Skip the CRM build. Keep the control.

Opens an email to enterprise@custral.com.

Sample workspace

Price the build before you start it.

150
25
18
Compare over
More assumptions
13
Scales with the build team. Starts at half of it.
5
Example: support and upkeep as more people use it. Adds 1 engineer at 150 seats.
20
Example: about an hour of calls a working day
20
Example: about an hour of recorded meetings a working day
US median, May 2025. Benefits add 43%.
Scale, billed annually. Enterprise is quoted.
Build it yourself$11,477,268
Building: 25 engineers at $16,188 a month with benefits for 18 months
$7,284,600
Running: 14 engineers for 18 months
$4,079,376
Software and servers: 150 seats at $41.96 a month for 18 months
$113,292
Custral$804,600
150 seats at $149 a month for 36 months
$804,600

Building costs $10,672,668 more over 3 years.

No AI model or audit fees, so the build side is the low estimate

Engineers: the median salary for software developers, $135,980 in May 2025 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, checked September 2026), plus 43% for benefits and payroll costs, since wages are 70% of what private employers spend on compensation (BLS, June 2026, checked September 2026). Every seat, checked September 2026: email and calendar sync $1.75 a seat a month on Nylas; phone number $1.15 a seat a month on Twilio; calling $0.014 a call minute on Twilio; call recording $0.0025 a call minute on Twilio; call transcripts $0.0048 a call minute on Deepgram; meeting recording and transcripts $0.65 a meeting hour on Recall.ai; servers and databases $0.50 a seat a month, the low end of SpendArk's third-party estimate. It leaves out AI model fees, calling to other countries and the SOC 2 audit. Custral's price is Scale on our pricing page, billed annually.

What the build has to cover, and where it stands in Custral

  • Access control
  • Email
  • Calls and texts
  • Meetings
  • Stella
  • Workflows
  • Forms and booking
  • Web, desktop and mobile
  • Chrome extension
  • Sandboxes
  • SOC 2 Type II in progress
What each one takes to build
Access controlPermissions down to the property, checked on every read and write.Every plan
EmailTwo-way sync with Gmail, Microsoft 365 and IMAP.Included
Calls and textsNumbers, a dialer, recording, transcripts and carrier registration.Included
MeetingsA notetaker that leaves a transcript and a summary.Included
StellaAn AI teammate that reads your data and, by default, asks before it writes.Included
WorkflowsTriggers and actions people outside engineering can change.Included
Forms and bookingForms that create records, and booking on real calendar availability.Included
Web, desktop and mobileThree apps on one data model.Included
Chrome extensionYour records and Stella beside any page, and people added from LinkedIn.Included
SandboxesA copy of the workspace to build in, then take live.Included
SOC 2 Type IIAn audit covering every row above.In progress

Your engineers build on the same records.

API access from GrowthDeveloper docs →
sync-renewals.ts
import {Custral} from "@custral/sdk";

const custral = new Custral({apiKey: process.env.CUSTRAL_API_KEY});

// Create a record on any object, by its key
const {id} = await custral.records.create({
  object: "deals",
  fields: {name: "Northwind renewal", stage: "Discovery"},
});

// Later, when billing confirms the contract
await custral.records.update({
  object: "deals",
  id,
  fields: {stage: "Closed won"},
});

REST endpoints for records, objects, conversations, documents and usage, with a TypeScript SDK and a CLI.

Decide who can see, change and connect.

A grant is one sentence.

Who, over what, at which level. Everything below inherits it, unless you set something to stop inheriting.

How permissions work →

has on .

Can edit. Change values and content, but not delete or share. Every Deal inherits it, unless one is set to stop inheriting.

It stops and shows you the write.

In Ask first, the default, Stella pauses before a write and shows it filled in. Reads never ask. Auto stops only before something destructive.

How Stella asks →
WriteUpdate recordStella

Northwind renewal in Deals

stage
Closed won
contract_value
48,000
owner
Dana Whitfield

Pick one to see what it does.

Every key acts as the teammate who made it.

An API key reaches what that person can, within the scopes you grant. Revoke a leaver's keys under Settings → Applications.

See what they can build →

Where we actually are on security.

  • Encryption in transit and at rest

    TLS in transit, encrypted at rest on managed AWS.

    In place
  • Access to the object, page and record

    Granted to a person, a team or everyone in the workspace.

    In place
  • Two-factor sign-in

    Authenticator app codes, with recovery codes.

    In place
  • Managed cloud

    Runs on AWS. Nothing self-hosted for you to patch.

    In place
  • SOC 2 Type II

    Underway with our auditor. The report is shared under NDA once it is complete.

    In progress
SOC 2 Type II examination in progress, monitored by Oneleet

Monitored continuously by Oneleet

The badge is live, so it changes the day the examination finishes.

A rollout with nobody on retainer.

One example, run by an admin

  1. Build in a sandbox

    • Import a sample from a spreadsheet
    • Shape objects, views and workflows
    • Grant teams access
    • IT reviews, then Go live
  2. Invite teams

    • Run the full import on the live workspace
    • Web, desktop, mobile and Chrome, one login
  3. Connect your tools

    • HubSpot, Stripe and GitHub sync into linked tables
    • Slack connects as an inbox channel
  4. Wire it inEngineering

    • The warehouse subscribes to webhooks
    • AI tools connect over MCP

Questions enterprise buyers ask.

Is it really cheaper than building our own?

Try your own numbers above. The build side counts engineers with their benefits, and the software and servers every seat needs, but no AI model or audit fees, so it's the low estimate.

What can our engineers build on it?

Anything the API reaches: records, objects, conversations, documents and usage, from the SDK, the CLI or plain HTTP. API access starts on Growth.

Can an integration see more than it should?

An API key reaches what its creator can, within its scopes. Keys are listed under Settings → Applications, which is where you revoke a leaver's keys.

How does pricing compare with Salesforce and HubSpot?

See our dated, sourced comparisons: Custral vs Salesforce and Custral vs HubSpot. Plans run from Starter to Scale; Enterprise is quoted.

Where are you on SOC 2?

Type II is in progress with our auditor, and Oneleet monitors our controls continuously. We'll walk your team through today's controls and share the report under NDA once it's complete.

Bring us the CRM you were about to build.

One call covers what you'd build, what's already here, and how your engineers extend it.