ACT! vs folk
ACT! fits act! by swiftpage — long-standing smb crm for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales; folk fits standard/premium fit collaborative smb relationship selling.

ACT!
ACT! by Swiftpage SMB CRM; contact sales for current packaging (no invented list prices).
Best for
- • ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
- • Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
There is no universal winner between ACT! and folk. Choose based on pipeline depth, automation, email and calling, reporting, and pricing trade-offs.
folk is better for
- ✓ Ease of use
- ✓ Pipeline management
- ✓ Sales automation
- ✓ Email capabilities
Choose ACT! if: ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
Choose folk if: Standard/Premium fit collaborative SMB relationship selling

folk
Simple relationship CRM for organizing contacts and collaborative outreach.
Best for
- • Standard/Premium fit collaborative SMB relationship selling
- • Relationship CRM + LinkedIn capture fits founders and small teams
- • Pipelines, sequences, and AI assistants support sales workflows
Starting from $24.00/user/mo
Free plan available
Quick verdict
Start here — then dig into the evidence below.
Choose ACT! if…
- ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
- Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses
Choose folk if…
- Standard/Premium fit collaborative SMB relationship selling
- Relationship CRM + LinkedIn capture fits founders and small teams
- Pipelines, sequences, and AI assistants support sales workflows
- Simple relationship CRM positioning
Overall recommendation
There is no universal winner between ACT! and folk. Choose based on pipeline depth, automation, email and calling, reporting, and pricing trade-offs.
Key trade-off
folk's clearest edge is ease of use.
Winner by category
Only dimensions with researched evidence for this pair.
| Dimension | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | folk wins | folk leads on ease of use (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Sales | folk wins | folk leads on pipeline management (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Automation | folk wins | folk leads on sales automation (5/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Email capabilities | folk wins | folk leads on email capabilities (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Reporting | folk wins | folk leads on reporting (5/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Customization | folk wins | folk leads on customization (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Integrations | folk wins | folk leads on integrations (5/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Administration | folk wins | folk leads on administration (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Enterprise suitability | folk wins | folk leads on scalability (5/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
| Value | folk wins | folk leads on value for money (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing. |
Side-by-side feature matrix
Normalized availability from product research — empty rows are not shown.
Core CRM
| Feature | ACT! | folk |
|---|---|---|
| Contact management | Strong | Strong |
| Lead management | Strong | Strong |
| Pipeline management | Strong | Strong |
| Deal management | Strong | Moderate |
Sales engagement
| Feature | ACT! | folk |
|---|---|---|
| Email sync | Strong | Strong |
| Email tracking | Strong | Not evidenced |
| Email sequences | Not evidenced | Moderate |
| Workflow automation | Moderate | Strong |
| Sales automation | Strong | Strong |
Reporting
| Feature | ACT! | folk |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting | Moderate | Moderate |
Platform
| Feature | ACT! | folk |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations | Strong | Strong |
| Custom fields | Strong | Strong |
| Custom pipelines | Moderate | Strong |
| Mobile app | Strong | Strong |
| AI assistance | Not evidenced | Strong |
Additional capabilities
| Feature | ACT! | folk |
|---|---|---|
| Email campaigns | Not evidenced | Strong |
| Data enrichment | Not evidenced | Strong |
| API access | Not evidenced | Moderate |
| Role permissions | Not evidenced | Moderate |
Pricing comparison
Pricing evidence last checked Aug 16, 2026.
ACT!
- ACT! (contact sales)Custom
folk
From $24.00/user/mo
- Free$0.00/user/mo
- Standard$24.00/user/mo
- Premium$48.00/user/mo
- Enterprise$80.00/user/mo
Seat-count estimates
Labeled estimates from verified starting per-seat pricing — not invoices.
| Seats | ACT! | folk |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | — | ~$120.00/mo (Standard × 5) |
| 10 | — | ~$240.00/mo (Standard × 10) |
| 25 | — | ~$600.00/mo (Standard × 25) |
| 50 | — | ~$1,200.00/mo (Standard × 50) |
Estimate from verified starting per-seat pricing — actual total depends on plan, annual discounts, and add-ons.
Pricing notes use verified research when available for ACT! and folk. Confirm live vendor pricing before buying.
Best for
Scenario picks from researched strengths — not a universal ranking.
- → folk
Best for ease of use
folk leads on ease of use (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- → folk
Best for pipeline management
folk leads on pipeline management (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- → folk
Best for sales automation
folk leads on sales automation (5/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
The differences that actually matter
Pair-specific analysis for ACT! vs folk — not generic category copy.
Pipeline management
folk aheadOn pipeline management, folk is ahead. ACT!: Trails folk on this criterion. folk: folk leads on pipeline management (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.. Feature evidence also diverges on Deal management (ACT!: Strong; folk: Moderate); Workflow automation (ACT!: Moderate; folk: Strong); Reporting (ACT!: Moderate; folk: Moderate).
Email capabilities
folk aheadOn email capabilities, folk is ahead. ACT!: Trails folk on this criterion. folk: folk leads on email capabilities (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..
Sales automation
folk aheadOn sales automation, folk is ahead. ACT!: Trails folk on this criterion. folk: folk leads on sales automation (5/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..
Reporting
folk aheadOn reporting, folk is ahead. ACT!: Trails folk on this criterion. folk: folk leads on reporting (5/10 vs 6/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..
Value for money
folk aheadOn value for money, folk is ahead. ACT!: Trails folk on this criterion. folk: folk leads on value for money (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing..
Pros and cons
Product-specific for this pair — derived from researched outcomes and editorial notes.
ACT!
Cons
- Trails on ease of use
- Trails on pipeline management
- Trails on sales automation
folk
Pros
- Stronger on ease of use
- Stronger on pipeline management
- Stronger on sales automation
- Stronger on email capabilities
Implementation & learning curve
Based on researched setup / ease criteria for this pair.
ACT!
- Trails on ease of use relative to folk
- Trails on administration relative to folk
folk
- Stronger on ease of use: folk leads on ease of use (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- Stronger on administration: folk leads on administration (6/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Integrations
Overlaps and exclusives from product integration data when available.
ACT!: Strong. folk: Strong.
Who should not choose each product
Decision quality improves when we say who should walk away.
Don't choose ACT! if…
- You need folk's stronger ease of use more than ACT!'s strengths
- You need folk's stronger pipeline management more than ACT!'s strengths
- You need folk's stronger sales automation more than ACT!'s strengths
- Your primary fit looks closer to: Standard/Premium fit collaborative SMB relationship selling
Don't choose folk if…
- Your primary fit looks closer to: ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
- Your primary fit looks closer to: Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses
Alternatives worth considering
When neither product is the right fit.
AI-powered customer platform with free forever CRM, plus paid Smart CRM seats and Sales/Marketing/Service hubs for growing teams.
Pipeline-first sales CRM for visual deal management, activity-based selling, and growing sales teams.
Simple small-business CRM for contacts, sales pipelines, tasks, and lightweight automation without enterprise complexity.
Freshworks sales CRM for lead management and pipeline workflows.
Final verdict
Scenario-level close — not a repeat of the intro.
ACT! wins when…
ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
folk wins when…
Standard/Premium fit collaborative SMB relationship selling
- Best for ease of usefolk
- Best for pipeline managementfolk
- Best for sales automationfolk
Which one should you choose?
Choose ACT! if:
- ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales
- Classic SMB CRM for managing contacts, activities, and sales follow-ups — especially familiar to established small businesses
Choose folk if:
- Standard/Premium fit collaborative SMB relationship selling
- Relationship CRM + LinkedIn capture fits founders and small teams
- Pipelines, sequences, and AI assistants support sales workflows
- Simple relationship CRM positioning
Product screenshots
Real product UI from our media library — no placeholders.
folk
FAQ
- Is ACT! better than folk?
- There is no universal winner between ACT! and folk. Choose based on pipeline depth, automation, email and calling, reporting, and pricing trade-offs.
- Which is easier to use?
- folk leads on ease of use (6/10 vs 8/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- Which CRM fits which team?
- ACT!: ACT! by Swiftpage — long-standing SMB CRM for contacts, calendars, and sales follow-up; pricing primarily contact-sales folk: Standard/Premium fit collaborative SMB relationship selling
- Which is stronger for sales automation?
- folk leads on sales automation (5/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
- Does ACT! or folk have a free plan?
- ACT!: No free plan. folk: Free plan available.
- How does ACT! vs folk pricing compare?
- folk starts from $24.00/user/mo. Confirm live vendor pricing before purchasing.
- How did SoftwareGlimpse compare these products?
- We map both products to the same category criteria, then evaluate trade-offs using verified product, pricing and feature evidence. Affiliate relationships never change outcomes.
- reviewACT! review
- reviewfolk review
- pricingACT! pricing
- pricingfolk pricing
- alternativeHubSpot alternative
- alternativePipedrive alternative
- alternativeCapsule alternative
- guideWhat Is CRM Software? A Complete Beginner’s Guide
- guideHow CRM Software Works: Records, Pipelines & Activity
- guideTypes of CRM Software: Operational, Suites & Sales CRM Shapes
- categoryCRM hub
- finderFind My CRM
- calculatorCost calculator
Related comparisons
Alternatives to consider

HubSpot
AI-powered customer platform with free forever CRM, plus paid Smart CRM seats and Sales/Marketing/Service hubs for growing teams.

Pipedrive
Pipeline-first sales CRM for visual deal management, activity-based selling, and growing sales teams.

Capsule
Simple small-business CRM for contacts, sales pipelines, tasks, and lightweight automation without enterprise complexity.

Freshsales
Freshworks sales CRM for lead management and pipeline workflows.
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- No invented scores or prices
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