Just like there’s more to business relationships than who’s in your email inbox, there’s more to relationship management than Affinity. Though the platform has emerged as a leading customer relationship management (CRM) solution, growing businesses and VC firms may need more from their most-trusted tools.
That’s where the top Affinity alternatives come in—leveraging comprehensive deal data and AI-driven insights to reveal every investing opportunity hidden across your network—and beyond. Especially as VCs face new and evolving challenges in the market, like scaling their global operations and meeting changing regulations, they’ll need the right platforms to help them spot high-value investments and edge out the competition.
Whether you’re seeking your next big partnership or looking to better manage your deal pipeline, your dedicated CRM should connect every email, meeting, and potential connection into a cohesive, actionable data map.
Here are the top five Affinity alternatives that do just that:
Rings: Dynamic relationship mapping, expansive sourcing platform, AI insights
Attio: Customizable pipelines, real-time collaboration, no-code automations
Folk CRM: Contact enrichment, browser extension, email messaging and sequences
Salesforce: AI analytics, app marketplace, role-based views
Intapp DealCloud: End-to-end deal management, enterprise reporting
1. Rings: The Next-Generation Relationship Intelligence Platform
Rings stands at the forefront of CRM innovation as a full XRM (extended relationship management) solution. It’s built for businesses and VC teams that rely on high-value relationships—not just to manage them, but to discover brand-new ones through AI prospecting and real-time intelligence.
Core features:
Advanced prospecting: Access data from 500K+ investments across 10,000+ investors.
Automated data capture: Sync interactions from emails, notes, and meetings across your organization.
Pre-meeting insights: See shared deals, mutual contacts, and company news before every major meeting.
Real-time alerts: Get customized company and investor updates delivered automatically.
Predictive scoring: Detect opportunities using built-in AI ranking for company growth and investor momentum.
Pros:
Unmatched depth in deal, investor, and relationship data.
Prospecting tools that go far beyond your existing network.
AI-powered insights and scoring tailored to your business.
All essential features included—no hidden fees for core capabilities.
Free, expert onboarding and continuous support.
Cons:
May be overpowered for very small teams with simple network needs.
Pricing: From $1,000 per user/year.
2. Attio: Modern CRM Flexibility for Startups & Agencies
Attio’s modular CRM that’s fully customizable without code but less focused on investor-style intelligence.
Core features:
Custom data model and pipelines tailored to any workflow.
Team collaboration in real time—comments, notes, and mentions.
Drag-and-drop interface for stages and visuals.
Workflow automations and reminders using no-code logic.
Integrations with Google Workspace, Slack, and Zapier.
Pros:
Modern and intuitive interface.
Easy for startups to start and scale.
Supports creative data structuring and segmentation.
Cons:
No access to full deal data, investor portfolios, and company prospecting.
Limited options for portfolio and enterprise opportunity management.
Lack of capabilities for deep relationship mapping.
Some advanced features, like reporting and analytics, are only available on higher-tier plans.
Self-serve onboarding only.
Pricing: Free for up to 3 users; paid plans start at $29/user/month
3. Folk CRM: Lightweight Relationship and Community Builder
A newer but fast-growing platform, Folk CRM makes contact and relationship management simple for collaborative teams, especially in creative and partnership-driven environments.
Core features:
Unified inbox sync for Gmail and Outlook.
Shared contact lists and tagging for campaigns or partnerships.
Automated reminders and tasks to nurture key relationships.
Pros:
Easy to adopt and customize.
Low learning curve; fast value realization.
Cons:
No real prospecting or AI-powered analytics.
Not built for enterprise workflows or detailed deal pipelines.
Limited integrations beyond common email and apps.
Pricing: Free basic tier; paid plans from $19/user/month
4. Salesforce: Enterprise-Grade CRM with Customization
Salesforce remains a global benchmark for CRM systems, offering advanced automation across sales, service, and marketing functions.
Core features:
Mold workflows to fit deal pipelines and investor relations.
Einstein AI analytics provides predictive recommendations.
Centralize every call, meeting, and email automatically.
Pros:
Highly customizable.
Deep integration network and reporting capabilities.
Scalable for large teams and global enterprises.
Cons:
Can be expensive, especially as you add users or require advanced features and support.
Technical setup and configuration often requires IT support.
Interfaces can be cluttered and complex for new or non-technical users.
No access to full deal data, investor portfolios, and company news tracking.
Lack of capabilities for fund and portfolio management.
Pricing: Plans start at $25/user/month, but advanced features often exceed $150/user/month.
5. Intapp DealCloud: Deep Customization for Capital Markets
Intapp DealCloud helps financial firms manage large-scale operations.
Core features:
End-to-end deal pipeline tracking.
Advanced hierarchy and permissions management.
Central deal, company, and contact databases.
Native Outlook integration and reporting dashboards.
Pros:
Purpose-built for financial institutions.
Robust reporting and automation capabilities.
Comprehensive access controls for data-sensitive sectors.
Cons:
Complex implementation with longer timelines.
Expensive pricing structure.
Apt for large organizations rather than small firms.
Pricing: Custom-only, typically enterprise-level.
What to Look For: Choosing an Affinity Alternative
When considering a switch from Affinity, it’s crucial to select a CRM that offers more than just basic contact management. The best Affinity alternatives for VC firms and relationship-driven businesses provide comprehensive, AI-powered prospecting and data enrichment capabilities. Rings, for example, leverages millions of live public and private data points to automatically discover new investors, startups, and strategic partners beyond your existing network.
Automated activity capture is another essential feature in a modern relationship intelligence CRM, ensuring that every email, calendar event, note, and meeting is synced seamlessly without manual input. This saves time while maintaining an accurate record of all interactions.
Integration depth should also be a top priority—your CRM must connect effortlessly with marketing automation tools, data platforms, and operational solutions through thousands of supported third-party apps to streamline workflows.
Finally, robust permission controls and privacy protections are vital for managing sensitive investor and portfolio data in compliance with industry standards. In 2025, the best relationship intelligence CRM solutions go beyond record-keeping, delivering actionable insights and predictive analytics that transform your network connections into real competitive advantages and growth opportunities.
Why Rings Is the Best Affinity Replacement
Among all alternatives, Rings delivers the deepest combination of relationship intelligence, deal data, and AI-driven discovery in one intuitive system. Where Affinity stops at mapping your existing network, Rings expands your capabilities—identifying future partnerships, investors, and growth opportunities using predictive scoring and live datasets.
For VC firms that are eager to scale their network-driven strategies in 2025, Rings offers a comprehensive, privacy-first platform built for precision and speed.
Ready to elevate your CRM? Book a demo with Rings to find the hidden opportunities in your network.
FAQs
Why consider switching from Affinity to an alternative?
You might consider an alternative to Affinity’s CRM if you’re looking for AI-powered prospecting, deep external data enrichment, and real-time company news tracking—features essential for uncovering new opportunities beyond your current network. Additionally, Affinity’s pricing and onboarding fees for premium features can make scaling costlier. Alternatives like Rings provide a broader dataset, sophisticated AI scoring, and continuous real-time insights, helping teams stay ahead of the competition and discover deals that Affinity might miss.
What’s unique about Rings compared to other CRMs?
Rings is designed specifically for deal-driven organizations, combining AI-driven prospecting with dynamic relationship intelligence not found in typical CRMs. Rings powers discovery with over 100 million data points, enabling users to ask natural language queries and receive instant, actionable insights. Rings also offers privacy-tiered sharing through its “Rings” system, ensuring sensitive data is secure while empowering team collaboration.
Which CRMs work best for investment firms and VC teams?
Investment firms and venture capital teams often require CRMs that go beyond contact management to include granular deal tracking, portfolio management, and advanced predictive analytics. Rings is particularly well-suited for these needs, offering AI-enhanced prospecting, real-time investor and company news, and proprietary scoring systems tailored for deal flow prioritization.
