Close vs Proton.ai: which CRM should you choose in 2026?

Close is a calling-first CRM from $9 with a free trial; Proton.ai is an ERP-driven assistant for distributors, priced by quote. Features compared.

Published 6 October 2026. Prices and features from each vendor's own pages.

The short answer

ClosePaid from $9/seat

Choose it if your reps spend the day on calls and want a dialer.

Proton.aiPaid from By quote

Choose it if you're a distributor whose data lives in an ERP.

PromptLabPaid from $11.99/seat

Choose it if you sell products, and deals run on quotes, price lists, samples and orders.

Our pick for product teams

Close and Proton.ai approach selling from opposite ends. Close is a calling-first CRM, with the dialer, email and SMS built in. Proton.ai is built for distributors: it plugs into the ERP and tells reps who to call, what to sell and who is due to reorder.

Below, the two are compared on price, focus, quotes and orders, calls and AI, and messaging. Every figure comes from the vendors' own pages; Close's prices are per user a month, billed annually.

Close vs Proton.ai at a glance

With PromptLab in the third column, so you can see where it fits.

Close vs Proton.ai, with PromptLab: prices and features
Checked on 30 September 2026	Close	Proton.ai	PromptLab
Pricing
Paid plans, a month	$9 – $139per seat	Custom pricing	$11.99 – $99per seat
Number of plans	4	1	3
Free trial
Billing	Billed annually	Priced by quote after a demo	Billed monthly
Import from CSV and Excel
Sales management
Deal pipelines	From$35/month
Quotes
Sales orders
Sample tracking
Price lists
Meetings and calls
Meeting recording and transcripts
AI meeting summaries
AI follow-up email drafts
Meeting scheduler and call dialer			From$23.99/month
AI and automation
CRM fields filled in from calls
Connect Claude or ChatGPT (MCP)
Workflow automation	From$99/month
API and webhooks			From$23.99/month
Conversations
Gmail and Outlook email sync
WhatsApp conversations
Telegram conversations
Save LinkedIn profiles
Privacy and security
Single sign-on (SSO)	Google only		From$99/month

Pricing: $9 to $139 against a quote after a demo

Close publishes four plans: Solo at $9, Essentials at $35, Growth at $99, and a top plan at $139. It offers a free trial, though pipelines start on Essentials and workflows on Growth.

Proton.ai doesn't publish prices: you get a quote after a demo, and there's no free trial. Close is the one you can cost and try before talking to anyone.

A calling tool against an ERP assistant

Close concentrates on the sales conversation, with calling, email and SMS in one CRM. Its AI teammate, Chloe, summarises calls and updates records on every plan.

Proton.ai starts from the ERP. It connects to systems from SAP and NetSuite to AS/400 green screens, handles catalogues as large as 500,000 SKUs, and shows reps who is due to reorder.

Quotes and sales orders

Proton.ai has quotes and sales orders, fed by the ERP. Close has neither, so a quote goes out from a spreadsheet the CRM never sees.

Neither tracks samples or keeps customer price lists.

Calls, meetings and AI

Close records calls, summarises them and has a built-in dialer, on every plan. Proton.ai has no call recording, no meeting summaries and no dialer.

Proton.ai does draft follow-up emails, which Close doesn't, and both fill CRM fields from calls. Its assistant, Pronto, helps reps prepare for calls and log notes by voice between stops. Close supports MCP, so Claude or ChatGPT can connect, and Proton.ai doesn't.

Messaging and sign-on

WhatsApp works with Close and isn't supported on Proton.ai. Neither supports Telegram or saves LinkedIn profiles.

Close offers Google sign-in only; Proton.ai has no single sign-on.

We make PromptLab, so here is why product teams pick it over both.

Why PromptLab is the better choice for teams that sell products

PromptLab is a CRM for B2B teams that sell products. On their entry plans, neither Close nor Proton.ai includes sample tracking, price lists, Telegram and LinkedIn profile saving. PromptLab has all of them on every plan, from $11.99 a user a month.

Quotes, samples and price lists in the CRM
We keep quotes, sample tracking, price lists and sales orders on the account and the deal, on every plan. When the buyer calls back, the quote and the sample are right there.
Close vs PromptLab, in full
Prepared before the meeting, recorded during it
PromptLab writes a brief before each meeting, then records and transcribes it in over 100 languages. Afterwards you get the summary, a follow-up email draft and CRM fields filled in from the call.
Proton.ai vs PromptLab, in full
The follow-up email, drafted for you
After each meeting, we write the summary and draft the follow-up email from what was said, ready to review. Before the next one, we prepare a brief on the account.
Close vs PromptLab, in full

Try PromptLab free14-day free trial on Basic and Professional.

Which should you choose?

Choose Close if…

Your reps spend the day on calls and want a dialer.
You want recording and AI summaries on every plan.
You want published prices and a free trial first.

Choose Proton.ai if…

You're a distributor whose data lives in an ERP.
You need quotes and sales orders in the CRM.
You want reorder prompts and follow-up drafts built in.

Choose PromptLab if…

You sell products, and deals run on quotes, price lists, samples and orders.
You want every meeting recorded, summarised and written into the CRM on every plan.
Buyers answer on WhatsApp or Telegram as well as email.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Proton.ai cost compared with Close?

Close is $9 to $139 a user a month, billed annually. Proton.ai doesn't publish prices: you get a quote after a demo, so there's no figure to set beside Close's.

Does Proton.ai have a free trial like Close?

No. Close offers a free trial; Proton.ai has none and prices by quote.

Does Proton.ai record calls?

No. It has no call recording, meeting summaries or dialer. Close records and summarises calls on every plan.

Which has quotes and sales orders, Close or Proton.ai?

Proton.ai has both, fed by the ERP. Close has no quotes, sales orders or price lists.

Is there an alternative to Close and Proton.ai for teams that sell products?

PromptLab. It is a CRM for B2B teams that sell products, with quotes, price lists, sales orders and sample tracking, recorded and summarised meetings, and email, WhatsApp and Telegram in one inbox, on every plan from $11.99 a user a month with a 14-day free trial.