folk vs Attio: Which CRM is for you?

Looking for a CRM? Attio and folk are two platforms designed to help teams manage relationships effectively. Attio is known for its flexible database and real-time collaboration, making it a suitable choice for teams needing customizable data views. On the other hand, folk provides intuitive contact management and automation features, catering to businesses looking for a balance between usability and efficiency.

In this blog post, we’ll compare Attio vs folk based on features, ease of use, integrations, pricing, and suitability for different business needs.

Overview of Attio and folk

What is Attio?

Attio is a flexible CRM that provides custom database structures, real-time collaboration, and API access. It’s designed for teams that require complete control over their data and want to build their CRM from the ground up.

Key features

• Customizable database: Create tailored data structures.
• Real-time collaboration: Work on contacts and deals simultaneously.
• API access: Connect with other tools using Attio’s API.
• Pipeline management: Organize sales and projects with a visual interface.

What is folk?

folk acts as a sales assistant that helps teams stay organized and proactive. Designed for simplicity and seamless integration, it’s the go-to choice for over 3,000 service businesses worldwide. By automating repetitive tasks and centralizing contact management, folk enables teams to focus on building meaningful relationships instead of manual data entry.

Key features

• Capture contacts: Import leads from LinkedIn, Instagram, and X using folkX extension
• Sales research: Find emails in 1 click, identify a lead’s strongest connection, and import data from your prospect’s website with AI
• Personal outreach, at scale: Schedule emails and automate sequences
• 6,000+ Integrations: Connect your emails, calendar, social platforms, and thousands of other tools
• AI follow-ups: Know the best leads to follow-up with based on your past conversations using AI

Features comparison Attio vs folk

Contact management

Attio offers a database-style CRM where users can create custom structures for contacts. You can build custom fields, filters, and views, but it requires manual setup to categorize contacts effectively.

folk takes a smart approach to contact management with automatic organization. It uses AI-driven tagging and categorization, so you don’t have to manually update records. This makes it faster and easier for teams to stay organized.

Customization

Attio allows users to create fully custom data tables and views. If your team needs to structure data in a highly specific way, Attio provides the flexibility to design fields, labels, and filters from scratch.

folk provides also custom fields and segmentation tools, but with a more intuitive, no-code approach. Users can create lists and custom filters without needing complex setup.

Collaboration

Attio enables real-time collaboration by allowing teams to work on the same records simultaneously. However, it requires users to manually manage data updates to keep workflows aligned.

folk offers shared contact lists, email tracking, and centralized notes, ensuring that team members have access to the latest updates automatically. It’s particularly useful for teams working on sales, partnerships, or recruiting.

Email integration

Attio syncs with Gmail and Outlook, allowing users to manage conversations within the CRM. However, it doesn’t offer advanced email tracking features.

folk goes beyond basic email sync by offering email tracking, automated follow-ups, and outreach tools. This is particularly useful for teams engaging in cold outreach, sales, or partnerships. Expect performance report for campaigns and the ability to use AI to personalize variables, allowing you to personalize emails at scale.

Onboarding and implementation time

Attio requires users to set up their database manually, which may take longer but allows for more customization. folk offers quick onboarding with AI-driven organization, making it ideal for teams that want to get started quickly.

Customer support

folk provides migration service, priority support and a dedicated CSM for easy troubleshooting. Enterprise customers get a dedicated point of contact. Attio offers help center resources and API documentation, but support may be more technical in nature.

Pricing 

Both Attio and folk offer free plans. folk’s free plan is limited to 14 days. 

Pros and cons: Attio vs folk

Attio

Pros of Attio

• Highly customizable database for complex needs.
• Real-time collaboration features.
• API access for deep integrations.

Cons of Attio

• Steeper learning curve and requires manual setup.
• Lacks native automation features.
• Limited integrations compared to folk.

folk

Pros of folk

• Easy to use interface with a quick setup process.
• Automation and AI-powered suggestions for better workflow efficiency.
• Seamless integrations with WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and email tools including Gmail and Outlook.
• LinkedIn extension that captures contact information directly from a post.

Cons of folk

• Limited advanced features on lower tiers
• Customization options may be limited for larger teams

folk price plans

folk can be used by solopreneurs, small to mid-size teams, and large enterprises, thanks to its ability to scale with you. On an annual basis, folk’s price plans are as follows.

• Standard: $20/user/month comes to $240 billed yearly.
• Premium: $40/user/month comes to $480 billed yearly.
• Custom: Starts from $80/user/month comes to $960 billed yearly.

Attio price plans

Attio has a free-forever plan that includes up to 3 seats. But private lists are only available on premium plans. 

• Plus: $34/user/month
• Pro: $69/user/month
• Enterprise: $119/user/month

Which CRM is best for you?

Both Attio and folk offer strong contact management features, but folk stands out with its automation, integrations, and ease of use and quick implementation time. If you're looking for a CRM that balances simplicity with powerful features, folk is the better choice.

Key takeaways:

• folk is better for automation and ease of use, helping teams reduce manual work with AI-powered features and smart integrations.
• Attio is better for structured, database-driven customization, ideal for businesses that want complete control over data fields and layouts.
• folk’s built-in WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and email integrations make it a strong choice for relationship-driven teams.
• Attio requires more manual setup but offers deeper customization through API access and flexible views.

Choose folk if:

• You want an easy-to-use CRM with quick onboarding.
• You need automation and AI-driven features.
• You rely on LinkedIn and WhatsApp for outreach and networking.

Choose Attio if:

• You need a highly customizable database for your CRM.
• Your team prefers manual structuring of contact data.
• You require API access for deeper integrations.

Conclusion

Notably, Attio and folk cater to different types of users. Attio is ideal for teams that want a flexible, database-driven CRM with custom configurations. folk, on the other hand, is a modern, intuitive CRM that simplifies contact management and automation. If you’re looking for a CRM that’s easy to use, automates workflows, and integrates seamlessly with outreach tools, folk is the better alternative.

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