Close
Track deals and manually log communication in a focused sales workspace
A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Close, track deals and manually log communication in a focused sales workspace. The hard boundary is built-in email, calling, sms, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability, plus integrations, data quality, and workflow lock-in.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability
- automatic email and calendar capture
- data enrichment
- large integration ecosystem
- enterprise reporting
Why people still pay
People still pay for Close because CRM value compounds as the system becomes the shared memory of every customer interaction and embeds itself in the rest of the stack. The recurring cost buys deduplication, permissions, imports, sync, enrichment, email capture, automations, backups, and audit history, not just the visible interface.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- Docker
- PostgreSQL
- self-hosted server
- optional email API credentials
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Project rule, data: Model contacts, companies, activities, stages, and follow-up history; store source IDs and timestamps for each.
Project rule, behavior: Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages.
Project rule, recovery: Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command.
Implementation plan
Phase 1, architecture and data
Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose. Model contacts, companies, activities, stages, and follow-up history; store source IDs and timestamps for each.
Phase 2, implement
Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages.
Phase 3, implement
Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export.
Phase 4, review and output
Implement saved views, filters, owner assignment, and a next-action dashboard. Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export.
Phase 5, recovery and acceptance
Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command. Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs. State the practical limit: built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability.
Build me a focused contacts, relationships and sales pipelines workflow for the personal core of Close. Requirements: - Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM, and Docker Compose. Model contacts, companies, activities, stages, and follow-up history; store source IDs and timestamps for each. - Paid product context: Track deals and manually log communication in a focused sales workspace. Build only this DIY scope: Manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. - Create contacts, companies, opportunities, notes, tasks, and configurable pipeline stages. - Add fast global search, duplicate detection, merge, CSV import, and CSV export. - Implement saved views, filters, owner assignment, and a next-action dashboard. Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command. - Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: Docker; self-hosted server. - Recovery: Add role-based access, an immutable activity log, backups, and a recovery command. - Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs. - Out of scope: built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability; automatic email and calendar capture. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow. - Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan
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Alternatives to building your own
all 8 free alternatives to Close →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Close pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| solo | $19/user | $9/user | Exactly 1 user, up to 10,000 leads, 250 custom fields, 500 AI credits/month; no workflows |
| essentials | $49/user | $35/user | Unlimited leads/contacts, 250 custom fields; pooled 1,000 AI credits/user/month capped at 10,000/month; no workflows |
| growth | $109/user | $99/user | Unlimited leads/contacts, 250 custom fields, 250 custom activities and 50,000 custom-activity instances/month; pooled 1,500 AI credits/user capped at 15,000/month |
| scale | $149/user | $139/user | Unlimited leads/contacts and call-recording retention; 250 custom fields, 250 custom activities, 50,000 custom-activity instances/month; pooled 2,000 AI credits/user capped at 20,000/month |
| custom | — | — | Custom pricing and limits for larger or more complex sales teams |
free tierno free tier (14-day trial; no credit card required)
billingmonthly + annual (discount varies by tier, up to 50%)
hidden costsIncluded AI credits refresh monthly and do not roll over; extra AI credits are sold separately. Calling, SMS and email usage can generate separate usage charges, and lower tiers omit workflows.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Close
Can you build your own Close with AI?
A full replacement is not the recommended project. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Close, track deals and manually log communication in a focused sales workspace. The hard boundary is built-in email, calling, sms, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability, plus integrations, data quality, and workflow lock-in.
What does the Close build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Manage contacts and companies in a focused sales workspace, move deals through a pipeline, manually log communication, and surface the next action. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability; automatic email and calendar capture; data enrichment. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Close prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Close project take?
The catalogue estimate is closest consolation build: one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Close?
built-in email, calling, SMS, power dialer, workflows, and sales reliability; automatic email and calendar capture; data enrichment; large integration ecosystem; enterprise reporting. People still pay for Close because CRM value compounds as the system becomes the shared memory of every customer interaction and embeds itself in the rest of the stack. The recurring cost buys deduplication, permissions, imports, sync, enrichment, email capture, automations, backups, and audit history, not just the visible interface.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Solo plan is $19/mo per seat (monthly per user), checked 2026-08-12. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building Close?
Twenty: A modern pipeline CRM with custom objects, views and mailbox sync; the subscription becomes a Compose file. EspoCRM: A traditional CRM that actually lets you change the data model; polished enough, but still your server. Frappe CRM: A clean leads-and-deals board with notes, tasks and email; Frappe underneath means a real server, not a toy. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/close-crm/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.