When it comes to business software, choosing the right customer relationship management (CRM) system can make a real difference to the work you do every single day. The right tool helps you stay organized, build stronger customer relationships, and grow your business.
Capsule and Keap are both popular CRM options, but they serve slightly different needs.
Capsule is designed to be simple, affordable, and flexible, making it ideal for small to medium-sized businesses. Keap, on the other hand, positions itself as a marketing automation platform with advanced workflow features, but at a significantly higher price point and with a steeper learning curve.
In this guide, you’ll see how Capsule and Keap compare on the areas that matter most, from pricing to usability, so you can decide which CRM is best for your business.
Capsule and Keap plans compared
Capsule and Keap approach CRM plans very differently. Capsule offers clear, tiered plans with consistent pricing per user. Keap, on the other hand, uses a model with a single plan where all the features are included, but the price goes up based on the number of users and contacts.
Here’s how Capsule’s plans are structured.
| Free | Starter | Growth | Advanced | Ultimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price per user, per month* | Free | $18 | $36 | $54 | $72 |
Contacts | 250 | 30,000 | 60,000 | 120,000 | 240,000 |
Sales Pipeline | 1 | 1 | 5 | 50 | 100 |
Custom Fields | 5 | 50 | 150 | 300 | Unlimited |
Additional key features | Gmail/Outlook add-ins, AI content assist, customer filtered lists, mobile app | Email templates, shared mailbox, basic reporting | Workflow automations, advanced reporting, project management | Contact enrichment | Dedicated account manager, custom training, priority support |
*Monthly cost when billed annually. Pricing in USD.
Capsule’s free plan provides access for two users, making it ideal for individuals and smaller teams. It’s an easy way to try out a CRM without the commitment of a paid plan.
From there, each plan builds on the last, unlocking more contacts, automation, reporting, and support features as your business scales.
Keap doesn’t offer a free plan, or any other kind of tiered plan for that matter. Instead, pricing is determined by how many users and contacts you need. The starting price is $249/month (billed annually, or $299/month if billed monthly) for two users and 1,500 contacts.
You can increase contact volume and add additional users, which in turn increases your monthly cost.
You automatically get access to all of Keap’s features, including:
- Contact/lead management
- Automation builder
- Email and text tools
- Pipeline management
- Landing page creator
- Automated invoicing
- Appointment booking.
Keap includes a wide set of automation and marketing tools, but its pricing model means costs can increase quickly as your team or contact list grows. In contrast, Capsule’s structured tiers make it easy to predict costs and choose the right plan based on your business stage.
What features and functionality do Capsule and Keap offer?
Capsule and Keap both provide a solid set of CRM features, with some useful extras depending on your requirements.
Capsule is built to help small and medium-sized teams manage customer relationships without getting bogged down. It gives you all the essential CRM features you’d expect, like contact and pipeline management, alongside flexible tools that adapt to your workflow.
For example, Capsule’s Tracks feature lets you create task templates for repeatable processes, while built-in Project Boards help manage your work after the sale. An AI Content Assistant helps streamline everyday communication, and the Sales Analytics tools give you clear insights into your team’s performance.
Keap, in contrast, takes a more all-in-one approach. In addition to core CRM functionality, it includes email marketing, landing pages, text messaging, and payment processing. These tools are designed for businesses that want to combine CRM and marketing automation in a single platform. Keap’s automation capabilities are strong, but setting them up can be time-consuming, especially for teams new to this type of system.
For businesses focused on managing customer relationships, Capsule offers a streamlined experience with powerful, easy-to-use features.
Which CRM connects best with your existing software?
A CRM is at its best when it’s working in sync with the rest of your software.
Capsule is designed with connectivity in mind. It offers direct integrations with popular tools that small and medium-sized businesses already use, including:
- Email communication tools, like Gmail and Outlook
- Accounting software, like QuickBooks and Xero
- Marketing apps, like Mailchimp and Transpond.
These integrations are easy to set up and manage, so you can spend less time switching between platforms and more time getting work done. Capsule also connects with thousands of other apps through Zapier, or you can use the API to build custom integrations.
Keap also supports a wide range of integrations. It offers direct connections to third-party tools, along with Zapier integrations and an API for developers.
However, because of Keap’s all-in-one approach, you may find that you end up adjusting your workflow to fit Keap’s built-in tools rather than integrating the apps you already know and use.
Capsule, on the other hand, is built to work alongside your existing systems, not replace them. That makes it a more flexible option if your team already uses other tools for email marketing, billing, or collaboration.
Which CRM is best for ease of use?
Having lots of features is great, but only if your team is comfortable using them. If a new tool seems too complicated, people may ignore it in favor of older, less efficient systems.
Capsule is designed to be simple and intuitive from day one. The interface is clean, well-organized, and easy to navigate, even for users new to CRMs. By keeping the focus on the essentials (while still having the ability to add more advanced features as you grow), most teams can get set up in Capsule and start seeing value in just a few hours.
Keap takes a different approach, packing in a lot of functionality especially around marketing automation. While some users appreciate the all-in-one convenience, others may feel overwhelmed by the setup process.
While Keap offers extensive onboarding and support resources, getting the most out of the platform might require more time and technical effort. As one reviewer on G2 puts it, “Even after paying substantially for training, it’s complicated.”
In contrast, Capsule keeps things deliberately streamlined. The goal is to help you and your team get up and running quickly, without needing to master a complex system.
Which CRM is best for pricing and affordability?
Affordability is a big factor, especially for small teams working with tight budgets or growing businesses trying to keep costs predictable.
Capsule offers transparent, per-user pricing. For small teams, the free plan is more than enough to get started but when you’re ready to upgrade, the Starter plan ($18 per user/month billed annually) includes generous contact limits (30,000) and features like email templates, AI assistance, and shared mailboxes.
As you move up the tiers, you unlock more features, but you always pay a consistent, per-user fee.
Keap, by contrast, doesn’t use a traditional tiered structure. Instead, pricing is based on the number of users and the size of your contact database. The starting price is $249/month (billed annually) for 2 users and 1,500 contacts. If you need more contacts or additional users, the monthly cost increases accordingly.
While this gives flexibility, it can also make pricing harder to predict and significantly more expensive as your business grows.
To help visualize the difference, here are a few real-world pricing scenarios:
| Scenario | Capsule CRM monthly cost | Keap monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
1 user, basic pipeline | Free | $249 |
5 users, 10,000 contacts | $90* | $537 |
10 users, automation needed | $360** | $505 |
15 users, 5 sales pipelines | $540** | $665 |
8 users, 26,500 contacts, automation, reporting | $288** | $777 |
Pricing based on annual billing. Using min. possible plan - *Starter plan, **Growth plan.
While Keap includes additional tools like built-in invoicing and advanced automation, these features may not justify the cost for every business, especially when similar results can be achieved through integrations with your existing tools.
For most small to medium-sized businesses, Capsule delivers more value for less.
Which CRM offers more customization and flexibility?
Every business has its own way of working, whether it’s how you move deals through the pipeline, what data you need to track, or how you organize your tasks.
Capsule gives you the flexibility to create a CRM that mirrors how your business operates. You can customize Sales Pipelines to match your stages, add Custom Fields to capture the information that matters most to your team, and use Tags and DataTags to organize your data.
Keap also offers a high level of customization, especially when it comes to automation and campaign building. You can design complex workflows that trigger actions based on lead behavior, segment your contact list, and personalize email sequences for different customer journeys.
However, that flexibility can come with a steeper learning curve. Setting up campaigns and automations in Keap often takes more time and expertise, particularly if you’re not already familiar with marketing automation tools.
In short, both CRMs offer strong customization options, but Capsule keeps it simple and accessible, making it easier for growing teams to tailor their setup without needing technical help.
Which CRM is best for customer support and security?
When customers trust you with their data, you must look after it properly.
Capsule offers strong support options across all plans. Every user gets access to email-based support and an extensive online knowledge base. If you’re on the Ultimate plan, you also get a dedicated account manager, personalized onboarding, and priority assistance to help your team make the most of the platform.
From a security perspective, Capsule is SOC 2 Type II certified, meaning its processes and infrastructure meet strict industry standards for data protection. It also offers end-to-end encryption, role-based access controls, and regular backups to ensure your data stays safe and available. Capsule has a strong track record of uptime and reliability, with no known history of security breaches.
Keap also provides multiple support channels, including phone, chat, and email. It offers onboarding coaching and strategic guidance, which can be helpful if you're navigating its more advanced automation features.
On the security side, Keap hosts customer data through third-party providers that are SOC 2 Type II compliant, with data encryption and backups in place.
Which CRM is better for my organization?
Choosing between Capsule and Keap comes down to your business size, how it operates, and what you value most in a CRM.
If you’re looking for a simple, powerful tool to manage contacts, sales pipelines, and workflows, Capsule is the stronger choice. It’s designed for small to medium-sized businesses that want to build strong customer relationships and stay organized, without breaking the bank. The learning curve is minimal, the pricing is transparent, and it fits easily alongside the tools you already use.
Keap, on the other hand, is built for businesses that need more advanced marketing and automation capabilities in an all-in-one platform, but those features come with higher costs and a more involved setup.
For most growing businesses, Capsule strikes the right balance. It gives you everything you need to nurture your customer relationships and make smarter decisions, without the added weight of tools you may not need.
Try any Capsule plan free for 14 days or sign up to our free plan to get started with a simple yet powerful CRM.
