CRM Features
Best All-in-One Sales Engagement and CRM Tool
Quick answer: Close is the strongest true all-in-one for sales engagement plus CRM in a single product; HubSpot is the best fit if you also want marketing bundled in, and Pipedrive works if your engagement needs are lighter than full sequencing.
What "all-in-one sales engagement and CRM" actually means
Most sales teams end up stitching together a CRM plus a separate sales engagement platform (something like a dialer or sequencing tool) plus maybe a third tool for email tracking. That's three logins, three data sources that drift out of sync, and three bills. An all-in-one tool keeps calling, email sequences, and pipeline/deal data in a single record, so a rep can call a lead, log the outcome, and trigger the next step without leaving the app. When you're evaluating this category, check whether calling and sequencing are native features or bolted-on integrations — the difference shows up the moment your team scales past a handful of reps.
At a glance
| CRM | Built-in calling | Email sequences | Single unified record | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | Yes, native power dialer | Yes, native | Yes | Sales teams selling by phone and email |
| HubSpot | Yes, via Sales Hub | Yes, sequences on paid tiers | Yes | Teams that also want marketing/service in the same platform |
| Pipedrive | Available via add-on/integration | Basic email automation | Partial | Simpler pipelines with lighter engagement needs |
1. Close — best true all-in-one for sales engagement
Close was built from day one as calling and email combined with a CRM, not a CRM that later added a calling feature. Reps can dial straight from a lead's record, calls get logged automatically, and multi-step email/call/SMS sequences run against the same pipeline data reps already work in. For a team whose entire day is outbound calls and follow-up emails, there's no other tool on this list where those workflows feel this native.
Pros
- Power dialer and predictive dialer built directly into the CRM
- Sequences combine email, calls, and SMS steps against the same record
- Fast, keyboard-driven interface designed for high call volume
Cons
- No free tier
- Less useful if your team doesn't sell primarily by phone
- Marketing automation is not its focus — it's a sales tool, not a hub for marketing too
2. HubSpot — best if you want marketing bundled in too
HubSpot's Sales Hub adds calling, meeting scheduling, and sequences on top of its CRM, and because it shares data with Marketing Hub and Service Hub, you get a genuinely unified customer record across departments — not just sales. The tradeoff is that sequences and more advanced calling features sit behind higher-priced tiers, and the per-seat-plus-per-contact pricing model can get expensive as your team and database grow.
Pros
- Free CRM tier to start, with a clear upgrade path
- Sequences and calling tie into the same contact/deal records marketing uses
- Large integration ecosystem
Cons
- Sequences require Sales Hub Professional or above
- Pricing grows with both seats and contact volume
- Calling feels like a feature of the CRM, not the reason it exists
3. Pipedrive — best for lighter engagement needs
Pipedrive's core strength is still its visual pipeline, and it covers basic email tracking and automation well. Calling and more advanced sequencing typically depend on its marketplace integrations rather than being fully native, so if your process is mostly "check the pipeline and send a few emails," it's a lighter, cheaper option than the two above.
Pros
- Clean, simple pipeline visualization
- Lower entry price than HubSpot's higher tiers
- Good basic email tracking and templates
Cons
- Calling and deep sequencing rely more on integrations than native features
- Not built around high-volume outbound engagement the way Close is
Other options worth a mention
If your engagement needs are less about calling and more about pure cold-email sequencing at scale, dedicated sequencing tools like Salesloft or Outreach paired with a lighter CRM might fit better than an all-in-one — but you'll be back to managing two systems. For teams already committed to a specific ecosystem, check whether your existing CRM's native calling/sequencing features are good enough before adding a fourth tool.
Pricing (entry-level plans)
| CRM | Starting price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Close | Solo $9 · Essentials $35 · Growth $99 · Scale $139 | Per user/month. Free 14-day trial, no credit card required. |
| HubSpot | Free $0 · Starter from ~$15–20 · Professional/Enterprise Suite bundles from ~$1,000+/mo | HubSpot prices per "Hub" (Marketing/Sales/Service/etc.) and by contact tier, so the total varies a lot by what you bundle. |
| Pipedrive | Lite $14 · Growth $39 · Premium $59 · Ultimate $79 | Per seat/month, billed annually (monthly billing costs more). 14-day free trial. |
Prices above are current as of writing and shown for the entry-level tiers — always confirm the latest numbers on each provider's pricing page before buying, since SaaS pricing changes often.
“They won't ask you for your firstborn, and it was developed as a CRM first, as opposed to HubSpot, which was originally a marketing platform.”
How to choose
Decide first whether calling is core to your sales process or occasional. If reps are dialing dozens of times a day, native calling quality (as in Close) matters more than almost anything else on this list. If your sales motion is closer to "monitor a pipeline and respond to inbound," a lighter tool with basic engagement features will save you money without costing you much capability.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best CRM overall for this use case?
Close is our top overall pick for this use case, based on ease of setup, pricing, and fit for typical workflows — though the right choice depends on team size and budget, covered in the sections above.
Do I need a paid CRM, or is a free plan enough?
A free plan is usually enough for a single user or a very small team just getting started. Growing teams typically outgrow free tiers once they need automation, reporting, or more than a couple of users.
How long does it take to set up a CRM?
Simple CRMs can be set up in under an hour. More full-featured platforms with custom pipelines, automations, and integrations typically take a few days to a few weeks to configure properly.