Hello, this is Matsubara, CRM Evangelist.

The term "AI-native CRM" rapidly spread among startups between 2024 and 2025.

Clay, Twenty, folk, and Breakcold differ from Salesforce and HubSpot in that they were "designed with AI in mind from the start." They emphasize that their strength lies in being "designed with AI in mind," rather than "adding AI later."

Even though they all claim to be "AI native," the design philosophies of each product differ significantly. This article summarizes the features of major AI native CRMs and then explains the positioning and advantages of EMOROCO CRM Lite.

[Important Note] Clay, Twenty, folk, and Breakcold are rapidly evolving products. The information in this article is based on the features available at the time of the EMOROCO CRM Lite release (April 2026). Please check the latest information for each product before publication.

Four AI-native CRMs to Compare

Clay – An emerging tool for "data enrichment x AI automation"

Clay is a product centered on the automated collection, enrichment, and generation of personalized outreach for lead data. It integrates with over 75 data sources to automatically collect and format prospect information.

The core of the design: "AI-driven outbound sales." It automatically creates prospect lists and generates personalized emails.

Main users: Tech startups, sales-focused teams, and companies with SDRs (Sales Development Representatives).

Strengths: Strong integration capabilities with external data sources, high accuracy in lead enrichment, and no-code automation development.

Weaknesses: Weak "relationship management" function for existing customers; limited support for data sources in the Japanese market; lack of concepts for field sales and emotional management.

Twenty – Open-source AI-native CRM

Twenty is an open-source CRM aiming to be an alternative to Salesforce. Developed on GitHub, it can be self-hosted on your own server. It features a modern UI and an API-first design.

The core of the design: "Developer-friendly CRM platform." A flexible structure that engineers can freely customize.

Main users: Companies with engineering teams, tech companies that want deep integration with their own systems, and cost-conscious startups.

Strengths: Fully open source, self-hostable, modern UI, high degree of customization.

Weaknesses: Requires technical expertise for operation; no Japanese language support; lacks emotional management and industry-specific design concepts; weak support system.

folk – An AI-native CRM specializing in "relationship management"

folk is a CRM with a Notion-like UI that focuses on "managing relationships with people." It centrally manages the entire team's network and contacts, and AI helps personalize messages.

The core of the design: "Network management of personal connections and relationships." It is frequently used by VCs, startups, and recruitment teams.

Main users: VCs, startup founders, recruiters, and partnership managers

Strengths: Intuitive UI, centralized team network management, automatic email personalization, and integration with Gmail.

Weaknesses: Weak "sales pipeline management," lack of concepts for route sales and field sales, no Japanese language support, and no industry-specific practical design.

Breakcold—An AI-native tool combining "social selling" and "CRM."

Breakcold is a product that integrates social media activity, such as LinkedIn and Twitter (X), with CRM to streamline "social selling." It automates "warm outreach," which involves liking and commenting on potential customers' social media posts before making sales contact.

The core of the design: "Integration of SNS and CRM." Automating relationship building through social media.

Main users: Freelancers, B2B sales representatives, consultants, coaches

Strengths: Integration of social media activities and CRM, automated warm outreach, and simple pipeline management.

Weaknesses: Incompatibility with Japan's business SNS culture (low LinkedIn penetration rate), lack of a design for in-person sales or route sales, and no Japanese language support.

The design philosophy of the four products is organized along three axes.

We organize the design philosophy of each product along three axes: "What is the purpose of AI?", "Who is it for?", and "What does it manage?".

The definition of "AI native" varies from company to company—three different approaches.

When you examine products that call themselves "AI-native CRM," you'll find that the meaning of "AI-native" varies from company to company.

School of thought ①: "AI-driven data collection and enrichment" (Clay type)

It automatically collects lead information from external data sources and automatically generates personalized outreach. It is designed as "AI to streamline outbound sales."

This approach is effective in the context of "acquiring new customers." It does not address challenges such as "deepening relationships with existing customers" or "maintaining relationships even when the person in charge changes."

School of thought ②: "Developer-friendly, flexible AI infrastructure" (Twenty type)

With an open-source and API-first design, we provide a platform that engineers can freely customize. The concept is "you can create a CRM that suits your own business needs."

This approach works for organizations with engineering resources, but it doesn't address the requirement of small and medium-sized businesses that "field sales representatives can change settings without coding."

School of thought ③: "Communication x AI" (folk/Breakcold type)

We'll use AI to streamline communication channels like email and social media. The focus will be on automating personalization, warm-up, and follow-up.

This approach is effective in "increasing the frequency of contact," but it is not designed to "improve the quality of contact (understanding the customer's emotional state and making optimal contact)."

School of thought ④: "AI for emotional resonance and relationship deepening" (EMOROCO CRM Lite type)

It records and learns customer emotions, values, and deep-seated psychology (ICX), fostering a relationship of "co-creation rather than management." The philosophy of CRM 4.0 and AI are integrated from the very beginning of the design.

The crucial difference between this approach and the other three schools of thought lies in "what we teach the AI." By integrating not only quantitative data (purchase history, number of visits) but also qualitative data (emotional temperature, narrative, ICX) into the learning process, we can discover "why that customer took action."

The reality in the Japanese market: Four obstacles to "foreign-made AI-native CRM"

Clay, Twenty, folk, and Breakcold are all products designed overseas (primarily in Europe and the US). When using them in the Japanese market, they all face the following common challenges:

Obstacle ①: Lack of Japanese UI and support

All four products have limited or no Japanese UI support. This doesn't suit the reality of small and medium-sized businesses where "on-site staff who aren't proficient in English use the products daily." Furthermore, the lack of Japanese support when problems arise poses a significant risk for small and medium-sized businesses.

Obstacle #2: Compatibility with Japanese business culture

Clay's enrichment function relies primarily on external data sources from Europe and the US. Its accuracy in automatically collecting information on Japanese SMEs is low. Breakcold's reliance on LinkedIn for warm outreach is not well-suited to B2B businesses in Japan, where LinkedIn penetration is low.

Obstacle 3: Lack of a plan for door-to-door sales and route sales.

All four products are based on the premise of "sales centered on digital touchpoints (email, social media, and the web)." CRM design in the context of "face-to-face visits, route sales, and telephone sales," which are prevalent among small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan, is not considered. None of the products have features such as GIS maps, visit records, or route optimization.

Wall ④: The absence of the Japanese concept of recording emotions and relationships.

Concepts of customer relationship management rooted in Japanese business culture, such as "omotenashi" (hospitality), "host-guest unity," and "ichigo ichie" (once-in-a-lifetime encounter), are not present in the design of these four products. Designs that maintain emotional temperature, narrative continuity, and relationships even when the person in charge changes originated from Japanese CRM culture.

Why EMOROCO CRM Lite is the only AI-native CRM in Japan

Clay, Twenty, folk, and Breakcold—these are all "AI-native CRMs for startups and tech companies in Europe and the US."

EMOROCO CRM Lite is designed as an "AI-native CRM for small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan." Currently, there are no competing products in this market.

I will summarize the reasons in three points.

Reason ①: The starting point is the concept of CRM 4.0.

The CRM 4.0 concept advocated by Mr. Matsubara, CEO of Arcus Japan—"resonating with customers' emotions, values, and deep-seated psychology, and building a co-creative relationship rather than one of management"—is a design philosophy not found in AI-native CRMs in Europe and the United States. The concepts of emotional temperature, ICX, and narrative are incorporated into the design from the outset because of this philosophy.

Reason ②: Accumulated practical design experience across more than 20 industries.

We have accumulated practical design templates and case studies specifically tailored to various industries of small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan, including legal services, real estate, construction companies, insurance agencies, manufacturing, home care, travel agencies, and food wholesalers. The practical advantage is that you don't have to design from scratch to suit your industry.

Reason ③: Collective intelligence design that "works from the moment you start using it"

To make your company's AI work with Clay・Twenty, you need to accumulate your own data. EMOROCO has a collective intelligence-based pre-trained model that can reach a practical level in 2-4 months after implementation.

What is suitable for which company? — An honest assessment.

Among AI-native CRMs, EMOROCO CRM Lite is currently the only product that combines the features of "Japanese market, small and medium-sized enterprises, field sales, and CRM 4.0 emotional design."

Summary — Choose based on "What is the purpose of AI native?"

The most important question when comparing AI-native CRMs is, "What is the purpose of AI-native?"

• Clay: To improve the efficiency of outbound calls
• Twenty: For the developers' freedom
• folk: For managing personal networking
• Breakcold: For social selling
• EMOROCO CRM Lite: To deepen emotional connection and relationships with customers

"Deepen relationships with existing customers using data. Continue the customer story even if the person in charge changes. Input today's emotional temperature for AI accuracy one year from now." — Currently, EMOROCO CRM Lite is the only AI-native CRM in the Japanese market that fits this purpose.

[The first step you can take today] Start with a 30-day free trial and configure emotional temperature settings for all your customers. The foundation for "integrated qualitative and quantitative learning," something other AI-native CRMs can't do, will begin to build today.

Digitalization and AI Implementation Subsidy 2026 Compatible Tool Number: DL07-0022934
Product Info:https://www.emoroco.com/

Related article

• What is an AI-native CRM? — Why EMOROCO CRM Lite is fundamentally different from tools that "added AI later."
• Comparing "AI-Native CRMs"—Differences in Design Philosophy between Salesforce Einstein, HubSpot Breeze, Microsoft Copilot, and EMOROCO CRM Lite
• Comparing Attio and EMOROCO CRM Lite: The fundamental differences between a "stylish CRM" and a "nurturing CRM"
• Why are CRM and AI a good match? — How SoI, with its combination of quantitative and qualitative data, predicts customer behavior, and how to utilize EMOROCO CRM Lite.
• What happened to a company that continuously used Emotional Temperature for a year? — The compounding effect of CRM 4.0