1. Sign up
Head to groundbasecrm.com and click Start free trial. You'll need:
- Email + password (8+ characters).
- A North American phone number you control. We text you a 6-digit verification code through Twilio Verify — enter it to confirm. Phone verification is mandatory and exists to prevent trial abuse (one free trial per phone, regardless of how many emails you sign up with).
- Email verification — after the account is created, we send a verify link to your inbox. Click it before you can sign in.
- Credit card — Stripe Checkout collects your card so we can transition straight into the subscription on day 15. You won't be charged until day 15 and you can cancel any time before then.
2. Onboarding
After your first sign-in we'll walk you through four quick steps:
- Welcome — overview of what's coming
- Your name — so contacts see who's texting / emailing them
- Company name — optional, used in merge tags and email signatures
- Bring your own integrations — Twilio (SMS + voice), Resend (email), and your AI provider. You can connect any time from Settings; this step is just the heads-up that you'll need accounts at those services.
You can re-run any of these later from Settings.
3. Connect Twilio (for SMS + voice)
Groundbase uses your own Twilio account for SMS and calling, so you're never paying us a markup on usage. If you don't already have one, sign up free at twilio.com — no card required to register, only to buy numbers and send.
In Groundbase: Settings → Phone numbers → Connect Twilio. Paste your Account SID and Auth Token from the Twilio Console homepage and click Connect. Any numbers already in your Twilio account get imported automatically and Groundbase configures the inbound webhooks for you.
Full walkthrough — including where to find your SID/Token and how to buy a number — in Phone & SMS.
4. Get the apps (optional)
The web app is the default — it works in any browser at app.groundbasecrm.com. If you'd rather have a dedicated window or use Groundbase on your phone:
- Windows desktop — download from groundbasecrm.com → click "Download for Windows"
- Android — sideload the APK from the same page, or download from Google Play once we're listed there
Same login on every device. Real-time sync.
5. Add some contacts
The fastest path: Contacts → Import → Upload CSV. Map columns to fields, click Import. Or just hit + Contact and type one in.
That's it — you're running.