Copper

Overview

Copper is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform built exclusively for Google Workspace teams. Unlike traditional CRMs that require constant tab-switching, Copper embeds CRM functionality directly into Gmail and Google Calendar—allowing sales teams to manage deals, log emails, and update pipelines without ever leaving their inbox.

Founded in 2011 (originally as ProsperWorks), Copper is the only CRM officially recommended by Google and backed by Google's venture arm. If you're using Google Workspace at your company and value a familiar interface that requires minimal training, Copper delivers on that promise. It's designed for relationship-based selling—focusing on who you know, what you've discussed, and when to follow up—rather than complex workflow automation.

At a glance:

• Category: CRM for Google Workspace
• Best for: SMB sales teams (5-200 users) managing relationships in Gmail
• Pricing: From $9-134/user/month (annual billing saves 23-26%)
• Free trial: 14-day trial with full features, no credit card required

Ideal For

• Google Workspace-Dependent Teams: If your team spends 4+ hours daily in Gmail and Google Calendar, Copper's native integration is unmatched. View CRM data, log emails, schedule follow-ups, and update deals directly in Gmail without opening a separate CRM tab. The Chrome extension ensures you never lose context while working. No other CRM offers this level of Gmail integration—not even close.

• Small to Medium Sales Teams (5-200 users): Copper's user-friendly interface reduces training time to 1-2 hours per rep vs 1-2 weeks for Salesforce. If you're a $1-10M ARR company that needs quick team adoption and can't afford prolonged onboarding, Copper's simplicity is a competitive advantage. Setup takes 2-4 hours for basic configuration.

• Relationship-Focused Selling: Copper shines when deals depend on knowing relationship history (who introduced you, past conversations, next follow-up). The relationship tracking, activity logging, and automated follow-up reminders help teams nurture 500+ relationships without dropping balls.

Not Ideal For

• Microsoft 365 Users: Copper does NOT integrate with Outlook or Microsoft 365. If you're a Microsoft shop, use Dynamics 365 or Pipedrive instead. Forcing Copper onto an Outlook-based team will create workflow friction.

• Teams Requiring Advanced Marketing Automation: Copper focuses on sales pipeline management—not marketing automation. If you need landing pages, email campaigns, ad tracking, or lead scoring, HubSpot's Marketing Hub is better aligned. Copper's strength is relationship management, not lead generation.

The Bottom Line

Copper is the best CRM for Google Workspace teams (5-200 users) who prioritize user adoption and Gmail-native workflows over advanced automation. If you're already living in Gmail, Copper disappears into your workflow. If you need marketing features or use Microsoft tools, look elsewhere.

Copper manages your sales pipeline, customer relationships, and follow-up tasks directly inside Gmail and Google Calendar. Instead of jumping between browser tabs to update a CRM, Copper surfaces contact info, deal history, and next steps right where you're already working—in your inbox.

Core Capabilities

1. Gmail-Native CRM: View and update CRM data directly in Gmail's sidebar while reading emails. Log emails to deals, schedule follow-ups, and see relationship history without opening a separate app.

2. Pipeline Management: Track deals through customizable sales stages (e.g., Prospecting → Demo → Proposal → Closed). Drag-and-drop deals, set win probability, and forecast revenue by stage.

3. Automated Activity Logging: Copper automatically captures emails, calendar events, and file shares to contact/company records. No manual data entry for relationship tracking.

4. Relationship Insights: See who introduced you to a contact, when you last communicated, what files you've shared, and upcoming follow-ups—all in one view.

How It Works

1. Install Chrome Extension: Adds Copper sidebar to Gmail and Google Calendar
2. Import Contacts: Sync existing Google Contacts or upload CSV files
3. Create Pipelines: Define deal stages matching your sales process (3-7 stages typical)
4. Log Activity: Copper auto-logs emails/meetings to contacts; reps update deal stages manually
5. Track Progress: View pipeline reports, win rates, and deal velocity dashboards

Our Take: Copper excels at user adoption—if your team lives in Gmail, they'll actually use this CRM because it doesn't disrupt their workflow. The tradeoff is fewer advanced features (limited workflow automation, basic reporting) compared to HubSpot or Salesforce. Choose Copper when you value simplicity and adoption over power-user capabilities. The Google Workspace integration is genuinely best-in-class; no competitor comes close to Copper's Gmail native experience.

1. Gmail Sidebar Integration (Copper's Killer Feature)

Copper embeds a CRM sidebar directly into Gmail, showing contact details, deal history, communication timeline, and next steps while you read emails. You can create new contacts, update deal stages, schedule follow-ups, and log notes without leaving your inbox. The sidebar syncs with Google Calendar, so upcoming meetings and past interactions surface contextually.

Why it matters: Sales reps spend 30-50% of their day in email. By eliminating tab-switching, Copper saves 15-30 minutes daily per rep (5-10 hours/month). More importantly, CRM data entry happens naturally in-flow rather than as a separate "admin task" at end-of-day, improving data quality and adoption rates.

2. Automated Relationship Tracking

Every email sent/received, calendar event, and Google Drive file shared is automatically logged to the relevant contact/company record. Copper uses email domain matching and contact recognition to associate activity with CRM records without manual tagging. This creates a complete relationship timeline showing: first contact, introduction source, communication frequency, files exchanged, and upcoming follow-ups.

Why it matters: Manual activity logging is the #1 reason CRM adoption fails. Copper's automation eliminates 80% of data entry work, ensuring relationship history is captured even if reps forget to log it. This is critical for account handoffs, deal reviews, and manager coaching.

3. Customizable Sales Pipelines

Create multiple pipelines for different deal types (e.g., New Business vs Renewals) with custom stages, required fields, and win probability percentages. Drag-and-drop deals between stages, set close dates, assign owners, and track deal value. Pipeline views show: total value by stage, deals aging past expected close date, and next actions required to move deals forward.

Why it matters: Visual pipeline management helps teams focus on high-value deals and identify bottlenecks. If 60% of deals stall in "Demo Scheduled," you know to improve demo-to-proposal conversion. Copper's simplicity (vs Salesforce's complexity) means reps actually use it.

4. Google Calendar Meeting Automation

Copper syncs bidirectionally with Google Calendar, automatically creating CRM tasks for scheduled meetings and logging completed meetings to contact timelines. Pre-meeting, Copper shows relationship history and talking points. Post-meeting, it prompts for notes and next steps. Calendar invites sent through Copper can include meeting types (Discovery, Demo, Negotiation) that auto-update deal stages.

Why it matters: Sales reps forget to log meeting outcomes 40-60% of the time. Copper's calendar integration captures meeting activity automatically and surfaces prep info before calls, improving meeting quality and reducing no-shows.

1. Relationship-Based SaaS Sales (3-6 Month Sales Cycles)

Scenario: A 15-person SaaS company ($5M ARR) with 3-6 month sales cycles and $30-100K ACVs. Deals require multiple stakeholders (3-8 contacts per account) and rely on introductions/referrals.

Workflow:

1. Warm Introduction Comes In: Sales rep receives Gmail intro from existing customer → Copper auto-creates contact from email, links to introducer's contact record
2. Relationship Tracking: Copper logs all email exchanges, calendar meetings, and Deck shares to account timeline. Rep sees: introduction source, past touchpoints, files sent, next follow-up due
3. Multi-Stakeholder Management: Rep adds 5 contacts from buyer company to same account → Copper surfaces when last communicated with each, what was discussed, who's engaged vs dormant
4. Deal Progression: Rep updates deal stage after each meeting (Discovery → Demo → Proposal) → Copper auto-notifies sales manager, updates forecast

Outcome: Complete relationship visibility across 3-8 stakeholders per account, zero dropped follow-ups, and manager coaching based on activity history. Sales cycles shorten by 15-20% due to better relationship nurturing.

2. Google Workspace Team Maximizing Existing Workflows

Scenario: A 50-person consulting firm already using Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs) needs CRM without forcing team to adopt "yet another tool."

Workflow:

1. Zero Training Required: Copper installs as Gmail sidebar → consultants immediately recognize interface (looks like Google), no separate login needed
2. Automatic Data Capture: All client emails, calendar meetings, and proposal Docs automatically log to client records without manual effort
3. Gmail-Based Pipeline Management: Partners review pipeline in Gmail sidebar during email triage, update deal stages inline without opening separate CRM tab
4. Google Drive Integration: Proposals, SOWs, and contracts stored in Drive auto-link to opportunities when file names include client company name

Outcome: 90%+ CRM adoption rate (vs 40-60% typical for traditional CRMs) because Copper integrates into existing Google Workspace workflows. Partners spend zero time "doing CRM admin"—it happens automatically.

Annual billing saves 23-26% compared to monthly pricing.

What We Recommend

• SMB (5-20 reps): Basic plan ($23/user/mo annual) provides core CRM functionality (1 pipeline, contact management, Gmail integration) for $4,140/year (18 users). Enough for most SMB sales teams.
• Growing teams (20-50 reps): Professional plan ($59/user/mo annual) adds multiple pipelines (e.g., New Business, Renewals, Upsells), workflow automation, and advanced reporting. Worth the upgrade at 20+ reps when pipeline complexity increases.
• Avoid Starter plan: No deals or pipelines = not a real CRM. Only use for contact management (freelancers, consultants managing client lists).

Hidden Costs: None—pricing is transparent. However, integrations with Zapier (for advanced automation) or data enrichment tools (Clearbit, ZoomInfo) are extra.

1. Start 14-Day Free Trial: Sign up at copper.com with Google Workspace email (no credit card required). Copper auto-installs Gmail/Calendar integration during setup.

2. Import Contacts: Sync existing Google Contacts automatically OR upload CSV from previous CRM (Copper has import wizards for Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive migrations).

3. Create Your First Pipeline: Define 3-5 deal stages matching your sales process (e.g., Qualified → Demo → Proposal → Negotiation → Closed Won/Lost). Set win probability percentages per stage for forecasting.

Pro tip: Enable automatic activity logging in Settings → Activity → Log all emails/meetings automatically. This ensures complete relationship history without manual data entry. Then train team on Gmail sidebar (10-minute walkthrough) rather than full Copper dashboard—most daily tasks happen in Gmail.

Official Links

• Copper Website
• Pricing Page
• Help Center
• Google Workspace Integration Guide

Research Sources

• Copper CRM Review 2025 - Sonary
• Copper Pricing Reviews - Tekpon
• Copper vs HubSpot vs Pipedrive Comparison - Capterra
• Copper Google Workspace Integration
• Copper CRM Features Review - Copy.ai

• HubSpot CRM: Free tier available, adds marketing automation and works with both Google/Microsoft ecosystems. Better for teams needing sales+marketing alignment.
• Pipedrive: Visual pipeline-focused CRM at $14/user/mo (vs Copper's $23/user/mo). Best alternative for budget-conscious teams prioritizing deal visualization.
• Salesflare: Auto-enrichment CRM with Microsoft Outlook support at $29/user/mo. Choose if you want Copper-like automation but use Microsoft tools.