Pipedrive vs Salesforce: Price, Features & What’s Best
Jess served on the founding team of a successful B2B startup and has used a wide range of sales and marketing tools over the course of her 15-year career. She uses her industry knowledge to deliver the best answers to your questions about sales tools and sales management.
Jill is a writer at Fit Small Business specializing on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
This article is part of a larger series on CRM.
Pipedrive and Salesforce are both excellent, highly customizable customer relationship management (CRM) software with lead management, marketing outreach tools, and artificial intelligence-generated insights. Pipedrive is the more intuitive and affordable of the two, while Salesforce is the better option for enterprises that need more advanced sales automation and analytics.
In this guide, we take a look at both systems’ essential features and identify their specific use cases:
- Pipedrive: Ideal option for growing businesses looking for an easy-to-use CRM with sales pipeline visualization tools and territory management features
- Salesforce: Great option for larger sales teams looking for robust sales automation features to assist with lead qualification, forecasting, and marketing
Pipedrive vs Salesforce Side-by-Side Comparison
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
Expert Score | 3.98 out of 5 stars | 3.01 out of 5 stars |
Free Plan | ✕ | ✕ |
Annual Pricing ($/Month) | $14.90 per user, per month | $25 per user, per month |
Monthly Pricing ($/Month) | $19.90 per user, per month | $35 per user, per month* |
Ease of Use | Beginner-friendly | Intermediate |
Lead & Contact Management | ✓ | ✓ |
Lead Scoring | ✓ | ✓ |
Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ |
Reporting & Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
Integrations | 275+ direct integrations | 100+ integrations |
*Month-to-month contract is only available for the Essentials Plan, Salesforce’s lowest-priced plan. Its higher-priced plans are only available through annual contracts.
If neither Pipedrive nor Salesforce works for you, we recommend checking out our guide on the top six best small business CRMs or our guide on choosing the right CRM to learn more about your options.
When to Use Pipedrive
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Works out of the box and can be used immediately after setup | Does not offer a free plan |
| Offers visual sales pipelines that are easy to understand | Phone support is limited to the Enterprise plan |
| Has a smart sales assistant that gives recommendations based on historical sales data | Lead generation tools cost extra |
We recommend Pipedrive for businesses in the process of scaling up as they will benefit from its wide range of features, specifically workflow automation and territory management. Pipedrive is also easy to navigate and can be used out of the box, making it ideal for beginners or those without extensive CRM experience. Most importantly, users can maximize all these features without having to pay expensive subscription costs.
When to Use Salesforce
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Advanced analytics tools | Steep learning curve for beginners |
| Robust lead management tools for lead assignment, routing, and scoring | No free plan and expensive to scale |
| Has an AI-assistant that provides highly actionable insights | Requires additional cost for customer support |
Due to its feature-packed nature, Salesforce’s dashboard can be challenging to navigate. Hence, we recommend it for larger, established businesses, as well as users with technical knowledge or prior experience using CRMs. Large organizations also benefit from features such as lead scoring, advanced reporting and analytics, and Einstein, Salesforce’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. Additionally, users must be prepared to allocate a budget for its steep pricing plans.
Most Affordable: Pipedrive
| | |
|---|---|---|
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Contract) | $14.90 per user, per month | $25 per user, per month |
Starting Monthly Price (Month-to-Month Contract) | $19.90 per user, per month | $35 per user, per month* |
Free Trial | 14 days | 14 days |
Free Plan | ✕ | ✕ |
*Month-to-month contract is only available for the Essentials Plan, Salesforce’s lowest-priced plan. Its higher-priced plans are only available through annual contracts.
Pipedrive pricing has four paid plans ranging from $14.90 to $99 per user, per month, when billed annually. All plans include lead, deal, calendar, and pipeline management, data import and export, a mobile app, and a two-way inbox, which syncs emails between the two platforms. Advanced features in the two highest-priced plans include an in-app phone, deal quality evaluation, territory management, and revenue forecasts.
In addition, Pipedrive offers the following add-on features:
- LeadBooster (advanced lead generation tool set): Starts at $32.50 per month
- Web Visitors (web tracking and lead ranking): $4 per month
- Smart Docs (document management): $32.50 per month
LeadBooster, Pipedrive’s add-on and scaled-up lead generation tool, provides users detailed information about their leads so they can focus on the high-quality ones. (Source: PR Marketing Tools)
Like Pipedrive, Salesforce doesn’t offer a free plan. Its pricing plans range from $25 to $300 per user, per month when billed annually. Its entry-level plan, Essentials, is the only plan that can be purchased with a monthly-to-month subscription option—the other plans can only be bought under an annual contract. All plans include account, lead, contact, and opportunity management, customizable sales processes, and a mobile app.
In addition, Salesforce offers the following add-on features:
- Configure, price, and quote (CPQ) billing: $75 per user, per month
- Sales Cloud Einstein: Sales productivity with turnkey intelligence and automation at $50 per user, per month
- Pardot: Sales and email marketing automation campaigns at $1,200 per month for up to 10,000 contacts
Users who want to manage their invoices and track customer payments can add Salesforce’s CPQ feature. (Source: Salesforce)
Winner: Pipedrive wins this round for offering a much more affordable range of pricing plans. Its highest-priced plan costs only $99 per user, per month, which is comparable to Salesforce’s second-most affordable plan in terms of price point. In addition, all of its plans include 24/7 customer support and don’t require an additional purchase, unlike Salesforce’s premium-priced customer support plans.
Most Powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assistance: Salesforce
Salesforce has an AI assistant called Einstein that uses existing data to provide sales recommendations based on your current pipeline and past customer behavior. It can predict issues by reading customer correspondence and can alert agents about potential issues before they arise—giving them a head start to look for possible solutions to offer their customers. It also provides insights on the most effective marketing content to increase lead conversion.
Einstein provides next-best action recommendations based on insights collected from existing customer data. (Source: Salesforce)
Pipedrive also has an AI sales assistant notification tool, but its insights and advice are more reactive and based on past sales performance as opposed to Salesforce’s more proactive recommendations. That said, if you change your activities based on the AI assistant’s recommendations, you can see the results on a weekly basis and make necessary adjustments to ensure you’re always utilizing the most effective sales strategies.
Pipedrive’s sales assistant’s notifications are found on a single page—giving users easy visibility on recommended next steps for leads in their pipelines. (Source: Pipedrive)
Winner: Salesforce’s Einstein is more advanced and provides intelligent recommendations based on actual customer and sales data. It can provide product and service recommendations most likely to be purchased by customers. Its ability to predict issues before they even arise is also impressive. While Pipedrive provides helpful advice to users, its AI feature is not as actionable and personalized as the one provided by Salesforce’s Einstein.
Most Advanced Capabilities: Salesforce
| |
|---|---|
Offers easy-to-use essential CRM functionalities such as visual sales pipelines, revenue forecast reports, and an AI assistant; has 270+ native third-party integrations | Offers highly sophisticated sales automation tools, such as collaborative sales forecasting, workflow automation, and an AI-assistant; has 100+ native third-party integrations |
Pipedrive offers fundamental CRM features most users need, such as lead and contact management, calendar and activity management, workflow automation, and territory management. Its most notable feature is its visual sales pipelines, which let users easily move their deals through the different stages. It also has a mobile app that enables users to access CRM data and stay in touch with customers while they are on the go.
Meanwhile, Salesforce provides the same functionalities—and more. Salesforce is one of the most advanced CRM systems in the market and offers sophisticated sales automation tools such as rule-based scoring, in-depth sales forecasting, as well as sales analytics. It also offers real-time sales insights and a developer sandbox that lets users test their CRM customizations in a safe environment before it gets implemented.
Pipedrive has over 270 integrations including project management, ecommerce, social media marketing, accounting, and invoicing. Salesforce also offers extensive integrations, although its native integrations are limited to 100-plus. Both providers’ integrations can be further expanded through Zapier—an app that integrates various software with one another.
Winner: Salesforce is the winner in this round as it provides more advanced sales automation features, particularly forecasting, lead qualification via rule-based scoring, and analytics tools. While it has fewer direct integrations, connecting it with other business tools via Zapier makes up for it.
Best Customer Support: Pipedrive
| | |
|---|---|---|
Pricing | Free | 30% of total subscription cost |
24/7 Support | ✓ | ✕ (Available when you purchase a Premier or Signature Success Plan) |
Chat | ✓ | ✕ |
Email Support | ✓ | ✓ (Only available when done via online case submission) |
Phone Support | ✓ (Available only in Enterprise plan) | ✓ (Available only when you purchase a Premier or Signature Success Plan) |
Community Forums | ✓ | ✓ |
Pipedrive offers all subscribers with 24/7 email and chat support, as well as access to online resources and community forums. Its phone support is only available in its Enterprise plan.
Meanwhile, Salesforce offers very limited free support. All subscribers are entitled to online case submissions and access to online resources and community forums. Users who want phone and developer support must subscribe to its Premier or Signature Success plan—prices of which start at 30% of a user’s total subscription cost.
Winner: Pipedrive is the clear winner for this round as it has free round-the-clock live chat and email support. We like that the support channels, particularly chat and email, are readily included in the subscription plans, and users don’t need to pay a premium to access them.
Pipedrive vs Salesforce User Reviews
Apart from evaluating Pipedrive vs Salesforce on features, pricing, and ease of use, we also scoured available online reviews to see what users think about each provider. Check out the highlights of available user reviews below:
- Pipedrive: This software earned 4.2 out of 5 stars on G2 and 4.5 out of 5 stars on Capterra. Users like its ease of use and setup, as well as system customizations. They also find the sales pipelines easy to manage. However, they noted occasional system downtimes and duplicated lead contact records.
- Salesforce: It has 4.2 out of 5 stars on G2 and 4.4 out of 5 stars on Capterra. Users like its advanced workflow automation and analytics tools. They also like its sophisticated sales prediction and AI tools. However, users find its dashboard difficult to navigate. They also find the software expensive.
How We Evaluated Pipedrive vs Salesforce
To help you choose between Pipedrive vs Salesforce, we looked at the most fundamental factors critical to small businesses’ decision-making processes when selecting the most suitable CRM. We evaluated both providers when it comes to pricing, ease of use, general features, customer service, and expert scores.
Click the tabs below for more information on the criteria we used to evaluate each CRM provider:
30%
Pricing
20%
General Features
20%
Ease of Use
20%
Help & Support
10%
Expert Score
30% of Overall Score
Total costs and various pricing options are typically the most important criteria for any small business decision. We considered the availability of a free plan, available subscription options, and whether or not there are monthly billing plans available.
20% of Overall Score
We looked through the overall set of CRM features, including lead and opportunity management, lead scoring, sales forecasting, and analytics. We also assessed the extensiveness of available third-party integrations that each provider offers.
20% of Overall Score
Simplicity and intuitiveness are two of our key considerations when looking into a software’s level of ease of use. In evaluating Pipedrive vs Salesforce, we analyzed what level of technical expertise is needed to get up to speed with using the system.
20% of Overall Score
Support is critical for running a CRM platform, especially for small businesses without in-house technical experts. Hence, we analyzed the types of support provided by both Pipedrive and Salesforce via chat, email, and phone.
10% of Overall Score
We looked through existing customer reviews on credible sites to measure the level of satisfaction current users have, and any problems that they usually encounter. We also added our thoughts and expert opinion on key features, value for money, and popularity.
*Percentages of overall score
We looked through existing customer reviews on credible sites to measure the level of satisfaction current users have, and any problems that they usually encounter. We also added our thoughts and expert opinion on key features, value for money, and popularity.
Best Alternatives to Pipedrive & Salesforce
Both Pipedrive and Salesforce are feature-packed CRM tools, but they may not be suitable for your business needs. For example, you may be looking for a CRM system with a free plan, or a provider with strong project management and social media marketing tools. If so, below are our top recommended alternatives to Pipedrive and Salesforce:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Teams that need a scalable CRM with feature-rich, in-app telephony | Users who want a free, feature-packed CRM with strong email marketing tools | Businesses that want an affordable CRM with excellent analytics tools |
Starting Price | Offers a free plan while paid plans start at $15 per user, per month | Offers a free plan while paid plans start at $45 per month for two users | Offers a free plan while paid plans start at $14 per user, per month |
Interested in learning how Pipedrive and Salesforce compare with other providers? If yes, check out our article on Pipedrive vs Freshsales or Freshsales vs Salesforce.
Bottom Line
Pipedrive and Salesforce are excellent CRM providers—but they have their own strengths that serve varying business needs. Deciding which one to choose depends on your level of experience with using CRMs, preferences for specific features, as well as your budget. Pipedrive is easier to use and offers essential functionalities with more budget-friendly price points. Salesforce, on the other hand, provides sophisticated sales automation features at a premium cost.
You Might Also Like…
- Learn how to jump-start your sales process with a guide on how to create a CRM strategy.
- Follow practical steps to training your team on how to use your CRM.
- Do you belong in an industry that requires industry-specific functionalities? Check out our article on industry-specific CRMs.
