Alternatives
Keap Alternatives for Sales Teams
Quick answer: Pipedrive is the best Keap alternative for a pure sales pipeline, Close is the better fit if your team lives on calls and email, and ActiveCampaign is the closest match if you want to keep Keap-style marketing automation.
Why sales teams look for Keap alternatives
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) was built for small business owners running marketing campaigns, online courses, and e-commerce funnels — the CRM and pipeline view come along for the ride, but they're not the main product. Sales teams that just want to track deals and follow up with leads often find the pipeline secondary to Keap's campaign builder, and its contact-based pricing climbs fast as a list grows, even for a team that never touches the marketing automation side. That combination is what pushes sales-focused teams toward tools built around deals and outreach first.
Keap alternatives at a glance
| CRM | Best for | Learning curve | Starting price tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipedrive | Dedicated visual sales pipeline | Low | Budget |
| Close | Outbound calling and email sequences | Medium | Mid |
| ActiveCampaign | Marketing automation with sales tools attached | Medium | Mid |
| HubSpot | Free-forever starting point | Low–Medium | Free tier available |
| EngageBay | Budget all-in-one for small teams | Low–Medium | Budget |
1. Pipedrive — best for a dedicated sales pipeline
Where Keap treats the pipeline as one feature among many, Pipedrive treats it as the whole product. Deals, stages, and next-step reminders are front and center from the first login, which suits a sales team that wants a tool that just tracks who to call next without wading through campaign or funnel builders it doesn't need.
Pros
- Pipeline-first interface with minimal setup
- Pricing scales with seats, not contact volume
- Straightforward migration path for deal and contact data
Cons
- Marketing automation is limited compared to Keap
- E-commerce and course-hosting features aren't part of the product
2. Close — best for outbound calling and email sequences
Teams that used Keap mainly to log calls and send follow-up emails to leads will find that Close does both natively and faster. Calling, SMS, and multi-step email sequences live inside the same screen as the deal record, so reps aren't tabbing between a CRM and a separate dialer.
Pros
- Built-in dialer and email sequencing, no add-ons required
- Fast, keyboard-driven workflow built for high call volume
- Reporting geared toward sales activity, not marketing campaigns
Cons
- No free tier
- Not built for course sales or e-commerce funnels
3. ActiveCampaign — best like-for-like marketing automation alternative
For teams that actually used Keap's automation builder and don't want to give it up, ActiveCampaign is the closest match — visual automation workflows, email marketing, and a CRM layer for tracking deals, all in one subscription. It's a lateral move rather than a downgrade for anyone whose "sales team" is really a small team running both outreach and nurture campaigns.
Pros
- Strong automation builder, a genuine Keap-style feature
- Combines email marketing and CRM in one tool
- Wide range of triggers and integrations
Cons
- Sales pipeline features are less deep than dedicated sales CRMs
- Can take longer to configure than a simple pipeline tool
Other solid options
HubSpot is worth considering if you'd rather start free and grow into paid marketing and sales tools as needed — its free CRM tier covers basic deal tracking without the contact-based billing that frustrates Keap switchers. EngageBay is a reasonable budget-friendly alternative if you liked having marketing, sales, and light support tools bundled together but want to spend less than Keap charges for the privilege.
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.
“A cheaper CRM will likely mean less benefits... maybe you're currently paying for 'benefits' that you don't actually use.”
How to choose
Start by being honest about which parts of Keap your team actually uses. If it's mostly the pipeline and follow-up calls, a sales-first tool like Pipedrive or Close will feel like less software to manage, not more. If your team leans on automation sequences and email campaigns as much as deal tracking, ActiveCampaign preserves that workflow instead of forcing you to rebuild it from scratch.
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.