How to Set Up Attio CRM and Import Your First Contacts
Attio is a CRM built around a flexible record system rather than fixed objects — companies and people are just records you can extend with custom attributes. You connect your email, import a CSV, and start with a working pipeline in under an hour. The free plan supports unlimited users, and the paid tier runs about $29 per seat monthly for automations and more integrations.
Most setups fail at import, where duplicate records silently double your contact count. This walkthrough puts the dedupe step before the import, not after.
What is Attio?
Attio is a customer relationship tool that behaves like a spreadsheet and a CRM at once. Every record has attributes you define, and views filter and group them. It syncs Gmail or Outlook so emails attach to the right person automatically.
It positions against traditional CRMs by being configurable without a data-model migration — you add a custom attribute and filter on it immediately.
Is Attio free?
Yes, there is a free tier with unlimited seats and core CRM features. Paid plans add automation workflows, more email sync, and advanced reporting.
Small teams often stay free for months. You move to paid when you want automations to fire on record changes or need more than the free integration limits.
How do you import contacts without duplicates?
- Export your contacts from the old tool as a CSV with email as a column.
- In Attio, open Settings, then Data, then Import.
- Map columns to attributes — email and name match existing fields; create new ones for anything extra.
- Choose email as the matching attribute so existing records update instead of duplicating.
- Run a dry-run preview and check the count before committing.
That fourth step is the one people skip. Without a matching key, Attio creates a new record per row and you spend an afternoon merging.
How do you build a pipeline?
Create a view over the company or deal record type, group by a Stage attribute, and set stages that match how you actually sell. Kanban grouping is one dropdown away.
Add an attribute for next-action date and filter the view to show only deals overdue on that field. Suddenly the pipeline tells you what is stalling instead of just what exists.
What does email sync actually do?
| Feature | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Connect Gmail/Outlook | Mails attach to matching people records |
| Auto-create contacts | New senders become records if you allow it |
| Thread view | Conversation history on the record page |
Auto-create can be noisy if your inbox gets newsletters. Turn it off initially and create records deliberately until you trust the matching.
Where does Attio fall short?
Reporting is thinner than Salesforce or HubSpot at the enterprise end. If your finance team needs revenue forecasts with attribution models, you will hit limits. The product also moves fast, so tutorials go stale — check the changelog rather than an old blog post.
For a team of two to twenty selling directly through email, it is more than enough and far less setup than a legacy CRM.
Quick Summary
- Attio is a configurable CRM where records and custom attributes replace fixed objects.
- Free for unlimited users; paid plans start around $29 per seat per month for automations.
- Import with email as the matching attribute to update records instead of duplicating them.
- Email sync attaches mail to contacts — keep auto-create off until matching proves reliable.
