Artisan vs Close — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Close starts at $19/mo. Artisan uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
AI-native sales platform anchored by Ava, an autonomous AI SDR that finds prospects, writes personalized outreach, and books meetings. Pricing: enterprise-only starting ~$3K/mo per Ava agent, Multi-agent deployments custom. Popular with Series A-B startups scaling GTM without adding SDR headcount.
Sales CRM built specifically for inside sales teams that live on the phone. Positioned as the alternative to Salesforce/HubSpot for teams whose primary activity is outbound calling. Distinctive for built-in power dialer, VoIP calling, and SMS in the base product (competitors charge add-ons). Priced $59-$149/user/month. Bootstrapped and profitable, founded 2013, popular with SDR-heavy SaaS sales teams.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Artisan monthly | Artisan annual | Close monthly | Close annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid | Ava / Solo | $3000 | $3000 | $19 | $9 |
| Mid tier 1 | — / Essentials | — | — | $49 | $35 |
| Mid tier 2 | — / Growth | — | — | $109 | $99 |
| Pro / power | — / Scale | — | — | $149 | $139 |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Artisan is worth it if… scaling startups where founders don't want to hire and manage a 5-10 person SDR team. Ava at ~$3K/mo does the work of a low-mid tier SDR at 30% the cost.
Close is worth it if… high-velocity inside sales teams (5-50 reps) that treat email, calling, and SMS as first-class primitives — not bolted-on features. Solo covers 1 rep; Essentials scales small teams; Growth adds power dialer and workflows; Scale enterprise features.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Artisan over Close if…
Choose Artisan if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, custom pricing).
- You match the profile Artisan is built for: scaling startups where founders don't want to hire and manage a 5-10 person SDR team.
- You need a general-purpose crm & sales option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Close if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $19/mo).
- You match the profile Close is built for: high-velocity inside sales teams (5-50 reps) that treat email, calling, and SMS as first-class primitives — not bolted-on features.
- You need a general-purpose crm & sales option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Artisan | Close | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | No |
| Entry price | Custom | $19/mo |
| Enterprise available | No | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | Per Seat |
| Last verified | — | September 12, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 12, 2026. Tracked daily.