startbuddi vs Keap: an honest comparison

Keap is CRM and marketing automation software for small businesses, with contacts, a sales pipeline, email and text marketing, landing pages, quotes, invoices, checkout forms and an appointment scheduler, sold as one platform priced by contacts and users with required implementation services; startbuddi covers the CRM, bookings, invoices, contracts and client portals alongside a shared inbox with WhatsApp, so pick Keap for deep sales and marketing automation, and startbuddi if you want a lighter, lower-cost workspace with a free plan to start.

We make startbuddi, so we're biased. We've tried to be fair: we list where Keap is stronger, every fact about Keap links to its source, and anything we couldn't confirm on their own site is marked "not published". Checked in September 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.

startbuddi

startbuddi is best for

Small service businesses that want CRM, inbox, bookings and invoices without a large setup

Keap

Keap is best for

Established small businesses that want deep marketing automation and are ready for guided setup

At a glance

Best for

startbuddiSmall service businesses that want CRM, inbox, bookings and invoices without a large setup

KeapEstablished small businesses that want deep marketing automation and are ready for guided setup

Free plan

startbuddiYes, the Free plan

KeapNone on the published plans

First paid plan

startbuddiStarter, $29 a month

KeapKeap (starting price), $299 USD per month, billed monthly, for 2 users and 1,500 contacts ($2,988 per year on annual billing)

Checked

startbuddiPrice book, October 2026

KeapSeptember 2026

Where each one is stronger

The short version. Keap first, because it does some things better than we do.

Keap is stronger at

Marketing automation depthKeap has an automation builder with AI help, lead scoring, multi-page funnels, checkout forms with order bumps and promo codes, and billing automation for past-due reminders.

Quotes accepted onlineprospects accept a Keap quote with a button and it becomes an invoice in a couple of clicks; in startbuddi, estimates are accepted by email reply.

Guided setup and supportrequired implementation services include strategy, data import and done-for-you setup, with a dedicated Customer Success Manager, US phone support and 24/7 chat.

API and ZapierKeap has open API endpoints, webhooks and a native Zapier integration; startbuddi's API is not available yet.

Mobile appKeap has a mobile app for contacts, appointments, tasks and invoices; startbuddi is web only.

startbuddi is stronger at

Free plan and lower entry costyou can start free, and paid plans include a 30-day trial without implementation fees; Keap starts with required implementation services.

Customer conversations in one inboxWhatsApp, email, SMS, website chat, Instagram and Facebook messages sit on the same client record as invoices and deals.

Contracts and client portalssend contracts for e-signature, and on paid plans give clients a portal to follow projects, approve work and pay invoices.

Paystack for African paymentsclients pay invoices and booking deposits by card, bank transfer or USSD through Paystack, or by card through Stripe.

Projects and time trackingWork projects with billable time sit next to the client record.

Feature by feature

Each Keap value links to where we found it. Anything their site doesn't state is marked "not published".

Show differences only

startbuddi and Keap, feature by feature
Feature	startbuddi	Keap
Free planFree: 1 seat, 250 contacts, 5 invoices a month	Yes	Free trialSource (opens in a new tab)
Users includedFree 1, Starter 2, Growth 5, Scale 15	1 to 15 seats by plan	2 users, extra users $39 a month eachSource (opens in a new tab)
Contacts	100 to 20,000 by plan	1,500 in the starting price, more in tiersSource (opens in a new tab)
Sales pipeline	Yes	YesSource (opens in a new tab)
Quotes and invoicesEstimates are accepted by email reply	Yes	Yes, quotes accepted onlineSource (opens in a new tab)
Contracts with e-signatureSigned on startbuddi's own signing page	Yes	Not listedSource (opens in a new tab)
Online payments	Paystack, Stripe	Keap payments (US), PayPal, Stripe, EwaySource (opens in a new tab)
Appointment schedulerBooking pages with deposits on every plan	Yes	Yes, synced with Gmail or OutlookSource (opens in a new tab)
Email and text marketingEmail, WhatsApp and SMS campaigns	Starter plan and up	Yes; texting in the US and CanadaSource (opens in a new tab)
Landing pages and funnels	Landing pages	Landing pages and multi-page funnelsSource (opens in a new tab)
Client portalsClients sign in with an email link	Paid plans	Not listedSource (opens in a new tab)
Mobile app	Web only	YesSource (opens in a new tab)

What each one looks like

Real screens, captured by us or taken from the official press kit, each dated.

startbuddi: Deals on the sales pipeline — **startbuddi** · Deals on the sales pipeline. Captured from our own account, personal details blurred.

startbuddi: Contacts with their full history — **startbuddi** · Contacts with their full history. Captured from our own account, personal details blurred.

startbuddi: One inbox for email, WhatsApp and chat — **startbuddi** · One inbox for email, WhatsApp and chat. Captured from our own account, personal details blurred.

Keap's own screens are on Keap's website. We don't show another company's product without a dated capture from a trial or its press kit.

Pricing side by side

List prices as each company publishes them. We never convert currencies.

See startbuddi pricing

startbuddi

FreeFree
Starter$29 a month
Growth$79 a month
Scale$199 a month

Prices in US dollars, billed monthly. From our pricing page, updated 3 Oct 2026.

Keap

Keap (starting price)$299 USD per month, billed monthly, for 2 users and 1,500 contacts ($2,988 per year on annual billing)Source (opens in a new tab)

Checked in September 2026. Check Keap's site for current plans.

Switching from Keap

What moving across involves.

Get your contacts out of KeapCheck Keap's help centre for how to export your contacts to a CSV file, then open it in a spreadsheet to tidy the columns.
Import your clients as contactsIn startbuddi, go to Customers → Contacts → Import, upload the CSV, map the columns and review before importing.
Rebuild your automationsRecreate follow-ups and campaigns in Automations and the Marketing hub on a paid plan. Keap campaigns don't transfer.
Set up invoices, bookings and portalsSet up invoices in Money Manager, your services in Bookings, and a client portal in Work for each active client.

Sources

Checked in September 2026. startbuddi prices come from our own price book. Keap's website.

Questions people ask

Does Keap have a free plan?

No. Keap offers a free trial with no card, limited to 25 emails and with no payments or texting. After that it starts at $299 a month for 2 users and 1,500 contacts.

Is there a setup fee with Keap?

Keap's pricing page says implementation services are required and include strategy, data import and done-for-you setup; the package price was not listed on the page.

Can clients accept an estimate online in startbuddi?

Not yet. Estimates are accepted by replying to the email, and you mark them accepted before converting them to an invoice. Contracts and proposals are signed online.

Does startbuddi have a mobile app?

Not a native one. It is a web app that works in a phone's browser, while Keap has a mobile app.