// FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Direct answers to the questions BDMs actually ask. No marketing fluff.
// PRODUCT
Yes. The core CRM is free forever with no credit card required. We don't trial-gate, seat-limit, or feature-cripple the free tier, it's the actual full product for everyday BDM work.
The Pro tier ($19/month) and Enterprise tier (custom) exist for power users who want Claude-powered AI agents, premium third-party data, multi-user team features, and white-glove onboarding. Free tier funds nothing, Pro and Enterprise revenue funds the platform.
There's no catch. DealArena's free tier is funded by paid subscriptions from power users, not by your data, your attention, or hidden fees. We don't sell ads, we don't sell your data, and we won't aggressively upsell you.
If you want a more cynical answer: the catch is that we hope a small percentage of free-tier users will eventually upgrade to Pro because the AI features add genuine value to their workflow. That's it.
Three categories require a Pro subscription: Claude-powered AI features (the agent swarm, opportunity scoring, forecasting, real-time email co-pilot), unlimited usage beyond free-tier soft caps, and premium third-party data providers.
You can also bring your own API keys for premium signal and enrichment providers (Tiga, Bombora, Hunter, Apollo, Clearbit, ZoomInfo) and use them on the Pro tier without DealArena marking up the data costs.
You earn XP for productive actions: adding prospects (10 XP), running scrapes (15 XP), completing tasks (20 XP), advancing prospects through pipeline stages (10–50 XP depending on stage), and closing deals (50 XP for status_to_won). XP accumulates in your account and unlocks levels.
There are nine levels, Rookie, Scout, Hunter, Closer, Rainmaker, Dealmaker, Kingpin, Legend, Origin Master, across bronze, silver, gold, and diamond tiers. Daily and weekly challenges add variety. The leaderboard ranks all DealArena users globally.
No. The CRM works out of the box: sign up, click "Add prospect," start working. No spreadsheets, no scripts, no setup wizard.
The only technical setup involved is connecting integrations (Gmail OAuth, Slack OAuth, Google Drive OAuth), and those are one-click flows. If you can use HubSpot or Apollo, you can use DealArena.
Not yet. A mobile app, focused on the call-center workflow (list of prospects → tap to dial via native phone → log disposition → next prospect), is on the roadmap for later in 2026.
In the meantime, the web app is fully mobile-responsive. You can use it from a phone browser, but it's not optimized for the on-the-go calling flow yet.
Source code is public on GitHub but commercial self-hosting isn't currently supported. The repo is open for transparency and contributions, not as a self-hosting product.
If your organization requires on-premise deployment for compliance reasons, talk to us, we may build a self-hosting option for Enterprise customers under the right contract.
Origin is DealArena's AI agent persona. On the Pro tier, Origin runs four specialized agents in your background: a Researcher (pulls signals on accounts), a Drafter (writes outreach in your voice), a Scenario Simulator (runs "what-if" scenarios), and a Growth Strategist (onboards you and coaches your daily workflow).
Origin is built on Claude. The free tier uses a lighter AI (Llama 3.3 70B via Groq) for basic features like icebreaker generation. Pro unlocks the full Origin agent swarm.
// DATA AND PRIVACY
Yes. Every prospect, every note, every email, every signal, it's yours. You can export the entire dataset to CSV any time, including after canceling your subscription. We don't lock data behind paywalls or gatekeep exports.
DealArena's role is custodian, not owner. We store your data on Postgres so you can use the CRM, and we never claim ownership of it.
Data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS (TLS 1.3). Data at rest is encrypted by our database provider (Neon). Sessions use signed cookies with HTTPOnly + SameSite flags. Authentication uses bcrypt-equivalent password hashing.
We're not SOC 2 Type II certified yet, that's an Enterprise-tier roadmap item. For free and Pro tiers, the security posture is "best practices for a modern SaaS app." For organizations that require a formal audit, talk to us about Enterprise.
Your data is stored in Neon (Postgres) in AWS US East 1 (Northern Virginia). Application servers are on Render in AWS US East (Ohio). Both regions are in the United States.
If your organization requires data residency in a specific country, that's an Enterprise conversation.
No. We don't sell your data, we don't share it with third-party marketing services, and we don't use it to train external AI models without your explicit consent.
The only third parties that touch your data are the services you explicitly connect (e.g., Gmail OAuth, Anthropic API for Pro AI features, Firecrawl for prospect discovery). Each is documented in our Privacy Policy with a specific reason for the data flow.
Yes. CSV export is built in for prospects, accounts, tasks, and email history. Database backups are available on request for Enterprise customers.
In addition, GDPR/CCPA "right to data portability" is honored, request a full data export at team@dealarena.io and we deliver a JSON dump of everything we have within 14 days.
Yes for the data-handling fundamentals: explicit consent flows, right to access, right to deletion, right to portability, breach notification, lawful basis for processing. Our Privacy Policy enumerates each.
For organizations that need a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) for their own GDPR compliance, we provide one on Enterprise contracts.
Yes. California users can request access, deletion, or correction of their data via team@dealarena.io. We don't sell personal data, so the "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" requirement is satisfied by default.
You keep your data. If you downgrade Pro → Free, your prospects stay; you just lose access to paid features. If you delete your account entirely, we offer a 30-day grace period for recovery, then data is permanently deleted.
You can also request immediate deletion at team@dealarena.io if you want it gone faster.
// MIGRATING FROM ANOTHER CRM
Yes. CSV import works for any HubSpot data export, prospects, contacts, deals, tasks. We map columns automatically (HubSpot's standard fields like First Name, Last Name, Company, Email all auto-detect) and you can manually map anything custom.
A direct HubSpot connector with sync is on the Phase 6 roadmap. For now, monthly CSV exports cover the common case.
Yes, via Salesforce's Data Export tool → CSV → DealArena import. Same mapping flow as HubSpot.
A native Salesforce connector with two-way sync is on the Phase 6 roadmap (high priority because of how many BDMs come from Salesforce shops).
Yes. Apollo's CSV export of contacts and accounts imports cleanly into DealArena. Custom fields can be mapped during import.
If you're paying for Apollo and want to keep using their data, you can keep your Apollo subscription and BYOK (paste your Apollo API key) into DealArena's enrichment waterfall on the Pro tier, no re-import needed, contact data stays fresh.
Yes via CSV. Bullhorn's export is a bit messier than HubSpot's but the field-mapping UI handles the cleanup.
A direct Bullhorn connector is being evaluated for staffing-firm Enterprise customers, not on the public roadmap yet.
Active integrations: Gmail OAuth, Outlook OAuth, Google Drive, Slack, calendar (Google + Microsoft), Stripe (for Pro billing), Firecrawl (prospect discovery), Anthropic Claude API (Pro AI features), Groq (free tier AI).
Roadmap (in priority order): Calendly / Cal.com, Twilio (SMS), Loom / Vidyard (video voicemails), DocuSign / PandaDoc, native HubSpot connector, native Salesforce connector, Notion, Airtable, Zapier (which unlocks 5,000+ additional apps).
Yes, Gmail and Outlook via OAuth. Once connected, DealArena tracks inbound and outbound email per prospect, attaches them to the activity timeline, and lets you send from within the CRM.
We don't read your inbox proactively. Only emails sent to/from a tracked prospect's email address get linked.
Slack: yes, via OAuth, slash commands for prospect lookup and notifications for events you choose. Teams integration is being evaluated for Enterprise customers.
Discord: not currently supported but technically straightforward to add if there's demand.
// ACCOUNT AND BILLING
Self-serve from the Account page. Cancellation is one click, no required call, no retention pressure, no "are you sure" gauntlet. Pro cancellations effective at end of billing cycle; Enterprise per contract terms.
Your data stays after cancellation if you stay on the Free tier. Full deletion available on request.
Yes, 14 days, no credit card required. Sign up for Pro, use it for 14 days, decide. After 14 days you can convert to paid or roll back to Free; data persists either way.
Yes, anytime. Upgrade Free → Pro mid-month and we prorate. Downgrade Pro → Free at end of billing cycle and your data stays, you just lose access to paid features.
Switching from Pro to Enterprise is custom (we set up your workspace and help migrate your team).
All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover) via Stripe. ACH for annual Enterprise contracts. Wire transfers available for Enterprise on request.
We don't accept crypto, PayPal, or invoicing for monthly Pro subscriptions.
Yes, Pro annual is $190/year (vs. $228/year monthly), so you save $38/year (effectively two months free). Enterprise is always annual.
14-day money-back guarantee on Pro: email within 14 days of payment and we refund, no interrogation. After 14 days, refunds are evaluated case-by-case.
Annual Pro subscriptions can be refunded prorated within the first 30 days. Enterprise refunds are governed by your contract.
Staffing firms with 10+ recruiters, SaaS sales teams with 5+ BDMs, and any organization that needs SSO, role-based access control, custom integrations, or hands-on onboarding. Also organizations that want access to DealArena's vendor partnership network.
If you're a solo BDM or a small team under 5 users, Pro is enough. If you're paying $100+/user/month elsewhere and have a real team, Enterprise probably makes financial sense.
Free tier: community support via the in-app forum. Pro: email team@dealarena.io (24-hour SLA on response). Enterprise: dedicated Slack channel + your assigned customer success manager.
For everyone: bug reports are read by the team that builds the product. Not a tier-1 support call center. Real responses from real builders.
// STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
Email team@dealarena.io and we'll answer within 24 hours. Or sign up free and start using DealArena: most questions get answered by trying it.
