Copper is a Google-Workspace-native CRM for small businesses: it sits beside Gmail and Calendar and captures contacts from your email automatically, priced per seat. Orbit is a simple all-in-one CRM for one person, free for up to 250 contacts, with one AI assistant (Hiro) that drafts follow-ups, proposals, and invoices. Copper organizes what your inbox already knows. Orbit runs the whole business from one place.
Copper made one bet early and stuck with it: build the CRM into Google Workspace instead of next to it. The side panel puts the CRM inside Gmail, emails and contacts log themselves, and Calendar events and Drive files attach to the right records without anyone copying and pasting. Its long-standing recommended-for-Google-Workspace positioning is rare and real.
That makes it a quietly excellent relationship CRM for small teams that already run on Google: agencies, consultancies, and professional services where most deals start as an email thread. Data entry, the thing that kills most small CRMs, mostly takes care of itself. Pricing is per seat. Check their site for current plans.
Auto-logging the past versus one simple system for the whole business. Here is the honest split.
| Orbit | Copper | |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistant that drafts and does the busywork | Hiro drafts follow-ups, proposals, invoices, and pages | No built-in AI assistant |
| All-in-one: invoices, proposals, and booking pages | Included on the free plan | No, pair with other tools |
| Human approval gates on AI output | Approve, edit, or dismiss everything | Not applicable |
| Built for one person | Yes, simple and solo-first | Small teams on Google Workspace |
| Two-way Google Calendar sync | Pro, drag tasks onto time blocks | Native Google Workspace, check their site |
| On-device meeting transcription | Pro, audio never leaves your machine | |
| Built-in MCP server to connect Claude | Pro, revocable keys | Check their site |
| Free plan | Free plan, no credit card | Free trial only, check their site |
| Pricing model | Free, then Pro at $14/mo or Team at $20/seat | Per seat, check their site |
Fair warning before the pitch: Copper's Google-native auto-capture is its superpower, and Orbit takes a different route. Orbit has its own built-in email inbox with no Gmail connection needed, and two-way Google Calendar sync is a Pro feature rather than a free one. If automatic email logging inside Gmail is your single must-have, Copper does that, at per-seat prices. What Copper does not do is run the rest of the business for you.
Orbit puts everything in one simple app: contacts with a full timeline, pipelines with custom stages, tasks, notes, a built-in email inbox, proposals, invoices, landing pages, forms, and a booking page. One assistant does the busywork. Hiro can create and update contacts and deals, manage tasks and the calendar, write and send proposals and invoices, draft follow-ups and replies, and build pages, all waiting for your approval. Duplicate detection and merge keep the list clean. See what Orbit AI can do for details.
Pick Orbit if you are a one-person shop that wants one clean system instead of a stack. Nothing Hiro produces auto-sends, the CRM stays free with no credit card, and AI credits are included free every month with no API key to paste. Pro at $14 a month adds two-way Google Calendar sync, the Chrome extension, the meeting recorder, and the MCP server.
Copper writes down what happened in your inbox. Orbit runs the whole business from one simple app.
Yes, if you want one simple system instead of a stack. Orbit is a free all-in-one CRM (up to 250 contacts) with one AI assistant (Hiro) that drafts follow-ups, proposals, and invoices for your approval. Copper is the better pick if automatic Gmail and Calendar logging for a small team is your main requirement.
Orbit has a built-in email inbox, so no Gmail connection is needed. Two-way Google Calendar sync is a Pro feature: drag tasks onto time blocks and they stay in sync. The free plan includes contacts, pipelines, tasks, a calendar, notes, a booking page, invoices, and proposals.
Copper is known for per-seat paid plans with a free trial rather than a free tier. Check their site for current pricing. Orbit's base plan is free with no credit card and includes 250 contacts, unlimited tasks, a built-in email inbox, a booking page, 10 invoices, and 10 proposals.
Hiro can create and update contacts, deals, and pipelines, manage tasks and the calendar, write and send proposals and invoices, draft follow-ups and replies, build pages and forms, and remember facts across chats. Everything waits for you to approve, edit, or dismiss. Nothing sends on its own.
Yes, 250 contacts on free, and unlimited on Pro. The free plan also includes unlimited tasks and notes, one pipeline, a built-in email inbox, one booking page, 5 landing pages, 3 forms, 10 invoices, 10 proposals, and 50 MB of storage. The MCP server and webhooks are Pro features.
Free plan, no credit card. Contacts, email, proposals, and invoices in one app, with Hiro drafting for your approval.
Free forever plan. No credit card. No spam.