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Comparison · CRM

Act vs Less Annoying CRM

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Act and Less Annoying CRM — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Act vs Less Annoying CRM: at a glance

FeatureActLess Annoying CRM
SectorCRMCRM
Velocity score6.35.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themescrm, payments, ux modernization, smbsmall-business-crm, customer-requests, contact-records, search
Last editorial update6mo ago4d ago
WebsiteVisit →—

What is Act?

Act! pivots from CRM-only to payment processor while modernizing its Cloud UX.

Act! is in the middle of a methodical Cloud modernization, rebuilding list views, navigation, and notifications to match the consistency users expect from modern CRMs. Alongside that polish work, Act! has just shipped Act! Payments via Propelr — turning the CRM into a place where credit card transactions close, not just leads. The product is still recognizably a small-business CRM, but its surface area is widening.

Read the full Act trajectory →

What is Less Annoying CRM?

Less Annoying CRM lets users pin notes to the top of a contact

LACRM ships slowly and from user requests. Two weeks after October's bundle of six features (scratchpad widget, custom contact labels, event and task search, history filters), it added pinned notes that stay at the top of a contact or company record. Earlier in the year came configurable task views, rich text fields, undo merge and relative date filters.

Read the full Less Annoying CRM trajectory →

Act vs Less Annoying CRM: editorial side-by-side

Act logo
Act
CRM
6.3

Act! pivots from CRM-only to payment processor while modernizing its Cloud UX.

◆ Current state

Act! is in the middle of a methodical Cloud modernization, rebuilding list views, navigation, and notifications to match the consistency users expect from modern CRMs. Alongside that polish work, Act! has just shipped Act! Payments via Propelr — turning the CRM into a place where credit card transactions close, not just leads. The product is still recognizably a small-business CRM, but its surface area is widening.

◆ Where it's heading

The release cadence shows two parallel tracks: weekly UX rationalization (notification center, list parity, faster task editing) and category expansion through embedded financial services. Act! is following the same playbook HubSpot and Pipedrive have run — keep the legacy users happy with quality-of-life work while quietly bolting on revenue-bearing features that compete with Stripe-adjacent SMB tools. Payments is the most directional move in years.

◆ Prediction

Expect deeper payments integration next — recurring billing tied to opportunities, dunning workflows from the contact record, and likely a payments-driven pricing tier that monetizes transaction volume rather than seats.

L5.0

Less Annoying CRM lets users pin notes to the top of a contact

◆ Current state

LACRM ships slowly and from user requests. Two weeks after October's bundle of six features (scratchpad widget, custom contact labels, event and task search, history filters), it added pinned notes that stay at the top of a contact or company record. Earlier in the year came configurable task views, rich text fields, undo merge and relative date filters.

◆ Where it's heading

The work stays on the daily record view: making the current state of a client easier to see as history grows. No AI, pricing or integration moves appear in the entries.

◆ Prediction

More small record-view and search features, either one at a time or as another bundle, are the likely next step.

Alternatives to Act and Less Annoying CRM

Other CRM products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Act or Less Annoying CRM.

See all Act alternatives → · See all Less Annoying CRM alternatives →

Recent activity from Act and Less Annoying CRM

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 5d agoLess Annoying CRMPinned Notes
  2. 20d agoLess Annoying CRM6 New CRM Features
  3. 6mo agoActAccept Payments with Act! Advantage ⚡
  4. 6mo agoActAccept Payments with Act! Advantage
  5. 6mo agoActNotification Center and List Experience Enhancements
  6. 6mo agoActNotification Center and List Experience Enhancements Date of Release 02/27/26 This update enhances usability across Act!
  7. 7mo agoActNotification Center and Added Email Campaign Support
  8. 7mo agoLess Annoying CRMWorkspace task customization: see future tasks and other users' tasks on the workspace
  9. 7mo agoActNotification Center and Email Campaign Support
  10. 7mo agoLess Annoying CRMRich Text for Text Area Fields
  11. 8mo agoLess Annoying CRMUndo Merge Button
  12. 8mo agoLess Annoying CRMTwelve user-requested CRM features shipped in one release

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Act and Less Annoying CRM?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Act is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Act better than Less Annoying CRM?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Act is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other CRM products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Act?

Top Act alternatives in CRM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Act alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/act for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Less Annoying CRM?

Top Less Annoying CRM alternatives in CRM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Less Annoying CRM alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/less-annoying-crm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.