Groundbase

Do I need a credit card to start the trial?

Yes. We collect it up front so the transition into the subscription doesn't require a second checkout. You won't be charged until day 15 and you can cancel any time before then.

What happens to my data if I cancel?

Your subscription stays active through the end of the billing period you already paid for. After it ends, your account enters a 30-day reactivation window — your data stays intact and you can resume any time within those 30 days. After day 30, your data is removed from production. Cancelling Groundbase doesn't touch your Twilio account or your numbers — those live on Twilio's side.

You can always export everything to JSON before canceling (Settings → Backup & Export).

Where does my data live?

In Groundbase's cloud database, hosted on Turso (a globally-distributed libSQL service). Daily backups. You can export to JSON any time.

Why BYO Twilio?

Two reasons. First, it keeps Groundbase honest on price — a flat $9/mo only works if we're not also trying to mark up your texts. Second, it gives you ownership: your numbers, your Twilio bill, your A2P 10DLC registration, all under your control. If you ever leave Groundbase, your phone stack stays where it is and you keep messaging on the same numbers.

Can I keep my existing Twilio numbers?

Yes. Any number already on your Twilio account gets imported the moment you connect Twilio in Groundbase, with inbound SMS/voice webhooks configured automatically. No porting needed — they're already yours.

Can I bring my own non-Twilio phone number (port-in)?

Not directly into Groundbase. Groundbase only talks to Twilio today. The standard path is to port your existing number into your Twilio account (Twilio supports porting in from most U.S. carriers via their console) and then connect Twilio to Groundbase. Twilio's docs cover their port-in process.

Do I need A2P 10DLC?

If you're sending SMS to U.S. numbers, yes — U.S. carriers require A2P 10DLC registration. You handle this in your own Twilio account through Twilio's onboarding (Brand registration + Campaign registration). Unregistered traffic to U.S. numbers gets heavily filtered or blocked. Canada-only sending doesn't require it.

A2P 10DLC is a Twilio + carrier requirement, not something Groundbase can do on your behalf — it's tied to your business identity and your Twilio account.

What does SMS actually cost me through Twilio?

Twilio publishes live rates at twilio.com/sms/pricing. As a rough guide for U.S. A2P long-code at the time of writing: $0.0083/segment outbound + $0.0083/segment inbound + carrier pass-through fees ($0.003/segment for most US carriers). Most light users land under $5/mo on top of their number fees ($1.15/mo per U.S. local number). Volume sending can be much higher — use Twilio's pricing page for the live number before planning a campaign.

How does SMS / voice billing work?

Groundbase charges you a flat $9/mo subscription. Twilio bills your own account directly for SMS, voice, numbers, and recording — Groundbase doesn't see or mark up those costs. Voicemail transcription is the one exception: Groundbase currently includes that. See Billing.

Is there a free tier?

The 14-day trial gives you the full app with no feature limits. After the trial, paid only.

Is there an iOS app?

Not yet. On the roadmap; email support@groundbasecrm.com if you'd be a beta tester.

Does Groundbase share my data with anyone?

No. We don't share your CRM data, contacts, messages, or any business information with third parties. The only outbound integrations are the services you explicitly connect: Twilio (for SMS/voice), Stripe (billing), your email provider (IMAP/SMTP), and your AI assistant (only if you connect one via MCP — and only in response to your prompts).

Can I use Claude or ChatGPT with Groundbase?

Yes — and we lean into the AI subscription you already pay for. Connect Groundbase to Claude Desktop, ChatGPT Pro, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, or any MCP-compatible client (full list at groundbasecrm.com/mcp). Once connected, you can talk to your CRM in plain English — "draft personalized follow-ups to my hot leads", "build a workflow when a contact's tagged demo-requested", "connect my Typeform" — and the AI does it. We don't bill you for AI usage; that's between you and your provider.

See AI integrations for the full list of what your AI can do and example prompts to try.

How do automations / workflows work?

Workflows are "when X happens → do Y automatically" rules. Six starter templates ship with the app — Settings → Workflows → Browse templates to see them. Triggers: entity events (contact created, deal stage changed, SMS received, etc.), schedules (one-time / hourly / daily / weekly), inbound webhooks, or manual. Actions: send SMS / send email / apply tag / create task / create note / update field / fire webhook / delay / branch.

Workflows fire in the background; broken ones can't block your CRM writes. Auto-pause after 20 consecutive failures so a runaway can't burn through your Twilio balance. See Workflows for the full reference + examples.

Can I connect Typeform / Facebook Lead Ads / Zapier / Slack to Groundbase?

Yes — both directions, via Webhooks.

If you have an AI assistant connected (Claude / ChatGPT / etc.), you can just say "connect my Typeform" or "push every deal.won to my Slack" and the AI sets up the webhook for you.

Will the AI delete my data by accident?

Possible but unlikely. Modern AIs (Claude, GPT) are trained to confirm destructive actions before performing them. Plus everything in Groundbase is soft-deleted (recoverable from the activity feed), every action shows up in the activity log alongside human-initiated actions, and you can revoke an AI's access token any time from Settings → AI integrations.

How long is the free trial?

14 days. Full app, every feature, no restrictions. We do require a credit card up front so the transition into the subscription doesn't need a second checkout — you're not charged until day 15 and you can cancel any time before then.

Are there team / multi-seat plans?

Not yet. Groundbase is currently single-user per account. Multi-seat is on the roadmap — email support if it's a deal-breaker for you and we'll prioritize accordingly.

What happens to my phone number if I cancel?

Nothing. Your numbers live on your Twilio account, not Groundbase's — cancelling Groundbase doesn't release them. Twilio keeps billing you for them until you release them yourself in the Twilio Console. If you reactivate Groundbase within 30 days, the same Twilio connection picks right back up.

Can I export everything before canceling?

Yes — Settings → Backup & Export → Export all data. You get a single JSON file with every contact, company, deal, task, note, tag, SMS, email, call, recording reference, workflow, webhook subscription, cadence, and meeting type. Re-importing the same JSON restores everything (Settings → Backup & Export → Restore).

Is my data encrypted?

In transit: yes, TLS 1.2+ on every endpoint. At rest: yes — the database (Turso libSQL) is encrypted on disk and your SMTP/IMAP passwords are individually AES-GCM encrypted before being persisted (separate key in our Worker secrets, not in the database).

Where is my data stored?

Turso (globally-distributed libSQL). Primary region is us-east-2 (AWS), with edge replicas for read latency. Backups daily.

Is Groundbase SOC 2 / HIPAA / GDPR compliant?

How long do you keep my data after I cancel?

30 days. Reactivate within those 30 days = everything intact. After day 30, your data is removed from production databases. Daily backups age out within ~30 additional days.

What are the SMS rate limits?

Twilio-imposed: roughly 1 SMS per second per number on standard A2P trust scores; up to several per second on higher trust. Bulk SMS through Groundbase throttles to stay safely under carrier limits. You can request a higher A2P trust score from Twilio if you're doing volume — that's done in your own Twilio Console.

What if my SMS gets marked as spam?

A few things to check: are you using STOP opt-out language in your messages? Are you sending to people who opted in? Have you registered for A2P 10DLC in your Twilio account (required for U.S. sending)? US carriers heavily filter unregistered traffic. Twilio's docs walk through their A2P registration process; that's the only path to clean delivery.

Is there a max number of contacts / deals / cadences / workflows?

If you hit any of these, email support — we'll lift the cap for legitimate use cases.

How do I rotate my AI integration / MCP key?

Settings → AI integrations → click any key row → Rotate. Old key stops working immediately; new key shows once (copy it then). Revoking a key disconnects whichever AI client was using it; you'll need to paste the new key into the client to reconnect.

Which AI assistants work with Groundbase?

Any MCP-compatible client. We've tested with Claude Desktop, Claude.ai (web), ChatGPT Pro custom GPTs (via OpenAPI, not MCP — see AI integrations for setup), Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Continue. New MCP clients add support frequently; if yours isn't on this list, give it a try — chances are good it works.

Will the AI send emails or texts without my approval?

The default behavior is currently immediate send when you connect an AI assistant — you ask Claude to send, it sends. A queue-for-approval mode (Claude composes; you tap approve in the app to dispatch) is on the roadmap for users who want an extra confirmation step.

What if my Twilio balance runs out mid-send?

Twilio rejects the send and the per-recipient status flips to failed with the error from Twilio surfaced on the message row. No partial-blast charge from us. Top up your Twilio account in their Console and retry the failed rows from the SMS queue.

Why is my Twilio number suspended?

Most common reasons: insufficient Twilio balance, A2P 10DLC registration issues (US), or a Twilio fraud-prevention flag. All three are handled in your Twilio Console — Twilio surfaces the reason there. Groundbase shows the last error Twilio returned at Settings → Phone numbers → click the number, but resolving it happens in Twilio.

Does email integration use Gmail / Outlook OAuth?

Not yet — we use standard IMAP + SMTP with App Passwords (you generate one in your provider's settings and paste it in). OAuth for Gmail and Microsoft is on the roadmap; we'll announce when it's ready.

Two-factor authentication?

Shipped — turn it on at Settings → Account & Billing → Security → Two-factor authentication. TOTP via any authenticator app (Google Authenticator, 1Password, Authy, Bitwarden, etc.) plus 10 one-time recovery codes. Full walkthrough in Account & security.

How do I report a bug?

In-app: Help → Report a bug (captures the error context automatically). Or email support@groundbasecrm.com. Replies usually go out within a few hours.

How do I contact support?

Email support@groundbasecrm.com. Single channel, every customer gets the same line. Response time normally a few hours during US Eastern business hours, longer overnight + weekends.