Keap vs Nutshell Comparison
Compare Keap vs Nutshell features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Keap
4.8/10
Keap is a CRM for small service businesses. It combines contact management, email and text marketing automation, a sales pipeline, quotes, invoices and payments.
Nutshell
6.3/10
Sales CRM for small and mid-sized B2B teams that combines pipelines, email sync, AI call notes and optional email marketing, SMS and proposal add-ons.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 4.8/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 3/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $320/mo Keap | $19/user/mo Foundation |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $320/mo Keap | $190/mo Foundation |
| Features | ||
| Built-in Calling | ||
| Contact Management | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Lead Management | ||
| Marketing Automation | ||
| Mobile Access | ||
| Opportunity Management | ||
| Reporting & Analytics | ||
| Sales Automation | ||
Keap vs Nutshell cost by team size
Nutshell costs less up to 10 users; Keap costs less from 25 users.
| Team size | Keap | Nutshell |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $320/moKeap | $19/moFoundation |
| 5 users | $320/moKeap | $95/moFoundation |
| 10 users | $320/moKeap | $190/moFoundation |
| 25 users | $320/moKeap | $475/moFoundation |
| 50 users | $320/moKeap | $950/moFoundation |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Keap
- Higher Customization score (6/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Nutshell
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: $190/mo vs $320/mo
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Support score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for startups (7/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for sales teams (8/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Keap
Pros
- One plan includes every feature, so buyers do not have to compare tiers to get automation, lead scoring or payments.
- Hack'celeration ranks its visual automation builder, with conditions and multi-step flows, among the deepest at its price point.
- Quotes, invoices, recurring billing and native or Stripe and PayPal payments are built in alongside the CRM.
- US accounts get business texting and a phone line, with 500 texts and 100 minutes per month included.
Cons
- A high base price plus a mandatory implementation package that Keap quotes only through sales makes the first year expensive.
- Automated texting, text campaigns and Keap Payments are US-only, which limits value for businesses elsewhere.
- Reviewers report a steep learning curve, with several weeks before a user can work on their own.
- Many consumer reviews complain about disputed charges and hard phone-only cancellation, and an annual contract carries a $299 early exit fee.
- The roadmap is uncertain because of Thryv's planned product merger and the retirement of legacy Infusionsoft features.
Nutshell
Pros
- Every plan includes unlimited contacts plus webchat, an AI chatbot, forms, landing pages and basic email marketing.
- Free live support on all plans, with free data migration and onboarding during the 14-day trial that needs no credit card.
- Reviewers on Capterra and G2 most often praise how easily non-technical sales teams can set up and use it.
- Pro and higher plans include native click-to-call, which logs calls automatically and can add AI call summaries, so smaller teams may not need a separate dialer.
Cons
- Reporting is the most common reviewer complaint. Users say reports lack depth and flexibility once they need more detailed insights.
- Customization is limited. Unlimited custom fields and pipelines are only on the 79 USD Enterprise tier.
- Foundation is capped at 100 open leads, and click-to-call and sales automation start at Pro, so the cheapest plan is restrictive.
- Paid add-ons for advanced marketing, messaging, prospecting, proposals and SMS can push the total cost well above the seat price.
- Reviewers say the mobile app is less capable than the desktop version.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutshell scores higher on our CRM criteria: 6.3/10 against 4.8/10 for Keap. The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 4/10 for Keap and 8/10 for Nutshell.
Nutshell costs less for 10 users: about $190/mo on its Foundation plan, against about $320/mo on its Keap plan for Keap, billed monthly.
No, neither Keap nor Nutshell lists a free plan.
Nutshell is the better fit for startups: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 3/10 for Keap.
