Quick take
Close is a phone system that happens to have a CRM. If cold calling is your motion, start there. Attio is a CRM that happens to have communication tracking. If relationships drive your sales, Attio fits better.
Close and Attio solve different problems, even though both are called CRMs. Close was built for inside sales teams doing high-volume outbound. The power dialer, built-in calling, and call coaching features are core to the product. Everything else supports making more calls.
Attio was built for relationship-driven sales where the goal is not call volume but relationship quality. There is no power dialer because the assumption is that you are not making 50 cold calls per day.
This is not better or worse - it is different sales motions that need different tools.
The fundamental difference
Close is designed around calling. The interface, the workflows, the metrics - all optimized for teams that spend most of their day on the phone. The CRM exists to serve calling activity.
Attio is designed around relationships. Communication history matters, but it is one input among many. The CRM exists to give you complete context on every person and company you work with.
If your SDRs are making 50+ calls per day, Close is purpose-built for this. If your sales are complex, consultative, and relationship-driven, that calling infrastructure is not what you need.
Where Attio wins
Relationship context
Attio gives you complete relationship history - emails, meetings, notes, and custom data - all in one view. Close is more transactional, focused on call activity and deal progress.
Custom data structures
Attio custom objects let you model your business accurately. Track partners, investors, vendors, or any other entity alongside your sales pipeline. Close is more limited in customization.
Modern UX
Attio interface is cleaner and more flexible. You can build views that match exactly how you think about your data. Close interface is functional but more constrained.
Non-calling workflows
If your sales motion involves email sequences, LinkedIn, or other channels more than calling, Attio integrates these more naturally than Close, which is phone-centric.
Where Close wins
Built-in VoIP and power dialer
Close calling features are excellent. Power dialer, call recording, voicemail drop, local presence - all built in. If you are doing high-volume outbound, this is genuinely valuable.
Call coaching
Close has built-in call coaching features - call recording, analytics, and the ability to listen in. For training SDR teams, this is a real advantage.
SMS built-in
Close includes SMS capabilities natively. If texting is part of your sales motion, this is integrated rather than requiring a separate tool.
SDR team management
Close has features specifically for managing SDR teams - activity leaderboards, call metrics, and coaching tools. If you are running an SDR function, these are useful.
Choose Attio if...
- ✓Your sales are relationship-driven, not volume-driven
- ✓You need to track complex entities beyond deals
- ✓Email and meetings matter more than phone calls
- ✓You want maximum flexibility in data structure
- ✓Your sales cycle is long and consultative
Choose Close if...
- —High-volume outbound calling is your motion
- —You are building or scaling an SDR team
- —Built-in VoIP saves you from separate tools
- —Call coaching and metrics matter
- —SMS is part of your sales workflow
The migration reality
Migrating between Close and Attio is not just a data move - it usually signals a change in sales motion. Teams moving from Close to Attio are often shifting from volume-based to relationship-based selling.
The data migration is straightforward. The harder part is adjusting workflows. If your team is used to the power dialer and call metrics, moving to a relationship-centric CRM requires mindset change, not just tool change.
Budget 2-3 weeks for migration and expect the adjustment period to be more significant than the technical work.
What we have seen in practice
The teams that move from Close to Attio are usually maturing past the SDR volume model. They might be moving upmarket where deals require deeper relationships, or they might be finding that call volume is not correlating with revenue.
Teams that stick with Close after evaluating Attio usually have outbound calling at the core of their motion. Their SDRs really do make 50+ calls per day, and Close calling features provide real value.
The interesting middle ground is teams that have both motions - SDRs doing volume outbound and AEs doing consultative selling. Sometimes these teams run both tools, with Close for prospecting and Attio for opportunity management.
Frequently asked questions
Attio integrates with calling tools but does not have built-in VoIP. If you need a power dialer and call recording, you would integrate a separate tool like Aircall or Dialpad.
Close works for full sales cycles, but its strongest features are for high-volume outbound. If your sales motion is consultative and relationship-driven, Close might be more tool than you need.
Depends on your sales motion. If you are doing founder-led sales with complex, consultative deals, Attio. If you are doing volume-based outbound to generate pipeline, Close.
Some teams do. SDRs in Close for prospecting, with qualified opportunities synced to Attio for AEs. This adds complexity but can work if both motions are genuinely different.
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