Brevo PushOwl vs Close
Side-by-side comparison — pricing, features, ratings, use cases. Find which Marketing fits you best.
💰 Pricing
🔧 Features
📋 Assessment
💪 Strengths
- PushOwl's web push notifications are a powerful way to re-engage customers who have left your site. Unlike email, push notifications have higher opt-in rates and can be triggered by specific actions like adding to cart or browsing a product. The platform allows you to segment your audience and send targeted blasts or automated flows, which can significantly boost return visits and conversions.
- The omnichannel approach is a major plus. PushOwl integrates push, email, SMS, and popups into one dashboard, so you can run coordinated campaigns. For example, you can capture a visitor's email via a popup, then send them a follow-up email and a push notification if they abandon their cart. This seamless integration saves time and improves campaign effectiveness.
- Back-in-stock reminders are a standout feature for e-commerce. When a product is out of stock, PushOwl can automatically notify interested customers via push or email as soon as it's available again. This is a proven way to recover sales that would otherwise be lost to competitors.
- The partner program via PartnerStack is attractive for agencies and influencers, offering 16-25% recurring commissions. This can turn PushOwl into a revenue stream for those managing multiple Shopify stores, making it a financially smart choice.
- The free plan is generous, including push notifications and basic popups, which is perfect for testing the waters. You can get a sense of the platform's capabilities before committing to a paid tier, and the paid plans are reasonably priced compared to competitors.
⚠ Watch out for
- The user interface can be overwhelming for beginners. The dashboard is packed with features, and new users may find it difficult to navigate initially. Some users have reported a learning curve when setting up automated flows, especially if they're not familiar with marketing automation concepts.
- SMS capabilities are not included in the base plans and require purchasing credits separately. This can lead to unexpected costs if you're not careful. Additionally, SMS is limited to US/Canada numbers, which might not suit international merchants.
- PushOwl's email features rely on Brevo's infrastructure, which means you're somewhat locked into the Brevo ecosystem. If you prefer to use a dedicated email marketing platform like Klaviyo, the integration might not be as seamless, and you might miss out on advanced email automation features.
- Some users have experienced occasional delays in customer support responses, particularly on lower-tier plans. While there's a knowledge base and chat support, the quality of assistance can vary, and phone support is not available.
- The free plan includes push notifications but limits the number of subscribers. Once you hit the limit, you'll need to upgrade, which might be a bummer for stores with rapid growth.
🎯 Best for
Shopify store owners seeking an all-in-one omnichannel marketing tool to recover abandoned carts, send email and SMS campaigns, and engage customers without juggling multiple apps.
🚫 Who should skip
Non-Shopify ecommerce sellers or large enterprises that need deep CRM capabilities, advanced automation, and extensive customization beyond email/SMS/push.
📚 Learning curve
Moderate — straightforward setup for popups and notifications, but building automation workflows and segmenting audiences takes some practice.
🧑⚖️ Verdict
PushOwl is an excellent choice for Shopify merchants looking to integrate push, email, and SMS into a single platform, especially those on a budget. Its free plan and affordable tiers make it accessible, while the omnichannel features and back-in-stock alerts offer real value. However, if you need a
💰 Pricing
🔧 Features
📋 Assessment
💪 Strengths
- Native calling and power dialer: Close integrates a full phone system directly into the CRM. Reps can make calls with one click, and the power dialer automatically loads the next number from a saved list, significantly increasing call volume. The built-in caller ID, call recording, and voicemail dropdown (with pre-recorded messages) streamline the entire process. This is a huge time-saver for outbound teams that live on the phone.
- Custom automation builder: The visual workflow automation lets you create multi-step sequences without coding. For example, you can set up a rule that triggers an email and SMS follow-up when a lead status changes to 'contacted'. It also supports conditionals and delays. This reduces repetitive manual tasks and ensures consistent follow-up, which is crucial for lead conversion.
- Coaching and training features: Close allows managers to listen to live calls, review recordings, and leave time-stamped comments directly on the conversation timeline. The 'coaching moments' feature tracks these interactions, helping managers monitor rep improvement over time. This is a powerful tool for sales enablement, and it's rarely found at this price point.
- Custom reporting and funnels: You can build tailored reports with custom widgets, such as call volume, conversion rates, and revenue by source. Funnel reports visualize the stages of your pipeline, helping identify bottlenecks. This gives managers actionable insights without needing a separate BI tool.
- Email and SMS tracking with templates: All email and SMS communications are logged automatically, with open and click tracking. You can create reusable templates for email and SMS, and even use the ' email sequence' feature to drip campaigns. This ensures that team communication is transparent and consistent.
⚠ Watch out for
- Learning curve: The interface packs a lot of functionality, and it might take new users a week or more to become productive. Especially if you're coming from a simpler tool, the sheer number of options in the UI can be overwhelming. The automation builder also requires a bit of logic-thinking.
- Limited reporting customization for advanced analytics: While custom reports are available, they don't match the depth of tools like Tableau or even built-in analytics in Salesforces. For instance, you can't create fully custom calculated fields or query the database directly. Teams with very complex reporting needs might outgrow it.
- Email integration is limited: Close works with Gmail and Outlook but has limited native integration with other email providers. Also, the email sync is two-way but can occasionally lag or miss a message. For teams that use a different email client, this can be a hassle.
- No free tier for larger teams: The free plan only supports up to 2 users, and it's quite limited (only basic features). For a growing SMB, the cost can add up quickly, especially when you add on SMS credits and additional users. Each user starts at $49/month (annual billing), which is pricier than some competitors like Pipedrive.
- Mobile app is weaker: The mobile app is functional for viewing and making calls, but it lacks some of the features of the desktop version, such as advanced automation and report building. For teams that need to operate heavily on mobile, this might be a drawback.
🎯 Best for
Close is best for SMB sales teams that rely on high-volume phone outreach and need a simple, all-in-one CRM with built-in calling and automation.
🚫 Who should skip
Skip Close if you're looking for a free CRM, an enterprise-level reporting solution, or a primarily email-only sales workflow without heavy phone usage.
📚 Learning curve
Moderate. Setup is straightforward for calling and pipelines, but configuring workflows, custom fields, and the power dialer takes time and practice.
🧑⚖️ Verdict
Close is an excellent choice for SMB sales teams that rely on phone calls and want to streamline outbound processes with integrated communication, automation, and coaching. It's not for those seeking a simple contact manager or for teams that primarily use email-only workflows. If you're serious abo
📊 Use Case Suitability
Higher score = better fit. Scores from editorial review.
🧭 Which One Should You Pick?
Choose Brevo PushOwl if...
- You are: Shopify store owners seeking an all-in-one omnichannel marketing tool to recover abandoned carts, send email and SMS cam
- 👍 Native Shopify integration for seamless use of store data, including orders, products, and customer
- 👍 Combines email, SMS, and push notifications in a single platform, eliminating the need for multiple
- 👍 Automated abandoned cart and back-in-stock flows save time and recover lost revenue with minimal set
- 💰 From $9/mo
- ⚠ Trade-off: Only works with Shopify; no native support for WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or cust
Choose Close if...
- You are: Close is best for SMB sales teams that rely on high-volume phone outreach and need a simple, all-in-one CRM with built-i
- 👍 Native calling with power dialer directly in the CRM, so no third-party telephony setup is needed.
- 👍 Strong activity logging: emails, calls, and SMS are automatically tracked against the contact or lea
- 👍 Flexible workflows for automating repetitive tasks like follow-up reminders and data enrichment.
- 💰 Free tier available
- ⚠ Trade-off: No permanent free tier; the trial period is only 14 days, which can be short for
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brevo PushOwl really free?
It offers a free tier with core features like smart popups and push notifications, but advanced automation, higher email volume, and SMS require paid plans. Check the current pricing page for specific limits.
Does Brevo PushOwl work with non-Shopify stores?
No, it is specifically built for Shopify merchants, using Shopify customer and order data to power its omnichannel campaigns. Non-Shopify platforms are not supported.
Can I send both email and SMS campaigns?
Yes, Brevo PushOwl combines email campaigns, SMS notifications, and web push notifications into a single platform, allowing you to reach customers across channels.
What integrations does it support?
It comes with over 100 integrations, including Shopify apps, analytics tools, and email marketing services, making it easy to connect with your existing stack.
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