close targets a broader range of inside sales teams while Groove positions itself as an enterprise-grade solution tightly integrated with Salesforce.
- Does Groove by Clari require Salesforce to work?
- Yes, Groove by Clari is a Salesforce-native sales engagement platform that operates within the Salesforce ecosystem. Its architecture eliminates the need for data syncing because all activity data lives natively in Salesforce. This makes Groove particularly valuable for teams already invested in Salesforce who want sales engagement capabilities without moving data between systems, but it's not suitable for teams using other CRMs or no CRM at all.
- Which tool should I choose if I'm just starting out?
- If you're building your sales stack from scratch, start by mapping your biggest workflow gap. Choose Close if you need pipeline and deal tracking with an affordable entry point at $19 per month and don't currently use Salesforce. Choose Groove by Clari if you already have Salesforce as your CRM and your primary bottleneck is executing consistent multi-channel outreach campaigns. Most early-stage teams prioritize getting a CRM in place first before adding specialized engagement tools.
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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