Ontraport

Ontraport replaces the usual stack of a CRM, an email tool, a page builder and a payment processor with one system, which is worth it precisely when the handoffs between those are where things break. Automations can move a contact, send a message, charge a card and open a task in the same sequence. Pricing is per plan rather than per contact at the entry tier. It is a large system to learn, and anybody who only needs to send a newsletter will spend weeks configuring something they did not need.

The plans are $83, $124 and $249 a month billed annually, with additional users at $49 a month each and a yearly figure of $897 quoted against the entry tier. Every plan includes the CRM, email, automation, pages, forms and payments. The page offers a free trial without stating its length.

A business selling a considered purchase where the same system should hold the contact record, send the follow-up, take the payment and open a task, because the handoffs between separate tools are where the leads get lost. It rewards commitment. Anybody who wants to send a weekly newsletter will spend a fortnight configuring a CRM they did not need, and should buy a newsletter tool instead.