Best sales automation tools
Sequences and workflow rules are usually locked to one tier, not the cheapest plan. The price of that tier is the one to compare.
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Close wins for a sales team that wants sequences and workflow rules without the wider marketing suite of HubSpot. You need its Growth tier, where the automation unlocks.
The short answer
- Close's plans run Solo $9/user/mo, Essentials $35/user/mo, Growth $99/user/mo and Scale $139/user/mo (billed yearly). Workflows, its sequences and triggers, start at Growth.
- Pipedrive's plans run $14.90 to $99/user/mo (billed yearly). How much you can automate changes by tier, so check the plan you plan to buy.
- 'Sales automation' covers two things in most of these tools: sequences (outreach sent on a set schedule) and workflow rules (a record change that sets off another). Check which one your plan has.
- The cheapest plan in most of these tools keeps your CRM records but has no sequences or workflow rules. Across this group, automation starts at a middle tier or above.
How we compared these
We compared each tool on its start price and on the tier that unlocks sequences and workflow rules. That gate differs a lot from tool to tool, and it sets what you really pay. Facts checked on each vendor's pricing page, September 2026.
Sales automation comparison
| Tool | Entry price | Automation unlocks at | What's automated | Best for | Not for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | $9/user/mo Solo | Growth tier, $99/user/mo | Workflows: SMS, email and call follow-ups set off by lead rules; blackout dates | A sales team that wants sequences without a marketing suite | A team on a tight budget that can't reach the Growth tier |
| Pipedrive | $14.90/user/mo (annual) | Varies by tier; we could not pin the exact tier from its site | Workflow rules, per the vendor's own site; the exact tier gate is not shown there | A team that likes Pipedrive's pipeline view and wants automation in the same tool | A team that needs automation proven on the cheapest plan |
| HubSpot Sales Hub | Free (2 users); Starter $7/seat/mo (annual); Professional $90/seat/mo (annual, $1,500 onboarding fee) | Professional tier | Up to 300 workflows and 5,000 sequences per account at Professional; workflows can start sequences | A team already on HubSpot's marketing tools that wants deep workflows in the same place | A small team that can't take on the $1,500 onboarding fee plus the per-seat Professional price |
| ActiveCampaign | Starter (priced by contact count); Plus and Pro add unlimited actions and more users | Plus tier and above | 950+ ready-made recipes; Starter caps each one at 5 actions, Plus and up have no cap | A team that wants sales and marketing automation in one tool, with lots of ready recipes | A team that wants a sales-first tool, not one built around email marketing |
Figures checked on vendor pricing pages, September 2026, including hubspot.com/pricing/sales and activecampaign.com/pricing.
The field, ranked
1. Close
A sales-first tool with a clear gate: automation starts at its Growth tier, with SMS, email and call triggers plus blackout dates. Not for a team that needs automation on the cheapest plan.
2. HubSpot Sales Hub
The deepest workflows in this group at Professional: 300 workflows and 5,000 sequences. There's a $1,500 onboarding fee on top of the seat price. Not for a small team that can't take on that fee.
3. ActiveCampaign
More than 950 ready-made recipes, and no cap on actions from the Plus tier. It mixes sales and marketing automation in one tool. Not for a team that wants a sales-first tool over one built for email marketing.
4. Pipedrive
A well-known CRM built around the pipeline, with automation listed on its own site. The exact tier gate is not shown there. Not for a team that needs to know the automation tier before it buys.
How to choose
Choose Close if you want sequences in a sales-first tool and can reach its Growth tier. Choose HubSpot Sales Hub if you already use its marketing tools and want deep workflows. Choose ActiveCampaign if you want sales and marketing automation in one place. Choose Pipedrive if its pipeline view is what sold you. Sequences pay off most once volume makes doing things the same way every time matter more than your call on each message.
Questions
- What does 'sales automation' actually mean across these tools?
- It usually means two things. Sequences send emails, calls or task reminders in steps, set off by time or by what a lead does. Workflow rules update a record or send an alert when a deal or contact changes. How deep each one goes depends on the vendor and the plan.
- Is automation included in every plan, or gated to higher tiers?
- In most of these tools, it's gated. Close, for example, only unlocks Workflows from its Growth tier. Its lower plans cover CRM basics with no sequences. Check the tier before you assume a low start price comes with automation.
- Does more automation always mean a better fit?
- No. A small team with a short, hands-on sales process often does better with less automation and more care on each touch. Automation pays off at volume, where doing it the same way every time matters more than a rep's call on each message.
- Does SalesCrew include sales automation?
- Disclosure: SalesCrew is our product. It has multi-step cadences that honor your suppression list, a built-in sender that spreads mail across a pool of mailboxes, and an Inbox agent that drafts replies for you to review.