Small service businesses look past Keap when the $299 a month entry price, the required implementation package and the two included users feel heavy for what they use. Most go to HubSpot or Zoho CRM for a similar mix of CRM and marketing, or to Freshsales and Nutshell for a cheaper per-seat model.
Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within
the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. The first three alternatives
go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the
established names follow in their ranked order. How it works:
placement disclosure · editorial process.
What each alternative does differently
1. HubSpot
Free-to-start CRM with marketing and service alongside · United States
Offers a free CRM with no expiry date, so a team can start without paying and add paid hubs later. Marketing automation sits in a separate product, Marketing Hub, rather than in the CRM itself. Broader than Keap, with more products to price and connect.
Switch from Keap if you want a free CRM to start with and a larger platform to grow into.
Pricing: Free CRM for up to two users, then Sales Hub Starter, Professional and Enterprise priced per seat, with steep jumps between editions and a required one-time onboarding fee on Professional and Enterprise. (free plan)
Full review: #6 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit HubSpot →
2. Zoho CRM
Budget CRM that scales into a full back office · India
A free edition for up to three users, then per-user tiers. Workflow automation is listed on the free edition, and cadences for follow-up sequences on Standard. Part of a wider Zoho suite, so more setup and more modules than Keap's single product.
Switch from Keap if you want per-user pricing with automation and a path into a wider business suite.
Pricing: Free edition for up to three users, then low per-seat tiers rising through Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate; also bundled in Zoho One. (free plan)
Full review: #4 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit Zoho CRM →
3. Freshsales
AI-assisted CRM with calling at a mid-market price · United States
Per-user tiers instead of a contact-based platform fee, with phone and basic workflows on Growth at $9 a user billed annually. Sales sequences start on Pro at $39, Enterprise is $59, and a 21-day trial needs no card. Sales-focused rather than a full marketing suite.
Switch from Keap if you want a per-user price with built-in phone and sequences, and less marketing breadth.
Pricing: Published per-user tiers; contact scoring, deal insights, sequences and territory management start on Pro, forecasting insights and custom modules on Enterprise, and the Freddy AI Agent is a paid add-on. (free trial)
Full review: #8 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit Freshsales →
4. Nutshell
Straightforward CRM for small teams that do not want a project · United States
Five tiers from $13 to $79 per user a month, with email marketing included in every subscription and sales automation from Pro. Advanced email reporting and SMS sit in a $49 Marketing add-on. A 14-day trial needs no card and there are no long-term contracts.
Switch from Keap if you want email marketing included with a CRM and no long-term contract.
Pricing: Published per-user tiers from Foundation up; basic email marketing is included, with paid Marketing, Engagement (SMS and social messaging) and other add-ons. (free trial)
Full review: #12 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit Nutshell →
5. Insightly
CRM and project delivery in one record · United States
CRM plans at $29, $49 and $99 per user a month billed annually, with workflow automation from Professional. Marketing automation is a separate product priced per account and sold through sales, with bundles. Closer to a CRM plus project tracking than to Keap's all-in-one.
Switch from Keap if you want CRM and project tracking with workflows, and can buy marketing separately.
Pricing: Published per-seat tiers from Plus to Enterprise; workflow automation starts on Professional, custom objects need Enterprise, and AppConnect, marketing and service are sold separately or in All-in-One bundles. (free trial)
Full review: #10 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit Insightly →
6. Capsule CRM
Straightforward contact and pipeline manager · United Kingdom
A free plan for up to two users and 250 contacts, then Starter, Growth and Advanced tiers priced per user annually. Workflow automations start on Growth, and a marketing add-on starts at $11 a month. Simpler than Keap, with no required onboarding package.
Switch from Keap if you want a plain contact and pipeline tool with optional automation.
Pricing: Published per-user tiers from Starter through Growth and Advanced to Ultimate, a free plan capped at two users and 250 contacts, and a cheaper annual rate. (free plan)
Full review: #15 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit Capsule CRM →
7. Less Annoying CRM
Single-price CRM for very small businesses · United States
One price of $15 per user per month with every feature included, no tiers and no contracts, plus a 30-day trial without a card. Unlimited contacts and pipelines. It logs email and manages tasks; its pricing page lists no marketing automation or text marketing.
Switch from Keap if you mainly need contacts, tasks and pipelines at a flat price, not marketing automation.
Pricing: A single published price of $15 per user per month that includes every feature, with no tiers, no contract and a 30-day free trial. (free trial)
Full review: #2 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit Less Annoying CRM →
8. OnePageCRM
Action-based CRM built around the next step · Ireland
Three plans at 8.95, 17.95 and 25.95 euros per user a month, with unlimited contacts on all of them. Email sequences and multiple pipelines need Max. A 21-day trial needs no card. Built around follow-up reminders rather than campaign building.
Switch from Keap if you want reminders for the next action per contact and low per-user prices.
Pricing: Three published per-user plans, Professional, Business and Max, with roughly four months free on annual billing and a 21-day trial. (free trial)
Full review: #16 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit OnePageCRM →
9. Close
Built-in calling and email for high-volume outbound teams · United States
Per-user tiers from $9 to $139 a month with no free plan, only a 14-day trial. Workflows and the power dialer start on Growth at $99 to $109. Built for outbound teams that call and email, not for newsletters or booking and invoicing flows.
Switch from Keap if your team sells by phone and email and needs calling inside the CRM.
Pricing: Published per-seat tiers with no free plan; power and predictive dialing sit on the higher tiers. (free trial)
Full review: #5 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit Close →
10. Copper
CRM that lives inside Google Workspace · United States
Per-seat plans at $23 to $99 billed annually, with contact caps of 2,500 and 15,000 on the lower plans. Workflow automation and bulk email start on Professional, email series on Business. Its feature list centers on Gmail, Calendar and Drive for Google Workspace teams.
Switch from Keap if your team lives in Google Workspace and wants the CRM inside Gmail.
Pricing: Published per-seat tiers; automation and deeper reporting require the middle and upper plans. (free trial)
Full review: #9 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit Copper →
11. Salesflare
CRM that fills itself in from email and calendar data · Belgium
Per-user plans at $29, $49 and $99 billed annually, with a 30-day trial and no contact limits. Multi-email workflows start on Pro, and Enterprise needs at least five users. It captures contact data automatically from email and calendar; it has no invoicing or landing pages.
Switch from Keap if you want a CRM that fills itself from email and sequences without a platform fee.
Pricing: Published per-user tiers; email sequences and more automation on the middle and top tiers. (free trial)
Full review: #1 of 18 in our ranking ·
Visit Salesflare →
Questions and answers
How much does Keap cost?
Keap starts at $299 a month, billed as $2,988 a year, according to its pricing page. That includes two users, with extra users at $39 a month each. A required implementation package is sold on top, and contact tiers raise the price.
Can I cancel Keap at any time?
Yes, but an annual contract carries a $299 early termination fee if you cancel before the term ends. Keap asks you to call customer support at least 10 days before the next invoice date to cancel.
Who owns Keap now?
Keap is a Thryv, Inc. brand, per its own site and a Thryv acquisition FAQ. Keap says existing subscriptions, logins and billing stayed unchanged at the time of that page. Any Thryv products added are billed separately.
Is the Keap free trial limited?
Yes. The trial needs no credit card but caps email sending at 25 messages, blocks payment processing and blocks texting. Keap states that the trial has most, but not all, of the paid features.
Does Keap charge for text messages?
The first text tier, 500 messages and 100 voice minutes, is included, and higher tiers run from $24 to $279 a month. Overage is $0.015 per message and $0.01 per voice minute. Text marketing is currently US-only.
What is the cheapest alternative to Keap with marketing features?
Nutshell is one of the cheapest, with email marketing included in every tier from $13 per user a month. Capsule CRM has a free plan, and Zoho CRM has a free edition for up to three users, but their marketing depth is thinner.
