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Pipedrive is an easy-to-use, sales-centric CRM with robust pipeline management. Its graphical UI and low monthly costs will suit small businesses seeking an accessible and affordable CRM. However, companies looking for a 3-in-1 platform with sales, marketing and service features may need to consider something else. Our Pipedrive review will help you decide if it’s right for your team, and offer alternatives if you want a CRM with sales, marketing, and service tools.
Pipedrive may be rated as an above-average CRM — but it’s important to think beyond generalities. In which situations should sales leaders consider adopting Pipedrive, and what are some instances where it may not be as useful? We elaborate on both of those points below.
Pipedrive is a straightforward CRM that’s easy to implement and use so reps don’t have to divert too much time away from fostering client relationships and generating revenue. Companies seeking a reliable core of sales tools with an emphasis on pipeline management will find it in Pipedrive, along with around-the-clock access to user support should things go awry at any time. It’s also appealing to businesses on a tight budget thanks to its low monthly costs.
Click below for a complete list of the reasons to consider Pipedrive:
If you’re interested in learning more about what this CRM can do, check out Pipedrive’s full list of plans for information on pricing and features — which you can cross-reference against your sales goals and budget. You can also test drive the software risk-free for 14 days.
The simplicity and ease of Pipedrive make it an excellent option for most small-to-medium businesses looking for something they can use almost immediately. However, enterprises will be left wanting due to Pipedrive’s basic reporting, low-level customization, and absence of advanced features such as AI-powered automation. Pipedrive is also not an ideal choice for cross-department collaboration with marketing teams, as it’s strictly a sales-focused CRM.
Here are the scenarios where Pipedrive might not be the right fit:
Should Pipedrive not meet your criteria, check out our list of the best CRM software, which offers a detailed breakdown of the top CRM platforms according to use case and budget. You can also jump down to our list of the best Pipedrive alternatives.
Pipedrive has four subscription tiers. The entry-level Essential plan costs $14.90 per user, per month for basic lead and deal management, limited customization, and all-hours access to live chat support. Upper-level plans add workflow rules, a built-in phone system, and security alerts. Every Pipedrive subscription comes with a 14-day risk-free trial and no seat limits. Head below for a breakdown of Pipedrive’s pricing structure:
Essential | Advanced | Professional | Enterprise | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Plan Monthly Rate | $14.90 per user, per month | $24.90 per user, per month | $49.90 per user, per month | $99 per user, per month |
Monthly Plan Monthly Rate | $19.90 per user, per month | $33 per user, per month | $59 per user, per month | $119 per user, per month |
Free Trial | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days |
Key Features | Lead & deal management, customizable pipelines, 24/7 live chat support | Workflow builder, email sync & tracking, meeting scheduler | In-app dialer, Google Drive integration, unlimited visual dashboards | No feature limits or restrictions, security alerts & rules, phone support |
Custom Fields | Up to 30 | Up to 100 | Up to 1,000 | Unlimited |
Reports | Up to 15 per user | Up to 30 per user | Up to 150 per user | Unlimited |
Workflow Rules | N/A | Up to 30 | Up to 60 | Up to 100 |
Users can enrich their Pipedrive plan with a handful of add-ons. These extras cost between $32.50 and $49 per month depending on whether you opt for annual billing or a month-to-month plan. Pipedrive add-ons fortify the platform with lead management tools plus advanced document management for its lower-tier plans.
This add-on allows sales teams to interact with inbound leads via chatbots, live chat widgets, and web forms. It also includes the Prospector outbound lead search tool. Leadbooster is available for any Pipedrive plan for $32.50 per month annually (or $39 month-to-month).
The Web Visitors add-on reveals information about how leads discover a company’s site — and which elements of their webpage aid in converting those leads into customers. It can be included with any Pipedrive plan for $41 per month annually (or $49 month-to-month).
Smart Docs is available in the Pipedrive Essential or Advanced levels for $32.50 per month annually (or $39 month-to-month). However, this add-on comes standard with Professional and Enterprise. It enables businesses to send and track quotes, proposals, and contracts from within the CRM and collect electronic signatures.
Coming soon to Pipedrive is a Campaigns add-on, which will include customizable email templates plus real-time reporting so sales and marketing teams can see which messages are resonating most with leads and clients. Currently, there is a waitlist for this extra; pricing and availability are unknown as of this post.
Pipedrive’s main objective is to streamline the sales process through an uncluttered interface, with an emphasis on pipeline management. Of course, it also offers tools for contact management, basic sales automation, and activity tracking, to name a few. Head below for a list of the standout core CRM features found in Pipedrive.
Pipedrive Essential is an inexpensive way to better organize your pipelines, contacts, and leads. Upgrade to any of Pipedrive’s premium plans for workflow automation, advanced reporting, document tracking, and much more.
Pipedrive was developed by a group of former sales professionals who wanted a CRM that catered to the exact needs of the individuals who go out and sell every day. That mission has culminated in one of the most intuitive CRMs ever made, boasting a tidy UI that’s simple to navigate and access. Pipedrive is especially renowned for its visual kanban-style pipelines, which can be customized via drag-and-drop.
Since Pipedrive is a CRM made with busy salespeople in mind, implementation is a fairly swift process. Most people should be able to pick up the software without much formal training; however, Pipedrive does have a few channels anyone can turn to if they encounter an issue or need some guidance — an extensive knowledge base, an active user community, and the Pipedrive Academy, which includes courses and tutorials on various aspects of the CRM.
All Pipedrive plans include 24/7 access to live chat and email support. Enterprise subscribers are also eligible for phone support and optional custom onboarding. Overall, Pipedrive support has a mixed reputation, but note that your mileage may vary depending on why you’re requesting help.
For technical matters, many users claim that Pipedrive staff are generally quick to reply to queries and offer comprehensive assistance across all support channels. However, when it comes to billing issues, several people have said that the quality of service they received was insufficient. Thus, it may help to do your due diligence by carefully reading the terms and conditions of your Pipedrive subscription and staying on top of any proposed billing changes.
What is the consensus on Pipedrive? We’ve browsed three of the top software review sites (Capterra, Software Advice, G2) for ratings and comments to provide a more complete take on what users think of this popular sales-centric CRM.
4.5 / 5 stars | 4.5 / 5 stars | 4.2 / 5 stars |
2,300+ total reviews | 2,300+ total reviews | 1,400+ total reviews |
Pipedrive has accumulated 6,000+ total reviews with an average rating of 4.3 stars. That’s a solid score, but what are the stories behind it? We’ve combed through large swaths of reviews to reveal the most common reasons why sales professionals like Pipedrive — plus reasons why they may prefer another CRM instead.
Ease of use is a major selling point for Pipedrive — and a bulk of its positive reviews reflects this. Fans of Pipedrive appreciate how simple it is to set up and navigate; its tidy and intuitive graphic interface has enabled many sales professionals to better manage and track their pipelines stage-by-stage. And while it may be a lightweight platform in terms of native features, users say Pipedrive’s vast library of third-party apps integrations more than makes up for that.
Pipedrive’s quality of customer support is inconsistent, per a selection of accounts. While plenty of users have sung its praises for being timely and thorough, several disgruntled customers have admitted that their poor experience with Pipedrive support had tainted an otherwise positive experience with the software itself. From a functionality standpoint, criticism for Pipedrive largely centers around its lack of flexibility in reporting, customization, and workflow automation.
Pipedrive is a fantastic option for small-to-medium companies that want a reasonably-priced CRM their sales team can use right out of the box. On the other hand, Pipedrive won’t appeal to larger organizations that are willing to pay a premium for complex sales and marketing features, richer reporting capabilities, and a vast array of customizable elements. Below are five CRMs we believe are the best Pipedrive alternatives:
Freshsales is a sales-centric CRM with a focus on AI automation. Freddy AI forecasts revenue, scores leads, interacts with prospects, and much more. Freshsales is priced similarly to Pipedrive; however, Freshsales is a better choice for teams wanting deeper AI-powered tools, a robust built-in phone system, and a malleable platform that can be tailored to suit any industry. Freshsales’ Growth plan supports three free users; paid plans go up to $69 per user, per month.
Like Pipedrive, HubSpot CRM is renowned for being one of the easiest to use platforms on the market. However, HubSpot CRM isn’t strictly sales-focused, as it also includes a number of inbound and outbound marketing tools. Plus, there’s a free version of HubSpot CRM that hosts unlimited seats and is quite robust in features — ideal for cost-conscious solo workers and startups. Premium upgrades are available starting at $45 per month for two users.
Our complete breakdown of Pipedrive vs HubSpot CRM will help you decide which one of these user-friendly CRMs is right for your business.
Zoho CRM is made for businesses seeking multi-channel marketing tools and premium CRM features at a reasonable price. Organizations with a strong social media presence will like Zoho CRM’s tight integrations with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. As robust as Zoho CRM is, it’s similar to Pipedrive in that it’s quite easy to use. Zoho CRM subscriptions range between $14 and $52 per user, per month; a limited free-for-life platform is available for up to three users.
Salesforce Essentials is a stripped-down version of the industry-leading Salesforce CRM. It borrows several advanced functions from its parent software like custom reporting and Lightning Flow automation. While Salesforce Essentials is sales-focused like Pipedrive, it includes campaign management for marketing teams. Prices start at $25 per user, per month for up to 10 users, with add-ons and upgrades to higher Salesforce Sales Cloud tiers available.
Read our comparison of Pipedrive vs Salesforce to learn how these two CRMs differ — and discover the ways in which they’re similar.
Pipedrive and Insightly are both affordable and accessible CRMs, but they stand out for different reasons. While Pipedrive’s core features center around the sales process, Insightly’s emphasis is on project management. As easy as Insightly is to harness, it also features a selection of advanced sales tools to appease veteran CRM users. Insightly costs between $29 and $99 per user, per month; there’s a limited free-for-life version for up to two users, as well.
Check out our Insightly vs Pipedrive analysis to discover if either of these budget-friendly CRMs will sufficiently suit your sales needs.
Take a look at our list of the best Pipedrive alternatives for even more details regarding the costs, usability, and features of Pipedrive’s main competitors.
Over 95,000 people around the globe rely on Pipedrive to manage their deals and leads. Upon reading this review, you may either decide to add to that number or seek another option. No matter which action you choose, remember to do your due diligence first. The best way to fully understand whether this CRM will sufficiently meet your sales needs is to read in-depth Pipedrive reviews (like this one) and test the software for yourself via a free trial or demo.