Twenty
Twenty 2.52 lets apps run their own account-connection flows and adds inbox sharing.
Comparison · CRM
Act vs Close CRM
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Act and Close CRM — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Act vs Close CRM: at a glance
What is Act?
Act! pivots from CRM-only to payment processor while modernizing its Cloud UX.
Act! is in the middle of a methodical Cloud modernization, rebuilding list views, navigation, and notifications to match the consistency users expect from modern CRMs. Alongside that polish work, Act! has just shipped Act! Payments via Propelr — turning the CRM into a place where credit card transactions close, not just leads. The product is still recognizably a small-business CRM, but its surface area is widening.
What is Close CRM?
Close takes Chloe Chat out of beta for every customer, a month after OIDC SSO.
Close is shipping on three tracks. Its assistant Chloe is now generally available as Chloe Chat, answering pipeline questions, preparing a rep's day, analyzing data and taking actions from any page. Voice agents run on the rebuilt telephony layer with skills like Schedule Meeting, and the October 13 release added a central Security page with OIDC single sign-on alongside update-only Workflow triggers.
Act vs Close CRM: editorial side-by-side
Act
6.3CRM
Act! pivots from CRM-only to payment processor while modernizing its Cloud UX.
◆ Current state
Act! is in the middle of a methodical Cloud modernization, rebuilding list views, navigation, and notifications to match the consistency users expect from modern CRMs. Alongside that polish work, Act! has just shipped Act! Payments via Propelr — turning the CRM into a place where credit card transactions close, not just leads. The product is still recognizably a small-business CRM, but its surface area is widening.
◆ Where it's heading
The release cadence shows two parallel tracks: weekly UX rationalization (notification center, list parity, faster task editing) and category expansion through embedded financial services. Act! is following the same playbook HubSpot and Pipedrive have run — keep the legacy users happy with quality-of-life work while quietly bolting on revenue-bearing features that compete with Stripe-adjacent SMB tools. Payments is the most directional move in years.
◆ Prediction
Expect deeper payments integration next — recurring billing tied to opportunities, dunning workflows from the contact record, and likely a payments-driven pricing tier that monetizes transaction volume rather than seats.
Close CRM
5.0CRM
Close takes Chloe Chat out of beta for every customer, a month after OIDC SSO.
◆ Current state
Close is shipping on three tracks. Its assistant Chloe is now generally available as Chloe Chat, answering pipeline questions, preparing a rep's day, analyzing data and taking actions from any page. Voice agents run on the rebuilt telephony layer with skills like Schedule Meeting, and the October 13 release added a central Security page with OIDC single sign-on alongside update-only Workflow triggers.
◆ Where it's heading
Chloe has moved from a beta chat to the default way into the app: a command-palette fallback in September, notification threads, and now GA for all accounts. Paired with voice agents that act on phone numbers and Workflows that react to record updates, Close is building a CRM where assistants and automation do more of the work, with SSO and a security page arriving as the governance layer that buyers ask for.
◆ Prediction
Expect Chloe to gain more write actions and to connect with Workflows or voice-agent skills now that it is GA; the truncated entry doesn't list which actions it can take today.
Alternatives to Act and Close CRM
Other CRM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Act or Close CRM.
Twenty
Twenty 2.53 lets apps lock field permission actions, a day after role-aware relation pickers.
IntegCRM
IntegCRM keeps building out invoicing, bookings, forms and email for service businesses.
Folk
folk ships a French interface weeks after moving its data storage to Europe.
GroupOffice
GroupOffice patches its current 26.0 line and the older 25.0 line on the same afternoon.
Corteza
Corteza 2026.9.0 goes final after a week of single-fix candidates.
See all Act alternatives → · See all Close CRM alternatives →
Recent activity from Act and Close CRM
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 9d agoClose CRMChloe Chat is out of beta for all Close customers
- 16d agoClose CRMClose adds a central Security page and OIDC single sign-on
- 17d agoClose CRMTrigger Workflows on updated events
- 23d agoClose CRMVoice agents get a single Schedule Meeting skill
- 23d agoClose CRMTemplate Creation from Email/SMS
- 1mo agoClose CRMAsk Chloe a question from the command palette
- 6mo agoActAccept Payments with Act! Advantage ⚡
- 6mo agoActAccept Payments with Act! Advantage
- 6mo agoActNotification Center and List Experience Enhancements
- 6mo agoActNotification Center and List Experience Enhancements Date of Release 02/27/26 This update enhances usability across Act!
- 6mo agoActNotification Center and Added Email Campaign Support
- 6mo agoActNotification Center and Email Campaign Support
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Act and Close CRM?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Act is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Act better than Close CRM?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Act is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other CRM products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Act?
Top Act alternatives in CRM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Act alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/act for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Close CRM?
Top Close CRM alternatives in CRM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Close CRM alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/close-crm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.