Orbit vs Close
Close is an inside-sales CRM with a built-in dialer, made for SMB sales teams that live on the phone and priced per seat. Orbit is a free solo CRM where AI agents do the calling: Remy rings new form leads back in about 90 seconds, and Dex steadily works your tagged call list on your own Vapi number. The real question is who does the talking: your reps, or your agents.
What is Close great at?
Close was built for teams that sell by phone. The dialer is native, not bolted on. Reps call straight from the lead view, drop pre-recorded voicemails, and move to the next number without switching tools. Calling, SMS, and email live in one timeline per lead, so a rep always knows the last touch.
For an SMB sales floor it is hard to argue with. Managers get call recordings and coaching visibility, sequences keep reps on cadence, and reporting answers who dialed, who connected, and what closed. If you run 3 to 30 reps doing high-volume outbound, Close earns its per-seat price. Check their site for current plans.
Orbit vs Close at a glance
Both care about the phone. They disagree about who should be holding it.
| Orbit | Close | |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in AI agents that work the pipeline | 16 named agents covering prospecting, calls, follow-up, and collections | AI features for reps, check their site, not an autonomous agent team |
| AI voice calls and speed-to-lead | Remy calls back in about 90 seconds, Dex and Piper work lists and quiet deals | Excellent built-in dialer, but a human rep does the dialing |
| Human approval gates on AI output | Every agent output is a card you approve first | Not applicable, reps act directly |
| Built for one person | Yes, designed for one person first | Built for SMB sales teams |
| Invoices, proposals, and booking pages included | Included on the free plan | No, it stays focused on selling |
| On-device meeting transcription | Free, audio stays on your machine | Call recording for teams, check their site |
| MCP server to connect Claude | ||
| Free plan | Free forever, no credit card | Free trial only, check their site |
| Pricing model | Free plan, your own API keys billed at provider cost, Pro coming soon | Per seat, per month, check their site |
Where does Orbit fit instead?
Picture a Tuesday. You are a consultant, deep in client work, and a new lead fills out your form at 2:14 pm. In Close, that lead waits until a rep is free, and you have no reps. In Orbit, Remy calls them back in about 90 seconds, answers questions about your offer, recognizes repeat callers, books a meeting from your real calendar availability with the invite sent, and transfers hot calls straight to your cell.
The rest of the phone work is staffed too. Dex works a tagged calling list at a steady pace. Piper calls deals that went quiet, carrying your brief, the real reason for the call. All of it runs on your own Vapi account and number, never shared, with recorded-line disclosure, do-not-call lists, hours you set, and a daily cap of 25 calls by default. Voice agents ship switched off until you turn them on.
Pick Orbit if you are the whole sales team. Beyond calls, Tess drafts email bumps for threads quiet 3 or more days, Wes nudges unsigned proposals on day 3 and day 7, Mia hands you a one-page brief 75 minutes before each meeting, and Ray chases overdue invoices. Every output waits as a card for your yes. The free plan has no credit card and includes all 16 agents with your own keys.
Pick Close if
- You have a team of reps making outbound calls all day and need a serious native dialer.
- Call coaching matters: managers review recordings and listen in to train reps.
- You run multi-channel sequences across calls, SMS, and email, executed by humans.
- Per-seat pricing pays for itself because each rep carries quota.
- Your sales process is proven and you are scaling the headcount, not replacing it.
Close makes a sales floor faster. Orbit is for the founder who is the sales floor.
Keep exploring
Frequently asked questions
Is Orbit a good Close alternative for a solo founder?+
Yes, if you have no sales reps. Orbit is a free CRM where AI voice agents call new leads back in about 90 seconds, work call lists, and follow up on quiet deals, all on your own Vapi number with your approval. Close is the stronger pick for teams of human reps who need a native dialer and coaching tools.
Can Orbit really make phone calls?+
Yes. Orbit's voice agents (Remy, Dex, and Piper) call through your own Vapi account and phone number, never a shared one. They are off by default, only call inside hours you set, respect a daily cap of 25 calls and do-not-call lists, disclose the recorded line, and answer honestly if asked whether they are AI. Each call is logged with a recording and transcript.
Does Close have a free plan?+
Close is known for per-seat paid plans with a free trial rather than a free tier. Check their site for current pricing. Orbit has a free forever plan with no credit card, including all 16 AI agents with your own API keys.
Who pays for the AI and the calls in Orbit?+
You bring your own keys: an AI model key for the agents and a Vapi account for voice. Providers bill you directly at cost, with no Orbit markup. Typical solo usage of the AI agents runs cents to a few dollars a month, and calls are billed by Vapi on your own account.
Will leads know they are talking to an AI?+
Orbit's voice agents follow honest disclosure rules. They state the line is recorded, and if a caller asks whether they are talking to an AI, the agent says yes. You set the calling hours, the caps, and the script brief, and every call lands on the contact record with a recording and transcript.
Put a voice SDR on your inbound line
Free forever, no credit card. Connect your own Vapi account, set the hours and the cap, and Remy starts calling leads back while you work.
Free forever plan. No credit card. No spam.