Quick take
Two modern CRMs built for people who hate CRMs. folk is simpler and more personal. Attio is more powerful and team-oriented. If you want personal network management, folk shines. If you want team CRM with custom objects, Attio is stronger.
Both folk and Attio emerged from frustration with traditional CRMs. Both have modern interfaces. Both reject enterprise complexity. But they made different choices about what to prioritize.
folk leaned into simplicity and personal network management. The Chrome extension is excellent. The interface is clean and fast. It feels like a tool for an individual managing their relationships.
Attio leaned into flexibility and team workflows. Custom objects, sophisticated views, and powerful automations. It feels like a tool for teams building systematic processes.
Both are good. The choice depends on whether you are primarily an individual managing relationships or a team building CRM infrastructure.
The fundamental difference
folk is optimized for ease. Adding contacts is frictionless. The interface is minimal. The learning curve is almost zero. The assumption is that you want to manage relationships without thinking about CRM architecture.
Attio is optimized for power. You can build custom objects, create sophisticated views, and automate complex workflows. The assumption is that you want to design a CRM that exactly matches your processes.
For personal networking and small teams with simple needs, folk simplicity is a feature. For teams that need to model complex relationships or build systematic workflows, Attio power matters more.
Where Attio wins
Custom objects
Attio lets you create any type of data structure - deals, projects, investors, whatever your business needs. folk is primarily contacts and companies with some customization.
Team workflows
Attio is built for team collaboration - views, permissions, assignments, and automations that support systematic processes. folk is more individual-focused.
API and integrations
Attio API is more complete. If you are building custom integrations or want to connect to other tools programmatically, Attio has more capability.
Reporting
Attio reporting is more sophisticated. You can build custom views and reports that answer specific business questions. folk reporting is simpler.
Where folk wins
Chrome extension
folk Chrome extension is excellent. Adding contacts from LinkedIn, Twitter, or anywhere else is seamless. This matters a lot for personal networking.
Simplicity
folk is easier to start with. You do not need to think about data structure or configuration. Just start adding contacts and organizing them.
Personal CRM use case
If you want to manage your personal network - not a team sales process but your individual relationships - folk is designed for this.
Lower learning curve
folk is immediately intuitive. Attio has more power but requires more thought about how to structure things. If you just want to start, folk is faster.
Choose Attio if...
- ✓You are building team CRM infrastructure
- ✓You need custom objects beyond contacts and companies
- ✓You want sophisticated automations and workflows
- ✓You need powerful API and integrations
- ✓You are willing to invest time in configuration for power
Choose folk if...
- —You are managing personal relationships
- —You want the simplest possible CRM
- —The Chrome extension matters for your workflow
- —You prioritize ease over power
- —You are an individual or very small team
The migration reality
Moving between folk and Attio is not technically difficult - both have clean data models. The question is whether you are moving toward more power or more simplicity.
If you are outgrowing folk and need team features or custom objects, Attio is a natural upgrade. Budget 1-2 weeks to set up your Attio workspace properly and migrate data.
If you are on Attio and finding it more complex than you need, folk might be the right simplification. But most teams do not move in this direction.
What we have seen in practice
The teams that choose folk over Attio usually have simpler needs - founders managing their network, small teams with straightforward sales, or individuals who want lightweight CRM.
The teams that choose Attio over folk usually need team workflows, custom objects, or more sophisticated processes. They might have started with folk and outgrown it.
Both tools have clear use cases. The overlap is smaller than it might seem because they are optimized for different contexts.
Frequently asked questions
Pricing is comparable for similar seat counts. folk has a generous free tier for individuals. Attio pricing is team-focused.
folk has team features, but they are simpler than Attio. If you need sophisticated permissions, automations, or views, Attio is more capable.
Not necessarily. Attio can be used simply or with full customization. But if you genuinely want minimum complexity, folk is designed for that.
folk Chrome extension is excellent for adding contacts from anywhere. Attio has a Chrome extension too, but folk one is a stronger feature.
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