AI CRM software

Products we checked

Each one has its own page, read against the vendor’s pricing and help pages.

• AttioData-led CRM with AI agents, Call Intelligence and an MCP server.
• CloseSales CRM with native calling, email, SMS and plan-dependent Workflows.
• FreshsalesCRM with native calling and plan-dependent sales sequences.
• HubSpotCRM with connected-inbox sequences on eligible subscriptions.
• PipedrivePipeline-led CRM with plan-dependent field rules.
• Zoho CRMBroad CRM with low edition prices, built-in calling and Zia AI from Professional.

Compare them

• Close vs Pipedrive: native sales communication or a pipeline with connected calling
• Close vs HubSpot: a focused sales workflow or the existing HubSpot operation
• Close vs Freshsales: compare the complete phone-led sales workflow
• HubSpot alternatives
• Pipedrive vs Freshsales
• HubSpot vs Pipedrive
• Pipedrive alternatives

Four jobs the AI can do, and which one you are buying

AI in a CRM does four kinds of work. It assists a person with drafts, summaries and answers about the pipeline. It automates a step, such as a call summary that fills fields or a workflow that enrolls a lead. It acts on its own, as an agent that calls, qualifies or researches. And it connects, so the AI tools you already use can operate the CRM through an MCP server.

Vendors use the same words for different things. Close’s assistant is Chloe Chat, HubSpot’s is Breeze Assistant, Zoho’s is Ask Zia and Attio’s is Ask Attio. Decide which of the four jobs matters this quarter, then read each vendor’s documentation for that job alone.

Source: Close: plans, pricing and AI credits, Close: AI credits, Close: put AI to work with Chloe and AI Agents, Close: MCP server, HubSpot: use Breeze Assistant, HubSpot: manage call settings and preferences, HubSpot: understand Agent Hub, HubSpot: using the HubSpot MCP server, Pipedrive: Pipedrive AI, Pipedrive: Pricing, Pipedrive: MCP server, Attio: plans and pricing, Attio: Workflows and revenue agents, Attio: Attio MCP, Zoho CRM: Ask Zia, Zoho CRM: Zia Agents in Zoho CRM, Zoho CRM: pricing and editions, Zoho CRM: MCP servers, Freshsales: Freddy AI for sales, Freshsales: pricing and plans, Salesforce: Sales Cloud pricing

The table reads from the vendors’ documentation on November 8, 2026. Not documented means we did not find the capability in the pages we read, which is weaker than a vendor saying it does not exist.

Our pick: Close puts the AI on the phone

Close is a sales CRM with calling, email and SMS built in, and its AI works inside that record. For a small B2B team that works leads by phone and text, it is the product whose AI does the job the team is short of hands for: the first call.

Close’s AI page describes Chloe as an assistant that answers questions about leads and pipeline and takes action, such as changing a Workflow or building an Agent. AI Agents handle jobs on their own, such as qualifying after-hours leads; the page marks them as currently in alpha.

Close’s Chloe guide says Voice Agents call leads, run real conversations and log outcomes, summaries and transcripts back to the lead record. It also lists what Chloe is not: she places outbound calls only, speaks English only, and calls United States and Canadian numbers only.

Close includes AI credits with each plan. Close’s pricing includes 500 AI credits per user per month on Solo, 1,000 on Essentials, 1,500 on Growth and 2,000 on Scale, pooled across the account. Close’s AI credits article caps the included pool at 10 users and sells more credits in subscriptions from $20 a month for 1,200.

Close’s AI credits article separates free AI from metered AI. Notetaker, Chloe Chat and AI Search cost nothing on any plan. Lead Summaries, email thread summaries and AI email rewrites are free from Growth. Chloe Voice Agents, Enrichment and Auto Updates draw credits, and a Voice Agent call also pays the normal per-minute telephony rate.

Phone calls get their own add-on. Close’s Call Assistant transcribes and summarizes recorded calls longer than 30 seconds for $50 a month plus $0.02 per recorded minute, works in 20 languages, and keeps transcripts after the recording itself expires.

Structured records beyond leads, contacts and opportunities are Scale territory. Close’s Custom Objects allow up to 50 fields per object type and 100 instances per lead, and Close’s pricing page lists them on Scale only.

Connecting your own AI: the MCP servers compared

An MCP server lets an assistant you already use, such as Claude or ChatGPT, read and change CRM records in plain language. Five of the seven products document one. Check the permissions before connecting an assistant.

Close’s MCP server runs at mcp.close.com over HTTP Streamable with OAuth 2.0 or an API key, and a Close-Scope header picks read-only, read-and-write, or read-write-and-delete access. Close’s pricing lists the Claude and ChatGPT connectors on every plan.

HubSpot’s remote MCP server at mcp.hubspot.com connects over OAuth and powers HubSpot’s own connectors for Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini. Pipedrive’s native MCP is governed by each user’s permissions, and Pipedrive’s feature page makes it available on every plan with token limits and a change log of every action.

Attio’s MCP at mcp.attio.com authenticates as your Attio user, auto-approves reads, asks before writes, and exposes meeting and call tools. Zoho CRM ships four pre-built servers for insights, data operations, module customization and workflow automation, and their calls consume API credits.

What to test: connect one assistant read-only, ask which open deals went quiet last week, and check the answer against the CRM. Grant write access only after that.

What the other six document, and where each beats Close

HubSpot’s Agent Hub gathers pre-built and custom agents in one place; a Professional or Enterprise subscription is required for some HubSpot-built agents and for agentic workflows. HubSpot’s prospecting agent watches intent signals, writes personalized outreach and spends HubSpot Credits for each enrolled lead, whether the agent found it or a rep added it.

HubSpot’s credits page prices additional credits at $10 per 1,000 and lists the prospecting agent at 100 credits per lead; HubSpot’s catalog includes 500, 3,000 and 5,000 credits a month on Starter, Professional and Enterprise. HubSpot wins when marketing and inbound email already live there and the agents extend that record.

Attio’s Workflows run research agents and a Web Agent across accounts, and Ask Attio drafts a workflow from a sentence. Attio’s pricing lists Plus at $35 and Pro at $79 per user per month billed annually, with 500 and 1,000 seat credits for Ask Attio and 1,500 and 10,000 workspace credits for automations. Attio beats Close for a team whose selling runs on enrichment and signals rather than calls.

Pipedrive’s AI guide lists the Sales Assistant (beta), AI report creation and the AI import assistant on every plan, and AI email creation, email summaries and suggested replies on Premium and above. Pipedrive’s pricing puts Premium at $59 per seat per month billed annually. Pipedrive wins for a pipeline-first team that does little calling.

Zoho’s Zia Agents deploy SDR, sales coach and quote agents into CRM on paid plans, as a connection or as a Digital Employee with its own identity. Zoho CRM’s Ask Zia answers questions and configures workflows from the Professional edition, which Zoho’s editions page lists at $23 per user per month billed annually. Zoho wins on breadth per dollar for a team whose day is spent outside the phone.

Freshsales’ Freddy AI scores contacts, removes duplicate records and drafts emails. Freshsales’ email guide marks email generation as a beta for Pro and Enterprise, and Freshsales’ pricing sells the Freddy AI Agent as an add-on at $49 per 100 sessions, with Growth at $9 per user per month billed annually. Freshsales wins when the seat price decides.

Salesforce’s Sales Cloud pricing starts built-in AI at the Core edition, $195 per user per month billed annually, and sells Agentforce for Sales from $125 per user per month on top. Salesforce’s Agentforce pricing also offers Flex Credits at $500 per 100,000 and conversations at $2 each. Salesforce suits a company that already runs on Salesforce.

Price the AI, not the seat

Source: Close: plans, pricing and AI credits, Close: AI credits, Close: Call Assistant, HubSpot: product and services catalog, HubSpot: HubSpot Credits, Pipedrive: Pricing, Pipedrive: MCP server, Attio: plans and pricing, Zoho CRM: Compare all features of Zoho CRM editions, Zoho CRM: MCP servers, Freshsales: pricing and plans, Freshsales: how to use Freddy to generate sales emails, Salesforce: Sales Cloud pricing, Salesforce: Agentforce pricing

Two questions settle most of the budget. Does the AI you want run on the entry plan, or on the plan above it? And is its usage metered in credits, minutes or sessions you have to forecast? Close and HubSpot both meter. Close publishes the included credits per plan and a usage dashboard, which is what makes a forecast possible.

Three workflows to run in a trial

1. Inbound lead to booked meeting, with no rep on the phone. Build a form, trigger a Workflow on submission, set the status and owner, add a Call step assigned to Chloe, and set Meeting booked as the goal. Close’s inbound guide walks through exactly this, with follow-up steps if the call does not book.
2. Recorded call to updated record. With Call Assistant on, make one recorded call longer than 30 seconds, then read the summary and search the transcript for a phrase, as Close documents. On Growth, check whether Auto Updates filled the outcome and custom fields, which Close’s AI credits article lists as a credit-based feature.
3. Your assistant asking the CRM. Connect Claude or ChatGPT to the MCP server read-only and ask which deals above a value have gone quiet. Close’s AI page shows that prompt answered through find_opportunities and activity_search; repeat the same question against HubSpot or Attio for a fair comparison.

Where another CRM is the better answer

Choose HubSpot when marketing, inbound email and service already run there and the agents extend that record. Choose Attio when the motion is data-led and the work is research and routing rather than calling. Choose Salesforce when you already run on it. For a team whose day is calls and texts, start the trial with Close.

Watch the vendor walkthroughs

These are vendor-published walkthroughs. They illustrate the product; they are not our independent tests. Use the written analysis and current documentation to check plans and availability.

Common questions

Is Close an AI-native CRM?

Close builds the AI into the record rather than beside it. Close’s AI page lists voice agents, a chat assistant, lead enrichment, call and meeting notes, summaries, follow-ups and an MCP server. The AI Agents are in alpha and Chloe Chat is in beta, so test the pieces you need.

Which CRMs have an AI voice agent that calls leads?

Among the seven products here, Close documents one: Close’s Voice Agents place outbound calls to United States and Canadian numbers and log the transcript to the lead. Aircall and JustCall sell voice agents as phone-system products, which the sales dialer guide covers.

Which CRM has an MCP server?

Close, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Attio and Zoho CRM document hosted MCP servers. Close’s uses OAuth or an API key with three scopes, Attio’s approves reads and asks before writes, and Pipedrive’s applies each user’s existing permissions.

What is the best AI CRM for a small sales team?

Choose Close for a team that sells by phone and text: Chloe is on every plan and the included credits start at 1,000 per user on Essentials, per Close’s pricing. For a team that sells by inbound email inside HubSpot, HubSpot. For a data-led team, Attio.

Does HubSpot’s AI cost extra?

HubSpot’s Breeze Assistant guide says the assistant itself does not consume credits, but the agent runs it triggers do. HubSpot’s credits page prices additional credits at $10 per 1,000 and the prospecting agent at 100 credits per lead.

How much does Close’s AI cost?

Close’s pricing includes 500 to 2,000 credits per user per month depending on the plan and says Chloe access is free on all plans. Close’s AI credits article sells more credits from $20 a month for 1,200, and Voice Agent calls also pay the per-minute telephony rate.

Sources and scope

This guide is based on the linked vendor documentation and pricing pages, checked November 8, 2026, and on the vendors’ own videos. We have not tested the products hands-on.

Recommendations are editorial judgments about documented fit. Prices are USD list prices; credits, usage charges and plan eligibility change, so confirm them with the vendor before buying.

Sponsorship never changes this page. How we research.