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Comparison · CRM
Act vs Twenty
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Act and Twenty — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:crm
Act vs Twenty: at a glance
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.
What is Twenty?
Twenty 2.58.1 stops existing accounts from joining a workspace through SSO alone.
Twenty 2.58.1 and 2.58.2 carry the same change: SSO sign-in now requires an existing Twenty account to already be a member of the workspace. Invitations, invite links and approved domains only apply to new accounts, so an existing account joins once through its invitation and uses SSO after that. The release adds SAML and OIDC integration tests that run without an external identity provider. 2.58.0 shipped to npm on November 12 with only a file-rename note.
Act vs Twenty: editorial side-by-side
Act
6.3CRM
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.
Twenty
5.0CRM
Twenty 2.58.1 stops existing accounts from joining a workspace through SSO alone.
◆ Current state
Twenty 2.58.1 and 2.58.2 carry the same change: SSO sign-in now requires an existing Twenty account to already be a member of the workspace. Invitations, invite links and approved domains only apply to new accounts, so an existing account joins once through its invitation and uses SSO after that. The release adds SAML and OIDC integration tests that run without an external identity provider. 2.58.0 shipped to npm on November 12 with only a file-rename note.
◆ Where it's heading
Twenty ships minor versions every few days, and most tags carry little detail. The changes that are described tighten access and security, as in this SSO fix, or extend the AI assistant inside the inbox and SDK. Point releases now carry the visible change rather than the minors.
◆ Prediction
More point releases on 2.58 are likely; the entries do not show which feature 2.59 will bring.
Alternatives to Act and Twenty
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 Twenty.
Twenty
Twenty 2.58 rebuilds CRM permissions down to the row and adds MCP workflow steps.
GroupOffice
GroupOffice patches its 25.0 and 6.8 lines again, still with no notes.
Folk
folk adds a command panel and quick-add tasks after its agent-era repositioning.
Folk
folk now pitches itself as the CRM for the agent era.
IntegCRM
IntegCRM adds document folders, turning back to client records after two email releases.
Recent activity from Act and Twenty
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 17h agoTwentyTwenty 2.58.2 repeats the SSO membership fix
- 17h agoTwentyTwenty 2.58.1: SSO no longer adds existing accounts to workspaces
- 1d agoTwentyTwenty 2.58.0 packages published to npm
- 2d agoTwentyTwenty SDK 2.58.0 tagged with a file-rename note
- 2d agoTwentyTwenty 2.58.0 tagged with a file-rename note
- 4d agoTwentyTwenty SDK 2.57.1 type-checks AI component previews
- 6mo agoActAccept Payments with Act! Advantage ⚡
- 6mo agoActAccept Payments with Act! Advantage
- 7mo agoActNotification Center and List Experience Enhancements
- 7mo agoActNotification Center and List Experience Enhancements Date of Release 02/27/26 This update enhances usability across Act!
- 7mo agoActNotification Center and Added Email Campaign Support
- 7mo agoActNotification Center and Email Campaign Support
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Act and Twenty?
Both compete on the same themes — crm — within CRM. 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 Twenty?
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 Twenty?
Top Twenty alternatives in CRM are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Twenty alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/twenty-crm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.