By Brett Kaufman. 8 years using relationships to build sales pipelines, from political fundraising to a 7 figure business to running matchmaking for two communities. Over 1,000 introductions facilitated.

The best Copper CRM alternative depends on whether you need a team pipeline or a daily decision. Copper is a CRM for teams that runs inside Gmail and Google Calendar; FRONT OF MIND is for one deal maker who wants to know which broker, banker or owner to text today, and why, in 10 minutes.

Full disclosure: I built FRONT OF MIND. So I will be straight about where Copper wins.

Here is the moment you are probably in if you searched this. Your firm runs on Google Workspace. You tried a CRM, logged every email for a month, then stopped opening it because the pipeline view only showed deals you already had. The people who might send the next one, the lender who refers owners, the attorney whose client is thinking about selling, were sitting in Gmail with no reason to come up.

What is Copper?

Copper is a CRM built around Google Workspace. Its homepage tagline is “The CRM that helps you be there for your clients, every step of the way,” and it runs inside Gmail and Google Calendar through a Chrome extension, capturing contacts and logging emails and meetings so your team does not switch apps (Copper). Copper pitches itself to relationship driven service businesses, including agencies, consulting firms and financial services firms.

Every plan includes Gmail email, contact and file sync, Google Calendar sync, pipelines, task automation and contact enrichment (Copper pricing).

What does Copper do better than FRONT OF MIND?

Copper wins on anything a team shares. Plainly:

• Shared pipelines. Copper is built for many people working deals together in stages. FRONT OF MIND is not a shared deal pipeline.
• Google Workspace depth. If your team lives in Gmail and Calendar, Copper logs that activity where you already work. That is its core pitch.
• Automation and bulk email. Professional adds workflow automation and bulk email, and Business adds email series. FRONT OF MIND sends nothing on its own; every message waits for your tap.
• Reporting. Professional and Business include reporting and custom reports for a manager who wants to see pipeline across the team.

If you need any of those, Copper is the right tool. Do not let my comparison page talk you out of it.

Where does Copper stop for deal makers?

Copper stops at the decision. A CRM is a system of record: it holds deals, stages and logged emails, and it waits for you to open it and decide who matters. Deals that come from relationships often start before there is anything to put in a stage. The broker who has not called in five months is not a deal yet, so nothing in a pipeline flags him.

That decision is the part that dies at volume. Say you know 800 people and actively keep up with 50. The rest go quiet, not from neglect, but because nothing tells you which of them is worth a text today. I wrote more on this in I already have a CRM. Why would I need this?.

Copper pricing vs FRONT OF MIND pricing

As of October 2026, from the Copper pricing page (per seat, per month):

Plan	Billed annually	Billed monthly	Contact limit	Adds
Copper Basic	$23	$29	2,500	Pipelines, task automation, Google Workspace sync
Copper Professional	$59	$69	15,000	Workflow automation, bulk email, reporting, AI email tools
Copper Business	$99	$134	Unlimited	Email series, custom reports, premium support
FRONT OF MIND		$29	Free for first 25 contacts and 1 intro	Daily list of who to text, with a reason and a draft

Copper’s homepage advertises a 14 day free trial with no credit card required. FRONT OF MIND has a Concierge setup for $500 one time, and this guarantee: If FRONT OF MIND doesn’t surface people in your network worth reaching out to within 72 hours, we’ll refund you. No questions asked.

Here is the math for a team. Copper is priced per seat, so three people on Professional billed monthly is $207 a month. For one person who wants a full CRM, Copper Basic monthly is the same $29 as FRONT OF MIND, with a 2,500 contact cap. Prices change, so check each page before you buy.

Is FRONT OF MIND a good Copper CRM alternative?

FRONT OF MIND is a good Copper CRM alternative if you work alone and need a daily decision more than a shared pipeline. It opens every morning on your 10 minutes for today. Each person has a one line reason: they posted, it is their birthday, you met at an event 12 days ago and never followed up, a follow up is due, a pipeline deal has been quiet 7+ days, their company was in the news, or they are going cold.

• It picks the people. You open it to a short list, not a database.
• It writes like a text. Every draft is 40 words max. Nothing sends without your tap, and it learns from your edits.
• It only shows real signals. A post is only shown if it is confirmed to belong to that person.
• It captures in seconds. Say a name and a sentence out loud, snap a business card or badge, or take a selfie together. It is filed under the event.
• You can ask your network a question. Ask Liala “who do I know that is an M&A advisor” or “who lives in Miami” and get the right people with why.
• It finds intros worth making, with dated proof on both sides.

It runs in your phone’s browser and can be saved to your home screen. There is no native iPhone app yet.

Can you use both?

Yes. Here is how I would split it. Keep live deals, stages and team handoffs in Copper. Use FRONT OF MIND for the people who are not in any pipeline yet: the broker, the CPA, the banker who just changed firms. Those relationships are where the next off market deal usually starts, and they rarely live in a stage.

How I would choose

Pick Copper if you run a team on Google Workspace, want deals and emails logged in one shared pipeline, or need automation and reporting.

Pick FRONT OF MIND if your income depends on who calls you first, and you want to open your phone each morning to the few people worth texting today.

For iPhone users weighing the free option first, see Apple Contacts vs personal CRM, and every head to head in one place at personal CRM comparisons.

Start free with your first 25 contacts and see who comes up first. Your contacts are encrypted. No one on our team looks at them, and you can export and delete anytime.

See how it works